After one night at Dongfo Hall, news of another death spread throughout the Long Imperial family; Consort Chang had passed away.
Three days after Consort Chang’s death was announced, Long Xuan issued another decree, demoting Consort Zheng, a noble consort of the Chaoyun Hall, to a palace maid. The Third Prince Long Lin, born to Consort Zheng, was registered under the name of Consort Qiao, severing all ties between him and Consort Zheng.
People speculated wildly about what had angered the Emperor, causing Consort Zheng to fall from the honored status of an noble consort who had borne him a son to a mere palace maid overnight – from a phoenix to a chicken1.
Another day passed, and Long Xuan ordered the eunuchs and palace maids from Changming Hall to be put to death. Except for Fu Dao, none were spared.
Once again, the Long imperial palace was shrouded in bloodshed. Those within the palace were clueless about what had occurred and lived in fear that a sudden decree from Changming Hall could seal their fates.
Luo Wei took Long Xiao to his Yi Jin Garden. When Long Xiao woke up from his fainting spell, he appeared dazed. After spending several days with Luo Wei, he gradually recovered. Sometimes Luo Wei sighed as he watched him, feeling the boy lacked any self-preservation instincts. How could he go on like this? Long Xiao, having been instigated by Consort Zheng, had charged into Dongfo Hall believing that the Emperor was harming his mother. Led by Consort Zheng’s trusted eunuch, he had crawled into Dongfo Hall through a hole in the wall, only to witness Long Xuan pushing Consort Chang. This unexpected event directly led to Consort Chang’s death and also made Long Xiao believe that his Imperial Father had murdered his mother. Consort Zheng thought she had covered her tracks seamlessly and wouldn’t be found out, but she ran into Long Xuan and Luo Wei. For the sake of the imperial throne, another palace woman paid a foolish and heavy price. Consort Zheng received the news of Long Xuan’s visit to Dongfo Hall from her spies in Changming Hall, which led to the second massacre of eunuchs and palace maids there, a true case of harming oneself while trying to harm others.
“Your Highness,” Zhao Fu entered the study, glanced at Long Xiao who was practicing calligraphy, and approached Luo Wei to whisper, “Consort Zheng is dead.”
Luo Wei knew that Long Xuan couldn’t possibly spare this woman, so he shook his head at Zhao Fu.
Zhao Fu withdrew, but after a while, he returned and approached Luo Wei again, whispering, “His Majesty’s people are coming, they say they’ll be here soon.”
“Mm,” Luo Wei waved Zhao Fu away.
After Zhao Fu left, Long Xiao looked up at Luo Wei and asked, “Sixth Uncle, am I bothering you here?”
“No,” Luo Wei said, “Why would you think that?”
“While I’m here, it’s inconvenient for you to talk,” Long Xiao said, “Should I go back to Qingwen Hall?”
“You don’t like staying here with your Sixth Uncle?” Luo Wei asked, “Or did someone say something to you here?”
Long Xiao quickly shook his head, “No.”
“Zhao Fu came to discuss some adult matters with me. As a child, you needn’t know about them,” Luo Wei said, “That’s why I didn’t let you listen. Don’t overthink it, Xiao’er.”
“I’m not a child anymore,” Long Xiao muttered in response.
“Yes, you’ve grown up,” Luo Wei chuckled, “It’s Sixth Uncle who is getting old.”
Long Xiao’s hand trembled, ruining the characters he was writing.
“What’s wrong?” Luo Wei asked.
“Sixth Uncle isn’t old,” Long Xiao said, “Sixth Uncle, will you leave the palace?”
“Why are you asking about this all of a sudden?” Luo Wei said.
“If Sixth Uncle leaves, can you take me with you?” Long Xiao asked Luo Wei, “Long Xiao doesn’t want to stay in this palace anymore.”
“Xiao’er,” Luo Wei said, “You’re a Prince, this is your home. Where do you want to go?”
“My mother and the others are gone, this isn’t my home anymore,” Long Xiao rubbed his eyes, his tone carrying a hint of juvenile fierceness.
