"Death to all traitors!"
The cry rang out, slicing through the stillness of the night.
The noble Liang family's compound remained undisturbed, cloaked in silence, as if holding its breath.
Then—thunderous pounding on the gates.
Torches flickered to life at night, casting long shadows on the high walls as the emperor's guards tried to force their way in.
"By decree of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Feng! The Liang family stands accused of treason and consorting with the enemy! All traitors shall face death without mercy!"
The accusations rang out, harsh and unforgiving.
" Collaboration with the enemy!"
" Death to all traitors!"
The words were a death sentence, echoing with cold finality.
Inside the compound, confusion erupted. The men instinctively reached for their weapons.
"This is a mistake!" one of them shouted, his voice trembling angrily. "We are loyal to the emperor!"
"Lies! We will not listen to the words of snakes!"
The guards were relentless and soon broke through the gates. Swords clashed, and the metallic scent of blood filled the air.
The young lord—a child of no more than ten—awoke to the sounds of slaughter. His heart thundered in his chest as confusion and terror seized him.
He stumbled to the window, his small hands gripping the sill, and peered out. What he saw froze him in place: his uncles, cousins, and retainers falling one by one, their cries cut short by the gleaming swords of the emperor's guards.
The door burst open, and his mother rushed in. Her face was pale, her hands trembling as she yanked him from the window. "A-Jun, we must go!" she whispered, her voice thick with fear.
"Why is this happening?" the boy whispered as he stumbled after her. His mother didn't answer, her silence twisting the dread in his chest like a knife.
She pushed him ahead, her grip on his wrist. "Don't look back," she urged, but he couldn't help himself.
He saw his cousins, uncles, and aunts all falling one by one. His father stood in the centre of the courtyard, sword in hand, battling fiercely despite being outnumbered.
The young lord's heart surged with hope—his father was invincible, a pillar of strength.
But then a spear found its mark. The young lord's father staggered, his sword falling from his grasp.
His eyes, wide with shock and pain, locked onto his son's for one fleeting moment before he crumpled to the ground.
"No! Father!" The boy cried out, breaking free of his mother's grip to rush toward his fallen hero.
"Don't! Stop!" his mother's voice cracked as she pulled him back, her eyes mirroring the anguish in his heart.
They stumbled toward the back gate, which was already engulfed in flames.
The heat was unbearable, and the smoke thick and choking. The boy's chest tightened with panic, yet his mother did not stop.
Their path to the stables was suddenly blocked by a group of guards.
Lady Liang stepped in front of her son, her arms spread wide as though she could shield him from the world.
"Please!" she begged, her voice breaking. "He is just a child. Let him go!"
The guard stepped forward, his sword gleaming with the blood of their family in the firelight. His eyes, devoid of mercy, locked on hers. "No one leaves. Orders of the emperor."
The words hit the boy like a physical blow. The emperor? His mind swirled in confusion. Why would the emperor want us dead?
"This is a mistake!" his mother pleaded, desperation in her voice. "Our family has been loyal to the empire for generations!"
Her words fell on deaf ears. The guard sneered, his tone dripping with disdain. "Loyalty? The emperor sees ambition where it festers. The Liang family has grown too bold. We're here to cut weeds before they overrun the garden."
From the shadows, a familiar figure emerged. Lieutenant Fa, a man under General Mu's command. This person had recently dined at the Liang family table, his laughter filling their hall. Now, his smirk twisted cruelly, his eyes gleaming with malice.
"My lady," he called out, mock sincerity in his tone, "I have been searching for you. Come with me, and I will ensure your safety." His gaze lingered on her, predatory and shameless.
Lady Liang glared at him, her fury eclipsing her fear. "You—you are behind this, aren't you?" she accused, her voice trembling with rage.
Lieutenant Fa's smirk deepened. "Orders of the emperor," he said simply as if that removed him of his betrayal.
"What?!" Lady Liang gasped, shocked. The emperor ordered their execution over something so flimsy as court gossip?
The young master frowned. He understood somewhat of what had been said. His father's words from earlier echoed in his mind: The emperor is a just man, loyal to his allies. Trust in him, my son. How could this be? His father had assured him—his family had served the empire for generations. This is wrong; this has to be wrong.
Realising they had no one to rely on, Madam Liang fought back with a ferocity born of desperation.
She grabbed a nearby piece of smoking wood and smashed it against the lieutenant's head, but it did little more than stagger him.
That was more than enough for her, anything to give her son a chance.
She pulled her son through the smoke and into the stable, only to find that most of the horses had run off or been killed.
The young master's heart sank. Although he was young and in shock, he understood what was happening.
Everybody was dead.
They were going to die too.
He grabbed his mother's robes, tears finally spilling down his soot-darkened cheeks as his tiny fists trembled.
He was scared, so scared.
'Father, please help,' he thought, even though he knew his father's body lay somewhere in the carnage.
The madam instinctively patted the top of his head as she looked around the room, coughing lightly.
The fire had become more intense, filling their lungs with smoke and watering their eyes as the heat licked at their skin.
The windows were too high up for her or her baby to reach. 'Dear gods, please save my child,' Lady Liang prayed.
The shouts of the men grew louder.
They were cornered.
She turned to her son, eyes wide with fear and love. "Run A-Jun," she whispered. "Run and don't look back."
But he couldn't move. Instead, he clung to her robes harder, sobs wracking his small body. He couldn't leave his mother, he couldn't, he couldn't!
"Please child, don't do this to me," she pleaded softly, "don't make me watch them hurt y—"
He watched, frozen in terror, as Lieutenant Fa appeared out of nowhere and thrust his sword into her chest.
"Mother!"
Her gasp was a sound he would never forget, a heartbreaking mix of pain and surprise. She crumpled to the ground, her eyes still on him, filled with a silent plea.
The guards advanced towards him, and he stumbled back, tripping over debris. He could feel the heat of the flames now, consuming the buildings around them.
A deafening crack echoed through the compound as one of the burning pillars gave way. He looked up just in time to see it crashing down, its smouldering edge slamming into his chest and pinning him to the ground.
Pain seared through his body, but it was the sight of his mother's lifeless eyes that filled him with an even deeper agony.
'This can't be the end,' he thought, despair and rage boiling in his young chest. His fingers twitched, reaching for her, but he was trapped.
The world grew dim around him. He could hear the distant screams, the clash of steel, and the roar of the flames, but they seemed far away, as if coming from another world. He tried to move, but the weight of the pillar held him down, its heat burning into his flesh.
'Why was this happening to him? To his family? They were kind people who prayed to the gods daily.' Images of his family's smiling, happy faces flashed through his hazy mind.
Darkness encroached on his vision, and as he slipped into unconsciousness, he thought fervently, 'If I survive this, I swear on my family I'll make them pay for what they've done. They will regret the day they took my family from me.'
The last thing he saw was the compound, once a place of warmth and safety, now a hellish landscape of fire and death.