《Jinyiwei》 CH 1 During the 5th year of Hongwu [1], Prince of Yan, Zhu Di [2] set out on a Northern military expedition, soundly defeating K?ke Tem¨¹r [3] at the Kherlen River. [1] h¨®ng w¨³ (ºéÎä) lit.¡±vastly martial¡± is the era name of the founder of the Ming Dynasty, the Hongwu Emperor (ºéÎäµÛ) named Zhu Yuanzhang (ÖìÔªè°), also known as t¨¤i z¨³ (Ì«×æ) the founding Emperor. Each emperor¡¯s reign will have a different era name, and the Hongwu era was from 1368 ¨C 1402. The 5th year of Hongwu is 1372 and the year name is r¨¦n z¨« (ÈÉ×Ó). The 8th year of Hongwu is 1375, year name y¨« m¨£o (ÒÒî). [2] zh¨± d¨¬ (Öì馣©Zhu Di, was the 4th son of the Hongwu Emperor. He held the title of Prince of Yan (ÑàÍõ) his fiefdom was Beiping, which is modern day Beijing. [3] K?ke Tem¨¹r (À©ÀªÌùľ¶ù) his name was sinicized to w¨¢ng b¨£o b¨£o (Íõ±£±£) Wang Bao Bao, was a prominent general of the Yuan Dynasty. The Yuan Dynasty or Great Yuan. in chinese it¡¯s (´óÔª) & in Mongolian, it¡¯s ???? ????? ???? was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China. Those who are familiar with Jin Yong¡¯s Heaven Sword & Dragon Sabre (ÒÐÌìÍÀÁú¼Ç) would have encountered him as Zhao Min (FL)¡¯s brother. When the forces of the Yuan Dynasty withdrew in a panic, they slaughtered a group of nomadic tribespeople by the riverside. Hearing a child¡¯s incessant cries coming from the Tujue¡¯s Tuoba tribe grounds, Zhu Di followed the sounds of its cries and acquired a boy infant. He named the child Tuoba Feng. During the 8th year of Hongwu, Xu Tiande [4] recalled his troops and passed through the sacred Kongtong Mountains [5] where he encountered a wandering Taoist Priest. [4] x¨² ti¨¡n d¨¦ (ÐìÌìµÂ) Xu Tiande (courtesy name), aka Xu Da (name) was a military general and politician who lived during the late Yuan dynasty and early Ming dynasty. He was a friend of the Hongwu Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang (formerly a rebel leader with the Red Turban Rebellion prior to founding the Ming dynasty), and had assisted Zhu Yuanzhang in overthrowing the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty and establishing the Ming Dynasty. His daughter would marry Zhu Di in 1376, and be his future Empress. [6] k¨­ng t¨®ng sh¨¡n (áÇá¼É½) The Kongtong mountains are one of the sacred mountains of Taoism. The old Taoist invited him to a game of chess, and during the course of their game, Xu Da [4] received a letter from his family that had been sent from more than a thousand li away: His concubine had given birth to a baby boy. Xu Da was delighted at having a son at his advanced age, and hence he requested the old Taoist to bestow a name on his child. Thus, the child received the name Xu Yunqi [5]. [5] x¨² y¨²n q¨« (ÐìÔÆÆð) Xu Yunqi. Xu is his surname, and his given name is Yunqi lit.¡±rising like a cloud¡±, which is a metaphor for many things appearing concurrently. It is actually from a poem¡¶ÖÕÄϱðÒµ¡·by Wang Wei, a Tang dynasty poet. The quote is x¨ªng d¨¤o shu¨« qi¨®ng ch¨´, zu¨° k¨¤n y¨²n q¨« sh¨ª (Ðе½Ë®Çî´¦£¬×ø¿´ÔÆÆðʱ.) When you walk to the water¡¯s end, sit down and watch the ever-changing clouds/ watch the clouds rise. The poem describes the leisurely life and pleasures of living in seclusion on Mount Zhongnan, and one¡¯s own enjoyment and sense of ease. It highlights a retiree¡¯s sense of open-mindedness. During the 13th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang executed Hu Weiyong [6]. [6] Hu Weiyong ¡®s execution was one of the four major cases of the Hongwu era ¨C where officials were persecuted during the early Ming dynasty. He was the Right Grand Chancellor (equivalent to the Prime Minister) who was accused of treason and executed. During the 17th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang killed Xu Da [7]. [7] While other generals who had contributed to the founding of the Ming dynasty had been executed by the Emperor for alleged treason, Xu Da died in 1385 under mysterious circumstances. Rumor has it that Xu Da was allergic to goose, so the Hongwu Emperor sent him a goose dish and ordered the emissary to ensure that Xu ate it and died, but Xu Da probably died of natural causes. During the 23rd year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang executed Li Shanchang and purged his three clans [8]. [8] l¨« sh¨¤n ch¨¢ng (ÀîÉÆéL) Li Shanchang, the Left Grand Chancellor was one of the six founding dukes of the Ming dynasty, and he was executed along with his extended family, and thirty thousand others ¨C for treason. The extermination of the three clans, or y¨ª s¨¡n z¨² (ÒÄÈý×å) was a form of capital punishment centered around collective responsibility for those involved in serious crimes such as treason and conspiracy, the three classes of relatives to purged were either parents, brothers, and wives OR Father, mother and wife. During the 25th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang executed Zhou Dexing [£¹]. [9] zh¨­u d¨¦ x¨¬ng(ÖܵÂÐË) The Marquis of Jingxia, Zhou Dexing was a founding general of the Ming dynasty and was from the same hometown as Zhu Yuanzhang. It is said that they were childhood friends. His son Zhou Ji had improper relations with a palace maid, thus Zhou Dexing was executed by virtue of being guilty by association (collective punishment/responsibility) During the 27th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang executed Fu Youde, the Duke of Ying [10]. [10] f¨´ y¨¯u d¨¦(¸µÓѵÂ)Fu Youde was a general and naval commander during the Ming dynasty. He was formerly Xu Da¡¯s deputy. It was rumored that he was executed or committed suicide by the Emperor¡¯s command. His title was (Ó±¹ú¹«) Ying-guogong or the Duke of Ying. During the 28th year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang executed Feng Sheng, the Duke of Song [11]. All six of the founding dukes of the Ming dynasty have perished. [11] f¨¦ng sh¨¨ng (·ëʤ) Feng Sheng was a Ming dynasty general. His title was (Ëιú¹«)Song-guogong or the Duke of Song. During the 25th year of Hongwu, Crown Prince Zhu Biao [12] passed away. [12] zh¨± bi¨¡o (Öì˜Ë) Zhu Biao was the Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s eldest son and the crown prince of the Ming dynasty. His early death created a crisis in the dynasty¡¯s first succession that was resolved by the successful usurpation of his brother Zhu Di as the Yongle Emperor, an act with far-reaching consequences for the future of China. The plums are yellow and ripe [13], it is midsummer in Nanjing. [13] This is a reference to a Song dynasty poem by Zeng Ji ¡¶ÈýáéµÀÖС·. When the plums ripen, the weather will be clear and sunny every day. The main entrance to the House of Dancing Smoke [14] was tightly shut, and only the side entrance had been left open for people to pass through. There was a horse carriage parked in the small alley. The music of stringed and woodwind instruments frequently sounded from the upstairs level, and one could hear the peals of feminine laughter and cheerful chatter. [14] The name of the brothel w¨³ y¨¡n l¨®u (ÎèÑÌÂ¥) is a reference to the Song poet, Yan Jidao¡¯s ¡¶ä½ÏªÉ³¡¤¶þÔºͷ絽±Ì³Ç¡¯¡·The poem evokes the imagery of a songstress/dancing girl (many of them were prostitutes) who was once young and popular but was left in a miserable state after she grew old. The poet expresses his sympathy for these unfortunate women. Yunqi moved his body to the side and turned after the end of the alley. He effortlessly flicked the dust off his black sleeves and raised his head towards the second storey. ¡°¡­¡­Secretary [15] drink another cup.¡± [15] zh¨³ sh¨¬ (Ö÷ÊÂ) is an official title Secretary which means that he is the head/principal official in charge of a particular ministry/department, and it was a 6th grade/ranking official post. He is from the Bureau of Military Appointments or Ministry of War. ¡°¡­not so loud¡­don¡¯t attract the attention of those lackeys [16]¡­¡± [16] He uses the word (ӥȮ), which is literally falcons and dogs, and it¡¯s a derogatory way of referring to hired thugs or lackeys. It is especially appropriate because loud noises will attract the ¡®animals¡¯ attention. He actually means the Imperial guards or secret police ¨C since those are generally deemed to be the Emperor¡¯s lackeys/dogs. Yunqi stepped onto the narrow alley wall with one foot, and then kicked off the roof of the horse carriage as he leaped upwards. He clambered up the red columns of the ¡°House of Dancing Smoke¡±, and as lightly as a falcon ascended to the second story. After which he curved his body forward to decrease his momentum as he landed steadily on one knee. Raising his hand, he seized hold of the dangling sash on top of his imperial bodyguard¡¯s hat to arrest its incessant swaying. He held his breath. Yunqi entered the room in a flash. On the top of the door lintel was engraved two characters, ¡°Chun Lan [17]¡±. He swept a glance at the surroundings, upon hearing the sound of footsteps, he tucked and rolled, hiding under the bed. [17] The room belongs to the entertainer/prostitute named Chun Lan, ch¨±n l¨¢n (´ºÀ¼) lit.¡±Spring Orchid¡±. The fact that it¡¯s engraved implies that she¡¯s probably very popular and well-favored enough that she gets her own room. It can refer to a specific genus of orchids, aka the noble orchid found in East Asia, or is just a pretty name since orchids have very beautiful and elegant associations. In the next paragraph, she was described as the brothel¡¯s (ºìÅÆ) lit. ¡°red card or red plaque¡± ¨C which means she was the top/most popular. A short while later, a man appeared bearing a wine cup in one hand, embracing the House of Dancing Smoke¡®s most popular entertainer, Chun Lan with the other. They laughed and conversed merrily as they entered the room. Chun Lan smiled coquettishly as she said,¡± The Secretary [15] should return home after drinking this cup. The regulations pertaining to a period of National Mourning [18] are in effect, should the Da-ye [19] of the Jinyiwei catch you in the act¡­¡± [19] gu¨® s¨¡ng (¹úÉ¥) lit.¡± National Mourning¡± refers to the mourning period that the country must observe for the death of an Emperor, Empress, Empress Dowager, and in this case the Crown Prince. Banquets and marriages (and in this case, carousing) were prohibited during this mourning period out of respect. [19] d¨¤ y¨¦£¨´óÒ¯£©Used to refer to someone of power or higher social status. His lordship. This great lord. ¡°Not a problem, not a problem¡­¡± The man responded drunkenly,¡± Who cares whether it is the Crown Prince or the Emperor who¡¯s dead ¨C this official is merely of the lower 6th grade [20]¡­ Come, come, come, let¡¯s chat on the bed¡­¡± [20] c¨®ng li¨´ p¨«n (´ÓÁùÆ·) lower 6th grade/rank, which is above the 7th grade (ÕýÆßÆ·), but lower than the 6th-grade zh¨¥ng li¨´ p¨«n (ÕýÁùÆ·). There are grades from 1-9, with 9 as the most junior. That man exhaled slowly, as he embraced Chun Lan and they rolled around on the bed [21]. [21] To roll on the bed originally referred to a wedding custom where a child/children roll on the newlywed¡¯s bed for fertility, but it is now used as a euphemism for having sexual relations. Yunqi lay under the bed, listening to the unceasing creaking sounds emitted from the bed boards. He was extremely bored as he waited for a while until that man had concluded his activities and began to snore. Yunqi shook his sleeves absent-mindedly, swinging out a little knife with a blade as thin as tinfoil. Without even glancing at it, he felt towards the bed. From his long and elegant fingers appeared a 2 cun [22] wide blade, which he lightly brushed against the other man¡¯s neck. The other man woke up at once, covering his neck as he gained consciousness. He yelled loudly several times as blood spurted out uncontrollably from his neck. He struggled to get off the bed, but lacking the strength, he could only fall heavily back onto the bed. [22] 1 cun is 1.183 inches. On the bed was Chun Lan, who had unexpectedly been sprayed with a faceful of blood. She clutched at her dudou [23] to cover her chest as she sat up, crying out shrilly,¡± It¡¯s you again! When did you get here?¡± [23] d¨´ d¨­u (¶Ç¶µ) A halter-top, close-fitting, backless camisole (undergarment) generally worn as undergarments or by very young children. They are generally embroidered as part of the women¡¯s arts, with varying themes depending on the wearer. Yunqi extricated himself from under the bed, and arched his hands in greeting, replying,¡± While you were playing the qin.¡± Chun Lan hurriedly pulled her clothes to the ground, as she raged,¡± You¡­Xu Yunqi! You¡¯ve already killed three people on Lao-niang [24]¡¯s bed this month! Aren¡¯t you done yet?¡± [24] l¨£o ni¨¢ng (ÀÏÄï) lit.¡± old lady/mother¡± Lao-niang. A colloquial and slightly conceited (or self-deprecating, exaggerated) form of self-address for an older female. The male equivalent would be Laozi lit.¡± old man/father.¡± ¡± Yunqi took out an official notice and tossed it onto the table, as he responded,¡± During this period of National Mourning, those who linger in the disreputable areas of flower-strewn streets and willow alleys [25] ¨C the Emperor has said that anyone detecting this crime can execute the offenders on the spot. I can¡¯t let him off. The space for the name on the document is still blank, when the people from the Ministry of War arrive to identify the corpse later, you can just fill his name in. [25] hu¨¡ ji¨¥ li¨³ xi¨¤ng (»¨½ÖÁøÏï) lit.¡± flower streets, willow lanes/alleys.¡± A euphemism for the red-light district, and brothels. Chun Lan narrowed her eyes as she sized up Yunqi for a long while, before suddenly replying,¡± This grand-aunt here [26] had originally wanted to ply him with wine, and then save his life. Who did this fellow get in the way of?¡± [26] g¨± n¨£i n¨»i (¹ÃÄÌÄÌ) lit.¡± grand aunt¡± It refers to the sister of one¡¯s paternal grandfather. Since someone of an older generation is more senior, this is an aggrandizing form of self-address to show their contempt for another. Like Lao-niang, it¡¯s not very classy to refer to themselves in this manner. Yunqi smiled at this and waved his hand without speaking. He threw a small silver ingot on the table, and said,¡± Woman, don¡¯t ask anything more. This money here is for you to replace the bedsheets. I¡¯m not coming anymore this month.¡± Chun Lan spat out angrily,¡± It¡¯s already the 28th! If you come again, how is Lao-niang to do any business!¡± Yunqi whistled once before leaping off the railing. The lapels of his black gilt-edged robe fluttered in the wind as he vanished without a trace. Chun Lan again waited for another while before deciding that the person must have already fled quite a distance. Having stewed in her emotions for a long time, she let loose, screaming,¡± Someone¡¯s been killed!¡± Yunqi walked along the western streets and carelessly broke off a tree branch, swinging it and knocking it around. He entered the palace via the side entrance, returning to the residence of the Jinyiwei ¨C the small, red-lacquered building that was draped in white mourning cloth. During the Hongwu era, the Jinyiwei were arranged into groups of eight, with six teams working in shifts. With the commander and deputy commander, there were fifty members in total. These fifty guards were all tall in stature and of handsome appearance. These guards dressed in fine brocade lived within the great courtyard. Aside from the times that they were on duty, they were constantly at Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s beck and call. It was just after noon, and the guards who hadn¡¯t yet taken their shifts had just awoken. They were currently in the courtyard washing their faces. Upon seeing Yunqi¡¯s return to the courtyard, they quickly greeted him. ¡°Good morning, Deputy Commander.¡±¡± Yunqi replied carelessly to the greetings, then talked to a guard who sat atop a tall colonnade with his arms around his knees. Yunqi said,¡± Rongqing! Why are you still wearing the feiyufu? Come down, and change to the black [27] one.¡± [27] f¨¥i y¨² f¨² (·ÉÓã·þ) The flying fish clothing is generally gold or red, but this is a period of National Mourning, hence they are temporarily wearing a black one. The Imperial Bodyguard named Rongqing smiled at this,¡± What did you go out to do this early in the morning ¨C there¡¯s a big wet patch on your sleeves?¡± Yunqi swung his sleeves, leaving a few tiny red splatters on the bluestone-tiled floor. Rongqing immediately frowned slightly as he asked,¡± You killed someone again?¡± Yunqi didn¡¯t answer him, instead replying with another question,¡± Where¡¯s Lao-Ba [28]¡± [28] l¨£o b¨¢ (ÀÏ°Ï) is the affectionate nickname he uses for Tuoba Feng In this context, calling someone old is actually a form of respect. The Ba is part of Tuoba Feng¡¯s surname. Rongqing,¡± He¡¯s soaking himself in the pot.¡± Yunqi asked in a gloomy manner,¡± When¡¯d he go in?¡±¡± Rongqing moaned and groaned, ¡°He just stepped inside, then you returned. The flames are still burning vigorously, he won¡¯t be out for another hour.¡± Yunqi stood there and contemplated the matter for a bit. He¡¯d planned to wait a little longer, but his sleeves were covered in blood and he had no choice but to walk towards the small building east of the courtyard. The interior of the bathhouse was filled with dense clouds of steam. Yunqi removed his shoes and untied his belt, he then shrugged off the black guard¡¯s uniform and tossed his hat aside. A large purple-black bruise was revealed, visible above his white underclothes. With his back to Yunqi, Tuoba Feng lay half-immersed in the bathing pool. His scarred back, the color of antique bronze, was exposed above the water¡¯s surface. Tuoba Feng spoke coldly,¡± I couldn¡¯t find you in the morning. So it was because you went out. You reek of blood, who did you kill?¡± Yunqi took off his white clothes, balled them up, and hurled them in front of Tuoba Feng. A pale blush rippled across his features as he continued to step into the hot water. He sighed and said,¡± The Secretary of the Ministry of War, a lower 6th-grade official. He entered a brothel during the National Mourning period¡­¡± Tuoba Yan asked,¡± How much?¡± Yunqi replied,¡± Twenty taels of silver. At least I waited for him to finish up before I made my move. Letting him die on under the little belly of the most popular girl in that brothel didn¡¯t wrong him.¡± Tuoba Feng turned his head to the side and looked at Yunqi assessingly, he asked doubtfully,¡± Who was so generous as to offer that much money?¡± Yunqi replied,¡± The position of Secretary may be junior, but it has ample opportunities for one to enrich themselves. So many people are eyeing it. There were five or six people waiting eagerly for him to die ¨C it was absolutely essential for him to fall to misfortune.¡± Tuoba Feng said,¡± Bring the soap over and sit over here. Your back is soaked with blood, Shixiong [29] will wash it for you. [29] sh¨© xi¨­ng (ʦÐÖ) Senior Martial/Disciple brother. They trained under the same Teacher. At this time, only the sounds of water could be heard. Both men¡¯s breathing had quickened due to the hot steam filling the bathing area. Tuoba Feng hugged Yunqi, setting him down between his own legs. He rubbed his fingers over Yunqi¡¯s back for a moment, before saying,¡± The listener gets a share too.¡± Yunqi replied languidly,¡± Merely washing my back is worth five taels of silver?¡± Tuoba Feng didn¡¯t respond. Yunqi smiled as he suddenly spoke up in a severe tone of voice,¡± Commander-daren [30], may I request that your hands not grope about in such an unruly manner.¡± [30] d¨¤ r¨¦n (´óÈË) is an honorific title for those in senior positions, such as gentry and aristocracy. Your Excellency. Yunqi was just about to get up when his throat was suddenly encircled by Tuoba Feng¡¯s strong and sturdy arm. His breath was frozen in his chest, as he lifted his head to look at the wet ceiling. Tuoba Feng puffed a breath of hot air by Yunqi¡¯s ear, as he whispered,¡± Also take the opportunity to whore a little?¡± Yunqi elbowed him sharply, but Tuoba Feng neither avoided it nor did he give ground. It hit him under the center of his ribs, and he grunted in pain, loosening his grip on Yunqi. Yunqi coughed several times before replying,¡± I¡¯ve exerted myself fully already, come earlier next time.¡± Tuoba Feng laughed at this as he followed Yunqi out of the bathing pool. They stood in front of the mirror. Tuoba Feng¡¯s physique was like that of a vigorous and athletic hunting leopard, his muscles were filled with strength and a sense of explosive force. Nevertheless, Yunqi was only focused on putting on his inner clothes and didn¡¯t even glance over at him. Tuoba Feng¡¯s long and slender fingers parted as he pressed them against Yunqi¡¯s back, before wrapping them around his waist. He said,¡± The Jinyiwei all bear scars, it¡¯s only your skin that is unblemished. It¡¯s not good to behave so arrogantly, beware of earning yourself a beating with the punishment rods.¡± Yunqi stared defiantly at the image of Tuoba Feng¡¯s nude body in the bronze mirror, raising an eyebrow as he jeered at him,¡± Can you bear to do that?¡± Having said this, he reversed his hand to jab Tuoba Feng¡¯s eyes with his fingers. Tuoba Feng loosened his grip in order to meet his attack. Yunqi then flung that blood-stained guard uniform into the wooden bucket, inclining his head before turning to leave. The Jinyiwei was formerly known as the ¡°Ceremonial Luan [31] Division¡±, and had also been called the ¡°Brocade Imperial Guards Commanding Division [32]. Zhu Yuanzhang had personally established it during the first year of his reign without a determined structure of members under its jurisdiction. The first two batches of Jinyiwei guards were small in numbers but had been screened and selected in accordance with stringent criteria. Out of a hundred candidates, only one or two would be selected; all of them men below the age of twenty-five. Martial arts, literary talent, appearance, and physique were the four integral criteria, none of which could be compromised with. [31] lu¨¢n (ð½) is a type of mythical bird, related to the phoenix. The name of the division is y¨ª lu¨¢n s¨© (ÒÇð½Ë¾) lit.¡± rites/ceremony luan bird department/division.¡± [32] j¨«n y¨© q¨©n j¨±n d¨­u zh¨« hu¨© sh¨« s¨© (½õÒÂÇ×¾ü¶¼Ö¸»Óʹ˾) lit.¡± Brocade Imperial Guards ¡°Commander of the Capital City¡± Division.¡± The Jinyiwei had numerous duties and responsibilities within the palace; not only did they serve as the guard of honor in front of Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s palace, but they also took direct orders from the Emperor. They could move about the palace without being announced. There was a lot of sneaky, underhanded activity involved with this sort of official position. In order to prevent the ¡®tomcats from stealing fish¡¯, Zhu Yuanzhang set up a special rule in place. During the tenure of a Jinyiwei: 1. He cannot enter a brothel. 2. He must not exchange amorous glances or behave flirtatiously with the concubines of the Imperial harem. If any were to commit these two offenses, they would be punished by having their nine clans exterminated. There were so many filthy things going on outside the palace. The Founding Emperor would naturally have his own considerations which he couldn¡¯t speak of. It was understandable. If an unnamed Jinyiwei caught some unspeakable ailment and spread it to a concubine of the Imperial Harem, the Emperor might unknowingly turn over her plaque and select her to spend the night¡­ Thus becoming a super spreader ¨C one will become ten, ten will become a hundred. In no time, the three thousand beauties of the Imperial Harem would suffer from this hidden disease. Perhaps senior ministers of the Imperial court, and their wives might be put at risk. As a result, all the guardsmen, regardless of age, were prohibited to engage in sexual contact with women. After they retire from their official position, to put it succinctly ¨C whether it¡¯s to go whoring or marry a wife, they can do as they so please. This was great suffering on the part of these young and vigorous guardsmen, particularly so for their twenty-year-old Commander [33] who stood at the forefront. [33] zh¨« hu¨© zh¨¨ng sh¨« (Ö¸»ÓÕýʹ) Commander of the Jinyiwei. A group of men living together in the courtyard all day long; Other than waiting for the Emperor to suddenly take it into his head to carelessly arrange some marriage, matching them with a wife [34] ¨C there really wasn¡¯t anything else to look forward to. [34] x¨ª f¨´ (ϱ¸¾) This can refer to a daughter-in-law, wife (of a man younger than yourself), a young married woman. Context matters. Of course, Tuoba Feng didn¡¯t care about a wife either. Yunqi could still put up with the situation, after all, he was only 17 years old. At this time, he¡¯d already changed into a clean set of guards¡¯ uniforms and had something hidden within his sleeves. He cut through the garden, moving towards the Rende Palace [35], only stopping upon arriving at the Crown Prince¡¯s study. [35] r¨¦n d¨¦ di¨¤n (Èʵµî) The Palace of Benevolent Virtue or Rende Palace. Through the window pane, one could vaguely make out that there was someone seated in the room. That person was currently engrossed in writing something. Yunqi knocked three times on the window, and enunciated,¡± Imperial Grandson.¡± Zhu Yunwen lifted his head from his work and exclaimed,¡± Yun-ge¡¯er [36]! [36] g¨¥ ¨¦r (¸ç¶ù) This is a variation of g¨¥ (¸ç) i.e. big brother. It can be used by brothers to address one another, or it can also refer to children, or in ancient times, it was used to address the male descendants of a court official¡¯s family. Later, Yunqi refers to himself as Yun-ge or Big Brother Yun in front of Zhu Yunwen. Note that Yun of Yunqi means cloud, while Yunwen¡¯s Yun means to allow/permitted/fairness. Yunqi was Xu Da¡¯s son who was of the same generation as Zhu Yuanzhang. In addition, Xu Da¡¯s eldest daughter was married to Zhu Di. So in terms of seniority, Zhu Yunwen should call him ¡®Uncle [37]¡¯. However, as their ages were similar, Yunqi let Zhu Yunwen address him as he pleased. He replied,¡± I¡¯ve already bought that knickknack that you wanted.¡± [37] sh¨± (Êå) lit.¡±paternal uncle¡¯. Zhu Yunwen was about to go open the door, but Yunqi said,¡± Just take it from me through the window.¡± Zhu Yunwen asked,¡± The Loyal and Righteous Heroes of the Water Margin [38]?¡± [38] zh¨­ng y¨¬ shu¨« h¨³ zhu¨¤n (ÖÒÒåˮ䰴«) This seems to be an abridged or different version of the original Chinese classic¡¶Ë®ä°´«¡·aka The Water Margin / Outlaws of the Marsh by Shi Nai¡¯An. Yunqi makes a pun on the name of the classic shu¨« h¨³ zhu¨¤n (ˮ䰴«), saying it¡¯s shu¨« x¨« chu¨¢n (ˮϴ´¬) i.e. Water washes the boat, using similar sounding words. Yunqi replied,¡± I¡¯m illiterate and don¡¯t know if this pesky thing is some Water Washes Boat [38], you have a look and see if it¡¯s the right book or not.¡± Zhu Yunwen smiled at this, receiving the book and flipping through it. The pages of the book were yellowed, evidencing its age, and proving that it was indeed a reproduction of the original tale left behind by the folk storytellers of the Yuan Dynasty. Of course, Yunqi could read. He¡¯d just been trying to coax Zhu Yunwen and make him happy, thus took out another small wooden box and handed it to him, saying,¡± I also bought some crystal pieces [39] from the Western Regions. When you¡¯re reading at night, hold it under the lamp and look through it to prevent damage to your eyes.¡± [39] This was a magnifying glass, which had been used since the Eastern Han Dynasty. During the Ming Dynasty, glasses with frames holding them to the face started appearing. Zhu Yunwen who had suddenly experienced his father¡¯s death and was now facing his father¡¯s funeral wasn¡¯t able to pull himself together. He offered his thanks to Yunqi in a listless manner. Yunqi noted his state and knew that the former wasn¡¯t in a good mood, so he said,¡± When I went out today, I encountered an amusing matter. Should I tell you about it?¡± Having said this, from the outside of the window, Yunqi said,¡± This morning, I went to the House of Dancing Smoke to catch a Secretary of the Ministry of War That fellow, even with death impending, was still huffing and puffing as he embraced a girl, tossing and turning, rolling about here and there¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunwen showed keen interest, and asked,¡± Did you capture him?¡± Yunqi replied in mock seriousness,¡± He was so difficult to capture¡­ Listen, when your Yun-ge [36] arrived, that Secretary was sprawled naked on the bed¡­¡± As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves and stretched out his hands. Facing the open window, he extended his ring finger of both hands, having them represent the two people as he demonstrated,¡± ¡°That man rolled over like this, and this is how he held down the most popular girl¡­¡± ¡°One tugging with both arms¡­ and the other person like this¡­ two legs clamping around¡­¡± Zhu Yunwen was amused by this and smiled. Yunqi withdrew his hands back into his sleeves, and smiled politely,¡± It¡¯s good to smile. Don¡¯t hold it in, it will harm your body in the long run. I¡¯m off. Don¡¯t let the Grand Tutor [40] see that book. Ge [36] isn¡¯t so free to take the rap for you.¡± [40] t¨¤i f¨´ (Ì«¸µ) Grand Tutor was one of the three Ducal Ministers, i.e. the most senior of the Emperor¡¯s closest advisors., the other two being the Grand Preceptor and Grand Protector. Yunqi was about to leave when he suddenly heard someone say from some distance away,¡± The period of National Mourning hasn¡¯t yet ended, what is this ruckus?¡± Yunqi muttered to himself: This is not good. He hurriedly motioned to the Imperial Grandson to make himself scarce- go back to hide the contraband. Only to see a man striding over from the end of the corridor leading in from the courtyard, a mourning hemp hood on his head, as he berated him,¡± Who let you come to the Crown Prince¡¯s study?¡± That person just so happened to be the current Imperial Court¡¯s Grand Tutor, Huang Zicheng. Whenever Zhu Yunwen met Huang Zicheng, he behaved like a mouse catching sight of a cat, he was so frightened that he knocked over the brush rack and ink slab in the study with a series of clattering sounds. Yunqi instead took a few steps forward, pausing outside the study and arching his hands in a salute as he smiled at Huang Zicheng,¡± Greetings [41] to the Grand Tutor.¡± [41] ji¨¤n gu¨° (¼û¹ý) ¨C lit¡± I have seen¡±, a form of respectful greeting/address. Huang Zicheng was over thirty years of age with a lean appearance. At this time his face was flushed red with rage as he scolded,¡± It¡¯s you again! Without a good reason, the Jinyiwei are forbidden to enter the Imperial Harem. In addition, the period of National Mourning mandates that you wear black clothing. Xu Yunqi, what is your purpose for coming to see the Imperial Grandson in such colorful finery?¡± Yunqi smiled and said,¡± Please quell your anger, Grand Tutor. The Commander is currently on duty and should be at the palace. This humble one was just about to relieve him and came to visit the Imperial Grandson on the way. Why don¡¯t I accompany the Grand Tutor over?¡± Huang Zicheng had been put into a difficult and embarrassing situation [42]. It was such a trivial matter. In any event, he wouldn¡¯t dare kick up a fuss about it in Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s presence. Huang Zicheng spoke again,¡± The Imperial Grandson mourning his father¡¯s loss is as painful as gouging out one¡¯s flesh and carving one¡¯s bones. Sorrowing due to loss is merely a part of human nature. If one does not grieve or mourn, one would be unfilial! Why do you need to worry about it? Where is the Deputy Commander? Call your Deputy Commander of the Jinyiwei over.¡± [42] b¨¨i ji¨¡ng le y¨© j¨±n (±»½«ÁËÒ»¾ü) A Chinese chess (weiqi) reference, where the enemy¡¯s general has been ¡®put into check¡¯. It refers to being put in a passive and embarrassing position by someone who is deliberately making things difficult£¨either by obstructing, constraining, or exerting influence over someone) Yunqi thought for a moment, and replied,¡± How unfortunate! The Deputy Commander resigned from his post a few days ago and returned home for matchmaking. Huang Zicheng spoke angrily,¡± Don¡¯t try to deceive me. Who is the newly appointed Deputy Commander? I will not let today¡¯s events go easily. You can wait here together with me while we send someone to summon¡­¡± Yunqi spoke very earnestly, ¡°The new deputy commander is¡­¡± Huang Zicheng,¡±?¡± Yunqi,¡±¡­me¡± Huang Zicheng,¡±¡­¡­¡± Huang Zicheng inhaled deeply several times, and just as he was about to open his mouth to teach Yunqi a lesson, several Jinyiwei passed by. Coincidentally, it was Rongqing and three other Jinyiwei walking together side by side. They inclined their heads towards Yunqi in respect. ¡±Hello, Deputy Commander. Hehe.¡± Yunqi said,¡± Be more serious!¡± The group of Jinyiwei unanimously put on serious expressions as they chimed in,¡± Hello, Deputy Commander. Hehehe¡­¡± From the room came the sounds of Zhu Yunwen desperately trying to hold back his laughter. Yunqi spoke,¡± This lowly one will get going now, together with the Grand Tutor¡­together we will go meet the Emperor?¡± Having spoken, he hurriedly put his arm on one of the Jinyiwei¡¯s shoulders and slipped away. The group of imperial bodyguards turned around a corner and laughed. Rongqing asked,¡± Why was the long-winded Grand Tutor trying to teach you a lesson?¡± Yunqi responded with derision,¡± He was lonely.¡± As they were speaking, the group arrived at the Chamber of State Affairs [43]. Tuoba Feng stood outside the chamber and glanced at the sundial. Upon seeing Yunqi, he was startled and asked,¡± You¡­why didn¡¯t you change to the black clothes?¡± [43] y¨¬ sh¨¬ t¨ªng(ÒéÊÂÍ¢£©The place where the Emperor and his Ministers discuss political affairs. It was only at this time that Yunqi was jolted to wakefulness by this. His black clothes had been stained by blood and hadn¡¯t yet dried after being washed. He¡¯d actually worn his feiyufu over ¨C had it not been for Tuoba Feng being the one on guard outside, entering the chamber in those clothes would have resulted in him being beaten to death on the spot. Having nearly committed a grave mistake, he hurriedly asked,¡± What time is it? I¡¯ll go back and borrow a set to wear.¡± Tuoba Feng replied,¡± It¡¯s wei-shi [44], you don¡¯t have enough time.