Luo Wei approached Long Xiao, picked up a piece of paper filled with Long Xiao’s writing, and looked at the characters that remarkably resembled his own, unable to express the feelings in his heart at that moment.
“Sixth Uncle,” Long Xiao tugged at Luo Wei’s sleeve, “Can you take me out of the palace?”
Luo Wei just smiled at Long Xiao, reaching out to pat his head, “We’ll talk about it when Sixth Uncle leaves the palace.”
“When will Sixth Uncle leave the palace?” Long Xiao asked.
“I don’t know, maybe soon, maybe we’ll have to wait a while longer,” Luo Wei put down the paper filled with Long Xiao’s calligraphy, saying, “Hurry up and practice your writing, until you’ve finished a thousand characters, Sixth Uncle won’t let you go out and play.”
Long Xiao lowered his head again to focus on writing characters. Only with Luo Wei by his side did he feel safe from further harm.
Luo Wei turned and coughed a few times. He returned next to the recliner under the window where he had been sitting earlier and gazed at the scenery outside the courtyard. After standing for a brief moment, he felt his legs weaken and had to sit down.
Long Xiao hurried over, bringing a cup of freshly brewed flower tea for Luo Wei.
“Don’t worry about me,” Luo Wei wasn’t thirsty at the moment but he still took the tea cup from his hand, then instructed him to return to the desk to continue his writing practice. Long Xiao no longer displayed the innocence of a child. Overnight at Dongfo Hall, this twelve-year-old boy seemed to have grown up. He followed Luo Wei not only with simple affection anymore, but also with a desire to prove his usefulness. As Luo Wei looked out the window, he couldn’t help but turn his head to look at Long Xiao who was immersed in writing. When this child would eventually learns the truth, besides hating Long Xuan, would he also come to hate him? Stirred by emotions, Luo Wei coughed again.
“Sixth Uncle,” Long Xiao hurriedly looked up at Luo Wei.
“It’s nothing,” Luo Wei coughed and said, “Keep writing.”
Long Xiao could only continue practicing, with Luo Wei’s coughing in his ears. After a while, the coughing stopped, and when Long Xiao filled another sheet of paper, he looked up to see Luo Wei holding a book of miscellaneous texts, reading it with relish. Long Xiao blew on the paper, wanting the ink to dry faster so he could show it to Luo Wei.
At that moment, Long Xuan arrived and stood at the door. He saw Long Xiao sitting by the window in the study, leaning against Luo Wei on a low stool. Luo Wei was pointing at the paper in his hand, saying something to Long Xiao, and both of them had intimate smiles on their faces. Long Xuan felt a pang of envy in his heart. When had he ever had this with Luo Wei?
When Long Xiao turned to see Long Xuan, he quickly lowered his head, and his smile disappeared.
Luo Wei called out the window, “Ten.”
Ten stood outside the window and responded, “Your Highness.”
“Take the Crown Prince out for a walk,” Luo Wei said.
“Yes,” Ten obediently replied.
Seeing Long Xiao still standing there motionless, Luo Wei patted his head again and said, “Didn’t I teach you manners? When you see your father, shouldn’t you pay your respects?”
Long Xiao then gave his respects to Long Xuan. Luo Wei had been telling him all along that his mother had died in an accident, that his father had never intended for his mother to die. But Long Xiao believed his own eyes, so despite outwardly obeying Luo Wei, he harbored hatred for Long Xuan in his heart.
“You may rise,” Long Xuan walked into the study and said to the kneeling Long Xiao.
Luo Wei helped Long Xiao up, pointing to the window and saying, “Let’s go out through the window?”
Long Xiao climbed onto the windowsill.
Ten reached out from outside and lifted Long Xiao out, bowing to Long Xuan and Luo Wei before taking Long Xiao away.
- 由凤变鸡 – yóu fèng biàn jī: idiom, “from a phoenix to a chicken”, using the metaphor of a phoenix (representing nobility) becoming a chicken (representing something lowly). ↩︎
Boundless Dao 
Leave a comment