THE NIGHT DEEPENED, the chill growing sharp teeth. The embers within the small stove flickered feebly as they neared the end of their life. An occasional gust swept past, forcing them to struggle valiantly for survival. The wind howled, wild and arrogant as it blew from all directions, slipping into the gaps in the sleeves and collars of the two men facing each other inside the pavilion.
One wore a serene expression.
The other's face was hard and cold.
Xiao Lü was unfazed by Cui Buqu's question. He chuckled. "Cui Buqu, you've always been clever, so why does this surprise you? You can invite me to collaborate, but I can't cooperate with the Göktürks?"
Cui Buqu studied him. A moment later, his coldness faded into indifference, all traces of anger wiped away. He nodded in agreement. "You're right, Pavilion Leader Xiao. That was rude of me."
Xiao Lü had to admire Cui Buqu's composure. Anyone else would have exploded at being summoned here and toyed with like this. Yet Cui Buqu managed to suppress his anger and regain his calm. All signs of turmoil ebbed from his face, dissipating completely. Even Xiao Lü was unable to decipher his true feelings.
But just because Cui Buqu maintained his composure didn't mean those with him could do the same. Guan Shanhai could no longer contain himself. "We and the Göktürks will never be of one heart. No matter what, you are a Han, yet you've conspired with a foreign nation to sow discord in the Central Plains!"
"I'm from the Southern dynasty; I'm not a citizen of your Great Sui," Xiao Lü said mockingly. "Besides, you're not at war with the Göktürks now—you've just granted titles of nobility to their seventh prince. Aren't you allied with them too?"
Guan Shanhai's face was white with rage, but he managed to hold himself back. He dared not act without Cui Buqu's orders.
Xiao Lü turned back to Cui Buqu and smiled. "Your companions aren't noteworthy fighters, but they're far more loyal than mine."
"You brought me here tonight to create an opening for Kuhezhen," said Cui Buqu coolly. "What are you scheming now?"
"I am here," said Xiao Lü, "to issue you a challenge. Do you dare accept it?"
There was no hostility in his eyes—the opposite, in fact. His gaze was tranquil. Xiao Lü had always believed Cui Buqu was the person who understood him best in the world. If not for Cui Buqu's constant interference, the Thirteen Floors of Yunhai wouldn't have lost so many men and suffered so many setbacks. They were two brilliant men, both born with physical flaws—yet they could never be friends. Fate had ordained them enemies.
Mortal enemies.
When most considered their most meaningful relationships, they thought of their family, friends, or lovers. Yet finding an opponent who was your perfect match was an even rarer thing. Such was the case for Xiao Lü and Cui Buqu. Xiao Lü gazed at his adversary, smiling patiently as he awaited his answer.
Cui Buqu observed Xiao Lü in return, looking for the madness and ambition lurking beneath the man's calm exterior. He knew the source of such madness—it was dissatisfaction. It would have been better for Xiao Lü to have been born disabled or a fool. Spending one's entire life in ignorant bliss wasn't impossible. Yet the heavens had granted him a handsome face and brilliant abilities without a good fate to match them.
The emperor of the Southern dynasty was an incompetent fool, while the Sui dynasty grew in strength every day. Yang Jian had claimed the throne simply due to his daughter. If those so inferior to him could hold such power, why could Xiao Lü not do the same?
Even if he couldn't become emperor, living an explosive, spectacular life was better than enduring humiliation under the emperor and nobles of the Southern dynasty.
Cui Buqu gazed into Xiao Lü's eyes. Within their inky depths was a spark that refused to be quenched even by the coldest of winters. This man would never bow his head to anyone, even the emperor.
"Cui Buqu. You understand me, but you cannot defeat me." Xiao Lü pointed at Cui Buqu's chest, then at his own. "Your exterior is cold, but your heart is warm. I'm different."
He laughed, loud in the quiet pavilion. "From outside to inside, I'm cold and unfeeling. My heart is made of stone. No matter how hard you try to warm it, you will never succeed. So, Cui Buqu. Dare you accept my challenge? If you don't, concede now and leave the capital. Go far away and never return. I won't go after you."
His tone was calm and refined, as if he were leisurely plucking a flower to admire.
Qin Miaoyu's heart constricted. Cui Buqu would never abandon his duties—but she couldn't help feeling anxious. What would happen if Cui Buqu didn't agree? Xiao Lü might exchange the carrot for the stick and launch an attack on them.
Before Cui Buqu could respond, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from afar. Qin Miaoyu jerked her head around.
Dust billowed on the road. Someone was galloping toward them from the city gates. The rider bent low, his legs clamped tight to the horse's belly as he urged it to run faster. A fierce wind whipped his sleeves into the air, his figure blurred amid the shadows cast by the flickering lamplight.
"Chief Cui!"
The man was still far from them, but he called out in panic, as if he'd met with a great crisis and was unable to wait.
Cui Buqu looked sharply at Xiao Lü. "What have you done?"
"Guess," Xiao Lü said, amused.
There was no need for Cui Buqu to guess. Pei Jingzhe would be upon them in a moment. Even at this distance in the faint and wavering light, Qin Miaoyu and the others could see the cold sweat sheening Pei Jingzhe's forehead and the ashen pallor of his face.
