Nirvana In Fire

Preamble:

Sorry this latest update took a while. I got caught up in the world of “The Untamed” (which was pretty good, I must say, though not as good as LYB, but who can complain about pretty boys and finding one’s soulmate!), and since work has started, this translation had to take a bit of a backseat. Anyways, I’m back, though I have to admit the next 7 chapters will take a while as I adjust back to work. But fret not, I have every intention of finishing it off….it’s just a matter of time, so sit tight, and enjoy this chapter (which I kinda took some translations off the Rakuten Viki subs!).

Though Xiao Jingrui’s voice was soft when he said these words, their insistence and determination were penetrating. Grand Princess Liyang felt like an invisible hand was gripping her throat, like she was drowning, clinging on desperately to driftwood. She held on tightly to her son, not letting go.

“Jingrui, listen to me…..you don’t know, you don’t know how ruthless he is. It wasn’t that nobody cried out against the injustice back then. He just didn’t listen, he didn’t listen! Jinyang jiejie, Concubine Chen, Jingyu….When I watched them die, I knew that the Emperor had already made the most absolute, ruthless and cruel decision. This case is the Emperor’s greatest bane. Whoever tries to touch it would be tantamount to attempting to overthrow his supreme authority and there would be no good outcome to this! Think it through. Old Master Li, the great teacher, and your uncle Prince Ying. Which of them is not well-known and influential? But in the end, none of them could dissuade a harsh and cold-blooded Emperor….Jingrui, don’t be foolish. Do you think you could tell everyone of the great mistake His Majesty had made?”

“Mother, should we make as if we haven’t seen anything then?” Xiao Jingrui asked quietly, “Erase these facts from our minds, as if we never read this letter? If we really do this, would we be at peace with ourselves?”

“Jingrui…..”

“Mother, I understand you, but the truth is the truth. Whether or not we are able to right the wrong, we should at the very least not be accomplices in concealing the truth.” Xiao Jingrui wanted to release his hand from his mother’s grip but she held on all the tighter, her tears falling like a broken thread, so he had no choice but to stop and patiently continue to persuade her, “Mother, someone has already tried to get their hands on this letter, so it may no longer be possible for us to stay out of it. You must believe that in this world, what is most important is not the ruler or the emperor, but justice and truth. But don’t worry, even if I am unable to ignore it, for Mother’s sake, I will not act recklessly.”

Grand Princess Liyang shook her head frantically, her messy hair, wet from her cold sweat, sticking to her face, making her look old and haggard. Seeing that she was unable to persuade her son, her mind spun rapidly, and an idea suddenly shone through her mind.

“Jingrui, let’s hand this over to the Crown Prince.”

“What?”

“The Crown Prince,” said Grand Princess Liyang impatiently. “While you were away, did you hear that Da Liang has a new Crown Prince?”

Xiao Jingrui thought for a while then nodded slowly, “I’ve heard of it. It’s Prince Jing…..”

“Yes, that’s right.” Grand Princess Liyang drew a deep breath, trying to remain calm. “Perhaps you may not remember, but as a child, Jingyan had a strong relationship with Prince Qi and the Lin family. He grew up with Xiao Shu from the Lin family, and they were the best of friends. If there’s anyone on earth who would truly want to reclaim the innocence of Prince Qi and the Lin Clan, it would be him. Let’s give the Crown Prince this letter. Wouldn’t it be better than leaving it in our hands?”

“The new Crown Prince….” Xiao Jingrui frowned thoughtfully, “I have not had much association with him, so I’m not sure what kind of person he is. Although they were friends back then, now that he is the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace, waiting to succeed to the throne, would he risk His Majesty’s anger to overturn such a big case?”

“Jingyan has always been upright in nature. I believe he won’t forget old feelings of kindness and loyalty.” Liyang folded up the letter and put it back into the pouch, saying hurriedly, “I’ll go to the Eastern Palace immediately. You don’t need to bother about it anymore. No matter what the Crown Prince’s stand is, I’m still his aunt after all, so I’ll be alright.”

“How could I let Mother go alone?” Xiao Jingrui smiled gently, but his tone was firm. “Since the Crown Prince will not make things difficult for Mother, he won’t make things difficult for me either.”

