Zhao Mian and Wei Zhenfeng stood hand-in-hand atop a sand dune, their palms sweaty from the run. Facing the sunrise, they looked out and saw a dilapidated ancient city standing in the middle of the vast sea of sand.
It wasn’t just a few scattered ruins, but an entire city of neatly arranged buildings, its scale comparable to a small city in the Central Plains.
The specific architectural features had long been lost to the great changes of time, but the massive stone pillars remained heavy and profound, and the sculptures at the city’s center were still ancient and mysterious—these were things that time could not take away.
Zhou Huairang, who had arrived before them, collapsed on the ground. The ruins under the morning sun were reflected in his eyes, but his mind saw a different scene.
Springwater flowed through the desert. Poplar trees were lush, the land was fertile, and cooking smoke curled into the air. The city was built alongside the water, its bustling market filled with men and women in cool clothing and headscarves, and the shouts of vendors were endless.
“This must be the capital of the Yi Clan,” Zhou Huairang murmured.
The broken walls and ruins remained today, but only the dancing tumbleweeds vaguely spoke of the Yi Clan’s glory from centuries ago.
None of them spoke again, quietly taking in this unique atmosphere.
After a long while, Zhao Mian said, “This city is a bit too small to be a capital.”
“Right?” Zhou Huairang agreed. “Isn’t it? It can’t compare to Shangjing.”
“That’s why the Yi Clan perished centuries ago,” Wei Zhenfeng said. According to ancient records, though the Yi Clan was small, its royalty was extremely wealthy. It would have been a miracle if such a small country wasn’t coveted by the great powers of the Central Plains.
The trio led the camels down the sand dune and truly entered the ruins, where everything they saw was a historical artifact.
Having spent this time buried in ancient texts, Zhou Huairang was thrilled to be in the presence of these relics. All along the way, he excitedly chattered like a little bird. “Your Highness, look! Doesn’t the totem on this pillar look a lot like the one we found in the Nangong Palace? We found the right place! And, and those large stone blocks by the roadside should be the tools they used to grind spices…”
Wei Zhenfeng stopped in front of what looked like the ruins of a shop. “There’s a sundial here. It’s almost noon.”
Zhao Mian looked around and asked, “Why can’t I see the royal palace?”
“This probably isn’t the complete picture of the Yi Clan’s capital. Many things would have been buried under the sand during repeated sandstorms,” Wei Zhenfeng said. “In any case, let’s first find the legendary “tall tower.'”
Beneath the tall tower, a body of black.
When noon arrives, beacon smoke rises, and the lords fight for eternity.
Now that they had found the correct ancient city, finding a tall tower within it was much easier. Half an hour later, they found a dilapidated tall tower in a corner of the ancient city. Four characters were carved on the tower in the ancient Yi Clan language, which Zhou Huairang identified as “Tower of the Pure Gate.”
“‘Pure Gate’ in the ancient Yi Clan language refers to the entrance to a solemn and sacred place,” Zhou Huairang explained. “Only pure and untainted people can enter. If a defiled person forces their way in, their gods will cast down divine punishment.”
Wei Zhenfeng’s face fell. “Damn. I’m not that ‘pure and untainted.’ I won’t go in. You two go ahead, I’ll wait for you here. Zhou Huairang, take good care of your Crown Prince.”
Zhao Mian glanced sideways at Wei Zhenfeng. Zhou Huairang was surprised. “Really?”
“Of course not!” Wei Zhenfeng said bluntly.
Zhou Huairang was speechless.
It was noon, and the blazing sun cast a black shadow from the Tower of the Pure Gate onto the ground. The trio followed the shadow to a pile of ruins. Only then did Zhou Huairang realize that the Young Prince was probably getting back at him for laughing when he couldn’t tell that the Crown Prince was throwing up because he couldn’t stomach the flatbread.
The ruins in front of them were much larger than the ordinary dwellings. Zhao Mian found some anvils that looked like thick wooden stakes. Combining this with the phrase “when the noon arrives, beacon smoke rises,” he guessed this might have been a blacksmith’s shop.
Blacksmithing would require a furnace. Sure enough, they soon found a badly damaged furnace in the ruins, about as tall as two Zhou Huairangs, with a columnar shape and a round top. At the bottom of the furnace was a hole leading to the inner chamber, likely where ore and charcoal were added.
Wei Zhenfeng and Zhao Mian exchanged a look. After Zhao Mian nodded, Wei Zhenfeng stepped forward, lit a torch, and leaned into the hole. “Hmm? I don’t see any secret passage.”
Zhao Mian thought for a moment. “Try starting a fire inside the hole.”
Wei Zhenfeng found some dry wood and tumbleweeds and built a fire inside the chamber. As the flames grew hotter, there was a loud bang, and something on the ground seemed to be pushed up. A cloud of dust and smoke immediately billowed out of the furnace.
Wei Zhenfeng quickly shielded Zhao Mian, who was spared from the smoke. Poor Zhou Huairang, however, coughed violently for a long time before he recovered.
When the smoke cleared, a set of deep stone stairs appeared before them.