"Something happened, Chief Cui!" Reining his horse to a halt, Pei Jingzhe barely acknowledged Xiao Lü as he gasped out, "An accident at the Prince of Qin's residence. Both the crown prince and the princess consort were injured. They're claiming my lord attacked them! He's been arrested and taken to the prison!"
Everyone was taken aback. Their thoughts immediately turned to Xiao Lü, and they all directed hostile glares at him.
"If you head back now, you might still have time to plead for him," Xiao Lü reminded them gently.
Cui Buqu shot him a frosty look as he strode over to Pei Jingzhe. He vaulted onto the horse and wheeled it around. "Stop Xiao Lü," he commanded. "Don't let him enter the city."
With that, he spurred the horse forward and rode for the city gates, vanishing into the darkness.
Left with Pei Jingzhe and the members of the Zuoyue Bureau, Xiao Lü's guards clustered around him, both sides locked in a stalemate. Yet Xiao Lü didn't move from his seat. He showed no intention of pursuing Cui Buqu or attacking Qin Miaoyu and the others.
He clasped his hands within his sleeves, a faint smile gracing his lips, as though everything he wanted was already in the palm of his hand. "You may wish to stand there and stare at me, but I have no desire to suffer this biting north wind any longer. Cui Buqu can have his way."
***
Cui Buqu urged his horse to a gallop. The horse's hooves flew through the air as it charged through the streets, jostling him so violently he thought he would be sick. The fierce winds sliced across his cheeks, knife-sharp, nearly scraping off a layer of skin.
Most of the city's residents had gone to admire the lanterns, leaving the wide roads empty. The stallion galloped unhindered toward the palace. Cui Buqu raised his gaze slightly. Above the bright and sleepless city, winter had returned with a vengeance. Turbulent winds scoured the streets, threatening to freeze all of creation.
He'd initially planned on charging through the palace gates, but now he thought better of it and yanked on the reins. The horse reared, its hooves pawing the air as it tossed its head and whinnied. Cui Buqu considered for a moment, then decisively turned the horse in another direction.
He didn't pause again until he was standing before the prison gates of the Ministry of Justice. The biting wind had numbed his upper body. His hands on the reins were stiff and cold, his knuckles a pale blue. They popped when he released the reins.
He identified himself to the guards at the entrance, who looked uneasy but dared not obstruct him. The officials at the ministry dealt often with the Zuoyue Bureau; everyone knew Chief Cui was not to be trifled with. He rarely appeared in person, but given the circumstances, the guards guessed why he'd come.
They allowed him inside, though not before reminding him to keep his visit brief and asking him to put in a good word for them with their superior.
The prison entrance was dark and foreboding, like a gaping maw ready to swallow him whole. This was a place ordinary people were desperate to stay as far away from as possible—most hoped they'd never set foot inside. But Cui Buqu had been here countless times. The Zuoyue Bureau didn't have their own prison. Many of their suspects were brought here after they arrived in the capital and before they were transferred to other facilities after sentencing.
But tonight, the prison felt different. Just as he reached the threshold, Cui Buqu stopped and began to cough.
One cough followed the next, until his chest was burning with pain. Only then did he recall how he'd rushed here, jolted by the horse and buffeted by the freezing winds. It was a painful ordeal for someone suffering from chronic illness. He'd leapt off the horse and rushed into the prison without even pausing to catch his breath, and his panting aggravated his discomfort as the heat mingled with the cold in his lungs.
His brow was tightly furrowed, but he was unable to suppress the prickling of his throat. Phlegm and blood surged up from his chest with the coughs, and he forced himself to swallow them back down, pressing a handkerchief over his mouth.
The guard beside him looked at him in alarm and quietly asked if he was all right. He didn't know Cui Buqu had experienced this countless times and was long used to it.
Eventually the coughing subsided. He straightened his hunched body and tucked the handkerchief back into his sleeves. Then he stepped through the prison gates.
His footfalls echoed in the dim and oppressive interior, each tap of his boots like an invisible boulder heaped on top of the criminals within. Muffled cries echoed down the halls, punctuated by incoherent murmurs. Some of the prisoners rushed toward the bars, pleading their innocence with desperate shouts.
Cui Buqu was used to such scenes; his footsteps didn't slow as he walked farther in. Some of the more timid prisoners shrank back beneath his cold gaze, too afraid to utter a word. The farther into the prison a prisoner was kept, the graver their crime. Unless someone was brazen enough to assassinate the emperor tonight, no one was going to beat Feng Xiao.
In the deepest depths of the prison, a man sat cross-legged, enjoying the hospitality of his solitary cell. He listened as the familiar footsteps drew closer and closer, and even had the leisure to silently count them.
Five, four, three, two, one.
Sure enough, a blue sleeve fluttered into view. His visitor stood in profile; Feng Xiao could only see half his face.
"Deputy Chief Feng looks rather well, considering the circumstances."
"Isn't that because I was waiting for Chief Cui to come for me like the hero rescuing the beauty?" Feng Xiao chuckled.