《Lord Seventh》 CH 1 Chapter 1. Seven Ephemeral Lives In our first life, we would become burial mounds made of rocks, our love inseparable. In our second life, we would destroy the rocks, connecting our destiny, walking side by side. In our third life, we would burn the jades, promising that we would belong to each other whether in life or in death. The equinox flowers blooming along the path were as crimson as blood. The water of the River of Forgetfulness flowed calmly, three thousand years to the east, then three thousand years to the west. Wandering spirits came and went; they walked on the road to the Underworld, crossing the Bridge of Helplessness. After drinking the Mengpo tea, they would forget everything in their previous life. People crossed the Stone of Three Lives every day but none ever spared it a glance, showing that the cycle of life and death was a mere phase of muddiness to the mind1. There was someone sitting beside the Stone. It was a man who only looked like he was in his late twenties when one looked closer. He was dressed in a long blue2 robes with large sleeves, a roughly carved flute carried by his hip. His hair was as white as snow, left untied and loosened around his figure. The man had his back to the souls on their way to Hell, facing the cold hard stone. He merely sat there with his eyes closed, unknown whether he was asleep or awake, seemingly unaware of the fact that someone had been watching him for a very long time. Hu Jia was a newly appointed Ghost Official and had only been around for approximately forty years. Ever since he took notice of the white-haired man, he had never seen him move an inch. After reporting his work, he would stand over here and stare at the other man for a while. The Underworld was the realm of the ghosts, but that was not to say that ghosts would not exist in the world above in broad daylight either. Sometimes when his mood was down, he would stare at the man and found himself at ease shortly after, his mind strangely as calm and quiet as the sitting figure. Suddenly, an uncannily pale hand rested on Hu Jia¡¯s shoulder. Despite being a Ghost Official, he could not help but feel a chilling sensation emanating from that hand, snapping him out of the trance he was in. Turning his head, he saw Bai Wuchang¡¯s3 pasty face. He patted his chest, turning to the man and gave a formal salutation, ¡°Sir Soul Reaper.¡± Bai Wuchang gave him a faint nod of the head, lips unmoving but the words he said could be heard very clearly. ¡°Go tell him, that the time has come for him to move on.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Hu Jia startled, looking at the white-haired statue-like figure, then back at Bai Wuchang again, ¡°This is¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Bai Wuchang spoke calmly, ¡°Back then I had reaped the wrong soul, dooming him to a fate of separation and desperately seeking after his love for so many lifetimes. He has not been able to be at peace for hundreds of years now, I¡¯m sure he has no intention of speaking to me.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± if the Reaper had said so, then he had no reason to disobey. After some hesitation, he asked, ¡°How¡­ How should I address him?¡± Bai Wuchang looked surprised for a moment before replying in a low voice. ¡°Just call him Lord Seventh like everyone else do, he¡¯ll surely respond to that.¡± No longer stalling, Hu Jia approached the man. Back when he was still a living being, he heard a tale told by a private school scholar during his childhood: In ancient times, there was a legendary painter. One day, he scrawled a dragon on the wall for no reason, and this dragon had no eyes. Passersby asked him about it in confusion, and he answered that if he drew the eyes, the dragon would become real and flew away. No one believed him, and the artist had no choice but to add a few strokes. After being given the eyes, the dragon truly came alive, letting out a roar and flying to the clouds above; that was the ¡°adding dragon eyes¡± legend. At this moment, for some reason Hu Jia was reminded of it. The man with white hair was like a dragon painting without eyes, if he was ever awaken then this land would no longer be able to hold him back. He came near, but the man seemingly had no clue; his eyes still shut, face angled toward the Stone. Hu Jia cleared his throat and ignored his nerves to move the man¡¯s shoulder slightly. ¡°Lord Seventh, Sir Soul Reaper wants to tell you that the time has come, you have to go now.¡± The man stayed still, as if he had not heard anything. Hu Jia swallowed, raising the volume of his voice and inched closer to the man¡¯s ear, ¡°Lord Seventh, Sir Reaper¡­¡± ¡°I can hear you, I¡¯m not deaf.¡± Hu Jia stood there in a stupor, only reacting after a good while. He had no idea this man could talk, and he talked to him, no less. The voice of this ¡°Lord Seventh¡± was low and soft, almost like a gentle breeze gliding over your soul. Then he started to move, body sluggish probably due to the long period of sleep. His shoulders shifted a tiny fraction, and then he opened his eyes slowly to look at Hu Jia. His eyes were incredibly clear and bright, eye corners wide and eyeline clear. His brows were raised a little, carrying a hint of mirth and rays of bright light, but only for a short moment before being restrained. Hu Jia was amazed. This Lord Seventh is really easy on the eye, he thought. The white-haired man examined him, then said somewhat wistfully, ¡°I don¡¯t think I have seen you before¡­¡± ¡°I am Hu Jia, I¡¯ve only been a Ghost Official for about forty years.¡± The man startled, calculating with his hands. He shook his head and smiled. ¡°Have I really been sleeping for that long?¡± Using the Stone as support, he leisurely stood up, dusting off the nonexistent dirt on his clothes, sleeves sweeping around. The equinox flowers seemingly swayed with his every movement. He turned and saw Bai Wuchang unsurprisingly standing not far away. Fixing his sleeves, he greeted him with a brief salutation. ¡°Sir Reaper. We haven¡¯t met for sixty years now, have we?¡± Bai Wuchang stilled. He looked as formal and stiff as usual, but his voice betrayed him with a hint of surprise. ¡°My lord, there hasn¡¯t been a single day where I didn¡¯t see you for the past sixty-three years every time I crossed this bridge. It was you who never paid attention.¡± The man blinked, then laughed. ¡°Sir Reaper, how come I¡¯m hearing scorn in your voice?¡± Bai Wuchang lowered his head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± This startled the man again. ¡°The way you worded things makes it seem like I have caused you great offence.¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± Bai Wuchang¡¯s voice was still as stiff as a board, ¡°The time has come. Please come with me, my lord.¡± ¡°Hm, what time?¡± the man blinked, ¡°come to where?¡± ¡°You need to come with me to enter your next reincarnation, it will be bad if we miss the timing. This is your seventh time already.¡± Bai Wuchang continued after pausing, ¡°Once you are done with this lifetime, your destiny with He Lianyi will finally end. Ashes will remain ashes, and you will no longer be entangled with each other.¡± The moment the name ¡°He Lianyi¡± was uttered, Hu Jia was rendered astonished. He had heard of that name before back when he was human. When he was little, he learned about history through his old teacher, and the man specifically mentioned the Zhong Xing4 Emperor of the previous dynasty with barely concealed admiration. The man was born in a time of aggression and turmoil both internal and external, and he had single-handedly saved a court so close to crumbling with his all-encompassing intelligence. As devoted and diligent as he was, he deserved to be called the most brilliant ruler in history. He looked back at Lord Seventh. The man¡¯s beautiful eyes were staring at the River of Forgetfulness, and he remained silent. Hu Jia stood beside him, seeing the layer of fog in his gaze, one that could surely confuse onlookers and reveal a sentiment of despaired haze. Over there, Bai Wuchang¡¯s face showed no emotion either, but for some unknown reasons, Hu jia felt like there was sorrow enveloping the Soul Reaper. Back then I had reaped the wrong soul, dooming him to a fate of separation and desperately seeking after his love for so many lifetimes. He has not been able to be at peace for hundreds of years now, I¡¯m sure he has no intention of speaking to me. Suddenly he saw that the white-haired man has returned to normal, eyelashes flickering. He turned to Bai Wuchang, perplexity evident in his question, ¡°Who is He Lianyi again?¡± Bai Wuchang choked on his words. ¡°He is-¡± After intensely concentrating, the man slapped the back of his head, cutting off the other¡¯s answer with his revelation, ¡°Oh, you mean him¡­ Now I¡¯m remembering somewhat. Gods above, why are these memories still here?¡± Hu Jia¡¯s expressions seemed to crack¡ªthis was the unrequited lovesick man he was told about? Lovesick? For such a man, his memories seemed rather awful. The man glanced at Hu Jia, seemingly reading his mind. He stretched and spoke slowly. ¡°Six cycles of reincarnation must have lasted for several hundreds of years. Who knows who or what he has been reborn into, and how can I remember that many times? Not to mention, I haven¡¯t had a chance to be human for so long now¡­¡± He lowered his volume at the end, the words finally turning into an insipid quirk of lips. He gathered the long sleeves, looking at Bai Wuchang. ¡°I would have forgotten if you hadn¡¯t mentioned it. I had had everything planned out back then, but because you had mistakenly reaped the soul of Qingluan and caused her to die prematurely, you had turned me and He Lianyi into enemies. No wonder you didn¡¯t dare speak to me just now.¡± Bai Wuchang avoided his gaze and lowered his head. The white-haired man shook his head, walking forward and patting Bai Wuchang¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Why do you insist on remembering those things, no wonder it¡¯s said that the pretty ones are the small-minded ones.¡± Hu Jia almost tripped and fell into the River at the words. The man burst out laughing. His laughter seemed to ring out across the entire Underworld with its thousands of spirits. His tall figure carried an unspeakable aura of someone completely unrestrained, as if even the Ten Kings of Hell was not worth paying attention. Hu Jia heard Bai Wuchang replying softly. ¡°Those two were supposed to possess a love destiny that lasted for seven lives, but as a result of my intervention, their fates were changed from eternal lovers to enemies.¡± Hu Jia jolted. ¡°A love destiny? He was¡­¡± ¡°Have you ever heard about Prince6 Nan Ning?¡± Hu Jia could not help but exclaimed out loud. ¡°Ah, he was¡­ he was¡­¡± The former Prince Nan Ning. No wonder the Reaper put the man above himself7. Bai Wuchang shook his head. ¡°He was only thirty-two in his first lifetime. As he was overburdened with worries, his hair turned all white when he left the mortal realm. He was obsessed and stubborn even after death, refusing to drink the water from the River and insisting on suffering by the bridgeside, just to wait for the other to enter the next reincarnation at the same time¡­¡± Hu Jia asked, ¡°But wouldn¡¯t he be unable to become human in the next life, since he refused to drink the tea?¡± Bai Wuchang nodded. ¡°That was why in his second life, he reincarnated into a flying insect. He flew under the other¡¯s night lamp, but the mortal was unable to discern anything in the daze and crushed him in his palm.¡± Hu Jia did not know how to respond to this. ¡°He waited for the other man for the third life too,¡± Bai Wuchang walked side-by-side with Hu Jia, the nobleman following with a definite distance behind them. The Reaper¡¯s voice was so incredibly tiny and low, as if stuck in his throat, but every word was enunciated with clarity. ¡°He was a black dog in his third life, raised by the one he loved since he was just a pup. But when the other¡¯s family fell into poverty, they had to butcher him for food. In his fourth life, he was a jasmine plant given to his love by a maiden who was infatuated with him, and was taken care of nicely. But then the young lady was married to another person, so he was abandoned out of grief and withered as the other moved his residence. In his fifth life, he was a white fox, raised by the other for entertainment. The concubine of the man loved his fur, so he had to be skinned¡­¡± ¡°That was all too much!¡± Hu Jia¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Surely karma exists, and he has not done any bad deeds, so why¡­¡± Bai Wuchang glanced at him, head shaking, ¡°Karma is not something we can understand.¡± ¡°Then after that¡­¡± ¡°After that, he returned to this river and drank three cups of the Mengpo tea.¡± Bai Wuchang gave a bitter laugh, ¡°But somehow the tea didn¡¯t work on him. He remembered things he desperately tried to forget, and he forgot things that he was supposed to remember. He often mocked himself that throughout these hundreds of years, sometimes even his own name wouldn¡¯t come to his mind. After having to remember time after time after seven lives, he called himself Jing Qi8. During the sixty-three years of He Lianyi¡¯s sixth lifetime, his lordship refused to return to the mortal world, choosing to sit by the Stone instead. Now is their seventh lifetime, their last one.¡± Hu Jia was pulled out of the story. ¡°No wonder.¡± He raised his head to look at the approaching man. He did not see the lovesick, unconstrained man in Bai Wuchang¡¯s descriptions; his unruly snow white hair was the most sorrowful shade of color he had ever seen. Jing Qi stood beside the Reincarnation Pond to wait for them. Once Bai Wuchang and Hu Jia was near, he asked playfully, ¡°Am I going to be human this time or not?¡± Bai Wuchang replied, ¡°You will be a human of great status.¡± Jing Qi examined him for a good while, lips pursed, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, I only want a life where I don¡¯t have to worry about what to wear or eat and can live peacefully until death.¡± Bai Wuchang did not say anything to that, only extending his arm, ¡°Please.¡± Jing Qi carelessly bid them farewell with a smile before stepping into the pond. Once he saw that the man was about to submerge completely in the pond, Bai Wuchang suddenly bit his finger and crooked his hand to perform a spell. Droplets of crimson fell from ghostly pale hand into the pond, turning the entire body of water red. Hu Jia was horrified and cried out, ¡°What are you doing, Sir?¡± Bai Wuchang paid him no mind while whispering something. Then he abruptly extended his bloody finger to make a dot on Jing Qi¡¯s forehead, right between his eyebrows. Since he was still in the pond, Jing Qi was unable to dodge and could only look up in astonishment. The Reaper¡¯s face remained expressionless, glassy eyes staring back at him. Jing Qi felt like someone was pulling at him and his body quickly went underwater. He could hear a low voice by his ears, ¡°It was my fault that your fate became incomplete and full of suffering. There is nothing I can do to make up to you but this; giving up all of my cultivation to trade for one lifetime where you can have black hair again¡­¡± Hu Jia watched in a daze as Jing Qi¡¯s body sank in blink of an eye. At that moment, the Pond turned a brilliant shade of red, but then returned to its crystal-clear state before he could even exclaim. The water was calm again, like nothing had happened. Hu Jia looked back, but Bai Wuchang was nowhere to be seen. There was only a slip of paper in the shape of a human left where he once stood, currently falling slowly to the ground. There was an explosive noise before a dark shadow emerged. The figure picked up the slip of paper while Hu Jia startled and performed a salutation, ¡°Magistrate¡­¡± The man in black waved his hand. ¡°Spare me.¡± The paper in his hand suddenly burst into flame and quickly turned into ashes. The Magistrate opened his palm to reveal a seemingly sentient blue wisp of smoke, which also flew into the pond. Seeing Hu Jia¡¯s dumbstruck expressions, he said, ¡°The Bai Wuchang you met is not someone who belongs to the Underworld, he was only borrowing the Wuchang¡¯s body to wait for the person who was destined for him. Now that it¡¯s time, it¡¯s natural that he should leave.¡± Hu Jia¡¯s lips twitched, and he looked like he understood everything and nothing at the same time. The Magistrate sighed, vanishing into the darkness again. Index | Next Footnotes. 1 There are a lot of death-related Chinese mythology concepts mentioned in this passage, most stemmed from ideas from Taoism, Buddhism and folk religion. 2 Çà (q¨©ng) as a color can be either blue or green. 3 One of the Heibai Wuchang/Black and White Impermanence duo. They are deities in charge of escorting the dead to the Underworld. 4 ÖÐÐË (zh¨­ngx¨©ng), meaning ¡°country¡¯s revival¡±. 5 С°×Á³ is a slang for attractive young men, often used as a derogation. 6 Depending on historical context, Íõ (w¨¢ng) can also be used as a title for princes who don¡¯t inherit the throne. 7 Throughout their conversation, Bai Wuchang referred to himself as СÈË ¨C meaning ¡°smaller man¡± ¨C an old honorific used to humble oneself in the presence of someone with a higher nobility rank. 8 Æß (q¨©) means ¡°seven¡±. Translator¡¯s Notes. I am so sorry for the long hiatus! Finals are pretty stressful for this semester, but I¡¯m almost done with them so I promise I¡¯ll resume the schedule as soon as possible! Here is a little something to tide you over until the next FW chapter, I¡¯m sure you can spot a familiar name already During this break, I have also finished reading Lord Seventh and decided that I will commit to translating the LS-FW duology before moving on to other novels, so if anyone wants to pick up Han Shan or Actor Extrordinaire, you can just do it without asking me, I don¡¯t really mind! CH 2 Chapter 2. No Place Like Home Jing Qi felt the world tilt on its axis. In the haze, everything was both crystal clear and out of focus as if he was separated from the rest of the world by a veil. His body was so tired that he could very well fall asleep in a blink of an eye. He remembered Bai Wuchang¡¯s face at that last moment with his indecipherable coldness and stiffness that was not unlike a cover; but the touch of his finger to his forehead was strangely warm. Legends always had it that the Underworld Road or the Gates of Hell were places full of yinenergy, and people who were about passed away had to prepare a thick cotton blanket to bring with them under. Jing Qi knew it was because Ghost Officials were all as cold as ice, so cold that you could feel it the moment they were around a one-meter perimeter. He was unsure what Bai Wuchang did, but now that he thought about it, the Reaper¡¯s warmth that he received ¨C coupled with his gentle words ¨C vaguely carried a sense of finality. In the trance, he thought: Is this really what you needed to do? His consciousness became hazy again and his eyes were unable to be opened; he only started regaining feelings of his limbs after gods knew how long. According to his calculations, he had not really felt it for around sixty years now, so when he awoke with a start, there was heaviness settling over his body. His head hurt as if he was poked with needles. Sounds of people walking back and forth reached his ears, the noises distant in one moment and very near in another. Someone opened his mouth and made him drink some medicine; must be a brute, as the way they fed him was like how people would feed a horse. His taste buds came to life and the bitterness rushed to his brain when he was not fully prepared. The stream of liquid down his throat made him struggle for air and he coughed profusely, causing more commotion. The noisiness brought back some of his strength, and he tried to open his eyes. It took him blinking forcefully for a few seconds to see everything clearly. He was leaning onto a young boy while being fed medicine by him. Seeing him coughing and opening his eyes, the boy quickly put the bowl down and stroked his back, crying out, ¡°Go send for the physician, Young Master is awake!¡± Being slapped like that while just recently recovering from coughing made Jing Qi feel resentful. Was this kid sent by his enemy to torture him? The boy sniffled loudly and looked down at him. ¡°Young Master, now that His Highness was gone, whatever will we do if anything happen to you?¡± The moment the boy¡¯s face came into focus, Jing Qi was taken aback. He was Ping An¡­ Ping An, who was bought by his father when the boy was six, who had served him until death. His eyes were currently red-rimmed, and he looked no older than fourteen ¨C still just a kid. Ping An was trying to hold in his tears, eyes blurry. His clothes looked too big on his frame. ¡°Ping¡­¡± Jing Qi opened his mouth, but his painfully dry throat made him unable to finish the sentence. Once he had thought that the hundreds of years he had been through would have made him forget everything, but the moment he saw the boy before him, all the faded memories flooded back. Eventually he remembered his own name ¨C Jing Beiyuan. He was Jing Beiyuan, the infamous Prince Nan Ning with thousands of faces, the Prince Nan Ning who used to live only for one person, the Jing Beiyuan whose both body and heart died under that person¡¯s hands at the age of thirty-two. He suddenly understood what the Reaper meant by ¡°to trade for one lifetime where you can have black hair again¡±. At this meddlesome behavior, Jing Qi had no idea whether to laugh or cry. Seeing his dumfounded state, Ping An thought the sickness had made him silly. The boy shook him in fear, ¡°Master, Master, please don¡¯t scare me like this, what happened to you? How come the physician isn¡¯t here yet, call for-¡± Jing Qi tried to lift his hands with all his might; his current body seemed to weigh a hundred more times than his wandering soul. He pressed down Ping An¡¯s shaking hands without a word, eyes fluttering shut halfway and head shaking slightly. Ping An seemed to understand, as the boy went to pour him a cup of water and carefully made him drink all of it. Only then was Jing Qi able to speak, albeit hoarsely. ¡°What time is it?¡± He was startled by his own voice; the raspiness did not conceal the fact that it belonged to a mere kid who had yet to reach adolescence. He looked down at his small, thin hands that looked sickly green and devoid of blood circulation. ¡°It¡¯s currently the afternoon1, Master. You fainted in the mourning hall and had a really high fever for two days straight, no one could wake you up.¡± His lips thinned as he lowered his head and secretly wiped away a stray tear. ¡°The late Princess left us too soon, and the late Prince¡­ His Highness was cruel enough to follow her. You are the only one we can depend on at the moment, if anything happened to you then I might as well be as good as dead.¡± So¡­ this was when he was ten, just after his father¡¯s death. His eyes strayed to his hands again. Even though he still felt incredibly exhausted, a sense of novelty washed over him. How unexpected, returning to his starting point after so many reincarnations¡­ it overwhelmed him with a plethora of different emotions. Then he remembered Bai Wuchang, and the feeling died down. Reversing time ¨C even if he did not know much about it, this must have cost the Reaper greatly. And all of this to pay him back? To make him relive this wretched fate taking roots once again? Ignoring Ping An¡¯s ramblings and the boy¡¯s clumsy attempt to lay him down properly, Jing Qi internally sighed. No wonder why Sir Reaper always looked so cold and did not speak much, turned out his intelligence did have flaws. Did he think that living this life once more was like dust on a table that could be wiped easily? The human heart was not made of stone; you could not stain it with dirt then wash it with water and expect it to become as spotless as before. It did not take long for the physician to arrive. He checked his pulse and examined him from head to toe, showing a seemingly reliable performance of medical knowledge and spouting heaps of nonsense along the line of ¡°Good people will be blessed by the heaven¡±; generally, what he meant was that there was nothing wrong with him and he just needed to rest well. After nearly seventy years of sitting next to the Stone of Three Lives, Jing Qi possessed an abundance of patience, so he did not get agitated or angry at people who were just trying to follow a procedure. After all the medicine feeding and fussing around was finally done with, it was already midnight. Ping An sent all the irrelevant individuals outside and helped him lie down. Only then did Jing Qi ask him, seemingly without previous thoughts. ¡°You said that I had passed out for two days, so tomorrow must be father¡¯s First Seven2, correct?¡± A stunned Ping An thought he was worried, so he replied, ¡°Please rest assured, Master. His Majesty has taken upon himself to arrange His Highness¡¯s funeral, he even came to visit you yesterday and requested that you rest properly without any concerns.¡± Jing Qi nodded, looking at the curtain above him dazedly. He suddenly turned his head to Ping An when the boy was about to put out the lights. ¡°Wait.¡± Ping An halted his movements, looking back at him quizzically. Jing Qi tried his best to prop himself up with his toothpick-like arms. He leaned onto one side, eyes spanning the room including Ping An greedily. Ping An looked around fourteen; he had grown in height but still retained his baby face, plump nose and round eyes. The child was born with a one-track mind, and coupled with his lanky limbs, his entire body never seemed to really co-operate well with each other; he lived his entire life with a severe lack of astuteness. Nonetheless, Jing Qi thought, this kid was one of the very few people who treated me with sincerity. Ping An¡¯s voice was quite nasal, and often was he prone to tears back when he was younger ¨C a crybaby with a perpetual sulky expression on his round face. But that year, when he had to shoulder the responsibilities that burdened the Nan Ning Residence, it was like the boy was forced to grow up in just one night. After the late prince¡¯s First Seven, the Emperor took Jing Qi into the palace; and since the butler was of old age, every single matter in the Residence, no matter big or small, rested in Ping An¡¯s hands. Looking at the young boy, Jing Qi thought: Ping An had devoted his entire life to this crumbling, already inadequate household, and all he gained was more misery and suffering to himself. Seeing his master spacing out, Ping An thought he was still weak from the recent sickness. His voice was gentle, ¡°Master, it¡¯s not good for your health to sleep with the lights on. You don¡¯t have to be afraid of the dark; I will be right outside so you can always call me whenever you need something.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m that capable to be able to wake a dead pig with my voice?¡± Ping An was dumbfounded, then his face turned red after realizing the teasing. He stammered, ¡°I¡¯m not, at least I¡¯m still breathing you know¡­¡± Jing Qi was quiet at the hint of joy on his face. But his brows smoothed out and his eyes curved along with his lips. There was seemingly water glinting in his eyes, but it disappeared when one looked closely. Ping An felt like his master¡¯s smiling expression bore some resemblance to their old butler ¨C it seemed both focused and distracted at the same time, seemingly carrying restlessness and reminiscence, with a little bit of reluctance and joy mixed in. Was this really how a child should smile? Ping An was terrified with the possibility that the sickness had made his master unstable, so he put a hand on Jing Qi¡¯s forehead, ¡°Master, are you feeling unwell? Should I¡­ should I call for the physician again?¡± Jing Qi shook his head, eyes downcast, allowing Ping An to help him lie down again. Ping An tucked him in properly before standing up, but was stopped by a tiny pair of hands. His little prince was lying on the bed with his face up, eyes closed gently, voice low, ¡°It¡¯s fine, Ping An, I am here.¡± The cadence was very soft and tender, and he sounded like a spoiled child with his kid voice. But looking at his face, Ping An could not help but feel a lump in his throat. Jing Qi smiled and shifted his body, ¡°Go rest.¡± The lights went out, plunging the world into isolation. Maybe it was because he had been unconscious for too long, but at the moment Jing Qi could not sleep. He stared up at the curtain with the faint shard of light coming from the window. After a while, Ping An¡¯s pig-like snoring could be heard from outside, prompting Jing Qi to laugh out loud. Seven reincarnations made him think about a lot of things, like He Lianyi, like Ping An, like the glorious-but-desolate Nan Ning Residence. For what reason was he so attached to He Lianyi at that time? That was a question he had never been able to answer until now, when he finally opened his eyes just then. The late prince Jing Lianyu ¨C birth name Mingzhi3 ¨C was no less foolish than his son. In fact, they behaved almost the same way: having useless eyes, blinded to truth. What they should see clearly was completely obtuse, and they went out of their way to uncover what should not be seen. They both only had eyes for one person and stayed ignorant to everything else, leading them down the road of heartbreak. Everyone said the late prince was so infatuated that when the princess passed away, it was like his soul was sucked out of his body. He was fortunate to have his cousin the Emperor, who took Prince Jing Beiyuan into the palace to raise with his sons. When he was ten, his constantly-death-seeking father finally got his wish granted, leaving his son behind with an empty household. The world was wide and vast, but he did not really have a place to call home. Back then, he felt like He Lianyi was his only wish, his only savior, one that he had to reach out and catch no matter what ¨C except for He Lianyi, he would not mind whether he was alive or death either. His stubbornness could very well rival his father Jing Lianyu, and his foolishness was on Bai Wuchang¡¯s level. He only ever cared about that person and no one else, not even his friends, not even Ping An. Hearing the boy¡¯s snores, Jing Qi felt like all the suffering in his past lives must have been karma for him being the most abhorrent person in this world. After an indefinite amount of time spent turning things over in his mind, he fell asleep once more; awoke, then fell asleep again. He felt uncomfortable, as if his body was put in an oven, his bones all seemingly melting. He knew he was getting feverish again, but also that he would get better after this; so he did not call for Ping An. He curled into the blanket, enduring the sweat-soaked heat. In the daze he heard a crisp noise, like something was broken. Jing Qi startled out of his stupor, eyes still lazily shut. He was used to Ping An breaking things on a daily basis. But at that moment, a cold hand pressed down on his forehead, bringing him incredible relief. He then heard an angry voice, ¡°How did you let him get this ill, what kind of servant are you? If you don¡¯t call for the physician right now¡ª¡± Jing Qi immediately thought, I¡¯d rather turn into ashes with this sickness¡­ Previous | Index | Next Footnotes. * Chapter title explanation: The phrase can be literally translated as ¡°It¡¯s better to return.¡± It references a legend where the spirit of King Du Yu of Shu transformed into a cuckoo bird (¶ÅùN ¨C d¨´ju¨¡n, also the name of the azalea flower), and people could make out the phrase from his sorrowful cries when he mourned for his hometown. 1 Éêʱ is the time of the monkey according to the Chinese zodiac hours, it lasts from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. 2 This concerns the post-mortem rituals in some East Asian countries. Counting from the day of the person¡¯s death, there will be a special ritual each seven days, lasting for seven weeks. 3 Ã÷ÕÜ (m¨ªngzh¨¬) means ¡°intelligent¡±. CH 3 Chapter 3. Remained Old Friends He would never mishear that voice anywhere, not even when he turned into ashes. Back then, the sudden mention of He Lianyi from Bai Wuchang when they were beside the river did not manage to stir him emotionally. The passing years, coupled with his effort to forget, had buried that name in the deepest part of his memory and digging it up would be an almost impossible feat. But now, he would still remember it clearly as before. He remembered the many tricks that person had under his sleeves; he remembered his habits, like how when he touched Jing Qi¡¯s forehead, he could not help but use his fingers to part his hair. Those things seemed to have taken roots deep in his bones. Sometimes, Jing Qi would think about whether a Lord Seventh who waited beside the Stone of Three Lives for over sixty years would even exist, had he not been entangled with He Lianyi in a seemingly never-ending cycle. Receiving bad karma was like being greeted with bird¡¯s shit the moment you stepped out of the house. You could have had a hundred plans prepared to avoid it, but sooner or later there would always be a bird that came out of nowhere and dropped a piece of shit on your head, making you feel like bad luck would haunt you like a ghost from then on. Jing Qi sighed internally. He knew his breathing pattern had changed the moment Ping An startled him awake, so there was no use feigning sleep. He opened his eyes. In front of him was a young man who was only ten years old but had already possessed a noble-like aura. Jing Qi thought, This He Lianyi is¡­ still too green. Seeing that he was awake, the young man¡¯s angry expression faded. He quickly bent down and asked in a gentle voice. ¡°Are you alright, do you feel unwell anywhere?¡± In this human lifetime, it should have been natural for him to experience an onslaught of emotions when faced with the person he was once madly in love with and was deeply hurt by; but hundreds of years had passed. At that moment, upon seeing him Jing Qi only felt a little out of his depth. He thought, This is He Lianyi? Why¡­ why does he feel so unfamiliar? He Lianyi thought his speechless daze was caused by the fever, so he put a palm on his forehead to check again. He then frowned and turned to the servants, ¡°Is the medicine done brewing? We can¡¯t let this fever draw out, it will mess with his head.¡± My head is already messed up, Jing Qi thought. This fever should just burn me harder, so that I don¡¯t have to deal with old things anymore. When he finally came to his senses, he realized that he was lying down while his superior was still standing. Feeling unwell again, he tried to prop himself up, throat bobbing. ¡°Your Highness¡­¡± He Lianyi pressed him back down, laughing, ¡°You seem to have learned some manners after this bout of illness. Just lie there, don¡¯t move.¡± Their current Emperor had some fairly bad habits, such as the moment he thought of something, he would execute it no matter what; or sometimes he would do silly, unimaginable things. Once he persisted to crown one of the Empress¡¯s children and not his first child, and newborn He Lianyi was immediately given the title of Crown Prince when he had yet to be one month old. A few decades later, he would ignore his own heir without fail. To put it bluntly, the Crown Prince¡¯s importance to his father could not even compete with the latter¡¯s pet starling which was raised in the study. Furthermore, before He Lianyi there were his two vicious brothers ¨C the Second Prince He Lianqi being ten years older and the First Prince He Lianzhao whose power and influence had already been well established. No one paid any mind to the ¡°puppet¡± Crown Prince and only treated him as a joke, equating his existence to the likes of comedic tales such as ¡°The Parrot General¡±, ¡°The Imperial Tutor¡¯s Wife¡±, or ¡°The Story of the Prime Minister¡¯s Advisor¡±. The only one close to him was Prince Jing Beiyuan of Nan Ning, who was raised with him since they were little. The young orphan Jing Beiyuan had long gotten used to his uncle¡¯s erratic and untamed behaviors, and was even influenced by him to some extent. He and He Lianyi could not be more different from each other whether it was personality or status, but they both shared one likeness: They grew up without their fathers¡¯ attention. He Lianyi sighed while tucking him in and patting him as if he was trying to appease a toddler. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be saying this, but don¡¯t drown yourself in grief; your father¡¯s death was likely an escape for him. After the funeral you will come back to the palace with me, and everything will be the same as before.¡± Jing Qi did not give a reply, and instead studied the boy¡¯s profile intently. At this moment, they were both children who had no one else but each other while growing up. The level of affection they had for each other could not be considered as shallow, and somehow along the way it had turned into vile animosity. Jing Qi was startled to find out that the kind of love that acted like unbridled thorns in his heart back when he was waiting by the River of Forgetfulness was now fizzling out, flickering before vanishing completely, leaving a hollow space in his chest. Seeing his sickness-induced watery eyes widened, He Lianyi could not help but poke him on the forehead. ¡°Hey, Beiyuan?¡± Jing Qi blinked. ¡°Huh¡­ Yes, I know.¡± ¡°And what do you know?¡± He Lianyi was torn between amusement and concern. Ping An brought them the medicine bowl at that moment, and he took it and told the servant to stand aside. He took it no himself to help Jing Qi sit up with the intention of spoon-feeding him. The young man¡¯s body inching closer carried with him a breath of warmth, and without a second thought, Jing Qi tried to scoot back in an attempt to evade, his back to the bed and one of his arms blocking the front of his chest. Only after that did he remember when he was: This was their childhood, not the time when they turned their backs to each other; so this cautious defense would not do. He felt like his brain had turned into mush because of the fever, the memories of his past and current lives thrown into a state of disorder. He Lianyi did not think much about it, and deduced that the pale face and the bolting back was because of the other¡¯s aversion to drinking medicine. He laughed and tugged the back of the other¡¯s neck with force, ¡°Why are you hiding from this, how old are you?¡± Taking advantage of the misunderstanding, Jing Qi put on a pained face that made him look like he was scared of the bitter liquid. He stared at the bowl, then at He Lianyi before shrinking back again. He Lianyi looked down and took a small sip. He then turned to Ping An, ¡°Get some sugared fruits for your master.¡± For no reason at all, Ping An was terrified of their unfailingly gentle Crown Prince. He obeyed without any excessive talk and brought the fruits from a small table. He Lianyi tried to coax Jing Qi into drinking. ¡°It¡¯s not that bitter, I just tasted it. Drink a bit and then I will feed you some fruits, alright?¡± Jing Qi felt goosebumps breaking out on his body and finally understood what ¡°the mind was enslaved to the body¡± meant. He quietly took the other side of the bowl and gulped it down with He Lianyi¡¯s helping hand. He and He Lianyi then had a nonsensical conversation consisting mostly of He Lianyi¡¯s disguised persuasion, the rest was guarded replies by Jing Qi. There seemed to be something in the medicine that helped with sleeping, so after a while, he felt his eyelids drooping. He Lianyi was sitting by the bedside, voice soft. ¡°Rest, I¡¯ll leave after you have fallen asleep.¡± Jing Qi closed his eyes in response, hearing a sigh from the other boy. Of course he knew where that sigh came from; the Empress passed away too soon, and the Emperor was interested in anything but ruling the country. The First and Second Prince threw themselves into a bloody, lifelong rivalry; and while court officials burned their intelligence on fighting over who had the upper hand, when it came to actual work they all became utterly useless, to the point it could leave one enraged. If He Lianyi was truly a gentle weakling like how he showed the world then there would be nothing worth noticing, but he was not. Jing Qi knew it better than anyone that in the young man¡¯s heart there was only the sight of this country; he was born to shake the world and reached unsurmountable heights. Sometimes Jing Qi was suspicious that their Emperor, whose greatest interest was listening to that shaggy damn bird cussing out his entire court, had done something exceptional in his past life1. How else did he manage to give birth to such an individual worthy of the Crown Prince title? Silence fell over the room, and the air smelled vaguely like fragrance on He Lianyi¡¯s body. Jing Qi¡¯s head turned muddled and he quickly fell asleep despite everything. Ping An woke him up at night fall. He was sweating buckets but the fever had gone down, his mind sobering some more. Tonight was the first night of his father¡¯s First Seven, with all the guests being well accommodated when they visited. Once the guests were all gone, it was the duty of a good son to keep watch beside his father¡¯s coffin. After a quick bath, Jing Qi stumbled out. He waved away Ping An¡¯s attempt to help. ¡°I¡¯m alright, you just go lead the way.