¡± Having spoken, he drew Yunqi to an area hidden behind the building pillar and reached out to unbutton his own collar. [44] w¨¨i sh¨ª (δʱ) the 2-hour period between 1 ¨C 3pm. Yunqi understood at once and loosened his own belt. The two exchanged their guard uniforms behind the pillar. Tuoba Feng took the feiyufu but didn¡¯t put it on. He lowered his head to help fasten the black belt for Yunqi, before telling him,¡± The Emperor¡¯s mood isn¡¯t good today, and I fear that he¡¯ll want to flog the Remonstrance officials at court [45] later¡­ you must be attentive¡­¡± [45] t¨ªn¨À zh¨¤n¨À (Í¢ÕÈ) A punishment in ancient China that involves flogging or caning a courtier at court in the presence of the other officials. Either a punishment whip or a bamboo board is used. In prior dynasties, it was less seldomly used, but during the Ming Dynasty, it became the Emperor¡¯s usual means of punishing courtiers. It is both the name of the punishment rod or whip, i.e. a court rod/cane, and also the name of the punishment. Yunqi said,¡± A public flogging in court again?¡± Tuoba Feng replied,¡± It had to do with the Crown Prince¡¯s posthumous title ¨C it was merely a matter of adding or removing a few words¡­ It¡¯s a Remonstrance official named Zhuang Lu, his family just had someone send over some silver, and requested that the person handling the flogging be a little more lenient, and not injure his ligaments and bones¡­¡± Yunqi jeered,¡± Have them look for whoever accepted the money.¡± Tuoba Feng¡¯s shoulders tensed up, and his voice was hoarse as he lowered his head slightly. He said,¡± Shixiong accepted the money.¡± Yunqi and Tuoba Feng looked at one another in silence. Tuoba Feng¡¯s figure was slender and tall, a good half-head taller than Yunqi. He was dressed in his inner unlined clothes, as white as freshly fallen snow below the antique bronze skin of his neck with its clean lines. Their bodies were very close to one another, and even the rhythm of their breathing was attuned. Their breaths mingled together, as their lips almost came into contact with one another. The leather drum sounded lightly, signaling that the Jinyiwei were to change shifts. Tuoba Feng relaxed his grip and watched as Yunqi entered the Chamber of Political Affairs. The eight Jinyiwei¡¯s footwork was orderly and uniform. Within three steps, they had arrived at their positions. The original guard on duty bowed, before turning towards the columns and exiting from the side entrance. Yunqi inhaled gently, his eyes downcast [46] as he stood to one side of Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s dragon desk, watching Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s every move out of the corner of his eye. [46] y¨£n gu¨¡n b¨ª, b¨ª gu¨¡n x¨©n (Ñ۹۱ǣ¬±Ç¹ÛÐÄ) lit.¡± eyes observing the nose, nose observing the heart¡± It can mean that someone has their head and gaze cast downwards due to shame or shyness, or that the person is concentrating. Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s hair and beard were entirely white, his eyes clouded with age. It was evident that his son Zhu Biao¡¯s death had affected him greatly. Having to bury and grieve the death of his child [47], finally revealed this callous and merciless monarch¡¯s true state. Yunqi glanced at him, feeling that this was merely an old and frail man in his twilight years. [47] b¨¢i f¨¤ r¨¦n s¨°ng h¨¥i f¨£ r¨¦n (°×·¢ÈËËͺڷ¢ÈË) lit.¡± The white-haired person sends off the black-haired person. It refers to a parent having to bid farewell/mourn their deceased child. Zhu Yuanzhang lifted his brush and circled something on the list of people to be executed by beheading, before coughing several times. The Eunuch Supervisor hurriedly presented a handkerchief, also coming over to gently rub Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s back in a soothing motion. Within the hall, there were two senior officials kneeling with their backs straight; one was a Remonstrance official, and the other was a Civil official. Both their expressions were cold, and it appeared that they¡¯d already knelt on the ground for several hours. There were large patches of sweat on the backs of their official robes. More beads of sweat dripped along their cheeks, falling to the ground. Zhu Yuanzhang merely turned a blind eye to this as he took a sip of his tea. He said,¡± Yunqi.¡± Yunqi felt a chill in his heart as he responded,¡± This subject is present.¡± Translator¡¯s Note: Some of the dialogue is more archaic and concise, so it¡¯s pretty challenging to translate. I¡¯ll ponder on it a bit more, and maybe take a stab at Ch 2 to decide if I will continue to translate this novel. There are also a lot of court terminology and historical figures involved, so there will probably be a lot of footnotes. Author¡¯s Note: This thing that is called history, is like a little girl that anyone can dress up. Don¡¯t take it too seriously, just take it as a novel. CH 2 Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s voice was hoarse as he asked,¡± How do you fare in comparison to Tuoba Feng?¡± Yunqi was initially startled by this before he understood. He didn¡¯t dare reply in haste, the cogs of his thoughts went full speed ahead as he quickly deliberated on the reason for Zhu Yuanzhang to ask such a question. Yunqi replied,¡± In terms of leadership capabilities, military strategies, valor, and ferocity in battle ¨C Yunqi is inferior to Feng [1].¡± [1] Yunqi is referring to Tuoba Feng (ÍØ°Ï·æ)by his given name. f¨¥ng (·æ) which means the point of a spear, the edge of a blade. The Vanguard. There¡¯s some foreshadowing in how Zhu Di named him. Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp and incisive as he swept a glance outwards. The next moment he chuckled, ¡°Military strategy being inferior? Not necessarily.¡± Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s dry and withered old face revealed a trace of a playful smile,¡± In terms of military strategies and tactics, you are Xu Da¡¯s son¡­¡± Yunqi¡¯s interruption was executed perfectly, as he demurred,¡± Not every offspring from a military family is a tiger cub [2], let alone¡­¡± [2] This is a reference to the old saying, h¨³ f¨´ w¨² qu¨£n z¨« (»¢¸¸ÎÞÈ®×Ó), which translates to ¡°a tiger would never bear a dog offspring/son¡±. This means that someone of a high caliber would not have useless children. He¡¯s indirectly implying he¡¯s the useless dog¡¯s son/offspring. Remember that Xu Da was one of Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s generals, who the latter had killed during the 17th year of Hongwu (about 8 years ago.) This implies that the Emperor wasn¡¯t above reminding him about his father, who he had killed, and he expected complete loyalty from Yunqi after he¡¯d entered the Jinyiwei at a young age. PS, Xu Yunqi doesn¡¯t seem to be a real historical character, at least he isn¡¯t listed in the wiki under Xu Da¡¯s offspring. At that moment, Yunqi¡¯s thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning, acutely grasping the fleeting traces of Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s way of thinking. Perhaps he was planning to use this topic to elicit more of the Remonstrance officials¡¯[3] mistakes. Or perhaps to discuss establishing a new heir to the throne? Or perhaps both? [3] y¨¢n gu¨¡n (ÑÔ¹Ù) Remonstrance officials are mainly in charge of supervision and advice to the Emperor, they regulate and admonish the Emperor. They were generally not of high rank, but their political status was significant. In ancient Chinese society, to effectively supervise officials at all levels from the central to the local, the rulers attached great importance to the construction of supervisory institutions and systems. They were under the Remonstrance Bureau (ÑÔÔº). Yunqi smiled knowingly, and changed the topic,¡± However, in terms of critical thinking and analysis, Feng isn¡¯t my match.¡± Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said,¡± What¡¯s the value in critical thinking and analysis? It¡¯s merely used to show off your eloquence for a while, and does not benefit the situation nor does it solve issues.¡± Yunqi smiled, and responded,¡± Aside from displaying critical thinking. While is only a small talent, and isn¡¯t sufficient for one to be proud of, what Yunqi relies on ¨C is merely his ability to investigate cases.¡± Zhu Yuanzhang slowly nodded his head in satisfaction. Yunqi stated,¡± Feng isn¡¯t adept at discovering those minute traces and clues [4]. This subject is.¡± [4] zh¨± s¨© m¨£ j¨¬ (ÖëË¿Âí¼£) ¨C literally refers to spider silk and stove horse (a type of insect), one can infer things such as the location of a stove in the house by where you can find traces of these insects. Refers to the faint traces and clues left behind. Zhu Yuanzhang declared,¡± Aside from displaying critical thinking, you also show resourcefulness and restraint. If the ministers of the Remonstrance bureau could understand this concept, they would not dwell on the trivial details all day. Fetch the punishment rod [5]. [5] t¨ªn¨À zh¨¤n¨À (Í¢ÕÈ) A punishment in ancient China that involves flogging or caning a courtier at court in the presence of the other officials. Either a punishment whip or a bamboo board is used. In prior dynasties, it was less seldomly used, but during the Ming Dynasty, it became the Emperor¡¯s usual means of punishing courtiers. It is both the name of the punishment rod or whip, i.e. a court rod/cane, and also the name of the punishment. Yunqi glanced towards Rongqing, the other guard standing within the Chamber, and gesticulated with his finger. The latter bowed respectfully toward Zhu Yuanzhang. The two men turned their backs to one another and strode six steps forward, their footwork orderly as they stopped precisely by the sides of the walls. Both of them bowed respectfully before simultaneously taking down the punishment rods [5] from the wooden racks. They then spun around and walked back towards the hall. The other four Jinyiwei came forward with ease of long practice; two grabbed the person¡¯s hands, and the other two restrained his legs as they firmly pressed the Left Remonstrance official on the ground. ¡°Emperor!¡± The Remonstrance official did not struggle, only raising his head to holler fiercely,¡± While our Great Ming dynasty [6] had its beginnings in the wilderness! But the rites and laws established by our ancestors cannot be disregarded! The posthumous title of ¡°He Tian Jing De [7]¡± is neither virtuous nor wise!¡± [6] d¨¤ m¨ªng(´óÃ÷£©The Ming Dynasty. [7] h¨¦ ti¨¡n j¨¬ng d¨¦ (ºÍÌì¾´µÂ) lit.¡± With Heaven Respect and Morality¡± the posthumous title seems to equate the Crown Prince¡¯s morality and worthiness of veneration to Heaven. The real Zhu Biao¡¯s actual post-humous title ended up being y¨¬ w¨¦n t¨¤i z¨« (ܲÎÄÌ«×Ó) which refers to beautiful/gorgeous essays/literary works. ¡°The Emperor has studied the classics extensively, but neglected the teachings of Confucius and Mencius!¡± The Remonstrance official¡¯s eyes were wide and staring, and he looked extremely terrifying as he panted incessantly before howling,¡± How would you face the world¡¯s learned scholars?! Emperor, I fear that after a Thousand Autumns and Ten thousand generations [8], the Crown Prince would be reviled by his countrymen! Emperor, please reconsider!¡± [8] qi¨¡n qi¨± w¨¤n sh¨¬ (ǧÇïÍòÊÀ) It means throughout the ages or a very long time. It can also be a euphemism for the death of the Emperor, so the official is saying after the Emperor dies, people will revile his son for the disrespectful and improper posthumous title. Hearing such words fall upon one¡¯s ears, even Yunqi couldn¡¯t keep from sweating on the Remonstrance official¡¯s behalf. He really couldn¡¯t understand the distinction between four more or four fewer words¡­ But what he did understand was, with these four additional words, that Remonstrance official probably wouldn¡¯t be able to escape being flogged forty times with the punishment rod. As expected, Zhu Yuanzhang said,¡± Zhuang Lu, forty strokes of the rod.¡± Zhuang Lu¡­ that¡¯s right, it was exactly this person that Tuoba Feng had asked him to be more lenient with during his beating. Yunqi planted himself firmly on the ground, with one leg in front of the other. Rongqing saw his signal out of the corner of his eye, as the two men began to strike one after another, hitting the Remonstrance official¡¯s back heavily. Zhuang Lu immediately cried out miserably! The sounds of Zhuang Lu¡¯s pained howls reverberated around the chamber, Zhu Yuanzhang turned a deaf ear to it and continued approving and annotating the memorials. After the forty strokes of the rod had been carried out, Zhuang Lu was on his last breath, laid out on the ground. The expression in his eyes was dazed, and he kept muttering unintelligibly, repeating something over and over again. The Remonstrance official¡¯s inner and outer thighs and his back were covered in blood splatters, and beneath him was a large pool of blood. Two Jinyiwei came forward to drag him out, and the other two Jinyiwei each took a piece of black cloth, one to the right and the other to the left, as they wiped down the punishment rods. The red lacquered iron rods shone with a renewed luster. Zhu Yuanzhang folded the memorial in hand, and said coldly,¡±Fang Xiaoru.¡± The other young civil official was completely aloof and indifferent as he replied,¡± This subject is present.¡± Zhu Yuanzhang said,¡± Do you acknowledge your crime?¡± Fang Xiaoru replied,¡± Since times immemorial, the son has always inherited and continued his father¡¯s career. This subject does not know what crime he is guilty of.¡± Zhu Yuanzhang said,¡± Your crime is to none other than to meddle in Zhen [10]¡¯s family affairs. Was this memorial written by you?!¡± [10] zh¨¨n (ëÞ) ¨C how the emperor would refer to himself and can only be used by the emperor to refer to himself (think of it as the imperial ¡°I¡±) ¨C there are many other self-pronouns that Emperors use, but generally, they are solitary (e.g. ¹Â, ¹ÑÈË, etc.), hence I won¡¯t be using the imperial ¡®We¡¯. Fang Xiaoru replied solemnly,¡± It is indeed written by this subject¡¯s own hand!¡± Zhu Yuanzhang bit out angrily,¡± Censor-in-chief of the Censorate [11], even the Supervising Secretary of the Six Offices of Scrutiny [12] does not dare to involve himself in Zhen¡¯s family matters, this is a crime. Forty strokes of the punishment rod!¡± [11] d¨­u ch¨¢ yu¨¤n (¶¼²ìÔº) is the Censorate, and y¨´ sh¨« (ÓùÊ·) is the Censor in Chief. The Censorate is one of the central government agencies during the Ming and Qing dynasties and served in a supervisory capacity. [12] li¨´ k¨¥ (Áù¿Æ) The Six Offices of Scrutiny , g¨§i sh¨¬ zh¨­ng (¸øÊÂÖÐ) Supervising Secretary The Son of Heaven who had one foot in the grave shouted loudly, which immediately triggered a violent coughing fit. The eunuch hastily scurried over to rub his back in a soothing manner. Yunqi came to his senses and stood firmly as he began to strike. The moment the punishment rods fell, the expected miserable screams didn¡¯t sound. Fang Xiaoru gritted his teeth to forcibly endure the beating. Yunqi secretly mocked this fool in his heart¡­ When the punishment rod strikes a person, if said person tenses their entire body, the internal injuries will resultingly be more severe; it is only if someone relaxes their muscles that will they be able to get away with more superficial injuries which would recover in days. After Fang Xiaoru endured this flogging, both his legs would probably be ruined. Yunqi inwardly felt that it was a pity. Yet, this name sounded somewhat familiar. As he landed the 5th hit, Yunqi finally recalled who this person was, and he immediately paled. He hurriedly changed his stance and shot a meaningful look toward Rongqing. Rongqing didn¡¯t lift his head at all, instead focusing all his attention on Fang Xiaoru¡¯s back. He exerted his full strength and landed the blows unceasingly. Yunqi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry at this. He reduced the strength exercised for each blow, and feigned his strikes by mimicking a heavy hammer striking a broken drum ¨C the resulting sound was very loud, but the strength used (and therefore the impact) was minimized. Like the previous one, Fang Xiaoru was still beaten to the point of being covered with blood, as he sprawled crookedly on the ground ¨C he¡¯d already fainted, and was immediately taken out of the court by the Jinyiwei. Yunqi sighed, these scholars really can¡¯t endure being beaten. That afternoon, Zhu Yuanzhang did not speak further. Yunqi stood until the drums sounded again. He and Rongqing walked out together and returned to the courtyard. Yunqi lifted his leg and put it on the bench, as he took the rice that Rongqing had ladled, and said,¡± Why is your eyesight so lousy¡­¡± Rongqing didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry as he replied,¡±I saw your earlier standing stance, so I thought that this scholar could be beaten. How would I know?¡± Yunqi said,¡± Forget it, he¡¯s already been beaten. You know what? The allegory ¡®The affairs of the world often start very small, but will eventually become a catastrophe¡¯ was written by him. Fang Xiaoru is Song Lian¡¯s disciple who passed the civil examinations and writes excellent literary essays.¡± Rongqing felt bewildered and added more food into Yunqi¡¯s bowl as he replied,¡± Never heard that before. Writing useless nonsense like that, no wonder he got beaten.¡± Yunqi laughed at this, and said to himself,¡± You hit him hard, I hit him lightly. I wonder what¡¯s the situation after he was dragged out.¡± The former abruptly recalled their uneven exertion of force earlier. This gifted scholar might end up lame in one leg and would have to hop about to get around. Rongqing sputtered out a mouthful of rice as he burst out laughing,¡± I beat him so ruthlessly, he will probably be lame.¡± Yunqi bantered,¡± Doesn¡¯t he still have another leg? The talented scholar can do flying kicks at people.¡± After which, his gaze met Rongqing¡¯s, and they both roared with laughter. The two men finished their meal and were just about to return to their own rooms. Yunqi didn¡¯t see Tuoba Fang. Upon returning to his room, the previously blood-stained guard uniform was missing, he expected that it was Tuoba Feng who had taken it to wear, but he didn¡¯t mind. After waiting for a short while, until that moment when he lit a lamp, he suddenly heard a little eunuch¡¯s shrill voice,¡± The Emperor summons the Jinyiwei¡¯s Deputy Commander, Xu Yunqi.¡± Yunqi frowned slightly, not knowing what had happened. If they were needed to take on an additional shift on short notice, it would be another guard who passed the message, why would a eunuch be tasked to come over?¡± Yunqi followed him out of the courtyard and placed a small ingot of silver in his hands. He asked,¡± Little brother, why did the Emperor summon me?¡± The little eunuch sneered as he sized Yunqi up, and then tugged his hand as he said,¡± Someone was wagging their tongue behind your back. The Deputy Commander must be extremely careful when replying to questions.¡± Yunqi felt a little fearful, could it be that his killing of the Secretary of the Ministry of War was exposed? Accepting bribes is a serious crime! At that moment he was so shocked that he couldn¡¯t speak. In his heart, he quickly considered more than ten ways of exonerating himself, but he realized that something was not right. Tuoba Feng would never sell him out. His heart calmed down significantly, as he approached the hall with some apprehension. He caught sight of Huang Zicheng standing with folded sleeves inside the hall, and Zhu Yunwen¡¯s red eyes as he stood beside the dragon desk. Tuoba Feng stood ramrod straight, dressed in Yunqi¡¯s guard¡¯s uniform. His sleeves were still wet, and since he was quite a lot taller, the uniform was clearly ill-fitting, revealing a small sliver of skin at his wrists. Tuoba Feng shook his head very slowly in Yunqi¡¯s direction. Yunqi avoided Tuoba Feng¡¯s gaze and exhaled once. He performed his obeisance and smiled slightly as he raised his head, looking toward Zhu Yunwen. Zhu Yuanzhang spoke,¡± Xu Yunqi, since you are good at investigating cases. Zhen orders you to assist Grand Tutor Huang to find out who brought this book into the palace and gave it to Yunwen. Bringing things into the palace without approval is a serious crime.¡± On top of the book was two pieces of shattered crystal. Yunqi smiled,¡± Imperial Grandson, this subject would ask you- who was so audacious in the extreme to smuggle this book into the palace and deliver it to you?¡± Zhu Yunwen bore with his indignation and lowered his head after a moment. Yunqi asked,¡± May this subject borrow this book?¡± Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, and the senior eunuch picked up the book and crystal pieces with both hands before handing them to Yunqi. Yunqi thought a moment before accepting the book. Zhu Yuanzhang said,¡± Bring it back, investigate the matter, and uncover the truth within three days.¡± Yunqi carelessly thumbed through the brand new pages of the book, and smiled as he replied,¡± This subject has already solved the case.¡± Zhu Yuanzhang lifted his face from the memorial that he was reading, with a chilling look in his eyes. Yunqi shook the book with a clatter, smiling slightly as he said,¡± This subject would like to ask the Grand Tutor, where was this book found?¡± Huang Zicheng replied frostily,¡± The Imperial Grandson¡¯s study.¡± Yunzi said,¡± That¡¯s it then. The Imperial Grandson must have obtained this book today.¡± The inside of the hall was silent. Yunqi rose slowly as he spoke,¡± The study is the most likely place to be discovered. The Grand Tutor instructs the Imperial Grandson on his work in the study, from morning to evening ¨C he doesn¡¯t even have time to rest, what would he bring it to the study for?¡± ¡°If one wants to read this kind of book, one must hide them in their bedroom, perhaps under the pillow. The conjecture is that this book was so recently received, that he didn¡¯t look at a single page before starting his homework. Thus, he had no choice but to hide it away in a flustered manner, unintentionally revealing the hidden truth.¡± ¡°All that is left is to summon all the people who entered the study before he began his homework. We¡¯ll know everything once we ask.¡± Huang Zicheng said,¡± How do you know that he has never read even a single page ?¡± Yunqi lifted a corner of the first page, and shook it under the light, before saying,:¡± The pages of new books stick together and are not easy to flip through. One would need to use their saliva to wet it, and then it will be easy to turn the pages.¡± ¡°However, this book doesn¡¯t have any fingerprints even on the first page. It must be that when he received the book, the Grand Tutor arrived even before he could take a peek.¡± Yunqi shut the book, and then glanced over at Huang Zicheng,¡± When the Grand Tutor arrived at the study, who was with the Imperial Grandson?¡± Huang Zicheng hadn¡¯t expected Yunqi to admit to everything so easily, and said angrily,¡± Of course, it was you, Xu Yunqi! Who else would it be?!¡± Yunqi returned the book with both hands, and said,¡± Then it is this subject¡¯s mistake since there was no one else. This subject¡¯s crime warrants death. Your Majesty, please punish me.¡± Zhu Yuanzhang laughed heartily at this and threw the book onto the gold desk. He squinted his eyes assessingly for a moment, then nodded. He continued with an icy,¡± Forty strokes of the punishment rod.¡± Zhu Yuanzhang said,¡± Yunwen, take your book back.¡± Huang Zicheng frowned as he exclaimed,¡± Your Majesty!¡± Zhu Yuanzhang said,¡± You may withdraw.¡± Tuoba Feng exhaled deeply, as he turned to retrieve the punishment rod. Yunqi was still quite the hoodlum, nodding towards Zhu Yunwen to signal that it was fine. He then knelt facing Zhu Yuanzhang. Yunqi¡¯s gaze fell directly on the golden dragon boots below the golden desk, the golden dragons at the toe of the boot seemed to bare their fangs and brandish their claws. Tuoba Feng braced himself with one foot in front of the other, as he picked up the pure steel punishment rod that weighed thirty catties [13]. [13] 1 catty or (½ï) is about 600g, hence a 30 catty steel rod is about 18kg or 40 lbs. One end of the punishment rod drew a scarlet arc through the air. Zhu Yunwen¡¯s shoulders hitched as he closed both eyes. _________________________________________________________________________ It was already night, the moon had risen above the palace wall. In the Jinyiwei courtyard, the Deputy Commander¡¯s room. Yunqi was naked, lying on his stomach on the bed. His back, his buttocks, and his inner and outer thighs were covered in wounds. Tuoba Feng picked up the medicine disc with one hand, using his fingers to pry it open. He rubbed the pungent black ointment with his fingertips, before continuing to run it onto Yunqi¡¯s back. Yunqi exhaled sharply, and groaned,¡± Lao-Ba¡­the tips of your fingers are too rough! Change with¡­Rongqing!¡± Tuoba Feng put down the medicine disc and turned to leave. He didn¡¯t see Rongqing after calling for him, but Tuoba Feng again entered the room like a gust of wind. Tuoba Feng used his right hand to put a silk glove on his left hand, and said,¡± He can¡¯t get away. You¡¯ve already made your bets ¨C Did you know that the Emperor plans to establish Zhu Yunwen as the Crown Prince? Did you guess it? Today¡¯s forty strokes of the punishment rod will become affection from those in high places [14]in the future.¡° [14] w¨¤n h¨´ h¨®u (Íò»§ºî) lit.¡±Marquis of 10,000 households¡± ¨C that his fiefdom consists of this many households, a noble title. It is used to describe the most senior officials and nobility or can be used as an honorary title amongst the literati and officials. Yunqi said angrily,¡± I had no such intentions!¡± Tuoba Feng looked at Yunqi for a while, before nodding his head. He sat by his bedside, continuing to apply the ointment on Yunqi. At the moment that Tuoba Feng applied the ointment, Yunqi cried out in pain, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Tuoba Feng said,¡± This is a silk glove from the Western Regions, it still hurts?¡± Yunqi was unable to contain his anger, and only replied after some time,¡± You actually really hit me!¡± Tuoba Feng said mockingly,¡± I thought that you wanted me to really hit you.¡± Yunqi was both aggrieved and furious,¡± I will remember your actions today!¡± Tuoba Feng¡¯s hand didn¡¯t stop its movements, as he whispered something, the pronunciation of the words was vague and indistinct. Yunqi was dazed by the pain, and responded intermittently,¡± What did you say¡­in the Tujue language?¡± Tuoba Feng didn¡¯t reply, instead focusing on applying the medication. This ointment was indeed a miraculous prescription. When it was first applied, it was as painfully unbearable as being pricked by needles, but later after a while, it would bring a cooling sensation, and reduce the pain; It was extremely effective for treating external injuries. Yunqi¡¯s eyelids became heavy as a drowsy feeling swept over him. Tuoba Feng finished applying the ointment. That broad and large hand stroked the back of Yunqi¡¯s shoulders and enjoyed the feeling of caressing him back and forth, along the side of his neck. The silk gloves were incredibly smooth, Yunqi could vaguely feel the sensation of the silk touching his skin, and could even feel the warmth of Tuoba Feng¡¯s palms through that ever-so-thin pair of gloves. Tuoba Feng¡¯s slender hands with their well-defined knuckles repeatedly caressed the outside of Yunqi¡¯s neck. His thumb continuously rubbed at his ear lobe. Yunqi had been caressed so much that his face and ears flushed red, and even his lower body had hardened, propped against the straw mat. He said,¡± What are you doing.¡± Tuoba Feng stroked Yunqi¡¯s face, gazing at him with great interest,¡± Turn to one side, let me have a look.¡± Yunqi said,¡± Scram!¡± Tuoba Feng said,¡± You were dragged back to the courtyard. Your knees are skinned and will require medicine to be applied.¡± Yunqi¡¯s entire face was suffused with red. At this time, under no circumstances would he turn around. He said,¡± No need.¡± Tuoba Feng came forward to help Yunqi turn over. He placed his wrist under Yunqi¡¯s neck but was mercilessly bitten by him. Yunqi raged,¡± Lao-Ba!¡± Tuoba Feng tugged at the thin quilt and gently covered Yunqi¡¯s body with it, before turning to go outside. Yunqi was only semi-conscious at this time, before he fell asleep he heard the gurgling sounds of water from the outside. He knew that it was Tuoba Feng washing their clothes. A profound silence prevailed over the courtyard, a round, bright moon shone on Tuoba Feng¡¯s figure, who was only clad in a thin inner robe, seeming as clean and white as snow. Tuoba Feng cleaned the guard uniforms and hung them up to dry. He took off the gloves and moved over to a low stool. Like a wolfhound, he sat before Yunqi¡¯s bed. His hands pressed against the ground, his body swaying back and forth for a while. He thought for a while before he took out a small pouch with several small pieces of broken silver. Tuoba Feng placed this little pouch under Yunqi¡¯s pillow, carefully tucking it away. Yunqi still lay unmoving on his stomach. His delicate and pretty face was plastered against the pillow, and his breathing was regular as he slumbered deeply. Tuoba Feng¡¯s face was expressionless, as he extended a hand to touch Yunqi¡¯s lips. After a while, he simply unfastened his inner clothes and bared his upper body. He climbed onto the bed and mimicked Yunqi¡¯s action, sprawling face down. He turned his head and moved his face very close ¨C so close that their breaths intermingled, and fell asleep face to face with Yunqi. Translator¡¯s Note: Chapter 2 wasn¡¯t as hard as Chapter 1, and I¡¯m still pretty intrigued. So let¡¯s continue and see where this goes. Isn¡¯t the dynamic between MC and ML fun? It¡¯s refreshing that ML seems to care for MC a lot, but he¡¯s still going to beat the crap out of him. D: CH 3 The haughty sun blazed down, and the bluestone tiles where water had been poured over earlier, were again scorching hot. in the northwest corner of the great Courtyard, a tall Wutong tree [1] towered like a giant, and one could hear the sporadic chirping of the cicadas. [1] w¨² t¨®ng£¨ÎàÍ©£©The Chinese Parasol Tree. Legends have it that this is the tree favored by the mythical Phoenix, thus it used to be planted by many courtyards in hopes of a phoenix to roost and bring good fortune to the family. In the cooling shade under the eaves, Yunqi was attired in a thin unlined robe, sitting in a bamboo chair with his feet up. He held a celadon bowl with both hands as he drank the iced sour plum soup. The leaves of the Wutong tree rustle in the wind. The chirping of the cicadas cease. It was unknown when the two children appeared; One was sprawled on top of the tree branches, curling his lip disdainfully from the tree; the other one looked up and was beside himself with anger as he shouted loudly. This was 10 years ago, the 7-year-old Yunqi and the 10-year-old Tuoba Feng. Little Yunqi made a face,¡± If you have guts, then climb up!¡± Little Tuoba Feng called out to him,¡± Don¡¯t mess around! Come down!¡± Xiao Yunqi responded like a rascal,¡± No.¡± Little Tuoba Feng said,¡± I¡¯ve already pleaded with Shifu [2] on your behalf! He won¡¯t beat you!¡± [2] sh¨© fu (ʦ¸¸) means ¡°teacher¡± or ¡°master¡±. Tuoba Feng refers to himself as Shixiong (ʦÐÖ) or Shi-ge (ʦ¸ç), which both mean Senior disciple brother since they studied under the same Shifu. One of little Yunqi¡¯s legs swung back and forth as he said,¡± I don¡¯t believe it ¨C Shifu is going to beat me to death with a bamboo plank!¡± Little Tuoba Feng tugged at his jacket, baring his upper arm in all earnestness, revealing a feral wolf tattoo at his nape, its head lifted skywards as it howled. Little Tuoba Feng rolled his shoulders before pulling his jacket back on. He said,¡± Come down! Shixiong [2] will guarantee that he won¡¯t beat you up!¡± Little Yunqi considered it for a moment,¡± Why? How did you convince Shifu?¡± Little Tuoba Feng didn¡¯t reply. A moment later, he kicked the large Wutong tree once, causing the tall tree to sway slightly. Little Yunqi was who holding onto the branches lost his grip and fell. Little Tuoba Feng turned and caught Little Yunqi. He seized hold of Little Yunqi¡¯s hand and dragged him away. ¡°Shi-ge [2] already took the beating on your behalf¡­So you¡¯re not allowed to run around recklessly again¡­¡± ¡°Aiyah-yah!¡± The sounds of the little children¡¯s voices gradually faded away. Yunqi couldn¡¯t keep from smiling. He put the porcelain bowl aside, before stretching lazily. Ouch! Niang ah [3]!¡± [2] ni¨¢ng (Äï) Mother. The wound on Yunqi¡¯s back smacked into the backrest of the bamboo chair, and at that moment he was in so much pain that he wanted to die. Tuoba Feng entered the courtyard like a gust of wind, asking,¡± What?¡± Yunqi¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears as he replied,¡± It¡¯s nothing.¡± Tuoba Feng looked at him for a moment, unconvinced. He then walked to stand in front of Yunqi and asked,¡± Where did the sour plum soup come from?¡± After which he bent down to pick up the bowl of iced sour plum soup next to Yunqi. He took several large gulps, feeling extremely thirsty. Yunqi looked Tuoba Feng up and down and noticed that Tuoba Feng was perspiring profusely, there was even a large sweat-soaked patch on his back, and the hair on his temples was plastered to the sides of his face. Yunqi blurted out,¡± My brother-in-law [4] had someone bring it. The brothers have already shared it among themselves, but there¡¯s still a chunk in the storeroom, should I get it for you?¡± [4 ] ji¨§ f¨± (½ã·ò) lit.¡±Older sister¡¯s husband) This should be referring to Zhu Di, who married Xu Da¡¯s eldest daughter. Zhu Di is the one who rescued the infant Tuoba Feng. Tuoba Feng finished drinking the iced soup, and licked his lips, saying, ¡°No need.¡± He lowered his body and nuzzled against Yunqi¡¯s nape. Yunqi said,¡± Don¡¯t always try to take advantage of Laozi [5]!¡± [5] l¨£o zi (ÀÏ×Ó) I (used jokingly or arrogantly) , or I, your father£¨used in anger or contempt). An informal way of saying father. A colloquial and slightly conceited (or self-deprecating, exaggerated) form of self-address. As he spoke, he quickly ducked in avoidance. Tuoba Feng¡¯s lips pressed against the back of his ear, leaving behind a rather strange icy sensation. Tuoba Feng moved away immediately after the contact and turned to draw some well water. He drank several big mouthfuls of water. Yunqi asked,¡± What did you do?