The three were silent for a moment. Wei Zhenfeng was the first to step onto the stairs. After confirming they were solid, he looked back at Zhao Mian. “Ready?”
Zhao Mian didn’t hesitate. “Let’s go.” They had come this far; there was no reason to turn back.
With only one torch left, held by Wei Zhenfeng at the front, the illuminated area was limited. The three walked cautiously. The deeper they went, the darker it got, to the point where Zhou Huairang’s current complexion could almost perfectly hide him in the shadows. Fortunately, the stairs weren’t too long. After about a third of an incense stick’s time, they stepped onto level ground again.
Even with limited visibility, Zhao Mian could tell they were in a relatively spacious place. Wei Zhenfeng saw a large bronze door ahead. Holding the torch in one hand, he felt around the surroundings with the other. “Found it.”
Just as he spoke, Zhao Mian’s vision suddenly brightened. Two palace lamps stood beside the bronze gate, which Wei Zhenfeng lit one by one. Only then could Zhao Mian and Zhou Huairang see the full extent of the bronze gate.
The bronze door wasn’t large, at least not compared to the palace gates in Nanjing, but its texture was exceptionally delicate, covered in totems symbolizing the Yi Clan’s royalty. In the middle of the gate was a small indentation, identical in shape to the “key” they had found on Mount Nangong that day. Clearly, this was the mechanism to open the gate.
Zhao Mian couldn’t help but smile. “It’s fortunate that you stayed with us.” He looked at his childhood friend, “Go ahead.”
Zhou Huairang felt both like crying and laughing. “Your Highness…” he said, moved.
Zhao Mian encouraged him, “I’ll be watching you right here.”
Zhou Huairang took out the jade stone he had been carrying with him all this time. Under the watchful eyes of Zhao Mian and Wei Zhenfeng, he walked to the bronze door. He swallowed a couple of times, his hands trembling as he solemnly placed the jade stone into the indentation—a perfect fit.
With a “click,” the trio felt the ground shake beneath them. Accompanied by a heavy thud, the entrance to the Yi Clan’s underground palace slowly opened.
The path ahead was unknown. It might be the long-awaited and long-sought-after treasure, or it could be a trap. But they did not hesitate for a moment and walked in.
The torch in Wei Zhenfeng’s hand was almost burnt out. The three first tried to light as many torches and lamps on the walls as they could. The underground palace quickly became bright, making it much easier for them to move around.
Zhao Mian, however, felt something was off. If this place was just for storing treasure, no one would have lived here for long, so why were there so many torches and lamps?
The deeper they explored, the more suspicions Zhao Mian had. This ancient underground palace was indeed a ruin of the Yi Clan’s royal family. There were signs of recent repairs on the walls, and the traces were still very new, no more than five years old by his estimation.
In addition, they saw many things that should not have been in the ruins: a bed covered with a luxurious carpet, a set of imperial-grade teaware on a tea table, the “four treasures of the study” from Nanjing’s Huizhou, a box of “Eastern Pearls” that only a Western Xia empress could use… Everything was priceless. They then checked the bedroom, study, kitchen… Everything a Western Xia palace should have was here.
At this point, even Zhou Huairang noticed the problem. “Your Highness, this doesn’t feel like a place for treasure. It feels more like a ‘mini palace’ for someone to live in.”
The treasure chamber he had imagined was a secret room filled with a messy pile of gold and silver. It wouldn’t be arranged so neatly, with precious pearls in the bedroom and the study treasures in the study. How troublesome to move them around, like they were confiscating a family’s property!
Wei Zhenfeng wiped some dust off a table with his fingertip. “It was meant for someone to live in, but it’s been a long time since anyone has.”
“Was it for the Imperial City Division?” Zhou Huairang guessed.
Wei Zhenfeng picked up a teacup and examined it. “People from the Imperial City Divison aren’t worthy of using these things.”
Zhou Huairang couldn’t figure it out, so he stopped trying. He happily said, “Anyway, these things look quite valuable, so they should be the treasure of Western Xia, right? There must be more in the treasury!”
“I suppose so,” Wei Zhenfeng chuckled. “Just that box of priceless Eastern Pearls would be enough to feed the fifty thousand Yuan Army soldiers stationed in the desert for quite a while.” Wei Zhenfeng stretched, in high spirits. “All this effort wasn’t for nothing. Why don’t we spend the night here and celebrate our successful treasure hunt? It’s been a long time since I’ve slept in a bed.”
Zhou Huairang immediately spoke up, “The bed in the main hall is for our Crown Prince. The young prince isn’t allowed to take it.”
“I won’t,” Wei Zhenfeng said lazily. “I’ll be able to sleep with him on the fifteenth anyway.”
Zhou Huairang was speechless.
“One question,” Zhao Mian said suddenly. “How did the last Western Xia Emperor and Empress die?”
“They took their own lives before the Yuan Army broke down the gates, didn’t they?” Zhou Huairang said without hesitation. He looked at Wei Zhenfeng. “The Young Prince should know best.”
Wei Zhenfeng shrugged, noncommittal.
