The great hall of the imperial court was a cavern of light and shadow. Pillars of lacquered red rose toward a ceiling lost in darkness, their surfaces carved with dragons and phoenixes that seemed to writhe in the flickering lamplight. The floor was a vast expanse of polished stone, cold and hard beneath Li Jun's worn sandals. At the far end of the hall, on a raised dais draped in yellow silk, sat the three senior magistrates who would hear the case. Their faces were impassive, their robes the deep blue of imperial justice.
The hall was crowded. Officials from every ministry lined the walls, their colorful robes a stark contrast to the gray garments of the few believers who had been permitted to attend as witnesses. Generals in armored leather stood near the front, their weathered faces grim. And in a cordoned area to the side, Murong Baojie's remaining allies watched with barely concealed hostility, their eyes tracking Li Jun as he walked down the central aisle.
Xiao Mei walked beside him, her small hand clutching his. She had changed into a clean robe of pale blue, provided by Vice-Minister Pei's staff, and her hair had been combed and pinned. But her face was still pale, and her steps were hesitant as they approached the dais.
"You do not need to be afraid," Li Jun murmured. "You are telling the truth. The truth has its own power."
"The Radiant Messenger said the truth was whatever the powerful decided it was." Her voice was barely a whisper. "What if he was right?"
"He was wrong. The truth is what happened. The truth is what you saw with your own eyes." Li Jun squeezed her hand. "And the truth is that three hundred and forty people are alive today because you helped me. Because you believed Lady Liu when she told you the wine was poison. Because you were brave enough to stand up and say so."
They reached the dais. The chief magistrate, an elderly man with a wispy white beard and tired eyes, looked down at them. "This is the witness? She is a child."
"She is sixteen years old, honored magistrate," Vice-Minister Pei said, stepping forward from the crowd. "She has seen more death and corruption than most adults see in a lifetime. And she is prepared to testify under oath."
The magistrate studied Xiao Mei for a long moment. "Very well. Let her speak."
Vice-Minister Pei guided Xiao Mei to the witness platform, a small stone dais set before the magistrates' bench. Li Jun remained standing beside her, his hand on her shoulder. He was not permitted to speak during her testimony, but his presence was a silent promise. You are not alone.
"State your name," the magistrate said.
"Xiao Mei." Her voice was small but steady. "I have no family name. My parents sold me to the Pure World Sect when I was fourteen."
"And what was your role in the sect?"
"I was an apprentice to the Sacred Distiller. Lady Liu." Xiao Mei's voice faltered on the name, but she continued. "I helped her prepare the sacred wine. I believed it was medicine. She told me it was medicine. She said the wine healed the sick and purified the faithful."
"And when did you learn otherwise?"
"On the night the sanctuary fell. The soldiers came. The storehouse burned. And Lady Liu... Lady Liu told me the truth before she died. She said the sacred wine was never medicine. It was always poison. Aconite, brewed from the roots of the mountain monkshood. She said she had killed dozens of people with it, on the orders of the Radiant Messenger. And she said the Radiant Messenger was planning to kill everyone at the Final Baptism. Three hundred and forty people. She said he wanted to watch them die."
A murmur ran through the assembled officials. The magistrate raised his hand for silence. "And who ordered these killings? Who gave the Radiant Messenger his instructions?"
"I do not know. I never saw the letters. But Lady Liu spoke of a patron. A powerful man in the capital who funded the sect and identified its enemies. She called him the General."
"Which general?"
"She did not say. But I heard other names. Captain Xue spoke of General Murong when he came to the preparation chamber. He said General Murong was pleased with Lady Liu's work. He said the final purification would cement the General's power in the capital."
The murmuring grew louder. The magistrate raised his hand again, his tired eyes suddenly sharp. "You are accusing General Murong Baojie of conspiracy to commit murder. Do you understand the weight of this accusation?"
Xiao Mei straightened her small shoulders. "I understand. I am not accusing anyone. I am telling you what I heard. What I saw. What Lady Liu told me before she died." She looked directly at the magistrate, her eyes clear and steady. "The sacred wine was poison. The Radiant Messenger was a murderer. And the people who helped him are still out there. That is the truth. I swear it on my life."
The hall fell silent. The magistrate leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. Then he turned to the other two judges, and they conferred in low voices. Li Jun's hand tightened on Xiao Mei's shoulder.
"You did well," he whispered.
"Did I? Will they believe me?"
"They will. The letters I brought from the sanctuary confirm everything you have said. Murong's handwriting. His seal. His orders." He looked toward the side of the hall, where Murong's allies were shifting uneasily. "They are afraid now. They know the truth is coming out."
The chief magistrate turned back to the hall. "This court will recess for one hour to examine the documentary evidence presented by Vice-Minister Pei. When we reconvene, we will hear further testimony from the survivor known as Li Jun, formerly of the Ministry of Justice. Until then, the witness Xiao Mei is placed under the protection of this court. Any attempt to harm her or interfere with her testimony will be treated as contempt and punished accordingly."
