Chapter 101: Patricide

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Lingering any longer in Chang’an served no purpose; the three resolved to depart. As they galloped past a desolate temple, Lan Wutong deliberately returned to the monk’s quarters to take a look—the place was long abandoned. It seemed that the Poisoned Guanyin had left before dawn. To uncover the origins of those Japanese men, there were only two places to investigate—Fuzhou and Laizhou. Both were trading ports frequented by Japanese visitors; perhaps some clues could be found there. The best route was to follow the Yangtze River eastward, then at its estuary turn south, boarding a sea vessel to sail north to Laizhou or south to Fuzhou. Though each sought a different enemy, the three could journey together. After agreeing on their plan, they set out eastward from Chang’an.

In the Tangquan Hall of the Daming Palace, Emperor Li Xian and Consort Wei soaked in the warm pool. Li Xian delighted in crafting incense, a skill he had mastered well. He once created a fragrant incense named “Heng’e Osmanthus” using ambergris. He had agents disguised as foreign merchants open shops along Zhuque Street. The “Heng’e Osmanthus” incense quickly became famed throughout the capital, sought after by the daughters of noble families, yet impossible to obtain.

Consort Wei, however, showed disdain. She found men’s fondness for food, drink, and gambling trivial—none a grave fault—but Li Xian’s obsession with the delicate art of incense-making, something typically favored by women, she scorned. The better Li Xian became at crafting incense, the more contemptuous she grew. Secretly administering Western aconite herbs to him, Consort Wei gradually clouded his mind. Li Xian’s intellect deteriorated to the point he could barely attend court, and power slipped steadily into Consort Wei’s hands. In his boredom, Li Xian immersed himself ever more deeply in incense making—almost the only activity left to him. Yet they shared one pastime: bathing. Both loved the warm waters.

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Seated in the hot spring, eyes closed in rest, the two relaxed. Outside the hall, Princess Anle hurriedly approached, followed closely by the eunuch Liu Bin, who whispered anxiously, “Princess, have you truly made up your mind?”

Anle sneered, “After coming this far, there’s no turning back. Bring it here!”

Liu Bin produced an exquisitely crafted glass gourd. Through its translucent surface, faint pink smoke swirled within. Hesitating, he cautioned, “Princess, remember to hold your breath.”

Anle snapped impatiently, “Enough chatter! Where is that master incense maker?”

Liu Bin made a swift slashing gesture across his neck, sneering, “He has been sent to the afterlife.”

Anle nodded, “Good. The dead speak no lies, giving me peace of mind.” With that, she strode directly into the Tangquan Hall clutching the glass gourd.

Li Xian smiled upon her sudden arrival. “My precious daughter has come?”

Consort Wei merely opened her eyes briefly, then closed them again.

Anle smiled, approaching to kneel at the pool’s edge. “Father, I purchased a rare foreign incense from the barbarians at a sky-high price and hired a master craftsman to distill it into fragrant oil. I’ve specially invited you to appraise it.”

Li Xian’s eyes filled with affection as he smiled. “Good daughter, bring it here for me to see.”

Anle glanced at Consort Wei, who still rested with eyes closed, then confidently presented the glass gourd with both hands.

Li Xian toyed with the gourd, watching the pink smoke swirl hypnotically inside. He casually remarked, “Its quality is light and fleeting; prolonged inhalation might provoke liver yang excess. Its hue is bewitching—long viewing may disturb the spirit. Hm, judging by these two points, it’s not top grade. Let me smell it.”

He twisted the stopper open, unaware that Princess Anle had already covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve and stepped several paces back. Bringing the gourd to his nose, he inhaled deeply. Immediately, his heart soared, his expression vacant. He murmured, “Fragrant—truly exquisite. My very soul seems to fly away...” Before he finished, his body slackened, collapsing into the water.

Anle hurried forward, snatched the gourd from his grasp, recapped it, and tucked it into her robe. Approaching Consort Wei, she whispered, “Mother, Father has passed away.”

Consort Wei, still immersed in the warm spring, seemed not to hear clearly. Groggily she muttered, “What turned red?”

Anle gathered courage and repeated loudly, “Mother, Father has died!”

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Consort Wei sprang up in alarm, tearing off her warm headscarf. Naked, she rose from the pool and shouted, “What did you say?” Turning, she saw Li Xian bleeding from all seven orifices, sinking slowly beneath the water’s surface.

“You’re mad! You’ve killed your father! You unfilial wretch!” she screamed at Anle like a lunatic.

Anle remained calm. “And you? Poisoning Father with Western aconite herbs—is that not also patricide?”

Consort Wei froze, stunned. Suddenly, she grabbed Anle by the throat, dragging her close and snarling, “Why would you do this?”

Anle struggled fiercely, eyes wide and unyielding, blazing with wild determination. “He clings to the throne for far too long. I am the Crown Princess! I will become the second Empress!”

Consort Wei collapsed back into the water, sighing bitterly. “You are foolish. You inherited your grandmother’s ambition but not her wisdom. You have doomed us all.”

Anle retorted defiantly, “Once Mother publicly reads the will, what hero dare defy it?”

Consort Wei gazed at Anle as if she were a monster, long and hard, then said, “What heroes would follow you? Ever since Li Chongjun’s rebellion, the capital’s imperial troops were mostly dispatched across the provinces to watch over the princes. Chang’an lies vulnerable. Should you attempt usurpation, the summons will only bring warlords’ armies marching on the city.”

Anle sneered, “Isn’t that simple? Mother, summon the imperial troops back to the capital to defend the throne.”

Consort Wei’s anger flared. “Military power is like a tiger—easy to unleash, hard to recapture. Those generals are all ambitious. Once you relinquish control of the army, you cannot take it back quickly. You must be patient. Do you understand? If you try to seize the throne now, chaos will engulf the realm. The generals will hold their troops, watching one another. Do you think ruling is so easy?!”

Suddenly uneasy, Anle leaned close and whispered, “Mother, what shall we do now? Please think of a way to save Father.”

Consort Wei sneered coldly, “Now you’re afraid! Why didn’t you think before you acted?”

She sighed deeply. “Yet I must save you, because you are my daughter.” She ordered all palace maids to be dismissed, leaving only Li Xian’s personal eunuch, Wang Zhong.

Wang Zhong entered to find Li Xian’s bloodied face floating in the pool. Terrified, he fell to the ground, crying out, “Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Someone, help!”

Consort Wei swiftly dressed and rebuked him, “Impudent servant! Do you wish to destroy the Li dynasty?”

(To be continued.)