Grand Princess Liyang had of course originally intended for her son to not get involved in this matter at all, but he was after all, still her son, and she knew him well, that he had made up his mind and would not be deterred, so she did not try to stop him.

That night, Xiao Jingrui reorganized the defenses of the princess’s mansion. He kept the pouch with the letter on his own body and stood guard at his mother’s door. The night passed by safely. Early the next morning, both mother and son had breakfast, and when the approximate time came for the Crown Prince to dismiss court, they took a carriage to the Eastern Palace.

Although Xie Yu was censured for his crime, Grand Princess Liyang was still an imperial kinswoman and the Emperor’s younger sister, so attendants of the Eastern Palace dared not neglect her. They quickly sent someone to announce her arrival while respectfully showing her in. Xiao Jingyan had just returned from court, and hadn’t yet changed out of his Crown Prince attire, but stood at the steps of the Eastern Palace’s main pavilion waiting respectfully for his aunt. Due to their different temperaments, they were both never close, so they merely greeted each other politely and entered the pavilion together.

But the moment they stepped into the pavilion, Grand Princess Liyang and Xiao Jingrui, who was supporting her, were immediately stunned and frozen in place. The main pavilion of the Eastern Palace wasn’t a place anyone could simply enter, yet someone else was standing there, someone dressed in a plain white jacket, an outsider with neither rank nor duty.

This man was at this moment smiling lightly, like a light breeze on a cloudless day. He bowed respectfully towards the Grand Princess while saying, “This commoner greets Your Highness Grand Princess. Jingrui, long time no see.”

When Xiao Jingrui first left the capital, Mei Changsu was still Prince Yu’s man, but now that heaven and earth had reversed, he was standing by the new Crown Prince’s side. Seeing this, it not only made one suddenly see the light, but also caused a tide of emotions to surface.

“I didn’t expect to see Mister Su here,” said Grand Princess Liyang with a cold smile. “When I first met Mister Su then, I only knew that you were someone with ambitions. Now, it would appear that it was a Qilin strategy.”

“Princess flatters me.” Mei Changsu smiled placidly, “Due to His Highness the Crown Prince’s recognition of Su mou’s efforts, how could I, as a subject of Da Liang, not do my best?”

Though he had a soft air of resignation and a mild expression, Grand Princess Liyang didn’t know why but when she looked at him, she always felt dread in her heart, so she avoided his gaze and said, “Jingyan, I am here today to speak to you about confidential and important matters, so it’s not convenient for outsiders to be present. May I ask Mister Su to withdraw for a while?”

Xiao Jingyan immediately said, “No need. You can treat Mister Su like myself. Anything gu mu* has to tell me can also be said to Mister Su.”

*aunt; father’s younger sister

This sentence bore great weight. Even if the Crown Prince was merely speaking out of politeness to his guest, it wasn’t trivial, especially not when he spoke so seriously, without a second thought and with no other implied meaning. Grand Princess Liyang looked at the both of them nervously and hesitated.

Not appearing to notice her expression, Mei Changsu proceeded to ask, “Did Your Highness Grand Princess come here today regarding the letter Marquis Xie wrote before he left the capital?”

Hearing this, Xiao Jingrui assumed that the matter was within his control and so he asked accordingly, “How did Su xiong know?”

“I was the one who came up with the idea of him writing this letter to preserve his life then. Jingrui may not know, but Your Highness probably will not have forgotten,” Mei Changsu took a step forward, his eyebrows raised. “Since the both of you are here in the Eastern Palace, you probably already know the contents of the letter. What are your thoughts?”

Grand Princess Liyang looked at him in shock, and said with a trembling voice, “Don’t tell me you already know? Have you known the contents of the letter all along?”

“So what if I know. The rest of the world still doesn’t know.” Mei Changsu’s expression at that point in time held a ferocity that nobody in that room had seen before, his lips raised in a grim smile, his eyes blazing, his pupils scorching and penetrating such that nobody dared look at them. “Grand Princess, you and your sister once had deep affection for each other. These past few years, has she entered your dreams?”