¡± The funeral hall carried a gloomy atmosphere. Big white lanterns were hung at the door, and the wind made them tremble, looking like they were leading to the underworld. Their old butler was already waiting with incense, paper and candles prepared. Seeing that he had come, he told the servants to bring their master a cloak made of fox¡¯s fur to put on when the night came. Jing Qi, after a lifetime suffering being skinned as a fox, felt a surge of revulsion at the piece of clothing. But not wanting to shame his butler, he stood still with only a frown present and let the old man fasten the cloak with quivering hands. Afterwards, his tiny hands reached out to scratch the cloak a few times while he internally mourned, Tonight I¡¯ll burn lots of paper money2 for you too, brother, please keep them with care as preparation and try not to be reborn as this animal again. The old butler held his small hands and led him to stand in front of the memorial tablet. he bowed, ¡°Young master, you should bow to His Highness. The Residence is your responsibility from now on.¡± His countenance showed the resignation typical of old people who knew they were near death. With perfect manners, Jing Qi knelt down and bowed deeply before the father whose face he had long forgotten. The First Seven was the time for the spirits to return to say their final goodbye. Jing Qi had no idea if his father, obsessed with chasing after his wife, still remembered that he had a son. He also did not expect to be here, back in the mortal world, and somewhat wistfully wondered whether he could see the realm under again. He might not harbor love for it, but now that he could live a second life, meeting old friends¡­ did not seem like a bad thing. At that moment, a servant came in to tell them that the Supreme General of Ping Xi was here, prompting the butler to cast a look at Jing Qi. The boy startled, then spoke up, ¡°Invite him in.¡± There was a hint of excitement in his voice. Supreme General Feng Yuanji of Ping Xi was one of his father¡¯s very few close friends back when he was alive. Jing Qi could actually call him shifu, since all of his amateur kungfu was obtained under the general¡¯s training. Soon enough, a robust man strode in, followed by Ping An at a slower pace. Jing Qi knew the elder man cared none about customs, so instead of performing a formal salutation, he only greeted with a somber smile¡ªhe remembered all too well that Feng Xuanji¡¯s current lifetime would soon come to an end. Feng Xuanji, in contrast, thought the attitude was because his grief was still fresh. He sighed and ruffled the boy¡¯s hair with his giant hand. ¡°You have suffered a lot.¡± He turned to knelt and bowed before his father once while Jing Qi returned the courtesy. He then said to Ping An, ¡°Bring another prayer mat for the General.¡± The butler opened his mouth, ¡°This is¡­¡± Jing Qi cut him off. ¡°There¡¯s no harm, just do what I say. And both of you leave, I have something to say to the General.¡± After a lifetime of being loyal to the Residence, the old butler put customs and orders before anything else. Jing Qi might only be ten years old, but since His Lordship had passed away, whatever his son said he would follow. He bowed and left without a word. There were only two of them left with the brazier. Feng Yuanji sat on the mat without any grace; it was not in his nature to be gentle and tactful since all his life was made up of battles. He thought it over for a long time but did not know how to start, so in the end he only said clumsily, ¡°This manchild Mingzhi was truly useless back when he¡¯s alive, and now that he¡¯s left, you¡­ Your body looks so thin, need to look after yourself more.¡± Jing Qi smiled, stretching his legs as he sat down. He threw some paper money into the brazier distractedly, ¡°I¡¯m fine, but you are leaving the capital soon, aren¡¯t you?¡± Feng Yuanji was taken aback and gaped at him, ¡°How did you know?¡± CH 4 Chapter 4. Hollow Splendor At this point in his past life, Jing Qi was a mere child who lost his father in just a single night. Part fearful of his unknown future with possibly nowhere to settle down, part broken-hearted for his own fate, the child fell gravely ill due to those accumulated feelings; to the point that he could not take care of his father¡¯s First Seven and missed the Great General¡¯s visit. Feng Yuanji and his father had been friends for a long time, and as customs were not taken too seriously by the former, he came to pay his respect despite it being the middle of the night. His action showed a rarely seen trace of sincerity in a world full of deception. Who could have thought in this life he was able to see the older man for one last time before he left the capital. Upon his questions, Jing Qi smiled suddenly. ¡°I¡¯m the Crown Prince¡¯s study partner1 after all; and now that His Highness is old enough to be involved in court matters, even though I can¡¯t be there directly I have heard the news being thrown around.¡± ¡°Hah,¡± Feng Yuanji barked out a laugh. Jing Qi¡¯s words had managed to touch his worries, and on his face was indignation and anger, unable to be concealed. But he was a strong-willed individual, so he did not want to show those emotions in front of the young child. He turned his head away to look at the dark sky outside the hall. After a long bout of silence, he finally managed to take control of his expressions and voice. He spoke in a low voice, trying his best to stay calm, ¡°Even a child like you know about it, but the one who needs to know the most doesn¡¯t.¡± At midnight, seated in front of the King, But instead of asking about the people, the King asked about ghosts.2 Jing Qi raised his brows, but before he could say anything, Feng Yuanji turned his gaze back inside and spoke in a deep voice. ¡°Those words aren¡¯t supposed to come out of my mouth, so you better pretend that they were never uttered in the first place.¡± In the hall, the light from the white candle flickered in the breeze, and there was a slip of paper money half-burned inside the brazier. The young boy¡¯s expression seemed to borrow some warmth from the fire; he sat silently with his deep, dark eyes, looking like he possessed knowledge of everything. Feng Yuanji could not help but soften. He treated Jing Beiyuan like one of his own children; now that Jing Mingzhi had passed away and he was to leave for South Xinjiang, uncertain if he could ever come back alive, he could only see a magnitude of loneliness in the young boy currently clad in funeral garment and sitting in this mourning hall. His voice went soft. ¡°His Majesty ordered me to defeat the rebellion in South Xinjiang, this trip¡­ I¡¯m afraid this will be a taxing journey. Please take care of yourself when I¡¯m not here.¡± He paused, then added with no less worry, ¡°I know that you have always been close with the Crown Prince, and he is a decent individual, but¡­¡± Feng Yuanji might not be a book-smart scholar, but he had been dealing with court matters for decades. Jing Qi understood his hesitation; the current Emperor seemed to still be in his hayday, but that was only a pretty layer of skin to cover the rotten parts inside caused by overindulgence. There was no guarantee about who this country¡¯s next ruler would be unless the three princes waged war against each other; and this was the kind of corruption Great General Feng was afraid the young boy would be dragged into. Jing Qi laughed softly, throwing more paper money into the brazier. ¡°I am but a leisurely prince with a bad reputation who can only rely on the shadows of my predecessors, and is still a snot-nosed brat no less; being raised in the capital and is occasionally the entertainment of the elder royalty who is fond of children. In those officials¡¯ eyes, I am no better than ¡°Mister Supervising Censor¡± in His Majesty¡¯s study, who will ever throw a glance my way? You worry too much, Great General.¡± ¡°Mister Supervising Censor¡± was actually the Emperor¡¯s current favorite crested myna bird that never ceased its cussing out of court officials. At the boy¡¯s almost satirical words, Feng Yuanji thought, How can a kid possess such thoughts? He stared at the younger¡¯s smiling, obedient posture; leisure and mysterious, he did not at all look his age. Jing Qi said, ¡°I will be alright, but do you know that this battle in South Xinjiang can only result in death?¡± Feng Yuanji startled, and could not stop himself from blurting out, ¡°Why would you say that?¡± ¡°South Xinjiang may be a small land, but ever since our Great Founder united the realm, obtaining the Nine Regions3 and creating a dynasty no less glorious than the previous, that area has always been a sore spot. His Late Majesty with all of his great might had waged war with the North twice, making the people there bend the knee, but even he and his army was unable to conquer South Xinjiang. That region was full of unpredictable and dangerous environment; beside the problem it poses for travel, the fact that our soldiers will be unable to acclimate to the conditions there is serious enough. Not to mention¡­¡± There was no need for a history lesson; Feng Yuanji knew his fate was sealed the moment he received the order. But he would never expect this young boy to point out all of it. He cut in, ¡°Who taught you all this?¡± Jing Qi picked a random name, ¡°Grand Tutor4 Zhou.¡± Feng Yuanji shook his head. Zhou Ziyi might have a name that was as light as the wind5, but no one could compete with him in terms of small-mindedness and stubbornness. With the way he would never stray from his precious books, there was no way he would talk about court matters to a young child. Furthermore, he was a short-sighted scholar, it was highly impossible for him to be able to understand military principles this comprehensively. Jing Qi smiled and said nothing. Feng Yuanji clearly wanted him to continue. ¡°Go on.¡± With some difficulty, Jing Qi stood up; he was dizzy the moment he started to move. He tried to straighten up and went to close the door of the hall before returning to his seat, letting out a sigh as if it was one of the most straining activities he had ever done. After some hesitation, he spoke in a low voice. ¡°His Majesty with his indulgence in lavishness seems intemperate, but he definitely doesn¡¯t lack self-awareness about it¡­¡± He was cut off by Feng Yuanji¡¯s raised voice. ¡°His Majesty is not your subject of gossip! The insolence!¡± Jing Qi reached out and patted the elder man on the shoulder to calm him down, the whiteness of his sleeve was as light as a breeze. Despite the man¡¯s harsh tone, the young man did not seem affected. ¡°¡­Therefore, he will try to gain some kind of achievements worth being written in history books, so that he looks like a useful ruler. Beiyuan will be frank with you, since you¡¯re not an outsider, those people have been eyeing your command tally for a while. You are as stubborn as a wall and has absolute control over the army, so it is not a surprise that they will have plans for you. As a result, they will try to please His Majesty by using this opportunity to remove you. Am I wrong, Great General?¡± Feng Yuanji did not answer. Jing Qi sighed. ¡°This incompetent child should not have said these incredibly ill-mannered words, but¡­¡± His elegant eyelashes raised, revealing a hint of sharpness as he scoffed, ¡°Great General, even if you don¡¯t care about your own well-being, will you really turn a blind eye to those vile officials further corrupting His Majesty and ruining his reign? Feng Yuanji looked at him, face grim, his expression unable to be read. After a good while, he let out a small sigh. ¡°You¡¯re just a child, why must you care so much about these adult matters?¡± ¡°If this country can maintain its peace and prosperity, I am content to stay a child until the end of my life.¡± Ignoring this soul-crushing remark, Feng Yuanji asked softly. ¡°Then what do you think I should do?¡± Jing Qi was about to speak up, but the older man raised a hand to stop him. ¡°No, you don¡¯t have to say it.¡± Feng Yuanji, after examining him, exclaimed. ¡°Beiyuan, you take after your mother a lot, only your eyes were like Mingzhi¡¯s. But personality-wise, you are so different from both of them.¡± He stood up, hands behind his back, looking down at the kneeling boy. He had yet to reach his growth spurt, and his body was even thinner after this tragedy; his facial features were delicate like a maiden¡¯s, but his posture exuded unimaginable assurance. Looking at him, he had the illusion that he was discussing with one of his peers and not a child at all. But it was only that¡­ an illusion. Feng Yuanji was sure that at the end, Jing Beiyuan was just a typical child who was raised surrounded by court politics. ¡°I should only tell you this two or three years in the future, but¡­ then it¡¯ll be too late, it seems. You have matured pass your age, so I think you can understand all of this, but I won¡¯t force you to take it in if you don¡¯t. Back then, I didn¡¯t approve of Mingzhi¡¯s choice to let you be raised in court, but he wasn¡¯t really himself anymore, so he wouldn¡¯t have been able to take care of you. Besides, seeing that you bear so much resemblance to his late wife would only cause more grief. I did plan to take you under my wings, but after all, this general Feng Yuanji whom is praised by people is merely a lowly man with lowly military background. You weren¡¯t even fully one year old at that time, and I was afraid that I would only hurt you; it was impossible for me to raise a noble-blooded prince of Nan Ning Residence. So I decided against it and waited until you¡¯re a little more grown¡­¡± It was a rare occasion for Feng Yuanji to talk this much this patiently. Jing Qi, in his silence, suddenly realized that the man had passed away too soon for the younger to know him better. ¡°But seems like I won¡¯t see the day you become a grown man, after all.¡± Feng Yuanji smiled self-deprecatingly. Then he suddenly turned stern. ¡°You are raised in lavishness, under the care of women, but you must never forget that you are first and foremost a man!¡± Jing Qi was stunned¡­ where did this come from? Feng Yuanji turned, eyes blazing. ¡°Jing Beiyuan, a true man in this day and age needs not to strive for noble titles, but to live as a hero. He needs not wealth and luxury, but to live with his head held high. I, Feng Yuanji, receive the royal salary and is graced with the title of Great General, and my job is to battle both internal and external adversaries, and defend the border of our nations. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t do these cheap dirty tricks in court you pointed out, it¡¯s that they¡¯re all beneath me!¡± Jing Qi did not answer those dauntless boasts for a long while. In the hall there was only the crackling sound from the brazier while the two men, one big and one small, sat there in silence. Then Jing Qi said, ¡°Sir, one that is too firm is more prone to breaking.¡± Feng Yuanji scoffed. ¡°I¡¯d rather be broken than bent.¡± Jing Qi suddenly felt like the older man stood much taller than in his memories. He was always stubborn and listened to no one¡¯s advice, perpetually determined to walk his own straight path without taking anyone¡¯s words into consideration, without turning back. However¡­ that was why he did deserve to be praised as indomitable and unyielding. Heroes will be heroes until the end, Jing Qi laughed with self-ridicule. He spoke such disrespectful words to the old man only because he did not want such a talent to go to waste. Feng Yuanji sighed, expressions softening. His big hands reached out to ruffle the boy¡¯s hair, ¡°You¡¯re still young, don¡¯t learn from those people¡­¡± Don¡¯t learn what from them? He realized he had no idea what to continue with, don¡¯t learn their scheming mind, their vicious immorality? But in the end¡­ this child was not like him. ¡°Great General.¡± The boy¡¯s voice pulled him back to reality. With a softer heart, Feng Yuanji thought, It¡¯s good for him at his age to be able to discern good and evil, as well as being thoughtful about me. He thought his words just now were too harsh and could prompt unnecessary worries in the child, so his face turned gentle as he answered him. After mulling it over, Jing Qi knew that Feng Yuanji would never be someone who could walk the same path as his, so he swallowed what he was about to say. ¡°Please take care of yourself, Sir, the road to South Xinjiang is long and arduous.¡± The current situation was similar to the end of spring: Like how faded petals covered the ground, people who were privy to it were all blinded, unable to see the claws of summer inching closer. With an incompetent ruler and useless officials, even if he was reborn, he was just a child without any power in his hands. He might own the ¡°Prince of Nan Ning¡± title, but how different was he from a puppet clad in silver and gold? He was helpless. He could not stop this man from heading towards his death, he could not help this nation which was on the brink of ruin¡­ At the end of that year, victorious news from South Xinjiang reached the capital ¨C Feng Yuanji did not disappoint. The Great Shaman of South Xinjiang proposed a peace treaty, agreeing to send his own heir to the palace to become hostage, giving rise to celebration. The only sad news tainting the situation was that the Great General had died in battle, along with forty thousand soldiers of Da Qing. Though, to the man sitting in the most valuable chair in the palace, it was merely a faint smudge on the victory. A general and forty thousand people for a reputation worthy of the history books was a fair sacrifice. Furthermore, that unpleasant man would no longer be able to admonish his shortcomings, so his life was getting better by the day. Even further pleased was First Prince He Lianzhao, who was finally able to have a hand in controlling the impenetrable military force. Everywhere was filled with joy since the end of the year was approaching. Some said that even if something was extinguished, its influence would still remain. Others would also say that just a flap of a butterfly wing would bring about catastrophic consequences. One was external struggle, one was internal corruption. In that cold winter, the nation cheered for its own prosperity as always. CH 5 Chapter 5. False Affection It might be either because he had gotten used to being a wandering spirit, or that his little body was in its developmental stage, but he always felt like sleeping. After a few continuous months, Jing Qi was disinclined to do anything. Ping An felt like their young master could very well sleep through the entire year as he spent the entire three months of winter doing nothing but that, just like a pig. After reporting his sickness to His Majesty, except for the few times he had to pay the man a visit, he did not take one step past the residence¡¯s gate, being more ¡°well-behaved¡± than young ladies from other families. In his past lives, He Lianyi had taken hold of Jing Qi¡¯s heart. Ever since he was little, he was used to putting the other¡¯s problems and happiness first and foremost. Too diligent to serve him in fact, he had poured out all of his diligence which was supposed to be directed to his own father. Then this lifetime came; and now that his infatuation was gone, it felt empty, but at the same time the weight had been lifted off his chest. Now Jing Qi had adopted a more lighthearted perspective, and besides, he was still very young. Da Qing might have been rotten from its roots, but on the outside it still managed to keep up a delusion of opulence, so it would not crumble immediately. By the time the unrest finally revealed itself, the Crown Prince would have matured enough to hold down the fort. He suddenly understood why the Emperor did not hold early court meetings in the past twenty years: To humans, what could possibly be better than having fun? Every day, he would sleep until past noon, then woke up and ate a meal just for the sake of it, then practiced calligraphy, wrote some nonsensical poems if the inspiration struck, read some pages about chess, skimmed through entertainment literature that covered anything from geography to folk tales, then slept right on the divan when his eyes got tired. According to Ping An¡¯s calculation, Young Master¡¯s reading time was very long, making it seem like he was trying to be studious even at such a young age. But nine out of ten times he brought him more tea, the little lord was ¡°reading¡± with his eyelids closed. He was the embodiment of ¡°sitting around and doing nothing¡±. Once you stepped into the residence, time seemed to stretch on for much longer. The more lazy he was, the more he slept. The more he slept, the more lazy he became. It came to the point where even He Lianyi, who visited every time he got a break, found it abnormal. Pitiful was young Crown Prince; on all the occasions he visited, whenever he asked ¡°Where is your Young Master?¡± he was only met with either ¡°He is already asleep¡±, ¡°He has yet to wake¡±, ¡°He is resting in the studies¡±, or ¡°He is resting in the backyard.¡± The location might vary depending on the time he was there, but the activity was a single constant ¨C sleeping. After a long period of time, He Lianyi suspected that he had developed some kind of illness, so he took the royal physician to see him. While his pulse was being checked, the Crown Prince stood to one side impatiently. At random times he would ask, ¡°How is he?¡± ¡°This is¡­¡± The doctor paused. The moment he stepped through the door, he could tell that this prince of Nan Ning was completely healthy by his complexion alone. But he could not just say it as it was, since it would make him look not professional enough. Therefore, Physician Hu pretentiously scratched his chin and spoke with every word stretched out, ¡°According to Basic Medicine1, illnesses are born from qi2 imbalance. Qi level is high when one is angry and low when one is frightened, qi flow becomes more sluggish when one is happy; qi withdraws when it gets cold and overflows when it is hot; qi becomes disrupted when one panics, is depleted when one is exhausted and coagulates when one is wrought with worries. Every human emotion can cause a change in qi, and once it is produced the organs will begin to function out of harmony¡­¡± His book quotes seemed to be endless. Even though He Lian was unsure what he was talking about, he had an idea that the level of exaggeration in Jing Qi¡¯s ¡°illness¡± was pretty high. His face darkened as he glared at the other boy. Once the physician was politely sent away, he looked back and asked mock-nonchalantly. ¡°Your sickness seems serious.¡± Jing Qi replied gravely. ¡°You should know, Your Highness, that while this ailment isn¡¯t deadly, it is not at all easy to cure. The physician talked so much only because he felt helpless about this situation.¡± He Lianyi raised his brows. ¡°What kind of ailment is it?¡± ¡°In the previous dynasty there was a book rumored to be written by a genius physician with the last name Du, and the ninth chapter in that book talks about illnesses that are difficult to treat ¨C ¡°sleep addiction¡± is one of them. This illness is really rare, only having occurred a few times in the past. It was normal that Physician Hu doesn¡¯t know about it, he was still young after all.¡± He Lianyi listened to him speak, his expression hard to read. He did not interrupt these incredibly fraud knowledge ramblings. Jing Qi continued with astonishing confidence. ¡°People who have this illness will behave normally at first and only wants to sleep a little more than the standard need, but gradually they will be almost perpetually dazed, and can fall asleep the moment they close their eyes. In a few years, they can enter a coma that lasts three to ten years at least and¡­¡± ¡°And how many, at most?¡± He Lianyi picked up a tea cup while still hearing him out. Jing Qi¡¯s eyes flashed strangely as he smiled. ¡°Rumor has it that you can fall unconscious for sixty-three years.¡± In that brief moment, He Lianyi felt like there was an indescribable emotion gracing the other¡¯s delicate features; it was seemingly half mocking, half jesting. But it was there and gone in the next second, so he thought it was just his imagination. When he blinked, he only saw an unbearably mischievous face that frustrated him so much. He conveniently rolled the medicine book on the table into a stick and knocked it on the other¡¯s head. ¡°Sleep addiction? You are just lazy.¡± Jing Qi laughed and dodged. At the beginning, he wanted to reject this hobby of playing and joking around with the other boy, but he slowly got used to it; though sometimes, he really wanted to make an exclamation such as ¡°So there was a time when nothing was wrong between me and him¡±. The Wuchang ghost, true to his name, did such an impeccable job. The person in front of him would later become intelligent and heartless and ruthless and cruel, but right now in Jing Qi¡¯s eyes, he was merely a stubborn child who refused to accept his fate. Since He Lianyi was a few years older, it took him no time to catch Jing Qi. He trapped the younger boy in his arms and only let him go after he had pinched the small face so hard it turned red. He scolded, ¡°Why can¡¯t you and Father learn nice things? All you two know how to do is being dodgy.¡± A child normally would not criticize their parents like that, not to mention the delusional old man was still the ruler and could sever heads with just a sentence; so this honesty startled Jing Qi. He Lianyi had always been very cautious with his actions and his principle was ¡°one must not do any unnecessary actions¡±, he would never say anything out loud without thinking long and hard about it beforehand. But at the moment he was only ten, his shrewdness yet to be honed. He would not have been this frank had Jing Qi had returned to the palace and he had someone to talk to again. He Lianyi knew he misspoke the moment he finished that sentence, and he thought about how fortunate it was that Jing Qi was someone he could trust. He sighed and changed topic, ¡°You seem to be living very well here.¡± After a short period of silence, Jing Qi replied, ¡°Your Highness, the rules are that the princes¡¯ study partners are picked from noble families, and are people who have yet to inherit any titles. Father passed away too soon, so now¡­ According to the rules, my studying from now on can be continued independently with a hired tutor¡­¡± He stopped talking to glance at He Lianyi. With Da Qing¡¯s inheritance system, age did not matter; the moment the father passed away, the title would be bestowed on the first son. The child could be five and he would still be considered to have become mature the moment it happened. However, since Jing Qi grew up in the palace, it was not unreasonable for him to continue being the Crown Prince¡¯s study partner¡ªjust like in the previous life¡­ ¡­unless he himself did not want it anymore and was only using the rules as an excuse. He Lianyi understood the intention and felt dejected. ¡°Beiyuan¡­¡± Jing Qi acknowledged the fact that he had lived past his prime. He no longer possessed the heart of a vigorous youth, and wanted no part in scheming with others ¨C of course, the more primal reason was that he wanted as less connection as possible to this boy who would later become the next ruler. But even then, Jing Qi could not risk to displease him, so he asked after some thoughts, ¡°Does Your Highness know who visited us during Father¡¯s First Seven?¡± He Lianyi was taken aback by that. ¡°It was Great General Feng Yuanji.¡± Jing Qi lowered his head with his eyes also downcast, fingers drumming gently on the border of the table. Only then did He Lianyi snapped out of the trance, his face full of pain and his eyes full of regrets. After a while, he laughed coldly. ¡°My first brother¡­ what an excellent job he has done. His ability to frame the innocents and harm people of this country is truly unmatched.¡± He stood up and walked around the room with his hands clasped together. ¡°In this situation of hardship, facing those devils, if only I can¡­ Hmph!¡± He did not finish the sentence, grief and anger tightly packed into the sound of his scoff. His profile looked stiff, like the muscles were strained. Jing Qi said, ¡°If one has no power, they can do nothing else but follow what fate has in store for them. That¡¯s why on that day I realized that if I¡¯m no longer staying in the palace, at least I can provide a safe space for you here. In the future I won¡¯t be the only one, and then one day¡­¡± He Lianyi turned his head back to him. Many years later, he would still remember this: The boy sat over there in his pale blue robes, legs folded, hands cradling a cup of tea, eyes full of smiles. There were no trivial formalities, no pretentiousness, just a normal, casual back and forth exchange ¨C at least I can provide a safe space for you here. The boy, who had never tasted sadness before, who was full of doubts, who had yet to experience absolute power. Unfortunately, spring waited for no one ¨C but that was a story for later. Jing Qi finally stepped outside six months after that, as the Emperor sent a direct order to the Residence, commanding him to visit the palace ¨C the South Xinjiang hostage had arrived. The Emperor had a very simple thought process: He heard that the young shaman was only around eleven to twelve years old, and the long and difficult trip here must have been hard for such a young child, not to mention the change in climate. Furthermore, the language barrier would further the child¡¯s misery; and Da Qing was ruled with mercy, so it was out of the question for the level of hospitality to be impeccable ¨C the boy must feel comforted and safe¡­ Of course, mercy had nothing to do with the war they waged against South Xinjiang, those were completely different matters. And it just so happened that Jing Beiyuan grew up under his eyes and had a leisure-loving, mischievous and clever personality that he was very fond of. He thought the child could benefit from making some friends. That was why from the early morning, Jing Qi was surrounded with servants after servants to be dressed in his tiny court clothes. Then he would enter the palace with eyes only half open, on his way to meet the one with whom he would be entangled for the rest of his life. CH 6 When Wu Xi entered the gate of the capital city in the carriage, he couldn¡¯t help but secretly lift up the curtain. After being on the road from South Xinjiang to the Central Plains for a few entire months, he was finally able to see that the Central Plains he heard about in legends was truly so large and so populous. The city walls linked together, there was an endless traffic of carriages, and the street looked so long that it would take over a lifetime to finish walking. The dense forests of South Xinjiang that were filled with dark fog year round and the strongholds held up by massive mountains seemed shabby and insignificant in front of this long and unbroken stretch of rivers and mountains that continued on for thousands of miles. So why was it a place that attracted the troops of the Central Plains people, who had to attack his own clan¡¯s people? Wu Xi had asked the Grand Sorcerer, the most authoritative and wise man in the tribe whose words represented the will of the god Jia Xi. Wu Xi would also be a Grand Sorcerer in the future, but he was still a child and there were many things he didn¡¯t understand. The Grand Sorcerer told him: ¡°This is a test of the god Jia Xi, the god Jia Xi is omnipresent, looking at everything that everyone has done, and if the cause is buried today, the result will be harvested in the future. Only, the life of a mortal is too short, like a small bug that appears on the ground and then dies quickly, unknowing, not understanding the god¡¯s will. When you grow up and have seen many people, and when you know a lot of things, you will slowly start to understand.¡± When the Grand Sorcerer said this, the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes seemed to change, his serene eyes gazing at the hazy mountains in the distance, black and lacquered, like a pool of stagnant water that would not move. Wu Xi looked at his eyes and suddenly felt particularly sad. The Grand Sorcerer patted his head and said to him: ¡°You are already ten years old and you¡¯re starting to make up your own mind and thoughts. There are many things that you might not remember even if I teach you, so it¡¯s time for you to go out and look for yourself.¡± Wu Xi stretched out and firmly grabbed the long robes of the Grand Sorcerer, but kept his mouth shut. The Grand Sorcerer sighed: "The Central Plains is like a snare, with lively and rich things that you can¡¯t even imagine, the most beautiful people and the most exquisite things. You may start thinking that compared to the Central Plains, South Xinjiang is a broken place isolated by the mountains, and you will not want to leave that place and forget who you are.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Wuxi looked up him and solemnly raised a small hand. ¡°I swear to God, I will definitely come back, I will never forget my people in my life. I will bring my people to fight back, I will remember who bullied us and I will not give those people a peaceful death!¡± The Grand Sorcerer started to laugh, not looking like a heavenly messenger or a master who always meant what he said, only like an ordinary old man, with a little kindness and exhaustion, watching a child who grew up day by day with an indescribable kind of hope and expectation, and because the expectation was a little too much, some anxiety gradually appeared: ¡°Remember the words you said today, remember your hometown. No matter how far you go, remember your people who are still waiting for you.¡± The Central Plains were dazzling and made Wu Xi curious. When walking through a place, it was almost like he wanted to give birth to a new pair of eyes to look more carefully at everything, but his curiosity was mixed with fear. Every day before going to bed, he repeated the Grand Sorcerer¡¯s parting words silently in his heart. But of all of the places in the world, not one was as prosperous as the capital, prosperous to the point that he felt like it wasn¡¯t real. Through the opened curtain, an unusual smell floated over, and Wu Xi carefully identified it as the smell of the thronging crowds of people and horse carriages, very thick with a very, very light fragrance in the middle, carrying something that seemed bewitching. He raised his head, seeing crowds of people filling both sides of the road. There were some carrying bird cages, some lifting baskets, and all of the people looked at his group like they were watching some exotic animals with great interest. The carriage slowly steadied and continued down the flat, cobbled limestone road. In the midst of the city, there was also a winding river, and several particularly large and gaudy boats were moored quietly on it as the water flowed past. The drooping branch of the willow on the bank of the river seemed to reach towards Wu Xi, but when he reached out to catch it, he did not succeed. At this time, the carriage stopped and footsteps approached. Wu Xi lowered the curtain, sitting up properly, and when the carriage door opened from the front, he saw his clan member and travel companion A Xinlai mirroring his posture with a straightened waist and back, standing to the side, looking like he was trying hard to make himself look taller. Behind him was a grinning old man wearing a strange tall hat, wide sleeves hanging down all the way to his knees with his hands hidden inside, the voice coming out of his mouth sharp and thin: ¡°Oh, this is the sorcerer youth master, is it not? This place welcomes you.¡± Lu Baichuan, who accompanied him, quickly explained to them in the rough language of southern Xinjiang: ¡°This is Eunuch Xi who serves next to the emperor, who is a first-class important person. The emperor specially sent the eunuch to the Xuande gate to welcome you, and arranged for your stay in the palace, which is an incredible promotion for you.¡± Lu Baichuan was a Han Chinese person from the border of southern Xinjiang. During the war, he was one of the guides recruited by Feng Yuanji. His Mandarin and Xinjiang dialect were both very proficient, and he cleverly climbed the ranks of the army, becoming an important person. The South Xinjiang delegation¡¯s knowledge of Mandarin was limited to simple conversations, so he was specially assigned to translate for the sorcerer youth. Wu Xi¡¯s face was covered with black cloth, only revealing a pair of extremely dark eyes, sweeping past Lu Baichuan. The smile on Lu Baichuan¡¯s face stiffened for a moment, as he kept feeling that the child¡¯s eyes were not at all childlike, so dark, so wild, looking like they were carved out of the same mold as the godlike and ancient Grand Sorcerer, the cold gaze making people shiver. Wu Xi stood up slowly and Lu Baichuan reached out to help him with a flattering hand, but was slapped away by A Xinlai. Lu Baichuan became furious, but when he turned and saw the fierce southerner currently glaring at him with anger and the colorful tattoos on his exposed upper body, the young man looked a little awkward. In an instant, Lu Baichuan¡¯s anger cooled in his stomach and he moved aside, embarrassed, watching A Xinlai bend down, let Wu Xi hold his arm with a very humble action, and carefully helped him get off. Wu Xi raised his eyes and looked at the shrill-sounding, shrewd-looking eunuch, hesitating for a moment, but then thought of the Grand Sorcerer¡¯s parting reminder to restrain himself at the Central Plains in order to protect the whole clan and finally inclined his head slightly. Eunuch Xi immediately turned to the side, showing that he did not dare accept this humble greeting: ¡°This old slave does not deserve this greeting, I absolutely don¡¯t dare!¡± The Imperial City was in the center of the capital, palaces connecting to even more palaces, a golden glory that was easy to lose yourself in, rising into the clouds. Wuxi looked up and thought, it was really high¡­ He started to feel a little bit scared, but could not show it, because A Xinlai and the others were behind him and the enemy soldiers were watching. He couldn¡¯t let his clan lose face. Wu Xi quietly took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and followed Eunuch Xi inside. When the warriors of South Xinjiang arrived at the main hall, the whispering civil and military officials suddenly became quiet, watching this group of rough and imposing Southern people march in. Many years of living in the wild made their shoulders particularly wide, and their shoulders were covered in totem-like tattoos, their honey-colored skin exposed, and their hair loose. Jing Qi, by the grace of the Emperor He Lianpei, was sitting next to this venerable figure and tried to sneak a yawn when he thought no one was paying attention. Halfway through the yawn, he heard the announcement and restrained himself, quickly blinking to hide his watery eyes. He vaguely remembers that in his last reincarnation he only heard that the Southern people surrendered, the emperor satisfied his vanity, and there were no further malicious thoughts. There was no such thing as a hostage brought to the capital. Indeed, with the chances of another lifetime, there were still some things that would change. He couldn¡¯t help but be a little curious, observing from afar, wanting to see the appearance of the savage Southern people who destroyed 400,000 elite troops of Daqing. But once he looked over, he saw a child escorted by those warriors. His small body was wrapped in a black robe, and even his face could not be seen, only revealing a pair of eyes, as if he were a ghost. He stood up very straight, and he seemed to face all the people¡¯s judgement without fear. However, Jing Qi didn¡¯t know why, he just felt that this child was a little pitiful. The military officers of Daqing kneeled, shouting long live long live His Majesty. The warriors of South Xinjiang looked at each other for a second and also uniformly kneeled. Only the black-robed sorcerer youth still stood there, seeming extremely lonely. The Minister of Rites, Official Jian, stared down, loudly clearing his throat, and said in anger: ¡°Audacious! Once you surrendered to Daqing, the sacred must be respected, you have met the prince, and seen the rites of the emperor, why do you not kneel?" A Xinlai said loudly: "Emperor of Daqing, we were defeated in battle and submitted ourselves to your rule, so kneeling is appropriate, but this sorcerer youth is the future Grand Sorcerer, the messenger of the great god Jia Xi, who does not to kneel down to anyone! ¡± A Xinlai had a loud voice, and when speaking with force, the whole hall echoed with his sound. Jing Qi squinted as he looked over. This person looked at tall and strong, but listening to the sound of this speech, he feared that this was still a child, with the feeling of a newborn calf that was not afraid of a tiger. Minister Jian¡¯s face became cold, showing his anger: "Emperor Wu is the only true son of heaven, the ninety fifth deity, even if your insignificant barbarian gods personally descend from the sky, they cannot show disrespect here, not to mention a three-foot child with an official sounding name! ¡± A Xinlai stared at him with eyes like shining copper. Minister Jian was not as much of a capable person as Lu Baichuan, and although the old man looked like delicate intellectual, although he was the most disciplined in the Ministry of Rites, he was truly just an old, crabby donkey. In all his life, he was best at two things: one was insulting people, and the other one was glaring at people after insulting them, and even He Lianpei tried to avoid him. Now with A Xinlai, one old and one young person stared at each other, neither willing to budge. Jing Qi lowered his head slightly, suppressing the corners of his mouth that were curving upwards. But Wu Xi suddenly reached his hand out and pressed it on A Xinlai¡¯s shoulder, then took a step forward and kneeled politely: ¡°Southern Xinjiang sorcerer youth Wu Xi pays respects to His Majesty the Emperor of Daqing.