Chapter 20: Bonfire Ritual

By the time Emperor Xiao Juan arrived, the earlier commotion had already been cleaned up.

Fresh wine had been set out once more on Lin Xiaoque’s table.

But after that confrontation, his head felt even heavier.

He leaned wearily against the back of his chair, his eyes half-lidded as drowsiness overtook him.

As the emperor approached, waves of congratulations and toasts rose from the civil and military officials.

Lin Xiaoque forced himself to stay awake.

When Xiao Juan drew near, Lin Xiaoque stood with everyone else and raised his cup in salute.

He had assumed the emperor would simply pass by.

Instead, Xiao Juan stopped.

Across the table, the emperor took the wine cup from Lin Xiaoque’s hand…

And drained it in one swallow.

Only then did he take his seat.

Lin Xiaoque froze.

The next moment, amid the glow of the bonfire—

The drums began to thunder.

The emperor had arrived.

The banquet had begun.

The first day’s hunt had yielded an abundant harvest.

To the pounding rhythm of the drums, the sons chosen from among the families of ministers and generals stepped forward to perform the traditional sacrificial rite.

First came a procession bearing torches.

They circled the skinned carcasses of the beasts, still dripping with blood, singing, dancing, and crying out in unison.

They chanted ancient sacrificial hymns.

The melodies of zithers, reed pipes, and lutes intertwined with the ringing of stone chimes and bronze drums.

“May the spirits rejoice… May the sacrificial beasts fill the offering tables…”

As they danced, they reached out and touched the flayed carcasses.

Fresh blood stained their palms.

Moments later, they smeared that blood across their own faces—

A long crimson streak running from the corner of the eye to the temple.

Then the war dance continued.

They sang of mountains and rivers.

Of Heaven’s Mandate.

Of the Great Ye Dynasty.

Of eternal peace for ten thousand generations.

The blood upon their faces came from the beasts they themselves had slain.

The skinned carcasses represented absolute conquest.

The young men of Great Ye feared no enemy.

Whether barbarian tribes or savage beasts—

All would bow beneath their blades and their flames.

The drums quickened.

The songs shook heaven and earth.

The youths who had performed the sacrifice retreated to the edges of the field, still holding their torches high.

Then another group stepped forward, swords and sabers in hand.

The war horns blared.

The fierce wind joined the performance.

The drums roared once more.

The bonfire at the center seemed ready to burn through the heavens themselves.

Against the firelight, the silhouettes of the warriors became giants towering between heaven and earth.

They hacked apart the bones of wild beasts.

They shattered their spirits.

Then, together with the wooden frames that held them, they hurled the carcasses into the blazing fire.

The flames leapt higher and higher.

The drums pounded as though determined to burst every heart.

They praised Heaven.

They praised the dynasty.

They praised the emperor.

They proclaimed their courage.

Their loyalty.

Their devotion to the nation.

This was both a sacrifice to the gods…

And an oath sworn before the Great Ye Dynasty.

Loyal to the sovereign.

Loyal to the nation.

Never to betray.

To trample every barbarian tribe beneath their feet.

Glory to Great Ye!

When the war dance concluded, servants swiftly brought out bowls of wine.

The youths who had completed the sacrifice returned to the center, joining those who still held swords and spears.

Each accepted a bowl.

The emperor rose to his feet.

The eunuch Zhang Shu presented him with a brimming bowl of strong liquor.

Taking it, Xiao Juan declared in a ringing voice,

“You are the future of Great Ye!”

“I drink this cup together with all of you!”

The young warriors flushed with excitement.

To receive such recognition from the emperor was the highest honor.

Together they shouted,

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

Once the ceremony ended, servants began serving delicacies from land and sea.

Amid the blazing bonfire and the fierce autumn wind, generals occasionally stepped forward to perform sword dances.

Civil officials answered with impromptu poetry.

Nearby, palace painters quietly captured the scene upon silk.

Earlier, the ceremony had completely drawn Lin Xiaoque’s attention.

The drums and ritual had left him spellbound.

But now…

He was simply sleepy.

Within the golden-red glow of the fire, a young eunuch approached carrying something.

Half-asleep, Lin Xiaoque looked over.

It was the tiger’s hide.

Fresh blood still clung to it.

He reached out and gently stroked the fur.

During the day…

He had nearly become the tiger’s meal.

