The Blood Crown - Chapter 102

Yan Sikong was restless all day, so he left work early and went home. He sat alone in his study, thinking. He watched as dusk slowly fell, the daylight disappearing, and the room sinking into darkness without even lighting a lamp.

Throughout his life, he had begged many people for help. At his most desperate, he begged for a bite of spoiled food to stay alive. He had long since lost any sense of honor or shame. To him, begging was nothing as long as it achieved his goals. However, when the person he needed to ask for help was Feng Ye, he found it incredibly difficult to open his mouth.

He mocked himself; this was the result of being sentimental. It was nothing but self-imposed bondage, serving no other purpose.

Fortunately, Yan Sikong remained Yan Sikong. Though he might hesitate, he would never truly waver.

He stood up and strode out of the study, calling out loudly, “Ali, prepare the carriage.”

—

Yan Sikong rarely visited the Jingyuan Prince’s Mansion. Most of the time, it was Feng Ye who came to him. Compared to his own humble residence, the prince’s mansion was in the best location in the capital, surrounded by an extensive network of roads and constantly under watchful eyes.

When they arrived at the mansion, the coachman was about to knock on the door for him, but Yan Sikong stopped him and went to knock himself.

The gatekeeper, surprised to see him, said, “Master Yan, I’ll go inform the young prince right away.”

Yan Sikong replied, “I’ve been to the mansion many times; do I still need an announcement?” He started to walk in directly.

But the gatekeeper blocked his way, awkwardly saying, “Master Yan, please allow me to inform him first.”

These gatekeepers were experts at reading people’s faces. Previously, they had been very respectful, but since Feng Ye had publicly humiliated Yan Sikong at the grand banquet, the incident had spread throughout the capital. Now, they wouldn’t even let him in the door.

Yan Sikong didn’t get angry. He never wasted his energy on unnecessary matters. He said, “Then please, go ahead, my young friend.”

The gatekeeper closed the door, and Yan Sikong heard the sound of hurried footsteps inside. He waited outside the gate.

But he waited and waited, and the heavy, red-lacquered, carved door did not open.

The coachman, Liu Cheng, grew impatient first. “Master, this is too much. Let’s go back.”

Yan Sikong said, “No rush, let’s wait patiently.”

“…”

The man and his horse-drawn carriage stood there at the prince’s mansion gate. Though it was getting late, there were still many passersby. Yan Sikong’s distinguished appearance caught attention, and some people guessed who he was. They started pointing and whispering from a distance.

For someone with thinner skin, being treated this way would have driven them away long ago, but Yan Sikong wished he could stand there even longer. It was highly taboo for civil officials in the capital to be too close with frontier military generals. Although he had no direct connection with Prince Jingyuan, his frequent private interactions with the prince’s son, Feng Ye, inevitably gave people something to talk about. In the past, no one mentioned it because Feng Ye was young and Yan Sikong held a low position. But now things were different: Prince Jingyuan had won a great victory, and Yan Sikong was about to become an imperial consort. Severing ties would benefit both parties.

After Feng Ye opposed the marriage decree in the great hall and today’s incident, the whole world should know that Feng Ye and Yan Sikong were like Guan Ning cutting the mat— their friendship was over.

Thus, Yan Sikong stood outside the prince’s mansion for a full hour. It was the chilly early spring, and he was frozen, his face turning pale and his body shivering.

At this moment, the mansion’s gate opened, and Yan Sikong turned to see Xue Bo, who looked quite helpless. “Master Yan, please come in.”

Yan Sikong cupped his hands in thanks and followed Xue Bo into the mansion.

The mansion was so large that he still wasn’t entirely familiar with it, but he knew the way to Feng Ye’s residence well. However, the direction Xue Bo led him was clearly wrong.

Yan Sikong didn’t question it and simply followed in silence until they rounded a corridor, and a brightly lit large room appeared before him. He realized then that it was Feng Ye’s training room. When the weather was bad, Feng Ye would practice martial arts there.

Xue Bo led Yan Sikong to the door, cupped his hands, and said, “Master Yan, please.”

Yan Sikong walked straight in, and Xue Bo closed the door behind him.

The training room was spacious and empty, filled with various weapons and martial arts equipment. Feng Ye stood with his back to Yan Sikong, legs planted firmly, holding a bow with an arrow aimed at a distant target. Without even looking, Yan Sikong knew it would hit the bullseye.

The room was warm with burning charcoal, and Yan Sikong felt his blood starting to circulate again. He gazed silently at Feng Ye’s tall figure, clenching his still-cold fingers, and called out, “Feng Ye.”

Feng Ye suddenly turned, an arrow shot through the air straight toward Yan Sikong’s face.

Yan Sikong didn’t have time to dodge—nor did he intend to. He didn’t even blink.

In an instant, the arrow whizzed past, grazing his temple and embedding itself in the door behind him with a thud, as if striking his heart directly.

Yan Sikong stared at Feng Ye, seeing a struggle in those sharp eyes.

“Who gave you permission to come to me,” Feng Ye said coldly.

“I had to come to you.”

“Why?” Feng Ye looked at Yan Sikong’s reddened cheeks from the cold, feeling a clawing discomfort inside. He wanted Yan Sikong to leave immediately, yet he knew he couldn’t bear to see him walk out that door.

Yan Sikong blinked and said straightforwardly, “I came to ask for your help for the Crown Prince and Consort Hui.”

Feng Ye threw his bow to the ground and shouted, “Get out!”

