Mulberry Song

In The End p.1

The tenth year of Yong Ge, the emperor falls gravely ill, electing Tai Hao, son of Prince Si as crown prince.

Watching those sorcerers fussily chanting incantations by his side, I just want to vent out my irritations. These Taoist priests, who are nothing more than deceiving mystics trying to play god, I seriously wish I could just reveal my true form and scare every one of them to death.

He has long been lying sick in bed, his body already thinned down to the extreme, the dark circles under his eyes deep, yet every time these Taoist priests come to chant the incantations, he would still keep his spirits up, watching them complete all those bizarre rituals.

The state power has already been completely handed over to the crown prince. To this day, Zi Wu has not taken in a single consort, with no male heir, he naturally elects his brother's child as crown prince. Fortunately, the crown prince holds absolute respect for Zi Wu.

The strange rituals finally come to an end, the sorcerers all withdraw. He is already extremely exhausted, closing his eyes to rest.

I sit by his bedside, silently gazing down on his face, the sourness in my heart unbearable.

Zi Wu, Zi Wu, why put yourself through such suffering?

What honour Sang Ge has, to receive such longing from you......

"Your majesty." A senior eunuch very lightly calls out to him, "Your majesty, Crown Prince is here."

He slightly stretches his eyes open, lightly nodding. The eunuch thus invites the crown prince in.

"Imperial uncle, is your body feeling any better?"

Zi Wu shakes his head, helplessly smiling: "Isn't it still the usual, how are the state affairs?"

"Everything is well at peace. Hao-er visiting today is to inform uncle of great news." Zi Wu grows interested, raising his eyes to look at him, Tai Hao cheerfully says, "Not long ago, when Grand Secretary Xiao Yi was in Tachun, at the outskirts of the Capital, he ran into Reverend Tai Xu! Xiao Yi thus invited Reverend into his estate as a guest. This person is but the grand master of metaphysics, should we invite him in, then uncle you......"

Zi Wu waves his hand, smiling as he says: "What reverend, what grandmaster? Can the number of reverends and grandmasters that come to the palace these past years be considered little? It is but an empty title, nothing more than fakes, deceiving mystics trying to play god. Hao-er should not believe it."

Tai Hao is stunned: "But does uncle not believe it?"

"Believe?" Zi Wu's one laugh brought along a round of coughing fit, the surrounding people busying to feed him water, after a very long time, does he finally settle down, looking out the windows, saying, "It is but a ray of obsession that cannot be put down. Always fearing when it's time I go down, she has not waited for me. Always wanting to get a little look of her now, only then would my heart be at ease."

Tai Hao hesitates to speak: "Then Reverend Tai Xu, to invite or not invite?"

Zi Wu after a moment of silence: "Invite."

That next day, I see this Reverend Tai Xu. Divinity running bone-deep, what's more, important is, I can sense an overwhelmingly strange air shrouding his entire being, inducing the fear in me, thus not daring to stay close. As soon as he enters the grand hall, I could only sense a pressuring force, pressing down on me to the point I couldn't breathe, having no choice but to hide outside. I watch them through the windows.

That Reverend Tai Xu does not perform a grand bow upon seeing Zi Wu, only nodding his head lightly. Zi Wu is not bothered by it either, allowing the eunuchs and palace maids to all withdraw to the outer hall.

"Old priest I hear your majesty has indulged in Taoist sorcery for many years."

Zi Wu's pale lips tugs up a little: "[I'm] but only clinging to one person."

Reverend strokes his long long white beard: "The Empress?" Zi Wu's eyes instantly sparkle, steadily staring at him. Reverend smiles, saying: "Should it be the empress, she's right here." Once spoken, his beaming smile directs towards me.