Now, by night…

The tiger had become nothing more than a pelt upon a table.

He looked toward Xiao Juan.

The emperor was watching one of the officials perform a sword dance.

The firelight illuminated half his face.

Yet somehow…

That half seemed even more dangerous than the flames themselves.

The other half remained hidden beyond Lin Xiaoque’s angle of view.

He imagined it swallowed entirely by the endless night.

Somewhere along the way…

Lin Xiaoque fell asleep.

When he awoke, the bonfire banquet had long since ended.

The ministers and generals had all departed.

Rubbing his eyes, he prepared to leave.

Only then did he notice Xiao Juan still seated upon the throne.

The emperor had apparently remained there all this time.

He hadn’t even ordered anyone to wake him.

“Your Majesty…”

Lin Xiaoque rose, intending to excuse himself.

Only then did he realize—

He hadn’t been sleeping against his chair at all.

He had been lying…

On the tiger’s pelt.

Lowering his eyes, he instinctively gripped the fur.

When he looked up again, Xiao Juan had already walked over.

Lin Xiaoque had no choice but to tilt his head back.

“Your Majesty?”

Looking down at him, Xiao Juan asked,

“Is it soft?”

“What?”

At first Lin Xiaoque didn’t understand.

A moment later, realization dawned.

Whether the tiger’s fur was soft or not was the least of his concerns.

“Your Majesty.”

“I should return now.”

Xiao Juan reached out and touched his cheek.

Lin Xiaoque instinctively leaned away.

The emperor caught him by the shoulder.

There was nowhere left to retreat.

Lin Xiaoque’s breathing quickened slightly.

He lowered his gaze.

After steadying himself, he said,

“The night is deep, and the dew is heavy.”

“Your Majesty should return as well.”

Xiao Juan merely asked,

“How old are you?”

Lin Xiaoque frowned.

“Nineteen.”

“You’ll soon reach your coming-of-age ceremony.”

“Yet you’re still like a child.”

“Today…”

“I’ll give you your coming-of-age gift in advance.”

Just then—

The clear tinkling of bells rang through the night.

Lin Xiaoque looked up.

It was Yuesheng.

Silver bells hung from the anklets around his feet, chiming softly with each step.

He wore only the thinnest of garments against the autumn chill.

His body trembled from the cold.

His hands were bound.

His eyes were covered with a blindfold.

He was being led forward.

As he drew nearer, Lin Xiaoque realized—

His mouth had been gagged as well.

The blindfold concealed most of his face.

The gag distorted his features.

Even though he struggled to walk naturally, the graceful posture drilled into him through training remained unmistakable.

Had it not been for that unforgettable figure…

Lin Xiaoque might not have recognized him at all.

When Yuesheng reached them, Xiao Juan grabbed him by the collar.

The fabric was so thin it was almost transparent.

For an instant, Lin Xiaoque feared the emperor would simply tear it away.

He didn’t.

Instead—

He shoved Yuesheng onto the tiger pelt beside Lin Xiaoque.

Yuesheng stumbled and fell.

Lin Xiaoque hurried to help him up.

But Yuesheng angrily rammed into him, knocking him aside.

Unable to see…

Unable to speak…

Yuesheng believed Xiao Juan truly intended to reward him to the imperial guards.

Lin Xiaoque fell back onto the tiger pelt.

He couldn’t understand what the emperor intended.

Very soon…

He received his answer.

“One night of spring.”

“Amid firelight and the smell of blood.”

“A memory no one could ever forget.”

Xiao Juan spoke as casually as if he were commenting on the cool night breeze.

Lin Xiaoque, however, felt his mind go blank with shock.

“Your Majesty…”

“I don’t need such a reward.”

Xiao Juan placed one foot upon Yuesheng, effortlessly suppressing his struggles.

“Isn’t he beautiful?”

Lin Xiaoque answered calmly,

“Your Majesty…”

“He belongs to you.”

“Even if he no longer enjoys your favor, that doesn’t mean he should simply be given away.”

“Besides…”

“What you propose violates all propriety.”

“Even if I were nothing more than a spoiled libertine…”

“I would never behave in such a manner.”

Hearing that, Xiao Juan laughed.

“So many people tonight have tried to win my favor. Some danced with swords. Some competed in martial skill. Others composed poetry. Qie Yunu… I’m not rewarding you. I’m ordering you… To perform for me.”