(3) A Father and Son's Battle of Wits

"Anu, Xiaoyi — stop this at once." Just as clouds of seven-colored auspicious mist began gathering thick across the sky, the Seven-Colored Flowing Light Sword was suddenly knocked from Anu's grasp, the shock of the blow leaving her palm smarting with a dull ache. Ziyuan had arrived, drifting down gracefully; his fingers formed a swift seal and flicked toward the guqin's strings, forcing Xiaoyi to release his hold at once. Anu looked closely and saw that it was Ziyuan's own Dragon-Rider Sword that had knocked the Seven-Colored Flowing Light Sword from her hand.

　　"This foolishness ends now." Ziyuan caught hold of Anu and drew her down, and the two of them knelt together, side by side, before the Celestial Sovereign. Anu, unwilling, struggled to rise back to her feet, but her legs felt weighted down as if by a thousand pounds — Ziyuan had laid the Binding Spell upon her, and no matter how desperately she strained against it, there was not the slightest way to break free.

　　"Xiaoyi, you as well — come here."

　　Just moments before, Xiaoyi had been forced by Ziyuan to lift his hands from the strings; now that same overwhelming power hauled him forward, and before he even grasped what was happening, he found himself already kneeling before the Celestial Sovereign, unable to move so much as a finger.

　　"My fine son — your cultivation has grown enough now to break a barrier I myself set in place?" The Celestial Sovereign looked genuinely startled to see Ziyuan had unraveled the barrier he had specially laid down for him.

　　"A barrier of Father's own making was never difficult for your son to solve. I knew the moment Anu arrived in the Celestial Court — it was only that Father's cultivation runs so deep that I could not break free of it until just now."

　　"So Xue'er's daughter is called Anu?" the Celestial Sovereign asked. It was only today that he had learned Xue'er had a daughter at all — one so strikingly beautiful and so fiercely capable — and had this battle never happened, he would never have known it.

　　"Yes." Ziyuan folded his hands respectfully and lowered his eyes.

　　"Father, permit your son to speak."

　　"Speak, then."

　　"This war between our two clans was brought about by your son, and by Crown Princess Shenya. As my principal consort, Shenya conducted herself with neither propriety nor restraint — learning that your son's heart belonged to Anu, jealousy took root in her, and she went to the Asura King and fanned the flames, provoking him to fury, hoping to spark conflict between our two clans and so destroy whatever stood between Anu and myself. Your son warned Shenya of this, but she would not be turned from her course, and so it has come to this. Every word your son speaks is true; Father may look into it and verify it for himself."

　　"Anu, in the grip of grief over the loss of her brothers, was not in command of her own senses when she raised her hand against Father — a grave breach of respect, yes, but one that may well be forgiven under the circumstances. The fault lies with your son, and with Shenya — it was your son's own failure to settle the matter with Shenya properly that brought this disaster down upon both our clans. Neither Anu nor Xiaoyi bears any blame in this. I beg Father to pardon them both; if punishment must be handed down, your son is willing to bear it himself." Having spoken, Ziyuan bowed his head low in deference.

　　Hearing this, the Celestial Sovereign's brow knit in displeasure.

　　"Shenya went so far as this?" The Celestial Sovereign leaned forward and added, "And if I am unwilling to pardon the two of them?"

　　"Both of them are young yet, and acted without full thought for the consequences. Father was willing to pardon Yinglan and Rong Heng — surely he will not now be hard on these two youngsters either. Xiaoyi is Elder Mu's own last disciple, and even setting the man aside, Father would hardly wish to slight Elder Mu himself by disregarding it. As for Anu's fault, your son is willing to bear the whole weight of it himself — but first, allow your son to deal with the true author of this calamity, Shenya, and only then will he submit himself entirely to Father's judgment." He rose slowly to his feet, turned outward to face the crowd now drifting back in from every side, and called out clearly, "Let the elders of the Shen clan and Celestial Lord Shenyu come forward."

　　The moment he had learned that Anu had entered the Southern Heavenly Gate, Ziyuan had set to work unraveling the barrier the Celestial Sovereign had laid, and at the same time had sent Changxiu to notify the relevant members of the Shen clan to stand ready near the site of the battle formation. Shenyu had known for some time exactly what mischief Shenya had gotten herself into, and had just now watched with his own eyes as she tried to murder the very woman the Crown Prince held dear — there was nothing left for him to say in her defense; as principal consort, she had utterly disgraced the position. Her parents and the clan elders, however fond they were of Shenya, could hardly find anything more to say for themselves now, watching her have driven matters to such a reckless, disastrous extreme. They stepped forward with heads bowed low, every face etched with shame.

