"Zhi'er does not hate the Great Chanyu." In the Yan imperial palace, Emperor Yan Murong Xi spoke of past events. The Empress Murong Qing replied expressionlessly, "This is Zhi'er's fate, and his fate as well."
"So, you still hate me?" Murong Xi asked coldly.
That incident back then, Murong Xi had indeed gone too far, snatching another man's woman and cruelly executing him. However, Murong Xi felt no regret.
The entire realm belonged to Murong Xi, and all under heaven were his possessions. Naturally, his subjects were too. Whoever he wished to die, must die, and whoever he wished to live, could continue to live.
The power of life and death, all in my hands. This is the emperor. This is "Guaren" (the solitary one).
"Your subject dares not," Murong Qing replied with downcast eyes. "It was an incident from years ago. Why has the Great Chanyu suddenly brought it up today? Your subject has long forgotten."
"Oh, really?" Murong Xi looked at Murong Qing, trying to discern the truth in her words. But Murong Qing's expression was calm and composed, making it impossible to know what she was truly thinking.
"The Right Xian King was a loyal minister to our Great Yan, with outstanding merits," Murong Xi said after a long pause, speaking of Murong Wang. "After he passed, I did not even build him a tomb..."
"Zhi'er..." Murong Xi then said to Murong Qing, "The bond between the Right Xian King and I, Murong Xi, was as deep as rarely seen in this world. Both in life and after death, he valued the honor of the Right Xian King more than his own life. Regardless of what the world might say, I, Murong Xi, have always recognized the Right Xian King as my kin."
At this moment, Murong Xi seemed to carry a touch of weariness and loneliness.
"Yes, Great Chanyu, my father often spoke of this matter in his lifetime," Murong Qing suddenly looked up at Murong Xi and said faintly.
Murong Xi nodded upon hearing this and said no more. Murong Qing also remained silent.
As the saying goes, when minds do not meet, words are few. At this moment, both were lost in their own thoughts, and the vast palace became quiet again, a silence that sent a chill down one's spine.
"Alas!" Murong Xi let out a long sigh, then stood up and looked out the window. Gazing at the tranquil, refreshing night sky outside, his mind plunged back into deep thought. Whatever he was thinking, his eyes remained fixed on the view outside.
Murong Qing also followed Murong Xi's gaze to the window. As they both watched, they simultaneously broke into enigmatic smiles.
...
"The National Preceptor has arrived?" Empress Yan Murong Qing asked with a smile as the Great Yan's Grand Preceptor Samo entered the palace.
"Murong Qing, for what matter do you summon me?" Samo, brought down from Wanling Mountain in the dead of night by Murong Qing, asked impatiently as he arrived at the Yan imperial palace.
"I beg your pardon for disturbing the National Preceptor so late at night," Samo addressed Murong Qing by name, but Murong Qing did not mind. Instead, she apologized, "I invited the National Preceptor here tonight to ask him to divine a fortune for me."
Samo calling Murong Qing by her given name was not a sign of disrespect. It was because Samo was so engrossed in his sorcery day in and day out that he seemed almost lost to it, with little else in his eyes but magic. Moreover, Samo was a pure Xianbei and was unfamiliar with many courtesies, not attaching importance to them.
Murong Qing knew Samo well, so whether he used respectful terms or not, she would not quibble with him.
"Oh, what do you wish to divine?" Samo asked.
"The current matter, its fortune and misfortune," Murong Qing replied.
The current matter? Samo, despite his obsessive study of sorcery, was not entirely out of his mind. Hearing her words, he stood still, looking at Murong Qing. He likely knew what she wanted to divine. He then asked Murong Qing, "Are you prepared?"
Murong Qing nodded and ordered her servants to bring out the divination tools that had been prepared, placing them in the palace hall.
"I, this National Preceptor, will now perform the ritual. All others, withdraw. Empress Murong Qing, you too," Samo seemed displeased with the divination tools Murong Qing had prepared. He took out his own artifacts: an idol of the ancestral gods, wooden models of the sun, moon, wild geese, and cuckoos, a divine drum, drumsticks, waist bells, bronze mirrors, and so on. He then said to Murong Qing and the others.
Murong Qing waved her hand, ordering the servants to withdraw outside the hall. She glanced at Samo, then also exited.
"The sun rises in the east, black qi encircles it, obscuring heaven and earth. Malevolent spirits, withdraw!" Thus, the Great Yan's Grand Preceptor Samo, wearing a deerskin hat, clad in a bearskin and a loose, dirty grey robe, holding a prayer flag, with unbound hair, danced with his artifacts, chanting incantations, and began the divination ritual.
When the Xianbei people faced significant events such as sacrifices, expeditions, weddings, or funerals, they would invite a shaman to divine good or ill fortune and ward off evil spirits. Ultimately, it was for peace of mind and comfort.