¡± His voice still hadn¡¯t changed, but the sound was clear and cold, with no softness. His hands were propped on the ground, revealing rather pale fingertips, and then he leaned down and bowed with his forehead touching the ground. Jing Qi noticed that at that moment, the Southern warriors behind him all curled their hands into tight fists, and the guy who had just clashed with Minister Jian looked like he had been slapped with frost, the rims of his eyes turning red. He Lianpei clicked his tongue and waved his hand: "Everyone rise.¡± Turning his head, he sharply stared at Minister Jian. ¡°Official Jian Ai, you just said that my Daqing is a heavenly empire, so we must be tolerant towards the people. He is a child, coming from thousands of miles away, how old can he be? What are you doing by bothering him? Call the attendants, have them take good care of this sorcerer youth.¡± Waiting until after the boy had already touched his head to the ground, then reprimanding the old minister, making this person look wholly bad to set off his own image of compassion. Jing Qi felt that his family¡¯s emperor was truly capable. He also saw the treasured emperor lean forward slightly, looking at the little sorcerer youth of South Xinjiang with a child-like curiosity, immediately asking: ¡°South Xinjiang¡¯s sorcerer youth, I ask you, since you are called the sorcerer youth, do you have any outstanding abilities?¡± He reached out and gestured: "By cultivating your craft, can you become a heavenly immortal? Can you control the wind and the earth? Oh¡­ Yes, do you have the ability to go through walls?¡± The main hall became silent for a moment. The magnificent ninety fifth deity was receiving a statement of surrender, and his first sentence was neither an appeasement nor a threat, nor a statement that the other party lost well and should be obedient in the future, but his first question was whether the other party could go through walls? It is likely that many people¡¯s frame of mind was similar to that of Jing Qi, wanting to cover their faces with their long sleeves and pretend they weren¡¯t present, or they were like old Minister Jian¡ªalthough they didn¡¯t speak, their whiskers were twitching, seeming like they wanted to attack at any moment. The author has something to say: It¡¯s raining today, thundering, I just pulled out the cable. == I bought yogurt for a minute and got delayed and almost got stuck outside because of the rainstorm. CH 7 Wu Xi¡¯s hands in his sleeves tightened into fists, his fingernails digging into his palms. The lofty and remote man held his chin with one hand and smiled, making him feel an indescribable sense of discomfort. He thought, that person looking at your own appearance is like a noble looking at kittens and puppies for fun. The high ceiling of the main hall seemed like a small sky, the lifelike dragon on the big pillar spiraling through the sky and straight into the Imperial Court. Everyone¡¯s eyes fell on him. Wu Xi thought that he had always been calm, and that he had learned a lot from the Grand Sorcerer and knew what was right and what was wrong, but he had never been unable to control himself the way he was now. In South Xinjiang, the Grand Sorcerers were their gods, and the people deeply respected the Grand Sorcerers just as they respected the great god Jia Xi. The sorcerer youths were the Grand Sorcerers of the future, and it was said that they were little messengers from the heavens. Leaving home, he grew up next to the Grand Sorcerer and learned all kinds of things. In the eyes of his people, he was not any less worthy of respect because he was a child. It was like a rush of blood suddenly went through his heart, violently wanting to break through his body and pounce on all the people who disrespected him. Wu Xi turned his head and saw the expressions of A Xinlai and the others¨Chis brave people and warriors stood there, disgraced. Their faces showed anger that they could not express with indignation, these men who did not even retreat when confronting wild beasts and poisonous snakes, at that moment, had to raise their heads to look at those lofty, arrogant people. It was like a bunch of small bugs getting trampled on. Wu Xi took a deep breath and slowly spoke in the unfamiliar official language: ¡°The things that the Emperor talked about are probably from the sorcery of the Central Plains. We have no such things in South Xinjiang.¡± ¡°Oh? Then what do you cultivate?¡± Wu Xi gave him a fixed glance, and not just He Lianpei who he stared at, but also Jing Qi who was standing beside him, couldn¡¯t help but feel that the child¡¯s eyes were very strange, with an unusual demonic energy. It made people feel uncomfortable in their hearts, not at all lovable like the other children. Wu Xi stood up: ¡°Would the Emperor allow me to demonstrate?¡± He Lianpei busily nodded and said: ¡°Good, do you need any supplementary items?¡± Wu Xi didn¡¯t talk, his exposed eyes curving slightly for a moment, as if he was smiling, but Jing Qi couldn¡¯t help but frown. When Wu Xi turned around, he just so happened to meet Jing Qi¡¯s frowning gaze. He only then noticed that standing next to the emperor of the Central Plains, body slightly turned to the side, there was a not very conspicuous child. But Wu Xi just slightly glanced at him, turned and walked two steps, and stopped in front of the Official of the Ministry of Rites, Jian Sizong. Wu Xi looked up with a curved eyes that were large and black, pressing his hands to his chest as if giving a polite greeting. Jian Sizong did not know what he meant, and only frowned while trying to size him up. Suddenly, Jian Sizong felt that something was wrong, as there seemed to be something blinding his eyes, making his vision unclear. He hurriedly took two steps backwards, a buzzing noise filling his ears, making him look around blankly, unable to recognize the people around him. Jian Sizong knew in his heart that he had fallen into the sorcery of the small child, and he became both scared and furious, angrily pointing at Wu Xi: ¡°You¡­..¡± But when he looked again, standing before him was no longer a child with a covered face and black robes, it was clearly a youthful woman in pink clothes. He saw the woman smiling at him, cheeks turning a light shade of pink, her eyebrows lowered, tactfully flirtatious. The tips of her eyes looked like they had grown hooks at the ends, and she looked very much like the famous courtesan of the ancient willow lane, Xiao He Yue. Jian Sizong¡¯s face immediately turned red. He saw that the beauty took two steps forward, and reached out to undress, and Jian Sizong wondered, in a public place with so many people, how could there be such a wanton woman who would dare to go so far without shame? He was about to stop her, but suddenly realized that there was not a single other person in sight. In the empty hall, the crowd of officials and ministers had disappeared. Only he and the woman were left. Looking again, where even is the main hall, this is clearly the ¡°Smoke Tower¡± covered with red silk. The woman who deeply resembled Xiao He Yue came deceptively close, her outer garment mostly undone, her soft breasts half-exposed, a bright cinnabar mole showing in her chest area. Her eyes were hazy, seeming shy and resentful, circulating with different feelings, but looking again, they disappeared, only leaving a pair of watery almond eyes. Seeing this scene, Jian Sizong felt heat start flowing through his lower abdomen, his three souls and seven mortal forms were already mostly scattered, and he could not help but reach out and embrace the beauty. He felt that the person in his arms was struggling to push and refuse, adding even more soul-melting charm. He couldn¡¯t wait to be with her and fall in the warmth of the red silk to go to Wushan with the clouds and rain. At this time, he heard a chuckle in his ear, and the chuckling person seemed to be a child. The sound was a little bit sharp, but very cold, and when entering the ears, it felt like it pierced the heart and caused it to tremble. Jian Sizong was actually scared into a cold sweat, his continuous rubbing against the women was suddenly stopped, and his eyes widened. He only felt a pain in his chest, then was forcefully pushed away. Jian Sizong looked up, and standing there was not the Xiao He Yue of the Smoke Tower, but was clearly a meaty body, with a face full of wrinkles and a sunken mouth, the Minister of Revenue, Zhao Mingji, Master Zhao! Everyone in the room was dumbstruck. Originally, when seeing Wu Xi inexplicably going to find Jian Sizong who had just caused him trouble, the reasons seemed very unclear. At that time, the two stood two feet apart, staring at each other in hostility for a moment, before they saw that Jian Sizong suddenly moved back two steps, reaching out to point with one finger, but before actually lifting it, he had already put it back down. Then his eyes squinted unblinkingly at the empty hall in front of him, no one knowing what he saw. Everyone watching seemed to observe that his face obscenely started to flush red, and then this most rule-abiding and old-fashioned person started laughing like ¡°Hee hee,¡± saliva flowing out of the corner of his mouth, a vulgar expression in his eyes, the absolute opposite of his normally uptight and honorable self. Everyone¡¯s eyes pinned straight on him, and He Lianpei leaned forward out of his chair, very much wanting to get closer and see this scene more clearly. Then, Jian Sizong suddenly made an even scarier move. He actually opened his arms and pounced on the person next to him like a fierce tiger, embracing Zhao Mingji! In all honesty¡­ th-th-that master Zhao Mingji, even if his face couldn¡¯t frighten the heaven and earth, it could at least frighten some demonic beings and scare a couple children, but Minister Jian was embracing him as if he was the most beautiful woman in the world. The expression on his face was extremely lewd, but just embracing might have been okay if he didn¡¯t also start groaning and moving his hands up and down, his mouth stammering ¡°Xiao He Yue¡±, ¡°Darling,¡± ceaselessly. He Lianpei was stupefied, and after a while, he blankly said: "This¡­ where did all this come from? Ah, Official Jian Ai, even if for Master Zhao, for Master Zhao, you always had this kind of admiration, you should not ignore the fact that he has a wife and children!¡± Jing Qi was worried he might fall down headfirst. His Majesty the Emperor¡¯s outburst astonished everyone, again confusing all of the officials whose wits had just began to return to normal. Jing Qi quietly took two steps back, and his eyes fell on the sorcerer youth. Just a few moments ago he already felt that this brat had demonic energy, and it turned out that he really did know some sorcery. This small poisonous creature was already so full of revengeful spirit at a young age, he would really become a force to be dealt with in the future. As he moved back, he just happened to see He Lianyi look up and over in the direction of Wu Xi. Jing Qi saw that the calm face of the teenager flashed with killing intent. At this time, if there was still no one who would come out and speak, things would escalate into a big problem, and Jian Sizong was the backbone of the oldest prince¡¯s faction. Having just finally recovered his spirit, He Lianzhao stood up and shouted furiously: ¡°Father Emperor, under the eyes of the public, a court official of the imperial household was ridiculed, what should be done?!¡± This furious shouting finally blasted everyone awake, Zhao Mingji¡¯s face was choked purple, but with his body that had the strength of a dried and salted fish, he could not push away the suddenly forceful Jian Sizong. He hurriedly struggled and refused and yelled, but the other side did not respond, and his clothes were even partially torn apart. ¡°Audacious!¡± ¡°This is dishonoring respectable people, really humiliating!¡± ¡°Still no one is coming to drag this evildoer out of here!¡± The sound of one after another seemed to explode into a boil, and He Lianpei coughed and gave Wu Xi a difficult look. Of course, he couldn¡¯t really have Wu Xi dragged out. The sorcerer youth was eccentric, but he was still a child. He was a benevolent and righteous ruler, how could he be narrow-minded and lower himself to become like a young child? Besides ¡­¡­ besides, this show of sorcery was truly a problem that was a product of his own curiosity, in any case He Lianpei could not hit himself in the face, so he forcefully slapped the table and shouted: ¡°What are you being so noisy for?!¡± This was the emperor after all, so the passion and excitement of the crowd of officials immediately stagnated, and they kneeled uniformly. Wu Xi smiled and also kneeled, but he kept his waist and back quite straight. Only He Lianzhao, even though currently kneeling, dared to call loudly: ¡°Father Emperor! Father Emperor, Minister Jian is a longstanding official of Daqing, a person of virtue and prestige, this¡­ this is to forcing him hit his head on the pillar of the Main Hall and die, Father Emperor!¡± He Lianpei coughed lightly and said to Wu Xi: ¡°This ¡­ South Xinjiang sorcerer youth, this indeed is unacceptable behavior, would you hurry and remove the spell on Master Jian? I have seen that the sorcery from South Xinjiang is just like this.¡± But Wu Xi replied: ¡°Emperor, this is just a small trick, I simply cast a kind of love spell, which is called ¡®An Inch of Fairy Footsteps¡¯ where we are from. Whoever it is cast on will see the person who they are thinking about in their heart. Where we are from, thinking about someone means you want to be with someone, isn¡¯t that right? Why would he want to hit his head and die?¡± "This¡­¡± He Lianpei touched his nose and could only say vaguely, ¡°The Central Plains is a civilized place, which is naturally different from the place where you are from. After you settle here, you will naturally be assigned a gentleman to teach you to read and reason. Then you will understand, some things¡­ Some things can¡¯t be done in public.¡± Jing Qi turned his face to the side and almost broke down because of the emperor¡¯s sentence ¨C ¡°Can¡¯t be done in public.¡± Actually, He Lianpei could also be considered to have a good temperament, with a little bit of compassion and good feeling. If he wasn¡¯t sitting on this imperial chair, he might actually be an interesting person. Wuxi finally nodded: ¡°So it turns out that it can¡¯t be done in front of people, I understand now.¡± This one sentence pierced the heart of an innumerable amount of people present, feeling like this evil creature from South Xinjiang was truly dreadful, having poisonous thoughts from such a young age, always ridiculing people when speaking, he was clearly full of evil ideas and undisciplined. They only saw Wu Xi reaching out his hands, patting a few times with a strange rhythm, sneering. Jian Sizong seemed to have been hit with martial arts, abruptly becoming motionless, Zhao Mingji took the opportunity, breathing roughly, he pushed him away as if fighting for his life. Jing Qi actually became interested this time. Others didn¡¯t know, but Jian Sizong was a core person in the eldest prince¡¯s association, and in the previous lifetimes had helped He Lianyi sweep clean all his brothers, and he had seen and heard all of these atrocious deeds with his own eyes and ears. Naturally, he knew what kind of person this supposedly righteous Jian Sizong was, but it was a pity that in his last life, the world was a place where people would fight in the dark, and there was no superior master who fought regardless of the situation like this South Xinjiang sorcerer youth, creating this lively and cacophonous scene. He appeared to be ignorantly standing next to the emperor and pretending not to exist, but in his heart he was rejoicing in the other¡¯s misfortune, and was imagining how this Minister Jian would react after waking up. Zhao Mingji furiously pointed at Jian Sizong, his entire body shaking and his face swollen, and even the thousands of wrinkles on his face seemed to be flattened, but no words came out of his mouth for a long time. Speaking of which, the party struggle between the major factions of the country seemed to have already reached a finale, but after all is said and done, not everyone can find people who share their vile habits. There are inevitably some people who aren¡¯t cared for by their grandmas or loved by their uncles or even acknowledged by dogs, relying on no one, not fond of anyone, mouth always spurting blood, biting whoever they catch. Unfortunately, that Master Zhao is such a person. It is pitiful that Zhao Daren always bites people, opening his bloody mouth like a sacrificial bowl, and biting determinedly and ferociously, but as he now tried to rack his brains to figure out how to righteously curse this person who should be cursed, looking for the perfect way to condemn this blackened person, he was so angry that he couldn¡¯t speak any human words. He could only tremble uncontrollably. Jing Qi thought, with this kind of temperament, this person will probably escalate this stupid situation and then start knocking himself on a pillar. Sure enough, he saw Master Zhao bellow furiously: ¡°This shameless villain! This righteous-looking group full of robbers and prostitutes managed to laze their way into the Imperial Hall, insulting an imperial official! I, Zhao Mingji, may be untalented, but I¡¯ve definitely read a few books, and I know what is proper and honest! It is beneath me to be associated with this cunning, immoral plot!¡± After this frenzied outburst, he indeed ran headfirst towards the stone pillar of the hall. Fortunately, Master Zhao was no longer young, and did not have the old but vigorous spirit of Minister Jian, so he ran slowly and was chaotically pulled back by the people standing. Zhao Mingji kneeled on the floor, with intermittent bouts of snot and crying, howling things like ¡°This saint has been disrespected,¡± ¡°From now on I will no longer have face¡±¡­¡­ It turned out that when this man started to cause a disturbance, it was not much better than a woman, and He Lianpei¡¯s brains were almost exploded by this scene, his face emaciated. Jing Qi then thought, after such a long disturbance, Jian Sizong probably should have come to his senses, this time it was Minister Jian¡¯s turn to hit the pillar. CH 8 Minister Jian was a cunning old fox indeed -- Jing Qi had underestimated the man''s level of shamelessness. When Jian Sizong finally reacted to what had just happened, he neither hit the pillar nor slammed himself against the wall, neither did he weep nor wail nor strangle himself; his eyes just rolled back, legs stretched, and he fainted on the spot. Great, there was not a single word, and nothing else could be done at this point. He Lianyi slightly lifted his face to observe the scene; echoing were Zhao Mingji''s outraged curses and the court officials'' relentless dispute. After listening for a while, he started to feel a little numb inside; his eyes seemed slightly dull and tired as he raised his head, unconsciously looking up, imitating Wu Xi''s movement. He felt like his eyes were aching terribly; all he wanted to do was to unleash his anger and shout at them "Shut up!". He wanted to slam his hand against the table and raise his voice, "Look at you bunch who called yourself disciples of the great sages and Son-of-Heaven followers -- what kind of jokes have you turned yourself into?". He wanted to say "Drag all of these people who are corrupting the imperial court and that remaining evil creature with poison all over his body from South Xinjiang outside and behead every single one of them!" Yet he was not able to say anything, nor there was anything he could do. He was just an expendable person who was barely allowed to attend and stand on the side to listen. His title of Crown Prince (1) was just a name with no weight. Let alone actual authority, anything he said would become a laughing stock for others. No extraneous words could be uttered, no wrong step could be taken. Plus, his older brothers were waiting to pull him off his horse like starving tigers. He himself was already walking on thin ice -- how could he afford to take care of other people''s affairs? He recalled Imperial Preceptor Zhou''s lecture about history. Zhou once said that when the dynasty was fallen, the evildoers would present themselves. The Main Hall had not changed, but the sky of Da Qing was already on the verge of collapsing. Witnessing such a farce unfolding in one short day, Jing Qi wanted to laugh, but He Lianyi wanted to cry. Yet, whether one was to laugh or cry, the mood was basically the same. On the other hand, Wu Xi still calmly knelt at his spot, unusually composed. He did not think that he had done anything wrong, nor did he regret his actions. The man whom everyone addressed as "Da dianxia" (Da = Great; dianxia = Your Highness) pointed finger at him so closely that it almost poked through his nose. He could not understand most of the words that spilled from that man''s lips, but he still knew that they were not anything pleasant. "This one harbored sinister intentions, enough to be executed!" The meaning behind that statement was to kill him. Wu Xi heard it very clearly. He turned his head to catch a glimpse of the awfully agitated First Prince He Lianzhao, as if he was bearing a deep grudge against him. Wu Xi thought that if he had known sooner that these people would try to kill themselves for such a reason, instead of performing that love spell, he would have made that hairy old man with surname Jian bleed enough to go reunite with his deceased father. The people from his Wa Sa Clan who lived in South Xinjiang were the most genuine people. They ate when hungry, even if all they had was the bark of a tree and weeds. They slept when sleepy, even if they would have to take the sky as curtains and earth as mats. When they met the person they loved, they would spend their entire life with her, treat her really nicely, and never have a change of heart. When guests of honour came to visit, they would treat them with tasty wine. People from any corner of the world, all could become their brothers. When facing the enemy, there would be no such thing as putting up a hypocritical show of cordiality -- whether there was a valid reason to wage war or not, the act itself would still be the same. Once hatred had been planted in their heart, they would make sure that an eye for an eye and the other party had to pay with his blood. If skinning the person and tearing his tendons apart could alleviate their anger, they would do it without hesitation. If they could not defeat the enemies and were killed by the other party, they still had friends, relatives, and brothers in the clan. As long as there were survivors from their Wa Sa Clan, this grudge would live on and be passed down from generations to generations. He had never heard of any man from Wa Sa Clan that were bullied by outsiders and cowardly and resentfully ran away like these Central Plain people who only dared to hold grudges in their hearts; they were no different than a bunch of grass dogs that only dared to dream and salivate on the side while having to wait until the enemy encountered misfortune and were in dire straits before they could have the nerve to move forward and kick the opponent and swear at them. He thought that it was wrong for the Grand Sorcerer to tell him to endure quietly. For the sake of of his clan members, it was even more impossible for him to bow down. As the man who was going to represent the Great Deity Qie Xi, if he would have also become the kind that only knew how to fawn on his master, happily wagging his tail and beg, what would his clan members be supposed to do? It was a very tragic era where prosperity had already begun to show signs of decline, but the heroes still hadn''t been full-fledged, and all they could do was to witness these useless wimps show off with their mouths. The feelings of discontent and resentment had been constrained in their hearts from a very young age, driving them to mature during these years, waiting until the day they could unleash their wrath against the entire world and become a destructive force that could crush and sweep away everything. Gradually, Jing Qi no longer found this funny anymore. He let out a soft sigh, the feeling of powerlessness as an outsider slightly weighed on his heart. At first, he felt that this little sorcerer from South Xinjiang was somewhat obnoxious: despite being at such a young age, the boy was keen on seeking revenge on the smallest grievances, showing no tolerance for other people. But it was not until this moment when he looked at Wu Xi who was quietly kneeling in the middle of the hall that he realized the boy''s eyes were just too dark; they were not wicked, but just filled with obstination. With his aloof appearance and piercing stare, he was no different from a tiny, wounded beast that was rendered unmovable, trying to act tough and prideful. The first prince He Lianzhao bowed and banged his head hard on the ground, "Imperial Father! This is the sign of turmoil to our nation. If we don''t kill this person, I am afraid such decision will demoralize everyone at the imperial court!" However, the second prince He Lianqi let out a soft laugh, "Imperial Elder Brother, your remarks are quite saddening. South Xinjiang is the land of barbarians where laws and etiquettes are nonexistent. He is still a little kid who can''t even walk without someone holding his hands. Are you implying that if Father Emperor doesn''t kill this child as you demanded, he is not caring for his nation and people? That he is destroying the Great Wall with his own hands and demoralizing the officials and ministers at the imperial court? I wonder... Sirs, which one of you are feeling demoralized? His gaze shifted to the side. He Lianqi''s appearance bore a striking resemblance to his mother, Imperial Concubine Zhuang; the corner of his eye was marked with profound slantedness. When his eyes moved, it provided a feminine and gentle aura. But when he glanced to the side with his feigned smile, it was no longer tender but purely enigmatic and cryptic. Anyone who had eyes would immediately understand the underlying meaning of these words. These were words that could only be spoken by the imperial golden branches and jade leaves (2), descendants of dragons and phoenixes (3), and for those who did not belong, they''d better shut their mouth up quick. Even the great Zhao Mingji who earlier had no other way to continue his life had already muted himself and no longer want to seek death. He Lianzhao angrily said: "What do you mean by this?" He Lianqi responded with a cold smile: "I only judge the case as it stands. Imperial Elder Brother, please don''t mind it too much. Your little brother doesn''t know how to speak eloquently. If I have offended you, I hope you can forgive me." CH 9 Following after what Chen Yuanshan had said, he asked in the most natural way: ¡°Did your father die?¡± The word ¡°die¡± itself was already a bad omen and a taboo subject, let alone the person mentioned here was the late Nan Ning Wang, making it even more disrespectful. Chen Yuanshan paused for a moment and warily studied the look in Jing Qi¡¯s eyes, afraid that this loose-tongued, tactless South Xinjiang Sorcerer had offended the little lord. Chen Yuanshan thought, although Nan Ning Wang was still young, he had been raised in the palace since childhood, and grown up alongside with the princes -- whether it was due to the emperor¡¯s beautiful friendship with the late Prince, or due to the love affairs involved these noble men in the first place that made one half laugh half cry, what happened happened. Anyway, people with eyes would be able realize that despite his current lack of power and status, he had a special place in His Majesty He Lianpei¡¯s heart and was favored slightly more compared to his own three sons. With his identity as the hostage, the South Xinjiang Sorcerer had already been in an awkward situation; additionally, his temperament did not seem like the type that one could easily deal with. Not too long after his arrival, he had already provoked the First Prince faction, if this time even Nan Ning Wang was also involved, Chen Yuanshan thought, it would truly be ¡°too many lices to itch, too many enemies to bother.¡± Just when he finally came up with a few words to help them reconcile, he saw Jing Qi nonchalantly nodded his head and said: ¡°It has already been over a year.¡± "Oh, so it has been ages." Wuxi looked at him as if he had understood everything clearly, and said, "No wonder when your father¡¯s death was brought up, I noticed you didn¡¯t look very sad. That¡¯s because it has been so long." Chen Yuanshan immediately piped down. He felt that this sorcerer youth from South Xinjiang was like a baby who was not only too curious but also completely unaware of the immensity of heaven and earth, so he just went ahead and reached out to pat the tiger¡¯s butt. This tiger was only half awake, thus it was too lazy to even bother about the child. He even thought there was no problem about that, so he continued and lifted up its face to twist the whiskers. Chen Yuanshan firmly believed that if someone like this sorcerer youth could live a safe and stable life at this place in the future, it would be considered a great miracle. As expected, Jing Qi slightly frowned and countered back with a question: "The three-year mourning period has not ended yet, and Young Sorcerer is already implying that I am an unfilial son?" Look, even a clay statue had three parts of its temperament, let alone his royal highness, a kid who hadn¡¯t fully grown up. Chen Yuanshan could not tell which part the emperor did not properly think through that he had to go find a child to babysit another child. Is he afraid that these two will not fight each other or what? The minister felt obliged to offer an apologetic smile and said: ¡°Father and son are naturally connected by flesh and blood, and the bond they share is strong. Why would His Little Royal Highness have any reason to not feel sorrow? It is just that the wounds in a person¡¯s heart are not the same as the body wounds; they cannot be seen with just one glance. The heart wounds always stay hidden inside one¡¯s chest. With what Young Sorcerer just said, wouldn¡¯t that belittle His Little Royal Highness¡¯s wish to fulfill his filial piety?¡± Wuxi was speechless for a moment, "I¡­ didn¡¯t mean it that way. I didn''t say you were bad.¡± He glanced at Jing Qi once, contemplated about it for a while, and explained, "A Xin Lai''s father died while fighting in the war. He went to retrieve his father''s body from the battlefield and carried it home. Both of his sister and mother wept and cried out loud. Although he didn¡¯t cry, we were still able to tell that he was in agony -- the look that you have is not the same as his." CH 10 Originally, this would be considered unsuited to proprieties and rituals, yet no one really tried to take care of this matter because Master Jian ¡ª Jian Sizong ¡ª whose favorite line for his usual lip-service was ¡°What impropriety!¡± had been in a pitiful plight with ¡°beaten head and scorched brow(1)¡± for being denounced due to his very unbecoming conduct. Regarding these matters, Wu Xi who locked himself up and had little contact with the world obviously was not aware, but Jing Qi who was likewise living in seclusion at home knew very well in his heart. The sorcerer youth had been quiet, yet there were plenty of people who wanted to fish in troubled waters and made use of the old incident to advance their own ideas. If this group of people who feared that all under heaven was not free from chaos were to line up together, they would be able to circle the capital several times. There were people who went after and seized Jian Sizong by the throat, criticizing him from his manners and lifestyle to his covert, shady affiliation with the wolf-and-tiger-like kind of people whose hearts were not easy to measure. Of course, everyone knew exactly who this ¡°wolf-and-tiger-like kind of people¡± was, and if the level went up just a tiny bit higher, the topic would be shifted to that fatherless, kingless ¡°certain someone¡± who was plotting to conspire and so on. Memorials to the emperor that condemned the First Prince faction thus kept on piling up like fallen snowflakes. There were also cases where they, while supporting Jian Sizong¡¯s complaints for unjust accusation, took advantage of the situation to publicly condemn witchcraft and demonic art. Then, they went from talking about witchcraft and demonic art to discussing about how the imperial court¡¯s important and high-ranking officials had been keeping Taoist priests at their homes, lending a ready ear to slanders, and searching for elixirs to achieve immortality ¡ª who wouldn¡¯t know that He Lianqi¡¯s right-hand man was the Taoist priest with surname Li? For a while, severe criticisms of evil deeds, sorcery, misconduct and so on were flying back-and-forth all over the sky, utterly ¡°delightful¡± ¡ª even the emperor¡¯s desk couldn¡¯t bear the heavy load and was on the verge of collapsing. 1 While the royal court¡¯s atmosphere had been heavy and demoralizing, but to the children who had not yet got their share of these worries, time was passing by particularly fast. The physiques of these teenagers became tall and slender like a tree sprouting its branches; if they were not reading books, they would be sitting there in a daze. Although Wu Xi lived very close to Jing Qi, there was no frequent contact. Wu Xi seemed to have an instinctive resistance toward this beautiful and elegant young man, and he always felt as if there was something else hidden behind that smiling face. Since he had not interacted with many people from Central Plains, he didn¡¯t exactly know what the Central Plains people ought to be like. He just felt that the First Prince who clamoured about wanting to kill himself in the court that day while covering the sky with one hand was alright, and the so-called emperor who didn¡¯t know much was also not bad, or that Master Chen whose speech amidst the clouds and fog and made others wonder what he was thinking about was also whatever; but none of them could make his hair stand on end the same way this Nan Ning Wang person did. 15 At the age of four or five, children in South Xinjiang had already learned how to hunt in the woods with the adult males, as well as basic techniques to protect themselves from various kinds of poisons. At the age of seven or eight, they could follow the adults to go out, and when they reached their teenage years, they were already capable of living independently. They could distinguish whether approaching was a small, huntable animal or a fierce, cruel beast, could see through the camouflage of the most cunning fox, and could instinctively tell where the dangers lay.1 At that moment, Wu Xi¡¯s instincts were telling him not to approach this young man called Jing Beiyuan. Jing Qi was also unruffled ¡ª a relationship between two people depended on fate, and he felt that himself and this child who was almost too unreasonably honest would be better off not bothering each other often. It was only for a few occasions where He Lianyi came to drag them out for a stroll; or if Jing Qi came across some uncommon new toys, he would always order Ping An to deliver his share to Wu Xi¡¯s place, regardless of it being a wolf cub or a bunny, asking him to raise them first and save other matters for later. Three or four years had already passed in the blink of an eye. Within these years, whoever was frequently coming in and out the sorcerer youth¡¯s place, Jing Qi knew exactly in his heart. The background of South Xinjiang sorcerer youth being set aside, just the trick that he pulled that year to single-handedly ridicule Jian Sizong in front of the entire court alone was already enough to make him a treasure in He Lianqi¡¯s eyes. Unfortunately, this Wu Xi belonged to the donkey species; even from the front to the back of his manor, everyone was cast in the same mold. Whether their job was to guard the gate or to protect the compound, each and every single one of these South Xinjiang warriors shared the temper of a donkey; if they looked at someone like an eyesore ¡ª who cared about where they came from ¡ª they would close the door on the person, throw the line ¡°The master is not seeing visitors¡± directly at him, and let him be. As the old saying went, even an angry hand would not hit a smiling face; yet this South Xinjiang sorcerer youth was precisely the type that would hit the face with a smile. Jing Qi secretly ordered Ping An to find a reliable man to help manage a good number of things on Wu Xi¡¯s behalf. He came from a rather affluent household, plus He Lianpei had been awarding him quite generously. However, none of these monetary matters really concerned him; only Ping An would bitterly complain about it every time. For a long time, Ping An kept following behind Jing Qi to pout and grumble all day long: ¡°Master, although we have money at our residence, that doesn¡¯t mean we should exhaust it. With wealths and possessions, we ought to manage them even more properly. I haven¡¯t heard of anyone who squanders their money like skimming stones from dawn to dusk like this... ¡° Holding in his hands the texts of anecdotes from the late dynasty, Jing Qi had heard everything yet did not raise his head. He whispered in a low hum: ¡°Did you hear that noise?¡± Ping An said indignantly: ¡°Master, you are raising an ungrateful terror.