　　"I, Ziyuan, Crown Prince of the Celestial Realm, declare before the people of the Celestial world: Shenya, as my principal consort these many years, has borne no children, and rather than reflect on this with any shame, upon learning that this Prince's heart belonged to the Asura Princess Anu, she instead let jealousy take root and did not scruple to provoke war between our two clans, until blood ran in rivers, the wailing of the grief-stricken filled the land, and ruin lay on every side. Further, she seized upon a moment when Princess Anu was consumed by grief and utterly unguarded to strike at her from behind, meaning to take her life. For these two grave crimes, each one unforgivable in itself, for conduct utterly without propriety or restraint, and for virtue unworthy of her rank, she is no longer fit to remain principal consort. From this moment, Shenya is stripped of the title of principal consort to the Crown Prince, struck from the Imperial Jade Register, and returned to the Shen clan. As for the Shen clan's own part in quietly abetting Shenya's misconduct, this Prince will set the matter aside for now, but Shenya shall henceforth be strictly disciplined and taught to atone for her past wrongs."

　　Having finished this proclamation, Ziyuan turned to the Shen clan elder and to Shenyu and asked, "Does the Shen clan have any objection?"

　　Painful and hard to bear as it was, the Crown Prince had, in truth, dealt with the matter leniently, laying blame on Shenya alone and sparing the rest of the clan entirely — how could the Shen clan possibly dare raise an objection now? Shenyu, in his heart, had long known that given Shenya's nature, her removal as consort had only ever been a matter of time; it was only the Crown Prince's own tolerance that had let her remain this long. Now that she had brought about a calamity of this magnitude, what room was there left for turning back?

　　Shenya herself had already been carried off to the medicine cottage and was not present to hear any of this — perhaps her absence was, in its own small way, the last shred of dignity left to her.

　　"Reporting to Your Highness — the Shen clan has no objection," the clan elder said.

　　As a murmur of astonishment swept through the assembled crowd and the Shen clan withdrew in downcast silence, Ziyuan turned back to face the Celestial Sovereign. He removed his crown and hairpins, undid the jade pendant at his waist, laid them all upon the ground, and knelt once more, bowing his head low, his dark hair spilling down over his shoulders like a black waterfall.

　　"Having dealt with Shenya, the true author of this calamity, your son now comes before Father to accept whatever punishment is due."

　　A chill of understanding ran through the Celestial Sovereign. This eldest son of his had always conducted himself with even temper and sound judgment, knowing precisely when to advance and when to yield — and in that single proclamation just now, he had not only stripped Shenya of her rank as principal consort, but had also made known to the whole Celestial Clan two things at once: that Anu was the Asura Princess, and that she was the woman his own heart belonged to. With that done, even the Celestial Sovereign himself, as her father, could hardly go on entertaining any improper designs toward Xue'er's daughter — to do so now would be nothing less than openly contesting a woman with his own son.

　　As Sovereign of the Three Realms, who in all the Three Realms would ever dare contest a woman with him? And yet, aside from the Asura King all those years ago, here now was his own eldest son — the one he had raised with such care, the one he took such pride in — doing exactly that. And this son of his, outwardly so deferential, so humble, coming forward to bear his guilt and beg forgiveness, was in truth advancing precisely by seeming to retreat, pressing him back step by step, yielding not an inch of ground.

　　What fault could Ziyuan possibly bear in any of this? The wrongdoer was Shenya — what did any of it have to do with Ziyuan at all? All he truly wanted was to use this moment to shield Anu from punishment, and to make certain she could never be taken into his own father's harem. That was the whole of it.

　　What a fine son he had raised!

　　He himself had once given his word that Ziyuan would be free to decide his own marriage when the time came. Now, at long last, his son had found a woman he truly cared for; the position of principal consort stood vacant, and there was as yet no heir to speak of. By every measure of reason and feeling, as a father he could not now take from his son the very thing his son desired — or what right would he have left to call himself Sovereign of the Three Realms at all?

　　The Celestial Sovereign gave a bitter laugh. Perhaps this eldest son of his, whose every scheme always ran true, had this time worked his calculations around his own father as well.

　　And yet every one of his son's schemes had been played out entirely in the open, with no hidden treachery, nothing done in the dark that could not bear the light. Just as Ziyuan himself had said — he had warned Shenya plainly, and Shenya had gone charging headlong into ruin regardless, dragging the whole Shen clan down with her, until in the end there was not a single soul left willing to speak in her defense.