The hall erupted. Officials shouted questions. Murong's allies protested. The generals near the front exchanged grim looks. But Li Jun was already guiding Xiao Mei away from the dais, back toward the side chamber where Yang Hui was waiting.
Yang Hui was sitting on a wooden bench, her left arm bound in a sling, her face pale but alert. When she saw Xiao Mei, she smiled. "I heard your testimony through the door. You were magnificent."
"The magistrate said I was accusing General Murong. Is that what I was doing?"
"Yes. And you did it perfectly." Yang Hui looked at Li Jun. "Captain Xue has withdrawn his men to the northern quarter. The generals have him surrounded, but he will not surrender. They are preparing to storm his position."
"Captain Xue does not surrender. He will fight until he is killed." Li Jun sat down heavily on the bench beside her. His body was aching, the exhaustion of the past days finally catching up with him. "What about Murong? Chen told me he fled to his estate in the northern province."
"The generals are already mobilizing. A detachment leaves at dawn. If Murong is there, they will find him." She paused. "And the Radiant Messenger?"
"With Murong, according to Chen. But I am not certain I believe that. The Radiant Messenger has his own plans. He does not answer to Murong. He never did."
Yang Hui nodded slowly. "Then we must be prepared for him to surface somewhere unexpected. He still has followers. The Pure World Sect may be broken, but its pieces are still scattered across the empire."
"One thing at a time. Murong first. Then the Radiant Messenger. Then Captain Xue." Li Jun closed his eyes. "I am tired, Yang Hui. I have been tired for weeks. I do not know how much longer I can do this."
"You can do it as long as you need to. That is what my father always said. A soldier does not stop fighting because he is tired. He stops fighting when the battle is won."
Li Jun opened his eyes and looked at her. "Your father was a great man."
"He was. And he would have been proud of what you have done." She put her good hand on his arm. "You have avenged him, Li Jun. You have brought his murderers to justice. When Murong is captured and the Radiant Messenger is dead, his spirit can finally rest."
"I did not do it for vengeance. I did it because it was right."
"I know. That is why he would have been proud."
The hour passed slowly. Li Jun sat in the side chamber, listening to the distant murmur of the court, the shuffling of officials, the occasional raised voice. Xiao Mei had fallen asleep on a cushion in the corner, her small face peaceful for the first time since he had met her.
When the court reconvened, Vice-Minister Pei came to fetch him. "They are ready for your testimony. The letters have been authenticated. Murong's handwriting has been confirmed by three independent scholars. The case against him is now a matter of public record."
"What about the Minister of Justice? Murong's ally?"
"Fled. He disappeared from his residence sometime during the night. The generals are searching for him." Pei's expression was grim. "But that is not the worst of it. Captain Xue's men have broken through the cordon. He is moving toward the palace."
"The palace? Why?"
"We do not know. But the imperial guard has been mobilized. The Empress has been moved to a secure location." Pei lowered his voice. "Li Jun, there is a rumor that the Radiant Messenger is not with Murong. He is here. In the capital. And he is planning something."
"What kind of something?"
"We do not know. But Captain Xue's movements suggest a coordinated attack. If the Radiant Messenger has infiltrated the palace..."
Li Jun felt a cold weight settle in his stomach. "The Final Baptism. He is still trying to complete the Final Baptism."
"But the sacred wine was destroyed. The sanctuary is in ruins. How can he complete the Baptism?"
"The sacred wine can be brewed again. The sanctuary was only one temple." Li Jun's mind was racing. "Brother Shen said something to me before he died. He said the Pure World has roots in every corner of the empire. He said you cannot destroy a faith by burning a building."
Pei's face went pale. "You think there is another stockpile of the sacred wine? Here in the capital?"
"I think the Radiant Messenger has been planning for this. The sanctuary was never the only target. It was the first. The Final Baptism was not meant to end with the believers on the mountain. It was meant to spread."
"Then we must warn the Empress. If Captain Xue is moving toward the palace, he may be carrying the sacred wine with him. If he reaches the imperial family..."
He did not need to finish the sentence. Li Jun understood.
"Go," Li Jun said. "Warn the imperial guard. I will give my testimony and follow as soon as I can."
Pei hurried away, and Li Jun walked back into the great hall. The magistrates were waiting. The officials were watching. Xiao Mei's testimony had shaken them, but it was his testimony that would seal Murong's fate.
He took his place on the witness platform and faced the chief magistrate. "I am ready to testify."
"State your name."
"Li Jun. Formerly a clerk in the Ministry of Justice."
"And what is your connection to the case before this court?"
Li Jun drew a deep breath. "I am the man who infiltrated the Pure World Sect. I am the man who found the evidence that General Murong Baojie ordered the murder of General Yang Sixun. And I am the man who will tell you everything I have seen, everything I have heard, everything I have learned since the night I found a dying man's warning on a scrap of paper in his sleeve."
He reached into his robe and withdrew the fragment of paper that had started it all. The four characters, written in General Yang's shaky hand. Pure World. Purification. Beware.
"It began with this," he said. "And it ends tonight."
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