Grand Princess Liyang couldn’t bear his gaze and suddenly turned aside. Clenching her teeth, she said, “There’s no need for you to say more. Since you already know the contents of this letter, you must want it. We actually came here today prepared to give it to the Crown Prince, so take it.”

Mei Changsu looked at the pouch in the hands of the Grand Princess and smiled placidly, saying, “You’re wrong. This letter is not merely for me to read. His Highness the Crown Prince has another favour to ask of the Grand Princess, one that is much more difficult than this. I wonder if you would be willing to listen?”

Xiao Jingrui casually blocked his mother on the side, and said in a low voice, “Su xiong, my mother is now living a secluded life, and won’t be able to do much. If His Highness the Crown Prince has a request regarding this matter, Jingrui is willing to undertake it.”

Mei Changsu glanced at him and shook his head gently, “Jingrui, with regard to this matter, there are truly limits in what you can do.”

“Gu mu, since I am speaking to you, of course only you can carry out what I have mentioned.” Xiao Jingyan looked straight into Grand Princess Liyang’s eyes and asked, “Are you really not willing to listen to it?”

At this point, it was evident that it wasn’t a simple request. After a long moment of hesitation, she said, “Tell me then.”

“We will be celebrating the Emperor’s birthday in a few days. I will hold a ceremony for him where we will gather the members of the imperial family and relatives as well as court officials in Wuying Hall to congratulate him.” Xiao Jingyan said this calmly. “The account in this letter was written by Xie Yu, and you are Xie Yu’s wife. I would like to request gu mu to bring along this letter before the court officials on the day of the ceremony, and confess these crimes on Xie Yu’s behalf.”

Grand Princess Liyang was so shocked she couldn’t help retreating a few steps.

“What Father Emperor cares most in his life is his unquestionable supremacy and authority. This case is tied to his reputation. No matter how shocking the truth, he will not admit his mistake and allow himself to go down in history as a foolish and ruthless emperor who murdered his own son and wiped out those loyal to him. Therefore, I have to create a situation he cannot get out of, where everyone is against him, a situation that is completely out of his control. Whether or not he is willing, he will have to give his consent to re investigate this case. In order to kick start this, I would need gu mu’s support.”

“This….this….your idea….it’s too reckless….” Grand Princess Liyang was pale as snow, and she looked at him in a daze.

“Please don’t worry, gu mu. No matter what happens at the time, I will safeguard gu mu. No harm will fall on you.”

“If His Majesty takes forceful measures in his rage, how will you protect me?”

“Since I have decided to take this step, I have naturally made all necessary arrangements. Father Emperor is no longer the same as before. I am also not the same as Prince Qi then. What I want to do is clear their names, not plunge myself into the abyss. Without any contingency plans, wouldn’t it be sheer recklessness and not courage?”

Grand Princess LIyang was shaken by the implied meaning of his words, and she was speechless for a long time. She had been living in seclusion for the past year, and wasn’t much aware of what was going on outside. Her impression of Jingyan was of someone who was always on the losing end, but looking at him now, with his iron-clad expression, with the Qilin talent by his side, she suddenly realized that this nephew had a strength that was beyond the control of the sickly emperor.

“Jingyan,” said Grand Princess Liyang after she had calmed down. Casting a glance at her son who was frowning in thought by her side, she raised her face. “No matter how you say it, revealing the truth of this case in front of everyone is not an easy task. If I do as you ask, how will it benefit me?”

“Are you asking how you will benefit after you reveal the truth?” Mei Changsu’s eyebrows leapt, his eyes flashing at her. “Your Highness Grand Princess, you already know the truth of the massacre back then, yet you’re asking if there’s any personal benefit for giving them justice?”

Grand Princess Liyang’s heart trembled, and her eyes lowered involuntarily.

“Forget it,” said Mei Changsu with deep disappointment in his voice. Turning back to Xiao Jingyan, he said, “One needs the utmost courage to be the first plaintiff in court. If the Grand Princess is unable to do it wholeheartedly, I’m afraid it’ll cause the opposite effect and foil Your Highness’s plans. It would be best to choose someone else….”