¡± By the end of last year, the old butler had officially unloaded all the burdens and responsibilities from his shoulders and asked for permission to return to his hometown for retirement. At this moment, every big and small thing at Nan Ning Wang Residence had been taken care of by Ping An himself. At the beginning, things were rather rough and bumpy for him; miscellaneous matters piled up and threw this young man into a messy plight, beating him black and blue. Everyday he wore two huge, dark circles under his eyes, bearing the resemblance of a dead dog. CH 11 As a result, He Lianyi had always been cordial and somewhat tolerant towards Jing Qi, nor would he make a big deal about his disrespectful manners. His hand reached out to pat the other through the quilts, and he laughed: "Are you being like this, pigging out until the end of the year and getting ready to be slaughtered? Eat, sleep, and eat again ¡ª even pigs are not as diligent as you. Get up!" Looking back at Ping An who was still yawning and rubbing his eyes, he shook his head and thought to himself, just as expected, like master like servant, even their laziness is the same. Then he ordered: "Go and fetch water for your master, tell him to wash his face and rinse his mouth properly." Ping An responded once and staggered his way out. He Lianyi turned around and caught a glimpse of Jing Qi''s "let the wind blow and waves beat, I still remain sleeping and unbothered" appearance, wanting to get mad and laugh at the same time. He then extended his arm and gave Jing Qi''s body a few slaps: "Jing Beiyuan, sit up! What time is it now? Father Emperor has already approved the memorial I presented, telling you to attend the court to listen to the state''s affairs after the New Year. When that time comes, are you still going to be an idle sloth who accomplishes nothing like this? Jing Qi was pressured and tormented to the point where it was impossible to deal with. Sluggishly, he hugged the quilt and sat up: "Attending the court and listening to state''s affairs..." "And yet you still haven''t risen on your feet and put in some effort? Are you trying to let that group of old-fashioned, petty imperial scholars laugh at you for being a good-for-nothing, self-indulgent playboy?" Ping An walked in with a water basin, taking a page boy called Ji Xiang with him who brought in morning washing items and assisted Jing Qi in getting dressed. As He Lianyi left the bed to sit on one side, Ping An hurriedly came over to serve him tea. Jing Qi let Ji Xiang fiddle around as if he himself was entirely awake and ready to doze off again; after a while, he leisurely spoke: "His Highness, please present another memorial and urge His Majesty to revoke this order." Holding the teacup in his hands and slightly lifting the lid open a few times, He Lianyi raised an eyebrow and looked at him: "Attending the court after the age of fifteen is a standard practice. If you don''t want to engage in politics, what do you desire to do?" Jing Qi covered his face to hide a yawn, his peach-blossom pair of eyes shuttered in the enshrouded mist. He Lianyi stared at him in amazement, then lowered his head and sipped on his tea to cover it up as the feelings stirred his heart ¡ª he didn''t know since when this person had grown from a boy who spoke with a sweet, baby voice and acted like a child-sized adult to a fine young man of orchids and jade trees,(3) whose frown and laughter carried the aura of nobility with a hint of lassitude. He had a touch of the late princess''s refined beauty and also inherited the late prince''s romantic charm ¡ª it was only feared that in the future, this person would become a distinguished figure whom young maidens all over the city would lose sleep yearning for. Yet, He Lianyi only heard a faintly nasal voice from this "beautiful young man of orchids and jade trees" drawling: "Do what, huh... There is really nothing to do. Or maybe I will go beg for His Majesty''s grace and ask him to let me guard the royal mausoleum?" He yawned again, his fingers wiping the tears away, "I can sleep whenever I want and wake up whenever I want..." Before Jing Qi''s sentence was even finished, He Lianyi already slammed the teacup down on the small table next to him. Ping An shivered a little, quickly swallowing the contagious yawn that he caught from Jing Qi''s lazy and tired look; he bowed his head and dared not to say a single word. With a half-asleep face, Jing Qi stared at He Lianyi bewilderedly, his expression extremely innocent. This really was... the gold-coated and jade adorned kind but all cotton waste inside; the wood so rotten that there was no way to carve, even its muck could not be used to sully the wall. CH 12 During the four or five years of staying at Nan Ning Wang Residence, Jing Qi had been keeping his ears to the ground and staying informed about the world behind those walls ¡ª there was no way that he would just wholeheartedly read books about the sage¡¯s teachings; however, this young prince who never wanted to walk past his gate and received a tremendous amount of love from the emperor as hearsay had always remained a mystery to outsiders. Originally, he was the kind of person who never knew their place nor wanted to settle. Going through seven reincarnations with only about 40 years actually living in the human world, he spent the remaining hundreds of years sitting idly next to the Three-Life Stone ¡ª this had effectively extinguished such tendency in him. Otherwise, if he had still embraced the same nature from his first life, despite making others mistake that his body had been taken over by a fairy fox, it would be very difficult to isolate himself at Nan Ning Wang Residence for such a long period of time. By that time, he was roughly at the age of 15, which meant he could already start attending court and listening to state¡¯s affairs, and no longer be considered a little child. For a bereaved teenage son, occasionally saying a few lines that seemed somewhat more mature for their age would not bring too much surprise to others ¡ª hence, when He Lianyi summoned him, he just pushed the boat along the current and went out. As expected, Wu Xi did not disappoint at all. He seized every single opportunity to return Jing Qi¡¯s favor ¡ª it seemed like ¡°no one being indebted to each other¡± was the sole realm that he had been persistently pursuing for the past few years. Jing Qi and He Lianyi had yet finished the tea in their cups, they already heard someone announce the South Xinjiang sorcerer youth¡¯s arrival. He Lianyi reached over and poked the other person¡¯s shoulder, laughing: ¡°Compared to my Second Imperial Brother who always has to rack his brain to please that respectable person, your reputation seems to be much more superior.¡± The hand that Jing Qi was holding the teacup with trembled a little. He slightly raised his gaze to glance at He Lianyi; once he confirmed that the other was just joking and implied nothing else, his heart could finally feel at ease. He secretly mocked himself for panicking at the mere rustle in the wind(1), and casually said: ¡°We¡¯re all neighbors with each other. Even with a dog that comes and scratches on his door everyday, he should at least open the gate and throw out a steamed bun. Since His Highness the Crown Prince is here, he wouldn¡¯t go as far as not giving me any face upon my invitation.¡± He Lianyi gave him a side-eye and bent his fingers to flick the other person¡¯s forehead, a scold woven in his laugh: ¡°What nonsense is this?¡± Then he rose to his feet and adjusted the lapels of his robe, ¡°Come, follow me to meet this mysterious young sorcerer who is like a dragon with his head seen but not his tail(2).¡± Actually, the moment Wu Xi set foot outside, he immediately regretted it ¡ª unfortunately, he had already gave his answer to Ping An. To him, once the promise was made, regardless of whom that was for, not even death could stop him from fulfilling it ¡ª thus, he had to choice but to brace himself and bring A Xin Lai and another guard, Nu A Ha, along with him to Nan Ning Wang Residence. Nan Ning Wang was indeed the first prince of Da Qing who had a different surname. During the time when the late emperor was quashing rebellion and pacifying the nation, he and Jing Qi¡¯s grandfather, Jing Rui, shared a life-long, profound friendship. Later, Jing Rui died protecting him; with his gratitude for the former¡¯s loyalty and righteousness, the late emperor raised Jing Lianyu himself and bestowed the Prince title upon him. Jing Lianyu and He Lianpei grew up together since childhood, in addition to being the same raucous and erratic type, thus were more or less considered as soulmates. Rumors had it that the princess consort who Jing Lianyu married that year was also the love of He Lianpei¡¯s heart. CH 13 He Lianyi dropped his gaze and put on a smile, not a single trace of reluctance could be found on his face; and still with refined and courteous manner, he said: "Second Imperial Brother." Only when a person could tolerate what others could not, then they would be able to accomplish their great undertaking. Jing Qi''s grasp on Wu Xi tightened, his intention was not to let the other person say anything as he himself stepped back to the side, hastily paying his respects along with He Lianyi. He Lianqi''s gaze lingered on Jing Qi''s body for a moment, then he gave a thin smile and said: "I haven''t seen you for a while. Beiyuan is indeed becoming more and more handsome." These words were even more problematic. Clearly, such a tone could only be used by a senior to address his junior, and by someone from the higher up to a person of lower ranks. Since He Lianpei was not only Jing Qi''s elder but also someone to be addressed as "Jun," it would be fine for the former to say such a thing. He Lianyi, the crown prince, was a few years older ¨C in front of Nan Ning Wang, he could also be considered as "Jun"; due to their friendly relationship, Jing Qi could just grudgingly accept. But in name, He Lianqi was just a prince at most, and had not yet been granted the title of "Wang"(2). If he was not the descendant of dragon, the emperor''s son, in terms of their official ranks alone, he would be inferior to Jing Qi whose title of "Qin Wang"(3) was personally conferred upon by the late emperor. For He Lianqi to use such manner of speech to say things out loud, he seemed to have regarded himself way above others. Supposedly that was someone else, they would have probably either turned against him or been so furious to the point their "qi" would stagnate. Fortunately, Jing Qi''s talent for feigning ignorance was on par with He Lianyi, and he only masked it with a gentle smile: "Second Prince Your Highness has given me too much praise." He Lianqi''s sharp gaze slashed across him like a hook and eventually stopped on Wu Xi''s body; his eyes were strikingly beautiful - they were long and narrow with a slightly upward slanting, carrying an indescribably distinguished and romantic charm. However, Wu Xi felt that the venom from this Second Prince''s eyes was even more lethal compared to that of poisonous snakes ¡ª once a drop of blood was in sight, that could only mean death,(4) and face-to-face moments with him made people feel like there was a dark, cold layer of air rising from behind. He Lianqi then spoke to him with a smile: "Oh, I was even wondering who this was. Isn''t this Young Sorcerer? Meeting Your Honor is indeed not easy. The crown prince must be very proud today." Wu Xi placed his hand over his chest and gave him a wintry response: "Your Highness." He Lianqi uttered a sneer and reached his pale fingers over to straighten out his sleeve; then he pointed at the Taoist priest who was no different from a dry firewood stick standing on the side, his voice deliberately elongated, and his words dripping with sarcasm: "I have long heard about Young Sorcerer''s reputation as someone with infinite power and remarkable abilities, who is also skilled at the art of sorcery from South Xinjiang. This Taoist Brother Li has been entreating me to introduce him to you once, but... it seems like the reputation of this He Lianqi here is not great enough. Several times I have had people to bring invitation cards to pay respect, yet Young Sorcerer always closed the door at them and refuse to see any visitor. Could it be that you were scorning me for climbing so high?" That was both picking a quarrel with someone while probing them at the same time. Wu Xi was baffled for a moment ¡ª he could hear the animosity coming from He Lianqi''s words. He turned his head to steal a glance at Jing Qi subconsciously, then said afterwards: "South Xinjiang''s sorcery techniques and you Central Plain people''s Taoist practice are not the same. I don''t think there is anything..." CH 14 Helian Qi gave an exasperated snort. But then, he heard Taoist Li added: ¡°But there is just this one thing ¡ª Helian Yi¡¯s Crown Prince title, after all, was conferred upon by His Majesty. In the future, even if Your Highness rises to power, I am afraid that it will take quite an amount of effort for you to rightfully and legitimately ascend the throne.¡± Helian Qi responded with a sneer: ¡°A spineless coward who only nods and acts all chummy with the eunuchs whenever he runs to them in the palace like him can still be seen to have some scraps of a crown prince¡¯s grace? Compared to him, the startling that Imperial Father keeps as a pet seems to be much more valuable.¡± Taoist Li gave his sparsely grown beard a few tender stroke and shook his head: ¡°Although there is nothing about him to be feared, we also should not underestimate the situation. Your Highness, it is best if you keep an eye on Jing Beiyuan. Despite living in seclusion and rarely revealing his face, this Nan Ning Wang has been extremely favoured by the emperor in the past few years¡­¡± He paused for a moment, a frown emerged between the brows that resembled a pair of brooms, ¡°This lowly old man has always felt that there is something odd about him. He is just a child still in his teens, yet he has been able to endure loneliness throughout all these years despite having neither parents nor siblings. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he would be at the age to attend court and contribute to state affairs next year, we can¡¯t say for sure that he would ever be willing to step foot outside of Nan Ning Wang¡¯s Residence... Anyway, there is always something unusual about him¡­¡± Helian Qi¡¯s words were full of disdain: ¡°Even Helian Yi is well aware that the kid is just a lazy embroidered pillow(1) who is only fond of food and fun ¡ª Master(2), why should you spend many thoughts to worry about him?¡± Taoist Li put his tea cup down and said: ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true. I am afraid that this prince with surname Jing more or less has a special place in the crown prince¡¯s heart.¡± Helian Qi took a small pause, and as if he had just recalled something, a shade of indecency flashed over his countenance: ¡°It¡¯s true. Although this Jing Beiyuan is a good-for-nothing person, his appearance has become finer day after days ¡ª and Helian Yi keeps running over to his place every two or three days, what kind of intention can that possibly be¡­ Hmph!¡± Taoist Li said: ¡°His Highness the Crown Prince has always acted with diligence, frugality, and self-restraint for all these years, gaining the reputation of always being strict to himself but lenient with others. I supposed that due to this being his first awakening of love, he might not be fully aware of his own feelings.¡± Helian Qi slightly cocked his fine, thin brows and asked: ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± A profound, unfathomable smile flashed across the face of Taoist Li: ¡°We still need to observe him a little bit more¡­ Seeing Nan Ning Wang today reminded me of someone. She was a daughter of a household whose parents had offered a hand to me when I was in dire straits ¡ª her name is Cui Er, and she is only 17 years old this year. When the epidemic escalated back in the days, both the father and mother died of illness, and she ended up on the street all by herself begging for food. The owner of a performance troupe took a liking to her, thus decided to take her in for training. For these past few years, she has been able to earn some fame with her singing. She arrived to the capital city not too long ago. Upon heeding others¡¯ advice, she came to me and besought my support. Remembering the kindness I had received from her family, I decided to accept her as my adopted daughter.¡± Helian Qi stared at him blankly, unsure of the meaning behind those words. Taoist Li continued: ¡°Now that I think about it, the facial features of that Cui Er have some resemblance to Nan Ning Wang ¡ª this is quite a coincidence.¡± CH 15 A Xin Lai stared at him puzzled; he didn''t quite understand why this Nan Ning Wang would need Ping An''s agreement to go out. Eventually, he just nodded. "That... I will go and call the young master." "No need, he already knows. Your little sable won''t give me any face. I can''t speak for others, but the moment I come by, it just runs inside." Jing Qi spotted the shape of the sable disappear in a flash with some resentment, but in his heart, he accepted there was nothing for it. He just liked it, however, as cats detested dogs, this name was closer to the truth. Sure enough, he hadn''t finished talking when Wu Xi came out of the manor. When Jing Qi saw him, he was momentarily surprised. Wu Xi didn''t wear his usual black clothes that didn''t show off any skin. He only had on a casual robe, his hair was loosely tied back, and he didn''t wear a veil. As he had not seen light all year round, his skin was pale, and even the color of his lips was faint. His facial features were more profound than those of the people of the Central Plains, but they were not harsh, instead they had a particularly solemn kind of beauty. Jing Qi returned to his senses and pointed at him with a smile: "How come today you''re no longer ''still holding the pipa that shadowed half your face'' (2), allowing this lowly one to have a glimpse of this fairy-like beauty?" Wuxi let out an "oh", then very succinctly said: "I am not wearing that outfit today." Jing Qi''s face darkened, do you take me as a blind man? In truth, in Southern Xinjiang, the black veil would be worn for attending ceremonies and such, and was not what the young sorcerer would usually wear. But ever since he arrived in the Da Qing Empire, he felt cut off from the people surrounding him and tense whenever he went out, so he stuck with this clothing. It seemed that with a veil, if you didn''t let others see your face, you didn''t have to see others. However, Jing Qi recently came over to stir up trouble often. Although Wu Xi''s reaction to this Nan Ning Wang initially resembled that of his poisonous friends, his heart relaxed. These days, things became more honest and genuine between them, and the door to the young sorcerer''s residence was no longer shut quite so tightly. Wu Xi eyed him curiously. Although Jing Qi did not usually wear ostentatious robes, his pampered background tended to show through. Even if he went out in plain clothing, the workmanship of his clothes had always been exquisite. Wu Xi had never seen this type of ordinary clothing on his body. He asked: "How come you ... are dressed like this?" Jing Qi rolled his eyes: "You heartless, ungrateful little bastard. Didn''t we agree a few days ago I''d take you to the lively places in the city?" Wu Xi was astonished, that time he had thought Jing Qi was merely talking. The people of Central Plains were very hospitable and polite, they always had a few words of welcome on their lips, but no one meant them seriously. Although Wu Xi often could not distinguish between true and false hospitality of the Central Plains people, after so many years, he had grown to understand that phrases like "please visit next time" and "if you have time, do come by" were not meant that way. "You were serious?" Jing Qi flipped his sleeves, turned around, and pretended to leave: "When were the words I spoke to you not true? Hey, after all the trouble I took to slip out of the palace, a certain someone still doesn''t care. Forget it, I''m going back to sleep. So that I won''t need to worry about sneaking back inside like a thief before dawn..." Wu Xi quickly grabbed his shoulder but found no words. Jing Qi had already spoken ten sentences and he failed to counter one, but time was an issue, and after stammering for quite some time, he awkwardly said: "I''m coming with you." CH 16 Jing Qi unconsciously took a step to the side and said: "My apologies, for having troubled Your Highness to worry. I am feeling better now." "You got better rather quick, huh!" Helian Yi snorted coldly. Perhaps because the crowd was too loud and rowdy, or perhaps because intoxication had somewhat affected him after a few sips of wine, this young successor of the throne suddenly felt as if there was a lump stuck inside his chest, suffocating him, his brow gradually was lined into deep furrows. But then, he thought that it might be a bit too inappropriate to lose his temper over such a trivial thing, thus had no choice but force himself to swallow down that baffling, ineffable feeling that kept growing thicker and surging inside his heart. That was why no matter how he looked at it, he still found Jing Qi extremely disagreeable. Since long had Jing Qi been like a roundworm in Helian Yi''s stomach,(1) the moment he saw the expression of Helian Yi''s face, he knew that it was not a joke ¡ª His Highness the Crown Prince had gotten really mad. He rolled his eyes at once and shifted the topic of discussion, pulling Wu Xi who was standing on one side closer as he said with a smile: "Your Highness, take a look. Can you guess who this person is?" Helian Yi was stunned for a moment. This young man truly looked very unusual, but after an instant of careful appraisal, he noticed that the latter''s facial features were different from those of the people from the Central Plains. Since A Xin Lai was also spotted standing behind, without further saying, anyone could tell right away this was the young sorcerer from South Xinjiang. There was a trace of amazement in Helian Yi''s eyes; he thought to himself, the appearance of South Xinjiang sorcerer still carried some parts of childlike tenderness, making him look younger than his actual age. Wu Xi did not expect that the crown prince would show up all of a sudden, and he was not willing to exchange too many words with that person either. After paying respects, he just stood there in silence next to Jing Qi. As Helian Yi glanced over, he noticed that these two seemed very close to each other. He then recalled Jing Qi''s relaxed face from just a moment ago: that person was squinting his eyes and casually pointing at things from different directions ¡ª but after seeing Helian Yi, his eyes started to dart around, as if he was trying to devise an escape plan to vanish from the other''s sight. Helian Yi felt even more dejected, his face darkened. Jing Qi felt somewhat puzzled, why is his temper so bad today? As soon as he raised his head, he saw a young man in plain robes who had been following not too far behind Helian Yi ¡ª thus he immediately searched for a scapegoat and asked: "Oh, that brother doesn''t look familiar. Did he come here with Your Highness?" It was only then did Helian Yi realize that he had completely forgotten the man behind him; he quickly turned around and beckoned the young man over: "Zishu, come here and meet the little Prince from Nan Ning Wang Residence and Young Sorcerer of South Xinjiang." Afterward, he turned to Jing Qi''s group and continued: "This is a jianghu(2) friend that I luckily had a chance to meet. Once you get to know each other, may as well become close buddies." The smile on Jing Qi''s face nearly collapsed ¡ª¡ª Zishu? This person is... Zhou Zishu? That young man in plain clothing walked towards them. Both Wu Xi and A Xin Lai were astonished for a moment, feeling as if this person had just appeared out of thin air. If it wasn''t for Jing Qi pointing it out, they certainly would haven''t even realized that there was such a person behind Helian Yi. Wu Xi could not tell if the face of this young man in front of him was something naturally born or deliberately made, he only felt that it was even more average than any normal face, which made others forget right away the moment they turned away from looking. CH 17 Jing Qi''s vision immediately became clear again. He had not been very watchful earlier, and it wasn''t until this moment when he finally noticed his group had entered a small alley. On New Year''s Eve, the capital city was bustling with noise and excitement, myriads of people poured into the streets; but these kinds of places were like a shadow under the lamp, even more secluded and absent of human presence. A Xin Lai bellowed: "Young Sorcerer, you guys go first!" As if immense wrath had filled him, he swiftly reached behind and pulled out an odd-looking sword that had always been hidden underneath his robe. With just one glance, Jing Qi could tell right away that this band of attackers was coming after Wu Xi ¡ª looking at the latter''s reaction, he was positive that this attempt was not the first one they had encountered. Hence, he lowered his voice and asked: "What is the matter?" Pursing his lips, Wu Xi grabbed a hold of Jing Qi''s arm and firmly pulled the other to his side ¡ª the face of this young man who had just been curiously gazing all around earlier was then suddenly clouded with billowing ruthlessness. He did not answer Jing Qi''s question and only said: "Don''t be afraid. It had nothing to do with you. You go back to that place. There are many people over there, they won''t pursue you." His voice had not faded yet, several figures already leaped out from the shadows, their faces all covered. The weapons in their hands were exactly the same as A Xin Lai''s, with colorful threads coiled around the hilts. On the back, they carried a small crossbow that appeared to be the thing they used to shoot those poisoned arrows a moment ago, their garments embroidered with the five poisonous creatures that were baring fangs and brandishing claws. Jing Qi squinted slightly: Are these their own people from South Xinjiang? The guts of these southern barbarians were indeed not small ¡ª they even had the nerve to attempt assassination under the reign of the Son of Heaven. Wu Xi once told him that although A Xin Lai appeared to be crude and reckless, he was still South Xinjiang''s most skilled warrior. Indeed, after just a few moves, he was able to thwart and seize a handful of these assassins. Wu Xi then forcefully shoved Jing Qi behind him away: "Run, quick! Go back to where there are lots of people!" Normally, this young man always seemed to have sealed his lips, thus was rather easy to pick on. Yet, when he acted, his strength was not to be underestimated: that push caused Jing Qi to stagger a few steps back, nearly crashing against the wall. The little sable poked its head out from Jing Qi''s lapel, squeaking anxiously. Jing Qi gently shielded its head with one palm; whispering a "shh" under his breath, he said with a soft voice: "It''s nothing. Don''t be scared." A Xin Lai got himself surrounded by multiple assassins. In a split second, one of them bolted out from a different direction ¡ª A Xin Lai caught a glimpse of that figure from the corner of his eyes, but it was already too late. The "guest" completely ignored Jing Qi to directly charge attacks at Wu Xi. Wu Xi suddenly narrowed his round, big eyes and swiftly dropped his body as if he had vanished in the air and shrunk to the ground to dodge the attack. Due to the excessive amount of force exerted, when the assassin turned around for another strike, he already missed half of the rhythm. In lightning speed, Wu Xi immediately reached his hand over from a blind spot, and with the fingernails that seemed to be reflecting light, he seized the assassin by the throat. The assassin''s movements suddenly stopped. Almost instantly, a cloud of black smoke spread over and enveloped his entire body, completely covering the exposed skin and flesh on his arms and forehead. His eyes bulged out, a few sounds were leaking out from his throat; his body violently convulsed before collapsing to the ground. YOU''LL ALSO LIKE Those Days of Saving The School Heartthrob (... 49.1K1.8K Paid Story The Painter''s Apprentice 139K3.5K Lantern: Reflection of the Peach Blossoms 8.6K192 Jin Se - Priest [English Fan Translation BL... 7.8K293 Way to Charm Your Rival 1.8K44 ¹Å¶­ÏÂɽ (ENGLISH: Old Fogey Goes Down The Mount... 11.7K643 WFYO - reupload 86.8K3.9K A foul stench emerged in the air. Wu Xi stepped over the corpse and raised his head to look over the direction where the assassins were at. Within a blink, the corpse on the ground immediately decomposed into a puddle of mush. On Jing Qi''s face was an expression of pure disgust ¡ª he heedlessly gave the little sable a few pats on the head and mused to himself, After this many years, I thought the little venom had finally mended his ways, who knows that his temper has become so much worse. He killed with such ruthlessness, yet I couldn''t detest him at all. The thing was, this move indeed had effectively put these assassins in check ¡ª the moment Wu Xi swept his eyes over, without any prior agreement, a handful of them immediately retreated half a step back, completely in sync with each other. Jing Qi shook his head lightly and heaved a sigh: in his heart, he probably was feeling pity for these poor souls. Realizing that the other person hadn''t left yet, Wu Xi became somewhat exasperated, thus turned around and glowered at him. Yet, as if no one else mattered, Jing Qi brazenly walked over to the corpse and squatted down beside. After carefully inspecting the remains, he commented: "You gentlemen indeed have the true quality of these friends from the southern land. You couldn''t wait even just for a short amount of time. As soon as you seize the opportunity, you just immediately jump out and kill people. If Taoist Li knew about this, I wonder how livid he would become." The leader of the pack stared at Jing Qi with widened eyes, dumbfounded and alarmed. However, he only saw how this gentle, frail-looking young man just paid others no mind, casually took off his outer robe and held it in his hand while folding the fabric into several layers. Then, through the garment in hand, he picked up the South Xinjiang crossbow that was dropped next to the corpse during the fight earlier. The young man clicked his tongue twice, and with a long sigh, he said: "Good stuff." Before his voice had completely faded away, without any warning, his hands already began to act. In a flash, he drew the bowstring and shot a fire, aiming for the target without seemingly doing so. The sharp arrow whizzed through the air from his hand ¡ª on the opposite side, the South Xinjiang assassin clearly did not expect that this elegant, refined young man would make his move and kill someone without saying a single word of greetings. The assassin couldn''t react for a moment as Jing Qi shot the arrow which pierced the man''s chest from front to back. He collapsed against the corners of the wall, motionless. Jing Qi shook his head: "Oh dear, I certainly have neglected my practice! Those little techniques in horsemanship and archery had all been returned to my teacher. Such a close distance but I couldn''t even shoot properly." He grinned with squinty eyes; facing another assassin, he added: "I was originally aiming at you."1 This time, even Wu Xi had to look at him, completely speechless and unable to react. Jing Qi rose to his feet and patted Wu Xi''s shoulder; putting up the look as if they were brothers sharing the same hardship, he shook his head and continued with a sigh: "I thought that this kind of internal strife was our Da Qing''s local specialty only. So your place has it as well? Who are these brothers?" Wu Xi answered: "It''s the Black Sorcerer Clan... They have nothing to do with you. Stay away!" "Having nothing to do with me?" Jing Qi''s long eyebrow perked a little, and in a dawdling fashion, he said: "Here is the capital of Da Qing overseen under the reign of the Son of Heaven, yet they dared to attempt assassination blatantly... Very well, I am also counted as the imperial court''s official, but having to witness bloodshed on New Year''s Eve like this... Young Sorcerer, you said this had nothing to do with me?" A wintry sneer escaped from his lips, one hand holding the crossbow through the outer garment layer and the other behind his back ¡ª the face that normally showed all kinds of emotions, from merry laughter to angry curses, in that moment started to show a striking amount of sharpness. The assassins exchanged looks with each other and jabbered in words of which Jing Qi could not make sense; however, standing on the side, Wu Xi immediately tensed up and moved to the front to shield Jing Qi. Right at that moment, Jing Qi took out from his lapel a small piece of fireworks that had just been bought earlier from the market, then attached it to the tip of the arrow and shot it directly at the sky. Although the firework only burst into a little cluster of sparks amidst smoke in the air, it still looked rather pretty. Those South Xinjiang men could not fathom Jing Qi''s motive, thus only bolted toward the direction of the other two and launched their attacks. From underneath his lapel, Wu Xi drew a hook out, its length being approximately the size of the forearm, its shape resembling the tail of a scorpion ¨C needless to say, one could tell it was lethally poisonous. With the presence of such weapon, the movements of these assassins seemed to be rather restrained in fear as both sides wound up in this ceaseless fight. On the side, Jing Qi spoke with a deliberate, unhurried yet so clear voice that all of them were able to hear every single word: "I have no idea what kind of plaything Black Sorcery is. However, you gentlemen probably already know about this ¡ª even if you could successfully go back, I am afraid that you would still be disciplined by your master. If I am guessing correctly... your master couldn''t possibly give you such an order ¨C who is this individual who has decided to act upon their fancied cleverness and sent people out himself?" As expected, one of the assassins was distracted by these words, thus Wu Xi''s hook landed right on his neck. Without any warning, the young sorcerer yanked on the weapon: half of the assassin''s head fell off from his neck, blood spurted for several feet (1). Jing Qi quickly retreated a few steps back, yet blood still splashed all over his entire front robe. He clicked his tongue; right then, the little sable that had been hiding in his chest immediately gave its fur a vehement shake, jumped upwards, then, within two or three leaps, had already landed on Jing Qi''s shoulder. Jing Qi just continued talking: "Can''t fathom why I realized? How many people were actually aware of the fact that I went to find the young sorcerer tonight? It must have been because I ran into His Highness the Crown Prince, who specifically sent someone to my residence to report back, informing the entire Nan Ning Wang household that I was no longer inside the manor, right? You fellas waiting here in ambush as if you had known about this information in advance, isn''t that just directly telling me that inside the Nan Ning Wang Residence there has always been a mole secretly planted by the second prince Helian Qi?" Jing Qi already knew that Helian Qi and Taoist Li had secretly arranged a spy to work in his manor, but he also understood all along that it would not be the best idea for him to act rashly to alert the enemy(2). However, he didn''t even think that this secret move would be exposed by these foolish assassins that night ¡ª just the perfect timing to use them as a scapegoat to uncover the other party''s scheme. He was long accustomed to witnessing and experiencing extreme spectacles, unable to count the number of times when he had stood on the line between life and death. Although his skills couldn''t be considered excellent, these few South Xinjiang assassins were anything but worthy of his attention. A cold sneer escaped his lips, and he continued: "It''s pitiful to see after so many years of hard work, that guy Helian Qi finally was able to plant a mole inside the Nan Ning Wang Residence. After coming back, all I need to do is ask who went out at night, and the answer will naturally arrive. Say, how are the second prince and that Taoist Li with the nose of an ox going to think this through? Aren''t you afraid that you would lose your master''s favor and no longer receive bone treats for chewing..." These were just some fabricated random nonsense. In his mind, Jing Qi was certain that a handful of people had left the residence to go out this evening; it was him who had soon realized there was such a person residing inside his manor. He had not completed his sentence, yet one of the assassins had already attempted to slide past Wu Xi in a fit of rage and desperation. Jing Qi was precisely waiting for this moment to happen ¡ª acknowledging that his martial arts moves were hardly presentable, he had soon loaded the poisoned arrow on the crossbow so that once the other person came forward, the arrow would instantly pierce through that man''s body. However, he didn''t even expect the assassin to be seized by Wu Xi midway ¡ª this child seemed to be grounded in the belief that Jing Qi had no ability to fight back, thus risking his own life to protect the latter. He plunged the hook into the approaching assassin''s chest, clawing an entirety of the man''s internal organs out of his rib cage. However, the moment he turned his body around, an opening for attack was revealed from behind. Another assassin seized the opportunity at once and slashed at Wu Xi with his blade ¡ª their movements were indeed too fast that even with Jing Qi''s eyesight it would still be difficult to clearly see the situation. Wu Xi forcefully hurled his body forward only to see that the assassin was coming after him again. Jing Qi immediately positioned the crossbow with the loaded arrow and shot from an artfully calculated angle. While pouring his heart into killing Wu Xi, the assassin did not take any precautions against the underhanded attack ¡ª he attempted a marginal dodge yet failed as the arrow hit his shoulder directly.1 But this poisoned arrow was truly poisonous: it was not even half a step that he inched before the targeted assassin tumbled down and laid motionless on the ground. This confrontation was seriously too risky ¡ª Jing Qi breathed out a faint sigh of relief, continued speaking nonchalantly as if nothing had ever occurred: "How come this gentleman had such bad temper... So originally, your master accepted that second Helian as his adoptive father, but the moment things turned out to be not working out for them, they immediately started to slash each other''s throat. With the kind of servants like you people, I can already imagine how brilliant your master could be. If I were you, I would just simply take my own life and leave it at that ¡ª why bother to go back and induce further feelings of vexation in others?" Right at that moment, they heard footfalls from a group of people reverberating through the narrow alley. The assassins were stricken with fear while Jing Qi only shook his head and commented with a smile: "It seems like they have arrived. Well, you gentlemen traveled from afar so you probably don''t know. The capital city is a densely populated place, and in order to prevent fire from happening, during New Year''s and other holidays, people are only permitted to light fireworks on the main streets or the river bank. It has been so many years since the ban on firework use in the alleys was issued. Jin Wu Guards(3) finally have come and brought people here to arrest me for violating the law." Then with a clear, resounding laugh, he said: "Nan Ning Wang is here. Who dared to be impetuous?" The closer the approachers were, the more urgent their footsteps became ¡ª it seemed like they were just one alley away. The assassin guild leader made a feint move and closed his fingers together for a whistle. As the whistling shrill penetrated the air, all the assassins synchronously brought their fighting to a halt and leapt onto the wall to escape. Jing Qi hurriedly exclaimed: "Oh my! No committing suicide? Well then, safe travel! I am not seeing you off." The little sable squatted on his shoulder, following along and wagging its tail in a perfectly matching rhythm. It wasn''t until then when Wu Xi could finally breathe out a sigh of relief. Before he had the chance to speak, Jing Qi suddenly took hold of him and pulled; gesturing at A Xin Lai with a wave of his hand, he whispered with a low voice: "Hurry, go!" A Xin Lai was not sure why, thus he asked: "Why do we have to go... Aren''t the Jin Wu Guards..." "I cooked that nonsense up to trick them. Let''s go back first. The rest can wait." Jing Qi further lowered his voice. A Xin Lai turned his head around to look behind while running alongside and continued asking: "Then who are the people that are coming?" Jing Qi answered: "The ''no fireworks use in the narrow alleys'' is an unwritten, common rule established among the people in the neighborhood. The families have always been looking out for their children, worrying that they would cause things to catch on fire. When I did that earlier, it was precisely to draw the attention of men and women from this neighborhood. They are all townspeople living nearby, running over here to scold the ignorant kids who just set off fireworks. I guess I have really angered them just now. That''s why let''s run faster, or else we will have to pay for the compensation..." His voice came to an abrupt halt as Wu Xi suddenly staggered: within a blink of an eye, the latter''s entire body collapsed against his. Jing Qi retreated half a step back so that he could catch a hold of him. The moment he situated his hand and noticed the person was soaked, he felt his heart tighten: "Did you get hurt?" Wu Xi clenched his teeth and bit back all the sounds, his hands clutching the other man''s robe tightly, his breathing was labored and did not slow down until a good while later. Leaning against Jing Qi''s shoulder, he feebly propped himself and straightened up: "I am fine. It doesn''t hurt. I also have the antidote. You don''t need to hold me up. I can walk." This child is even more stubborn than an actual donkey! Jing Qi was not in the mood to deal with him, thus he only turned to face A Xin Lai and said: "Carry him on your back." This time, A Xin Lai was completely obedient. Without waiting for any explanation, he forcefully hoisted Wu Xi up on his back, and the three of them, drenched in blood, headed back to the Sorcerer Residence. That night, Wu Xi began to burn with high fever: when it came to poison usage, if he ever considered himself to be the second greatest, no one would ever dare to call themselves the best. Some of the South Xinjiang warriors also said it was fine after seeing his condition, and that such reaction was normal after taking the antidote ¡ª the fever would last for one night, but afterward, there would be no problem. The little sable squatted beside on the edge of its master''s bed, its pair of big, round eyes darting back and forth between the two people, staring at one and then to the other. Then, it used its tiny head to brush lightly against Wu Xi. Realizing that the master was not paying it any attention, the sable let out a few little squeaks and rose on its feet, looking really pitiful. From front to back, this Young Sorcerer Residence was nothing but a bunch of old and young men ¡ª even a single maid couldn''t be found. Jing Qi heaved a sigh, feeling that he was fated to have a babysitter life, thus decided to stay. He told A Xin Lai to send someone to Nan Ning Wang Residence to notify Ping An, also passing his words to the latter and ordering that from then on, no matter who they were, no one was allowed to step a foot outside of the residence, and everything had to be put on hold until he came back to deal with it. After finishing everything, Jing Qi sat down on one side, grabbed the little sable and put it in his embrace. He then ordered someone to bring over a basin of cold water, and after soaking the towel, he placed it on Wu Xi''s forehead so that it could help lower the latter''s body temperature. Outside, A Xin Lai was explaining the evening''s incident to others, their jabbering was of South Xinjiang dialect which Jing Qi could not fathom. However, he was still able to somewhat guess what their conversation was about, but had no intention to probe ¡ª after he was sitting for a while, his mind began to drift to stupor. As a result, he ended up leaning against the edge of the bed and closing his eyes for a rest. As the dawn broke, Wu Xi suddenly opened his eyes wide. The moment his body moved, Jing Qi woke up as well and reached his arm over to feel the other''s forehead. Noticing that Wu Xi still had a little fever, Jing Qi knew that his body was certainly not in any comfort. He asked right away: "Are you still hurt? Do you want to drink water? What kind of medicine do you need?" But Wu Xi was just lying there in a daze, as if he was still stuck in a nightmare. Jing Qi gave the other a few gentle pats: "Wu Xi?" Wu Xi gazed at Jing Qi blankly, and in a hoarse voice, he said: "I''ve seen you just now..." Jing Qi was stupefied. And then, he heard Wu Xi say: "I dreamed of you... with white hair, you were sitting in front of a very big rock. I talked to you, but you didn''t pay any attention to me..."10 ----------- End of Chapter 17 ----------- Translator''s note: It''s a great time to reread Chapter 1 :) (1) Original text used ÕÉ (zh¨¤ng). 