¡± Tuoba Feng used his wet sleeve to wipe his sweat. He held the railing with both hands and curved his body to look toward the blazing sun. After spacing out for a while, he said,¡± Are the injuries on your back better?¡± Yunqi was pleased as punch as he crowed,¡± Who told you to beat me so ruthlessly? Now when you need me, the wounds still haven¡¯t healed. What will you do?¡± Tuoba Feng let out a rare smile at this, replying,¡± Does it still hurt? Shixiong already apologized to you.¡± Tuoba Feng turned his head and said,¡± Go change to feiyufu, and accompany me to investigate something.¡± Yunqi rose to his feet and entered the room and casually asked,¡± What serious matter is it that warrants the Commander to investigate? If we don¡¯t wear the black clothes, won¡¯t that blathering Grand Tutor complain behind our backs if he catches sight of us?¡± Tuoba Feng responded carelessly,¡± Let me handle that. Just change. Don¡¯t bring the embroidered spring knife. The Emperor has ordered us to investigate a village outside the city ¨C someone went missing in the middle of the night.¡± Yunqi said,¡± The Emperor even concerns himself with apprehending human traffickers?¡± Tuoba Feng said,¡± That little town lies on the road leading to the Imperial Mausoleum.¡± Yunqi asked,¡± The Crown Prince¡¯s coffin hasn¡¯t left yet?¡± Tuoba Feng shook his head slowly. A horse carriage had already been arranged just outside the palace gates. In consideration of Yunqi¡¯s injuries, Tuoba Feng didn¡¯t dare go on horseback. The two of them took a horse carriage out of Nanjing city. After a short while, they arrived at an open field. Tuoba Feng carefully helped Yunqi from the carriage. It was afternoon. The glossy and green crops were dull and listless after being scorched in the hot sun, they drooped along the pathway between the fields. There in the distance, one could vaguely make out a few farmhouses, and the sound of dogs barking and chickens crowing. Tuoba Feng said,¡± I¡¯ve already been here once and questioned several families, but didn¡¯t find any clues.¡± Yunqi followed behind Tuoba Feng, and asked,¡± What¡¯s this village called?¡± He then reversed his grip to pull his embroidered spring knife from its sheath at his waist, and hacked at the plants along the side of the road, causing the tall sheaves of wheat to fall to the ground. Tuoba Feng pushed the wheat aside and took the lead to blaze the trail,¡± The Li village. About half a month ago, there was a night when the moon was obscured by dark clouds. Someone in the village heard noises and got up to check it out.¡± Tuoba Feng again restrained him,¡± Don¡¯t hack at the crops. It¡¯s not easy for the villagers in rural areas to grow food.¡± Yunqi jeered,¡± With the lives of people at stake, what¡¯re a few stalks of wheat?¡± Tuoba Feng replied,¡± Be careful not to get cuts on your hand! The first person who went out to have a look went missing after a while. Other people followed later, carrying torches as they searched. But even after searching for half the night, they couldn¡¯t find any trace of him.¡± After a short walk, Yunqi passed the embroidered spring knife to Tuoba Feng, The two people stood in the middle of the fields. Tuoba Feng said,¡± The next day, in this place, the villagers saw ¡­¡± He gestured with the sheathed knife, Yunqi noted the wheat fields were separated by a winding, crooked road leading towards the Northwest. ¡°He was dragged away?¡± Yunqi asked doubtfully. Tuoba Feng nodded, and answered,¡± Earlier, I went to that hillside and examined it for a long time, but didn¡¯t discover any anomalies.¡± Yunqi stood motionless and contemplated the matter for a moment, before replying,¡± Let¡¯s go to the village and draw a bucket of water.¡± Tuoba Feng did as he bid, and brought the bucket of water, avoiding Yunqi¡¯s outstretched hand as the latter tried to accept the bucket. The former said,¡± You just tell me what to do.¡± Yunqi immediately pointed out a location, and said,¡± Pour out half the bucket.¡± A bucket of water was splashed out in that area, forming a puddle of water. Yunqi directly pointed to the ground beneath their feet,¡± Pour out the rest of it here.¡± As the remaining water soaked into the ground between them, it was absorbed completely. Tuoba Feng flung the bucket away and sprinted away to get a hoe. When he returned, he immediately immersed himself in digging. Yunqi grinned and retreated a few steps, he said,¡± What seems to be an illusion is real, what seems to be real is merely an illusion [6]. You¡¯ve studied so many books on the Art of War, why didn¡¯t you apply what you¡¯ve learned?¡± [6] x¨± zh¨§ sh¨ª zh¨©, sh¨ª zh¨§ x¨± zh¨© (ÐéÕßʵ֮£¬ÊµÕßÐéÖ®) Where there is nothingness, it will naturally be enriched. Where there is plenty, will naturally become emptiness. E.g. if one is weak, one must pretend to be strong in order to deceive the opponent and prevent him from attacking. If one is strong, then one can deliberately pretend to be weak to lure in the opponent. From ¡¶²Ý®¾­ÂÔ¡¤Ðéʵ¡· Tuoba Feng showed a gentle smile filled with sincere admiration. In a moment, he¡¯d dug up a male corpse, as he squatted down to examine it. ¡°There are no knife or sword wounds.¡± Yunqi said,¡± Turn him over and look at the back of the skull. ¡°Blunt instrument.¡± Tuoba Feng concluded,¡± Killed with one blow, the mush of his brains flowed out.¡± Yunqi said,¡± The hammer used for chiseling stone tablets is something that shouldn¡¯t appear in the village. Have his relatives come over to bring the body back¡­¡± Tuoba Feng discarded the hoe and used his sleeve to wipe the sweat off Yunqi¡¯s face. The two of them had been standing under the blazing sun for a long time. Yunqi¡¯s face had a red sunburn that extended from the bridge of his nose to beneath his eyes. Tuoba Feng asked,¡± Search the village?¡± Yunqi said,¡± It¡¯s just the two of us, how do we search?¡± Tuoba Feng planned to return and summon some of the official messengers [7], but Yunqi held him back. Yunqi smiled and said,¡± There¡¯s no hurry. Let¡¯s ask around first to see if anyone has a grudge against this man?¡± [7] gu¨¡n ch¨¡i (¹Ù²î) Public servants, Government workers, official messengers, and people who run errands for a government office. Tuoba Feng called over the Village Head. Yunqi sat on the empty area which was used to dry grain. The deceased man¡¯s wife and children knelt by the corpse, lamenting loudly and knocking their heads on the ground in anguish. Once the villagers saw that the corpse had been found, they surrounded the location, gesticulating wildly as they gossiped. Tuoba Feng made the query to the Village Head. The latter replied,¡± Guan-ye [8], this man was called Li Xi¡¯Er, and was a member of this village. A few days ago he had a disagreement with our village¡¯s Wang Hu. They were disputing a tract of farmland. No one would have thought that he¡¯d commit such a crime against human life!¡± [8] gu¨¡n y¨¦ (¹ÙÒ¯£©Lord Official or Sir Official. gu¨¡n (¹Ù) means official, y¨¦ (Ò¯) means Grandfather, but it also refers to someone of a higher social status than you (since age = seniority). It is also used to refer to aristocrats and is an honorary title for older men. Upon hearing this, Yunqi shouted from a distance,¡± Let¡¯s go to his house and courtyard to have a look.¡± Tuoba Feng yelled back,¡± Wang Hu fled a few days ago!¡± Yunqi said,¡± Just go. Look around for flies.¡± Tuoba Feng left for a moment and returned with a stone hammer in his hand, the hammerhead was still stained with blood. He said,¡± It¡¯s this.¡± Yunqi questioned,¡± What about the chisel?¡± Tuoba Feng froze for a moment at the question, before he frowned slightly and shook his head,¡± Didn¡¯t find it.¡± As for this murder case, it seemed like the truth had already been revealed. The Village Head left to report the case to the authorities. In a short while, the official messengers arrived to take over the case, as well as to issue the warrant of arrest. Upon seeing that Yunqi and Tuoba Feng were also present, they were extremely flustered and frightened as they stepped forward. The Jinyiwei¡¯s status was transcendent, far above that of all the constables in the country. Those official messengers didn¡¯t know the Emperor¡¯s favored ministers; Seeing Yunqi dressed in the Jinyiwei uniform as he relaxed and enjoyed the breeze, and Tuoba Feng standing by the side in his black uniform, whilst covered in sweat, they couldn¡¯t help but go over to flatter Yunqi, eagerly attentive as they went on and on about Guan-ye this and Guan-ye that. Yunqi offered a small polite smile,¡± The case has been solved, let¡¯s go.¡± Tuoba Feng still gripped the stone hammer in one hand as he escorted Yunqi back to the carriage to return to the Capital. Yunqi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry, ¡°Why are you in a daze? And what¡¯s the point of bringing that thing back?¡± Yunqi took it from him and hurled it out of the carriage. However, Tuoba Feng said,¡± Hang on.¡± Tuoba Feng suddenly declared,¡± The case hasn¡¯t been solved.¡± Yunqi frowned slightly,¡± It¡¯s solved.¡± Tuoba Feng articulated,¡± It¡¯s not.¡± Yunqi proclaimed,¡± I say that it¡¯s solved, so it¡¯s solved!¡± Tuoba Feng pinched Yunqi¡¯s ear with his fingers. Yunqi cried out in pain and evaded him. Tuoba Feng stated derisively,¡± Listen to Shixiong, I said that it¡¯s not solved, so it¡¯s not solved.¡± The horse carriage stopped in an alley. There was a stone shop there, and the character for Jade, ¡°Óñ [9]¡± was written in large script. [9] y¨´ (Óñ) Jade. The Jinyiwei stood at the entrance of the stone shop. Yunqi couldn¡¯t help but ask,¡± Is there anything else worth investigating? The villager¡¯s death was due to a vendetta. The body has been found, and so has the evidence¡­¡± Even before he¡¯d finished talking, a man darted out from the stone shop. A copper foot basin came flying out behind the man with a loud clatter. The proprietress¡¯s hands were planted firmly on her waist as she chased him into the alley, screaming,¡± Rake your ears, [10] Go home and sort out tigress [11] you have at home before you come to look for laoniang!¡± [10] p¨¡¡¯¨§r duo (°Ò¶ú¶ä) This is Sichuan slang for a man who is afraid of his wife. The imagery is of the wife pulling her husband¡¯s ear. I.e. a henpecked man. Since if your ears are soft, you¡¯re afraid of them getting pulled. [11] m¨³ l¨£o h¨³ (ĸÀÏ»¢) Tigress. It is used to refer to women who behave like like a shrew/termagant. Derogatory. That man had wanted to take a concubine but had been rejected, departing the alley with his tail between his legs. Yunqi couldn¡¯t resist doubling over with laughter. ¡°What¡¯s ¡®rake your ears¡¯?¡± Yunqi asked. Tuoba Feng explained,¡± His ears are soft ¨C he¡¯s afraid of his wife.¡± Yunqi laughed so hard that he stumbled. Tuoba Feng smiled and said,¡± Wait for me at the alley entrance.¡± Tuoba Feng brought the stone hammer inside with him. The proprietress was a widow, and upon seeing such a talented and heroic guardsman, she immediately welcomed him into the shop. Yunqi wandered about aimlessly. He saw an old man sitting at the entrance of the alley. The old man hugged a large wooden casket, with five or six children sitting in front of him. Yunqi couldn¡¯t rein in his curiosity and strolled forward. That box in the old man¡¯s arms contained a curio that had arrived via the Silk Road. It was named ¡®The Western Lens [12]¡¯. Inside the box was a series of pictures that were pulled by hand, and when viewed through the glass lens in front, looked extremely colorful and dazzling. It was paired with a vivid verbal narration of the story ¨C but, it was the tale of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.[13] [12] x¨© y¨¢ng j¨¬ng (Î÷Ñó¾µ) An optical toy, it is also called a Diorama, Peep box, or Raree Show. It is a box with pictures inside, with a magnifying glass placed outside the hole. Here¡¯s a video in Chinese showing how it works. [13] (Å£ÀÉ֯Ů) A classic romantic Chinese myth that tells of the Weaver Girl (the star Vega), and the Cowherd (the star Altair). Their love was forbidden, hence they were banished to different ends of the Milky Way, and can only reunite on the 7th day of the 7th Lunar Month after the magpies form a bridge allowing them to meet, thus becoming the Chinese Valentine¡¯s day or Qixi. ¡°¡­Later the Queen Mother of the West separated the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl on different sides of the Milky Way.¡± The old man smiled as he told the children,¡± Only on the night of Qixi [12], will the magpies will form a bridge¡­¡± He¡¯d already heard the tale innumerable times, but he¡¯d only very rarely caught sight of the Western Lens. Yunqi was fascinated by the wooden casket, but he only smiled without speaking. Tuoba Feng concluded his affairs, and exited the Jade shop, both hands carrying two jade pendants that he¡¯d purchased from the shop. The Jade pendants were in the shape of the mythological Qilin [14], one piece was the male ¡®Qi¡¯ and the second piece was the female ¡®Lin¡¯. They were separated into two halves, but both sides fit together as a whole, and each had their own decorative lanyard; They were men¡¯s waist pendants. Tuoba Feng kept mulling over them and weighing them in his hands as his eyes glanced over at Yunqi. [14] q¨ª l¨ªn (÷è÷ë) The Qilin is a traditional mythological auspicious beast. The male is q¨ª (÷è) and the female is l¨ªn (÷ë) The corners of Yunqi¡¯s lips were curled up slightly, as he viewed the Western Lens with great pleasure. Tuoba Feng, however, was also entranced by just looking at Yunqi. Moments later, Yunqi turned his head. Tuoba Feng was startled at this and hurriedly stuffed the jade pendants back in his bosom. Yunqi asked,¡± What did you buy?¡± Tuoba Feng said,¡± Nothing. I got the answers.¡± With that, Tuoba Feng raised a hand to squeeze his own ear. He pinched it to one side, then let it straighten. Yunqi found his actions baffling,¡± What answers did you get?¡± Tuoba Feng and Yunqi walked out of the alley, shoulders side by side. The former spoke seriously,¡± You may be very intelligent, but you don¡¯t know how to read the Emperor¡¯s intentions [15].¡± [15] sh¨¨ng y¨¬ (Ê¥Òâ) lit. ¡°saintly/sacred intent¡±, this refers to the Emperor¡¯s intentions/wishes. Yunqi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry,¡± Yes, yes, yes. You¡¯re the one who best understands the Emperor¡¯s intentions.¡± Tuoba Feng spoke in a self-deprecating manner,¡± Dogs¡¯ sense of smell is much more acute than that of humans. The Emperor having me investigate this matter must have some profound meaning behind it. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t merely be so simple as a murder for revenge.¡± Yunqi sneered contemptuously as he scrutinized Tuoba Feng for a moment, before asking,¡± Received money for a bribe? Who do you want me to pin this crime on, just say it. It will be easier if I help you falsify the evidence, and we won¡¯t have to run around willy-nilly.¡± Tuoba Feng raged,¡± Don¡¯t speak nonsense! I never take bribes.¡± Yunqi replied,¡± Yo! Who was it last time who accepted the Remonstrance official¡¯s three taels of silver¡­¡± Tuoba Feng replied,¡± If I tell you that I didn¡¯t, would you believe it? It was just that I pitied his wife and children ¨C they knelt outside the great courtyard for 2 full shichen [16].¡± [16] 4 hours. Each shichen represents a 2-hour period. Yunqi said,¡± Then why did you say¡­¡± Tuoba Feng replied,¡± If I hadn¡¯t said that I¡¯d taken the money, would you have shown leniency?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t take the money? Then where did the pieces of broken silver beneath my pillow come from?¡± ¡°My salary.¡± Yunqi felt extremely awkward at this time, different emotions flashed across his face. He couldn¡¯t resist making a face behind Tuoba Feng¡¯s back. Presently, the two men arrived at the Capital¡¯s Ministry of Revenue. No one dared to stop them, and the guards at the door hastily went to notify the Minister of Revenue. Tuoba Feng entered the Great Hall and asked Yunqi to seat himself on the Minister of Revenue¡¯s grand chair. He picked up a brush, and flung it at the copper Gong at the entrance, resulting in a crashing noise. ¡°The Commander of the Jinyiwei, Tuoba Feng. The Deputy Commander, Xu Yunqi. Are here to investigate a case!¡± The Ministry of Revenue¡¯s staff immediately felt terrified, from the highest level- the Minister of Revenue, all the way to the lowest ¨C the Secretaries of Revenue. Near a hundred people flocked outside, forming a dense mass of black kneeling on the ground outside the hall. The Minister of Revenue, Zhang Yuan¡¯s knees shook and his steps trembled. He didn¡¯t know why the Jinyiwei had been summoned over. It was as if he had seen the mountain of bones and seas of blood that was the Imperial prison beckoning at him. He lost his footing and decided that he might as well kneel with the rest. ¡°These two¡­Daren [17], why did you come here?¡± [17] d¨¤ r¨¦n (´óÈË) is an honorific title for those in senior positions, such as gentry and aristocracy. Your Excellency. Yunqi smiled and replied,¡± Every one of these Daren, please get up. There is no need for such a formal obeisance.¡± Tuoba Feng said,¡± Bring out the household register for the Li Village. I need to investigate a person.¡± Zhang Yuan felt like he¡¯d escaped with his life, thus he personally sprinted to the Room of Records. He sped back, both hands holding the household registry book as he presented it extremely respectfully. Yunqi flipped through it apathetically, asking,¡± Is it a holiday today?¡± Tuoba Feng paid no attention to the Minister of Revenue, answering,¡± Qixi, shall we go out and eat something tonight?¡± Zhang Yuan hastily smiled,¡± It is the Qixi Festival. This humble one¡¯s family will be hosting a banquet. If these two daren have completed their investigations, would you be willing to favor me by coming to my house for a drink?¡± Yunqi said,¡± Let¡¯s go to Shifu¡¯s. Tuoba Feng nodded. Zhang Yuan had been snubbed in front of over a hundred of his subordinates, but his hide was thicker than the palace walls. He smiled obsequiously and said,¡± But of course, the Commander and Deputy Commander are none other than Jiang-daren¡¯s favored prot¨¦g¨¦s [18]¡­¡± [18] d¨¦ y¨¬ m¨¦n sh¨¥ng (µÃÒâÃÅÉú) Students that their teachers are the proudest of, and most satisfied with. Zhang Yuan sighed in admiration,¡± Venerating one¡¯s teachers and valuing their teachings, how nostalgic!¡± Such bootlicking words, Yunqi didn¡¯t know how many times he¡¯d heard similar flattery. He merely took it to be a gust of wind passing by his ears. He flipped to the last page of the name register, and frowned slightly,¡± It¡¯s not here£¿¡± Tuoba Feng reached out to take the name register. Yunqi pressed it down with one hand, and said,¡± There¡¯s no need to look at it again. There¡¯s no person named Wang Hu.¡± He sank into a contemplative state. Zhang Yuan exclaimed in astonishment,¡± Such great ability! The Li village in the last 25 years, has over a thousand people¡¯s names in it. Xu-daren can actually flip through it once and recall everything that he has seen¡­¡± The hundreds of officials from the Ministry of Finance who stood there whispered to one another in succession, praising his talent in unison. ¡°Shut your mouths!¡± Yunqi and Tuoba Feng rebuked them simultaneously. The group of government officials cowered quietly like cicadas in the late autumn, deeply afraid of making even the slightest sound. Yunqi narrowed his eyes, the considerations in his head moving at lightning speed. It was at this time that he finally realized that something wasn¡¯t right. After waiting for some time, Tuoba Feng didn¡¯t hear Yunqi speak. A tacit understanding dawned upon Tuoba Feng, he looked towards Zhang Yan, and said,¡± Go fetch the capital city¡¯s name register.¡± Yunqi slapped the table and cried out,¡± Tuoba Feng! In the twenty-five years since the Hongwu Imperial dynasty was founded, there are nearly five million names ¨C do you want laozi to vomit blood and die?¡± Translator Note: In relation to footnote [10] 1. Yunqi is afraid of having his ear pinched 2. After coming out of the shop with the friendly widow, Tuoba Feng pinched his own ear ¨C to confirm that it¡¯s also soft. And someone didn¡¯t dare give Yunqi the Qixi (Chinese Valentine¡¯s day) presents¡­ Awwww. He got them couple pendants too! CH 4 ¡°Little darling~ [1]¡­where are you running to?¡± [1] xi¨£o gu¨¡i gu¨¡i (С¹Ô¹Ô) lit.¡± Little obedient obedient¡±, an affectionate nickname for a young child, or your woman. Jiang Huan [2] was playing hide-and-seek with several of his young concubines. The former Commander of the Jinyiwei, this man who had held overwhelming power and authority both inside and outside of the Imperial Court ¨C this lascivious old man [3] wore a black blindfold over his eyes, as he ran occasionally to the west, and other times to the east, in the flower garden. [2] ji¨£ng hu¨¢n(½¯­’) Jiang Huan, a former Commander of the Jinyiwei. In the 26th year of Hongwu, the Jiang Huan accused Lanyu of rebellion, resulting in fifteen thousand being executed. [3] l¨£o bu xi¨± (Àϲ»ÐÞ) lit.¡± Old but does not cultivate¡±. It refers to an old but still sexually active, lecherous old man. Three of his young concubines dodged and eluded him, as they giggled,¡± Come and catch me¡­come and catch me!¡± Jiang Huan howled loudly, his wrinkled face blooming with joy. Jiang Huan soared into the air like a fish making a break for it, before embracing someone¡¯s waist. He laughed heartily, and declared,¡± Caught you, Little darling, now give me a kiss!¡± Jiang Huan realized that something wasn¡¯t right; He took stock of the person in his arms ¨C extremely heavy. He tilted his head, his countenance filled with suspicion. He extended a hand to feel at the person¡¯s chest ¨C it was flat as a board; Jiang Huan got a tremendous shock as he yanked off the blindfold. A delicate and pretty visage met his eyes. Yunqi took advantage of this to lean into Jiang Huan¡¯s embrace, poker-faced as he said,¡± Shifu, it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Yunqi laughed so hard that he couldn¡¯t breathe. He hurriedly bowed and escaped as far as he could. ¡°Little bunny rascal [4]! Even when celebrating a festival, you don¡¯t allow your Shifu to have some peace!¡± Jiang Huan exhaled furiously as he glared at Yunqi. [4] xi¨£o t¨´ z¨£i zi£¨Ð¡ÍÃáÌ×Ó) ¨C literally translates to ¡°little rabbit kid¡±. Can mean jerk, rascal, little bastard. It can be used endearingly in love, or in anger. If endearing, it can be used on mischievous /playful or naughty children in a chiding tone. Otherwise, it¡¯s cursing someone in anger. Tuoba Feng destroyed his Shifu¡¯s building anger in an instant, as he snorted with laughter, saying,¡± It¡¯s a festival, so we¡¯re here to see you.¡± Jiang Huan¡¯s ¡®Old man with no self-respect¡¯ appearance being witnessed by his two disciples, was rather embarrassing. His old face turned red, as he hemmed and hawed,¡± You¡¯ve seen me. The pair of you can go off and find some fun on your own. Don¡¯t count on tricking a meal from this grand elder [5].¡± [5] l¨£o ren jia (ÀÏÈ˼Ò) ¨C ¡°old person¡± or ¡°old man¡±. A respectful way of referring to an elder. In spite of these words, Jiang Huan still instructed the servants in his residence to prepare a feast. As the sky darkened and the lanterns were lit [6], he gestured to Tuoba Feng and Yunqi to take their seats. [6] (ÕƵÆʱ) lit.¡± light lantern time¡±, this refers to the act of lighting the lantern and blocking the flame from the wind with your hands. It¡¯s when the sky is just getting dark, and the lanterns in the house are being lit. In the springtime and summer, it¡¯s about 6 o¡¯clock, in autumn and winter, it¡¯s about 5 o¡¯clock. ¡°Hello, Shi-niang [7].¡± [7] sh¨© ni¨¢ng (ʦÄï) A respectful form of address for their Shifu¡¯s wife. Tuoba Feng and Yunqi rose to their feet in a sincere salute. Madam Jiang poured some wine for the two people, before smiling as she said,¡± The after-effects of the Scholar Red [8] wine are quite potent. Yunqi, keep an eye on him. Don¡¯t let your Shifu drink too much.¡± Having said this, she left the table, leaving Jiang Huan, Xu Yunqi, and Tuoba Feng, this teacher and disciple trio to drink leisurely on their own. [7] zhu¨¤ng yu¨¢n h¨®ng (×´Ôªºì) The Zhuang Yuan Hong or Scholar Red. zhu¨¤ng yu¨¢n (×´Ôª) refers to the top scorer in the palace examinations. It is a fermented rice wine that was originally brewed to celebrate the birth of a boy, symbolizing the future academic achievements of the boy, since only men could take the Imperial examinations. ¡°Mm.¡± Jiang Huan nodded his head. Tuoba Feng served them by pouring the wine, and said,¡± We haven¡¯t been here for nearly half a year now. Here¡¯s a toast to Shifu.¡± Jiang Huan replied,¡± It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s the Qixi Festival, what¡¯s the point in the two of you standing on courtesy with this old man. Come, come. Just drink.¡± Yunqi smiled, ¡°Shifu, I¡¯ll have to investigate a case when we return later, so I can¡¯t drink wine. I¡¯ll have a cup of tea in lieu.¡± Jiang Huan didn¡¯t ask which case it was, only stared at Yunqi and asked,¡± What sort of case are you investigating that you can¡¯t drink during a festival ¨C what logic is this?¡± Tuoba Feng hastily said,¡± I¡¯ll drink on Yunqi¡¯s behalf.¡± Jiang Huan dropped the subject, and said,¡± Then Feng-er [8] will drink on his behalf.¡± [8] An affectionate nickname for Tuoba Feng. By adding the (¶ù) behind his given name (·æ), hence Feng-er (·æ¶ù). His nickname for Yunji is Yun-er (Ôƶù). Jiang Huan downed his wine, with an ¡®Ah!¡±, he suddenly perked up, and asked,¡± Both of you have recently taken office, how are you doing?¡± Tuoba Feng pondered for a moment, before giving a broad outline of the situation in the Imperial Court. By the time his account reached the matter of Fang Xiaoru, Jiang Huan was somewhat moved. He said,¡± Yun-er did well in this matter. The Fang family is still a source of talented scholars who can inherit the past and inspire the future. One cannot treat them too harshly. Come, drink.¡± Tuoba Feng and Jiang Huan pushed the cups around and toasted one another. For each toast, Tuoba Feng drank two cups. In no time, a big jar of Scholar Red had been consumed. He finally succumbed to the effects of the wine, and groggily fell into a drunken stupor. [9] tu¨© b¨¥i hu¨¤n zh¨£n (ÍƱ­»»Õµ) ¨C to push the cup and toast one another. Describes a good relationship. Jiang Huan, however, had drank till a red glow suffused his face. He was still sober as he watched his senior disciple be defeated by the strength of the alcohol. He slapped his thigh and mocked the former before letting Tuoba Feng off. At the end of the feast, Jiang Huan entered the study, and widened his pair of slightly intoxicated eyes, as he questioned,¡± Which case are you investigating?¡± Yunqi smiled politely,¡± So Shifu had actually wanted to¡­get Shixiong inebriated before asking?¡± Jiang Huan waved his hand at this, saying,¡± Having that piece of wood listen in is pointless, getting him drunk simplifies matters.¡± Yunqi smiled as he earnestly recounted the case that they¡¯d been investigating today, not leaving out even the slightest detail ¨C even the incident of the shrew driving her suitor away in the alley was elucidated in its entirety. Jiang Huan closed his eyes as he listened to this account. He sat in the wooden chair and rocked slightly, before saying,¡± The Ministry of Revenue didn¡¯t have that name?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Yunqi responded respectfully,:¡± I¡¯d planned to return to the Li Village at night together with Shixiong to check it again, but Shixiong is really too drunk¡­¡± Jiang Huan nodded, and said,¡± Mm. You mustn¡¯t go on your own.¡± Jiang Huan stroked his beard as he spoke,¡± A case that the Emperor assigned¡­ there is certain to be something dubious about it. You¡¯ve been clever your entire life, but careless at this moment ¨C you almost solved this case in such a manner. Yunqi bowed and said,¡± Fortunately, Shixiong understood its significance. The burden of the Jinyiwei falling solely on my shoulders, still wouldn¡¯t do.¡± Jiang Huan said,¡± Both of your temperaments truly do complement one another¡¯s strengths and make up for each other¡¯s shortcomings. You really are overly confident in your own abilities, and shouldn¡¯t leave Feng-er even for a short while. The thread of clues had been snapped, and Yunqi had merely wanted to consult Jiang Huan, not expecting to be rebuked for his deficiencies. He could only respond awkwardly,¡± What Shifu says is true. Shifu is wise and insightful.¡± Jiang Huan answered with some satisfaction,¡± That is only natural, otherwise, how would this teacher promote you to the position of Deputy Commander?¡± Yunqi smiled as he rolled up his sleeves, not daring to make a sound. After Jiang Huan had made sense of the entire sequence of events, he asked,¡± That person who wielded the hammer, did the victim die with one blow, or did he crack the victim¡¯s skull after several blows?¡± Yunqi immediately felt a sense of awe in his heart, as if the fog had lifted, revealing the brightness of the moon,¡± Death by one blow!¡± Jiang Huan smiled faintly and said,¡± Great physical strength, unerring accuracy. He could be a former soldier, or perhaps a stonemason or blacksmith.¡± Yunqi nodded as he replied,¡± That¡¯s right, the blacksmith is well-practiced in swinging a hammer.¡± Jiang Huan asked in a slow and leisurely manner,¡± How was the injury? Could you tell if it was struck horizontally, from the side, or¡­¡± Yunqi was struck by a sudden realization, and said,¡± The back of his skull, not the crown of his head!¡± Jiang Huan chuckled, and replied,¡± In that case, it is unlikely to be a craftsman. Since blacksmiths and stone masons wield hammers with a top-to-down motion¡­the only possibility is¡­¡± With tears glistening in his eyes, Yunqi cried out agitatedly,¡± Soldier! Wang Hu must be a soldier! Shifu is really too wise! I¡¯ll go to the Ministry of War to review the name register!¡± Jiang Huan said,¡± Slow down. There are so many military organizations, the names will be like an ocean, how are you going to search?¡± Yunqi said,¡± Just spend a little more time and it is¡­¡± Jiang Huan squinted at him, and asked,¡± Still so rash?¡± Yunqi was bewildered, but Jiang Huan continued,¡± Tomorrow you can head to the Ministry of War, and start looking through the list of soldiers that fought in the expeditions and returned to the capital in recent years. How¡¯s that?¡± Yunqi sensed the dangerous atmosphere and nodded his head. Jiang Huan said,¡± Go then. If your teacher isn¡¯t mistaken, this case is sure to be a serious one.¡± Yunqi knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get anything else from asking further. At this moment, towards Jiang Huan, this lascivious old man, he felt extreme admiration and awe. He lifted the front part of his robe as he knelt down, and kowtowed once before taking his leave. Tuoba Feng was dead drunk, as his nose nuzzled against Yunqi¡¯s neck. His footsteps weaving all over the place, with one arm draped over Yunqi¡¯s shoulders, as they staggered towards the Imperial Palace. ¡°The old man is biased¡­¡° Tuoba Feng complained in his alcohol-induced madness. His body was crooked as he stood on the spot, and performed a few Drunken boxing moves as he shouted,¡± The old man is biased!¡± ¡±Yunqi chortled until his stomach hurt, and consoled him,¡± Isn¡¯t the old man doting on me equivalent to him doting on you, the principle is the same¡­ you¡¯re actually drinking your Shidi [10] ¡®s vinegar [11]?¡± [10] sh¨© d¨¬ (ʦµÜ) ¨C ¡°junior martial/disciple brother¡±. [11] ch¨© c¨´ (³Ô´×) lit.¡± to eat vinegar¡±, means someone is jealous/envious. Here¡¯s why. ¡°En¡­¡± Tuoba Feng nodded his head and draped himself over Yunqi, permitting the latter to drag him back home. Tuoba Feng¡¯s body reeked of wine, and he muttered repeatedly,¡± Touch Shixiong¡¯s ear¡­¡± ¡°?¡± Yunqi was baffled by this. Tuoba Feng tottered and swayed as he seized Yunqi¡¯s hand to squeeze at his own ear, then tweaked Yunqi¡¯s ear, before he said,¡± Is it soft or not¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yunqi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry, but he nodded,¡± Soft, soft ears.¡± The two people stumbled along as they returned to the courtyard. Yunqi sighed with relief, and said,¡± You¡¯re all just eating but not doing any work, come get your Commander!¡± On this cool and breezy night of the Qixi Festival, the Milky Way spans the heavens, and the fireflies are scattered throughout the land. The Jinyiwei were all off duty, with dozens of young fellows sitting in groups within the courtyard, noisy and boisterous. Each of them had a firefly fan in one hand amongst the hubbub, chattering excitedly with one another. It was truly the summer night scenery of the ¡°With a small fan, of light silk gauze, she swipes at the flitting fireflies. Laying down, she gazes, at the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl stars [12].¡± [12] q¨©ng lu¨­ xi¨£o sh¨¤n p¨± li¨² y¨ªng, w¨° k¨¤n qi¨¡n ni¨² zh¨© n¨· x¨©ng (ÇáÂÞСÉÈÆËÁ÷Ó©£¬ÎÔ¿´Ç£Å£Ö¯Å®ÐÇ) This is an excerpt from a poem or¡¶ÇïϦ¡·by Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu, It tells of a lonely concubine whose fan is useless now that the summer heat has gone, who stares in the sky at the Altair and Vega constellations. When the crowd of Jinyiwei caught sight of Yunqi and Tuoba Feng returning home, they couldn¡¯t help roaring with laughter as they came forward to assist. ¡° Really exhausting Laozi to death.¡± Yunqi instructed them,¡± Set two chairs together, and let him lie outside for a while, the breeze will help sober him up. Don¡¯t put him on the bed and let him smother, see that he doesn¡¯t throw up and choke.¡± ¡°Where¡¯d you go? Drinking until he¡¯s stinking drunk, but you didn¡¯t bring back two jars of wine for your brothers.¡± One of the Jinyiwei waved his soft gauze fan before swinging his arm to toss it to Yunqi. Yunqi extended his hand to grab it, removed his outer robe, and then shook his inner robe, as he fanned himself, saying,¡± Hai! That wine at that old man¡¯s house can¡¯t be drunk, fortunately, Lao-Ba helped me block a few cups, otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t be able to get home tonight.