Chapter Thirty-Three: Shen's Exchange of Fate

Armored cavalry thundered in, their hooves pounding as they approached. The people of the Shen family village were seized with terror, their faces etched with helplessness. At the forefront rode Liu Tan, surveying the crowd from horseback, with a host of imperial guards behind him, brimming with murderous intent; even the warhorses stamped restlessly.

Lin Youzhi raised his voice, declaring, “Shen Tu of the Shen clan harbors treacherous designs and has attempted regicide. The entire Shen family cannot escape culpability.” He drew his sword, tilting it skyward, and shouted again, “Exterminate!”

At this, all the imperial guards behind him unsheathed their swords as one, bellowing, “Exterminate!” They tightened their reins, awaiting only the emperor’s command to slaughter every last soul in Shen Village.

The commotion was tremendous, and the surrounding houses and farms erupted with the squawking of chickens and barking of dogs.

Liu Tan slowly drew his long sword. The moment it pointed forward, the massacre would begin.

Just then, a voice called out from behind the Shen family, “Your Majesty, wait!”

It was the voice of the old clan chief, who had already learned from the grain shop boy that the leader of this force was none other than the emperor himself.

The people of the Shen family recognized the clan chief’s voice and slowly made way, allowing him to step forward.

At the sound, Liu Tan likewise halted his sword, for even those condemned to die deserved a chance to speak their last regrets.

The old clan chief stopped his approach more than ten feet from Liu Tan’s horse. Slowly kneeling, he announced, “This humble commoner, Shen Youwei, together with more than four hundred members of the Shen clan, pays homage to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years!”

The entire Shen clan, following the clan chief’s example, knelt and cried out, “Long live Your Majesty!” None dared rise.

Liu Tan, accustomed to such cries, felt numb to them now; the stirring he once felt upon first hearing them was long gone. He shook his head and said, “Birds of a feather flock together. Shen Tu’s act of monstrous betrayal proves the entire Shen clan is made up of traitors and must be exterminated!”

“Your Majesty, this humble commoner knows our clan has committed an unforgivable crime, but I am willing to exchange the life of my people for a secret of great importance,” the old clan chief pleaded, still bowing low.

Liu Tan glanced around. Though the area boasted ample farmland and rich resources behind the hills, it was still a remote backwater in his eyes.

With a smile, he said, “A secret of great importance? Very well, let’s hear it!” Turning to address his guards, he continued, “Let’s see if this secret is so earth-shattering it will strike terror into our hearts.”

The imperial guards burst into laughter. Pang Bo, too, sneered, “Let’s hear it then—we are quite curious!”

The old clan chief shook his head. “Your Majesty, this secret is shocking and fit only for an emperor’s ears. If I were to reveal it before all, it would be greatly disadvantageous to Your Majesty. Please, I beg you to consider this carefully.”

Liu Tan frowned, realizing the old man wished to speak with him alone. He hesitated. Though he had begun training in martial arts, his practice was recent and ineffective. In these ancient times, strange individuals were not uncommon; should the old man attempt a desperate attack, it could be most unfortunate.

Yet though he did not believe the dying man’s claim of a great secret, his curiosity was piqued.

Curiosity, as the saying goes, killed the cat.

Just as he struggled to suppress his curiosity and prepared to draw his sword again, the old clan chief spoke once more.

The old man lifted his head to look at Liu Tan. Though his face was deeply lined and his eyes drooped with age, those eyes were unusually clear—mixed with sorrow, melancholy, and above all, resignation.

“Your Majesty,” he said, “I am old, but my people still wish to live. I dare not risk the lives of my entire clan by offending Your Majesty again. I have already failed my ancestors; to make another mistake would leave me even less able to face them after death. You may rest assured.”

He pointed to the ancestral hall behind him. “If Your Majesty would follow me there, I shall reveal the secret. You may then decide whether it is worth sparing my clan.”

“Your Majesty, you mustn’t! It could be a trap!” Pang Bo warned.

The commanders of the imperial guard echoed his concern.

Liu Tan hesitated, weighing his options.

The old clan chief spoke again, “Your Majesty, I can have my people kneel three yards back under watch by your soldiers. I am seventy-eight, frail in body, unable even to bind a chicken or take a large stride. You may hold your sword to my neck; if I make a false move, you may kill me and then wipe out my clan.”

His repeated, determined requests to speak privately only fueled Liu Tan’s curiosity.

By now, he judged the old man’s threat to be minimal. Perhaps he truly did have a great secret to reveal.

“Very well,” Liu Tan agreed. “I shall accompany you and hear this great secret.”

“Your Majesty, you mustn’t!” the three commanders pleaded in unison.

Liu Tan waved them off. “I am the emperor, armed and surrounded by mighty cavalry. If I fear a feeble old man, what ridicule would that earn? Attend to my orders!”

“We obey!”

“Commander Pang, surround the ancestral hall with some troops. Commander Lin, guard the left side of the Shen clan. Commander Wang, the right. Should there be any treachery, slaughter the clan!” Liu Tan commanded, then turned to the old clan chief. “Have your people fall back.”

The old clan chief was overjoyed. He had feared the emperor would massacre his clan without hearing a word. Now, he felt confident that the secret he held could indeed save their lives.

He called out in a loud voice, “You will kneel and withdraw! Any who dare move recklessly will be traitors to our clan!”

The Shen clan, kneeling, shuffled backward to either side, barely daring to breathe for fear a cough might provoke the soldiers. In their hearts, they prayed the old clan chief could persuade the emperor to spare their lives.

“Your Majesty, you may dismount now!” the old clan chief said. In front of the ancestral hall, a wide path of some sixty feet now lay clear.

Liu Tan dismounted, drew his sword, and gestured for the three commanders to carry out his orders. They arrayed themselves with swords leveled at the Shen clan, while Pang Bo led ten imperial guards to encircle the ancestral hall.

Satisfied that all was in order, Liu Tan pointed his sword at the old clan chief. “You go first.”

The old man did not rise, but turned, supporting himself with his hands, and slowly crawled toward the ancestral hall, his hunched back exposed to Liu Tan.

Liu Tan followed closely, and together they passed through the cordon of guards. The old clan chief pushed open the ancestral hall doors and entered.

From the entrance, one could see the hall’s interior. Inside, memorial tablets were arranged densely, numbering over a hundred—from front to back, they grew fewer and rose in rank, the highest and last one surely belonging to the Shen clan’s progenitor.

In front of the tablets stood a massive stone table, upon which rested an incense burner, candlesticks, and offerings not yet completely spoiled.

Closer still was a prayer mat for kneeling in worship.

The hall’s structure was simple, leaving no place to conceal anything sinister. Liu Tan’s wariness eased, and he followed the old clan chief inside.

The old man remained kneeling, his back to Liu Tan, and crawled to the doorway, slowly closing the doors of the ancestral hall behind them.

Outside, the imperial guards gripped their swords all the tighter, ready to surge in at the faintest hint of danger to the emperor.