Chapter 39: When Life Ends, the Lamp Goes Out

April 15th was a dull, oppressive day, heavy with leaden clouds.

The air was thick with the scent of an impending storm. Gu Qingzhi, the former Grand Secretary and Grand Tutor, had hanged himself in the prison of the Ministry of Justice with a tattered cotton sash.

Gu Qingzhi’s death sent shockwaves through the imperial court and beyond. Some claimed it was an act of martyrdom to preserve his integrity; others whispered that he had committed suicide out of fear of punishment, hoping to spare his clan. But for most, his end brought only a profound sense of sorrow—a feeling of "grieving for the fox when the rabbit dies."

For forty years, Gu Qingzhi had served in the court, rising early and retiring late, laboring tirelessly until he was nothing more than skin and bone. And yet, what was his reward? His end could no longer be described as merely bleak; it was harrowing, leaving everyone chilled to the bone.

Empress Dowager Wen, however, was not appeased by Gu’s death. She loathed him with a venomous intensity—hating how he constantly petitioned for the Emperor to assume full power, and how his disciples would periodically throw themselves against the palace steps or pillars in protest. With Gu gone, his kin were left entirely unprotected, and the imperial decree for their fate followed swiftly. The men of the three branches of the Gu clan were to be exiled to Lingnan, while the women were to be reduced to slavery in the Yunyi Brothel.

The news was like a stone cast into a pond, stirring up waves of controversy. In the Li household on Banyan Alley, the atmosphere was one of utter despair.

"It's impossible, this is impossible! Grandfather—how could Grandfather..." Song Shiyu felt as though the floor had been pulled from beneath her. Struck by the horrific news, she could barely stand. She was devastated, yet dared not weep aloud, her fingernails digging deep into her palms until she felt cold and numb.

In her previous life, her grandfather had died on the road to exile, and the women of the family had not been sent to the Yunyi Brothel, but had been exiled to Lingnan alongside the men. Where had things gone wrong? Why was the Gu family’s fate in this life so starkly different? Why, Grandfather, why did you choose to end your own life?

Li Xubai was startled. Seeing Song Shiyu on the verge of a breakdown, he gripped her arm and lowered his voice, saying, "Song Shiyu, stay calm. Don't forget, there are still many in the Gu family who are alive!" He glanced cautiously toward the neighboring room. "Gu Shiyan doesn't know yet. Do you want to take away her will to live as well?"

Song Shiyu gritted her teeth, the sound audible in the silence. After a long moment, she caught her breath and whispered, "Right... you're right. The Gu family... there are still so many who must survive." She forced her tears back, as if trying to convince herself. "I cannot be the one to collapse first."

Whatever she had failed to do in her past life, she would surely accomplish in this one.

Li Xubai and Song Shiyu discussed keeping the truth from Gu Shiyan, but they soon received word that Gu Qingzhi’s body had been claimed by his disciples. The court had granted permission for his burial, and he was to be interred at Mount Mang in three days. The day of his funeral would also be the day the men of the Gu clan were sent into exile, and the day the women were to be delivered to the Yunyi Brothel.

Such a massive event could not be hidden, nor should it be. With as much gentleness as they could muster, the two broke the news to Gu Shiyan.

Gu Shiyan looked dazed. "Grandfather... is dead?" she asked, unable to comprehend the words.

Song Shiyu turned her head away, fearing that if she spoke, she would be unable to suppress her sobbing. Li Xubai nodded heavily. "Yes. It happened last night. Please, grieve with restraint."

Gu Shiyan parted her lips, a cold, piercing ache radiating from her very marrow. "Then... what about my father? And my aunt? What... what has become of them?" Her voice had turned hoarse in an instant. The wind chilled the tears on her face, and she shuddered, feeling a deep, pervasive cold.

Knowing he could not hide it, Li Xubai sighed. "Your father and the other men are to be exiled to Lingnan. They depart in three days."

Gu Shiyan’s mouth remained slightly agape, unable to produce a sound. Lingnan—a place of high mountains, treacherous roads, and pestilential mists. Would they ever see each other again in this lifetime?

"No, I don't believe it! I have to see my father! I must see him!" Gu Shiyan suddenly shrieked and bolted toward the door.

Song Shiyu lunged forward, grabbing her. Her eyes were bloodshot as she choked back her sobs. "They are in the prison of the Ministry of Justice; you cannot reach them! Gu Shiyan, if you go out there now, you are walking straight into a trap, do you understand?"

Gu Shiyan’s strength abandoned her. She slumped to the floor, unable to rise again. She wept silently. "And my aunt? The Matriarch?"

Song Shiyu could not speak; she feared that if she opened her mouth, her carefully maintained composure would shatter. Li Xubai had to step forward to play the villain. He said cautiously, "The women... have been consigned to the Yunyi Brothel."

The short sentence struck like a thunderbolt, more lethal even than the news of Gu Qingzhi’s death. Gu Shiyan shook her head repeatedly. "No, it’s impossible! The Emperor has always trusted and respected Grandfather. Even if... even if the Gu family were unforgivable, a clean death would suffice! Why—why must they humiliate the Matriarch and the others like this? Why!"

She cried out in despair, wanting to vent her fury and helplessness, but she dared not scream, stifling the sound in her throat with whimpers. Song Shiyu turned her head away further, her tears finally overflowing, rolling down her face in silence.

Watching Song Shiyu weep, Li Xubai felt no impatience. He gritted his teeth and shared the gossip he had heard: "Some say it was because Grand Tutor Gu petitioned the Empress Dowager to return power to the Emperor that he lost his life. The Empress Dowager intended to humiliate the women of the Gu family to intimidate the Grand Tutor's disciples. When the Emperor considered commuting their sentence to simple exile, the Empress Dowager argued that the women were too frail to endure the journey, and that it would be better for them to remain in Bianliang as slaves, so they might 'experience the hardships of the common folk.'"

"Bah! Dressing up such humiliation in such high-sounding words," Gu Shiyan spat. "Does anyone not know what the Yunyi Brothel is? It’s a state-run house of prostitution! Why doesn't that old crone go experience it herself? Oh, wait—she’s aged and withered; she’s not even fit for it!"

Gu Shiyan cursed without restraint, voicing the words Song Shiyu wanted to scream but could not. The mystery of her rebirth was too bizarre; she could tell Li Xubai, but no one else.

When Gu Shiyan had exhausted her rage, she sat listlessly on the floor and looked up. "When... when are my aunt and the Matriarch being taken to the Yunyi Brothel?"

"They said it would also be in three days," Li Xubai replied.

"Then... can Grandfather still be laid to rest in peace?"

"Yes. The decree states that since Grand Tutor Gu served the state, his merits and faults cancel each other out. Out of respect for the dead, he is permitted burial at Mount Mang. In three days, his disciples will escort his coffin out of the city."

"So, that means if I go to see Grandfather off, I cannot see my father and aunt off? And if I go to see my father, I cannot see Grandfather? If I go to see my aunt, I will never see Grandfather or my father again?" Gu Shiyan had never felt such agonizing conflict.

But the dilemma lasted only a moment before Song Shiyu ruthlessly extinguished it.

"You are going nowhere. You will see no one off," Song Shiyu said, slowly regaining her calm and reason. The dead were gone; the past could not be retrieved.

"Why?" Gu Shiyan asked, frowning.

"Because the Imperial Guards will be there that day, laying a net in wait for you to appear."