¡± The assemblage of Imperial Bodyguards let loose another round of teasing. Yunqi sat on a chair by himself, allowing Tuoba Feng to sit next to him. Tuoba Feng kept rubbing his lips and nose against him, so Yunqi boxed his ears. The former¡¯s head drooped down and rested on Yunqi¡¯s thigh. He mumbled a few sentences in the Tujue language and closed his eyes. There were bamboo chairs scattered all over the courtyard for people to enjoy the breeze. Summer fruits and melons were placed on a low bamboo table. There was not a single lamp or candle in the great courtyard. The Jinyiwei had assembled innumerable bamboo cages out of bamboo strips and thin rice paper, and leisurely caught fireflies and trapped them inside. The flickering dance of fluorescence was everywhere, their glow illuminating the entire garden. At this time, the fireflies were fluttering around Tuoba Feng¡¯s face. He was currently sleeping sweetly, and the beautiful jade light like a riot of stars was reflected on his handsome visage. Yunqi waved his fan to scatter them, the dim lights whirling about in all directions. In this faint luminescence, Yunqi saw clearly the two rows of poetry written on the fan, and he smiled as he read them aloud,¡± In the Milky Way, the Cowherd star can watch from a distance, the shining brightness of the Weaver Girl star [13]¡­¡± [13] This is a quote from the poem ¡¶ÌöÌöǣţÐÇ¡·, it expresses the pain and sadness of their love through the tale. ¡°Zhang Qin, is this the fan that your wife-to-be made? This girl¡¯s writing is quite beautiful.¡± That Jinyiwei called Zhang Qin merely beamed, then bantered,¡± The Milky Way that separates the Cowherd and Weaver Girl is crystal clear¡­¡± ¡°¡­they can only silently gaze at one another with affection. [14]¡± Yunqi smiled in understanding as he spoke. Glancing at the Imperial Guardsmen gathered in the Courtyard, he secretly thought about how, on this Qixi evening, the entire Imperial Capital city was filled with people pairing up as mates and lovers. Yet there was an entire pack of handsome young fellows gathering here completely unknown. If they were to be let loose outside of the palace, goodness knows the magnitude of the girls¡¯ sorrow and girls¡¯ joy [15] they would stir up. [14] y¨ªng y¨ªng y¨© shu¨« ji¨¡n, m¨° m¨° b¨´ d¨¦ y¨³ (ӯӯһˮ¼ä, ÂöÂö²»µÃÓï) This is an excerpt from a poem ¡¶ÌöÌöǣţÐÇ¡·, poet unknown. Yet another poem about the Cowherd and Weaver Girl expressing the pain and setbacks in their love. [15] n¨· ¡®¨¦r ch¨®u (Å®¶ù³î) and n¨·¡¯¨¦r l¨¨ (Å®¶ùÀÖ) are references to the Chinese classic Dreams of the Red Chamber¡¶ºìÂ¥ÃΡ·¡£ However, these Jinyiwei were not permitted to wander about. Once they entered service in the palace, they would need to remain inside in accordance with the regulations, and accept the situation of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl, each being on separate ends of the earth ¨C it was truly pitiful [16]. [16] z¨¤o ni¨¨ (ÔìÄõ) lit.¡± create sin¡±. Buddhism indicates that evildoers will suffer the consequences. In the Sichuan dialect, it refers to pitiful, pitiable.£º The summer breezes blow gently past, and the fluorescent glow of the fireflies dances and flutters beneath the Wutong tree. Observing this scene made Yunqi rejuvenated and joyful. ¡°This year¡¯s Qixi Festival is extremely pleasant, and it didn¡¯t rain. What fruits do you want to eat? What would you be happy to do? How about some paired doggerel [17]?¡± [17] d¨£ y¨®u sh¨© (´òÓÍÊ«) An interesting, vulgar sort of folk poetry. It was named after Zhang Dayou of the Tang Dynasty. They are humorous, short, and interesting poems that can be self-deprecating or self-effacing. They are often used to satirize and can also be used as riddles. Rongqing smiled and rolled up his sleeves. He rummaged about under the eaves, lowering his head,¡± Today someone presented a lot of good gifts to the palace; there were only two portions ¨C one for the Emperor, and the other was sent to this great courtyard here¡­¡± Yunqi smiled,¡± Did I hear you correctly? Which family¡¯s gongzi-ye [18] has such grand style [19]?¡± [17] g¨­ng z¨« y¨¦ (¹«×ÓÒ¯) Young Master Lord, it¡¯s either used sarcastically or as an honorific. In this case, Yunqi is being sarcastic. If someone today says you are a gongzi-ye ¨C it¡¯s not a compliment, it is likely that they mean you are delicate and squeamish, arrogant and spoiled. g¨­ng z¨« (¹«×Ó) is an old respectful term used for a son of an aristocratic or wealthy family. y¨¦£¨Ò¯£©Used to refer to someone of power or higher social status. Grandpa, Lord. [19] p¨¤i t¨®u (ÅÉÍ·) lit.¡± style¡± It refers to the demeanor or style displayed/expressed by a person or thing. In this case, it¡¯s like saying someone is such a showoff ¨C acting in such grand style. Rongqing tidied up the table for a bit, before bringing over a jade bowl and setting it down on the side table next to Yunqi. The bowl was half filled with ice, and the top of the ice was covered by the glittering and translucent flesh of a fruit. Yunqi was shocked,¡± Lychee [20]?!¡± [20] l¨¬ zh¨© (ÀóÖ¦) Lychee was enjoyed in China since 200BC. During the Tang Dynasty, there was a specific horse relay set up to convey the fruit from Sichuan to the Imperial Courts, and Yang Guifei loved lychees, there is a famous poem by Du Mu¡¶¹ý»ªÇ幬¾ø¾äÈýÊס·that specifically references this. A rider stirred up clouds of dust, the concubine smiled delightedly. No one knew that it was because the lychees from the South had arrived. Rongqing said,¡± It was your Wang-ye [21] brother-in-law. [21] w¨¢ng y¨¦ (ÍõÒ¯) A way of addressing a Prince. It¡¯s the same ye (Ò¯) as da-ye gongzi-ye that you¡¯ve seen earlier. w¨¢ng (Íõ£©means king or prince. Remember that the Emperor is £¨»ÊÉÏ£©, he is above the Princes. This should be the Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, the one who picked up Tuoba Feng as an infant. It¡¯s quite telling that we never see any communication or gifts from Zhu Di to Tuoba Feng, only Xu Yunqi. Yunqi sighed helplessly, he said,¡± Just eat already. Thanks to me, you¡¯ve been blessed with gastronomic fortune. Remember it.¡± The crowd of Imperial Bodyguards broke out into laughter,¡± But of course.¡± The gluttonous worm [22 ] in Yunqi had been roused ¨C he didn¡¯t even bother washing his hands, directly grabbing some fruit to eat. Tuoba Feng sniffled a little and woke up. [22] ch¨¢n ch¨®ng (²ö³æ) lit.¡± greedy worm¡±, refers to a strong appetite. Tuoba Feng spoke dazedly,¡± Give Shixiong a bit too, what fruit is that?¡± ¡°Why is the dog¡¯s nose so effective?¡± Yunqi laughed, and casually fed a few pieces to Tuoba Feng. He then instructed,¡± Rongqing, you pack a basketful, there¡¯s a little eunuch outside, have him bring them to the Imperial Grandson. Rongqing said,¡± Rende Palace has been sending people in search of you all night, they¡¯ve repeatedly come to inquire. Did you make an appointment with the Imperial Grandson?¡± Yunqi replied,¡± No. Then later when someone comes again, he can just conveniently bring it back with him. Come, come! Everyone gather over and have fun together.¡± The Imperial Guards laughed as they moved the bamboo chairs around. Everyone was eating fruit or drinking tea, chatting idly. Rongqing plucked a stalk of cotton rose and said,¡± A game of pass the flower. Whoever¡¯s hand it lands in, that person must answer a question. Tell us about their childhood sweethearts [23], how¡¯s that?¡± [23] q¨©ng m¨¦i zh¨² m¨££¨Çà÷ÖñÂí) lit.¡±green plums, bamboo horse¡± Idiom that refers to Childhood sweethearts. There is a story of two neighbours, a little boy who rode a bamboo stick as a horse, and a little girl who played with him and they went to get green plums together, they eventually grew up and got married from Li Bai¡¯s poem ¡¶³¤¸ÉÐС· The Imperial Guards cheered at this and set up a noisy table to play at. They slapped at the bamboo table as the flower was passed around these young men¡¯s hands. Whenever it stopped in someone¡¯s hands, the flower-bearing Imperial Guard would have to tell an interesting story about their youthful amorous adventures, which at times would gain the group¡¯s uproarious laughter, their acclaim, and other times a few sobs and sighs. The Jinyiwei pick the young masters of official families and the descendants of military generals; at the age of 13, they would have been put under Jiang Huan¡¯s command to learn martial arts for four to five years. During this dynasty, a good proportion of the thirteen-year-old youths would have already had their marriages arranged or under discussion. And as for the matters of love and feelings, they would have glimpsed it early. But the topics they spoke of were nothing more than so-and-so¡¯s family¡¯s young miss is well-educated and well-versed in etiquette, talented in reciting poems, and knowledgeable about history and current affairs. There were others who said that only a female without talent can be considered virtuous, and it is more proper for them to be well-versed in the female arts [24]. Thus five or six of them utilized their neili, and fanned vigorously with the paper fans, beating the flower back and forth like a rolling ball. [24] n¨· g¨­ng (Å®ºì) The female arts, also known as female red. It refers to needlework, weaving, embroidery, sewing, etc After a short while, the flower passed into Yunqi¡¯s hands, and the noise stopped. Yunqi said,¡± I¡¯ve been an orphan since I was young, and was sent into the palace to stay. What green plums and bamboo horses [23]¡­ don¡¯t take the opportunity to poke fun at Laozi, change to someone else, change to someone else!¡± The crowd clamored and refused to comply, some of them even asked,¡± Lao-Ba then? Since the both of you are sitting together, then let him answer.¡± Tuoba Feng replied tipsily,¡± En¡­ Bamboo horses [23] become a pair.¡± Yunqi swatted at them with the fan to shoo them off, saying,¡± He hasn¡¯t sobered up, don¡¯t listen to his cooked-up nonsense.¡± The Imperial bodyguards kept chortling. Yunqi thought for a while and said,¡± No green plums, but the bamboo horses [23 ] were certainly riding together recklessly every day. It is a pity that brotherly affections do not suit this situation.¡± Tuoba Feng¡¯s ears twitched, as he opened his eyes which were reddened due to intoxication, and said,¡± What affections are there, come tell us about it. That fruit is delicious, give me another.¡± Yunqi fed Tuoba Feng a piece of lychee, then placed his slightly cool hand on those ears which were emitting heat, and said,¡± That year when Lao-Ba and I were in the palace drilling ground practicing our martial arts, there was a young child that hung about the place all day, gawking. You all guess, who was it?¡± The group asked,¡± Who?¡± Yunqi spoke mysteriously,¡± That year I was six years old, and Lao-Ba was nine. That child was five.¡± Tuoba Feng closed his eyes, sighing gently. ¡°Lao-Ba didn¡¯t like the sight of that child, and bullied him all the time,¡± Yunqi said leisurely. The crowd jeered,¡± Lao-Ba was jealous.¡± Yunqi said,¡± What nonsense. How would a nine-year-old know to be jealous.¡± Zhang Qin asked curiously,¡± A child in the palace, who else could it be?¡± Yunqi jabbed with his fan, smiling as he said,¡± There, he¡¯s come.¡± Zhu Yunwen was wearing a crown made of night luminous pearls and garbed in lavender brocade. He carried a glazed crystal lamp in his hand. The candlelight flickered from within the glazed crystal lamp. Behind him followed a little eunuch, as the former entered the great courtyard, he exclaimed,¡± Yun-ge¡¯er, you¡¯ve finally returned.¡± This was the first time that the Imperial Grandson had visited the Jinyiwei¡¯s courtyard. The group of Imperial Bodyguards hastily rose to salute, and each made as if to return to their rooms to change into their feiyufu. Yunqi smiled and said,¡± No need, everyone doesn¡¯t need to bother themselves, there¡¯s no need to change clothes.¡± He then told Zhu Yunwen,¡± There¡¯s a thousand-jin weight [25] hanging on my body right now, so I¡¯m not going to get up and salute, I trust that the Imperial Grandson won¡¯t take offense.¡± [25] ch¨¨ng tu¨® (³ÓíÈ) The weights that they used to hang on scales. He¡¯s referring to Tuoba Feng lying on his lap. Zhu Yunwen laughed at this, and passed the glazed crystal lamp to his attending eunuch, ordering him to withdraw. He lifted the lower part of his robe as he sat down, The entire courtyard of Jinyiwei begged their leave, and dispersed as they quickly went upstairs. They held onto the railings as they looked curiously toward the courtyard, wondering why the Imperial Grandson had come. Zhu Yunwen opened his folding fan and shook it, saying,¡± Are Yun-ge¡¯er¡¯s injuries from the rods better?¡± Just as he was speaking, he met the eyes of Tuoba Feng, whose head was currently resting on Yunqi¡¯s legs. That gaze seemed to contain the cruelty and savagery of a wild beast, compelling Zhu Yunwen to shiver involuntarily. Tuoba Feng closed his eyes, and replied indifferently,¡± The Imperial Grandson has been troubled [26], Feng has already treated it properly.¡± [26] f¨¨i x¨©n (·ÑÐÄ) lit.¡± wasted heart¡±, it means to worry, to expend efforts worrying about. It is a form of courtesy speech (¿ÍÌ×»°) generally used as a request or in thanks. Yunqi asked,¡± Did you go out of the palace to play tonight?¡± As he spoke, he handed over the porcelain bowl and said,¡± The Prince of Yan [21] sent some lychee, later I¡¯ll have someone bring them to Rende Palace for you to eat. These are iced, so have some first¡­¡± Even before he¡¯d finished speaking, Zhu Yunwen with his childlike disposition cheered and exclaimed,¡± Lychee!¡± He didn¡¯t care that it was leftover fruit, merely taking it over and putting it in his mouth. Yunqi wasn¡¯t sure if he should laugh, in his heart he thought: The entire palace, but Zhu Di only sent the Lychee to two places ¨C it truly gave him a lot of face [27]. [27] mi¨¤n zi (Ãæ×Ó) ¨C ¡°face¡±. It refers to one¡¯s feelings, dignity, or reputation. Zhu Yunwen ate as he spoke,¡± I wasn¡¯t permitted to leave the palace. Coming here was also behind the Grand Tutor¡¯s back. I had something to say to you, Yun-ge¡¯er.¡± Yunqi just smiled without replying. Tuoba Feng snorted contemptuously. Zhu Yunwen hadn¡¯t noticed, he grinned and said,¡± Do you remember last year¡¯s Qixi?¡± Yunqi smiled and replied,¡± Of course, I remember. You were so bored and wanted to go out of the palace to play. You disguised yourself as a little eunuch. I propped you up with my shoulder and we climbed out from the Imperial Garden¡­and we were pursued by the palace gate guards through half of Nanjing¡­¡± Zhu Yunwen¡¯s gaze held a smile, and he said,¡± You took me riding with you.¡± Yunqi said,¡± En, this loyal dog¡¯s horsemanship is superb, leading them around until they were giddy. Why did you suddenly recall this matter?¡± Zhu Yunwen smiled again, and put the empty porcelain bowl aside, saying,¡± Just suddenly recalled it for no apparent reason. Also, when I was six years old I got beaten up by my 7th tang-ge [28] [28] t¨¢ng g¨¥ (Ìøç) elder paternal cousin. When you have so many cousins you just call them by number (normally ordered in terms of age). Yunqi said,¡± How can you say you were beaten up, clearly it was you beating people up.¡± Zhu Yunwen convulsed with laughter, and said,¡± You lured a cricket for me in the Imperial Garden, I brought it to find 7th tang-ge for a cricket match, but 7th tang-ge has a lousy gambling disposition, and won¡¯t pay up if he loses. He even stepped on my cricket and killed it.¡± Yunqi pondered for a moment before continuing,¡± You then got into a fight with him. You couldn¡¯t beat him on your own, so I agreed to help fight. He pulled at my clothes, you pulled at my clothes, he then called for his personal boy servants to come to tug as well¡­ the more we fought, the more people there were ¨C the trouble grew like a rolling snowball, with no end in sight. In the end, more than ten people were punished to kneel for an entire afternoon. It was only after my Jie [29] interceded on our behalf that the Emperor let us off.¡± [29] ji¨§£¨½ã£©Elder sister. Zhu Yunwen gave a knowing smile and said,¡± That¡¯s right.¡± On the second floor of the courtyard, there were many guards around the red railings, in groups of twos and threes, leaning on the railing as they chatted. However, their conversations were slightly absent-minded and unfocused, since they had perked up their ears to listen to the gossip between Yunqi and the Imperial Grandson in the courtyard. Zhu Yunwen swept a glance at them, looking a little embarrassed as he kept the folding fan. Seeing that he was about to leave, Yunqi instructed,¡± Rongqing! Take the lychees and send the Imperial Grandson back!¡± Zhu Yunwen hurriedly waved his hand and said,¡± I won¡¯t trouble these big brothers. Give it to the little eunuch outside the door, I¡¯ll return on my own.¡± Yunqi answered,¡± Sure. The burden is still weighing on me, so I won¡¯t send you off. There¡¯s a firefly lamp on the bamboo desk, take one with you and hang it above the bed curtain to watch and play with.¡± Zhu Yunwen left to pick up the lamp, and as he turned, he was silent for a moment. Yunqi asked,¡± But I forget, for you to come running here, was there something you wanted to tell me?¡± Zhu Yunwen seemed to hesitate for a while, before he answered,¡± Yun-ge¡¯er, in the future, after I become the Emperor, I will be sure to treat you well.¡± At that instant, the entire courtyard was completely silent. The whispering amongst the bodyguards ceased, all holding their breaths as they gazed towards Yunqi and Zhu Yunwen in the courtyard. Yunqi¡¯s back was covered in a cold sweat as he whispered,¡± Yunwen¡­the heir¡¯s position has not been established. No matter what you hear from others, you must remember not to speak recklessly. This affection you have for me, it¡¯s enough that I bear it in mind.¡± Yunqi considered the matter for a moment, before continuing,¡± Whether the Emperor establishes you as his heir, has always been independent of the affections between you and I. Don¡¯t be too concerned by these other matters.¡± Zhu Yunwen smiled as he turned, a firefly lamp in his hand, he said,¡± Sure. I understand, go rest early. Yunqi gave a dignified nod. Once Zhu Yunwen left, Tuoba Feng sneered several times as he clambered up, swaying unsteadily as he kicked open the door and hurled himself back to his own room. The bodyguards dispersed and the night was silent. The next morning, Yunqi woke up early. As he pushed his door open to go into the courtyard, he saw an entire group of people standing there. Other than the six bodyguards who were currently on duty, all forty-two of the Jinyiwei were currently present. Yunqi stared at them in confusion, asking,¡± What¡¯s this about? Looking to brawl?¡± Rongqing laughed,¡± Reward us, reward us! Yun-ge¡¯er! You can distribute your private savings to your brothers now, there¡¯s no point in saving it anymore.¡± Rongqing clasped his fist in salute [30], and bowed with both hands folded. The forty Jinyiwei bowed neatly and precisely. [30] b¨¤o qu¨¢n l¨«£¨±§È­Àñ) The right fist is placed in the palm of the left hand and both shaken back and forth two or three times; it may be accompanied by a head nod or bow. The gesture may be used during meetings and parting, and when offering thanks or apologies. A form of salute. Rongqing said,¡± Congratulations Deputy-Commander. During this morning¡¯s court session, the Emperor has established the Imperial Grandson as his heir, and issued an edict to proclaim it to the world!¡± CH 5 Tuoba Feng left the palace early that morning, but it was unclear where he¡¯d gone. Yunqi had his breakfast, but since his injuries hadn¡¯t fully recovered, he wasn¡¯t on the duty roster. As a result, he idled his time away aimlessly as he did some exercises to aid digestion ¨C and counted his money. 5¡­10¡­15¡­20¡­ he counted again and again. Yunqi counted that there were eighty taels of silver in his cabinet. Having finished counting his, he felt rather dissatisfied, thus began to count Tuoba Feng¡¯s deposits. ¡°Here, this is for you.¡± Little Tuoba Feng had been beaten black and blue. He took out a pouch filled with silver and stuffed it into Little Yunqi¡¯s hands. Little Yunqi asked him anxiously,¡± Does it hurt?¡± Little Tuoba Feng was extremely pleased with himself, and grinned,¡± Let¡¯s see who loses a bet and tries to play hooligan by not paying up next time.¡± Little Yunqi sputtered with laughter, he scratched his head and said,¡± You bear it for a bit, I¡¯ll go hide the money first.¡± The Commander and Deputy Commander¡¯s wealth were all locked in the same place, Yunqi couldn¡¯t even remember when they¡¯d started this custom. The red-painted cabinet only had one key, and it was generally kept by Yunqi. Every month when their salaries were issued, Tuoba Feng would receive the money and pass it to Yunqi. Yunqi would then lock the money into the cabinet, keeping them on separate sides. 5¡­ Tuoba Feng only had 4 taels of silver. Yunqi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry at this. He moved some of his own personal savings over to even out it a little, then locked the cabinet door. ¡°He really didn¡¯t take any bribes?¡± Yunqi muttered to himself. He squatted in front of the cabinet and mulled it over. He glanced out of the window, then began to rifle through Tuoba Feng¡¯s personal belongings and clothing. His movements were light and practiced, it was clear that he was an old hand at thievery. Which items were placed in which location, Yunqi couldn¡¯t be more familiar. After laughing and tittering himself for a while, two greenish-blue jade pendants fell out with a clatter from the neatly folded feiyufu at the foot of the bed. Yunqi frowned slightly, as he picked up the jade pendants, and pieced them together. Qi, Lin, these two creatures had their uptilted heads were snuggled together. On the backs were carved three characters each: Heaven is Ageless, Love is Endless [1] [1] ti¨¡n b¨´ l¨£o, q¨ªng n¨¢n ju¨¦ (Ìì²»ÀÏ£¬ÇéÄѾø) Heaven will never grow old, and my love will never cease. There is no end to love and affection. This is from a Northern Song poem ¡°Thousand Autumns Years¡±¡¶Ç§ÇïËê¡·by Zhang Xian. The poem speaks about the joys and sorrows of love being repressed. ¡°Which family¡¯s young lady gave him this?¡± Yunqi whispered. Myriad scenes flew through his mind in reverse, the frame finally freezing in the little alley, at the entrance of the Jade shop ¨C the proprietress¡¯s lovely smile like a blooming flower. Yunqi felt somewhat melancholy and wanted to stuff the jade pendants back. Suddenly he changed his mind, after opening the painted red cabinet, he tossed the pendants into the deepest part of the cabinet with a crisp ringing sound. He proceeded to slam the cabinet shut with a bang, and walked wearily to the front of the corridor to sit down. The ten-year-old Little Tuoba Feng had just fought with an adult Imperial Bodyguard in order to collect a debt. His nose was bleeding, but seemed to be extremely at ease and comfortable. Little Tuoba Feng put a leg up and rested it on the sides of the well. Both arms hugged Little Yunqi before him. Little Yunqi rocked back and forth as he rode on his other thigh. He carefully examined the bruises on Little Tuoba Feng¡¯s face and licked a green Wutong leaf before backhanding it with a ¡®smack¡¯ sound, pasting it onto Little Tuoba Feng¡¯s panda eye. ¡°Aiyo! Be gentle!¡± Little Tuoba Feng cried out crossly. Little Yunqi burst into laughter at this, saying,¡± You worried me to death just now, Shi-ge can really fight!¡± Little Tuoba Yan replied with an indifferent ¡°En¡±. Little Yunqi said,¡± Next time if you can¡¯t win then run, don¡¯t bother about me. One of us getting beaten to death is better than both of us dying.¡± Little Tuoba Feng neither agreed nor disagreed, instead he spoke quietly,¡± Our lives depend on one another [2], you can¡¯t die.¡± [2] xi¨¡ng y¨© w¨¦i m¨¬ng (ÏàÒÀΪÃü) lit.¡± mutual dependence in order to survive¡±. It generally refers to a mutual reliance and dependence, neither can be separated. ¡±There¡¯s trouble!¡± Yunqi sighed as a loud, panicked yell roused him from his reminiscence. Rongqing hurriedly sprinted into the courtyard, and howled,¡± Lao-Ba is fighting with others, hurry and call the brothers to go help him!¡± Rongqing¡¯s yells startled all the Imperial Bodyguards in the courtyard, the various groups all came out of their rooms, yelling,¡± How can this be allowed! Swatting flies on a tiger¡¯s head ¨C who dares strike a Jinyiwei?¡± At that moment, there were some who returned to their rooms to take up their knives, intending to follow Rongqing and Yunqi in bringing trouble. Yunqi asked,¡± What happened? Explain first!¡± Rongqing panted for breath as he replied,¡± Lao-Ba went out of the palace early in the morning, and brought Zhang Qin to the Ministry of War to investigate something.¡± Yunqi understood the situation immediately. The officials from the Ministry of War may be extremely respectful when meeting the Jinyiwei, but many of those who went back and forth from the Ministry of War often held actual military power. There were also quite a few soldiers who¡¯d even gone to the battlefield and faced slaughter, such people generally found the Jinyiwei an eyesore. Tuoba Feng must have kicked an iron plate [3] this time. [3] t¨© d¨¤o ti¨§ b¨£n (Ìßµ½Ìú°å) lit.¡±Kicked an iron plate¡±, offended or got into trouble with others who were more formidable than themselves. Yunqi hurriedly returned to his room to change his clothes, not knowing whether to laugh or cry as he said,¡± Why didn¡¯t he call me before going? Yesterday night when I spoke to him, he was only half awake ¨C so it turns out that he was feigning being drunk.¡± Rongqing was extremely anxious as he said,¡± You still can laugh! The Ministry of War isn¡¯t accommodating in the least. With Zhang Qin¡¯s stubbornly foul temper, as the matters unfolded, Lao-Ba shielded Zhang Qin, and had him return to the palace in search of us¡­¡± Rongqing retrieved his embroidered spring knife, but Yunqi said,¡± Don¡¯t bring the knife. I¡¯ll go on my own.¡± Rongqing saw that Yunqi had already made up his mind, and didn¡¯t insist. Yunqi hurriedly exited the courtyard, and as he saw the entire ground filled with people standing below expectantly, he ordered,¡± You all go back.¡± He then asked Rongqing, Zhang Qin is irascible, but didn¡¯t Lao-Ba try to restrain him?¡± Rongqing said,¡± They said something about the Tujue being feral¡­¡± Yunqi said,¡± Hold it right there. I understand. What¡¯s the name of the piece of work [4] who scolded Lao-Ba?¡± [4] n¨¤ s¨© (ÄÇØË) ¨C lit. ¡°that servant¡± or ¡°that guy¡±. It is usually used in a derogatory manner. s¨© (ØË) in itself refers to the male slaves or young servants in ancient times. Rongqing shuddered, replying,¡± Xu Muda.¡± Yunqi nodded, as he left instructions in all earnest,¡± Other than today¡¯s duty detachment, no one is allowed to leave this courtyard. Later, when the two of us return and find anyone missing, they will be served a beating with rods, understand?¡± Without even waiting for the Imperial Bodyguards to respond, he left in haste. Yunqi rushed towards the gate of the Ministry of War. As he hurried over, he sighed to himself, the omens are truly unfavorable [5] ¨C bringing with it a sudden, unforeseen calamity; Tuoba Feng had already seemed to be in poor spirits yesterday night, not even waking Yunqi up this morning, instead ordering Zhang Qin to accompany him. The two of them going to the Ministry of War to investigate. [5] sh¨ª y¨´n b¨² j¨¬ (ʱÔ˲»¼Ã£©lit.¡± the times and fortune are poor¡± It refers to poor timing and fate, leading to adversity. It is from Ming poet Ling Puchu¡¯s ¡¶¶þ¿ÌÅÄ°¸¾ªÆæ¡·. Zhang Qin was from a court official¡¯s family and has been in the Jinyiwei for a long time. Typically, when he goes out of the palace on his own, he already behaves arrogantly and does as he pleases. Now that he¡¯s following along behind Tuoba Feng, he¡¯s akin to a dog emboldened by its master¡¯s presence, his behavior even more brazen and reckless. The facts have proved that behaving arrogantly and doing as one so pleases is not a good habit. It¡¯s especially easy to ¡®run into a wall¡¯, just like the current situation. The man who¡¯d taken the lead in striking back was named Xu Muda, and had originally been garrisoned at the frontier as border defense general. A year ago he¡¯d been redeployed back to guard the capital and was currently idle with nothing to do, hence every few days he¡¯d run over to the Ministry of War to run off at the mouth, in hopes of getting a good appointment elsewhere. His information sources weren¡¯t good, and he hadn¡¯t expected the Jinyiwei to be so domineering. It just so happened that day, that the Minister of War had been half a shichen late that day, and the Left Vice Minister of War had been sitting in the hall drinking tea with Xu Muda and engaging in casual chit chat ¨C just as they¡¯d been lamenting the disaster that was the Imperial Court¡¯s lackeys [6], the head of the said lackeys arrived. [6] He uses the word y¨©ng qu¨£n (ӥȮ), which is literally falcons and dogs, and it¡¯s a derogatory way of referring to hired thugs or lackeys. This is used to refer specifically to the Imperial Bodyguards / Jinyiwei since they are generally deemed to be the Emperor¡¯s lackeys/dogs. Traditionally, the Jinyiwei had pretty bad reputations amongst the rest of the court, because they were authorized to overrule judicial proceedings in prosecuting those deemed as enemies of the state, granted with full autonomy in arresting, interrogating, detaining them without trial and punishing them without due process. When Tuoba Feng came to ask, the Left Vice Minister of War kept his silence, before saying that the books kept by the Ministry of War were state secrets, and would require the Minister of War¡¯s personal written approval before they could be accessed. Therefore, he had Tuoba Feng and Zhang Qin wait for a while. There were usually only situations where the ministers would wait respectfully for the Jinyiwei, so what was the reasoning for the Jinyiwei to wait for others? Zhang Muda had been garrisoned at the border for many years and was inclined to be contemptuous towards the Jinyiwei. People like him who lead troops are fierce and tough, his words as brutal as spears and cudgels as he mocked and ridiculed. Zhang Qin standing by the side was suddenly angered into disagreement and began to quarrel. Tuoba Feng only watched dispassionately from the sidelines and did not respond to the provocation. Xu Muda didn¡¯t realize that he was in big trouble, and had already lost a good part of his little life. Believing Tuoba Feng to be timid and overcautious, his words became even more malicious. He taunted Tuoba Feng to his face with the words ¡°Tujue feral dog¡±, causing the Left Vice Minister of War to immediately pale in apprehension. Zhang Qin¡¯s rage knew no bounds as he leaped off his chair to fight. It so happened that everyone from the Vice Minister of War all the way down to the Secretary hurriedly came forward to prevent the fight. However, most of the officials in the Ministry of War had served in the army at some point, and generally sorely detested the position of Jinyiwei. So they deliberately moved to the side and incited the combatants, under the guise of dissuading the fight. Very quickly, the situation degenerated into a gang fight with scores of people brawling against Tuoba Feng and Zhang Qin. Xu Muda wasn¡¯t aware that he was being made use of in a ploy to kill with a borrowed knife [7] and merely became more arrogant as time passed. Tuoba Feng realized the potential for disaster in the situation, and thus shielded Zhang Qin as he ordered the latter to retreat from the Ministry of War and to go back and requisition reinforcements. [7] ji¨¨ d¨¡o sh¨¡ r¨¦n (½èµ¶É±ÈË) lit.¡°to borrow a knife to kill someone¡±. This is one of the 36 strategems in Sun Zi¡¯s Art of War, making use of a third party, one should attack using another¡¯s strength if they are in an unfavorable situation, i.e. they can trick someone into fighting for them, or use the enemy¡¯s own strength against them. Yunqi yawned, and saw Tuoba Feng outside the main gate of the Ministry of War, and asked,¡± You weren¡¯t injured, right?¡± Tuoba Feng¡¯s silence was frightening ¨C He didn¡¯t speak a word, and the expression in his eyes was chilling in its gloom. One hand was clenched into a fist, as it trembled uncontrollably. Yunqi has only witnessed Tuoba Feng reveal such an expression twice, and his heart shuddered. He knew that Tuoba Feng was exercising utmost restraint, but was this close to unsheathing his blade to commit murder. He hastily took Tuoba Feng¡¯s hand and entered the Ministry of War by his side. Yunqi smiled faintly as he bowed his head, as they stood at the front entrance of the Ministry of War. In accordance with etiquette, he requested for the gatekeeper to inform them of his arrival. ¡°Xu-daren is mighty [8]!¡± [8] w¨¥i w¨³ (ÍþÎä) This refers to military might, brave with prestige/style. It¡¯s referring to Xu Muda (ÐíĽ´ï), not Xu Yunqi (ÐìÔÆÆð) ¨C the chinese characters for Xu of their surnames are different. ¡°Xu-daren does not fear the lackeys, his courage is commendable!¡± The officials of the Ministry of War were extremely sincere as they praised him in one accord, their tears pouring down like the sea. Like the myriad stars twinkling around the bright moon, they offered their well-wishes to Xu Muda in the center. All of these people had the same thought ¨C since this person hasn¡¯t yet been put to death by a thousand cuts [9], and his nine clans exterminated, they can flaunt this before their future descendants. [9] su¨¬ g¨¥ l¨ªng ch¨ª (Áè³ÙËé¹Ð) An ancient form of torture, one of the cruelest forms of execution in Ancient China. It is also known as Lingchi, where parts of the body were removed slice by slice in a methodical fashion. The punishment worked on three levels: as a form of public humiliation, as a slow and lingering death, and as a punishment after death. Xu Muda had just driven off the vicious dog a moment ago and was feeling extremely pleased with himself. Basking in the glory of the unanimous cheering, he modestly demurred again and again¡­ It was at this moment that the gatekeepers came to report that the Jinyiwei Deputy Commander Xu Yunqi had also come to visit. Just chased off one, and now another one has arrived?! Xu Muda spoke up in an aggressive and unrestrained manner,¡± Every daren should just wait here. This person surnamed [10] Xu will take responsibility for his own actions, and go back with the lackeys to present ourselves before the Emperor, to explain the rationale, and express our outrage!