“What kind of person was the Western Xia Emperor?” Zhao Mian asked thoughtfully.
“A tyrannical and extravagant ruler?” Zhou Huairang said with disdain. “The only right thing he did in his life was probably ceding power to Gu Ruzhang.”
“How could such a ruler who lost his country perform such a heroic act as dying for his country?” Zhao Mian said slowly. “I suspect this place is the other Western Xia palace he prepared for himself.”
Zhou Huairang followed Zhao Mian’s train of thought. “Your Highness, do you mean the Western Xia Emperor planned to hide underground to survive after the country fell? That’s why he moved everything out of the Western Xia palace?”
Zhao Mian nodded. “Unfortunately, for some reason, he never made it here.”
“The Western Xia Emperor and Empress are dead. I personally verified their bodies, so there’s no doubt about that,” Wei Zhenfeng said, pausing. “As for whether they took their own lives… that’s debatable.”
“They weren’t killed by Beiyuan?” Zhou Huairang asked.
“No,” Wei Zhenfeng chuckled. “They were already dead when we arrived.”
A cold gust of wind blew by, and Zhou Huairang shuddered. “Then, who was the real regicide?”
A silver-haired figure appeared in Zhao Mian’s mind. Could it be Gu Ruzhang, who had the reputation of being a loyal and patriotic official?
If he were Gu Ruzhang and found out that his emperor had planned to abandon his country and flee, what would he do?
Between a ruler who emptied his palace to live a cowardly life and an emperor who died heroically for his country with his wife, which one would the Imperial City Division, which carried all of Gu Ruzhang’s hope, need as a symbol for their country’s revival?
For Gu Ruzhang, which was the basis of his existence: loyalty to his ruler or love for his country?
Wei Zhenfeng also thought of Gu Ruzhang, but he didn’t dwell on it. He had something else on his mind. “If this place really is the ‘mini palace’ the Western Xia Emperor prepared for himself, there must be food in the kitchen—I’m starving. Zhou Huairang, go see what you can find to eat.”
“Okay, okay,” Zhou Huairang said, asking, “Your Highness, what about you? Are you hungry?”
“I just finished a flatbread,” Zhao Mian said.
After Zhou Huairang left, Wei Zhenfeng flopped onto the royal couch, burying his face and muttering, “Finally, it’s over… I’m so hungry.”
Zhao Mian’s heart fluttered. He walked over to him and asked, “Now you know you’re hungry?”
The Crown Prince’s words weren’t very pleasant, but his tone was unusually calm, even with a hint of concern.
Wei Zhenfeng rolled onto his side and looked at Zhao Mian. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Zhao Mian didn’t beat around the bush. “Why haven’t you been eating these past few days?”
“Oh,” Wei Zhenfeng said, raising his hand to scratch the mole under his right eye. “You found out, huh?”
Zhao Mian hesitated before asking, “Was it… for me?”
Wei Zhenfeng thought for a moment. “Kind of?”
“You didn’t have to.” Zhao Mian was firm. “Since we are allies, you don’t need to yield to me in matters of life and death.” Giving him flatbread was less helpful than giving way to him in bed.
Wei Zhenfeng sat up and confessed, “Actually, it wasn’t just for you. To be more accurate, it was for ‘you two’?”
Zhao Mian was slightly surprised. “For me and Xiao Rang?”
Wei Zhenfeng chuckled. “Xiao Rang who? Am I that familiar with him?”
“We’ve slept together for a few nights,” Zhao Mian said. “How can we not be close?”
“For me, only sleeping together in bed makes the relationship special. Sleeping on the floor doesn’t count as sleeping together.”
Zhao Mian asked, “Then who are ‘you two’ you’re talking about?”
Wei Zhenfeng looked at Zhao Mian and asked, “Zhao Mian, how are you feeling right now?”
Zhao Mian felt his chest. He felt quite good. “I feel excellent, of course.”
They had successfully found the Western Xia treasure and had temporarily escaped the danger of dying from thirst or hunger. Their mood could be described as joyous.
“Good. Then there’s a question I’ve been wanting to ask you.” Wei Zhenfeng said, trying to sound casual. “To be honest, it’s been killing me this entire time.”
Zhao Mian knew that Wei Zhenfeng was someone who spoke his mind. For a question to be so difficult for him to say that he had to hold it in all this time, it must be mortifying.
“Ask,” he said.
Just as Zhao Mian understood Wei Zhenfeng, Wei Zhenfeng also understood Zhao Mian very well. He could imagine the shock his question might cause Zhao Mian, so he took precautions. “Whatever I ask, you’re not allowed to draw your sword.”
You say that, Zhao Mian thought, so the question you’re about to ask will most likely make me want to draw my sword.
Does Wei Zhenfeng want to go back on his word and doesn’t want to give him a 40% share of the treasure?
He couldn’t think of any other possibility.
Zhao Mian was on high alert. “I’ll try.”
“It’s just,” Wei Zhenfeng said, turning his face away in embarrassment. “Is it possible… that you’re pregnant with my child?”
Zhao Mian: “………………”