1 zh¨¤ng = 10 feet. (2) Idiom, literal meaning is "to stir the grass to scare the snake" (3) One of the Twelve Guards who command the Imperial Guards, translated as Imperial Insignia Guards in some texts. CH 18 ing Qi spaced out for a moment, but then promptly resumed his normal response. He stretched his hand over and gently made a few waving motions in front of Wu Xi''s face ¡ª only then he realized that the other person only had his eyes open and was not actually awake; even the depth of focus didn''t seem quite right from the look of those orbs. After voicing the words that made Jing Qi''s heart skip a beat seconds ago, Wu Xi tilted his head to one side and again drifted off to unconsciousness. Soon the dawn would break ¡ª the little sable was sprawling asleep next to Wu Xi as Jing Qi donned the long robe of pale turquoise shade that Ping An had ordered someone to deliver over, his slumberous state had entirely vanished. White hair... sitting beside the Stone of Three Lives. After hundreds of years wandering in the Underworld, he had come to understand more or less the rules there. For instance, the living souls were not permitted to enter, and those spirits of the dead that passed by him all had already drunk the Mengpo tea, all had been washed immaculately clean to the point of cluelessness by the water from the River of Forgetfulness ¡ª thus, that person definitely would not have been able to remember the look of Jing Qi sitting neatly and quietly next to the Stone of Three Lives. Then, if Wu Xi was not the Ghost Official in his previous life... he would precisely be the Soul Reaper. Suddenly looking back on the memories by the Reincarnation Pond, Jing Qi recalled the words that the Soul Reaper once told him, "It was my fault that your fate became incomplete, making you constantly wrestle with the world and suffer all kinds of hardships for no reason. At this moment, there is nothing that I can do to make up to you except giving up all of my cultivation to trade for one lifetime where you can have black hair again..." Reversing yin and yang was equal to defying natural law ¡ª could it seriously be said that he had forsaken all of his cultivation? Jing Qi gently raised his hand, fingertips brushing against the skin between his eyebrows as if at that place there had still remained a trace of blood. It wasn''t until a long period of time after that he finally came back to his senses. Sitting by the bed, he watched the young man who was lying there in a low fever with a complicated expression. "Although this is sale and purchase by force, after all, I am still owing you a favor..." He touched Wu Xi''s hair tenderly and thought how the Creator had designed this world in such a mysterious way ¡ª she let them both meet in the netherworld, then allowed both of them, amongst the vast sea of people, to cross each other''s path again. The long, deep sleeve of Jing Qi''s robe sagged down from his arms, slightly grazing past the sable''s tiny body. The little creature opened its eyes vigilantly but then closed them again upon seeing the man, body curled into a ball of fur before inching toward Jing Qi''s sleeve and falling into slumber. Jing Qi heaved a sigh, and with one arm extended, he pinched the bridge of his nose: "It is really me who still holds onto the memories of all these entanglements from the past life and present time. This life... in this life, I will give it my all and keep you safe." He furrowed his brows and peered at Wu Xi appraisingly as if he was trying to finding faults from the other person. With a curled lip, he said: "You stubborn, little snot face! Say, if I no longer looked after you in the future, how long would you be able to survive with that horrible, donkey-like temper of yours?" Wu Xi rarely experienced a fever like this ¡ª he felt like acidic water had been oozing out from each and every crack of his bones and seeping through his entire body. His dreams were a tangled, chaotic mess, of which he could remember neither the beginning nor the end. Once his mind had somewhat resumed its clarity, he vaguely sensed that there was a person beside him, and tremendous fear swelled up in his heart. During these vulnerable moments, he would regard everything around him with laden wariness, wanting to open his eyes wide to see who was there, and wanting to garner all the strength left in his body and struggle until the end to prop himself up. YOU''LL ALSO LIKE Those Days of Saving The School Heartthrob (... 49.1K1.8K Paid Story The Painter''s Apprentice 139K3.5K Lantern: Reflection of the Peach Blossoms 8.6K192 Jin Se - Priest [English Fan Translation BL... 7.8K293 Way to Charm Your Rival 1.8K44 ¹Å¶­ÏÂɽ (ENGLISH: Old Fogey Goes Down The Mount... 11.7K643 WFYO - reupload 86.8K3.9K Yet, all that were there was a specially pleasant smell coming from that person, faint and delicate as it carried a hint of sweetness and the fresh coolness of clear water, and a hand that had been resting on his head all this time, very light and tender. Strangely yet gradually, Wu Xi began to loosen up. Perhaps the fever had somewhat driven him to confusion, or perhaps his body was beyond exhaustion, thus came forth the illusion that it would be very safe for him to stay together with this person ¡ª just like a little animal dashing through the forest full of perils lurking from all four sides to return to the underground cave, so that it could finally shut its eyes and rest through the long night with a beautiful, sweet dream.2 When he finally fought back the fever and regained consciousness, the sun had already risen high and bright above the horizon. As soon as Wu Xi opened his eyes, he saw a slender hand, palm up, placed in front of him, along with the little sable whose body was half tucked into Jing Qi''s sleeve, the pale turquoise outer robe was tied loosely around the man. Jing Qi half leaned against the headboard, his head slightly tilted to one side. A wisp of hair fell down, scattered strands dangled over from his chin to his chest and slipped down onto the bed; it seemed like the hair ends were fluttering lightly in rhythm along with his breathing. Wu Xi remained in a daze for a while as if he had never known this person before, the pair of deep black eyes opened wide as he was watching Jing Qi gingerly. He thought about how good-looking this person was, and that it turned out to be the same young man who had looked after him the entire night before. He wondered why this person was neither afraid nor chose to run away during the assassination attempt that previous evening. And, he thought about how this person was the only friend that he had crossed paths with during these past five years after his arrival at Da Qing. Hence, he couldn''t help but smile softly before quietly closing his eyes. When he finally woke up again, Jing Qi had already left. After moments of leaning against the bedside, Jing Qi napped through most of his sleepiness and somewhat gained back his energy. He then took the little sable out of his sleeve and placed it in his embrace; after a brief discussion with A Xin Lai, he went back to his residence. After all, he still had some important matters to take care of at Nan Ning Wang Residence. Ping An personally came out to welcome his master back, presented the list of servants living in the mansion, and let him know that everyone on this roster had been summoned and was currently waiting in the courtyard. Jing Qi swept his eyes over the list and returned it to Ping An. With a hint of a smile at the corner of his lips, he strode toward the front yard. Even Ping An, who normally could not keep his mouth shut even when there was nothing to talk about, had to bow his head in silence this time. Suddenly he felt that during the split second the young prince stepped over the threshold, this person had seemingly transformed into an entirely different person: that idle, lethargic kind of appearance that he was carrying around all year long as if it had been inherently rooted in his bones was just then a layer of skin camouflage that could be removed easily. The same usual face was still there, thus naturally could not be defined as with fierce sharpness ¡ª yet when his glance lightly and casually swept over one''s face, it would consequently send chills down their spine. He was no different from a lazy and limpid cat that unexpectedly turned into a giant tiger the moment it woke up, ruthlessly scanning around for its prey. Ping An thought to himself that if his master normally had looked like this, someone could give him another share of courage but he would still have not dared to rattle on in His Royal Highness''s face. Jing Qi''s steps came to a halt as he arrived in front of everyone, yet he didn''t spare them a single look ¡ª he merely hung his head down a little and locked his eyes on the ground. Ping An immediately brought out his master''s usual reclining chair and urged the latter to sit down and be comfortable. Jing Qi settled down, legs up as he crossed one over another somewhat casually. With hands clasped together, interlaced fingers resting on his thighs, and lips carrying a miniscule trace of a smile, he looked at a yard full of people with unfathomably dark and wintry eyes and started to speak: "Last night, His Highness the Crown Prince sent someone here to let you know that the young sorcerer and I were going outside." Ping An answered with a low voice: "Yes, His Highness the Crown Prince said that Master went out for a stroll, then instructed us servants to prepare hot water along with things like changes of clothing and wait to properly serve Master upon your return." Jing Qi nodded his head. Needless to say, that was the normal standard for Nan Ning Wang Residence ¡ª even with ordinary scholars and noblemen of lower ranks, there was no justification whatsoever for the master to walk out of the gate without servants leading the horse and pouring water for them, and their dignity would be terribly marred if such disgraceful action was to be discovered by others. Those few words that Helian Yi gave him were indeed an implied reproach. Among the Da Qing aristocrats and elites existed a strong emphasis on practice of lightness, calmness, steadiness, non-violence, and indignation-free. "Lightness" meant that an erudite scholar ought to have a frail and sickly form, ought to speak with a feeble, soft voice that somewhat made others feel like he never had enough energy ¡ª only then he would be considered as an elegant, refined person. "Calmness" referred to the gracious nobility, who ought to walk to in deliberate steps, ought to ride their horses in an unhurried pace ¡ª only then he would be considered to have proper upbringing. "Steadiness" specified that man of noble birth ought not to falter when matters came up, whether neither glee nor sorrow ought to be found in their face ¡ª only then he would be considered having lived up his noble status. It had also been emphasized that descendants of aristocratic families were not allowed to practice martial arts since that line of work was only for the crude barbarians. They could neither get mad nor show any sign of anger, and were certainly not allowed to quarrel with others because that meant stooping low to the level of commoners at the market. Of course, all of these long-established practices that endorsed ailments and fragility above were just, in fact, some kinds of songs specifically used to nurture the worthless pretty boys who could neither move a limb nor lift a finger. Helian Yi handled this situation accordingly the same way households of high-ranking officials and aristocrats would do ¡ª when running into juniors of noble families who went out without bringing any servants along, one would send an attendant to go and notify their family about the youngsters'' wellbeing. This would show that he had looked after them while giving the family their peace of mind. Jing Qi took a sip of tea from the cup held in Ping An''s hands, pursing his slightly chapped lips: "Ayy, what are you people standing here for? What''s the matter? Wanting to ask for lucky money from me?" Since dawn broke, everyone had been gathered here by Ping An, completely clueless of what had happened; but then it sounded like their master couldn''t care less, they were finally able to breathe out a sigh of relief. Although Ji Xiang was a clever one, at this moment, after taking a glimpse of Jing Qi''s countenance, he could not tell if the latter''s mood was good or bad, thus attempted to probe further by saying: "Master, gifts from other households have been delivered here. How should we return the favors? The butlers and servants have already compiled and organized them onto a notebook. We put it your study ¡ª would you like to take a look at it a bit later?" Jing Qi responded: "Not looking. One pile to another... looking at them only gives me headaches." Ji Xiang nodded his head in compliance and continued: "Master, you see, the butler summoned everyone here since early morning, and we didn''t know what had happened. But now that you have returned, our hearts can finally be at ease. Should we just disperse and go back to continue whatever work that we were supposed to do?" Jing Qi gave a small nod: "Mhm, whoever has work to do, hurry up and go do your thing." The servants looked at each other in confusion, then decided to scatter anyway. Yet right at that moment, their young lord began to speak, slowly and deliberately: "But if you are not in a hurry, you may as well stick around so I can tell you this funny story. About what happened last night, can you guess who were the people the Young Sorcerer and I ran into last night?" Even Ping An did not know much about this. Last night when someone from the Sorcerer Residence came here, they only said that since it was already too late, the prince would stay over there for the night. After listening to the man''s instruction, although Ping An undoubtedly knew that something had happened in between, he was not so certain about the specifics. Jing Qi simply put on a smile; as his gaze swept over the group of people, the illusion that "he is looking at me" struck each and every single one of them. Then, they heard him say: "We ran into a few foolish, imprudent assassins." That startled Ping An, his thin eyes immediately opened wide twice their usual size: "Assassination? Master, are you feeling okay? Is there any injury? Should I call for the Imperial Doctors?" Jing Qi took the teacup from the butler''s hands, lifted the lid open, and took a small sip. He then answered: "No need. It is nothing to make a big fuss over. They were merely southern barbarians called ''Black Sorcerer'' or something like that. I already killed them out of convenience." As the words "already killed them out of convenience" left his lips, his tone, albeit became much more sweet and mellow, was reeking crimson malice that made others shiver. Right then, the little sable began to crawl out from his sleeve. This tiny fellow was spattered with blood last night, yet Jing Qi hadn''t got the chance to properly wash it ¡ª with body half mottled in bloodstain, its intensely bright, watchful eyes glaring, it certainly made others feel somewhat terrified. Some of them were rather fainthearted, thus already felt their legs giving in; they thought to themselves, this person has such a quick change of heart -¡ªhe was like a gentle breeze and fine drizzles just moments ago, but now he is completely unfathomable, no one can figure out what he meant. Then they heard Jing Qi go on with his talk: "Among us, there is a brother with great skill and spirit; as soon as he received the information and realized that this was such an unbelievably rare opportunity, he immediately dashed out in hurry to report to... um, his master. Who would have thought that before he even got the chance to see his owner, he had already first bumped into the master''s adopted son." Jing Qi let out a small chuckle, and everyone on the scene was completely in dead silence. After blowing the hot steam from his teacup, he continued: "This honorable person didn''t spill a word, yet some of his brothers under him couldn''t just sit still, so they just had to run out at that hour without notice to slash others. After one round of hassles and hard work, not only that they failed to accomplish anything decent, some even had their lives taken while helping me realize that there has always been an honorable presence at our Nan Ning Wang Residence all along..." Suddenly, Jing Qi raised his head, his electrifying stare aiming directly and piercing through a certain individual, a smile on his face as he said: "What''s wrong? You have already ruined His Highness the Second Prince''s business ¡ª even I have to feel restless for you, but you seem rather relaxed about it, huh?" Before his voice completely faded away, the grey-haired, muddy-face man crouching in the far corner, as if suddenly becoming an entirely different person, had already dashed over towards Jing Qi with utmost agility. Right at that moment, a series of bone cracking and joint popping sounds rattled off. As one turned around to look again, this person was no longer the timid, cowering, and shrimpy old Zhang who swept the yard ¡ª this clearly was a husky fella with the back of a tiger and shoulders of a bear! In a moment of desperation, Ping An hurled the teapot in his hand with the target being that giant man''s head, at the same time shouting out loud: "Assassin! Protect His Royal Highness!" That man dodged the teapot attack and crooked his fingers, aiming directly for Jing Qi''s neck ¡ª this unforeseen turn of events happened too fast and left no room for the guards to react. But the moment that hand was about to reach Jing Qi''s neck, a "squeak" sound was instantly heard. All of a sudden, that man took a stride back and let out a blood-curdling scream as he slung his hand around desperately. The little sable jumped on Jing Qi''s shoulder nimbly and stood upright again; it wagged its tail proudly while posing to flaunt his commendable bravery.2 That husky fellow''s hand had already turned into violet shade; the cloud of purple smoke rapidly spread along his arm ¡ª within seconds, it crawled up and blanketed over the entire limb. Jing Qi was a little surprised; he tilted his head to take a glimpse at the little sable that was licking its claws and said: "That powerful?" The sable realized that it was being looked down upon, thus immediately bared its little teeth: "Squeak!"2 Jing Qi laughed out loud. When he turned around and looked, the guards had already put down that giant and restrained him on the ground. It was too late for the man to resist ¡ª all he did was tightly holding his own arm whose size was then several times bigger than the original while crying painfully, even a complete sentence could not uttered. The blackish purple shade had already spread up to his neck, his throat trembling with each quackish sound. Jing Qi rubbed his chin lightly and asked Ping An: "How long do you think he can last?" By then, Ping An had already been shocked speechless by this string of unanticipated incidents. It wasn''t after a good while later that he started to point at the man on the ground who was convulsing as if just having had his tendon pulled: "This... this... Uncle Zhang?!" Jing Qi extended his arm and gave the other a few light pats on the shoulder then waved his hands: "Dismiss dismiss! Ping An, go back and ask the accounts office to give each person a red envelope. Just tell them those are my words, giving everyone a bit more luck for the New Year." After that, he turned around and started walking to his study; Ping An then hurriedly ran after: "Master, that... that..." He pointed at old Zhang who had already lay motionless on the ground; even just glancing at the man could already make him scared out of his wits, thus he immediately turned back to Jing Qi: "That Uncle Zhang... What should I do?" Not even bothered halting his steps, Jing Qi only instructed: "Burn the corpse. For the clothes, take them off first, fold them neatly, combine with the gifts that have already been prepared for the Second Prince, and send them back altogether."6 Ping An stood aghast, unable to close neither his eyes nor mouth. Based on the level of this spy, Jing Qi could tell that Helian Qi had never taken him seriously. He let out a soft laugh: Originally, I didn''t even plan to provoke you. It was your people that have done the bad deed. This time, it seems we will have to wait and see how this is going to unfold..."1 Author''s note: Wow.... this weather is goddamn hot == ---------------------------- end of chapter 18 --------------------------- CH 19 The moment Wu Xi followed Ping An''s lead and stepped foot inside Nan Ning Wang''s Residence, he immediately heard a female singing voice lingering and drifting over in harmony with the melody of zither from the inside. His footsteps came to a halt as he suddenly realized that this singing belonged to the Lady of the Moon on the Wang Yue River that day. After all, since the beginning of his existence, he had never heard any other woman who could sing that beautifully. He listened attentively, and the lyrics of Su Qingluan''s song travelled to his ears: "Phoenix Pavilion and Dragon Tower adjoin the heavenly sky. Tree of jade and branches of jasper trail after distant clouds. How many times ¡ª" (1) As soon as he looked up, Jing Qi was already there to personally welcome him in; with a beaming face, the other pulled him along: "Just right when we have this rare visitor that just came by, you surely have the luck for musical pleasure. Come in quickly and have a seat with us!" The little sable lept out from Jing Qi''s sleeve. The moment its special, buddy-buddy kinsman Wu Xi was in sight, the sable immediately abandoned the man who had been lovingly supplying it with fancy food and tasty drink, swiftly throwing itself at Wu Xi''s chest. Upon witnessing that, Jing Qi derided bitterly: "You little ungrateful bastard." Then, he decided to just ignore it. Wu Xi asked: "Is that the Lady of the Moon? What did you call me over for?" "Oh my, you could tell that was her by just listening." Jing Qi winked at Wu Xi a few times as if the latter''s second question had not reached his ears at all: "What is it? Our little young man has just grown up and already started to ''seek her and find her not, waking and sleeping laden with thoughts about her''? (2)1 Wu Xi did not understand what was the meaning behind those words, but looking at the despicable expression on the other person''s face, he could still tell that they were not decent words; hence he just blatantly ignored them and asked: "What is she singing about?" "A lovely piece." A gentle smile grazed Jing Qi''s lips: "A rhyme that was left behind by the ancestors. The lament of a fallen state." While Wu Xi was still unclear about why "the lament of a fallen state" could be considered a lovely piece, Jing Qi had already dragged him to the garden. There was a beautiful woman playing the zither in the middle, and sitting around her to listen were a few other people ¡ª Helian Yi was in the center of the group; next to him, except Zhou Zishu whom Wu Xi had already been introduced to that night, there were two other unfamiliar faces. One of them had a slender oval face, his skin fair; his manner of clothing was that of an intellectual, his body donned in the scholar''s blue robes. The other person was over eight Chinese feet (3) in height, his eyes shaped like a pair of bronze bells, his shoulders wide; although he also dressed in a scholarly fashion, on the side of his belt hung a double-edged sword. As they saw Wu Xi entering, all except Helian Yi rose to their feet. Wu Xi felt that he himself had chosen the wrong time to arrive, yet it was already too late for him to retreat and take his leave, thus he had no choice but to give in and let Jing Qi drag him all the way in. Standing at the entrance, he faced Helian Yi and bowed slightly: "Your Highness the Crown Prince. And also Zhou..." He paused a little, not quite sure how to address Zhou Zishu. Jing Qi chimed in: "Sword Master." Zhou Zishu replied with a smile: "This commoner absolutely cannot afford receiving the words ''Sword Master'' from Your Royal Highness. I am just merely a wanderer riding in the jianghu. Since I am the third in my family, Young Sorcerer can just call me Zhou San for your convenience." YOU''LL ALSO LIKE Those Days of Saving The School Heartthrob (... 49.1K1.8K Paid Story The Painter''s Apprentice 139K3.5K Lantern: Reflection of the Peach Blossoms 8.6K192 Jin Se - Priest [English Fan Translation BL... 7.8K293 Way to Charm Your Rival 1.8K44 ¹Å¶­ÏÂɽ (ENGLISH: Old Fogey Goes Down The Mount... 11.7K643 WFYO - reupload 86.8K3.9K Wu Xi shook his head and answered solemnly: "Sir Zhou, you are a man of great ability and accomplishments, thus should be respected." Jing Qi added: "I am afraid that everyone who is present here, except my humble self, is a man of great ability and accomplishment. This..." He pointed at the scholar in blue robe: "This individual is the new Zhuangyuan (4) of this year, Master Lu Shen, who is currently working at the Imperial Academy for the time being, and is the important future pillar of our Da Qing nation." It was not like Jing Qi was exaggerating unnecessarily: he remembered that when he died in his past life, Lu Shen was already the Prime Minister of the Emperor''s court ¡ª at the moment, having to running errands and assisting with trifles like copying books at the Imperial Academy, he must have felt very wronged and humiliated. Lu Shen was, in fact, Lu Renqing''s nephew, and since a very young age, he had acquired his reputation as a prodigy. While it was his true academic talent that had legitimately earned him the title "Zhuangyuan," unfortunately, scholars often failed to see each other face to face, constantly involved in the belittling and shaming battle ¡ª on their lips there always existed words of admiration, but behind the person''s back they would blabber slanderous gossip and sarcasm. Furthermore, everytime people mentioned his name, either directly in his presence or privately among themselves, they would make sure to first and foremost add the phrase "nephew of the Great Scholar''s Lu" to their talk, as if he had been borrowing his uncle''s name to climb up to this level. As a result, what Lu "Zhuangyuan" hated the most in this world was when people brought up his uncle in the conversation; yet, since such sentiment was considered unfilial, he could not bring himself to convey to others, thus had only been embracing this feeling of misery all to himself for a very long time. But when he heard Jing Qi introduce him, albeit with words of immense veneration, there was no mention of Lu Renqing at all ¡ª that made Lu Shen feel delighted more than ever. He hastily bowed his head right away: "I do not dare to accept. Your Royal Highness has given me too much praise." Then, Jing Qi pointed to the man with the double-edged sword: "This person is the one and only son of Marquis Jing Jie, the Young Marquis He Yunxing, an outstanding talent who is well-versed in both literature and martial arts. These days, the streets are full of self-indulgent, dandy elite sons who stir up trouble every few steps and make a big fuss over trifles. Brother Yunxing, you have truly set yourself apart from the crowd." He Yunxing walked over to pay respects with a humble smile that said "I am not worthy of your praise" on his face. Helian Yi shot a glare at him: "Beiyuan, stop with your endless ramble. Hurry up and invite the Young Sorcerer to take a seat." Then, he turned his head around and faced the female who had long concluded her zither playing and quietly retreated to the side: "This person is the Young Sorcerer from South Xinjiang. He was also there to listen to your performance on the boat that day. It is just that he left early that night so he didn''t get a chance to meet you." Su Qingluan gathered the sleeves of her robes together and greeted Wu Xi with a bow. As Wu Xi looked at this female attentively and thought that she was truly beautiful ¡ª even without layers of makeup, her face still exuded a natural, romantic, and distinguished kind of charm that was different from the alluring, fascinating kind of beauty she had that day on the Wang Yue River, adding on a touch of childishness to her features; and when she looked down, it made others feel a genuine sense of calmness from her. However, for some unknown reason, Wu Xi sensed that there was something about this woman that made him feel uncomfortable; he couldn''t specify what that was either, only instinctively felt that he was not very fond of her. Thus he only gave her a simple nod without saying anything further. Once the group settled down on their seats again, Su Qingluan tuned the zither and played a different song. Wu Xi sat next to Jing Qi and listened to these people rambling on with frivolous talks about romance, but, for most parts, he could not make any sense out of it. The reason was, at his hometown, if a person liked someone, he would just marry and bring her home ¡ª there was no such thing as getting entangled in those playful "willow and peach blossoms" pursuits of the youths (5). He did not even know that in this world there existed the kinds of sentiments and longing that would be written into poetry, introduced into painting, and composed into music like that. At first, listening to it was a fairly novel experience that induced moments of self-indulged fantasy; but after a few times, it was basically just the same thing being repeated all over, thus Wu Xi found them rather dull and tasteless. Wu Xi thought, if you really like someone, every corner of your heart will always be full with the thoughts of her; at night, all you can dream about is her; and how you wish to put a smile on her face even at the cost of your death: in this entire world, she is the most beautiful person that has ever existed. This kind of feeling is truly indescribable.4 Those "moonlight this, flowers that" were completely irrelevant matters ¡ª if any, they were just merely borrowed by composers for the purpose of feigning wistful, lingering sentiments of love, from then showing off either their literary talent or something else, thus it was awfully boring. After sitting for awhile, Helian Yi finally spoke up: "Take Miss Qingluan to the back garden so she could take a rest from singing. Although we love to hear her voice, but it would be wrong of us to not have a tender heart for the fair lady (6). We wouldn''t be able to afford a compensation if you ended up hurting your voice for singing." As Ji Xiang rushed in to lead Su Qingluan out, he also called the little maid who had been waiting outside to come in and help her to carry the zither outside. Jing Qi then hurriedly said: "Tell the servant to add honey to the chrysanthemum tea and bring it to Miss Su. Also, my place may not have other things, but when it comes to antique objects I do have a few. Whichever item that pleases your eyes, please feel free to take them ¡ª consider them fortunate to be noticed by you. The servants are a clumsy bunch, if there is any delay or inconvenience, I beg for your forgiveness." Su Qingluan hurriedly bowed her head and softly delivered her thankful words to the prince''s courteousness. Then she gathered up her sleeves and paid respects to the rest of the group before following Ji Xiang and the little maid to head out. Ping An ordered to have the wine taken away and replace it with green tea ¡ª Helian Yi''s face finally began to cloud over, and he asked: "So what''s the matter with the night on New Year''s Eve?" Of course, His Highness the Crown Prince would have his own source of information. After throwing a glance at Zhou Zishu, Jing Qi proceeded to briefly report about the incident of that day, skipping a considerable amount of minor details and just putting all the blame on himself regarding the entire assassination attempt, and also the fact that Wu Xi got injured. Finally, he admitted: "Unfortunately, I am just a useless, hopeless case, ruining things as I touch them and unable to do anything. Not only that I was a burden, I even got the Young Sorcerer involved and caused his injury." Wu Xi was completely taken aback. As he was about to open his mouth to refute and say that was not how things had unfolded, he saw Jing Qi bring the teacup to his lips for a throat-clearing sip and furtively wink at him, thus swallowed back the words that almost escaped from his mouth. Helian Yi furrowed his brows and pondered the acquired information in silence; on the other hand, the overeager, impetuous He Yunxing already jumped in: "This Second Prince is really becoming more and more hideous. He must have been obsessed with the thoughts of usurping the throne and at the same time achieving the look of eternal youth and ascending to immortality? From dawn to dusk he just clings to that wicked Daoist priest. Not sure what kind of absurd pellets that he has mistakenly swallowed, but this time he is even aiming for South Xinjiang''s secret techniques. It is just because the Young Sorcerer is not willing to be on friendly terms with him, and that Your Royal Highness once made him lose face, he dares to join hands with those crooked, demonic people to commit such lowly deeds!" He Yunxing, being rather bad-tempered, couldn''t care less about what he said, thus only gave a cold snort: "If Da Qing fell into the hands of such a person in the future, would this nation still even have any fortune left?" Helian Yi gave a few waves of his hand, gesturing for the other man to calm down. Then, he spoke to Jing Qi: "I heard after that you killed off the mole inside the mansion and even sent somebody to deliver his garments along with holiday gifts to the Second Prince'' Palace?" The moment these words came out, the entire group immediately became dumbfounded. He Yunxing said with a laughter: "I did not expect Your Royal Highness to have such strong personality and dare to be fair and square. Very delightful, very delightful!" Lu Shen''s brows knitted together, and he said: "Your Royal Highness, this move... was a little too hasty, and there hasn''t been much thought put into it." Jing Qi replied, unruffled: "Mhm, but I already handled the matter." Helian Yi cut in, his words were of disapproval: "You...!! Alas, Beiyuan, I used to think that you had good judgment ¡ª how come you just decided to shed all pretense of cordiality and blatantly offend him without even talking over with me first? It''s true that you got to unleash your anger, but how are you going to take care of the aftermath now?" Jing Qi lowered his gaze, his lashes drooping lightly, and a quiet chuckle left his lips: "Since I have already had the nerve to go provoke the Second Prince, naturally I ought to have a way to deal with him. His Highness the Second Prince shouldn''t have complained that the capital city at the moment had not been chaotic enough, thus decided to beckon those people with obscure, mysterious background to enter. If that is already the case, we may as well just stir things up a little bit more." Helian Yi''s frown furrowed deeper; before he could say anything, Jing Qi had already put the cup down the table, and with all fingers intertwined with each other and placed on his lap, he said calmly: "Last year, there was a plague of locusts in the Northern Plains, and the number of refugees was more than ten thousands." There came a small pause the moment these words left Jing Qi''s mouth. As far as Helian Yi could remember, he had never seen this person discuss about the state''s affairs in such a genuinely serious way ¡ª in that little moment, he couldn''t resist biting back his tongue and listening. Jing Qi then continued: "I remember clearly that day during the Great Cold this year, there was warm sunshine everywhere, and even the snow along the eaves also started melting. The elders said that was the sign of late spring chill. If that is really the case, I am afraid that the situation of this year won''t be very promising. Setting the internal affairs aside, what should we do about the Spring Market this year?" Wu Xi had long been familiar with Jing Qi''s giggling face and frivolous manner, thus when he saw the latter''s expression, it occurred to him immediately that the other wanted to say something very important. Although the topic had nothing related to South Xinjiang, he also couldn''t help but put his food and drink down to pay attention to Jing Qi''s words. Once hearing that, he could hardly remain silent, thus interrupted with a question: "What is the Spring Market?" Sitting there for nearly half a day, He Yunxing finally got to hear a line from this noiseless Young Sorcerer who were so stingy with words as if they were gold, thus couldn''t stop himself from poking his nose in: "Young Sorcerer came from the south, so I am afraid that you didn''t know. In the north of Da Qing where the Manjing Northern Desert is, there is a nomadic tribe called Wa Ge La who roam from land to land. That year, Emperor Taizong (7) led the troops to the north twice, and the leader of Wa Ge La Clan acknowledged allegiance to Da Qing. In order to prevent them from causing trouble, the Spring Market mentioned earlier was established. When spring comes every year, Wa Ge La clan people will go to the capital to pay their tributes; they also bring items like fur and livestocks to exchange for silk, clothing, provisions, and such. It has been peaceful like that between two sides for hundreds of years." Despite being a little too honest, Wu Xi was still an intelligent person ¡ª as soon as he heard the explanation, he immediately understood that the Spring Market was meant to supply that Wa Ge La Clan with materials and resources as they feared that that this tribe might stir up trouble at the frontier; thus, he simply replied with a few nods. Lu Shen contemplated along Jing Qi''s line of thinking then commented: "Your Royal Highness was right. In these recent years, natural disasters have been nonstop; the nation''s treasury has long been emptied; the number of barbarians keeps increasing everyday, and even the livestock brought along were assorted in quality, impossible to tell the good crops from the bad crops. I am just afraid that even if we can get through this year, sooner or later we will be in straitened circumstances." Helian Yi smiled bitterly: "There are many places to be in straitened circumstances ¡ª what''s the point of worrying too much?" Jing Qi nodded his head: "However, if we want to preserve the nation''s security and stability, those few places with infected ulcers must be completely gouged out... Anyway, this Jing Beiyuan is really the kind of person with special talents to manage the state''s affairs. Your Highness the Crown Prince is right ¡ª I am precisely an ooze of mud too thin that can''t even be used to plaster the walls. Helian Yi picked up the small piece of fruit within his reach and threw at the other man, laughing: "When did I say that?" Jing Qi smiled sheepishly: "At the very least, I still have some self-awareness about what I can do. I may not be able to help much with other things, but when it comes to things that dirty your eyes and soil your ears, I do have a few tricks under my sleeves... The way the Second Prince handling matters truly makes people disappointed." Helian Yi looked at him without a single word, the expression on his face utterly indecipherable. After a good while, he asked: "What are you going to do?" Jing Qi turned around and looked at Wu Xi with a smile: "His Majesty''s birthday is next month. I am afraid that I will have to ask Young Sorcerer to give me a hand." CH 20 Even long after Helian Yi''s group had departed, Wu Xi was still sitting quietly on one side: his mind seemed to have a firm grasp of the matter, yet, at the same time, he understood nothing.1 For a while, Jing Qi was in deep silence, his head slightly drooped. When he lowered his gaze, the person sitting across from him could only vaguely discern the lovely smile that he had donned on his face all year long. At that moment, the shape of his chin seemed to be touched with a hint of sharpness while the corners of his eyes slightly slanted upwards, giving an expression that he was somewhat cold and detached. Soon later, Ji Xiang walked in and notified Jing Qi: "Master, Miss Su has already finished drinking the water. She said there was not much time left, thus would have to take her leave." Jing Qi nodded his head: "Go find someone to send her off... Oh, that''s right! Last time, someone delivered a color-glazed coral bowl here. Ask her to take it with her as well. That thing is too dazzling and colorful to be displayed in the study; it will look better at this young lady''s place." Ping An caught his breath in a startled gasp; since all the guests had already taken their leave, and this neighbor, Wu Xi, was also an acquaintance with regular presence at their residence, Ping An just simply leaned down over and whispered prattles in Jing Qi''s ears: "Master, that bowl was something the late Prince had to use his connection and pay a lot of money in order to acquire. But you... you are just giving it away to others..." Jing Qi held a finger out and jabbed at the other man''s forehead, pushing him out of the way. Irritably, he gave a few dismissive waves of his hand and said: "Money is only an illusion. Haven''t you heard that a smile is worth a thousand pieces of gold? So boring! If you are stingy like that with women, I am going to wait and see whose family would dare to let you marry their daughter in the future." Ping An felt that there was no way that his future life path and this prodigal master''s would be the same. He mumbled in a low voice: "Your Servant would rather never get married. I''d rather remain a bachelor for my whole life than bring back a wife who squanders and ruins the entire family''s fortune." Jing Qi glared at him. Ping An immediately knew that he had misspoken. Without much thought, he just blurted out that remark, as if he was not only scolding his own master for squandering the family fortune but also grouping him together with the "wives" ¡ª hence, Ping An did his best to open his pair of slender, tiny eyes to their largest possible size and gave Jing Qi the look of someone who is innocent and remarkably upright; with awe-inspiring and unflinching fearlessness, he uttered: "Master, there is a limit of good fortune a person can have in life. Only by cherishing your good fortune that such blessings can last for a long time (1); when you acquire immense wealth and property, you must understand how to broaden the sources of income and reduce expenditure..." Jing Qi mused, you little bonehead even dared to lecture me on what to do, then responded with a smile: "One must broaden the sources of income and reduce expenditure when they are wealthy. Should they just wait until having to tramp the streets in a dirt-poor state in order to splurge on money? Leave, leave! Go continue whatever you were doing. Stand here any longer and I am going to be suffocated." Ping An''s answer was full of grievances: "Understood. Your Servant will come back here a little later to submit an expense report. After that we can figure out together when we will have to surrender our last resource in this household and be only able to smash iron pots and sell them as scrapped pieces."1 Jing Qi gave the other a big slap on the back, laughter blended in his scolding voice: "You little brat, how dare you walk all over me like that!" YOU''LL ALSO LIKE Those Days of Saving The School Heartthrob (... 