¡± [10] m¨¯u (ij) ¨C A modest way of referring to oneself, in lieu of using ¡°I¡±. It is usually added behind the surname. I.e. Xu ¨C mo x¨³ m¨¯u (Ðíij) The group of officials made sounds of agreement, and Xu Muda rolled up his sleeves as he hastily exited the hall. The crowd of officials put their heads together as they whispered amongst themselves, animatedly discussing the matter. One of the Secretaries suddenly realized what was amiss, and sad,¡± Xu Yunqi¡­is that the young gongzi that General Tiande had sent into the palace to take up duties, the Prince of Yan¡¯s brother-in-law [11]?¡± [11] n¨¨i d¨¬ (ÄÚµÜ) lit. ¡°inner brother¡±. Wife¡¯s younger brother, because one¡¯s wife is ( ƒÈ×Ó or ÄÚÈË ) lit.¡± the one in the interior¡±, it is a literary or humble way of speaking of one¡¯s wife. The hall fell into a solemn silence, and in next moment, the Left Vice Minister of War cried out miserably,¡± This is dire! Hurry, drag Xu-daren back!¡± Xu Yunqi: Xu Da¡¯s son. The Prince of Yan, Zhu Di¡¯s young brother-in-law, the current Crown Prince, Zhu Yunwen¡¯s pet dog, the Deputy Commander of the Jinyiwei. Anyone who has been an official in Nanjing will know the extent of blame and punishments that Xu Yunqi has taken on Zhu Yunwen¡¯s behalf. This morning, the Emperor had just announced to the world that he had established the Imperial Grandson as his heir. If Xu Yunqi lost so much as one of his noble feathers with their ¡®flower that thrives in winter [12]¡¯ elegance in the Ministry of War today, everyone here would probably have to embrace one another as they died! [12] l¨§n¨À y¨¤n (ÀäÑÞ) lit.¡±cold and gorgeous¡±. It refers to the arrogance and elegance of gorgeous flowers that can survive cold weather. I.e. the beauty of winter flowers. It was said that Xue Muda rushed out as proudly and complacently as if he were treading on air. He was followed by a crowd of Ministry of War officials tugging at his arms and pulling at his legs, bitterly pleading with him. Yunqi paid no heed to Xu Muda, instead arching his hands as he smiled modestly, and said,¡± Hello to all these uncles and elders.¡± Xu Muda was speechless with astonishment, as everyone quickly rushed forward from the hall to meet him, saying,¡± Nephew [13] Xu¡­ Aiyo, it¡¯s Nephew Xu¡­¡± [13] sh¨¬ zh¨ª (ÊÀÖ¶) refers to a friend (of the same generation as you)¡¯s son. Yunqi greeted them respectfully as sh¨± b¨® qi¨¢n b¨¨i (Ê岮ǰ±²) uncles and elders because his father Xu Da, courtesy name Tiande, was one of their contemporaries, thus they greet him as nephew. Tuoba Feng snorted in contempt. ¡°Tuoba-daren¡­Aiyo, Tuoba-daren¡­¡± Everyone hastily came forward to apologize to Tuoba Feng. Yunqi arched his hands in courtesy entering the room gracefully. He smiled and said,¡± It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve been to the Ministry of War. The last time was when I was three years old¡­ even the furnishings haven¡¯t changed?¡± Such words were invariably nonsense, what could a three-year-old child remember? Xu Muda who was ¡®left out to dry¡¯ by the side, watched helplessly as Yunqi and Tuoba Feng were ushered by the group into the hall. He really couldn¡¯t understand the fickleness of human nature, why did the officials change their attitudes in an instant? Xu Muda didn¡¯t know who Xu Yunqi was, and he couldn¡¯t take it lying down. Just as he was about to stir up matters, Yunqi and Tuoba Feng had already taken their seats. They heard the Ministry of War¡¯s gatekeepers loudly announce,¡± The Minister of War-daren has arrived!¡± Yunqi who had just sat down, quickly got up to meet him, only to see the Minister of War, Qi Kuoyan arrive hand-in-hand with another person in the Ministry of War. Upon catching sight of the feiyufu, Qi Kuoyan¡¯s heart also trembled involuntarily. He attended court every day, and naturally would recognize Yunqi, and hurriedly spoke: ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that Nephew Xu was already waiting here. Kuoyan [14] was late today, please forgive me.¡± [14] When someone refers to themself by their first name, they are showing humility or familiarity. Yunqi merely replied,¡± No harm done. It is merely about investigating a small matter.¡± He smiled as he gave up his seat, his eyes fixed on the person behind Qi Kuoyan. The person who accompanied the Minister of War was Lan Yu [15]. [15] l¨¢n y¨´ (À¶Óñ) lit.¡±blue jade¡±. Lan Yu was a founding general of the Ming Dynasty. He was later put to death by the Hongwu Emperor, with 15,000 people implicated in the case and executed as part of the Four Major Cases of the Ming Dynasty. In history, it was Jiang Huan as the commander of the Jinyiwei who had accused Lan Yu of plotting a rebellion, finding about 10,000 japanese swords, the latter being put to death for treason. This incident was known as the Lan Yu Case (Ë{Óñ°¸), and it was believed that Hongwu Emperor orchestrated his death to eliminate threats to his successor Zhu Yunwen. Ironically this action contributed to the future downfall of Zhu Yunwen, as there were no capable generals to prevent Zhu Di from later usurping the throne. Lan Yu was a valiant general under Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s command and was the Prince of Kaiping, Chang Yuchun ¡®s brother-in-law [11]. If one were to consider his military ability, other than Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, there was no one amongst the Ming Dynasty founding generals who was superior to him. Several years ago, he had achieved a major victory against the remnants of the Northern Yuan rebel horde during the battle at Buir Lake [16]. [16] b¨³ y¨² er h¨£i zh¨© zh¨¤n (²¶Óã¶ùº£Ö®Õ½) lit.¡±The Battle of the Fishing sea¡± The Battle of Buir Lake was a decisive battle between the Ming Dynasty and the Northern Yuan dynasty in 1388. Lan Yu led 150,000 troops to battle against Uskhal Khan T?g¨¹s Tem¨¹r at Buir Lake (between China and Mongolia), and won. Lan Yu had spent his life on numerous military expeditions and had made immense military contributions. In comparison with ¡°Wei Qing ¡± and ¡°Li Jing [17]¡±, it could be seen that Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s treatment of this person was much more impressive. [16] w¨¨i q¨©ng (ÎÀÇà) Wei Qing, courtesy name Zhongqing was a Western Han general famed for his campaigns against the Xiongnu, and his rags to riches story. l¨« j¨¬ng (À) Li Jing, courtesy name Yaoshi was a Tang Dynasty general who defeated the Tujue and aided the Tang empire to turn them into a vassal state. These two generals were likely brought up because they all helped their Emperor defeat one of the ¡®barbarians¡¯, e.g. the Xiongnu, the Tujue and the Northern Yuan (Mongols). Yunqi didn¡¯t dare act rashly before Lan Yu, instead treating him with the etiquette befitting of an elder, as he said,¡± Xu Yunqi greets Uncle Lan.¡± In terms of seniority, Lan Yu is of the same generation as Xu Da. Thus, Xu Yunqi calling him uncle would not be considered flattery or an attempt to curry favor. Lan Yu found Yunqi¡¯s looks somewhat familiar, and laughed heartily,¡± So it was the Xu family¡¯s young fellow! All dressed in feiyufu, this general almost didn¡¯t recognize you!¡± Yunqi¡¯s gaze swept across the gathered people and noted that Xu Muda had long disappeared without a trace. He¡¯d probably realized the unfavorable situation and beat a hasty retreat. Yunqi thought in his heart, you can run but you can¡¯t escape forever [17]; he¡¯d still be able to stir up trouble for Xu Muda in the future. Yunqi clarified his purpose in coming, and expressed,¡± I would like to request to borrow the military register to check some names.¡± [17] pa¨¯ d¨¦ lia¨¯ h¨¦ sh¨¤ng , pa¨¯ b¨´ lia¨¯ mi¨¤o (ÅܵÃÁ˺ÍÉÐ,Åܲ»ÁËÃí) lit.¡±the monk can run away, but the temple won¡¯t run with him, it means that you can run this time but eventually you¡¯ll have to return, I¡¯ll get you sooner or later. The assembled group of officials observed thirty seconds of silent mourning for Xu Muda before scattering. Qi Kuoyan was in a bit of a quandary as he replied,¡± Nephew Xu, I won¡¯t hide it from you. If you want to have a look at the capital¡¯s military register it¡¯s fine; but for the garrison transfers, the rosters etc ¨C without his Majesty¡¯s Imperial edict, the Jinyiwei wouldn¡¯t be able to assess those.¡± Yunqi¡¯s heart skipped once, and by association was reminded of Jiang Huan¡¯s words. Could it be that the garrison transfers for soldiers returning to the capital really had some problem? If this was true, with Lan Yu present, trying to investigate this matter would be even more troublesome. Unexpectedly, Lan Yu actually said,¡± Ai, what kind of words are these! Kuoyan, just bring the roster for the four armies here, and let Nephew Xu have a look.¡± The Minister of War was so frightened that his face paled. Lan Yu spoke loudly,¡± The Jinyiwei are handling official business, so of course, they¡¯ve already received the Imperial edict. So why wouldn¡¯t they be able to have a look? In this blistering hot sun, to make Nephew Xu have to make another trip to the palace, how could I feel at ease?¡± Yunqi was even more suspicious of this. Looking at Qi Kuoyan and Lan Yu, they really didn¡¯t seem to be conspiring with one another. He just felt like his brain was in a fog, and couldn¡¯t figure out what was odd about the situation. Tuoba Feng who had been silent all this while finally spoke up, ¡°There¡¯s no need to take it back, merely borrowing it to read for one or two shichen will suffice.¡± Lan Yu narrowed his eyes as he gave Tuoba Feng an assessing glance,¡± You are Jiang Huan¡¯s senior disciple?¡± Tuoba Feng inclined his head slightly and met Lan Yu¡¯s gaze. Lan Yu may be an unrefined person, but his clothes were highly exquisite. The black python embroidered clothes that he wore made this strong and burly [18] valiant general look outstandingly magnificent and heroic. [18] h¨³ b¨¨i xi¨®ng y¨¡o (»¢±³ÐÜÑü) lit.¡±tiger¡¯s back, bear¡¯s waist¡±. It refers to burly and strong men, with backs as supple as a tiger¡¯s and waists as strong as a bear¡¯s. Most of the military officials have thick brows and bright eyes, their gazes displaying the martial arts practitioners¡¯ brilliant inborn vitality; the demeanor of a martial arts expert. But when compared to Tuoba Feng, the latter was actually superior. Qi Kuoyan had no alternative but to personally retrieve the name register. That register was written in characters as small as the head of a fly. It was filled with people¡¯s names, a hundred names per page, a hundred pages per volume; each book listing ten thousand names. When stacked together, there were forty thick volumes. Lan Yu smiled,¡± Take them back, take them back¡­how would you be able to read them all in a short while?!¡± Yunqi smiled as he replied,¡± I¡¯ve heard that there are 150,000 people in Uncle Lan¡¯s army and that you remember all of them. Has there ever been an error?¡± Whilst chatting, he reached out to take a volume and flipped it open. Lan Yu drank a mouthful of tea, then responded,¡± Hai, Uncle Lan is just a rough fellow, and doesn¡¯t have this ability. I can remember the lists of the baihu and qianhu [19] leaders which is already about a thousand plus people, and that¡¯s it.¡± [19] b¨£i h¨´ (°Ù»§) lit.¡±One hundred households¡± & qi¨¡n h¨´ (ǧ»§) lit.¡±One thousand households¡± are hereditary military positions, in charge of one hundred and one thousand households respectively. The Ming dynasty set up a Wei-Suo military system where the soldiers are meant to be self-sufficient; they would grow their own food via military farms, and had rotations for training and military positions. Most of the soldiers from the Ming army came from military households (about 20% of the households), and each household was expected to send one man to serve in the army, if that one died, the household must send another. Yunqi teased,¡± What if the name¡¯s wrong, or maybe a deserter¡¯s name changes his name, what do you do then?¡± Lan Yu laughed heartily at this, and said,¡± How would one change their name? Entering the military is like settling down in the city and requires the certificate of household registration which states the person¡¯s location of birth, and their birth name, and must come with the household official¡¯s official seal. This information is clear at a glance.¡± Yunqi¡¯s tone was fascinated as he asked,¡± There are so many people in the army, what happens if they have the same name?¡± Lan Yu shook his head and smiled, clearly he¡¯d never thought of his question before. Yunqi¡¯s hand didn¡¯t stop turning the pages, and over the space of their conversation had already flipped through an entire volume. Qi Kuoyan was aware of Yunqi¡¯s abilities and wasn¡¯t surprised. However, Lan Yu stared fixedly, and muttered at the injustice,¡± Yunqi has such talents, not only can you multi-task, but you also possess an eidetic memory, how are you merely a Deputy Commander?!¡± Yunqi smiled, his eyes speed-reading ten lines at a glance, as he replied casually,¡± Yunqi only has this little talent that can be considered presentable, I¡¯ve let Uncle Lan witness this embarrassment [20].¡± [20] ji¨¤n xi¨¤o (¼ûЦ) ¨C to witness something laughable, a joke, it is used to express humility or apologies over a lapse or mistake. Lan Yu said, ¡°No, I will present this to the Emperor tomorrow. A talented person of such ability, how could you just be a Deputy Commander?¡± Qi Kuoyan sighed in his heart incessantly. It¡¯s unknown which manner of Taisui [21] he¡¯d provoked, but this time he¡¯d certainly thoroughly offended Tuoba Feng. [21] t¨¤i su¨¬ (Ì«Ëê) refers to the God of Taisui, each of which represents a year in the 60-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. There are 12 animal signs, which are combined with the five chinese elements of fire, earth, metal (gold), water, and wood, thus representing 60 gods, one for each year. Offending the God of Taisui will bring misfortune, bad relationships, poor physician health. Whether Yunqi would be promoted to Commander is yet to be seen, but one only fears that Tuoba Feng will return to punish the Ministry of War. Unexpectedly, Tuoba Feng couldn¡¯t hold back his laughter and said,¡± If Feng is to be compared with Yunqi, of course, I would be vastly inferior. Deputy Commander Xu is indolent by nature and doesn¡¯t like to manage affairs. Our teacher had me stand in to do the legwork.¡± Lan Yu was extremely direct, and arrogant due to his own meritorious achievements. Thus he tended to speak freely and without a filter. Now that he¡¯d learned that Tuoba Feng was actually the Commander, Tuoba Feng¡¯s own candid admissions had increased his favorable impression of the former. He bantered,¡± You are the Commander? Looking at you, you¡¯re obviously also a brave and unyielding sort- so who¡¯d you fight with just now?¡± Before Tuoba Yan could respond, Lan Yu seemed to have discovered something, he asked,¡± Your eyes are deep set, and your nose has an eagle hook to it. Your nose bridge and cheekbones are high, so you¡¯re not a person of the Central Plains?¡± Tuoba Feng answered, ¡°I¡¯m Tujue. That year when the Prince of Yan went on a military expedition, the Northern Yuan people evacuated in a panic and slaughtered my entire tribe. It was the Prince of Yan who found me¡­¡± Yunqi was slightly astonished by this, he pressed his hands onto the name register, and with his fingers pointing at the exact spot, he turned and smiled,¡± You were carried back by my Brother-in-law?¡± Tuoba Feng met Yunqi¡¯s line of sight, and slid down a fraction, landing on that single name. Tuoba Feng nodded his head. Yunqi scratched his head, turned the pages of the register back to the cover, and smiled, saying,¡± But I¡¯ve never heard you mention it.¡± Tuoba Feng saw the name of the commanding officer on the cover, shockingly, it was actually Lan Yu. Yunqi continued to flip through the volumes, and was just about to search for a new topic to speak on, when Lan Yu asked,¡± What matter is it that warrants the Commander and Deputy Commander to personally investigate?¡± Tuoba Feng replied indifferently,¡± A homicide.¡±¡± Lan Yu didn¡¯t fully understand, but nodded his head, then said, ¡° Within the army, the soldiers fight and tussle all the time, and there are many who die. If we investigated each and everyone the way you are, I don¡¯t know when we¡¯d ever finish.¡± Could such words be spoken aloud? Yunqi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry, it seems that this Great General truly wasn¡¯t at all scheming. Thus he could only respond rather awkwardly, ¡° It is an era of peace and tranquility, Uncle Lan jests.¡± Lan Yu replied insouciantly, ¡°Hey, an era of peace and tranquility. If peace prevails, then your Uncle Lan will be transferred back to the capital city and locked¡­¡± Yunqi¡¯s countenance was severe as he cried out,¡± Uncle Lan!¡± Tuoba Feng inhaled deeply. Yunqi laughed and said,¡± My Brother-in-law often thinks about you. The last time I heard him say something like, if I¡¯m free I should arrange a banquet in the capital? The both of you can get together? That year when you took him on expedition¡­¡± Lan Yu replied raucously,¡± Forget it! I¡¯m not fond of your Brother-in-law, he¡¯s wicked sort [22]!¡± [22] y¨© d¨´ zi hu¨¤i shu¨« (Ò»¶Ç×Ó»µË®) lit.¡±a bellyfull of bad water¡±, which means that person has a bad heart, is not a good person, not trustworthy. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yunqi had just plastered his warm face against someone¡¯s cold backside [23], and really wanted to hurl the book violently at Lan Yu. Tuoba Feng involuntarily burst out laughing at this time. Lan Yu chuckled a few times and waved his large hand as he said,¡± You, this fellow are extremely sharp and alert. As for this temper of mine, the Prince of Zhongshan [23] really looked after me very well, it is a pity that he died early¡­¡± [23] r¨¨ li¨£n ti¨¥ le l¨§ng p¨¬ gu (ÈÈÁ³ÌùÁËÀäƨ¹É) It means to be flattering and trying to please someone, but they are completely indifferent and unreceptive to your efforts. [24] zh¨­ng sh¨¡n w¨¢ng (ÖÐɽÍõ) Prince of Zhongshan was Xu Da¡¯s posthumous title. Yunqi said,¡± He was buried at our old home in Zhongli.¡± Lan Yu sighed a few times, before speaking,¡± If I have the time, I will go make some sacrifices for him. If you have anything that you require assistance with, come to the 7th Hutong Residence and find Uncle Lan.¡± Yunqi nodded and placed the last volume of the name register back properly, and said,¡± Since this is the case, I will offer my thanks to the Great General.¡± Lan Yu said,¡± Since Xu Tiande, Chang Yuchun died, this dynasty no longer has any great generals.¡± When Yunqi and Tuoba Feng heard his words, they felt profound respect and admiration for this person. Yunqi smiled,¡± I¡¯ve finished looking at them, and haven¡¯t found that person. I¡¯ll think of other methods. I¡¯m truly sorry for delaying Uncle Lan and the Minister of War¡¯s time. Once I¡¯ve finished investigating this case, I¡¯ll find the time to pay Uncle Lan a visit.¡± Lan Yu rose to his feet but was in no hurry. Together with the Minister of War, they personally sent the two Jinyiwei to the main gate, before turning and returning inside. Unknowingly, it was already afternoon. The summer weather had the capriciousness of a child, changing as and when it pleased. Both of them had just stepped out of the Ministry of War as thunder crashed in the skies, and the dark clouds came rolling in. The rain poured down in torrents, the water crashing down noisily. Tuoba Feng who hadn¡¯t yet had the opportunity to compare notes and discuss their views was abruptly completely drenched. He hurriedly tried to shield Yunqi from the rain whilst seeking shelter. They stood under the eaves of a house and heard Yunqi¡¯s stomach growl. Tuoba Feng asked,¡± Hungry?¡± Yunqi was still lost in his thoughts. Tuoba Feng patted Yunqi¡¯s shoulder and asked again. Yunqi came out of his reverie, and smiled, saying,¡± I only ate my breakfast before coming to help clean up this mess for you. You tell me if I should be hungry?¡± The corner of Tuoba Feng¡¯s mouth lifted almost imperceptibly in a slight smile, and said,¡± Shi-ge is hungry too. Let¡¯s find a place to fill our bellies first before we fuss over things.¡± Yunqi peered out from under the eaves and saw that the passerby was harried and as sopping wet as chickens that had fallen into the soup. He smiled and said,¡± Run towards the west of the city? After Jiuliang street, there¡¯s a Dupang Noodle store¡­you brought me to that stall before¡­¡± Tuoba Feng said,¡° That was so long ago, but you can still remember it so clearly.¡± Yunqi said,¡± Ok. I¡¯ll go now, follow me¡­¡± ¡°Your injuries have only just recovered, don¡¯t get caught in the rain!¡± Tuoba Feng yelled. Yunqi curved his body and ran into the rain. Tuoba Feng had no choice but to lengthen his strides as he pursued from behind. One before and one after, they sprinted towards the noodle shop. Translator¡¯s Note: PS. The husband normally gives all his money to his wife to keep. How can Little Tuoba Feng be so precious. CH 6 Little Yunqi fearfully followed behind Little Tuoba Feng¡¯s back, as he admitted,¡± Shi-ge, I¡¯m really too hungry today, I ate one of your flatbreads.¡± ¡°Where¡¯d the flatbread come from?¡± ¡°The Imperial Grandson hid two from his own meal and instructed that we each have one. I ate yours as well.¡± Little Tuoba Feng shushed him secretively, before lifting his sleeve to brush away the crumbs from Little Yunqi¡¯s mouth. He looked around from left to right before tugging at him. The two of them squatted behind the artificial rockery in the Imperial Garden. Tuoba Feng picked up a tree branch and drew some symbols on the ground, saying,¡± Just now Shi-ge saw something.¡± Little Yunqi asked,¡± What?¡± Little Tuoba Feng said,¡± I was passing by Qingwan Palace [1], and heard a woman cry out¡­ I held onto the window and watched for a while, the Emperor was hitting the Noble Consort [2], and even lay on top of her, as he moved and moved¡­¡± [1] q¨©ng w¨£n di¨¤n (ÇåÍñµî) Palace of Fresh Beauty. [2] gu¨¬ f¨¥i (¹óåú) Guifei, or Noble Consort. Little Yunqi asked foolishly,¡± Why¡¯d he hit her? Isn¡¯t the Noble Consort a great beauty?¡± Little Tuoba Feng said ¡°Pei! It¡¯s not that kind of hit!¡± He casually tossed away the branch and reached out a hand to press down Little Yunqi. ¡°It¡¯s like this, both legs around. And took off all her clothes¡­¡± Little Yunqi was utterly at a loss, having been pushed down by Little Tuoba Feng on the grass behind the artificial rockery. Little Tuoba Feng made ¡°En, en¡± sounds as he came closer to kiss him a little. Little Yunqi found it hilarious, saying,¡± That¡¯s not a fight. The Emperor is cherishing [3] her!¡± [3] t¨¦ng (ÌÛ) lit.¡± pain¡±. In this case, it means to love someone dearly and dote on them. Little Tuoba Feng nevertheless kissed Little Yunqi¡¯s lips, and mumbled,¡± En, Shi-ge is cherishing you.¡± Little Yunqi said,¡± That¡¯s not right. How can you press me down, I¡¯m not a girl!¡± Little Tuoba Feng said,¡± You can press onto me.¡± Having said this, he flipped himself over, lying unmoving on the grass, saying,¡± You can lie on top of Shi-ge¡¯s body.¡±Little Yunqi didn¡¯t really understand as he draped himself over. Little Tuoba Feng said,¡± Turn to the side.¡± Little Yunqi used Little Tuoba Feng¡¯s arm as a pillow. Little Tuoba Feng embraced him, and let the former rest on his chest. The two of them bent their knees and hugged one another. The skies above the Imperial garden were clear and vast, and the sky was flecked with white clouds. Little Yunqi suddenly said,¡± Not right! Like this, you¡¯re still treating me like a girl!¡± Little Zhu Yunwen turned around the artificial rockery and was taken aback. He stuttered,¡± Ah, ah¡­Yun-ge¡­¡± Tuoba Feng was slightly displeased as he asked,¡± What are you looking at?¡± ¡°Not looking at anything.¡± Yunqi secretly found it very amusing, as he licked his lips, the very image of propriety. The waiter nodded and bent down to serve two big bowls of beef noodles. Tuoba Feng picked up the chopsticks and split them. Yunqi picked up a portion of less than half of his noodles and placed it into Tuoba Feng¡¯s bowl; Tuoba Feng picked up the thin slices of beef and gave them to Yunqi. Both of them were used to exchanging noodles and meat, they then mixed the noodles in the big bowls, before concentrating on eating. The beef slices were as thin as paper and exhibited an attractive luster under the dim lights of the oil lamp. The surface of the soup was covered in a layer of red oil, exuding the delicate fragrance of scallions. Outside the noodle shop, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, a rainstorm howled above the skies of Nanjing. There were no other customers on this rainy day. The waiter wiped the empty tables and sat behind the counter as he stared blankly at Yunqi, preparing to close the shop for the night. Tuoba Feng was the first to finish his food. He put his chopsticks down as he quietly observed Yunqi. After a moment he asked softly,¡± Do you suppose that Lan Yu knows about this matter?¡± Yunqi drank his big bowl of soup with great relish, his body was now nice and warm. He lifted his sleeves to wipe at his mouth, his lips suffused with alluring rosy moisture, as he smiled and answered,¡± Most likely he doesn¡¯t know, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have let me look at the name register.¡± Tuoba Feng nodded. Yunqi asked again,¡± The thread of clues has also snapped here, let¡¯s go back and ask the old man?¡± Tuoba Feng responded, ¡°No need. I have a general idea of what¡¯s going on now. When the rain stops, I¡¯ll make another trip to Li Village. Waiter! You can close the shop now, we¡¯ll just borrow your stools to sit on.¡± Tuoba Feng paid for the noodles, then moved over a long bench, sitting shoulder to shoulder with Yunqi under the eaves of the house. The thunderbolts galloped madly across the sky¡¯s zenith, and the ground bloomed with ten million fragmented white rain flowers. Tuoba Feng asked,¡± What did that old man¡­say in the beginning?¡± Yunqi was confused as he said,¡± He said that this was definitely a serious case. But I can¡¯t figure it out. How serious can a case involving a rank-and-file soldier under General Lan Yu be?¡± Tuoba Feng said,¡± Don¡¯t forget who was the one who gave me the orders.¡± There was another peal of thunder, illuminating the faces of pedestrians in the rain with its pallid glow. Yunqi frowned slightly as he asked,¡± It is the Emperor who wants¡­to take the opportunity to kill someone?¡± Tuoba Feng didn¡¯t respond. Yunqi said, ¡°Let me straighten out my train of thought.¡± ¡°First of all, Li Xi¡¯er died outside the city and was slain by someone called Wang Hu. The Emperor knows of it and had us investigate. The problem is, how did the Emperor learn of it?¡± Tuoba Feng said, ¡°Let¡¯s not think of this first.¡± Yunqi spoke again, ¡° Sure, let¡¯s put that aside first. This person named Wang Hu, was a soldier of the rank and file, and was discharged from Lan Yu¡¯s troops before he returned to the Li Village to spend his days.¡± ¡°How much does this have to do with Lan Yu? A soldier that has removed his armor and returned to the fields [4], is no longer under his jurisdiction. Even if a charge is to be stuck on the General, it should at least be someone under his current command¡­¡± [4] ji¨§ ji¨£ gu¨© ti¨¢ (½â¼×¹éÌï) This is an idiom referring to the soldiers leaving the military service and resuming civilian life, and can also mean retirement or being discharged. It is from Gao Yang¡¯s¡¶Ç幬ÍâÊ·¡·. There¡¯s a famous quote from Changgeng of SPL (Priest), where he says ¡°My general, how many famous generals of all dynasties can be released from their armies and return to their fields in peace?¡± Tuoba Feng suddenly remarked,¡± The people of the Li Village are surnamed Li, thus it¡¯s not Wang Hu¡¯s own hometown.¡± Yunqi came to this abrupt realization, and said,¡± Thus there should never have been a dispute over the farmland since it was never his home. So why the tussle over fields?¡± Tuoba Feng nodded in assent, ¡°Without that, the only possibility is¡­¡± Yunqi¡¯s voice shook as he replied,¡± Wang Hu was engaged in an unknown matter, perhaps this situation was unexpectedly discovered by the victim, who was killed so he wouldn¡¯t tell any tales¡­ We need to return and check ¨C the breakthrough must be in searching his home.¡± Tuoba Feng noted the rain was getting lighter, and said,¡± Let¡¯s go. The suspicious thing is in regard to his home. If we can find anything there ¨C perhaps it¡¯s contraband. My guess is that it¡¯s likely evidence that was planted to frame him.¡± Just thinking about it, Yunqi realized that if Wang Hu had accomplices, by this time, the interior of that old house should already have been cleaned up. If they were able to uncover anything from searching at this time, it was more likely to be planted evidence to frame Lan Yu. Yunqi hastily caught up to Tuoba Feng, and hurriedly spoke up from behind,¡± The Li Village is part of the route for the Crown Prince¡¯s funeral cortege, there is only one way to the Imperial Mausoleum from Nanjing¡­¡± Yunqi paused his footsteps. Tuoba Feng turned under the drizzle, and nodded as he declared,¡± My guess is that the Emperor intends to buckle the hat of rebellion on Lan Yu.¡± Yunqi¡¯s voice trembled,¡± Shixiong, did you forget how Mao Xiang [5] died? That year, the case of Hu Weiyong had been personally uncovered by him. Almost ten thousand people died ¨C their families executed and their property confiscated!¡± [5] m¨¢o xi¨¡ng (ëæø) Mao Xiang had originally been a qianhu and was later promoted to Commander. After Duan Shixiong in Tengzhou rebelled, Mao Xiang led his troops to pacify the siutation. After arresting many Japanese pirates in Zhejiang, he was promoted to the post of Governor. Later he took charge of the Jinyiwei, but died because of the Hu Weiyong case, one of the Four Major Cases of the early Ming dynasty. ¡°The Emperor had no recourse but to kill Mao Xiang in order to appease the wrath of the masses¡­ This case cannot be investigated further [7]! I fear that the implications are too wide and far-reaching. Listen to me, quickly turn it over to the Ministry of Justice!¡± [7] Yunqi is shaken because the Emperor assigned this task to Tuoba Feng ¨C if there¡¯s to be a scapegoat to appease the public wrath, it will be Tuoba Feng. Tuoba Feng said,¡± Mutual dependence [7]¡­you won¡¯t die.¡± Disregarding Yunqi, he walked back to the capital city on his own. [7] xi¨¡ng y¨© w¨¦i m¨¬ng (ÏàÒÀΪÃü) lit.¡± mutual dependence in order to survive¡±. It generally refers to a mutual reliance and dependence, neither can be separated. Usually for couples or families. Tuoba Feng only said the first part, but his words are clearly referencing what he said to Little Yunqi when he was a child. Yunqi inhaled deeply before he turned and ran. ¡°Where are you going!¡± Tuoba Feng hollered loudly through the rain. Yunqi didn¡¯t answer him, and Tuoba Feng chased him for several paces, before standing firmly in the rain. He pondered for a moment, before yelling,¡± Yunqi, don¡¯t run about wildly! Come back with Shixiong!¡± Yunqi ran like the wind, causing the rainwater on the ground to splatter and spray like innumerable water flowers. His black brocade boots were soaked and the rain dripped down his forehead. He flung his sleeves wide and charged into that extremely familiar little building. Yunqi lifted the copper knocker on the door and clapped it down fiercely. The black wooden door creaked once, before opening slowly. ¡°Shi-niang!¡± Yunqi was short of breath as he said,¡± To come to disturb you at night, I really feel very apolog¡­¡± Madam Jiang wore a bamboo hat against the rain and held a cowhide lantern in one hand. She smiled gently, and said, ¡° Come in, Tudi¡¯er [8]. Lao-Jiang has sat at home waiting for you for a day already.¡± [8] t¨² d¨¬ er(ͽµÜ¶ù) Madam Jiang is calling him disciple, with the more familiar ¨Cer tacked on, which means child, son. It¡¯s quite affectionate. Yunqi took the ginger soup and tilted his neck upwards as he drank a few mouthfuls. Jiang Huan sat on a chair, as he asked solemnly,¡± You discovered it?¡± Yunqi nodded, and said,¡± Shixiong already went outside the city. Shifu, this cannot be investigated further! It must be transferred to the Ministry of Justice tomorrow ¨C what is the Emperor thinking? Both of us are merely Jinyiwei, if we really accuse Lan Yu of rebellion ¨C setting aside whether there is even such a thing; the entire Northern Expedition army as numerous as the mountains and seas, and the entire Imperial Court ¨C wouldn¡¯t they all come and cut us down?!¡± Jiang Huan said to his wife, ¡° You call someone over. Have them go outside the city gates, and tell Tuoba Feng to return to the capital. Instruct him not to enter the palace, but come here to the residence.¡± Madam Jiang nodded and left. Jiang Huan asked,¡± Yunqi, do you fear becoming another Mao Xiang?¡± Yunqi didn¡¯t answer. Jiang Huan articulated,¡± Your background is grand and illustrious. In the future, when the Imperial Grandson ascends to the throne, your future will be bright and boundless. You currently holding the post of Deputy Commander is merely to give you a chance to learn, in the future when you can play a pivotal role as the mainstay, you¡¯ll be the Commander.¡± Yunqi cried,¡± Then what about Shixiong?! Shixiong has no one to rely on and is of Tujue blood. In the event that the case blows up beyond saving, the first to be thrown out to be made a scapegoat will be him! Why aren¡¯t you concerned about what will happen to Shixiong?¡± Jiang Huan laughed grimly, ¡°If Feng-er doesn¡¯t investigate, then who will? You tell me ¨C who is he acting as a scapegoat for?