Chapter 21 The Broken Pendant
In the end I, Xiao Huai An, still ascended the throne.
I posthumously titled Wen Yan the Loyal and Virtuous Lord Consort, and buried him with state rites in the Imperial Mausoleum, only a wall away from my tomb.
I did not move against the Wen Clan. Instead I gave the Wen Clan unmatched honor. Father rose to Grand Tutor. Elder Brother became a general who guarded the state. The women of the Wen Clan all married into houses of merit.
They all said I remembered the kindness of the late Lord Consort, and that was why I treated the Wen Clan so well.
Only I, Xiao Huai An, knew it had been bought with Wen Yan's life.
I often sat alone in the sleeping hall through the whole night.
I would rub the wolf-hair brush Wen Yan had used. I would stare blankly at the scriptures he had copied. I would grip that broken Qilin Pendant tight in my palm until my knuckles turned white.
One Lantern Festival, I wore a plain brocade robe and carried a Rabbit Lantern, and walked the streets of Changan for a whole night.
The lamp oil scalded my hand. I did not feel it at all, like the youth on that snowy night many years ago.
When I passed Wen Manor, I saw branches of the Silk Tree reaching over the wall. A faded sachet hung on them, stuffed with a dried red leaf.
I stood beneath the tree, covered my face, and wept.