49.1K1.8K Paid Story The Painter''s Apprentice 139K3.5K Lantern: Reflection of the Peach Blossoms 8.6K192 Jin Se - Priest [English Fan Translation BL... 7.8K293 Way to Charm Your Rival 1.8K44 ¹Å¶­ÏÂɽ (ENGLISH: Old Fogey Goes Down The Mount... 11.7K643 WFYO - reupload 86.8K3.9K It was only after Ping An stomped away in searing anger that Jing Qi finally turned toward Wu Xi and asked: "Just moments ago you seemed to have a lot of things to say. Now that everyone has all left, why is there not even a single word coming from your mouth?" There was a hint of a smile on Wu Xi''s face as he was watching this ill-mannered pair of master and servant disregard their own and each other''s statuses to squabble in whispers. Realizing that the question was for him, Wu Xi recollected his thoughts at last: "Just now, why did you say that to them?" Jing Qi''s scrutinizing, scornful eyes swept over the other person, then he countered back with a question: "What else could I have said if not that? Removing myself from the entire picture and telling them that the assassination attempt that night had absolutely nothing to do with me, and that it was purely Helian Qi having his hand in the internal strifes among you South Xinjiang people?" Wu Xi nodded his head: "That''s exactly how it has originally been." Jing Qi heaved a sigh and propped his forehead with one hand: "Brother Wu Xi, is there a heart or a weight inside your chest after all?" Unruffled and unabashed, Wu Xi inquired back: "Are you calling me a moron?"1 Jing Qi was rendered speechless: this matter was indeed rather difficult to answer. A chuckle suddenly left Wu Xi''s lips. This person was already very handsome to begin with, and it was just his chiseled features that were too well-defined; yet the moment that he laughed, his face became a lot more gentle, thus making him look extremely attractive. Jing Qi secretly clicked his tongue, considering the appearance of this lad... once he reaches maturity in the future, such a look is more than likely to invite trouble to others. Wu Xi continued: "I know that you have been wanting to deal with that Second Prince since early on, or else you wouldn''t have confronted him directly like that last time during Lu Renqing''s birthday banquet." Oh dear, he even saw through all of these! Not only that he was not a fool, his ability to discern matters was also quite something. Jing Qi was slightly startled, and he asked: "How else should I have talked to him?" Wu Xi contemplated for a moment: "You would laugh very hypocritically, and after that start spilling a whole bunch of useless nonsense. I feel like the amount of time you have talked rubbish is quite considerable." Jing Qi raised his head and stared at the blue sky, quietly telling himself that he ought not to stoop at the same level as a child. Wu Xi went on: "Actually, that day, you could have just left by yourself. Yet, if you had not been there saying those words to the assassins, it would have been unlikely for me and A Xin Lai to handle them by ourselves. I actually came here to say thank you. I will definitely remember this favor. If there is anyone to bully you in the future, I will protect you even at the cost of my life." If these words had come from other people''s mouths, Jing Qi might have taken them as a joke ¡ª but with that solemn and earnest expression of Wu Xi, no matter who was listening, they would know that these were the genuine thoughts from his heart. Jing Qi was taken aback for a moment, then a smile bloomed on his face: "I was just merely doing some glib talks. Nonetheless, it was the personnel from my residence that leaked the information about your whereabouts to the assassins ¡ª what is there for you to even thank me?" Wu Xi answered with utter seriousness: "That''s not the same. The bad guy from your place is a spy sent over by Helian Qi, and it had nothing to do with you. At the place where we came from, two people may not be related by blood, but as long as they have gone through life and death together, there is no difference from being each other''s brother. Your martial arts skills are out of the question; with these few catlike moves that you have, it is fine to just use them to scare others, but it is impossible for everything else. That''s why if there is anyone mistreating you in the future, I will definitely protect you."4 Whatever words that came out from this brat''s mouth never failed to make others wonder if they were out of good intentions or just simply insults. Jing Qi laughed bitterly again and again. After a moment of pondering, he said: "I don''t need you to risk your life, but there is one thing at your place that I''d like to have, is that fine?" Wu Xi nodded. "I want your dancing pet kitten whose body gives off fragrance." Wu Xi answered heartily: "Sure! What else do you want?" In other people''s eyes, this "dancing cat with fragrance" was a rare and exotic animal; but from Wu Xi''s point of view, the little kitten''s "dancing" ability only happened because it had been born slightly more clever than other cats, thus it knew how to wriggle and swirl around a few times upon the presence of sounds. The rare, peculiar fragrance on its body was merely the results of Wu Xi feeding it with medicine during moments of boredom ¡ª honestly, it was not anything considered too rare or special that he couldn''t afford to give away. Jing Qi wasn''t sure whether to laugh or cry: "Are you seeing me as someone specialized in extortion by taking advantage of other people''s weaknesses? Next month is the Emperor''s Longevity Ceremony... well, His Majesty''s birthday. There is nothing rare and novel about all these gold, silver, fine jewelry, and antique jadeware from the Imperial Household Department. My Imperial Uncle''s greatest hobby is to raise a few little pets; they give him a bit of joy." Wu Xi understood: "You want to give it to him as a present." Jing Qi shook his head: "I don''t have the nerve to do that." Noticing that Wu Xi with a puzzled expression was staring at him, Jing Qi patiently explained: "When one offers birthday greetings to His Majesty, of course bringing in great gifts will make him happy and satisfied. Although everyone has to rack their brains in hopes of finding the best, most outstanding gift, they also need to heed their statuses. For instance, as a court official, trying to outshine His Highnesses the Princes and steal their limelight for their demonstration of filial piety is a big and serious mistake that needs to be avoided." Wu Xi contemplated the matter for a while then nodded his head thoughtfully: "You are saying that you cannot present to the Emperor a gift that is better than those of the three princes, right?" Jing Qi had a shortcoming, and that was his penchant for lecturing others. Seeing that this kid was a bright one, he couldn''t help but teach the other a few more words: "The ancients had this saying ''wind always harm the outstanding tree among a forest'' (t/n: this means public opinion always find fault of big names). These words are not difficult to grasp. Hearing this, you probably understand what it means. When you need to show yourself, even at the cost of losing your head and bleeding your veins dry, you still have to make your appearance. When you shouldn''t reveal yourself, even though that means being drowned in the stream of people, you absolutely cannot step out." Speaking of this, Jing Qi suddenly recalled Wu Xi''s "receiving rice, returning potatoes" way of handling things since the beginning, thus couldn''t help but remind him: "Our Central Plains people pay particular attention to reciprocity of favors; however, what to send, how to send, when to return, and how to return, they all require specific knowledge. Just a single little mistake can easily result into weaknesses that others can catch on and manipulate, or perhaps they will end up bearing grudges against you. Ping An is very knowledgeable about these basic matters ¡ª if you need help, you can go find him for help anytime." Wu Xi was well aware that Jing Qi was just advising him on how to survive in Da Qing, yet there were so many things that he could not wrap his head around ¡ª in his heart, he wondered, aren''t these people tired living like this? Nevertheless, he acknowledged Jing Qi''s kindness, hence nodded his head and asked: "So you want to let the Crown Prince give this cat to the Emperor?"2 Jing Qi responded: "The Crown Prince has never walked through the obscure shortcuts and dipped his hand in these kinds of dishonest practices. Don''t you think that giving the cat to him is going to ruin his reputation? It is the First Prince whom I precisely want to offer the deal in exchange for a favor." The moment Wu Xi heard that, his brows immediately knitted together. Knew it, this honest child is still holding on to old grudges. Jing Qi then advised: "For a nobleman to take revenge, three years is not too late. Besides, in this world, there is no such thing as foes for an eternity. When you experience more in the future, you will understand what I said today." Wu Xi slightly lowered his head and responded in a whisper: "I already promised to give it to you so it is already yours. Just do whatever you want with it." There was nothing unusual about Wu Xi''s indifferent speaking manner; however, Jing Qi could detect a trace of grievance in this child''s tone of voice. Thus, he heaved a sigh and poured a cup of tea for himself: "Let me teach one more thing, Wu Xi. You must remember this at every moment: there is only one enemy that you will ever have, and it is the path that allows you to do anything and everything unhindered." His fingertips tapped lightly on the table: "Having a presence in the imperial court is like walking in a narrow alley ¡ª you don''t want to be surrounded by enemies from both the front and back." Wu Xi lifted his head and stared at the other unyieldingly: "You are wrong." Jing Qi idly looked toward Wu Xi''s direction with a pair of half-open eyes, as if he had seen through the heart of this young man that was seething with anger. He knew that this young man did not want to compromise ¡ª born in the wild, Wu Xi was not familiar with etiquette and formal civil education; however, his genuine nature was hard to find in others. Not only that he was an intelligent person with keen eyes, his character was also marked with unclouded frankness. This person should have been able to live a free and untrammeled life in the wilderness; yet because of pure chance, he was coincidentally sent to this battlefield of fame and wealth, just like a fine jade buried in turbid water. Wu Xi was quiet for a very long time; his attitude softened a little, yet his voice was still full with persistence: "I don''t think what you said was right. Is it because of me that the Second Prince has now become your enemy?" Jing Qi smiled: "What are you even thinking? How can things be that simple?" Wu Xi dropped his gaze; after a while, he continued in a whisper: "I understand now." "Understand what?" "Because you are close with the Crown Prince, and you want him to become the emperor, that''s why the Second Prince is your enemy, isn''t it?" Jing Qi was perplexed for a moment, yet he did not know how to explain this to the other person. There were a few matters that, albeit with explanation, could never entirely make sense. At that age, even after receiving a transparent answer, Wu Xi would still be unlikely to grasp it. Jing Qi recalled the moment when he first opened his eyes in this lifetime, as long as he was within three-foot distance from Helian Yi, he would feel extremely uneasy, as if his entire body was immersed in water and shrouded in fire. At that time, all he cared about was to distance himself away from that man a little bit more; no matter how hideous and turbulent this life''s affairs were to become, he just wanted to be an idle, unoccupied person with a silver spoon in his mouth, eating whatever and simply waiting to die. However, in his heart, he knew that since the first moment of him waking up in this world, a significant number of things had changed ¡ª without him, would the current Helian Yi still be able to ascend the throne? If that wouldn''t happen... could Jing Qi himself really just stand there and watch the decline and fall of Da Qing? Could he really remain indifferent watching this nation in a completely disastrous state, riddled with wounds and scars, unfolded in front of his eyes? When Jing Qi entered the palace to study under Imperial Preceptor Zhou, the first thing he was taught was what the reader needed to read from a book ¡ª it was neither about a golden house nor jadelike beauty, but had to be about "ordaining conscience for Heaven and Earth, securing life and fortune for the people, continuing lost teachings for past sages, and establishing peace for all future generations."(2) Imperial Preceptor Zhou only echoed what the books said, and whether he himself had truly understood was unclear; however, these words were something that had long been ingrained deep into Jing Beiyuan''s bones. Heaven overspreads all without partiality; Earth sustains and contains all without partiality; the Sun and Moon shine on all without partiality; (3) the Sages seek no personal gains. Jing Beiyuan did not dare to follow the example of ancient sages who "wished to be the first to worry about the nation''s woes and the last to share in its prosperity"(4). However, his surname was Jing, an inheritance from the first and foremost Da Qing prince who carried a different family name from the royal bloodline indeed, a glorious honour that his ancestors had earned with their blood. The world of mortals was only of a few autumns ¡ª if the nation had been in the heyday of peace and prosperity, he would have been able to immerse himself in everlasting drunkenness, wallow in music and songs, and embrace beauty and this entire life of wealth. Yet, he was the Nan Ning Wang whose heart was encumbered with myriads of worries and thoughts about the state, whose back carried the family name left behind by his ancestors and the pride towards his bloodline. In the end, Jing Qi could only sigh softly: "It is not for him either. There are several matters... you still have yet to understand." Wu Xi only felt that on the face of the person in front of him, whose presence originally had been brimming with carefree laughter and chatter, gloom suddenly fell upon and shadowed his expression, making it seem like he was a little worn out with a few traces of sadness that he couldn''t help but endure. Just like the look of the Great Sorcerer during the moment he was sending Wu Xi away to Da Qing ¡ª words had already arrived to the lips, yet suddenly could not be uttered. Wu Xi clenched his fist tightly but then loosened it in the end; it was not until a while later that he began to speak: "You can do whatever you want. I don''t understand much you people''s affairs. All I know is that you will never do any harm to me." Jing Qi was somewhat surprised, thus returned with a question: "How do you know that I will never do any harm to you?" "I owe you one. Even if you do hurt me, it will still be considered even," Wu Xi continued, "You disregarded the dangerous situation and risked your life in order to save me. Nu A Ha also let me know that you had sent Ping An to secretly help me with a lot of things before. I take you as a friend, and friends will not hurt me." Jing Qi remained quiet for a long time then finally asked: "That day when you were having a fever, you said something during your sleep. Do you still remember them?" Wu Xi blanked out for a moment then shook his head: "What did I say?" So he didn''t remember... Jing Qi said with a smile: "Never mind. We people from the Central Plains have something called ''fate''. You and I are kindred spirits, so I also see you as my friend. There is nothing great coming out for being my friend; it is just that, although occasionally I like to give my friends a few stabs when I have nothing to do; but during critical moments, it is even more impossible for me to not brave dangers and risk my life to help my friends." Then he rose to his feet, adjusted the sleeves of his robes, and pulled Wu Xi up: "Let''s go. I am taking you outside to play." Without warning, Wu Xi was dragged up back to his feet, unable to take any precautions. He asked: "Go where?" Jing Qi laughed: "The capital city is vast, and there are no few interesting places to see. If we are talking about indulging in feasting and other pleasure-seeking entertainments, I dare to call myself the second best in the entire capital city." Wu Xi asked in surprise: "Who is the best?" Jing Qi only smiled without saying anything further. The best? Under the feet of the Emperor, who dares to call themselves the best? CH 21 As the first month had gone by, that last bit of commotion in the capital city also finally subsided. After all, Wu Xi was still of young age, plus his injury was no longer in critical condition, thus he had soon been able to leap and jump around again. Just within the past ten days, he had already been baited by Jing Qi, colluding with the latter and touring around the entire city. When Wu Xi arrived at the capital gate that day, he was only a little more than ten years old. During these past few years, much to one¡¯s surprise, he had been holding his temper in restraint and enduring the Sorcerer Mansion¡¯s lonesome stillness ¡ª his only company all day long was those poisonous creatures, and keeping his guard up around everyone else had also become a habit. Yet, like an unbridled force, Jing Qi seemed to have busted that stubborn door down and completely pulled Wu Xi in this dazzling and voluptuous lifestyle of the capital city. Whether it concerned appreciating songs while leaning on the railing, listening to stories while sitting at the teahouse, or watching plays at the pear garden; whether the activity was antique or recent; whether it was of elegance, popularity, or picturesque scenery, Jing Qi had proved himself worthy of Helian Yi¡¯s appraisal, which was a result from the time he got caught sneaking out, leaving the other man near close to bursting from rage: ¡°Devil Incarnate!¡± On the contrary, it didn¡¯t matter to Wu Xi whether he could partake in these superfluous things or not. Although he was still young, his adamant penchant for quietude and aversion to noisy chaos had been there since birth. While there was no doubt that Jing Qi would know how to best enjoy these fun times, in Wu Xi¡¯s eyes, these various activities were only foreign and new at first; but after awhile, he would find them somewhat too loud and rowdy, thus unable for him to adapt. However, this obstinate child with a one-track mind had already insisted that Jing Qi was his friend ¡ª in his heart, he believed that if Jing Qi had invited him to go out, he would have to accompany the latter at all cost, absolutely not letting that person down. 2 With the imperial court¡¯s grand assembly happening on the first day of February, Prince Nan Ning Wang could no longer go on with his scout for entertainment ¡ª he was personally escorted to the grand ceremony by the crown prince Helian Yi, having to listen to state¡¯s affairs and facing the man who only showed his face at the court once every blue moon, Helian Pei. It was unclear whether Helian Pei had already regretted his decision as soon as he walked into the Great Hall, or whether he was missing something else out there ¡ª before his butt could warm the Dragon Throne, he was already no longer able to sit still, ordering the court ¡°report if there is any matter, recess if there is none,¡± as if the chair was made of nails. The emperor¡¯s eyes were barely open, and the expression on his face ¡°Be quick and spill your rubbish!¡± hinted zero patience, clearly warning all the civil ministers and military officials to speak less nonsense so that they could hurry and get on their knees to see His Majesty off. Yet, there was still a person who just had to be oblivious of the situation ¡ª right then, Imperial Censor-in-Chief (1) Jiang Zheng stepped forward; with a speech filled with virtuous words, he delivered his accusation against Senior Supervising Secretary Li Hongwei of the Ministry of Defense, and the Assistant Regional Commander Yang Dalin of Beitun City: ¡°Having nonsensical talks regarding matters in the Northwest, spreading unfounded rumors that mislead the public, harboring ill intentions, and scheming unlawful acts.¡± Helian Pei immediately got a headache as soon as he saw Jiang Zheng talking. This old geezer might seem dull and listless like that, but the moment he started talking, his exceptionally thick eyebrows would shoot up one by one; nothing good would ever come out so long as his mouth was open ¡ª if it wasn¡¯t to accuse, certainly it would be to remonstrate. YOU''LL ALSO LIKE Those Days of Saving The School Heartthrob (... 49.1K1.8K Paid Story The Painter''s Apprentice 139K3.5K Lantern: Reflection of the Peach Blossoms 8.6K192 Jin Se - Priest [English Fan Translation BL... 7.8K293 Way to Charm Your Rival 1.8K44 ¹Å¶­ÏÂɽ (ENGLISH: Old Fogey Goes Down The Mount... 11.7K643 WFYO - reupload 86.8K3.9K But this time, no one on the scene, including Jing Qi, was able to react to him right away. Although he was not an important pillar in court, his personal character was still considered acceptable. He had long held the reputation for his integrity and moral uprightness, and had absolutely nothing similar to Zhao Mingji and his likes who sought to bite others at every single moment, spending day after day trying to figure out what was in His Majesty¡¯s mind, operating their whole lives around fawning and speculating for personal gains. Thus, every time he opened his mouth and presented a memorial, things that came out were bound to be concrete statements. Without taking into consideration what kind of person that accused Yang Dalin was for the time being, the odd thing was, this guy was merely a staff general residing in a small border town¡ª if one were to call him small potatoes, those small potatoes out there would definitely feel wronged. Just Master Li, Li Hongwei, himself was already one of the very few honest and responsible officers from that good-for-nothing Ministry of Defense. This type of person easily became the target of envy and often got into trouble ¡ª it was not anything surprising if someone were to accuse him, but that someone certainly couldn¡¯t be Jiang Zheng. What was even more bizarre was, according to rumors, the relationship between Old Jiang and Li Hongwei was not bad at all. Jing Qi sneaked a glance at Helian Yi, who also happened to be looking at him with a perplexed gaze before slightly shaking his head. Li Hongwei was even more calm, only raising his head a little upon the mention of his name; after that, he just stood there and clammed up like a dead man. Helian Pei pinched the bridge between his brows, trying to gather his wits and strength together to figure a way to deal with this stubborn old man who was rather a tough nut to crack: ¡°What did Li Hongwei and Yang¡­ well, that Assistant Regional Commander Yang do to upset you this much?¡± Jiang Zheng dropped to his knees with a thump, his voice clear and loud: ¡°Report to Your Majesty! On the seventh day of last month, Senior Supervising Secretary Li Hongwei of the Ministry of Defense, with only a few one-sided statements from that low-ranking Assistant Commander Yang Dalin, dared to openly defame the imperial government, make presumptuous comments about the frontier¡¯s affairs, and exaggerate matters to instill fear into people¡¯s hearts, attracting the crowd¡¯s attention with his claptrap speech. May I boldly ask Master Li a question? During these times, the court is in its well-ordered state; our ruler is valorous and majestic; peace is established across the four seas, abundance across all lands ¡ª yet you could still shamelessly tell lies such as how ¡®Wa Ge La people have been flocking to Beitun; there will definitely be a shift within the next few years, and by then, our frontier is going to be in great danger.¡¯ What are you even trying to imply here?¡± On Helian Pei¡¯s dull and lethargic face, a blank, stupefied look washed over. Jing Qi and Helian Yi exchanged a glance with each other; the complicated expression on Helian Yi¡¯s face was somewhat difficult to put into words. Jing Qi sighed quietly inside and tilted his head to look at Jiang Zheng who just finished giving his impassioned speech fueled with righteous indignation ¡ª it immediately became clear to him that Jiang Zheng never actually intended to make an accusation against that Li Hongwei. ¡°Li Hongwei believed in the information coming from Yang Dalin¡­¡± During the early years of the nation¡¯s establishment, troubles constantly arose at the frontier of Da Qing; as a result, Emperor Taizu (2) issued an order that any general who guarded the borders regardless of ranks had the permission to submit reports about the frontier¡¯s affairs. Not to mention Yang Dalin who was an assistant commander, if there had been an actual problem at the frontier, even a mere leader of a minor division (3) could still have rushed here from hundreds of miles away to directly deliver an urgent report to the emperor. For such a matter, how come Yang Dalin did not seek His Majesty to directly report but had to go through Li Hongwei instead? Besides, although the emperor seldom made appearance in the court, in any case, he would at least take a look and skim through the memorials submitted by the officials. When it came to matters related to the frontier¡¯s security, even if Helian Pei was unreliable, he wouldn¡¯t be so confused and muddleheaded to the point of completely turning a blind eye to such a matter, and, more or less, he would have asked ¡°Is this true?¡± However, this matter was reported on the seventh of last month, yet even until now Helian Pei had not heard a single sound regarding the issue ¡ª was it because His Majesty didn¡¯t pay enough heed¡­ or was it because he basically had never seen that memorial at all? Supposing that His Majesty had never seen this memorial submitted by the court minister, then where could it have possibly gone? Minister Jiang employed this half-truth accusation that carried double layers of meaning ¡ª it was indeed an intentional move. Suppose that he and Li Hongwei have already had a private discussion in advance; however, whether he can achieve his desired outcome or not, Jing Qi sighed heavily in his heart, I am afraid that it is going to be very difficult. Helian Pei settled down on the Dragon Throne, his expression grew still, and no one could tell if he was happy or angry. After a long while, he simply responded with a long, dragging ¡°Oh¡±, his gaze shifted and landed on Li Hongwei: ¡°Subject Li, have you ever sent in such a memorial?¡± Li Hongwei got down on his knees: ¡°Report to Your Majesty! Your Subject has indeed submitted such a report. However, each and every statement that Your Subject and Assistant Commander Yang have provided are all words of verified truth ¡ª not even half of the words were exaggerated. Those Wa Ge La barbarians used the annual Spring Market as an opportunity to entrench themselves at our northern defense line, gathering as big crowds to stir up trouble and refusing to leave. If we don''t put them under stricter control, I fear that there will be no peace in the northwest. I plead Your Majesty to judge this with your wisdom.¡± Just as expected, whatever was becoming of the northwest was completely disregarded by Helian Pei, and it was because there was another thing that he was more concerned about. A soft chuckle left his lips: ¡°How strange! Can you all see? They already started fighting, but I still have seen no sign of this petition that was submitted since the seventh of last month.¡± The last few words became even more bleak and wintry ¡ª not a single soul in the entire body of civil officials and military officers dared to breathe a sound. Jing Qi wouldn''t have thought to witness such a lively scene like that on his very first day of attending court. Since he hadn''t formally been a part of the court before, he was only able to have a grasp of the situation through Helian Yi and a few fragments of his memories ¡ª who would have thought that the turbulent undercurrent had surged to such extent? His brows slightly knitted together, it seems like there will be some changes in the future plan. Whatever was going on in the northwest, to Helian Pei, they were all matters of too faraway lands. The thing His Majesty cared about was who would have the gall to play tricks right under his nose, and whether they were going to usurp the throne already. Hence, he opened his mouth and asked: ¡°Zheng Xi, who is the current Xingzou in the study?¡± Xi Eunuch hurriedly answered: ¡°Your Majesty, it is Wei Cheng, the eunuch formerly working in the Imperial Household Department.¡± Helian Pei let out a cold snort: ¡°Go invite and bring this Wei Cheng, Eunuch Wei with infinite power and remarkable abilities here for me.¡± This ¡°Xingzou" Eunuch who worked in the emperor''s study had no other responsibilities besides collecting memorials handed in by the court officials everyday, then bringing them to the study for His Majesty to review. Originally, there was no such position ¡ª it was specially established by His Majesty of the current throne who was like a dragon with his head seen but not his tail (4) so that he could conveniently handle political affairs in the laziest way. At that time, there were people who found it unreasonable and objected, but the emperor played dumb and deaf, completely ignoring them. Jing Qi stood aloof from the sidelines and watched Eunuch Wei being carried to the Great Hall; everyone''s hearts were as clear as a mirror: what good was there to be around and serve the emperor? Just constant feelings of fears and worries from dawn to dusk. Also, not anyone could do it like Eunuch Wei and curry favors everywhere, mingling with others and getting partially favored by them in front of the emperor; and for the rest, wasn''t he doing that just simply to fish for some extra money? It seemed like this Eunuch Wei had made it a usual habit of collecting money from others ¡ª while these ministers were clashing and biting at each other, he would help whoever paid more to bring their petitions up in the stack a little and push memorials of others back a bit. The amount of money he received would determine the arrangement order of the memorials, letting one casually jump the queue. It was unknown how much he had collected this time, but apparently he had collected to the point of blurring his eyes and clouding his mind to stupidity, kept pushing back Li Hongwei''s memorial again from one time to another so that now it was nowhere to be seen. If this had remained untouched for a little bit longer, nothing else would have happened. In any case, Helian Pei was no longer of young age; his memory was also not that great anymore. Who knew whether His Majesty was for the sake of showcasing that all seeds would sprout and all men would thrive as the new spring came, or whether he did not have a good sleep the night before, waking up and having nothing to do, or whether he was just straight up having a seizure, thus decided to show his face at the court''s first grand assembly ¡ª the exact one thing that he had always tried to run away from. The east side window had always been there, waiting for affairs to be brought to light. (5) The affair indeed had been exposed. Helian Pei''s emperor face contorted in rage ¡ª right there, he ordered to have Wei Cheng dragged out of the hall and thrown into the prison, and that this case would be directly handled by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court''s officer immediately understood that this Eunuch Wei wouldn''t even stand a chance to live ¡ª interrogating him only served two purposes: first, the emperor wanted to know who had the audacity to deceive everyone above and below him to bribe this Xingzou Eunuch; secondly, His Majesty ruled the nation with benevolence and righteousness and would never order to behead the man. Afterwards, Helian Pei merely said a few simple words to Jiang Zheng and Li Hongwei, indicating that once going back, he would consider what Assistant Commander Yang had reported before giving his final conclusion again ¡ª and with that, he gently put the issue in the northwest aside. Jiang Zheng gritted his words of gratitude for the emperor''s grace through his teeth bitterly, even his steps quivered a little as he was rising back to his feet. The court adjourned; after seeing the emperor off, Jing Qi did a few gentle stretches of his limbs. Helian Qi strode past him in a hurry ¡ª too hurriedly that he didn''t even time to spare this other person a glare. Jing Qi slightly raised an eyebrow, and a guess vaguely came in mind. Just right then, the First Prince Helian Zhao happened to turn around. For some unknown reason, apparently he was in a very good mood, and whoever he looked at all seemed very likeable ¡ª more unexpectedly, he even took the initiative to give Jing Qi his greetings: ¡°Today is Beiyuan''s first day attending the court, right?¡± Jing Qi hurriedly bowed out of respect: ¡°Yes, there are still many things that I don''t understand. I hope that Your Highness can take good care of me later on.¡± A smile spread across Helian Zhao¡¯s face. It wasn''t until after exchanging a few more laughter and chatter with Jing Qi that he finally took his leave. Jing Qi stood still, his gaze following the other man''s receding figure from behind as he collected the last hint of a smile from his face, seemingly immersed in thoughts. It wasn¡¯t until after Helian Yi walked over with Lu Shen tagging along and gave a few waves of his hand in front of Jing Qi''s face that he finally came back to his senses. Helian Yi said with a smile: ¡°You are not old yet ¡ª what are you even frowning for? Hurry up and follow me out for a quick stroll.¡± Words hadn''t yet to leave Jing Qi''s mouth, but once caught sight of Lu Shen''s subtle and almost unnoticeable frown, he realized right away what Helian Yi meant by ¡°going out for a quick stroll.¡± Now that he thought about it, Helian Yi rarely stopped by his place as of late: it turned out that the latter had been leaving the palace to go see his beautiful lady. In Lu Zhuangyuan¡¯s eyes, the Crown Prince just left the palace whenever as he pleased, and on top of that, it was to see such a¡­ woman coming from a background that was not very noble and distinguished. There was nothing too extraordinary about him going, and if words were to be spread outside, people would just consider this as a sentimental, elegant pastime ¡ª but after all, it was still not very appropriate . Lu Shen looked over at Jing Qi with hopeful eyes. Jing Qi thought to himself, I also cannot take on this villain role who gives unpalatable but truthful advice, thus could only pretend to have not seen that expectant gaze. All poised and natural, he nodded his head: ¡°That''s very kind of you. If it is a treat from Your Highness, I can even save myself spending for a meal.