¡± Yunqi drank the ginger soup and felt a searing sensation in his throat. Having said these words, Jiang Huan became reticent. He shut his eyes. The pair of disciple and teacher sat quietly across a charcoal stove. After a while, Yunqi suddenly said,¡± Shifu, I have decided¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Jiang Huan scolded him coldly. After midnight, the rain came down heavily. The Jiang family retainers had finally met with Tuoba Feng who was returning to the capital city. Tuoba Feng carried a large cloth-wrapped bundle and was as drenched as a chicken that had fallen into the soup. He strode into the front hall, and saw Yunqi and Jiang Huan together, but did not indicate any surprise ¨C clearly, he¡¯d already put two and two together. Tuoba Feng placed the cloth-wrapped bundle on the table, as he clasped his fist in salute towards Jiang Huan. ¡°You¡¯ve investigated it already?¡± Yunqi asked uneasily. Tuoba Feng unwrapped the bundle, and inside it was dozens of sharp crossbows that had been dipped in poison. Tuoba Feng reported quietly, ¡°Inside Wang Hu¡¯s house, below the bed was a secret passage. The secret passage leads to about half a li outside the village. There was gunpowder buried below the ground, but they¡¯ve been soaked by the heavy rain and cannot be ignited.¡± ¡°I also found a letter.¡± Tuoba Feng shook open the sodden letter paper, using both hands to present it to Jiang Huan. Jiang Huan stroked his beard whilst reading the letter for a moment, before saying,¡± This is a secret order from Lan Yu to commit treason ¨C during the Crown Prince¡¯s funeral cortege on the way to the mausoleum, they are to use the poisoned arrows to assassinate the Emperor and Imperial Grandson.¡± Tuoba Feng nodded in agreement, and said, ¡°If the gunpowder was buried prematurely, there is a possibility of rain ruining them. Thus they first dug a secret passage, and waited until it was closer to the time of the coffin being escorted to the mausoleum before they buried it¡­ It is likely that the deceased glimpsed this, and thus was silenced by Wang Hu.¡± Jiang Huan spoke again,¡± Given that there are more than ten crossbows, there should be accomplices.¡± Tuoba Feng replied,¡± Accomplices¡­I don¡¯t know who they are.¡± Jiang Huan said, ¡° You don¡¯t know who? Yunqi, tell him.¡± Yunqi didn¡¯t reply, and Jiang Huan rebuked him angrily,¡± You¡¯re not even listening to Shifu anymore?¡± After a long while, Yunqi said,¡± The villagers of Li Village¡­can all be viewed as accomplices. You should have dragged back several men in the prime of their life and killed them, leaving them in the house. And during tomorrow¡¯s court session, have the Ministry of Justice investigate; That will substantiate the case further¡­Sigh.¡± Tuoba Feng said,¡± You should have accompanied me, all along I can¡¯t do without you. So the game was actually set in the Li Village, and the villagers are to be utilized in this manner. I¡¯ve noted it down.¡± Jiang Huan said,¡± Fine. Now, there¡¯s still one thing missing.¡± Yunqi and Tuoba Feng didn¡¯t get his meaning. Jiang Huan continued,¡± Wan-er, bring the wooden tablet from the room.¡± Having said this, he raised his brush and dipped it into the ink. Yunqi quickly moved to his side to prepare the tools for writing [9]. [9] c¨¬ h¨°u b¨« m¨° (Ëźò±ÊÄ«) lit. ¡°serve the brush and ink¡±, it refers to the practice of literati having assistants or pages to prepare the tools for writing, which include the four treasures of a scholar¡¯s study; brush, inkstick, paper, inkstone. Madam Jiang held a carving knife in one hand, and a wooden tablet in the other. She sat by the side of the table. Jiang Huan drew a picture and instructed,¡± Carve it accordingly.¡± Before she¡¯d married this person who¡¯d been the second to hold the post of Commander of the Jinyiwei, she¡¯d been a skillful artisan of a gold shop in Nanjing, and her ability to wield a sharp knife was at the realm nearing perfection [10]. Only the sounds of the rainwater falling outside the hall could be heard. [10] ch¨± sh¨¦n r¨´ hu¨¤ (³öÉñÈ뻯) ¨C to describe a skill that has reached perfection, the realm of deities and transformation. Superb artistic achievements. Madam Jiang hummed a little tune and smiled demurely as her hands rose and the knife fell. In no time, she¡¯d carved a military waist token. The Great Ming Hongwu Weiyang 7th Army Verification Office: Wang Hu. After engraving the military title, Jiang Huan instructed, ¡°Apply three layers of varnish and seal it with wet clay. Bake it in the fire, and after it¡¯s done, add some cinnabar and ink. Smear some blood on the back of the token.¡± Madam Jiang agreed and left. Yunqi¡¯s heart shivered [11]. [11] They are knowingly framing General Lan Yu, and forging evidence. Which would warrant a death sentence in itself. But because they know this is the Emperor¡¯s intention in having Tuoba Feng investigate the case, if there is more evidence/ the case is more substantial, it is less likely that the mob will turn on Tuoba Feng. He is the designated scapegoat, just like Mao Xiang was. Half a shichen later, Madam Jiang carried an old feiyufu uniform that Jiang Huan had worn many years ago on her arm, and placed the waist token on top of the cloth bundle on the table. Madam Jiang unfolded the feiyufu, and asked with a soft laugh,¡± Who¡¯s wearing this?¡± Yunqi had already been mostly dried by the brazier, but Tuoba Feng was still wet and dripping. He took over Yunqi¡¯s half-drank bowl of ginger soup and downed it, before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll wear it and enter the palace now for an audience with the Emperor.¡± As he finished speaking, he moved forward to take the clothes. But Madam Jiang evaded him, smiling, ¡° I¡¯m just teasing you.¡± Jiang Huan sighed heavily, as he got to his feet and extended his arms. Madam Jiang put that Imperial guard¡¯s feiyufu on Jiang Huan and helped him dress. Yunqi and Tuoba Feng paled in fright as they cried out together, ¡°Shifu!¡± Jiang Huan said,¡± I¡¯m old! Is Yun-er at ease now? Shifu will personally make this trip for both of your sakes.¡± As Madam Jiang fastened Jiang Huan¡¯s belt, she whispered to him,¡± The Crown Prince¡¯s premature death has affected the Emperor, and his temperament is rather strange. Lao-ye [12] must be more cautious with his responses.¡± [12] l¨£o y¨¦ (ÀÏÒ¯) an honorific title for officials, wealthy or influential people, or the gentry. Servants also use this to refer respectfully to their masters. In this case, her husband. Jiang Huan replied,¡± Of the three generations of Commanders of the Jinyiwei, it is I, Lao-Jiang who has served the Emperor the longest. Of course, I won¡¯t go so far as to misspeak.¡± Madam Jiang smiled and voiced,¡± It is merely for the sake of reminding you. Come back earlier. Be more attentive when you¡¯re in the palace, don¡¯t get distracted.¡± Jiang Huan nodded, and Tuoba Feng carried the cloth bag. The horse carriage had already been prepared outside the residence. The teacher with his two disciples rode in the horse carriage and passed the Meridian gate. The flash of lightning tore across the gathered darkness, and the thunderbolts raged through vast land. The heavy rain cascaded down as if poured out from an immense basin. The 25th year of Hongwu, the 8th day of the 7th month. The Four Major Cases¡¯ implications were vast and far-reaching, the majority of the injuries and casualties were from Lan Yu¡¯s impending case. The fate of countless lives and their futures rested upon the three men in the horse carriage. The Imperial Study was still ablaze with lights. Jiang Huan said,¡± Both of you return to the courtyard and await the Imperial Edict. Since the material evidence is in hand, there is no need for you to enter as well. ¡° Tuoba Feng and Yunqi were conscious that Jiang Huan had something to say to Zhu Yuanzhang, and thus bowed to him in respect. Jiang Huan also left them with instructions, ¡°Have a good rest. Tomorrow, during the morning court, Feng-er should amend the duty roster. Both of you must attend the court together, and serve as the left and right.¡± Tuoba Feng agreed respectfully, and both men took their leave. Jiang Huan took over the cloth bundle and entered the Imperial Study. Yunqi was extremely exhausted, after cutting through half of the Imperial Palace and returning to the guard¡¯s courtyard, he lifted the grounding order and the crowd of Imperial Bodyguards rushed out, tongues all wagging as they questioned him incessantly. Yunqi asked,¡± Where¡¯s Zhang Qin?¡± Someone answered laughingly, ¡°Resting in his room.¡± Yunqi said, ¡°I¡¯ll go have a look at him. Tomorrow there will be last-minute shift changes. If anyone wants to be lazy and sleep in tomorrow, go talk to Lao-Ba yourself.¡± Yunqi directly entered Zhang Qin¡¯s room. Zhang Qin¡¯s injuries weren¡¯t very serious, he had some medicine smeared on his forehead as he sat on the bed¡£ He looked at the firefly fan in his hand as he turned it back and forth. Upon seeing Yunqi return, he hurriedly got up and said,¡° That mother¡­¡± Yunqi smiled and said,¡± Just need some sleep.¡± Zhang Qin said, ¡° You didn¡¯t get beaten did you? Laozi was rash and came back too hastily. I was waiting at the palace entrance, intending to summon some brothers to go with me to tear down the Ministry of War. By the time I rushed to the courtyard, you¡¯d already left¡­¡± Yunqi laughed and said, ¡°The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting [13], understand?¡± [13] b¨² zh¨¤n ¨¦r q¨± r¨¦n zh¨© b¨©ng (²»Õ½¶øÇüÈËÖ®±ø) A quote from Sun Tzu¡¯s The Art of War (Ëï×Ó±ø·¨) which is a set of ancient military strategies that are still studied today. It was written in 5th century BC. Zhang Qin grumbled at the unfairness of it, ¡° You didn¡¯t find trouble for them?¡± Yunqi replied in a mysterious and secretive manner, ¡° I have my ways, and there¡¯s no urgency. You just wait and see, at that time I¡¯ll let you roll up your sleeves. Go rest first, it will happen in a few days.¡± Zhang Qin said, ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t forget about me when there¡¯s a fight.¡± Yunqi made replied with an affirmative En, en, before turning to leave. He shut the room door and caught sight of Tuoba Feng standing in the corridor. Tuoba Feng said, ¡°Zhang Qin didn¡¯t really suffer much, that bunch from the Ministry of War didn¡¯t dare to be too ruthless in their attacks.¡± Yunqi nodded, ¡° You tell me if the Emperor intentionally wanted to frame Lan Yu for rebellion, and there¡¯s unrest in the court session tomorrow that can¡¯t be suppressed, how many people should guard him?¡± Tuoba Feng answered, ¡° I¡¯ve already arranged the shifts. You, me, and Rongqing; The three of us have the best martial arts skills. During the morning court session, there will be twelve people standing inside the chamber, and twelve people guarding outside the palace. Twelve more people will stay at the main gate of the palace to coordinate with us if necessary. Yunqi was suddenly swamped by a sense of exhaustion, and yawned, ¡°Ok. Then I¡¯ll go sleep first.¡± Tuoba Feng said, ¡± What sleep ¨C you got drenched in the rain. Go bathe first so you don¡¯t catch a chill.¡± After speaking, he ignored Yunqi¡¯s struggles, holding his neck and towing him away. The inside of the bathhouse was filled with rising water vapor, an enshrouding dense mist. Outside the window, the heavy rain continued to pour down. Yunqi stripped off his clothes and squatted on a low stool with his back towards Tuoba Feng. Tuoba Feng soaked his towel in hot water, both knees on the ground as he knelt behind Yunqi, carefully cleansing his wounds. ¡°The old man is extremely biased,¡± Yunqi said. Tuoba Feng who was completely focused as he wiped, said,¡± I already told you so.¡± Yunqi sighed. After falling silent for a moment, Yunqi suddenly asked,¡± If the Imperial Grandson ascends the throne, and wants me to be Commander¡­what do we do?¡± Tuoba Feng found it rather baffling, and said, ¡°Nothing. Why are you asking this?¡± Yunqi asked,¡± Then what about you?¡± Tuoba Feng answered, ¡° I¡¯ll just be the Deputy Commander. Can one be a Jinyiwei for one¡¯s entire life? At the old man¡¯s age, he still has to enter the palace in the middle of the night; It¡¯s too tiring. If it were me, after I retire, I¡¯d go far, far away, with¡­¡± Tuoba Feng suddenly held his tongue. Yunqi¡¯s heart jolted once, and he said,¡± With whom.¡± Tuoba Feng replied quietly, ¡°With you. Would you go? In the boundless desert, by the Kherlen river¡­ herding.¡± Yunqi mocked him, ¡°Your tongue certainly changes direction very quickly. Unfortunately, you¡¯ve already unintentionally revealed the truth [14] ¨C with whom?¡± [14] This is a reference to the idiom l¨´ ch¨± m¨£ ji¨£o (¶³öÂí½Å) ¡°revealing the horse¡¯s legs¡±. The Qilin is one of the four legendary mythological creatures, and during festivals, they would dress up a horse or donkey as the Qilin. But since it¡¯s very hard to wrap up / hide a horse¡¯s legs, if the costume came off, the legs (i.e. the truth) would be exposed. Later, Tuoba Feng asks ¡°horse legs?¡± (i.e. the truth) Tuoba Feng answered in an intriguing manner,¡± I only fear that you, this money grubber, this person obsessed with being an official, will be unwilling to go.¡± ¡°The truth [14]£¿ Tuoba Feng asked as he extended a hand to wrap around Yunqi¡¯s waist, pulling him against his own body, and using his thigh to gently rub at Yunqi¡¯s waist. Yunqi¡¯s face flushed and his ears went red as he said, ¡°Commander, please do not blindly grope around. Which family¡¯s young lady do you fancy? Afterward, I¡¯ll bring the brothers to accompany you to seize a bride by force?¡± Tuoba Feng embraced Yunqi, and said softly,¡± Call me Shi-ge.¡± Yunqi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry,¡± Shixiong-daren¡­ your hands¡­ don¡¯t¡­grope around.¡± Tuoba Feng whispered, ¡°Call me Shi-ge, what you called me when you were little.¡± Yunqi continued to struggle. Tuoba Feng wound one arm firmly around Yunqi, and said, ¡°With you.¡± Yunqi considered it for a moment before saying, ¡° I¡¯ve helped you save up a lot of silver, for you to give your wife, there are forty-four silvers¡­¡± Tuoba Feng didn¡¯t reply, instead, he rested his chin comfortably on Yunqi¡¯s shoulder, sniffed at his neck, and stated, ¡°Not marrying a wife, you keep it.¡± Yunqi was dumbfounded. Tuoba Feng¡¯s voice was deep and steady as he said, ¡°Turn around.¡± Yunqi turned his head slightly and stared at Tuoba Feng. The latter¡¯s gaze was deep, the pupils of his eyes like brown amber submerged in water. His handsome, lean face bore the heroic spirit of the men of the boundless desert. His nose bridge was high, the opposite of Yunqi¡¯s. The curve of his lips was like the Gobi desert, tough and unyielding, but a turning point. The clean lines of his neck were covered in fine pearls of sweat from the steam. Tuoba Feng whispered, ¡°Shi-ge is cherishing [3] you.¡± After which he closed both eyes, and kissed him. At that moment, Yunqi¡¯s heart felt like a cheetah¡¯s claw was scratching gently at it. And in response to that sensation, he also shut his eyes. Tuoba Feng¡¯s kiss was extremely awkward and clumsy, gently rubbing against Yunqi¡¯s mouth and lips repeatedly, but he didn¡¯t know to suck; he used his long slender arms to embrace Yunqi, just like when they were young. Yunqi had been caressed and nuzzled like this for a long time, and having recalled something, he abruptly burst into laughter. Yunqi had once asked Chun Lan out of curiosity, what was kissing with lips and tongue like. Chun Lan was the most popular girl in the House of Dancing Smoke, and her description had been so vivid and lively that Yunqi had flushed from his face to his ears ¨C It was extremely clear that Tuoba Feng was totally unfamiliar with it. Tuoba Feng opened his eyes, and asked in bewilderment, ¡°Why are you laughing?¡± Yunqi said, ¡°Nothing. Now I believe that you don¡¯t have a lover.¡± Tuoba Feng smiled, ¡° That¡¯s ever been the truth.¡± Yunqi unnaturally covered himself with a towel as he entered the bathing pool. The wounds on his back ached faintly with the stimulation of the hot water, causing him to moan continuously. Yunqi was a little absent-minded, thinking only about those two jade pendants. Tuoba Feng waited for a while. He appeared to want to go in and bathe together but didn¡¯t dare to. It seemed as if that kiss, had changed something for him. Yunqi frowned slightly, and turned to glance at Tuoba Feng, asking, ¡°Not bathing?¡± Tuoba Feng¡¯s face was faintly pink as he shook his head. Yunqi found it a little suspicious. Tuoba Feng casually picked up a towel to cover his legs, and then said, ¡°Hurry up, your wounds mustn¡¯t be soaked in water.¡± Yunqi sighed. He went out after he finished bathing. Tuoba Feng helped me put on his inner robe properly, then said, ¡°Go sleep.¡± Yunqi returned to his room and took out those two jade pendants. He lay on the bed as he turned them over and over as he looked at them. When the door opened, Tuoba Feng came in. Yunqi immediately stuffed the jade pendants under his pillow, and wondered aloud, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Tuoba Feng dried his hair and observed Yunqi for a while. He very naturally walked up to the bedside and used the towel to wipe Yunqi¡¯s feet. Yunqi¡¯s gaze was filled with question marks as he looked toward Tuoba Feng. Tuoba Feng gazed at Yunqi with some hesitation. Yunqi declared, ¡°This is my room! Go back to your own room to sleep!¡± Tuoba Feng was speechless with astonishment as if Yunqi¡¯s words were extremely preposterous. Yunqi frowned slightly, and asked, ¡°Did you¡­get a fever from being rained on?¡± He then stretched out a hand to touch Tuoba Feng¡¯s forehead. Tuoba Feng seemed very disappointed as he sat by the bed. After a moment, he said quietly, ¡± Oh.¡± He then got off the bed and left. Yunqi said, ¡°Idiot,¡± then put his head on the pillow and went to sleep. In a daze, Yunqi seemed to hear the sounds of rummaging of boxes and cabinets in the next room and knew that Tuoba Feng was looking for the jade pendants. He gave a satisfied smile before turning over and going to sleep. It was unknown when the rainstorm stopped. After the second watch, the courtyard was completely silent. The floor was bestrewn with fallen leaves, and the dark clouds had dispersed. The first quarter moon shone brightly in the night sky, its clear and bright light seeming to cast a purifying glow over the entirety of Nanjing. A eunuch¡¯s shrill voice rang out, ¡°The Commander of the Jinyiwei, Tuoba Feng, and Deputy Commander Xu Yunqi, are to receive the Imperial edict!¡± In that instant, a cacophony of sounds arose from the various rooms in the courtyard. Innumerable room doors swung open. Yunqi was only half awake as he ran out of his room, almost slipping and falling in the corridor, had it not for being hugged by Tuoba Feng, who had also rushed out. ¡°What happened?¡± Tuoba Feng¡¯s voice was hoarse as he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± In the moonlight, Yunqi could see that Tuoba Feng¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as if he hadn¡¯t rested at all. ¡°In accordance with the blessings of Heaven, the Emperor has decreed: The Great General Lan Yu is guilty of conspiracy against the state, his crime punishable by death! In the depths of the night, he has fled in fear of his crimes; Tuoba Feng and Xu Yunqi are hereby commanded to lead the 48 members of the Jinyiwei out of Nanjing to pursue and apprehend him. If he offers obstinate resistance, then execute him on the spot. This is the word of the Emperor himself!¡± Tuoba Feng and Yunqi simultaneously felt a chill run down their spine, meeting one another¡¯s eyes. From that gaze, each knew that they were thinking the same thing. Who had divulged the information? !! Zhu Yuanzhang would definitely be furious! Forty-eight people to apprehend Great General Lan Yu?! It was unknown how many personal bodyguards he had with them. If there were nearly a hundred people, was the full cohort of Jinyiwei to be buried together with them?! While Yunqi¡¯s thoughts were still confused, Tuoba Feng had already responded, ¡°This subject accepts the edict!¡± as he received the yellow brocade scroll. He rose to his feet and roared, ¡° Change to your feiyufu, and fetch the embroidered spring knives! Gather inside the courtyard!¡± Yunqi felt more uneasy the more he thought about it. It shouldn¡¯t be that he suspected himself of divulging the news¡­ it couldn¡¯t be¡­ Yunqi swept a glance across the Imperial Bodyguards who were currently rushing out of their rooms. They were hopping as they put on their boots, buckling on their hats ¨C their expressions filled with unease and trepidation. In that case, perhaps it was that the Emperor feared alarming the officials, and therefore did not send the army in pursuit. Accordingly, they needed to apprehend him overnight. Having considered this, Yunqi felt slightly more relieved. Tuoba Feng commanded him, ¡°Yunqi! Hurry and go back to your room to change!¡± Yunqi surveyed the area, then hurried towards the room. Abruptly, he discovered that Zhang Qin¡¯s door was still tightly shut. The information had indeed leaked out from the Jinyiwei¡¯s side. Translator¡¯s Note: First, the realization that the Emperor had planned to sacrifice Tuoba Feng all along, then the plot against Lan Yu, then Shifu¡­ CH 7 The darkness of the night was dense and inky black. On Mount Zijin [1], the boundless and indistinct sea of trees was suddenly roused by a group of unexpected intruders. Innumerable startled sparrows left their nests, tittering and warbling as they flew into the pitch darkness of heaven¡¯s canopy. [1] z¨« j¨©n sh¨¡n (×Ͻðɽ) lit. ¡°Purple Gold Mountain¡±, is located on the eastern side of Nanjing. Its peaks are often enveloped in purple and gold clouds at sunset, hence it¡¯s name. Purple Gold also means copper in its pure form. It is the original of the old name/nickname of Jinling (½ðÁê) of Nanjing. Scores of Ferghana horses [2] charged into the mountains, and the whinnying of horses lingered in one¡¯s ears. [2] h¨¤n xu¨¨ m¨£ (º¹ÑªÂí) lit. ¡°sweat blood horse¡± The Ferghana horse. Such horses were proportionally short, with powerful crests and round barrels. They were a nomadic breed, and were fast, tough and high endurance, but smaller and leander than other breeds. According to legend, such horses sweated blood. Speculation is that either it was due to micro-capillaries bursting during prolonged gallop or blood-sucking parasites caused the sweat to mix with blood. There was a war in 104 and 103 BC for these horses. Other historians believe that this is actually the Akal Teke horse from Turkmenistan. The Jinyiwei crouched on their horses, riding in a scattered fan-shaped formation, as they eyed Tuoba Feng uneasily. Tuoba Feng lowered his voice, speaking solemnly, ¡°Our main priority is to apprehend the criminal, Lan Yu. The enemy has an estimated fighting force of about four hundred people, they will likely separate into two teams to escape. One team will head towards the summit of Mount Zijin, and another team will bear towards the northwest of Mount Zijin.¡± ¡°Rong Qing, Zhang Qin, the two of you each take a team¡­¡± Yunqi interrupted, ¡°Zhang Qin is not here.¡± Tuoba Feng narrowed his eyes, and continued speaking, ¡°Tu Ming will fill in as one of the team leaders. We will split up and take two paths for the pursuit and capture and will launch surprise attacks under the cover of darkness. Once the team leader has confirmed Lan Yu¡¯s identity, he is to set off the signal flare [3]. If Lan Yu flees, do not go in pursuit ¨C it will suffice to verify which team he is with.¡± [3] hu¨¯ t¨¯ng (»ðͲ) lit. ¡°fire tube¡±. Which may refer to the tubes of fire lances, proto-cannons, or signal flares. Gunpowder was invented in China in the 9th century, so they did have some form of firearms during the Ming dynasty. Tu Ming and Rong Qing each led their respective teams away, leaving Tuoba Feng and Yunqi stationed in the open space with their horses. Tuoba Feng and Yunqi quietly gaze at one another. A few moments later, the sudden howling of wolves filled the vast expanse. Tuoba Feng raised his head to survey the surroundings from their elevated vantage point. The inky clouds fade away, revealing a crescent moon. Tuoba Feng¡¯s dark brown pupils reflected a flash of silver lightning on the horizon, as he spoke slowly, ¡° The Deputy General under Lan Yu is called Zakkur [4], and he¡¯s from the Western Regions. He is adept at using a copper blade and is incomparably bold and fearless. He possesses formidable physical strength and is acclaimed as the Army¡¯s number one martial arts expert. If he is accompanying Lan Yu, you must be cautious.¡± [4] zh¨¡ k¨´ ¨§r (Ôú¿â¶û) Zakkur. From the Western Regions. Yunqi asked, ¡°How heavy is the copper blade?¡± Tuoba Feng replied, ¡°Sixty catties [5].¡± [6] 1 jin / catty, is 0.5kg, hence 60 jin is 30kg or 66 lbs. Yunqi said, ¡°Heavy military equipment when used, are inferior to agile ones.¡± Tuoba Feng nodded. Yunqi spoke again, ¡°Zhang Qin¡­¡± In that instant, the signal flare rose from the west and exploded. The clamor of close fighting arrived from afar. Simultaneously, Tuoba Feng and Yunqi energetically urged the rare steeds beneath them to charge towards the location of the signal flare! ¡°Prep the crossbows!¡± ¡°The lackeys [6] have such ruthless talons!¡± Zakkur was bathed in blood, as he brandished a great copper blade, and immediately sent the incoming Jinyiwei flying outwards with a sweep of his blade! [6] y¨©ng qu¨£n (ӥȮ), which is literally falcons and dogs, and it¡¯s a derogatory way of referring to hired thugs or lackeys. It is especially appropriate because loud noises will attract the ¡®animals¡¯ attention. He is specifically referring to the Jinyiwei since those are generally deemed to be the Emperor¡¯s lackeys/dogs. That person vomited a mouthful of blood and withdrew towards the rear. In an instant, ten of his compatriots bearing embroidered spring knives flung themselves forward. ¡°Fire the arrows!¡± With scores of tinkling sounds, the crossbow bolts flew in all directions. The embroidered spring knives weaved about in an impermeable silver glowing arc, akin to a protective barrier as it sent the bolts flying in all directions. ¡°The lackeys are wearing steel-lined inner clothing!¡± Zakkur bellowed, ¡°Great General, please leave first! This general will act as the rear guard!¡± Lan Yu inhaled deeply before roaring, ¡°How can I leave first!¡± ¡°Leave!¡± Zakkur shouted. The Jinyiwei faced off against Lan Yu¡¯s bodyguards. At this time, it was like a tiger ravaging a flock of sheep. The Ferghana horses demonstrated extraordinary bravery, and the embroidered spring knives were incomparably sharp, killing the majority of the bodyguards. Seeing that there were heavy casualties on their side, Zakkur roared again, ¡° Gu-ye [7] protect the general and leave first! Hurry!¡± [7] g¨± y¨¦ (¹ÃÒ¯) lit.¡± A form of address for a son-in-law towards the senior members of his wife¡¯s family. Lan Yu howled in grief, as he abruptly turned his horse around and charged out of the encirclement. The group of Jinyiwei surrounded Zakkur. Zakkur shifted to spit out a mouthful of bloody foam, and sneered, ¡° You bunch of dog legs [8]! Use that strength of yours that you use for suckling milk to receive your grandpa¡¯s great blade! It doesn¡¯t matter what you wear, this grandpa will make you all¡­¡± [8] g¨¯u tu¨« (¹·ÍÈ) lit. ¡°dog leg¡± People who take orders from, or do things on behalf of bad people. An ear-piercing wolf whistle sounded. ¡°The second team, await orders!¡± ¡°Aside from the wounded, the rest should follow the Deputy Commander!¡± Yunqi and Tuoba Feng urged their war horses to race like the wind. As the horse galloped madly, Yunqi pulled off the knife at his waist and hurled it outwards. Tuoba Feng swung his outstretched hand and caught the thrown knife firmly. Tuoba Feng wielded a knife in each hand, he suddenly swept both hands horizontally outwards, flinging off the scabbards as he leaped into mid-air, performing a beautiful forward flip. Yunqi pushed through the Jinyiwei¡¯s encirclement and whistled sharply again. Zakkur turned back and shouted loudly, he hoisted the copper knife, chopping downwards at Yunqi¡¯s head! Just as it seemed that this move was about to cut both Yunqi and his horse to the ground, Tuoba Feng¡¯s dazzling blades had already arrived, pressing in with compelling force! Zakkur had no choice but to pivot to ward off his blows! Tuoba Feng¡¯s twin knives swept together simultaneously, like the claws of a wolf in the dark of night. Under the moonlight, they left glowing silver trails in their wake. His movements were as natural and effortless as floating clouds and flowing water. The gathered Imperial bodyguards cheered and applauded with one accord! The clash of the gold and steel was akin to the cries of dragons, the sounds resounding through the moonlit night. Zakkur roared angrily, as the blade leveled transversely before his chest cracked violently under the impact, and he staggered, falling backward! In the brief space of a few breaths, Yunqi had already led away a dozen or so Jinyiwei in a grand exit. Tuoba Feng settled steadily on the ground, as he rotated his wrists with a flourish, swinging them outwards in an exquisite glowing arc before he pointed his blades at Zakkur. His manner was insouciant as he declared, ¡°This humble one [9] is Tuoba Feng, the leader of the dog legs. Please enlighten me.¡± [9] z¨¤i xi¨¤ (ÔÚÏÂ) ¨C It literally means ¡°(the) one below¡±, a humble way of saying ¡°myself¡± or ¡°I¡±. Yunqi led twenty people in the direction that Lan Yu had escaped in. In hot pursuit, they sprinted directly before a cliff. A rain of arrows flew towards them from the opposite side of the cliff, the group of Jinyiwei shouted loudly once, and each swung their blades upwards, defending their heads and faces, forming a human wall to shield the weaponless Yunqi behind them. On the top of the cliff, there were over a hundred crossbowmen waiting in ambush, eyeing them with great hostility. Yunqi strategized a little and realized that Lan Yu was like a lizard that had abandoned its tail, having fled on his own ¨C leaving these bodyguards to cover his escape. He gave orders, ¡° You shield me across, then turn back and charge downwards in an attack!¡± The Jinyiwei split up, hurtling ferociously in two directions. The sharp arrows shot at their waist area were blocked by the steel scale mail, but even so, the impact made Yunqi¡¯s chest and abdomen throb with a dull pain. After passing the final line of defense, Yunqi abandoned his riding steed and rolled onto the ground. He skimmed the gap between the cliffs and clambered up the mountain in pursuit. The group of Imperial Bodyguards in imitation of one another, raised their knives ¨C forming a knife enclosure, as they spun around. With great uproar, they charged murderously at the crossbowmen lying in ambush. The early spring rain fell upon the deserted mountain, and the footprints were preserved in the wet mud. Yunqi used the glow of the moonlight to discern between the prints, noting that Lan Yu only had two bodyguards left by his side. Lan Yu faded into the forest, alternately hiding and stumbling forward. Along their journey, he used his longsword to hack at the thorny undergrowth. By this time, his cloak had already been ripped to shreds, lying in tatters as the Great General who had suppressed the North with his illustrious military exploits, had fallen so far; and was not merely a homeless cur miserably fleeing for its life. Zhang Qin hugged Lan Mo to him, as he followed quietly behind Lan Yu. ¡°Father [10]¡­¡± Lan Mo cried out involuntarily. [10] di¨¥ die (µùµù) lit. Father. Normally father is just a single die (µù), when it is repeated, it¡¯s more affectionate (or what a child would call their dad). Lan Yu gestured for her to be quiet, saying, ¡°Mo-er, don¡¯t be afraid. This time we will definitely be able to escape. We just need to get out of Mount Zijin and find our way out of the Niushou [11] pass to seek reinforcements, and we¡¯ll be safe.¡± [11] ni¨² sh¨¯u gu¨¡n (Å£Ê×¹Ø) lit. ¡°Cattlehead Pass¡±, Mount Niushou (also known as Mount Tianque£©is in the Jiangning district of Nanjing. Lan Yu pressed a hand on Zhang Qin¡¯s shoulder, as he said,¡± Yinghui [12], the grace that you have shown us tonight, I, Lan Yu will engrave within my heart¡­¡± [12] y¨«ng hu¨¬ (Û«»á) this should be (ÕÅÇÚ) Zhang Qin¡¯s courtesy name. Zhang Qin hastily replied, ¡°The Great General speaks too seriously.¡± Lan Yu cleared the path for them, as he sighed, ¡°I thought that the men of the Jinyiwei would all be like Xu Yunqi, that little beast. Unexpectedly, Yinghui, you may have served for five years, but you still care deeply about Mo-er.¡± ¡°After we¡¯ve left the Capital, and safely reached Buir Lake, I¡¯ll betroth Mo-er to you, what do you say?¡± Upon hearing her father¡¯s words about a betrothal, although they were currently in grave danger, she couldn¡¯t help but be overcome with emotion, and her cheeks flushed pink. However, Zhang Qin¡¯s face was dismal and filled with worry, and he could only respond with a faint response of ¡°Father-in-law [13]¡±, and without speaking further. [13] yu¨¨ f¨´ (ÔÀ¸¸) refers to the father of one¡¯s wife. The three people walked along the precipice, and gradually approached the riverside plains bordering Mount Zijin. Lan Yu smiled just as he was about to say something, but from a distance came the sound of a dying, agonized howl. Zhang Qin immediately paled, ¡° Zakkur has died?¡± Lan Yu¡¯s expression was solemn as he declared, ¡°We¡¯ll avenge him in the future, now go!¡± Zhang Qin said, ¡°Father-in-law, you take Mo-er and leave! I¡¯ll stay here and delay the two of them!¡± Lan Yu answered, ¡°Under no circumstances should you do that! Zakkur has no dependents and has already died on my behalf. If you are to be captured by Tuoba Feng or Xu Yunqi and brought back, your entire family will be implicated ¨C you definitely cannot act recklessly!