Yan Sikong felt a pang in his heart but hid his emotions and said solemnly, “You know they are innocent. The assassination attempt was orchestrated by Xie Zhongren and Consort Wen…”

“I said, get out,” Feng Ye snarled, baring his teeth. “You think it’s not too late to remember I’m useful to you now?”

Yan Sikong closed his eyes for a moment. “I know you pleaded for the Crown Prince during the morning court.”

“I believed the censor’s accusations were baseless, so I reported the truth. It was my duty as a minister, nothing more.”

“Protecting the Crown Prince is also a minister’s duty.”

Feng Ye strode over, pointing a finger at him. “You have no right to lecture me about a minister’s duty. You have twice framed imperial officials, stirring up trouble from the shadows. Which of those acts are befitting a minister? If I exposed just one of your deeds, it would be enough to execute you a thousand times!”

“But you won’t say anything.”

“Yan Sikong!” Feng Ye was furious, almost wanting to strangle him.

Yan Sikong softly said, “Feng Ye, I’m sorry.”

Feng Ye was stunned, coldly staring at him.

“I’m sorry about Wanyang.”

Feng Ye sneered, “You come to me because you need something, and you don’t even bother to hide it?”

“You’re right. If the Crown Prince hadn’t been in trouble, I would have held back… and not come to you.” Yan Sikong looked directly into Feng Ye’s eyes and slowly said, “Our relationship was never meant to be. This day was bound to come sooner or later. I don’t know which family’s daughter you will marry, but you will marry, and you’ll have many children. You are the only son of Prince Jingyuan. Continuing the family line is your duty. When you think of me then, you will just laugh and say ‘youthful folly,’ won’t you?”

Feng Ye clenched his fists, feeling a faint pain in his heart. “In your heart, my feelings are that frivolous?”

“I don’t dare say frivolous, but compared to carrying on the family line, we both know which is more important.”

“No, it’s because you never valued it, so you think I won’t either.” Feng Ye’s eyes gradually turned red. “I said I give you all my heart, but you only give me a little. It’s just that.”

Yan Sikong felt a wrenching pain in his heart, even finding it hard to breathe. “Feng Ye, how can feelings be measured? I am not like you. I carry a deep blood feud. How can I indulge in romance like an innocent youth?”

“I never asked you to give up your revenge. I was even willing to help you. I could tolerate you marrying and having children, but that woman can’t be Wanyang!” Feng Ye said angrily. “And you hid it from me. To become a prince consort, you didn’t hesitate to hide your engagement to my cousin. You were so eager to get rid of me.”

“No.” Yan Sikong shook his head sadly. “I didn’t hide it on purpose. I just didn’t dare tell you. When I found out, the teacher had already obtained the emperor’s approval. Could I break off the engagement? Could you break it off? Did you hear what Xie Zhongren said in the hall that day? How could I let you defy the imperial decree for me?”

“What if I was willing?” Feng Ye gritted his teeth. “Did you ever ask if I was willing!”

“Did you think of your father?” Yan Sikong trembled. “Did you think about how much danger you’d bring to Prince Jingyuan if you acted rashly?”

“Do you think I’m stupid? All I needed was for my father to write a letter and betroth Wanyang to someone else. But when I found out, it was really too late!”

“To whom? A noble family? A scholarly aristocrat? Don’t you understand the emperor’s intentions? The emperor wanted to marry Prince Jingyuan’s niece to a lowly scholar!” Yan Sikong raised his voice. “He won’t allow the Feng family to form another powerful alliance!”

Feng Ye was slightly stunned, then sneered again. “You, Yan Sikong, are exceptionally clever. Who can argue with you? But it’s too late to say all this now. The fact is you deceived me, and you are marrying my cousin. How dare you come to me? Get out, leave now.”

“Feng Ye, are you really going to ignore the Crown Prince’s safety for our personal feelings?”

Feng Ye coldly said, “Who in the Chen family becomes the Crown Prince or the Emperor, do you really think it’s important to the Feng family?”

Yan Sikong knew in his heart that this was indeed not important to the Feng family. That’s why Prince Jingyuan stayed out of the struggle for the throne. As long as he held onto his military power, even if the throne was occupied by a dog, it wouldn’t harm the foundation of the nation.

Feng Ye’s cold and unfeeling demeanor stabbed at Yan Sikong, causing immense pain. After all, he had seen this man’s tender and affectionate smile.

Yan Sikong clenched his fists and took a few steps towards Feng Ye.

Feng Ye’s heart raced uncontrollably, feeling a nervousness he had never felt even in the face of thousands of troops and flying arrows.

Yan Sikong bent his knees and knelt in front of Feng Ye. 

Guan Ning (管宁) is a historical figure from the Three Kingdoms period of China, known for his strong moral character and integrity. He is often cited in a famous story illustrating the severing of friendships over moral differences.

The story goes that Guan Ning and his friend Hua Xin (华歆) were close companions who studied together. One day, while they were studying in a garden, a gold coin was thrown over the wall. Hua Xin picked it up, admiring its beauty and thinking about its value. Guan Ning, seeing this, was disappointed and took out a mat they both sat on, cutting it in half with a knife, symbolically ending their friendship. He believed that Hua Xin’s materialistic nature was incompatible with his own values of integrity and modesty.

The phrase “Guan Ning cutting the mat” (管宁割席) has thus come to symbolize the severing of a friendship due to differences in moral principles or values. In the context of the story you provided, it highlights the end of the close relationship between Yan Sikong and Feng Ye, emphasizing that their bond has been irreparably broken due to conflicting principles or actions.