¡± Lu Shen followed behind them without making a single sound, realizing that this prince was even more hopeless ¡ª Jing Qi was not that old, yet his obnoxious habit of loitering and playing around like a pampered, prodigal son only got worse, not better. Lu Shen felt rather dejected: although he heard that this person was highly appraised by Zhou Zishu, he couldn''t fathom what good could this Nan Ning Wang do apart from being an eye candy with a smooth-talking mouth. After frittering away some time in the presence of tender beauty and her mellow melody, Helian Yi finally felt contented enough to put his mind in discussing proper businesses. The three of them went up to the restaurant where a private room had already been reserved by Zhou Zishu and He Yunxing ¡ª they indeed had been waiting for a long time. It was only after the food and wine had been brought to the table, and no more outsider hovering, Lu Shen finally spoke: ¡°Your Highness the Crown Prince, although Miss Qingluan was a nice lady, but after all, her status is still of a performer. It is not bad to have her as an intimate female companion; however, you shouldn''t be too close to her.¡± Helian Yi¡¯s hand, while holding the wine cup, stopped midway for a moment ¡ª instead of responding to the previous comments, he only heaved a sigh and steered the conversation away from the original point: ¡°When I came to pay respect to Imperial Father the other day, he brought up the topic of marriage.¡± Several of them were taken aback by the news; Zhou Zishu, on the other hand, glanced over at Jing Qi, whether he realized it or not. 6 He Yunxing smiled: ¡°Your Highness, congratulations! I wonder whose family¡¯s daughter has been blessed with such good luck?¡± Helian Yi shook his head: ¡°That hasn¡¯t been decided yet. These kinds of things are not appropriate for casual discussion; it may tarnish the lady¡¯s reputation. In a few days, when the decree is issued, you will know eventually.¡± Only then, Jing Qi began to speak, slowly and deliberately: "The key point is not about who the future Crown Princess is going to be, but about the Crown Prince starting a family. People have a saying, which is ¡®to start a family then to establish a career¡¯ ¡ª by that time, the Crown Prince will also start learning from the emperor about how to manage the state¡¯s affairs, but then... how are the other two Princes going to be willing to settle down peacefully? Assume that he is indeed leaving the palace every single day, mingling with sons of the rich, and lingering around performers ¡ª with these kinds of things, if words get out, it won¡¯t be very pleasant to the ears, but won¡¯t affect the big picture. In the eyes of the other two Princes, it is certainly much better than having the Crown Prince be diligent with state affairs and strict with himself.¡± For a while, everyone was silent. It wasn¡¯t until moments later that Helian Yi finally looked over at Jing Qi with a hint gratefulness in his eyes. Lu Shen sighed heavily: ¡°It must be very difficult for Your Highness the Crown Prince to hide your light under the bushel. Your Subject is lacking foresight. I will then pour myself a cup as a punishment.¡± CH 22 Jing Qi slightly lowered his head and evaded Helian Yi''s eyes. Lu Shen was a highly gifted scholar ¡ª after honing his skills for some time, he would definitely become a pillar of the nation, assisting his ruler in governing the people and pacifying the lands. It was just that he had read too many books, in addition to his young age, thus his ways of dealing with the world still carried some parts of naivety and childishness. Regarding the matter that Helian Yi often went to see Su Qingluan, it actually would be hard to tell how much of that visit was out of sincerity and how much was of falseness. It seemed that for all his life, this man had been tightly bound by an invisible rope, and not even once that he had strayed a bit from the trajectory of becoming the greatest sage-king(1) ¡ª even if he was seized by sudden impulses. As someone with frighteningly fierce ambition and lofty aims, naturally he would also have the burdens and constraints that other people couldn¡¯t see. Jing Qi admitted that at the moment, his own heart was still rather complicated: on the one hand he felt like a nonchalant bystander who was watching events of no concern to himself unfold with rueful and heavy sighs; on the other hand, he couldn¡¯t refrain himself from reminiscing about the matters of those hundreds of years ago ¡ª even when he had already buried these memories in the deepest and darkest corner of his heart; even when all these crazy, ludicrous affections had already vanished like smoke in thin air. No longer cared about them. Already let them fade away ¡ª yet they still lingered. This kind of feeling was indeed very elusive. Luckily, He Yunxing suddenly opened his mouth right at that moment and digressed from the original subject. He asked: ¡°I heard His Majesty showed up in court today and even threw a fit. What was this all about?¡± He Yunxing¡¯s reputation in the capital city was towering. Although he was known as the leader of the Capital¡¯s Top Three Young Masters, he hadn¡¯t yet to enter the official ranks. Several others had already recommended him in the past, but every time his father, Old Marquis He Jing, would refute and keep him at home by telling miscellaneous and frivolous excuses like ¡°still too green and inexperienced¡± or ¡°inferior in ability and shallow in knowledge¡± which were even stinkier than a fart. That had undoubtedly and utterly dispirited He Yunxing ¡ª with his ambition in vain, he was bored out of his mind, and all he could do was diddle around and walk his horse from places to places everyday. Fortunately, through his good buddy, Lu Shen, he was introduced to Helian Yi, whom he immediately clicked with from the first encounter. Lu Shen then recounted the entire incident about Jiang Zheng¡¯s accusations and Wei Cheng being caught at once. He Yunxing couldn¡¯t help but furrow his brows, his gaze directed to Jing Qi: ¡°Didn¡¯t Your Royal Highness also mention the issue about the Spring Market that we have with those Wa Ge La people last time?¡± Jing Qi shook his head: ¡°Since I live in the capital, this is nothing but some speculation behind closed doors. There have been more and more people occupying the northwest, and they are even residing on the Man Yi¡¯s land (2). As they look southward, all sorts of beautiful sights and flourishing landscapes of our Da Qing nation unfold in front of their eyes. The population keeps increasing every Spring Market. If we say that they don¡¯t have any vicious intentions, not even a ghost would believe it.¡± But the emperor believed it. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be very appropriate to say the previous statement out loud ¡ª Jing Qi could only force a bitter smile inside before continuing: ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. I heard the current Wa Ge La Clan was still a coalition of several tribes. As long as they don¡¯t join hands and merge into one, the situation is not too concerning.¡± YOU''LL ALSO LIKE Those Days of Saving The School Heartthrob (... 49.1K1.8K Paid Story The Painter''s Apprentice 139K3.5K Lantern: Reflection of the Peach Blossoms 8.6K192 Jin Se - Priest [English Fan Translation BL... 7.8K293 Way to Charm Your Rival 1.8K44 ¹Å¶­ÏÂɽ (ENGLISH: Old Fogey Goes Down The Mount... 11.7K643 WFYO - reupload 86.8K3.9K He Yunxing was quiet and completely absorbed in thoughts; after a while, he heaved a sigh: ¡°One can only be a true man as he wields the sword and holds the reins, serving on the battlefield without fearing for his life and establishing his own career. It is too bad that I¡­ haizz!¡± Everyone knew that the Old Marquis, He Jing, had only one child. Since He Yunxing was little, his father had been handling him with such great care and delicacy, treasuring him to the point he couldn¡¯t bear to let others see his baby. Yet, He Yunxing was born robust with strength and spirit, well-versed in both literature and martial arts ¡ª indeed someone with the wildest and most restless heart. As a result, when it came to this treasured child of his, he could never stop worrying. He then heard Helian Yi comment in a low voice: ¡°If peace prevails on the nation¡¯s lands, people getting along and living happily, isn¡¯t it still a great thing even when one is not engaging in that life of wielding swords and cutting down others?¡± He Yunxing was dumbfounded; then he shook his head, a smile on his lips: ¡°Yes, what Your Highness the Crown Prince said was true. It is actually me being narrow-minded.¡± After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Zishu asked: ¡°The fact that the Xingzou Eunuch from the Emperor¡¯s Study pushing back submitted memorials and taking bribes is something that everyone, albeit without words, has long been aware of. If it had just been the same usual situation, even with heaven-daring audacity, that eunuch still wouldn¡¯t have gone to such extent. Unless¡­¡± He suddenly lowered his voice, his long and narrow eyes swept across Helian Yi¡¯s countenance: ¡°Unless this person is not so ordinary.¡± Helian Yi¡¯s brows knitted together instantly ¡ª all these vague, speculative thoughts began to clear up in his heart. In court, there were only a handful of people whom Zhou Zishu would regard as ¡°not so ordinary¡±. He Lianyi knew very clearly what kind of people were in the northwest; and whoever was involved in the northwest¡¯s affairs, he also had a very thorough idea about them. After a moment of carefully thinking about it, a swell of rage surged through him; but as his gaze swept over the men sitting around him, he forced himself to swallow it back again. Then, he only gave an indifferent response: ¡°I know.¡± Jing Qi said with a smile: ¡°He who is unjust is doomed to destruction. At the moment, I only fear that Wei Cheng¡¯s one-sided statement won¡¯t be enough to bring that person down. If Your Highness the Crown Prince hasn¡¯t gotten to fully release your anger, shall I just go and light another fire?¡± Helian Yi lifted his gaze and looked at the other man, disapproval written all over his face. Jing Qi only put on a smile: ¡°It is alright. I already have things planned in mind. I only need an excuse to pay a visit to His Highness the First Prince tomorrow.¡± ¡°Beiyuan,¡± Helian Yi¡¯s face darkened; his pair of eyes fixated on Jing Qi without a single blink: ¡°You be good for me. Don¡¯t meddle in these muddy and filthy matters. If anything unanticipated happens, how am I supposed to protect you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know when to stop.¡± Jing Qi answered as if he were paying no heed to the man. He slightly lowered his gaze and stared directly at the wine in his cup, not sparing Helian Yi even one look. Just then, there came a sudden burst of loud cries and curses from the outside. Jing Qi erupted in laughter and pointed outward: ¡°It really did come.¡± Helian Yi asked: ¡°What is happening outside?¡± The door was shut close in this private room, yet it seemed like Jing Qi got a pair of eyes that could see through the walls. He smiled: ¡°Nothing. Young Master Cai is harassing a female commoner.¡± Lu Shen was startled: ¡°Which Young Master Cai?¡± ¡°Who else could that be?¡± He Yunxing said angrily, ¡°Isn¡¯t that Cai Yazhang, son of Chief Minister of Revenue Cai Jianxing? That lad is the gold-coated and jade-adorned kind but all cotton waste inside, reeking of wine and women¡¯s touches from head to toes. I can¡¯t believe that he is still able to pull off such shameless acts. I have to go take a look!¡± After saying that, without letting anyone stopping him, he immediately grabbed the sword on his side and rose to his feet. This was indeed the difference between an experienced man with a long history and a newborn calf that didn¡¯t flinch in front of tigers. Watching He Yunxing¡¯s receding figure, Jing Qi suddenly felt that he himself was really getting old, and no longer full of spirit as these young lads. Helian Yi¡¯s complexion was rather stark. Zhou Zishu and Lu Shen looked at each other before rising to their feet at the same time. Zhou Zishu said: ¡°Both of us will also go out and take a look. Just in case Yunxing loses control and cause any kind of mishap.¡± It was only after the two of them had left that Helian Yi finally held down the hand with the wine cup of Jing Qi and asked in a low whisper: ¡°What mischief are you up to?¡± Jing Qi answered in an equally low voice: ¡°In order to deal with wicked souls, one also needs to use wicked methods. Your Highness the Crown Prince, don¡¯t listen to these kinds of things ¡ª they will only soil your ears. I am also going to check this lively scene out for a bit.¡± After saying that, he also attempted to get on his feet but only to be pushed back down by Helian Yi: ¡°Jing Beiyuan, I don¡¯t like it when you get involved in these kinds of things.¡± Jing Qi was dumbfounded. Then he heard Helian Yi continued: ¡°This capital city is not considered large ¡ª for each day that I am alive, I can make sure that you will be safe that day. Whatever happens, there is no need for you to burden yourself with schemes and plans on these matters. Since you have this much energy, go learn something useful, won¡¯t you?¡± Jing Qi¡¯s heart throbbed a little, and he thought, is the difference between genuine feelings and false display of affection really that big? Such simple and transparent thing with a clear distinction between black and white like that doesn¡¯t exist in this world.He might have not understood back then; but this time he already got used to it. Moments later, a soft chuckle escaped from his lips; after retracting his hand, he stood up and answered in an utterly calm and unhurried voice: ¡°I was born to be the sinister kind of person who sugarcoats every word with flattery. Your Highness the Crown Prince, you should actually make the best use of this lowly me instead.¡± After that, he simply got up and left, paying no mind to Helian Yi¡¯s eyes that swiftly fell somber behind him. The moment Jing Qi walked out of the door, he immediately saw He Yunxing¡¯s fierce battle against Cai Yazhang¡­ No, to be a little more exact, it was He Yunxing furiously beating Cai Yazhang. Next to them was a female singer in emerald dress, her arms holding a zither, tears pouring down on her face like pear blossoms dancing in the rain ¡ª one truly could not help but have tender feelings toward her upon the first look. Lu Shen felt that there was something inappropriate about this; unfortunately, he was just a feeble scholar who didn¡¯t even have the strength to properly truss a chicken, and his worries could only be in vain ¡ª thus he walked over and gave Zhou Zishu a tug: ¡°Brother Zishu, why haven¡¯t you dragged Yunxing back yet?¡± Without even waiting for Zhou Zishu to open his mouth, Jing Qi had already glided over to stand between the two of them. With a voice light as a feather, he commented: ¡°It¡¯s okay¡ª just fight. Hey, you! Yes, I am talking to you,¡± he told the bodyguard who had always been following him. ¡°Go and help the Young Marquis. You¡¯d better beat that Young Master Cai to the point even his father couldn¡¯t recognize him, saving us some trouble in case he wants to go and settle accounts with us.¡± Seeing this battle unfold, Zhou Zishu could already come up with a few speculations in mind. With a smile, he asked: ¡°Your Royal Highness, what is the reason for this?¡± Jing Qi pointed at the lady whose tears resembled pear blossoms dancing in the rain: ¡°I took a liking to her.¡± Zhou Zishu was bewildered for a moment, his brows shot up significantly ¡ª but soon after they eased back to their shape as if he had already figured out something. On the other hand, the dumbfounded expression on Lu Shen¡¯s face was exactly of someone who had just got struck by lightning in the middle of the street. Poor Young Master Cai ¡ª today he has really become the ¡°Trampled¡± Young Master. (t/n: a wordplay; the character ²Ì [c¨¤i] in his last name has similar reading to ²È [c¨£i] which means to trample/to step on.) By the following day, three or four versions of the rumor from that day¡¯s incident had already been circulated outside, painting the image of this female singer in people¡¯s imagination to the point of being unrealistic. They said that her beauty was the kind that would overthrow cities and ruin states, and that she was so gorgeous that one¡¯s soul would immediately drop out of their body upon the first moment of seeing her ¡ª even Nan Ning Wang and Young Master Cai from the Chief Minister¡¯s Residence ended up rivaling against each other for the lady¡¯s affections, throwing themselves in a full-blown fight. Some others said that this Young Master Cai had always got a bad reputation, who had been harassing women on a daily basis; this time, Young Marquis He and His Royal Highness Nan Ning Wang happened to catch the man and give him a lesson ¡ª once it was finally over, Young Master had already been half dead. Similar kinds of rumors were everywhere out there, one could just name it. There were plenty of rich and noble idlers with much leisure time living in the capital city ¡ª they usually had nothing to do, thus could only sit there bored out of their minds and twittle-twattle about random trifles, feasting on gossip like snacks after the main meal. But the odd thing was, this singer lady had never been seen again since that day ¡ª as a result, someone else decided to do a good deed and made another speculation: Had this beauty, the first awakening love of His Royal Highness, been brought back to Nan Ning Wang Residence so that he could keep her as his beloved mistress in the splendid abode? Of course, Nan Ning Wang Residence would not have the capacity to hide such a sweetheart: Ping An had given the lady some money and sent her away already. Coming from a brothel, this young lady had just reached marriage age ¡ª before her first night could even happen, she had already caught Jing Qi¡¯s eyes, thus received his help to buy back her freedom. After her spectacular performance that day, he gave her an amount of money and found several people in the rural area to arrange a place for her. Needless to say, she was beyond grateful for him. Even Wu Xi who never wanted to walk past his gates had heard about this story. The moment Jing Qi finished writing a greeting card and ordered Ji Xiang to deliver it to the First Prince¡¯s Residence, someone had already come in to announce the Young Sorcerer¡¯s arrival. Wu Xi was actually very curious. In his mind, Jing Qi had always been a stealthy person who had a glib mouth and disliked getting in trouble ¡ª who would have thought that just after two days of not seeing each other, this man had become the center figure of all the gossip in town. The moment Jing Qi raised his head, he was met with Wu Xi¡¯s sparking, big, dark eyes and appraising stare. Such a gaze really made Jing Qi think that there had been some rice sticking on his face since lunch, thus he couldn¡¯t help but reach his hand over to wipe off any possibly remaining grains then asked: ¡°What are you staring at?¡± Wu Xi drawled: ¡°Where we came from, people who are at your age have to wait until one or two years later before bringing a wife home.¡± Jing Qi nearly choked to death on his own saliva. He looked at Wu Xi with a tinge of horror in his eyes: ¡°Bringing a what?¡± Wu Xi asked: ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to get married?¡± Jing Qi¡¯s eyes widened: ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense! Where did you even get all of this rubbish?¡± Wu Xi contemplated about it for a moment and nodded his head: ¡°Ah, I see now. These are indeed rubbish. A Xin Lai went out early this morning and heard others saying that you liked this one lady, that you even brought her back and kept her to Nan Ning Wang Residence.¡± Does bringing a girl back home also mean that I am going to marry her? Jing Qi heaved a sigh. In his heart, he understood this child¡¯s notion of marriage: if one truly liked someone, he would wed the girl and bring her home as his bride. He thought that these brothers from the foreign clans in the wilderness were seriously too simple, and was also too lazy to correct Wu Xi, thus only gave a few heedless waves of his hand: ¡°Don¡¯t listen to those gibberish gossip in town. These people are bored out of their minds ¡ª it will kill them not being able to mouth off about nonsense even just for one day.¡± Wu Xi agreed with all seriousness and nodded his head: ¡°I also feel that it was all nonsense. Getting married is an important matter; it shouldn¡¯t be decided all of a sudden like that.¡± Having nothing good to do, Jing Qi the elder immediately felt the desire to tease this young man for a little bit. His heart rang with amusement as he saw the solemnly and humorlessly adultlike expression of Wu Xi, thus immediately asked: ¡°What is it? Now that the Young Sorcerer is not young anymore, thus starting to have these sentimental and amorous thoughts? What kind of person do you like? Say it and I¡¯ll go look a nice one for you later. And when you go back to your hometown in the future, you can bring a Da Qing bride back with you, sounds good?¡± That truly took Wu Xi by surprise. After spending a good chunk of the day mulling over the offer, he still couldn¡¯t figure out what kind of person that he liked. He stammered for a while and finally said: ¡°This¡­ We don¡¯t have to think about this so early, do we?¡± Jing Qi said with a grin: ¡°Why not? Otherwise, with that many women out there, how would you know whom you want to marry?¡± Wu Xi furrowed his brows, thinking that these words were indeed reasonable. He lifted his gaze from the ground ¡ª in front of him was a young man whose smiling eyes were of tender curves, carrying a mischievous hint of someone that was up to no good. A blurred figure suddenly flashed through his mind, and he immediately blurted out: ¡°Then I hope she will be a beautiful one. It is best if she can be beautiful just like you.¡± CH 23 Jing Qi had already frozen up on the spot by that time, and Wu Xi then finally showed some reaction ¡ª apparently he had realized those words that had just come out from his mouth didn''t sound quite right. Thus, he earnestly tried to explain: "I am not saying that you look like a woman. I am just complimenting on your good looks."1 The corner of Jing Qi''s mouth twisted slightly. He then forced a smile: "I truly thank you for such a compliment." For some unknown reason, this made Wu Xi feel extremely happy.1 Jing Qi rolled his eyes scornfully and took a seat. He waited until Ji Xiang arrived to serve the tea to Wu Xi before stating: "You came here just in time ¡ª there is something important that I want to ask you." With a look that clearly spelled "I have nothing to hide, I will tell you everything I know", Wu Xi nodded his head: "You can ask." Jing Qi was slightly surprised ¡ª he himself was a skeptical and oversensitive person from the beginning, thus Wu Xi''s nature, full of frankness and sincerity, was completely an unsolvable mystery to him. Sometimes it seemed like Jing Qi was just a knave who used his own yardstick to measure the motive of an upright man, but he couldn''t help but probe one more time: "Aren''t you afraid that I am going to inquire about your South Xinjiang people''s secret techniques or something similar?" Wu Xi: "Where do you even find the time and the heart to even care about those?" Jing Qi agreed wholeheartedly, then thought in astonishment, so it turned out that this little steelyard weight is someone who understands me the most. As he was just about to nod, Wu Xi continued: "If you had free time, you would have ran outside to wine, dine, and entertain yourself with all the fun already."4 As a result, that completely shut Jing Qi up. Wu Xi, on the other hand, started to burst into laughter ¡ª on his usual serene and composed face, a smile that carried hints of mischief suddenly came into sight, unveiling an exceptionally vivid appearance. Wu Xi then said: "What do you want to know? Ask away." With that one sentence, Jing Qi immediately felt that he himself was actually the one who had been stirring up trouble for nothing earlier, thus could only put on a helpless smile and finally asked: "The assassins who embraced their death wish and crossed paths with us in that small alley, what kind of people are they?" Wu Xi was at a loss of words. He gradually gathered back the smile on his face, and after a moment of silence, he finally spoke up: "Those people are called Black Sorcerers. You already know that it is much hotter throughout the year at South Xinjiang where we came from compared to this place. Dense forests stretch across all directions, thick miasma obscures the horizons, and swamps exist all over the land. That place is not small, but its population, in comparison to your Da Qing, is a lot more modest. Venomous creatures are rampant everywhere. In order to deal with them, each of us who lives there knows more or less the trick of using toxins to counteract another, and every family has some secret techniques of sorcery that we don''t use on a daily basis. Isn''t this the reason why you people are afraid of us?" Jing Qi pouted: "Don''t look at me while saying that. I am not afraid!" As if wanting to verify what he said was true, the sable let out a couple of little squeaks and entered from the door. After a few steps, it hopped onto Jing Qi''s desk, leaving a handful of little pitch-black footprints against the snowy whiteness of the xuan papers (1). Soon afterwards, without giving even a piece of mind about courtesy, it brought the book to its mouth and started gnawing on the pages mercilessly. Jing Qi blurted out an "Ah" and hurriedly picked the sable up by its neck, struggling to "rescue" the book out from its mouth. Then, he took out a handkerchief from his lapel and wiped clean all the muddy claws that were reeling haphazardly in the air. Only then did he go ahead and gently dropped the little sable back to the desk surface, letting it chew on the papers and pen for fun. YOU''LL ALSO LIKE Those Days of Saving The School Heartthrob (... 49.1K1.8K Paid Story The Painter''s Apprentice 139K3.5K Lantern: Reflection of the Peach Blossoms 8.6K192 Jin Se - Priest [English Fan Translation BL... 7.8K293 Way to Charm Your Rival 1.8K44 ¹Å¶­ÏÂɽ (ENGLISH: Old Fogey Goes Down The Mount... 11.7K643 WFYO - reupload 86.8K3.9K Wu Xi frowned upon seeing that, his voice grew somewhat wintry: "How could this little bastard be allowed to act all impudent at your place like that?" It was only until then that the sable who had been having an awfully delightful time realized the trouble it was in and slightly shivered, gingerly and timidly stealing a glance at Wu Xi. Then, with its body curled into a ball of fur, the sable opened its mouth, looking back and forth, checking out one person to another with its tiny pair of eyes. Jing Qi smiled cordially and put the little sable in his embrace, rubbing his hand against its chin playfully: "Perhaps this one thinks that it is easier to bully me... Mhm, go ahead and continue about the Black Sorcerers." Wu Xi then continued: "However, whether it is about the art of sorcery or domestication of poisonous creature, they are all for self-defense and can never be used casually for unjustifiable purposes. In particular, some of the high-level sorcery techniques are extremely vicious; unless it is due to the ruin of one''s family and death of their members, these will never be taken out, let alone randomly operate these techniques to harm others for no good reason ¡ª that will immediately shorten their lifespan."1 Jing Qi couldn''t be more familiar with these sorts of things. The moment the other person mentioned that, he immediately understood that the fundamental problem here was merely the so-called battle for power between the "legitimate" ones and those who follow the crooked, demonic paths. Thus, he asked: "Based on what you were saying, those from that Black Sorcerer Clan are just randomly bringing harm upon others?" Wu Xi nodded: "I heard that from many years ago, there was a grand sorcerer called Lu Erha, who took in a pair of twins and raised them as young sorcerers. One of them is named E Zhi, the other is Mu Jia Tu. Both were raised the same way and taught the same thing. However, Mu Jia Tu was kind-hearted, but E Zhi became obsessed with black magic and only took his actual studying half-heartedly and perfunctorily. What he liked to do the most was locking himself in his room and tinkering with extremely dangerous items. Naturally, Grand Sorcerer Lu Erha favored Mu Jia Tu slightly more and wanted the latter to be his successor. Jealousy grew in E Zhi''s heart, thus he thought of using sorcery to harm Mu Jia Tu. He didn''t expect that his incompetence would have resulted in his plan to backfire, causing him to be in the state that was neither human nor ghost. Lu Erha immediately banished him in a fit of anger." Jing Qi let out a soft chuckle and didn''t bother to interrupt, only thinking to himself that this whole matter might have not simply happened back then as told. Legitimacy belongs to the victor ¡ª this kind of folklore could only be used to deceive the simple-minded people who lived on remote, isolated lands. In Jing Qi''s opinion, it was obvious that Mu Jia Tu possessed a more profoundly scheming mind; meanwhile, E Zhi might have tried to study about too many different things, thus became somewhat obtuse and was framed by the other person to the point of falling into the state that was neither human nor ghost. Wu Xi continued: "However, E Zhi was not dead. He was stranded in the forest, his heart filled with hatred and resentment; yet he was a capable one, hence established the Black Sorcery Clan, with all of his followers being believers of demonic magic. Consequently, a rule had been brought into effect since then, which is each and every generation of grand sorcerers can only have one successor." Jing Qi agreed wholeheartedly, musing that this rule was even better ¡ª clearly it was not for preventing the children from being spoiled rotten, but to prevent them from slaughtering each other. He then asked: "Do these Black Sorcerers always go around and act all rampant at your place?" Wu Xi shook his head: "No, they don''t. I heard that twenty years ago, there was a very severe clash between us and the Black Sorcerer Clan. The grand sorcerer led his men and defeated the Black Sorcerers, driving them to retreat to the zone of poisonous miasma. The Black Sorcerer Clan has disappeared from the scene for so long, I even thought that they were dead. Who would have thought that..." Jing Qi contemplated in utter silence, and Wu Xi also didn''t disturb him. A moment later, Jing Qi called for Ping An to come in then ordered: "Go to Young Master Zhou''s place on my behalf and inquire a bit about the person who is currently overseeing the defense troops stationed at South Xinjiang and find out about their background." Ping An received the order and took his leave. Clearly, he had been in contact with Zhou Zishu a good number of times as of late, hence he was already used to this kind of work. Wu Xi couldn''t help but ask: "Is it Zhou Zishu?" Jing Qi laughed: "It''s him. If you want to inquire about anything, just go find him. You can never go wrong with that." Wu Xi nodded his head and stopped with the questions; then, he looked up and saw the color of the sky, finally asking : "Are you going to take a nap? Then, I am heading back." Jing Qi gave a few dismissive waves of his hand: "Not sleeping. I am taking a quick trip outside later. You have something to do after going back?" Wu Xi nodded his head: "I have martial arts training." Jing Qi shot a glance at him: "Don''t martial arts people always diligently practice in the morning or at night? Why are you training at this time?" Wu Xi answered: "I also practice in the morning and at night. Unless you ask me to go outside with you, I use the entire day to practice, except for the four hours of sleeping." Jing Qi gaped at Wu Xi with wide eyes for a good moment, flabbergasted and speechless. He then suddenly felt ashamed of his own lacking; it wasn''t until a while later that he finally broke the silence with a dry cough: "You... Ahem, why didn''t you tell me sooner? If I had known this would take up your time and delay your diligent training, I wouldn''t have asked you to go out to play." A smile grew on Wu Xi''s face: "It''s nothing. When you ask me to go outside with you, I can see a lot of things that I haven''t encountered before, and that also makes me happy." Jing Qi couldn''t help but ask: "Why are you putting all of these efforts to practice like that?" This time, Wu Xi only answered with a smile. Jing Qi noticed that this child seemed to have grown taller lately, the contours of his face had become more robust and defined, and his physique had already been close to resemble that of a grown man. In those intensely dark eyes, there was this certain, unusual kind of staunchness ¡ª the shadows of indignation and resentment at the beginning were almost no longer in sight; that''s why the only thing that was left was resolution. For the first time, Jing Qi realized that one day, this stubborn little guy would no longer stay the creature of the pond, and eventually accomplish great things. Jing Qi heaved a sigh ¡ª in the end, he still couldn''t help but blurt out the question: "I am going to visit the First Prince''s Residence in a bit. Will you join me?" As expected, Wu Xi immediately froze up at the mention; after a long time, he finally shook his head and walked away in silence. Jing Qi sighed heavily in his heart, but will the current capital of His Majesty really be able to spare this kind of pure love and hate? Since the very moment Helian Zhao received Jing Qi''s greeting card, he had been mulling over and over again to figure out what in the world this person was coming over here for. The existence of any friendly relations between him and this Nan Ning Wang was entirely out of the question. After all, when Jing Qi started attending court, Helian Zhao had already married and moved to his own mansion. Occasionally when Helian Zhao entered the palace, he only got a few quick glimpses of the other man: the only impression he had was that Jing Qi was "the third boy''s little flunkey", and that was all. He then turned his head around and told the maid who was standing on the side: "Go and call Butler Zhuo to come here." Zhuo Silai, the butler of the First Prince''s Residence, despite carrying the title butler, he was, in fact, Helian Zhao''s most important advisor. With an eight-foot stature (t/n: Chinese feet), Zhuo Silai carried an appearance of an extraordinary and handsome man ¡ª when Helian Zhao saw him for the first time, the prince couldn''t help but steal a few more glances. What was even more valuable about him was, this Zhuo Silai was not an embroidered pillow that only had looks but no brain ¡ª he devised schemes with great ease and was knowledgeable about classics and history. Helian Zhao had thought about soliciting the man, but unfortunately, this person had a previous background as a merchant. In Da Qing, merchants had always been looked down upon. Because they were considered to be at the very bottom tier in society, the rules specified that descendants of merchant families were not allowed to become an official. As a result, Helian Zhao took Zhuo Silai in as his own advisor. This person had no shortcomings except one, and that was his somewhat flirtatious and wanton nature. Not only that it was considered nothing major in Helian Zhao''s eyes, the latter even often brought this up to tease the other man. Moments later, Zhuo Silai entered the room. Helian Zhao noticed that for some reason, there were dark circles under this person''s eyes, along with the visibly sallow and haggard complexion; thus he asked: "Your complexion doesn''t look very good. What''s wrong?" Zhuo Silai opened his mouth to speak but soon faltered; and in the end, he still decided to swallow back the words that had almost escaped from his mouth. Shaking his head, he then answered in a whisper: "It''s nothing major. I apologize for having worried Your Highness. You calling me over here, is there something that you want me to do?" Helian Zhao pushed Jing Qi''s greeting card forward and beckoned the other man to take a look. Zhuo Silai took the card, scanned his eyes over the writing extremely fast, and commented in astonishment: "Nan Ning Wang Jing Beiyuan?" Helian Zhao nodded his head: "Speaking of this person, I am afraid that you have never met him. Well, his look is indeed not bad, perhaps he will catch your eyes." Zhuo Silai knew that his prince was teasing him again, thus could only force a smile: "Your Highness, it is not like you don''t know that I don''t have ''that'' taste. Why, what is this rare guest coming here for?" Helian Zhao shook his head, rested his chin on one palm, and narrowed his eyes: "When he comes in a little later, you should stay on the side and observe him. Let''s see what is inside this Nan Ning Wang''s heart for him to make this visit." It wasn''t until later in the afternoon that Jing Qi had arrived. Of course, he didn''t just come empty-handed ¡ª there was also an envelope that carried a silver ticket (2) worth one thousand liang (3). Moreover, he even put the silver ticket down right in front of Helian Zhao''s face in the most blatant manner. Helian Zhao was astounded. He neither took it nor pushed it away: "Your Royal Highness, what do you mean by this?" Jing Qi''s face tautened, no longer carrying any trace of the usual courtesy and gentleness. Without holding back, he stated: "Your Highness oversees the Ministry of Revenue. Beiyuan has no other intention except to use my money and buy a person from you." Watching this young man whose wrath was anything but meager, Helian Zhao first off invited him to sit down, then ordered his people to come and serve tea. Finally, he said with a smile: "What is it? Did someone from our Ministry of Revenue offend Your Royal Highness? If a court official does wrong, there are already the nation''s laws and regulations to discipline. Your Royal Highness brought over a-thousand-liang silver note, slammed it in front of my face, and even demanded to buy a human life... Hey, Butler Zhuo, I don''t think we do this kind of business at our place, right?" Zhuo Silai nodded his head in agreement. When Helian Zhao turned his head back to look at Jing Qi, the latter''s face had already turned pale, spilling words of justification in insanely fast speed: "Your Highness! That Cai Jianxing, Chief Minister of Revenue, is mediocre and useless, he can''t do anything good. Not only does he deceive everyone above and below him, he also... indulges his perpetrator son. What is the use of even keeping such an insect like that in court? I know that Your Highness is a sensitive person who doesn''t want to offend others, but this is not..."1 By then, his fine brows were already lined into deep furrows, the afterwords that hadn''t yet arrived were already swallowed back inside. He locked his gaze on the ground, wishing that he could just drag Chief Minister of Revenue Cai Jianxing out to flay and swallow the man alive. Helian Zhao was astounded: although he oversaw the Ministry of Revenue, Cai Jianxing was not his person. This old man was a cunning old fox, the number one expert in sailing with the wind and taking advantage of all situations. He flattered everyone, but absolutely would not get close to and rely on anyone. Helian Zhao saw that feckless Cai Jianxing wouldn''t be able to do him any good, but since this person was not being an obstacle that stood in his way, the prince decided to just let him be. Who knew that because of this man, Nan Ning Wang even came to his door. He narrowed his eyes and studied the young man who was seething with anger on the other side, wanting to see whether it was genuine or just an act, only to find that Jing Qi''s grip around the teacup tightened to the point his taut knuckles had turned all white; in that moment, the usual distinguished romantic charm in those peach blossom eyes were already infested with rage, even carrying a faint hint of murderous intent. Helian Zhao knew that Jing Qi was really angry, but he couldn''t fathom the reason why. Zhuo Silai was indeed the kind of man who frequently wandered to the red-lantern district (4) and blended into the crowds in town: seeing that person''s expression, he immediately recalled an interesting rumor that had caused quite a commotion as of late, thus leaned down and whispered into Helian Zhao''s