　　No doubt he himself, as father, would not escape this either. But then, whose fault was it but his own, that Ziyuan was the son he took the most pride in, who had lived up to every hope placed in him so brilliantly that he could now turn around and outmaneuver his own father? Ought he to feel pleased by that, or grieved?

　　It seemed there was no escaping this silent defeat, and yet he found the humiliation almost impossible to swallow — as though he had swallowed a fly whole, unable either to bring it up or force it down.

　　Watching Ziyuan clear out the very position of principal consort for her, he had no wish to let his son have everything his own way — nor, for that matter, did he wish to let the Asura King have things entirely his way either. He could hardly be the only one left choking down defeat in silence...

　　"Rise. You needn't bear another's guilt on your own shoulders. Elder Mu's last disciple has proven himself well enough — he has done his master no dishonor. I was only testing him; still, he is young, and his temper ran somewhat hot for it. As for this girl Anu... she very nearly turned the whole Celestial Court upside down. She ought to pay some price for that, at least." The Celestial Sovereign composed himself, bent down, and helped Ziyuan to his feet.

　　Hearing this, Anu bristled with indignation and wanted furiously to curse the Celestial Sovereign to his face, but no words would come — Ziyuan had not only laid the Binding Spell upon her, but had bound her with a Silencing Spell as well. Xiaoyi, for his part, could not help worrying over what price Anu might now be made to pay, but turning over everything that had just happened, he came to a sudden, clear understanding: in this whole world, no one else could have shielded Anu from the Celestial Sovereign's hand — no one but the Crown Prince Ziyuan.

　　Only now did a belated fear begin to creep over Xiaoyi. He himself cared nothing for life or death, even if it meant killing the Celestial Sovereign — but his master, Anu, the whole Asura clan, even his companions back in the Mist Forest, might all have been swept up in the consequences. Had Crown Prince Ziyuan not intervened when he did, the two of them would very likely have already brought down an unspeakable catastrophe.

　　With this, he could no longer cling to any hope of his own — he and the Celestial Sovereign alike had now lost any chance of ever having Anu for themselves. And yet he understood well enough that this, of all possible outcomes, was the one best for Anu.

　　A pain sharp enough to draw blood from the heart swept over him — the woman he had cherished above all else for more than four hundred years, the one he would have laid down his own life to protect, was in this very moment fated to slip from his grasp forever. And yet, even so, he could not help feeling, deep within his heart, a genuine admiration for Crown Prince Ziyuan's boldness, his resolve, his composed and unshakable wisdom.

　　"Summon the Asura King, and have him submit a letter of surrender at once, stating plainly that for as long as he lives he shall never again raise arms against the Celestial Clan, and that he shall offer Princess Anu as secondary consort to the Crown Prince, to seal the bond of marriage between our two clans." His face cold and set, the Celestial Sovereign delivered this proclamation, then flung his sleeve back and stormed off in anger.

　　"Thank you, Father." Ziyuan bowed low toward the Celestial Sovereign's retreating back, folding his hands in a deep gesture of gratitude.

　　By now Anu was seething with fury. Why should everything be left entirely to Ziyuan to turn and twist as he pleased? He had bound her helpless, and now stood there playing along in perfect harmony with the Celestial Sovereign — by what right could the Celestial Sovereign, with a few careless words, presume to decide her own father's will for him? And by what right was she to be handed over to Ziyuan as secondary consort? Never mind secondary consort — she wanted no part of being principal consort either. This was nothing short of a monstrous humiliation; there were limits even a person of restraint could endure, and this crossed every one of them. How could she possibly let the Celestial Sovereign trample over both her father and herself like this? And besides — the Celestial Sovereign had only just killed her three brothers and so many of her own people; how could she simply turn around and forget it as though nothing had happened? Yes, it was her father who had struck the first provocation, but this outcome was more than she could swallow.

　　But she was, after all, still a foolish girl who understood little of the world — how could she possibly grasp the careful scheme Ziyuan had just woven with all his strength to protect her? She had not the faintest idea that the Celestial Sovereign himself had ever set his heart on her, still less any notion of the razor's-edge exchange of wits that had just passed between father and son, each move more perilous than the last.

　　Anu, who had always resisted with her whole heart the thought of marrying into the Celestial Court's royal house, now hated the very idea more fiercely than ever. And she hated Ziyuan even more — the one who had promised her plainly that he would dissolve the enmity between their two clans, and who had now not only broken his word but shattered her dream of returning home to the Asura royal court to be reunited with her family, and who now stood there in league with the Celestial Sovereign, bearing down on both her father and herself. She hated him — she hated him so much.