Murong Qing, though the empress of the Great Yan, was no different. This was because Murong Qing had been this way since childhood, unable to escape shamans in her life. Of course, she would not reveal the specific matters, and even if Samo guessed them, he would not dare to speak of them.
She hoped for the best possible omen. Many things had already been arranged by Murong Qing. At this very moment, only the final step remained. If Samo's divination yielded the best omen, then Murong Qing's last worry would be gone.
"Crack!"
Just as Murong Qing was filled with unease, a loud noise suddenly erupted from the hall. A bolt of lightning shot out, illuminating the entire palace. It hung above Murong Qing and the others. Then, a creature with a countenance like cinnabar, eyes like mirrors, horns three feet long, resembling both livestock and a monkey, a divine spirit of unknown origin, burst out of the hall. It held a hammer and anvil, staring at Murong Qing and the others.
The terrifying creature glanced at Murong Qing, then "whooshed" back into the hall.
"Ah???!" Murong Qing was startled, losing her composure, and collapsed onto the ground, unable to speak.
The surrounding eunuchs and maids were also terrified, most of them huddled on the ground, trembling. However, a few eunuchs and maids stepped forward to help Murong Qing up.
"Withdraw, do not disturb the National Preceptor's ritual," Murong Qing commanded the eunuchs and maids after standing up, her brow furrowed.
She had always heard that the National Preceptor's magic was profound, capable of communicating with spirits. But did he need to put on such a terrifying display? Was this divination or an attempt to kill? Murong Qing thought indignantly.
...
"National Preceptor, how was it?" After a long while, Samo finally concluded his ritual. Murong Qing entered the hall and asked the exhausted Grand Preceptor of Great Yan, who was slumped on the ground.
Performing rituals consumed a great deal of energy, and could even shorten one's lifespan.
Samo leaped to his feet, calmed his breathing, and slowly said, "Not auspicious, not beneficial. Greatly auspicious, not greatly beneficial. Greatly beneficial, not greatly auspicious. The wolf god will be born, aiding your grand endeavor, but there will be a backlash!"
"National Preceptor, what does that mean? Is it ultimately ill fortune or good fortune?" Murong Qing asked, completely bewildered, pondering Samo's words.
"Heaven's secrets cannot be revealed..." Samo shook his head slightly and then said to Murong Qing, "Your Highness the Empress, why are you so insistent on this?"
"If I do not act, then our Great Yan will cease to exist," Murong Qing replied.
"Alas, a phoenix and a dragon contend, and it is the common people who suffer," Samo sighed upon hearing this. "Your Highness the Empress, the matter is too great for me to divine its fortune. Whether you will have good fortune or ill, victory or defeat, I do not know. I have only one word for you."
"Please speak, National Preceptor," Murong Qing said thoughtfully.
After all that divination and grand display, and yet nothing certain? Murong Qing was inwardly annoyed.
"I hope you will be merciful and compassionate, with the common people in your heart, or you will surely incur divine punishment." Samo looked at Murong Qing and spoke each word deliberately.
"When did the National Preceptor begin to revere Buddhism? I think of the common people, but do the common people think of me?" Murong Qing scoffed bitterly.
"Very well, my words are done. Your Highness the Empress, I shall take my leave," Samo said to Murong Qing.
"Is the National Preceptor leaving now?" Murong Qing asked with a light laugh.
"What? Does Your Highness the Empress intend to silence me?" Samo turned and asked Murong Qing.
"I dare not," Murong Qing smiled again and said, "I merely wish to invite the National Preceptor to stay in the palace for a few more days."
Murong Qing then waved her hand, and behind her appeared over a dozen formidable figures, each holding heart-chilling crossbows, weapons of death.
Samo had already guessed it. Murong Qing would not let him go, but she would not kill him either. She would keep him under house arrest in the palace until the matter was resolved.
Perhaps he could still be forced to reveal what he had left unsaid.
Samo possessed only some sorcery, and much of it was mere illusion, designed to deceive the mind. Murong Qing was well aware of this.
Even if Samo's sorcery was superb, it could not withstand a barrage of arrows. Moreover, those behind Murong Qing also had sorcerers, capable of protecting Murong Qing and countering Samo.
...
"Xishi, do not leave tonight. Rest at the manor," Murong Bole said to Tang Qingsi in the Right Xian King's manor.
Tomorrow, the very next day, was when Emperor Yan Murong Xi would leave the palace for his annual hunt. This would be the day of their decisive battle, and thus Murong Bole was concerned for Tang Qingsi's safety.
No matter how powerful Murong Qing was, she would not dare to cause a major disturbance within the Right Xian King's manor.
However, this was merely Murong Bole and his men's wishful thinking. When a person is pushed to desperation, with no other recourse, they will resort to any means, regardless of the consequences. Such is the way of the world.
"Your Highness's concerns are well-founded..." Tang Qingsi nodded. "I shall obey Your Highness's command."
Although Tang Qingsi said this, he could not help but worry about his family, specifically, his many beautiful wives and concubines at home.