¡± When Zhang Qin heard that his beloved [14] was in impending danger, he acted on impulse by rushing over to inform her. At this time, only now did he recall that his entire family was still in Nanjing. Were Zhu Yuanzhang to look into the matter and choose to pursue it, one can only fear that his nine clans would be exterminated [15]. He couldn¡¯t help but tremble from head to toe. [14] x¨©n sh¨¤ng r¨¦n (ÐÄÉÏÈË) ¨C sweetheart, beloved, lover. [15] zh¨± ji¨³ z¨² (Öï¾Å×å) The nine familial exterminations or nine kinship exterminations were a severe punishment for a capital offense, which worked on the principle of collective kin punishment. This means that other than the main offender, their parents, grandparents, siblings (including sworn brothers), children, grandchildren, those living with the criminal, uncles, and the children of their siblings would be put to death by Lingchi (Death by a thousand cuts). Lan Yu seemed to have read Zhang Qin¡¯s thoughts, and poked fun at him, ¡° Now the young fellow is frightened? It¡¯s fine. Father-in-law will remain behind to cover your retreat, you take Mo-er and leave!¡± Lan Mo cried out in fright, ¡°No! Father!¡± Zhang Qin gritted his teeth, and fell to one knee, ¡° Xu Yunqi and Tuoba Feng are my best friends. The Great General should leave!¡± Lan Yu was so furious that he laughed, ¡° As things stand today, it is clearly wishful thinking to entertain any delusions about the ties of friendship. Ludicrous in the extreme! Zhang Yinghui! I misjudged you!¡± Zhang Qin said, ¡° Hurry up and leave! Tuoba Feng and Yunqi have already combined forces to kill Zakkur¡­¡± Yunqi sat on a tree branch, as he smiled lazily, ¡°Lao-Ba killed him on his own. What pants (ku) [16] or clothing ¨C it certainly has nothing to do with me.¡± [16] It is a pun on Zakkur¡¯s name because he is from the Central Regions so it is a sinicized version of his actual name (the sound, not the meaning). The ¡°ku¡± (¿â) in his name sounds like the ¡°ku¡± (¿ã) that means pants. Lan Yu and Zhang Qin whirled instantly. With a loud roar, Lan Yu raised the longsword in his hand and threw himself forward. Zhang Qin pulled Lan Mo behind him, shielding her with his body as he pulled out the knife at his waist, its pallid glare like snow. Yunqi clambered up the branches, then leaped downwards. Lan Yu shouted, ¡°He doesn¡¯t carry a knife at his waist! It¡¯s merely a tactic to stall for time, Yinghui! Join forces with me and kill him!¡± Zhang Qin warily stared at Yunqi. Lan Yu swung his sword and hacked at him. Yunqi merely evaded and gave ground, with his hands in his sleeves, as he smiled and said, ¡° Uncle Lan, then why are you still fighting? Shouldn¡¯t you hurry up and run¡­¡± Zhang Qin shook his head and cried out, ¡°No, Father-in-law! Do not underestimate your enemy!¡± ¡°Yo!¡± Yunqi shook his sleeves, and sighed, ¡°Brother, the Milky Way that separates the Cowherd and Weaver Girl is crystal clear, and they can only silently gaze at one another with affection¡­ [17]¡± [17] Yunqi is quoting the poem that Zhang Qin and he recited during Qixi. After hearing Zhang Qin call Lan Yu Father-in-law, he knows the girl that Zhang Qin was separated from was Lan Mo, and understands why Zhang Qin betrayed the Jinyiwei. Zhang Qin shouted, ¡°Be careful!¡± At that very moment, Yunqi¡¯s sleeves revealed a very fine piece of steel foil. The steel foil was attached to an almost invisible piece of silk that seemed to float in mid-air as it swung in an arc, winding itself around Lan Yu¡¯s sturdy arm. Zhang Qin lifted his knife and hacked at that almost imperceptible silk thread in mid-air! Yunqi easily tugged at him, and Lan Yu let out a howl of pain. The longsword fell together with his right hand, which had been cut off at the wrist! That piece of steel foil spun aloft in the air, its sharp edge colored with blood. It interlocked with Zhang Qin¡¯s knife, and with a ¡®ding¡¯, the embroidered spring knife broke into two pieces. ¡°¡­ So it was the Lan family¡¯s eldest Young Miss.¡± Yunqi put his ring and middle fingers and spun once, as the cicada wing blade returned to his sleeves. Lan Yu howled hoarsely, one hand clutching at his shorn wrist, as he fell to the ground in agony. Lan Mo shrieked and pounced over. Zhang Qin still held his broken knife, his countenance like dead ash. After a while, he gave a drawn-out sigh, as he flung the blade onto the ground. The man exists with his blade, the man will perish with his blade [18], Zhang Qin.¡± [18] The original saying pertains to a man and his sword, but in this case they use knives/sabers / blades. The concept is the same. ji¨¤n z¨¤i r¨¦n z¨¤i, ji¨¤n w¨¢ng r¨¦n w¨¢ng (½£ÔÚÈËÔÚ£¬½£ÍöÈËÍö) ¨C This is a Chinese saying that speaks of the unity of the man and his sword. The sword is as important as life to a swordsman. It also reflects the spirit of fighting till the end. Zhang Qin wept loudly and knelt before Yunqi. He sobbed, ¡°Yunqi, on account of our brotherhood, Yinghui begs a favor of you¡­¡± Yunqi rolled up his sleeves as he listened quietly. Zhang Qin was aware of his inevitable doom, so he moved forward to hug Yunqi¡¯s leg, and said, ¡° One bears responsibility for his own actions [19], please don¡¯t implicate my old parents. Kill me and throw me into the valley. I beg you! Yunqi!¡± [19] y¨© r¨¦n zu¨° sh¨¬ y¨© r¨¦n d¨¡ng (Ò»ÈË×öÊÂÒ»È˵±) lit. ¡°one person does things, one person takes responsibility¡± This is a very common idiom, where one should be responsible for their own actions/misdeeds. Commendatory, generally used in speech. Yunqi sighed, and frowned slightly as he replied, ¡°In the future, when the Emperor looks into the matter and asks how the news leaked out, how do you expect me to answer for it?¡± ¡°Zhang Qin, your act of impulse has truly landed me in a terrible situation. Tonight, the Jinyiwei was short of one person. I still don¡¯t know how to resolve it ¨C I fear that even I can¡¯t shoulder it this time.¡± ¡°The only thing we can do is to have Great General Lan return with me if the case of treason¡­the matter of treason can still be reversed, at most you¡¯ll be charged with a crime that warrants penal servitude and requires you to enlist in the army.¡± Lan Yu widened his bloodshot eyes, as he abruptly gave a great yell, ¡°Heaven and Earth¡¯s conscience! Jiang Huan covering the Heavens with one hand [20], Xu Yunqi, you, and Zhu Di conspired to frame me unjustly. And now you wish for me to die from injustice and become a ghost! Where is your conscience! What face do you have to face your Xu family, military ancestors when you end up in the underworld [21]!¡± [20] y¨© sh¨¯u zh¨¥ ti¨¡n (Ò»ÊÖÕÚÌì) lit. ¡°to cover the heavens with one hand¡±, it refers to relying on power and influence to deceive the masses. It is from Tang dynasty poet, Cao Ye¡¯s poem¡¶¶ÁÀî˹´«¡· . [21] ji¨³ qu¨¢n (¾ÅȪ) ¨C the nine springs or ji¨³ qu¨¢n (¾ÅȪ) refer to the deepest part of the earth. The underworld is usually referred to as the Yellow Springs or the hu¨¢ng qu¨¢n (»ÆȪ). This is because when digging a deep hole, there would eventually be groundwater seeping in, which tended to be yellow. The number nine is used because it is the largest single-digit number. So the deepest part of the underground/the underworld is denoted by ji¨³ qu¨¢n (¾ÅȪ). Having the events of the past days so loudly exposed by Lan Yu, the fine hairs on Yunqi¡¯s body stood. He struggled a few steps back, as he met Zhang Qin¡¯s gaze. He declared arrogantly, ¡°Lan Yu! Shut up! Otherwise, I¡¯ll cut your tongue out!¡± Lan Yu laughed wildly, and said, ¡° You, this dog leg! This general only regrets my misjudgment of you! Xu Yunqi, you can be domineering and arrogant for now, let¡¯s see what happens to you in the end!¡± Yunqi had a sudden inspiration, he sneered, ¡°What do you mean? Can it be that the Great General Lan Yu can divine someone¡¯s eight characters [22]? [22] b¨¡ z¨¬ (°Ë×Ö) Bazi. An astrological concept that a person¡¯s destiny can be divined by the characters assigned to their birth year, month, day, and hour. Lan Yu gasped from enduring the pain, as he gnashed his teeth and said, ¡° Did you think relying on the Imperial Grandson, that big tree, will allow you to tyrannically misuse your authority? Before Zhu Chongba [23] dies, he will definitely first put to death one of your Jinyiwei commanders¡­¡± [23] zh¨± zh¨°ng b¨¡ (ÖìÖØ°Ë) Zhu Chongba is the Hongwu Emperor¡¯s original name, he was born a peasant. He was named Zhu Yuanzhang (ÖìÔªè°) by Guo Zixing (a bandit leader) when he first joined the army. Lan Yu knows this because he had also served with Zhu Yuanzhang in the Red Turban rebellion against the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. It is a great disrespect to use the Emperor¡¯s name, let alone his former name, but it¡¯s also a reminder to Yunqi of who Lan Yu is/was. [24] gu¨© x¨©£¨¹éÎ÷) lit.¡± returns to the west¡±, i.e. secular death. Returns to the west is referring to going to the Western Paradise. Yunqi¡¯s heart was shaken, as he recalled Jiang Huan¡¯s words that day: In the future when you can play a pivotal role as the mainstay, you¡¯ll be the Commander¡­ Yunqi inhaled sharply, before Zhu Yuanzhang died, he would kill Tuoba Feng, to ensure that the Jinyiwei wouldn¡¯t be difficult to control? Even Jiang Huan and Lan Yu could see this? Zhang Qin was utterly disillusioned, his hopes dashed. He stopped looking at Yunqi, as he bowed and returned to Lan Mo¡¯s side. He hugged her closely and cried bitterly. Yunqi said mournfully, ¡° In this case, brother, don¡¯t cry anymore. Take your feiyufu off and give it to me.¡± Zhang Qin and Lan Mo¡¯s faces were covered in tears, and they understand what was going on. Yunqi snapped with displeasure, ¡°Hurry! If Lao-Ba arrives then it will be too late!¡± Having said this, Yunqi suddenly became conscious of a pair of eyes watching him from inside the dense forest. Zhang Qin tore the brocade clothes off his shoulders and trembled as he passed them to Yunqi. Yunqi picked up the broken pieces of the spring embroidered knife, and rolled them together, saying, ¡°Both of you leave. Take the Lan family¡¯s Young Miss down the mountain, hurry.¡± Zhang Qin eventually came to his senses, and hurriedly picked up Lan Mo, staggering several paces. Lan Mo¡¯s voice cracked as she cried out, ¡°Father!¡± Zhang Qin glanced at Yunqi. Yunqi slowly shook his head, and said, ¡°Leave quickly.¡± Zhang Qin carried Lan Mo in spite of her loud crying and wailing and hastily ran downhill. At the foot of Mount Zijin, the immense surface of the Qinhuai River seemed to be glittering with golden scales, as the rising sun began its ascent. The red glow covered the wilderness. Turning over the foot of the mountain, Yunqi¡¯s eyes caught sight of Zhang Qin and Lan Mo¡¯s figures becoming little black dots, and disappearing below the mountain, and said, ¡°Shi-ge, I beg of something of you. Don¡¯t chase them.¡± Tuoba Feng carried a cloth bundle in his hand, his body was covered in blood. Upon hearing Yunqi¡¯s words, he stepped out from the bushes. Tuoba Feng paused for a moment, reaching up his hand to feel at his ears, twisting it before letting go, replying, ¡±Oh.¡± He proceeded to fling the cloth bundle onto the ground. Zakkur¡¯s disembodied head rolled to Lan Yu¡¯s feet, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you leave him with an intact corpse?¡± Yunqi asked, ¡°Why cut his head off.¡± Tuoba Feng responded apathetically, ¡° Wasn¡¯t paying attention, and hacked this number one martial arts expert into pieces¡­ you can¡¯t pull back your moves when using dual blades.¡± Yunqi smiled at this, saying, ¡°From now on, you¡¯re the number one martial arts expert.¡± Tuoba Feng nodded his head modestly, as he fished out a signal flare, shaking the firestarter before igniting the flare. The Jinyiwei found them in quick succession, bringing Lan Yu to justice. In the autumn of the 25th year of Hongwu, Jiang Huan accused Lan Yu of treason, reporting that Lan Yu had planned to take advantage of when the Emperor went on inspection, and kidnap the Emperor. Zhu Yuanzhang got wind of this via a secret missive and thus ordered the Jinyiwei to arrest Lan Yu. Lan Yu had fled in a panic that night and was apprehended in Mount Zijin. The Jinyiwei had sent out fifty people; ten odd people had minor injuries, and there had been one death. The only son of the Left Vice Minister of Rites, Zhang Qin. When they¡¯d been in pursuit, he¡¯d been struck in close-range combat with Zakkur and plunged into the bottomless abyss, with no remains to be found. After Lan Yu was arrested, for fear of punishment, his daughter Lan Mo also committed suicide by jumping off the cliff. ¡°She killed herself for love.¡± Zhu Yunwen said, ¡°Everyone in the city knows Momo and Qin-ge were childhood sweethearts¡­¡± ¡°You know far too much.¡± Yunqi shot a glance at Zhu Yunwen, a corner of his mouth slightly raised. He lifted the brush and dipped it in ink as he unfolded the memorial. Zhu Yunwen said unhappily, ¡°Yun-ge¡¯er, he was your brother!¡± Yunqi admitted, ¡°He didn¡¯t die. I let them both go. You definitely can¡¯t reveal this to anyone, otherwise, not just my head will roll.¡± Zhu Yunwen finally breathed a sigh of relief at this, saying, ¡° I knew that you weren¡¯t so cruel-hearted.¡± Yunqi sighed, and scolded, ¡° How are you going be the Emperor in the future if you¡¯re like this?¡± Zhu Yunwen smiled. Yunqi asked, ¡°Do you have any enemies?¡± Zhu Yunwen was bewildered, as he asked, ¡° Enemies?¡± Yunqi said, ¡° Currently checking on our comrades. If there¡¯s anyone that you find disagreeable to the eye, I¡¯ll write their names in. Let¡¯s add Grand Tutor Huang in too, and have him executed along the way?¡± Zhu Yunwen¡¯s face was so shocked by this that his face turned pale, as he hastily shook his hand in reproof, ¡°How can this be done!¡± Yunqi nodded his head, as he muttered to himself for a moment, before penning three characters at the end of the memorial: Xu Mu Da. Three days later, a verdict was reached on Lan Yu¡¯s case, the extermination of the nine clans; from the Dukes and Marquis, all the way to the civil and military officials of the court, even the Six Ministries were implicated, particularly with the Ministry the War in the forefront; Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict proclaiming this to the world, it was titled ¡°The Record of Rebellious Courtiers [25]¡±. [25] n¨¬ ch¨¦n l¨´ (Ä泼¼) lit. ¡°Rebellious Ministers Record¡±, this was a compilation of almost a thousand of the confessions of the various Lan Yu factions. The Minister of War, Qi Kuoyan was executed in the city, chopped in half at the waist. The former Northern Xinjiang Field Officer Xu Muda was removed from his post, imposed penal servitude, and required to enlist in the army.¡± The case implicated 20,000 people, and together with the Hu Weiyong case, was collectively known as the ¡°Hu-Lan Two Prisons¡±. The Outstanding Founding Ministers had all been purged by Zhu Yuanzhang, and all the officials of the Imperial Court did their utmost to fawn over and curry favor with the Jinyiwei. Zhang Qin¡¯s family received the tattered, blood-stained feiyufu and wept their hearts out. Tuoba Feng took out the iron voucher bestowed by Zhu Yuanzhang and personally presented it to the Left Vice Minister of Rites, who sighed emotionally for a time. That iron voucher was the equivalent of a gold medal of exoneration [26]. In order to comfort and compensate the bereaved family for the loss of their only son in service of the country, bestowed upon them an iron voucher. [26] mi¨£n zu¨¬ j¨©n p¨¢i (Ãâ×ï½ðÅÆ) lit.¡±Exempt Guilt Gold Plaque¡± Supposedly it¡¯s a all around pardon amnesty, In the Sui dynasty they were gold, but in the Ming dynasty it¡¯s an iron voucher ti¨§ qu¨¤n (Ìúȯ) that can be passed down from generation to generation. They were tokens or vouchers awarded by the Emperor to his ministers for meritorious deeds. The content engraved on the iron coupon generally includes four aspects: 1. The date on which the vouchers were given, the name, title, and land of the recipient; 2. Record the meritorious achievements of the recipient to the court; 3. Privileges given by the emperor to the recipient, such as immunity from death; 4. The Emperor¡¯s Oath. According to the relevant laws of the dynasty, the heroes, important officials, and their descendants who hold iron coupons can enjoy various privileges bestowed by the emperor. The Vice Minister placed the iron voucher in a place of honor in the main hall, which brought glory to his ancestors. Yunqi kicked Tuoba Feng, and he became conscious of the sense of derision in his smile, which he quickly put aside. The Jinyiwei Commander and Deputy Commander left the house of the Vice Minister of Rites and returned to the palace on foot. Over the last few days, all that Yunqi could think about was Lan Yu¡¯s words. Lan Yu was no alarmist, he wouldn¡¯t have said those things just to frighten them. From Jiang Huan and Lan Yu¡¯s comments, one could deduce that the officials of the Imperial Court were in agreement, that the Jinyiwei¡¯s power and influence had already grown to the point that it was difficult to control. The civil and military officials would want to ensure that Zhu Yunwen would be able to control the Jinyiwei after Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s death. As such, it was likely that they would submit a memorial for impeachment, and request for one person to be removed. Perhaps while removing that person, they may even carelessly slap a crime on him, and have him executed, in order to threaten and intimidate his successor. Mao Xiang, who had once held great power, was the best example of this. When the Hu Weiyong case had gotten out of hand, almost a hundred civil officials had knelt outside the court. Zhu Yuanzhang had to execute Mao Xiang in order to appease the public wrath. If the situation deteriorated to the worst-case scenario and Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to execute Tuoba Feng, how should he plead for clemency in order to save Tuoba Feng¡¯s life? In other words, if the one that was to be executed was himself, would Tuoba Feng¡­ ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Tuoba Feng asked impassively, ¡°You¡¯ve stared at me all day.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yunqi frowned slightly and shook his head. Tuoba Feng carelessly supported himself against the palace walls, and pressed Yunqi against the side of the wall, asking, ¡°Thinking about Shi-ge?¡± Yunqi casually stroked Tuoba Feng¡¯s handsome and spirited face, and asked, ¡°How much silver do you have?¡± He spun and pushed aside Tuoba Feng¡¯s hands, walking towards the inner palace. Tuoba Feng was bewildered by this question, replying, ¡°Isn¡¯t the money handled by you?¡± Yunqi thought about it and realized it was indeed the case. He answered, ¡°Together with the reward, I estimate that we have one hundred and twenty taels now.¡± Yunqi walked towards the Jinyiwei courtyard, and said, ¡°Take the hundred and twenty taels, and resign from your position.¡± Tuoba Feng seemed to be invigorated by these words, he strode forward to catch up with Yunqi, turning to walk backward while facing Yunqi, he smiled and asked, ¡°You intend to resign from your post?¡± Yunqi said huffily, ¡°It¡¯s not that I intend to resign, it¡¯s you resigning from your post. Go home and marry a wife.¡± Tuoba Feng¡¯s face was filled with confusion, as he asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Yunqi spoke as he walked, ¡° I fear¡­ that you¡¯ll be in danger. You return home first, and after a few years, once the Imperial Grandson has ascended the throne, I¡¯ll come back. In the future, we¡¯ll buy two houses next to one another, and be neighbors¡­¡± Tuoba Feng furrowed his brows slightly, and asked, ¡°Return home? Return to whose home?¡± Yunqi stopped walking and recalled that Tuoba Feng was an orphan. Even if he returned to the Kherlen River, that area had already become a wasteland. The two men entered the great courtyard. At this time, the young fellows were all gathered in a heap in a corner of the courtyard. It wasn¡¯t clear what they were up to. The autumn sun was warm and gentle, and the leaves of the Wutong tree littered the grounds. Dozens of Imperial Bodyguards dressed in brocade finery were assembled together kicking up a fuss, as they laughed and shouted, ¡°Hey-yo, Hey-yo~¡± That group of bodyguards kept crowding towards the corner of the wall, they were densely packed together; dozens of people shoving against one person in the corner of the great courtyard. Life in the Imperial Palace was extremely boring, it was unknown when the tradition had started, but whenever the Imperial Bodyguards were bored to tears, with too much energy that they didn¡¯t know where to expend, they would grab someone, and push him to the corner of the wall. Everyone would then rush up, call all their friends and buddies, and play this moronic, crowding game, called ¡°Hey-yo.¡± These young and hot-blooded guards would cry out ¡°Hey-yo, Hey-yo¡± as they exerted their full strength to crowd and press onto that person, causing the bullied victim to be squeezed to the utmost before stopping. Yunqi and Tuoba Feng had entered the palace as bodyguards since they were children. And naturally, he¡¯d been ¡°Hey-yo¡± -ed since he was a child. Other than Zhu Yuanzhang, whom no one dared to grab to ¡°Hey-yo¡±, all the males in the palace including the Imperial Grandson, Zhu Yunwen had been crowded several times. If one were to speak of the incident with the greatest fanfare, it must have been when over a hundred guards crowded the current dynasty¡¯s Grand Tutor [27], Huang Zicheng, and squeezed him so hard that he¡¯d lost his hat, his shoes were askew, he¡¯d become incontinent, and his clothes were in disorder ¨C that unprecedented grand occasion. [27] t¨¤i f¨´ (Ì«¸µ) Grand Tutor was one of the three Ducal Ministers, i.e. the most senior of the Emperor¡¯s closest advisors., the other two being the Grand Preceptor and Grand Protector. From then on, whenever Huang Zicheng moved about in the Imperial Palace, upon catching sight of more than three Imperial Bodyguards hanging around, arms hooked companionably, he would be sure to give them a wide berth. Yunqi just pretended that it was all invisible, and strolled with Tuoba Feng into the courtyard, no longer discussing the previous matter. There have been many people bullied in this way, and so far there hasn¡¯t been anyone petty enough to complain to Zhu Yuanzhang about it. It¡¯s just unknown which pitiful creature was currently being crowded in the corner. Yunqi entered his room, and the sounds of ¡°Hey-yo, Hey-yo¡± from outside could be heard incessantly. Yunqi moved a chair, sitting in the corridor as he basked in the sunshine. Tuoba Feng squatted next to him and asked, ¡°What danger?¡± Yunqi suddenly straightened out his thinking, and smiled, ¡°No danger. Our lives are mutually dependent, you can¡¯t die.¡± Upon hearing these words Tuoba Feng seemed to be beside himself with joy, he cried out loudly, ¡°Right!¡± He lifted the lapel of his robes, and laughed as he plunged into the pile of bodyguards, shouting, ¡°Hey-yo!¡± Yunqi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry, as he shook his head. He got up and returned to his room to count money. ¡°Hey-yo, Hey-yo~¡± With Tuoba Feng¡¯s addition, the crowd of Imperial Bodyguards was filled with renewed enthusiasm, only thinking about squishing the person in the corner to death. After Yunqi finished counting the money, he say that the bodyguards were still Hey-yo-ing. His fur immediately puffed up in anger [28], as he growled, ¡°Who are you Hey-yo-ing? Aren¡¯t you done yet? It¡¯s already been half a shichen!¡± [28] zh¨¤ m¨¢o (ըë) ¨C This refers to the body language of an angry or aggressive cat, its fur standing on end. Angy kitty (=^-¦Ø-^=) Tuoba Feng had a self-satisfied and delighted appearance. He turned and waved towards Yunqi, before ruthlessly crowding in, yelling, ¡°Hey-yo~¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Yunqi shouted angrily, ¡°Commander Tuoba! Have them disperse! Any more Hey-yo and they might die!¡± Tuoba Feng squeezed his own ears, and smiled as he shouted back, ¡°Just play a little longer!¡± Yunqi gnashed his teeth and went into his room. In a moment, he came out carrying the dazzlingly gold, gloriously shining treasure, a three chi, two cun long item. In mock seriousness, he yelled, ¡°The Shangfang Baojian [29] is here! All disperse now, the noise is driving me crazy! I want to take an afternoon nap alright!¡± [29] sh¨¤ng f¨¡ng b¨£o ji¨¤n£¨Éз½±¦½£) lit. ¡°Shangfang¡¯s treasure sword¡± An ancient sword that was cast by Shangfang Jian for the use of the Emperor and the Imperial family. It represents the Emperor¡¯s will and is a symbol of power and honor. If a minister holds this sword bestowed by the Emperor, it means that he has the Emperor¡¯s favor, and can even directly kill officials and common people without a need for a tribunal. That item was the Shangfang Baojian bestowed upon the Commander of the Jinyiwei. When Tuoba Feng caught sight of Yunqi, he hastily asked everyone to go out, including the salted fish, saying in a hurry, ¡°Disaster, disaster ¨C everyone disperse!¡± The group of Imperial Bodyguards burst out laughing as they scattered. Yunqi held the Shangfang Baojian, and stared uncertainly at the man who¡¯d been crowded into the corner. That man was about thirty-plus years old and was dressed in a red taotie brocade. He¡¯d been squeezed to within an inch of his life. He hollered, ¡°His mother! Who was the first to start crowding in? The young fellow of the Rong family wasn¡¯t it! This Prince won¡¯t let you off!¡± Yunqi¡¯s jaw dropped to the ground. That man picked up his black boots and hopped as he put them on. With a woebegone look, he said, ¡°My dear Xiao-jiu-zi [30], your Jiefu [30] was almost crowded to death, but at least I finally got to see you.¡± [30] xi¨£o ji¨´ zi (С¾Ë×Ó) Wife¡¯s younger brother. The word used for Brother-in-law is ji¨§ fu (½ã·ò) Older sister¡¯s husband. This is Zhu Di. Yunqi¡¯s eyes rolled back as he fainted. CH 8 Zhu Di was Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s fourth son and had been conferred as the Prince of Yan at 11 years old. At fourteen years old, he¡¯d begun following Lan Yu¡¯s armies to fight in military expeditions, utterly routing the remnant Northern Yuan soldiers at Kherlen River. After returning to the country, at 21 years old, he¡¯d become the vassal Prince of Beiping [1], and had since become one of the Ming Dynasty¡¯s most powerful barriers of protection against the North.Read it on sassystrawberry DOT com and not on this stupid site. As the folk songs say: The Prince of Yan as a vassal [2] is an impregnable fortress [3]. Aggregators and reposters suck. Read it on the original site, SassyStrawberryD0Tcom From North of the Buir Lake to the Great Wall in the South, from the Silk Road in the West to the Jiayu Pass in the East. Each day that Zhu Di is garrisoned there in defense, is another day that the remnants armies of the Northern Yuan Dynasty would not dare rashly move down south. Zhu Di looked like his mother, although no one in the Imperial Court knew who Zhu Di¡¯s birth mother was [4]. It was said that the Prince of Yan looked very different from Zhu Yuanzhang. Please do not re-upload this translation elsewhere, and do not trade/distribute EPUBs.W(*u[[08y08y0gq38y4q20[84y[02* Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s eyes were narrow and his nose broad, he had the look of a soaring eagle and the manner of a mighty tiger. Zhu Di, on the other hand, had thick straight brows, eyes as lustrous as if they¡¯d been lacquered, a tall nose bridge, and lips as thin as a knife. At times, his eyes would flash with some mischief. Since he¡¯d enlisted in the army for many years, he possessed the crafty unctuousness of a seasoned veteran ruffian. He looked to be carefree and insouciant but maintained a degree of shrewd sophistication. The study of physiognomy states that people with thin lips are the most merciless. However, Yunqi didn¡¯t really believe this, at least Zhu Di treated Xu Qing extremely well, and also treated Xu Qing¡¯s maiden family quite well. As expected, Zhu Di shook the lapels of his robe, and sat down to speak, ¡°Your Jie [5] had me come and ask, whether the injuries from the twenty strokes of the punishment rod that you took on behalf of the Imperial Grandson have already healed? In another three days, is Da-ge [6] ¡®s funeral procession. I¡¯ll have some words with the Emperor, and request to bring you back to Beiping for several days so that our family can get together.¡±Translator: SassyStrawberry Yunqi handed him a cup of tea, and gave a wry smile, ¡° I certainly would like to take a leave of absence to go over and play at your place. But given the current situation, how can I get away?¡± Zhu Di said, ¡° Not a problem. There¡¯s no harm in Feng-er watching over things, I¡¯ll explain it myself.¡± sassy[removethis]strawberry[DOT]com Yunqi hastily replied, ¡°If we leave him alone here, should something happen, I fear that he won¡¯t be able to suppress it on his own.¡± Zhu Di looked at Yunqi for a while, his stare giving rise to a sense of trepidation in Yunqi¡¯s heart. Yunqi said, ¡°Pei! You¡¯re only ten or so years older than the both of us, why¡¯d you shamelessly act like you¡¯re old, and muddledly call us Yun-er and Feng-er?¡± Zhu Di chuckled at this, and expressed with great interest, ¡° Tuoba Feng was picked up and brought home by me. He¡¯s like my son, if I don¡¯t call him Feng-er, what else would I call him?¡± The pair of brothers-in-law swapped some casual chit-chat about the dynamic political situation in the capital. Zhu Di had been garrisoned at Beiping for many years and wasn¡¯t very familiar with the affairs of the Imperial Court in Nanjing. And Yunqi was rather generous with his information and shared all the matters that had happened beneath the Emperor¡¯s feet. Finally, when they touched on the topic of Lan Yu, they both sighed at one another for a long while. Zhu Di shook his head and sighed, ¡° When I followed Great General Lan Yu for a military expedition, he gave me many pointers on troop deployment and battle formations. Truthfully, had it not for Lan Yu in the past, I truly would not have been able to accomplish such military achievements, and assume the position of vassal Prince of Beiping.¡± ¡°Why I can have what I do today, is, after all, due to Lan Yu¡¯s contributions.¡± Translator: SassyStrawberry Yunqi sneered, ¡°I only fear that while you thank him in your heart, he wouldn¡¯t be able to appreciate it from the underworld. I wanted to play host that day, and invite both of you to drink wine. Lan Yu stated that you were full of wicked ideas, and appeared to find you an eyesore.¡± Both men looked at one another and laughed for a moment. Zhu Di spoke mock-seriously, ¡° This Prince is truly a law-abiding and dutiful good citizen¡­¡± Yunqi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry, ¡°Blowing your own trumpet so hard, beware that the strong wind doesn¡¯t get your tongue all twisted up.¡± Having spoken, he got up before speaking again, ¡° A vassal prince is still an external subject, don¡¯t get too cozy with the Emperor¡¯s personal attendants, lest that crowd of civil officials grab you by the hair [6]. I can¡¯t save you then.¡±ad it onSassySTrawberryDotCom ¡°I won¡¯t see you off. When you get home, give my regards to my Jie.¡± Zhu Di smiled, ¡°Alright. I¡¯m leaving.¡± Yunqi sent Zhu Di to the door. Zhu Di asked again, ¡° Has the Emperor¡¯s health been good lately?¡± Yunqi bantered, ¡°Yet another one who¡¯s thinking about rebelling, why are you asking this out of the sudden?¡± Zhu Di smiled wickedly, ¡° It¡¯s not as if you didn¡¯t know. The old man has always liked being suspicious. If I greet him to his face and ask about his health, he¡¯ll be sure to suspect that I¡¯m planning to rebel. Since I can¡¯t bring it up to him, I can only ask you. You and Feng-er have stayed the longest by his side, so how¡¯s my father?¡± Yunqi felt somewhat touched by this, believing Zhu Di¡¯s question to be sincere. Thus he leaned against the door and considered for a moment, before responding, ¡°Truth to be told, it¡¯s not too good.¡± Zhu Di¡¯s face paled, ¡°What do you mean?¡±Read on https://sassystrawberry.com/ Yunqi whispered, ¡°Last time when he beat Fang Xiaoru, he coughed up blood. I heard that he stopped practicing martial arts intermittently during the prime of his life, his attention having been diverted by other matters. Now he spends night and day toiling, and is now frail with age¡­I¡¯m afraid that he won¡¯t be able to last many more years.¡± Zhu Di sighed and placed both hands before his chest, the very image of an idle and leisurely Prince. The brocade clothes, jade belt, as well as the taotie embroidery ¨C all served as a foil for this army ruffian, the overall effect looking rather comical. Only to hear Zhu Di speak in a careless manner, ¡°Xiao-jiu-zi, Jiefu¡¯s glorious splendor and great wealth will all depend on you¡­¡± Yunqi turned to take the Shangfeng Baojian. Zhu Di fled in a great hurry. As he passed by the front courtyard, he hastily grabbed hold of Tuoba Feng and spoke with him for a moment. Only to see Tuoba Feng¡¯s odd expression as he entered the room, it was unclear what sort of teasing he¡¯d heard. Fortunately, it was Zhu Yunwen who¡¯d been established as the Crown Prince. Otherwise, if it were that ruffian who was to become the Emperor, goodness knows what manner of chaos the empire would be in. If you¡¯re not re3ding this on sassystrawberry.com ¨C it¡¯s a crappy reposter. Yunqi stretched lazily and went out of the room. He conveniently picked up a small broom from the courtyard and swept the fallen leaves into a pile. At this time, Tuoba Feng clutched a stack of paper money as he hurriedly entered the room. Yunqi was secretly amused, in his heart, he thought that Zhu Di must have rewarded his ¡®son¡¯ with some bank notes, thus Tuoba Feng had run back to hide his private savings. He then said, ¡°Lao-Ba, find two sweet potatoes and burn some leaves to roast them for us to eat.¡± Tuoba Feng absentmindedly replied with an ¡°Oh¡± from the room. N$09ug34g-97q3[4h¡±%-b93q5b¡¯-q395m73- Yunqi scanned the room, and suddenly noticed a piece of paper in the corner of the courtyard. He bent down to pick it up, and read it aloud, ¡°Banknote¡­five million!?!¡± In a split second, Yunqi was so shocked that his voice went up in pitch, gripping the paper and crying out loudly as he made a big fuss. ¡°Shi-ge! I picked up a banknote worth 5,000,000 taels !¡± Yunqi charged into the room as if he needed to use the toilet urgently [7], crashing headlong into Tuoba Feng¡¯s arms. Tuoba Feng forced open his fingers, gave it a glance, crushed it into a ball, and tossed it away, ¡°That¡¯s paper money meant to be burnt as offerings to the dead.