Mulberry Song

Perished Country p.2

He sinks into silence, leaving several hundred thousand to wait for his response.

I tightly clench my eyes shut, enough, to have this moment of deep silence is already enough. Also, not a waste of me exhausting so many thoughts into putting on this body a festive wedding gown. In this life, Sang Ge being able to gain this moment of hesitation from An Zi Wu in exchange......

Is enough.

Thinking to myself: Marquis of Chang Ye, you want these thousand li of rivers and mountains, is only lacking in this final step, allow me to help you one last time. Not only to fulfill your ambitions but also to save you from bearing the notoriety of having a cold heart and iron bowel.

"During Emperor of Zhao's reign, natural disasters were constant, yet no thoughts to appease the commoners of the world were considered, and instead corrupt officials were appointed, plundering flesh and blood of the people, resulting in times of hardship. In the reigning third year, this tyrant Xiao Cheng, for his personal pleasure, reduced hundreds of female court attendants to human swine. In the reigning fifth year, dozens of loyal ministers were sentenced to the frying punishment [2]. In the reigning eighth year, five massacres occurred in three cities in Jiangnan, causing not a voice to be heard in Jiangnan for three years, countless heaps of atrocities committed! And today, Marquis of Chang Ye is enforcing justice on behalf of the heavens, to eradicate this tyrant, to cleanse this world. Thousands of troops are deployed along the borders, Xiao Cheng, Emperor of Zhao is rendered powerless, what is there to fear?!"

"Shut up!" Xiao Cheng's sword traces blood on my neck. He glares at me, overcome with so much resentment, his eyes were practically about to pop out its sockets, yet due to Zi Wu, he dares not to actually kill me.

The sobbing of the women and children on the wall gradually weakens, they are mostly highly educated women, such reasoning I speak of, perhaps if spoken before the commoners in the streets, it would not have much effect, but when spoken to them, they would still be somewhat shaken.

Raindrops slowly falls from the sky, I raise my head in face of the heavens, loudly shouting: "My lord should be tired from leading the troops through day and night, in order to guard the people of our motherland, shedding blood and sweat, fighting with all your might, it is no easy task to come all this way here! Our generation of women, may not be able to stand on the battlefield in substitute for our husbands, to eradicate this tyrant, we also cannot become their burden!"

The women all become quiet for a moment.

"Tyrant......"

"Shut up!"

I still wanted to continue speaking but was interrupted with yet another thunderous roar, and this time, this voice cannot be any more familiar to me. Every time in my sleep, I would always hear him softly call out my name by my ear: "Sang Ge, Sang Ge." Such voice truly is more melodious than that of songs.

I look towards him below the walls, one person one horse, stood amongst the rainy scene. Before him, stands the palace walls and my life, behind him are the three hundred thousand soldiers who had fought alongside him to this very day.

I am unable to catch a clear look of his face but is able to hear anger and fear in his voice.

Worried for me?

I smile, Zi Wu, there is no longer the need to now.

After getting married to him, I rarely do things that go against him, of course, I have never enraged him either. But today, I don't want to listen to his words. Amongst the xi xi su su rain sound, I further raise my voice, this time I did not spit out scornful words of the emperor's tyranny but is simply performing my original profession ––––– singing.

"When is the day of mourning? I and thee's death......"

Before the sentence comes to an end, the emperor is absolutely enraged, one sharp blade striking down at me.

I only see one arm attached to a sleeve of gorgeous blood red, fly out. Drawing a curve in the air, falling to the muddy ground......

At the time, the pain had yet to reach my mind, I cover my endlessly bleeding arm, continuing to loudly sing. Blood and rain alike drenching the wedding gown I'm wearing.

"Shut it!"

"No!"

He and the emperor roar at me at the same time. Emperor of Zhao raises his sword at me in a moment of madness.

Amidst the blurring of my senses due to the pain, I seem to hear Zi Wu screaming out: "Xiao Cheng! If you dare harm her once more......" Before he finishes, Emperor of Zhao reveals a treacherous smile, quietly saying by my ear: "Since Marquis of Chang Ye wants to seize (imperial) my country, should he really obtain it, then (imperial) I shall let him obtain it without the pleasure!"

He grabs my hair, dragging me along and knocks me onto the grey steps. At this point, I no longer cared about anything else, the remaining arm randomly clawing at his face. Within a trance, my fingers suddenly felt warm and wet.

Following was Xiao Cheng's loud cries: "My eyes! My eyes!"

Taking advantage of his moment of panic, I loudly shout out: "Marquis of Chang Ye, is eradicating the tyrant in order to bring peace to the world, Sang Ge to be able to be the wife of the great marquis, has no regrets in this life! Absolutely no remorse!"

Throwing those words aside, with all my strength, my head charges into the emperor's abdomen. The gown and sleeve fluttering, I along with this tyrannical emperor falls down from the walls of the imperial city.

Before a person dies, time seems to slow down a lot.

I look amongst the heavy rain, hundreds and thousands of soldiers, everyone sobbing. I see the dark night about to fade and the approaching of the lightning fast "Long Mei". In that final moment, I see the blood staining his armour and the mournful sorrow in his eyes.

"Sang Ge!"

For so many years, I longed for your calling, now, I finally hear it. With the netherworld reaching out, I hear you calling my name, within this heavy rain, yelling till your voice turns hoarse.

Zi Wu, do you by chance remember, our first encounter was also amongst the curtains of rain.

A first encounter amongst the poetic rain scene. At the poplar and willow shore in Jiangnan, under the roof tiles, hazy layers after layers of drizzling rain. At that time, I was only a little-known songstress, and you were just a dandy, idling marquis.

Met in the rain, knotted for life.

And now, I can finally free myself.

[1] Human swine or pig – rén zhì /人彘 – a highly cruel form of torture that turns the person into a so-called pig. Chop off all four limbs; gouge out the eyes; drill copper rods into their ears, thus making them deaf; pour poison down the throat and cut off the tongue, destroying the vocal cord, thus making them mute; and then throw them into a latrine to live there. A torture invented by Empress Lu Zhi who performed such torture on Consort Qi.

[2] The frying punishment or páo lào zhī xíng / 炮烙之刑 is yet another form of cruel torture, whereby copper pillars were painted with oil and heated with charcoal fire, the offender is then strapped to this pillar and is fried/baked to death.