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never seen paper money before?¡± Hearing the sounds of the wind, the Jinyiwei who left their rooms all laughed until their stomachs hurt. Yunqi¡¯s face was scarlet and he sorely wished that he could find a hole in the ground to crawl into. The 48th day after Crown Prince Zhu Biao had been buried. The chill of the autumn days was like water. Over ten thousand people had been executed in Nanjing. The twin banks of the Qinhuai river had gone cold overnight. Today was the end of the 7-week ritual [8] for Zhu Biao. The Jinyiwei had all changed to black uniforms and were patrolling the palace. The next morning after the 49th day, Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu Yunwen, and the members of the imperial family would escort his coffin out of the capital. The Emperor and the Imperial Grandson would put on mourning clothes [9], remove their crowns and knock their heads against the coffin, and send it to the Imperial Mausoleum in Fengyang. Yunqi¡¯s impression of Zhu Biao was of an honest, kind person ¨C with a mild temper and faint smile. He tended to be inflexible and unable to adapt to situations, and lacked a sense of humor ¨C he could never understand the Jinyiwei¡¯s jokes, and would only nod. However, he and Huang Zicheng were as similar to one another, as a pot with its matching lid. Zhu Yunwen resembled the late Crown Prince greatly, but he was even more kindhearted. If one compared this pair of father and son against the Prince of Yan, Zhu Di¡­Yunqi felt that it was still Zhu Di who more closely resembled the young Zhu Yuanzhang. In the deep shadows of twilight, the drum signaling the change in shifts for the Jinyiwei sounded. Tuoba Feng smoothly straightened the collar of his clothes and prepared to take over Yunqi¡¯s shift. The previously tightly shut lacquered door of Qinghe Palace [10] opened.St0l3n Translati0n Huang Zicheng and five Jinyiwei exited together. Yunqi stood at the entrance, and whispered, ¡°The Emperor summoned the both of us to wait in attendance, the rest of them are to wait outside the hall for further instructions.¡±Tuoba Feng¡¯s pupils suddenly contracted as cold sweat beaded on his forehead. ¡°What is it?¡± Yunqi observed Tuoba Feng¡¯s expression, but Tuoba Feng remained silent and didn¡¯t answer. He merely raised his head and entered the hall. Yunqi held Tuoba Feng¡¯s hand, and by a deep sense of tacit understanding, they separated. The Jinyiwei Commander and Deputy Commander being on duty at the same time only could mean one of two things: The hall was ablaze with lights, oil lamps from all directions sent their luminous rays of light toward the Dragon desk, eliminating Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s stooped and aging silhouette. THIEF Zhu Yuanzhang coughed a few times and waved back the approaching old eunuch. a3-94bnmq3-957uq-[5b73]5bmn]bq5-q93]5-9bqu The eunuch bowed and retreated out of the hall. In the hall, there was only Tuoba Feng standing to the left, and Yunqi to the right. Zhu Yuanzhang placed the bloodstained handkerchief on the desk. At this time, the doors to the hall were again pushed open, as Zhu Yunwen entered the room. In that instant that the doors closed, Yunqi caught a glimpse of Huang Zicheng¡¯s complicated expression. ¡°The Imperial Grandson greets his Imperial Grandfather.¡± Zhu Yunwen¡¯s eyes were slightly red as he bowed respectfully. Yunqi sighed secretly. Zhu Yunwen never knew how to hide his emotions, completely lacking in subtlety. While reminiscing about the late Crown Prince, his emotions were clearly written on his face. Zhu Yunwen had delicate features, with bright eyes and elegant brows. His eyes contained unspeakable grief and gentleness. Zhu Yuanzhang noted this, and heaved a sigh, ¡° The dead are gone, Yunwen. Don¡¯t mourn excessively, remember to pay attention to your health.¡± Zhu Yunwen nodded in assent. Yunqi suddenly understood why Zhu Yunwen could distinguish himself from others [11]. The true nature of the members of the Imperial family is difficult to ascertain. Zhu Yuanzhang himself was an expert in political tactics and manipulation, and when pitted against Zhu Di, he could see through his son¡¯s thoughts easily. On the contrary, it was Zhu Yunwen, the one who never concealed his true self, the one who faced Zhu Yuanzhang openly and forthrightly ¨C whom Zhu Yuanzhang looked upon with favor [12]. Translat0rSassyStrawb3rry Zhu Di was destined to merely be the Prince of Yan. In other words, the shrewdness and political trickery were Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s lifelong regret. In order to make amends, he planned to pass the throne to the free and unrestrained Zhu Yunwen. A goal that he personally couldn¡¯t achieve, he¡¯d be able to fulfill with the aid of his descendants. SASSYSTRAWBERRYDOTCOM Zhu Yunwen bowed again in respect, and said ¡°Yes.¡± Thus, the grandfather and grandfather pair stared at one another in silence again. After some time, Zhu Yunwen uneasily broke the silence, and said, ¡°Tomorrow when we escort the casket, will Grandpa [13] go too?¡± Zhu Yuanzhang answered, ¡°Of course, I will go.¡± ST-LEN TRANSLATI0N Zhu Yunwen nodded his head and felt somewhat relieved at this. Zhu Yuanzhang said, ¡°I will instruct you this time. Once you¡¯re familiar with the path, in a few years when Grandpa passes away, you¡¯ll need to learn how to arrange the funeral matters on your own. Send Grandpa¡¯s coffin back to Fengyang, to be buried with your father.¡± Upon hearing these words, Zhu Yunwen was overcome by sorrow and burst into loud sobs. Zhu Yuanzhang gave a small smile, as he consoled him,¡± Don¡¯t cry, Yunwen. As people, who would not die?¡± Read1ng 0n Aggreg3tor is Annoy1ng In the space of that moment, Yunqi had a vague illusion that Zhu Yuanzhang was no longer the Emperor who had just cut short ten thousand lives but was instead a kindly and warm old man. Zhu Yunwen wept for a long while. With tears in his eyes, he nodded and knelt down. Zhu Yuanzhang said, ¡° With regard to your empire, Grandpa has already made the necessary arrangements on your behalf. At this time, with several uncles guarding the borders, you can set your mind at ease, stay home and be the Emperor.¡± Zhu Yunwen sobbed for a moment, before nodding. awrawr9qnba4r-9w8ur-9wu Zhu Yuanzhang continued, ¡°As for the words of the civil officials, listen to them if you¡¯re willing, beat them if you¡¯re not. You aren¡¯t permitted to dismiss this post, the Imperial Court can¡¯t do without them.¡± Yunqi¡¯s heart thudded in his throat, and he could almost feel Tuoba Feng¡¯s agitated heartbeat as he stood at the other side of the dragon desk. How would Zhu Yuanzhang evaluate the Jinyiwei?! To bring up such a topic before both of them, what could his purpose be? To cut away one person¡­ to limit their power and influence. To cut away one person to limit their power and influence¡­to cut away one person¡­to cut away one person¡­ The hand that Yunqi had hidden in his sleeve shook uncontrollably. He lifted his gaze towards Tuoba Feng. His only thought was to stand together with Tuoba Feng ¨C to stand in front of Tuoba Feng and shield him. Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment, before saying, ¡°Jin¡­¡± ReadOnActualSite. Yunqi was covered in sweat, the perspiration soaking even the sashes of the Imperial Bodyguard¡¯s hat. Never in a million years would Yunqi have expected that Zhu Yunwen would interrupt Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s words at this time. ¡°Those external enemies have my uncles to defend against, but ¡­what if my uncles themselves rebel against me, what should Yunwen do then?¡± Even Zhu Yuanzhang hadn¡¯t expected this question and was slightly staggered by it. Yunqi and Tuoba Feng simultaneously let out a sigh of relief. Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a moment, then questioned, ¡° How would you deal with it?¡± Aggregat0rs Suck. Zhu Yunwen lowered his head and deliberated for a moment, before lifting his head to say,¡± To persuade them with morality [14], after which one¡¯s actions must arise from etiquette. Also, one must cut away the vassals, if it fails, I will use ¡­[15]¡± Zhu Yuanzhang responded coolly, ¡°Huang Zicheng taught you that?¡± Zhu Yunwen nodded. Zhu Yuanzhang asked, ¡°Was it the Grand Tutor who told you to ask about this?¡± Zhu Yunwen tacitly admitted to it.Read on https://sassystrawberry.com/ Zhu Yuanzhang said, ¡° Yunqi, you are of the Xu family. Tell us what you think about this?¡± Yunqi felt suffocated, and without thinking, blurted out, ¡°Sow discord.¡± Zhu Yunwen was slightly taken aback. Zhu Yunzhang seemed to be exceptionally satisfied with this response and unhurriedly nodded his head, ¡° If your subjects really have disloyal hearts, then foment discord between them and compel them to fight one another¡­ in this manner, you can alleviate your internal worries. Yunwen, they are still your uncles, you won¡¯t need to go to the extent of using force against them.¡± Zhu Yunwen bowed, and Zhu Yuanzhang spoke again, ¡°Huang Zicheng is really a pedant, and only knows how to indulge in theoretical, empty talk. The scholar is a hindrance to the country, you cannot believe everything he says.¡± Hearing these words, Yunqi couldn¡¯t help finding his words incredibly preposterous. You¡¯ve already killed all the Meritorious Founding Ministers. Now that there are only a few bookish pedants left if Zhu Di really decides to rebel someday, can it be that you going to have Huang Zicheng lead the troops in battle? Zhu Yuanzhang spoke again, ¡°This person Fang Xiaoru is a man with the strength of character. Although his words and actions are old-fashioned and inflexible, his moral integrity is commendable. You might as well spend more time talking to him.¡± Zhu Yunwen agreed. Zhu Yuanzhang again said, ¡°Go back then. Sleep earlier tonight. Tomorrow we need to leave the city at the 5th watch [16].¡±[n038b473857][3 Zhu Yunwen kowtowed and turned to leave. Yunqi¡¯s only wish was for Zhu Yuanzhang to order to have the doors of the Qinghe Palace opened and summon the rest of the Jinyiwei inside, and everything would be back to normal. However, Zhu Yuanzhang didn¡¯t do so. After Zhu Yunwen left, there were only three of them left in the hall. ¡°Xu Yunqi.¡± Zhu Yuanzhang spoke indifferently. Yunqi bowed respectfully, his voice trembling as he responded, ¡°This subject is present¡­¡± Zhu Yuanzhang knit his eyebrows together, and his withered old face revealed a sliver of killing intent. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Tuoba Feng¡¯s eyes were filled with utter disbelief. ReadthisonTranslatoRsite.Not this one. Yunqi did his best to breathe, the air in his lungs seemed to have solidified, causing him pain. Yunqi walked towards the center of the hall, knelt with both knees on the ground, and responded, ¡°This subject is present.¡± At that time, Yunqi¡¯s thoughts had been whirling at maximum speed. How could he safeguard Tuoba Feng, expound on the matters pertaining to the Jinyiwei, profess his loyalty, pledge his life, exonerate him¡­countless reasons flashed through his mind. Zhu Yuanzhang said, ¡°Jinyiwei Deputy Commander, Xu Yunqi, do you admit your crime?!¡± This sentence, like a lightning bolt from the blue, caused Yunqi¡¯s mind to go blank. Zhu Yuanzhang brought out a memorial and flung it to the ground. It fell in front of Yunqi. Yunqi looked at that memorial and felt as if a basin of icy water had just been poured over his head, engraving itself in his bones and inscribing itself upon his heart. The memorial was a record of Zhang Qin¡¯s life experiences, from his birth to the present ¨C the information was complete. It had been circled in vermilion by the Imperial brush, and the Emperor himself had annotated these two words: ¡°Lan Mo.¡± Yunqi¡¯s brain buzzed, completely unable to accept the situation. He¡¯d initially only expected that Zhu Yuanzhang would punish Tuoba Feng. He himself was one of the relatives of the Imperial family and was the son of the meritorious official, Xu Da. He¡¯d never expected himself to be implicated. However, he¡¯d underestimated Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s intellect. At this time, he suddenly saw the light about the sequence of events leading up to the Lan Yu case ¨C the entire matter had been a trap set by Zhu Yuanzhang! From the moment that he¡¯d framed Lan Yu for treason, and Jiang Huan had made that secret report, Zhu Yuanzhang had already intended to use him to deliberately leak out the news, thus creating the false appearance of Lan Yu absconding in order to escape punishment! ¡°A clever person may become a victim of their own cleverness [17], Yunqi, do you understand this now?¡± Zhu Yuanzhang said coldly, ¡°Tuoba Feng.¡± Since the moment that Yunqi got on his knees, Tuoba Feng¡¯s eyes were dull as he stared blankly at Yunqi who was currently kneeling at the front of the hall. Zhu Yuanzhang raged, ¡°Tuoba Feng, hear my command!¡± Tuoba Feng finally came to his senses, and his expression revealed his utter confusion. ¡°This subject¡­is present.¡± Tuoba Feng lifted the front of his robe, before sprinting towards the hall in a daze, kneeling next to Yunqi, he lowered himself to the ground and said, ¡°Everything was due to this subject making decisions and acting without authorization, it had nothing to do with Deputy Commander Xu. This subject¡­ this great crime deserves ten thousand deaths!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Zhu Yuanzhang was speechless due to astonishment. Zhu Yuanzhang assessed Tuoba Feng for some time, and couldn¡¯t figure out the underlying reason. Yunqi instead replied slowly, ¡°This guilty subject released Zhang Qin and Lan Mo on one¡¯s own initiative. Such a crime warrants death. One bears responsibility for his own actions [18], Tuoba Feng was entirely ignorant of this matter. This subject is willing to plead guilty and accept punishment.¡± Why are you reading this on this aggregator site. Zhu Yuanzhang said in a grave voice, ¡°Since you admit your guilt, Tuoba Feng will take you into custody, tomorrow at noon¡­¡± Tuoba Feng inhaled sharply, raised his feet, and got up. awr08aynwe08qwvyq8 Zhu Yuanzhang sat behind the dragon desk. He narrowed his eyes and recoiled almost imperceptibly by half a cun. Tuoba Feng took one more step forward, before kneeling again. Half of his body currently shielded in front of Yunqi. He abruptly pounded his head onto the ground with a dull sound, sending fresh blood flowing. ¡°Setting the traitor free was under Feng¡¯s instructions, and had nothing to do with Yunqi. Feng¡¯s great crime deserves ten thousand deaths!¡± Tuoba Feng cried out solemnly. Zhu Yuanzhang flew into a great rage, as he said, ¡° Tuoba Feng, what is your motive in this? ! Come, men! All of the Jinyiwei outside the hall come in!¡± Yunqi flicked his wrist, as he lifted his head to meet Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s line of sight. Don¡¯t read on this aggregator shitty site. The killing intent that had suddenly arisen, locked up Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s entire body. The cicada wing knife was at Yunqi¡¯s fingertips which quivered uncontrollably. Tuoba Feng¡¯s gaze revealed a panic-stricken expression, as he turned and grasped firmly at Yunqi¡¯s wrist. With a ¡°bang¡± sound, Qinghe Palace¡¯s door was pushed open, and nearly ten Jinyiwei charged inside. A eunuch followed them closely, as he cried anxiously, ¡°Emperor! A disaster! The Imperial Grandson¡­¡± Zhu Yuanzhang was abruptly moved to anger and was now caught unawares as he was suddenly subjected to these shouts. He almost vomited blood, and couldn¡¯t be bothered with both Yunqi and Tuoba Feng, staring in disbelief at the eunuch who had come to deliver the message. ¡°¡­Just now when the Imperial Grandson was watching over the coffin¡­ burning¡­burning paper money at the time¡­ the Crown Prince¡¯s soul made its presence felt, and the Imperial Grandson¡¯s soul was¡­snared away!¡± Tuoba Feng heaved a sigh of relief, and a slight smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. He let go of Yunqi¡¯s wrist and reversed his hand to hook his fingers, gently tightening his grip. CH 9 In the dim prison, Yunqi and Tuoba Feng sat with their backs against the damp wall. The Jinyiwei Commander and Deputy Commander had been separated into two adjacent prison cells. A moss-covered brick wall stood between their backs. Tuoba Feng extended his hand from the iron bars, as he probed around behind him, fumbling blindly for a bit. Yunqi reached out too, taking hold of Tuoba Yan¡¯s hand. Tuoba Feng spoke quietly, ¡°You are really too bold, you actually considered throwing the cicada wing knife at the Emperor earlier?¡± Yunqi laughed, and replied, ¡°He who is unafraid of death by a thousand cuts, dares to drag the Emperor off his horse [1]¡± Tuoba Feng¡¯s fingers flexed before he awkwardly interlocked his fingers with Yunqi¡¯s, and asked, ¡° Aren¡¯t you afraid that your nine clans will be exterminated?¡± Yunqi could feel the warmth of Tuoba Feng¡¯s hand, and answered, ¡° He wouldn¡¯t dare exterminate my nine clans¡­they¡¯re all nobility and relatives of the imperial family. According to reason, he¡¯ll only put one person to death.¡± Tuoba Feng said unhappily, ¡°Therefore you¡­¡± Yunqi replied with an ¡°En¡±, ¡°Anyway, whatever the case, since the Emperor is going to kill me anyway, why don¡¯t I just brazenly commit the crime of regicide in the court itself, and you can strike me down then¡­¡± ¡°In this manner, after my death, your position will be secured. The minister who defends his master will receive an iron voucher [2] ¨C Yunwen wouldn¡¯t dare do anything to you in the future.¡± Tuoba Feng¡¯s grip on his hands tightened painfully. Yunqi laughed again, ¡°Shi-ge, the Emperor will only imprison you for a few days. Once I¡¯m dead, you¡¯ll be able to get out. The one hundred and twenty taels of silver in that chest in my room, will all belong to you.¡± Tuoba Feng remained silent. Yunqi spoke again, ¡°The last time I went into your room, I found two¡­¡± Before he¡¯d finished speaking, hasty footsteps sounded from outside the prison. The keys at the prison guard¡¯s waist jingled loudly, Tuoba Feng turned abruptly, holding Yunqi¡¯s hand in a death grip, he yanked him against the iron bars, howling, ¡°No! No!¡± Yunqi¡¯s shoulder was half-pressed against the iron bars, the side of his face plastered against the damp and icy cold stone wall, he shut his eyes, and spoke in a shaky voice, ¡°Shi-ge, Yunqi will leave now¡­¡± At that moment, Tuoba Feng was like a maddened beast as he rammed himself against the prison door, screaming himself hoarse, ¡°Don¡¯t kill him! I want to meet the Emperor! Let me die!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Zhu Di suddenly appeared in their line of sight, and was utterly baffled as he stared at Yunqi and Tuoba Feng, ¡°Shixiong-di [3] practicing their martial arts?¡± Both men were speechless with astonishment. Read this on SassyStrawberryDotCom Zhu Di instructed, ¡° Open the door, open the door. Xiao-jiu-zi, how¡¯d you get locked up in here?¡± Yunqi was at a loss, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the situation now?¡± The jailer couldn¡¯t stop rummaging through his prison keys. Zhu Di smacked the back of his skull, and bit out angrily, ¡°Scram!¡± He abruptly snatched away the keys and opened the cell doors. He put his hand on Yunqi¡¯s shoulder and bade him to come out. He then left orders, ¡°Feng-er, stay in the prison for a few more days.¡± Yunqi let out a sigh of relief, as he was enveloped by an indescribable sensation of fatigue. Since Zhu Di spoke like this, things were likely to be alright. Yunqi angled his body as he exited the prison cell. Zhu Di set his hand on Yunqi¡¯s shoulder, picking off the straw and brushing off the dust. Yunqi spoke to Tuoba Feng through the prison bars, ¡° Then I¡­will go have a look first.¡± Tuoba Feng¡¯s eyes revealed an unreadable expression as he stared fixedly at Zhu Di. Zhu Di said, ¡°Just now, Yunwen fainted after holding vigil before the coffin. I don¡¯t know what happened, it¡¯s like he¡¯s trapped in a nightmare. The Emperor bade me bring you to have a look at him.¡± Yunqi glanced at Tuoba Feng and asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on with you?¡± Tuoba Feng said, ¡° Prince of Yan, you must guarantee that nothing will happen to Yunqi.¡± 09nue[b0r8uaw[brny0[qr Zhu Di met Tuoba Feng¡¯s gaze for a moment, before nodding. Tuoba Feng spoke again, ¡°Say it.¡±Aggregators and reposters suck. Zhu Di said, ¡°Feng-er, don¡¯t worry. Nothing will happen to Yunqi.¡± Tuoba Feng spoke up suddenly in the spacious and empty corridor, ¡°Yunqi, goodbye [4].¡± Yunqi stood at the exit of the Imperial Prison, his heart was suddenly battered by these words. Yunqi glanced back and frowned slightly, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Just as he turned around, he was held back by Zhu Di. Zhu Di reminded him repeatedly, ¡°Don¡¯t be so long-winded. Hurry up and leave, the Emperor is waiting!¡± Tuoba Feng watched dully as Yunqi and Zhu Di left.Read on https://sassystrawberry.com/ After Yunqi had gone, in less than ten minutes, a man wearing the uniform of the Prince of Yan¡¯s bodyguards entered the prison, bearing a wooden tray in his hands. On that wooden tray was a flask of wine and a single cup. Zhu Di brought Yunqi along as they hurried into Yanhe Palace [5]. The darkness of night had fallen completely, and the palace was ablaze with lights. Outside the palace stood a whole crowd of people. Zhu Yunwen lay on the bed, his limbs convulsing, foaming from his mouth as he mumbled unintelligibly. ¡° When did he get bewitched by an evil spirit [6]?¡± Yunqi shouted, ¡°Everyone give way a little, let me have a look!¡± The young eunuch on the ground stuttered as he responded, ¡°Just now¡­ the Imperial Grandson¡­ went to hold vigil for the end of the 7-week ritual, and had¡­had¡­ us slaves [7] go away. He was in the hall burning¡­burning¡­paper money¡­burning and burning¡­ then suddenly his soul flew straight out of the Imperial Garden¡­and stood firmly on the wall over there¡­then ascended to Heaven¡­¡± Yunqi was burning up with anxiety. He had assumed that Yunwen had devised this method to aid him and Tuoba Feng in extricating themselves, but unexpectedly he¡¯d really run into evil spirits! Zhu Di replied, ¡°The Emperor already had the Imperial Physicians over, and they¡¯ve left. The Imperial Physicians couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with him, and said it¡¯s supernatural¡­¡± Yunqi pulled Huang Zicheng away and came to the front. He peeled open one of Zhu Yunwen¡¯s eyelids to have a look. Zhu Yunwen¡¯s body had a particular fragrance. ¡°Imperial Grandson? I¡¯m Yun-ge¡¯er, do you recognize me?¡± Yunqi asked anxiously and reached out to take Zhu Yunwen¡¯s pulse. Zhu Yunwen said ¡°Huh~Huh¡± several times, and clutched at Yunqi¡¯s sleeve. Yunqi had never seen anyone who¡¯d encountered evil spirits before and didn¡¯t really believe in the existence of ghosts who would demand one¡¯s life. Anyway, if one took ten thousand steps back to look at the situation objectively; Zhu Biao was Zhu Yunwen¡¯s own father ¨C even if he had become a ghost, how would he harm his own son?¡± Yunqi lowered his head and sniffed at Zhu Yunwen¡¯s breath, moving in extremely close. Zhu Yunwen¡¯s extremely labored breaths bore a sweet fragrance. Yunqi immediately understood. He¡¯d been poisoned! Yunqi didn¡¯t have time to consider the matter carefully, and yelled, ¡°It¡¯s not evil spirits! Go send for the Imperial Physicians, and bring me a silver needle and fire bottle!¡± As he spoke, Yunqi pulled out his handkerchief and hurriedly wiped away the dirty mess in Yunwen¡¯s mouth. He exhaled deeply, getting the air out of his lungs. His fingers clamped down on Yunwen¡¯s nose as he abruptly stooped down to use his mouth to seal Yunwen¡¯s lips. Yunqi inhaled deeply with all his strength. Yunwen¡¯s face turned a deathly white, as the crowd of eunuchs cried out in fear. Yunqi separated from Yunwen; Yunwen lay on the bed, as Yunqi knelt on the floor, both coughing violently. Yunqi gasped for breath as he coughed out a mouthful of bloody foam. He again lunged onto the couch and pressed down the constantly spasming Yunwen. Having repeated this several times, Yunwen¡¯s ashen complexion had faded somewhat, and his face regained some vitality. Zhu Di brought with back a large group of Imperial Physicians as they rushed back to the palace. Upon seeing Yunqi¡¯s lips pressed against Yunwen¡¯s, his complexion immediately turned pale. Yunqi turned his head, and from the corner of his lips still had flecks of blood from when he¡¯d coughed earlier. He said, ¡°Hurry bring the silver needle over!¡± Zhu Yuanzhang¡¯s complexion was livid, as he stood nearby quietly watching Yunqi. Yunqi took the silver needle, and seared it in the fire bottle for a moment, before grabbing Yunwen¡¯s hand, ¡±Yunwen!¡± After which he inserted the silver needle under Yunwen¡¯s nail. Zhu Yunwen opened his eyes, his gaze glassy as he gasped once for air, coughing out a mouthful of blood. ¡°Yunwen!¡± Yunqi inserted the second silver needle in, this time Yunwen cried out loudly, ¡°Ah!¡± As he started to respire desperately. Zhu Yunwen¡¯s lax pupils finally seemed to recover some energy, as he stared blankly at Yunqi, incredibly feeble. He nodded, his hoarse voice extremely dry and coarse. ¡°Yun¡­Yun¡­¡± Yunqi breathed a sigh of relief, as he motioned for him not to speak. He hugged Zhu Yunwen to let him sleep soundly. His back was as soaked with cold sweat as if he¡¯d suffered from heat exhaustion. Yunqi got up and withdrew. The Imperial Physicians rushed over like a swarm of bees to check on Zhu Yunwen¡¯s condition. Zhu Yuanzhang had come later, and was just about to question him, when Zhu Di asked, ¡°Yunqi, are you alright?¡± Yunqi couldn¡¯t stop coughing, he could feel that the poison smoke from Zhu Yunwen had been extremely potent, and was unable to speak for a while. He could only press against his chest and point towards the palace. Zhu Di hurriedly came forward to support him, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll call the Imperial Physician to have a look at you?¡± Zhu Yuanzheng said gravely, ¡°Let him go out for some air. You can ask him about your suspicions later.¡± Yunqi nodded and broke away from Zhu Di. He knelt down to bow to Zhu Yuanzhang, before stumbling out of Yanhe Palace towards the Imperial Garden. Being poisoned by inhalation, the poisonous smoke¡­ Yunqi supported himself on the artificial rockery, as he gulped air for several moments. His mind regained its clarity, and he narrowed his eyes. At this time, he was the only person who knew that Yunwen was poisoned, and not cursed or possessed. What was this about? Someone wanted to murder the Imperial Grandson?! How did he inhale poisonous smoke in the mourning hall? Yunqi walked to the mourning hall which was on the other side of the Imperial Gardens. He noticed that everything was in a state of disorder, it appeared that after Zhu Yunwen passed out, none made the effort to man this place. A eunuch was currently cleaning up the mourning hall, his footsteps unsteady. The autumn winds gusted, sending the ashes in the fire bucket flying upwards towards the jade coffin behind the white gauze curtain. The moment that Yunqi entered the mourning hall, he smelt the sweet fragrance, which was the same as that of the poisoned smoke clinging to Zhu Yunwen¡¯s body. A piece of paper money was carried by the wind and flew out into the Imperial Garden. Yunqi¡¯s hands and feet immediately were chilled by an icy cold sensation. He went forward to grab at that young eunuch to ask, ¡°Yesterday afternoon when the Imperial Grandson was watching over the coffin, did anyone come by?¡± That young eunuch was stunned, and after a long while, he trembled with fear as he squeezed out some words, ¡°The Jin¡­Jinyiwei Commander came to look at the mourning hall.¡± The piece of paper money that Zhu Di had left in the corner of the wall¡­ Tuoba Feng clutching a stack of paper that he hid within the room¡­ Zhu Yunwen burning the paper money in an offering to his father¡­ In that instant, the countless details that had been carefully overlooked were now clearly strung together, inextricably linked to form a clue. At that moment, Yunqi spun around and raced towards the Imperial prison. The iron bars made a deafening noise, as Yunqi roared, ¡°Lao-Ba!¡± Translator: SassyStrawberry Tuoba Feng¡¯s back was to the prison door, as he huddled on the ground. Upon hearing Yunqi¡¯s voice, his shoulder twitched as if he wanted to turn back, but resisted the impulse. ¡°It was you who put the paper money in the mourning hall?!¡± Yunqi shouted angrily, ¡°Was it my Jiefu who passed it to you?!¡± ¡°Why did you want to murder Yunwen!¡± ¡° Answer me!¡± Aggregators and reposters suck. Tuoba Feng spoke intermittently, ¡°The Prince of Yan¡­showed my clansmen grace¡­¡± Yunqi was in a state of disbelief. Tuoba Feng¡¯s tall and broad body seemed to be extremely fearful, curling up in a ball as he constantly convulsed and panted rapidly. Yunqi roared, ¡°I misjudged you!¡± Translator: SassyStrawberry Yunqi yanked out the knife at his waist and slashed wildly at the iron bars as if he¡¯d gone insane. He roared, ¡°Tuoba Feng! Wait for death!¡± ¡°Yunqi¡­Yun¡­don¡¯t go¡­¡± Tuoba Feng implored weakly. Tears streamed down Yunqi¡¯s face as he sighed plaintively. He tossed aside his knife and muttered, ¡°How can it be like this¡­my Jiefu¡­my¡­Shi-ge¡­we¡¯re all finished.¡± Tuoba Feng coughed violently a few times, a thread of fresh blood ran from the corner of his mouth, and asked, ¡°The Imperial Grandson¡­is dead?¡± Yunqi replied woodenly, ¡°No. I saved him. If the Emperor pursues the matter, everyone will die together.¡± ¡° You¡¯ve all gone mad!¡± Yunqi grabbed at the iron bars and shook them with all his strength, ¡°All gone mad!¡± After a spate of shivering, Tuoba Feng hung his head.Read on https://sassystrawberry.com/ Don¡¯t repost my translation. Yunqi inhaled deeply and suddenly realized that something was not right. He¡¯d been in the Imperial Prison for a while, why wasn¡¯t there anyone there? Where had the jailers gone?! Yunqi hurriedly turned to look around. Eyes wide and staring, the jailer¡¯s corpse lay beneath the table In that instant, a chill ran down Yunqi¡¯s spine, as he thought of the worst-case scenario. ¡°Lao-Ba!¡± Yunqi turned his head to look toward the prison cell. He couldn¡¯t hear Tuoba Feng¡¯s response. Yunqi hurriedly rummaged through the keys at the jailer¡¯s waist and opened the door of Tuoba Feng¡¯s cell. He trembled as he turned Tuoba Feng over, his voice quivering as he said, ¡°Shi-ge¡­¡± ¡°Shi-ge?¡± Tuoba Feng¡¯s eyes were shut tightly, his breathing as light as a gossamer thread. His lips were already ashen with the signs of severe poisoning. Yunqi picked up the wine cup that had fallen into the hay. He dipped into it with a finger and despaired as he examined it under the dim lights. Seventeen years ago at Mount Kongtong [9]. Martially attired in steel armor, Xu Da who was over sixty years old, rejoiced at the birth of his son. The person who played weiqi with him was an old Taoist. His Taoist robes were greasy and slovenly, but his countenance was that of divine poise and sage-like features. The old Taoist¡¯s voice was resonant, ¡°How about naming him ¡°Yunqi¡±, when you walk to the water¡¯s end, sit down and watch the clouds rise [10]. Your son will accomplish great deeds in the future, in compliance with your Ming Sect¡¯s goal to recover the mountains and rivers of the world. In the shade of the willow trees, he will face the trials of being the flower that glimmers with hope.¡± Xu Da smiled with understanding, ¡°Yunqi, a good name; I¡¯ve never asked for Daozhang¡¯s Immortal title?¡± The old Taoist smiled but did not speak, as if he were pondering something. He brought out a paper bag and set it on the chessboard, before replying, ¡°This humble Taoist has no Taoist title. My secular surname is Zhang.¡± ¡°Taoist Zhang, this is¡­¡± Xu Da asked in astonishment. St0l3n Translati0n The old Taoist stroked his beard and smiled, ¡°This is a gift that my late teacher gave me. Inside is one pill of Shaolin [11]¡¯s secret medicine ¡°Kurong Zaohua Pill [12]¡±, one ¡°Summon the wind and call for Rain¡± Talisman, and one ancient treasure knife, called ¡°Cicada Wings¡± ¨C it is two ¡®cun¡¯ in circumference. If you blow a piece of hair against it, it will be sheared in half. It can cut through iron as if it were soft mud. These three treasures were left in my hands, but I have no great use for them. It is fate that I gift them all to your young son.¡± ¡°Kurong¡­Zaohua Pill.¡± Yunqi half-carried Tuoba Feng, and loosened the red string tied around his own neck, taking out a tiny cloth bag that he¡¯d been wearing all along. He drew out a yellowed talisman paper from the bag and unfolded it. Wrapped in the talismanic paper was a jet-black medicinal pill. He then fed it to Tuoba Feng. Subconsciously he bent down and hugged Tuoba Feng¡¯s neck, his face just in front of the former¡¯s nose. Tuoba Feng¡¯s breathing was as faint as a gossamer thread. After a long time, warmth gradually returned to that icy body. Yunqi felt enveloped by a sudden wave of exhaustion. The sounds of distant drums roused him. Yunqi hastily got to his feet, and placed Tuoba Feng on his back, carrying him with great difficulty. He walked out of the Imperial Prison. The Imperial Gardens were empty and silent. Yunqi¡¯s heartbeat was agitated, almost as if it would jump out of his throat. He walked through the dark night, towards the inner palace. ¡°Shi-ge¡­?¡± Yunqi¡¯s voice shook. Don¡¯t read on this aggregator shitty site. ¡°En.¡± Tuoba Feng whispered in reply. Yunqi could feel that his breaths had regained their warmth, as his breaths fell faintly by the side of Yunqi¡¯s neck. Yunqi let out a sigh of relief. He¡¯d been brought back to life, but where would they go next?¡± He hadn¡¯t considered it properly, only knowing that if Tuoba Feng remains in the palace, he would definitely die. Once this matter is uncovered, it would be a major case implicating countless people¡­ He walked ahead blindly, and suddenly realized that whilst carrying Tuoba Feng on his back, he¡¯d returned to the great courtyard where the Jinyiwei resided.