ear, simply recounting the clash between Jing Qi, He Yunxing, and Cai Jianxing''s son, Cai Yazhang. Helian Zhao was thrilled the moment he learned about what happened. He then turned around again and faced Jing Qi: "Imperial Father has seen you like his own child since you were little. It is just that Your Royal Highness has already grown up and become more distant after these past few years. Otherwise, you should have also called me big brother. Beiyuan, tell big brother... what is actually going on? Did that kid Cai Yazhang, son of Cai Jianxing, offend you and make you feel unhappy?" Jing Qi lowered his head and said nothing. Helian Zhao rejoiced in grandiose deeds ¡ª if he didn''t have to be concerned about the potential benefits and risks of a relationship, he would certainly be eager to show the other party how capable he was. As Helian Zhao was watching this young man in front of him experience the first awakening of love, thinking about how the other person had to seek and beg him to help venting, even the tone of his voice had become unexplainably more patient. He then asked again: "Is it?"1 Jing Qi nodded his head sullenly, clenching the fist that had been resting on his side: "That despicable scoundrel from the Cai family has really gone too far!" Just as expected. Helian Zhao gave a few nods and drawled the question on purpose: "How come I heard from other people that you and the Young Marquis had already joined hands to give that Young Master Cai a good beating?" Jing Qi huffed: "I originally intended to let him off the hook and stopped there. Who knows that little rascal would be foul-mouthed and start spilling curses. I didn''t want to follow his footsteps to learn those dirty words. I am afraid these words, once said, will only defile Your Highness''s ears." Helian Zhao nodded and lowered his head to have a sip of tea. All of a sudden, he asked: "Is that girl beautiful?" Jing Qi first looked up and gawked at the other man without a single reaction; a moment later, the response finally surfaced, and both his face and ears immediately flushed with a shade of pink.6 Helian Zhao bursted into laughter, and it lasted for a long time before he could stop. After that, he pushed the silver ticket back to Jing Qi: "That Minister Cai doesn''t know how to properly teach his son, but we also cannot affect public affairs for personal vengeance, am I correct ? If Cai Jianxing is indeed the kind of person who deceives everyone above and below and indulges his perpetrator son just like what you said, without you even having to open your mouth, I will be the first person showing no mercy to him. But court affairs is one thing, and your personal matters is another; we can''t let the laws and regulations of a nation to be destroyed because of romantic affairs between men and women, right? Just take this back." Jing Qi answered in a faltering whisper: "Yes, I understood." However, instead of retrieving that silver ticket, he only said: "Your Highness has already considered yourself as a big brother. As a younger brother, how can I be so stingy? There is no such thing as receiving back a gift that has been sent. I haven''t given the lucky money to the nieces and nephews for the New Year. I just hope that Your Highness wouldn''t mind this amount being too little." A meaningful smile was unveiled on Helian Zhao''s face: "If that''s the case, it would be disrespectful for me to decline." ----- End of Chapter 23 ----- Translator''s note: (1) Xuan paper (Ðû¼ˆ; pinyin: xu¨¡nzh¨«) is the kind of paper used in painting and writing in ancient China+ (2) Silver ticket (ÒøƱ; pinyin: y¨ªn pi¨¤o) is the banknote in former times with value in silver (3) Á½ (li¨£ng) is a unit of weight (4) red-lantern district (ÑÌ»¨Ïï; pinyin: y¨¡nhu¨¡xi¨¤ng) is a term referring to red-light district in ancient China CH 24 From the moment Jing Qi walked past the gate of the First Prince''s Residence until the very moment he settled down inside his carriage, the expression of sheer indignation belonging to a much gullible, inexperienced youth remained completely intact on his countenance. The face that had been forced into playing this charade for such a long time seemed to be in need of an immediate respite, as hints of dullness resided on his expression throughout the entire ride. Jing Qi remained motionless in his seat, quietly mulling things over. Waiting until the carriage had arrived at their mansion, Ping An, who had been choking back all the words wanting to escape from his mouth, immediately dragged himself over to stand next to Jing Qi, using those honest and innocent eyes to accuse this young master for once again committing those "prodigal" deeds. At first, Jing Qi pretended not to see him; however, he didn''t expect this lad to have such an extraordinary supply of willpower to chase him around nonstop like that. Without saying a single word, Ping An just followed Jing Qi behind and matched his own footsteps with the other''s, simply looking at his master with an earnest gaze that could give others a stomachache.1 In the end, Jing Qi could no longer pretend to ignore him, thus heaved a sigh: "Come on, Ping An..." Ping An resentfully looked up, grievance and hurt written all over his face. Jing Qi took a deep breath. After several attempts of formulating all the things he wanted to say in mind, he still ended up swallowing them back, and could only knead the bridge between his brows: "What? You think that I have spent too much today?" Ping An gritted his teeth: "Not even a bit. When these lords and ministers deal with each other, they throw away a hundred thousand liang of silver like it is nothing. You only used fifty thousand liang - that''s stingy!" The implication was, although the spent amount was not meager, it certainly wouldn''t be considered a fortune that was impossible to afford - if both sides had been back and forth on a regular basis, that would be an acceptable amount; however, if this money was meant for cozying up with the other party and entrusting them with purchase of human lives, it was simply nothing. From Ping An''s point of view, squandering money on these unfathomable matters, from redeeming freedom for a random girl to dealing with this Young Master Cai who jumped out from nowhere, was absolutely for naught - in the end, this amount was solely used to fund no other things but his own master''s entertainment. Ping An could not comprehend what practical meaning this kind of behavior that involved going around in a circle hundreds of times in order to deliver money to one''s door could serve - the only thing that he could almost certain about was, this young lord was wrecking the family''s fortune just simply for the sake of it. Jing Qi heaved a sigh: "Since I already gave him that much money, what I need from him is naturally something of importance. However, when I came to find him for that trifling reason, if the gift had been too great in value, Helian Zhao who is already overly cautious would be on his guard even more. It is not that I didn''t think about it - anything more than that wouldn''t do. And, I certainly couldn''t reduce that amount either. In the eyes of all these big shots living in the capital city, isn''t your current master the prodigal son who kicks up a row for no good reason and squanders money like skimming stones? Wouldn''t sending a lesser amount arouse suspicion from him?"1 Ping An wished if only he could just weep until dawn: from one to another, both these young men kept using whatever excuse, calling it hiding one''s light under the bushel or something. One was trying to keep a low profile by having rendezvous with a performer, and this one over here splurging on money was also for the sake of hiding his shine and biding his time? YOU''LL ALSO LIKE Those Days of Saving The School Heartthrob (... 49.1K1.8K Paid Story The Painter''s Apprentice 139K3.5K Lantern: Reflection of the Peach Blossoms 8.6K192 Jin Se - Priest [English Fan Translation BL... 7.8K293 Way to Charm Your Rival 1.8K44 ¹Å¶­ÏÂɽ (ENGLISH: Old Fogey Goes Down The Mount... 11.7K643 WFYO - reupload 86.8K3.9K Ping An was aware of his own folly; however, he felt that with this group of five or six deadpan, dignified-looking young masters, on their lips there always existed the "I really had no other choice" statement, but, in fact, it was all about finding pleasure for themselves... Jing Qi held out one hand - Ping An, who had already been finely trained, immediately poured a cup of tea and delivered directly in front of his master. Jing Qi took a throat-clearing sip before continuing in a low voice: "Regarding today''s matter, if that had been Helian Qi, he might have either completely ignored my request since it was anything but of his concern, or taken advantage of this opportunity to rope me into siding with him, or perhaps asked for something else in return. If the same request had been brought to the Crown Prince, he would definitely feel that this person who came to him was seeking to accomplish something else. With his terribly careful nature, the Crown Prince would definitely not agree. However, Helian Zhao was different. Since birth, this person has always liked others to obey him; he is obsessed with the feeling of being able to do everything and unstoppable by anything, expecting that everyone will crawl like pets under his feet. If someone comes up to him and curry favor in their times of need, depending on whether he is happy or not, he may even reward them with a little something." Jing Qi paused for a moment, and a smile came into sight: "In his eyes, even wealth and money may not even be as appealing as having someone who fawns on him and begs for his help - that already can make him feel elated, let alone this matter... Helian Zhao will definitely step up and lend us a hand." Ping An listened to the point of turning dull, the teapot thus remained in his hand in the exact spot as he completely forgot to put it back down on the table. He then finally asked: "Why is that?" A slightly quirky smile budded on Jing Qi''s lips as his voice grew even lower: "I heard that the sixth concubine of Minister Cai, Lady Hu, is only 23 - clearly in the bloom of youth, her appearance much comely and full of spring... I also heard that Lady Hu hadn''t felt very hearty lately, and as the doctor''s diagnosis came about, it turned out... that she had been pregnant for two months already." A shade of crimson immediately washed over Ping An''s face: "Mas...master... you, how in the world did you learn about these kinds of things?" Jing Qi smiled: "What''s so surprising about this? Lady Hu stuffed silver in that doctor''s face, ordering him to cover up this information and never breathe a word about it. Who would have known that there was nothing honest and trustworthy about this doctor from the beginning with - as soon as the money reached his hand, he immediately sold this piece of information to someone else with a different price." "To Young Master Zhou?" Ping An''s brain was finally at work, but he still ended up scratching his head: "But... but isn''t this supposed to be a good thing? Why did she want to hide it from others?" "It''s because Minister Cai has long been impotent." Jing Qi commented, his voice light as a feather, "As for who the lover is, there also happened to be an interesting rumor travelling around among the servants at the minister''s residence. They said that the person who had been climbing over the wall and sneaking into the mansion every night carried some resemblance to Butler Zhuo from the First Prince''s Residence."6 Ping An almost forgot how to breathe. Jing Qi rose to his feet then decided to add one more thing: "Although that Butler Zhuo is a ladies'' man, his heart is full of sentiments - how regretful he must have felt unable to see his woman one last time before she was married to someone else... What are you still standing over there for? I am going to rest for a bit. Wake me up an hour later. I didn''t take a nap at noon today, I am tired."1 Ping An remained motionless at the same spot. However, after barely two steps, Jing Qi turned around unexpectedly and walked back: "About the farmland that I told you to secretly go buy last time, how did it go?" It was only then that Ping An finally came back to his senses; he immediately nodded: "It is almost done. Let me go fetch the account book for you to look over." "No need. As long as you have a good grasp of the matter, I am fine with it. You can take care of all of the property out there however you want. You may as well take in a few confidants, I don''t mind. But there is one thing you must remember: no matter whether it is about the store''s business or managing estate, you have to do it as quietly as possible for me, and don''t ever let anyone find out that the money is coming from Nan Ning Wang Residence. Everything else..." the corners of Jing Qi''s smiling eyes curved lightly, "I can trust you." After finishing his speech, Jing Qi turned on his heel and walked away. Ping An''s eyes were brimming with tears - obviously, he wasn''t touched or anything; it was rather because this lord right here, albeit spending like water without understanding what it meant to throttle back, for the better or worse, still had some awareness of where all this money came from. Heaven didn''t treat him so badly after all! As soon as Jing Qi turned his back around, the cheeky grin and frivolous expression that he had earlier during his conversation with Ping An were also revoked from sight. The fact that he had to rack his brain and deliberate schemes incessantly like this, wasn''t it simply because of his lack of influence compared to others? After one good, thorough look across the entire current court, who else, apart from Helian Zhao, was capable of lending him the power of the eastern wind? (1) Why couldn''t he just be born 30 years earlier... Wei Cheng''s case had triggered an outburst of noises and heated discussions across the capital city. One could only be afraid that even Wei Cheng himself would have not been able to imagine that he had stirred up a great storm that was about to take place within the royal court. A throng of people followed one after another being knocked down from their horses - at first, no one knew what had actually been going on; in any case, people with discerning eyes still ended up realizing that there certainly had been someone reshuffling the cards in the middle of the game. There had been all sorts of attempts, coming in waves after waves, of fishing in troubled waters, letting go of one''s money instead of their own life, and shooting down an already fallen man. The disaster, ultimately, even descended upon the Six Ministers and the Nine Chamberlains. The first arrow plummeted straight at the Minister of Revenue, Cai Jianxing. For his entire life, this old man had been playing the crafty game of deceit and lounging on his seat without doing a stroke of work - in the end, not a single thing could help preserve the last sliver of his old age''s integrity. Helian Pei did not expect to see the minister whom he had trusted and personally appointed for the position make him lose face like that - in a fit of rage, His Majesty issued an order to search and seize the Minister''s Residence then finally banished him and the entire family to Da Xin Ling. Catastrophes knocked on his door in succession, sending Cai Jianxing utterly petrified - he ended up going to see Emperor Taizu (t/n: the first emperor of the dynasty) before the trip had even begun. And yet, during that trip of exile, nobody had once noticed a lady surnamed Hu was missing. Of course, Jing Qi was also in haste. He wished that there would be a stream of turbid water, the muddier the better, so that he could borrow the strength of its billows and waves, sweeping all of the wheedling, coercing, and suppressing rubbish from this royal court that didn''t even have enough clean hands from the beginning with, and so that the dark circles underneath their eyes would be unveiled for the first time in their lives. The Crown Prince Party thereby would have the opportunity to flourish from a group of a few exceptionally talented yet powerless young men to those who could establish their own influence and wield their force. Wei Cheng eventually ended up dying a silent death inside the Supreme Court''s jail, which was reported to be a suicide - however, everyone knew very well in their hearts what actually had happened. No one was inherently counting on this small-fry eunuch who had already gone to meet the maker to bite Helian Qi out of his den. During this time, it still nonetheless threw His Highness the Second Prince into a messy plight, beating him black and blue, and forcing him unable to secure one thing without losing another - this brought about secret giggles from those fellows with "conscience and aspirations." The key thing that Old Jiang originally intended to do, however, was striking the bell to alert His Majesty about the danger hovering over the Northwest; but in the end, his concern was only met with a simple "Subject Jiang, you all have worried too much." statement from the tired emperor before being completely disregarded.1 Even Lu Shen could not help but heave a rueful sigh in his heart. Being a person in court was similar to small boats entering the sea - even when the sea was calm, they still could not avoid encountering three-foot waves. No one knew which direction the wind would blow, and they could only wait and see who would ultimately be able to preserve the smile on their own face. His Majesty''s Longevity Ceremony was approaching closer and closer, and Jing Qi held a banquet to express his appreciation for Helian Zhao''s help. After maintaining this acquaintance for a period of time, the last remnant of doubt Helian Zhao held toward Jing Qi had dissipated at last. Helian Zhao thought to himself that this person, after all, was only a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth who hadn''t even reached his coming-of-age - he was confident that he couldn''t be incompetent to the point of mistaking a kiddie like that. Jing Qi''s attitude toward him had still embraced certain parts of unfamiliarity and politeness at first, but his manner soon grew into something incredibly casual and affectionate, and it even became increasingly inappropriate - not only that, he also hit it off extremely well with Butler Zhuo Silai. Zhuo Silai won his belle, Lady Hu, back to his hands - although this victory was not meant to be shared with outsiders, he couldn''t resist but start having a somewhat favorable impression of this Nan Ning Wang who "raised storms on his behalf." After coming in contact with this prince more frequently, Zhuo Silai discovered that the other was also an expert in revelling and fooling around - every time they conversed about romance and other boisterous topics, he always felt like he had met a soulmate of this lifetime.1 As soon as Helian Zhao entered through the door, he was immediately grabbed by Jing Qi and rushed inside: "Your Highness, come here. I have something great to show you." With his background and experience in the military, Helian Zhao thus had a strong and powerful build. Naturally, he wouldn''t let the other hale him around as wished; yet, because his mood had been exceptionally good lately, he did not take such action to heart and simply followed Jing Qi''s pull to trot along for a few steps, laughter mingled in his words: "Why are you in such a hurry? What kind of treasure can this be?" Jing Qi simply smiled: "You will know when you see it." He took Helian Zhao to a little garden as words were leaving his mouth. This garden that he owned was marked with immense grace: by the entrance, there resided two plum trees, behind the garden lay a row of bamboo groves along with pavilions, towers, and a cup of wine afloat on a winding brook (2). Although the dimensions of this place was on a modest scale, every corner was embellished with the delicacy of carved jade, exuding an air of antiquityncientness and humility yet still preserving the quality of its craftsmanship. Jing Qi dragged Helian Zhao to his seat then asked Zhuo Silai to join as well. Zhuo Silai panicked and hastily answered that he dared not, declining over and over again. It was not until Helian Zhao nodded his head that the butler finally settled down on one side. Once the food and wine had been arranged on the table, Jing Qi ordered: "Go and bring it here." Moments after, a beautiful woman dressed in fine silk gracefully emerged in their view, her steps small and graceful as if she was floating across the room. In that instant, a whiff of peculiar fragrance began to invade the air, and everyone in the garden could not resist but take a deep breath and inhale a lungful of this aroma. Zhuo Silai could not help but give his praise: "This is truly ''a beauty''s tilted reflection, her subtle fragrance afloat''!" (3) The beauty bowed her head, a faint smile grazing her lips as she knelt and paid them respect. It was only then that Helian Zhao''s group caught sight of a kitten embraced in her arms. With a smile on his face, Jing Qi commented: "Your Highness, Brother Zhuo, you both might have misunderstood. The fragrance is certainly not from her body." Helian Zhao was astonished: "Then where did it come from?" With a few waves of his hand, Jing Qi beckoned the beautiful woman over: "Bring it here so that His Highness could sense it better." The beauty stepped closer and presented to Helian Zhao the kitten in her arms. The cat was no bigger than the size of both hands of an adult male put together, its entire body covered in snowy white, with a pinch of brown, slightly spired fur on the forehead that resembled the look of the widow''s peak on a person''s forehead. The beautiful woman spoke gently, "Your Royal Highness, try to smell it. Isn''t it true that the fragrance is coming from its body?" Helian Zhao leaned forward and sniffed at the creature - assailed his nostrils was indeed that quaint fragrance, and he couldn''t help but click his tongue in wonder. Jing Qi continued with a smile: "There is still more to come." Then, with a signaling glance from him, the beautiful lady accepted the xiao (4) handed over by an attendant who was standing on the side, and the kitten was freed onto the ground. She barely tried a few tunes, and immediately the cat seemed like it had just been enlivened with ample spirit - it straightened up its neck and widened its pair of already wide round eyes. As the sound of the xiao matured into a melody, the cat, as if it had understood, lifted its front paws off the ground and started to waggle along in a standing position. Helian Zhao watched with widened eyes. After the performance was concluded, he leaned down to personally pick the kitten up and put it in his embrace: "This one is truly a rare treasure". He wasn''t necessarily too fond of this strange little cat - it was just that the thought of His Majesty''s soon-to-happen Longevity Ceremony suddenly flashed his mind, and if he could offer this rare creature, it would undeniably make that other person more jubilant than gifting any mountain of gold and silver. Jing Qi smiled cheerfully: "Your Highness allowed me to vent my anger. It is a pity that my Nan Ning Wang Residence is in impoverished condition and has nothing decent to offer. Luckily, I happened to see this cat at the Young Sorcerer''s mansion, thus promptly made a brazen-faced move and begged to bring it back. Think of it as me being impudent this one time and presenting borrowed flowers to Buddha. (5)" Helian Zhao''s smile immediately froze on his face. He put the kitten down on the table and nonchalantly picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks to feed it with as his gaze, full of profound meaning, landed on Jing Qi. After surveying the other party''s unruffled countenance as if nothing wrong had occurred, Helian Zhao finally drawled: "This is something the Young Sorcerer gifted to you, yet Your Royal Highness is giving it away to someone else while keeping him in the dark; this doesn''t sound very good, does it? A man of noble character will not take advantage of other people. This thing... I am afraid that it is not convenient for me to receive." Jing Qi gave a few waves of his hand: "How is that even possible? If I had allowed that to happen, and as he learned that I had hidden the truth from him and given away his gift, wouldn''t that make him want to put together a straw doll to cast a curse on me with it? Even cutting all the ties and no longer wanting to associate with me for the rest of his life? Of course I had already let him know at the same time when I was attempting to procure the cat." Helian Zhao found this revelation rather unexpected; unveiled on his face was a faint smile whose emotion remained indecipherable: "Since this is the item of great rarity coming from the Young Sorcerer, I do not dare to accept. From then until now, I have not done him any merit, thus I don''t deserve this reward." Jing Qi pondered for a moment then added arbitrarily: "Your Highness, how is it even possible that you are receiving something without earning it? I owe you a favor, and he owes me a favor from last time. The timing is just right, all he does is simply expressing gratitude toward Your Highness on my behalf." Helian Zhao had no idea if this Nan Ning Wang was an actual fool or just faking it, thus could not help but shoot him a look. It is a favor being owed, not money - is there even such a calculation? Then he heard Jing Qi continue: "On top of that, he has always dwelled upon the time when he just arrived here, and, due to his young age, committed mischief at the Great Hall. After finding out that it had caused His Highness to lose face, his heart has always laden with apologetic thoughts. However, he is not good at talking. He is afraid that His Highness will be even more displeased if he just hastily drops by your residence. Therefore, he has been wondering about what he can do to apologize." Indeed, Jing Qi intentionally tried to pull Wu Xi in this matter, albeit fully aware that the other person was not willing to. Helian Qi unlawfully harbored Black Sorcerers from South Xinjiang - if this matter was exposed in the future, Helian Zhao would undoubtedly not back out on this opportunity of tearing the other party apart. To Da Qing people, there was no difference between Black Sorcerers or White Sorcerers - they only knew that all of them shared the same name, called Barbarians from the South. By that time, it was positive that Helian Zhao, not wanting to take the trouble, would definitely make an expeditious move and drag this Young Sorcerer, the eyesore that he loathed, into the mire. Whether it was privately communicating with foreigners, secretly harboring assassins, or tampering with the art of sorcery, whichever was brought out would all be punishable by death. Jing Qi sighed heavily in his heart and thought to himself, Little Venom, don''t blame me. I am just taking necessary precautions (6) for the sake of keeping that little life of yours. However, to one''s surprise, after a moment of contemplation, Helian Zhao suddenly said: "I heard that the Young Sorcerer''s mansion is right next door, am I correct? Since it is only a few steps away, why don''t you ask him to come over and join the fun?" Jing Qi immediately froze on the spot.2 Author''s note: Wu Xi will come out in the next chapter~ Trust me. ----- End of chapter 24 ---- Translator''s note: Sorry for the late update! February has been very busy for both of us... (1) "To use the eastern wind" (½è¶«·ç): figuratively means to borrow somebody''s help. (2) "A floating cup on a winding brook" (Á÷õüÇúË®): an ancient drinking game in which participants pick up a floating cup as it stops before them, drink the wine in it, and intone poems (3) These lines were originally from a poem called ɽ԰С÷¶þÊ× (The Little Plum Tree in My Garden) by ÁÖåÍ (Lin Bu). Zhuo Silai did change one character: ÊèÓ°, which indicated the mirrored reflection of the plum branches, to Ù»Ó°, which indicated the image of a beautiful woman. (4) Xiao (óï): the vertical end-blown flute made of bamboo (5) "To present borrowed flowers to Buddha" (½è»¨Ï×·ð): to borrow something and make a gift out of it (6) Original text is δÓê³ñçÑ (lit. "before it rains, bind around with silk"). This is an idiom from the Book of Songs (ÔŠ½›). CH 25 However, in a flash, Jing Qi''s expression was already adjusted back to the earlier state, a frown painted over his face as if nothing had happened. With a voice tinged with impatience, he asked: "Call him over for what? I have known him for that long, yet I can hardly ever squeeze a word out of his mouth; and when he does open his mouth, each and every single utterance just makes me want to pull my hair and choke in anger. Since none of what he says is ever pleasant to the ears, won''t that be ruining Your Highness'' happy mood?" "Ruining my mood what? Fussing over and nitpicking on every little thing that you youngsters say ¡ª am I really that intolerant kind of person?" Helian Zhao looked at the other party, a feigned smile crept across his lips, "Why? Could it be that Your Royal Highness is thinking that I am unfit to receive this honor from the Young Sorcerer?" ... Indeed unfit.2 Jing Qi relentlessly cursed Helian Zhao in his heart, lashing him from head to toe: this one has indeed eaten all his fill, thus having too much free time on his hands to go around asking for trouble; it seems like I have underestimated Helian Zhao''s level of cheap bravado. However, Jing Qi still had to giggle along:"Your Highness, wouldn''t that belittle me when you put it that way? I do not dare to shoulder such an offense. Ping An, go to the Young Sorcerer''s Residence and say that His Highness is at my place. Invite him to come over for a little while." If the matter had been something else - even that had been a heaven-sized basket falling on his head - Jing Qi would not have been afraid. However, since this was about Wu Xi... At that moment, just a thought about that child could make Jing Qi''s head pound in pain ¡ª to describe this person, even the word "obstinate" would not suffice. Although Helian Zhao rejoiced in grandiose deeds and embraced pleasure in flattery, the fact that Nan Ning Wang and the Crown Prince shared a close relationship was evident to everyone else in the capital city. Of course, from the First Prince''s point of view, there was nothing to be feared about the Crown Prince; but after all, this person was an experienced hand when it came to court politics, thus some precaution was certainly needed as Helian Zhao took advantage of this opportunity to test out the waters with Wu Xi. On Jing Qi''s face was the feigned expression as if nothing had happened, but inside his mouth, bitterness had already spread all over. In a split second, countless scenarios of what could possibly happen flashed over his mind - for example, if Wu Xi simply played dead and decided not to come, that would be even better. Wu Xi not showing up meant Jing Qi could make up some excuses to gloss over the matter - Jing Qi only feared that if the other really came here, the moment Helian Zhao''s face was in sight, Wu Xi would immediately conclude, "I know you, Helian Zhao. You are our great enemy," or he would pull out his hook without any delay and spring over, immaculately sending the other man to death...2 ... This kind of action indeed was not impossible. How can old grudges of human life be pushed aside as easily as one wishes? On the surface, Jing Qi was acting like an airhead and engaging in senseless prattles with Helian Zhao and Zhuo Silai; on the inside, he was racking his brain to figure out how to settle the mess if Wu Xi truly winded up coming here. Praying to the Heaven God Jade Emperor and Bodhisattva of Compassion! Wu Xi you little rascal, I no longer hope that you will not flip out. I just hope that your way of flipping out can be a bit more gentle. Luckily, things like passing the cups out of respect and filling each other''s ears with flattery had long become his instincts ¡ª thus even when there were several things occupying his mind, those two were still unable to detect anything wrong or unusual. A while later, Ping An came back and reported: "Your Highnesses, please wait for a moment. The Young Sorcerer said that he would be on his way." Helian Zhao nodded his head while Jing Qi''s heart had already half sunk. YOU''LL ALSO LIKE Those Days of Saving The School Heartthrob (... 49.1K1.8K Paid Story The Painter''s Apprentice 139K3.5K Lantern: Reflection of the Peach Blossoms 8.6K192 Jin Se - Priest [English Fan Translation BL... 7.8K293 Way to Charm Your Rival 1.8K44 ¹Å¶­ÏÂɽ (ENGLISH: Old Fogey Goes Down The Mount... 11.7K643 WFYO - reupload 86.8K3.9K Just as expected, a few moments later, an attendant came in and announced the Young Sorcerer''s arrival. Jing Qi''s eyes bored into the entering guest: Great, it is the same old fully shrouded style with three layers inside and three additional outer robes. Jing Qi hated that he could not just lash out on this person with his furious glare, thus the remaining half of his heart that was barely retained by luck had also plummeted this time. But whether it was good or bad, Nan Ning Wang was someone who had already endured violent storms and turbulent waves for a good number of times in life. As soon as he mentally prepared for the worst possible scenario, he immediately started devising a subsequent retreat route and a plan to settle the problem once and for all. Jing Qi then rose to his feet while still mulling over the matter, a hand reached out to pull Wu Xi over: "Why don''t you hurry and come present yourself to His Highness the First Prince." In appearance, it only seemed that Jing Qi was simply dragging Wu Xi to see Helian Zhao; but the truth is, while hovering around, he was actually trying to shelter Wu Xi from the view of the other two. At the same time, he was covertly observing Wu Xi''s expression ¡ª unfortunately, the only thing that was revealed on this person''s face was a pair of eyes. Those orbs were so dark and tranquil-looking like that - for the first time, Jing Qi was somewhat unable to fathom the meaning behind such a gaze. Helian Zhao remained there displaying the same expression from which one glance was enough to make others feel the urge to knock his face with a tray. The faint, humorless smile that grazed his lips as a pretense of profound enigma, in reality, was just him senselessly asking for trouble. The First Prince thus nodded his head flauntingly at Wu Xi and said: "Young Sorcerer, come over here and sit down." This one acted like the real owner of the place was him rather than Jing Qi. Although Wu Xi was undoubtedly the hostage sent from South Xinjiang and consequentially perceived as a dispensable kind of character in the capital city, his identity as the future Great Sorcerer of South Xinjiang, after all, still held true. In terms of statuses, it would be difficult to tell between the two of them who was superior. Hence, that remark from Helian Zhao was indeed extremely derisive and condescending. At that moment, Jing Qi immediately felt the tension from the arm that had been seized by his tight grasp. Thus, he instantly pulled the other person to the seat by his side and said with a smile: "Brother Zishu sent over some jars of good wine last time from which you have not had the opportunity to give a taste. You came here just in time to chance upon the fine food." Then he rose to his feet to personally pour the wine for Wu Xi, turning his back slightly and facing away from Helian Zhao. The traces of his feign smile were immediately concealed from sight as he gave Wu Xi a very light, discreet shake of his head. However, Wu Xi''s gaze was fixated on the crystal clear liquor inside the cup, thus it was unknown whether he had noticed that motion from Jing Qi or not. After that, the young man suddenly held up his wine cup and rose from his seat as he turned toward Helian Zhao and spoke: "I would like to offer a toast to Your Highness, and, with respect for you, I shall empty my cup first. In the past, there were occasions where I had done wrong to you. I beg Your Highness to deem it as Wu Xi being young and not knowing any better, thus please don''t take it to heart."4 Jing Qi was stupefied. On the other hand, Helian Zhao started to burst into laughter and similarly raised his cup of wine, gesturing at the other person: "Why are you saying that? When did the Young Sorcerer ever offend me? How come I myself could not remember it? Silai, do you remember?" Hearing the mention of his name, Zhuo Silai immediately put on an obsequious smile. Wu Xi slightly lifted his veil and gulped down all the wine in his cup. Helian Zhao also lowered his head in agreement and wet his lips with a few small sips before putting the cup of wine back down. Holding the little cat up in his embrace, he commented through a smile: "But this gift from Young Sorcerer is too grand, it makes others feel rather uneasy and intimidated." Wu Xi bowed slightly, and with a faint, indifferent voice, he replied: "It is merely an invaluable item. As long as Your Highness does not mind, then it is all fine." Helian Zhao played with the well-behaved little kitten in his arms, glee flowing all over his heart. This gleeful feeling in his heart had nothing to do with Wu Xi. Everybody knew that this young sorcerer would neither see anyone else nor bother to give them some face; despite young age, his personality was stinky and tough ¡ª just like a rock placed in the latrine pit. Remembering that year Helian Qi had repeatedly attempted to express his goodwill, those endeavors were rebuffed flat out by Wu Xi, causing that bastard Helian Qi birthed by a bitch to be boiling with rage. Yet, someone who used to be like that had to bow down in front of me today. Helian Zhao watched the kitten lying down obediently on its stomach under his caress with half-closed eyes. Then, all of a sudden, in his heart there swelled up an odd, gratifying feeling that people could be as docile and well-behaved as this cat as long as they were willing to. He couldn''t resist but felt a tad carried away. During the meal, both the host and the guest were laden with their own thoughts and intention ¡ª only His Highness Helian Zhao was having a good time by himself. It was only after Jing Qi had seen Helian Zhao off that he could finally breathe out a sigh of relief. A breeze swiftly blew past the young man, making him realize how much mental strength he had excessively devoted in this matter the entire time; on his back, a layer of cold sweat had already surfaced. Things had been awfully smooth sailing as of late; suddenly, it came to his realization that he himself had also been negligent, and even almost allowed that brute Helian to wreak havoc on his plan. Jing Qi turned his head around and saw the other young man completely shrouded in deep black garments whose gaze had dropped and been locked on the ground, and not a single word had once passed his lips. Jing Qi peered at him. All of a sudden, he felt like this person was no different from the stone that had patched the sky in the legend(1), where Heaven and Earth were on the verge of collapsing and everyone was deterred by perils, he would be the only one who remained standing straight even at the cost of his life: "Wu Xi..." Only then, Wu Xi began to gradually raise his head and held his gaze at the other man. After a while, he replied in a low whisper: "I am going back first." In that flashing moment, even Nan Ning Wang who had mastered the art of smooth talking could not find the right words to be departed from his lips; all he could do was to helplessly watch Wu Xi slowly walk past in front of his very eyes ¡ª the back of this young man was bolt upright, carrying the form that resembled a standing spear. All of a sudden, Jing Qi thought of General Feng ¡ª that man, standing untrammeled by convention in the middle of the deep, somber darkness of the ancestor hall, had once told him: "In this world, a true man and age needs not to strive for noble titles, but to live as a hero with unyielding spirit. He needs not wealth and splendor, but to live with his head held high." The general even said, although one that was too firm would break, he would... rather be broken but not bent. Jing Qi lifted his face to the sky and closed his eyes, feeling that he had committed a severe mistake today and gone as far as relentlessly bending the back of that child with his own hands. From immersing in faux courtesy to artfully manipulating power and resources for personal pursuits, these matters had long been ingrained into his bones, enveloping him like a layer of false, pallid camouflage. He had already become accustomed to reveal neither joy nor anger on his face, and had been more than familiar when it came to mutual suspicion and deception. But Wu Xi was not the same. This child, albeit stubborn and prideful, drew a very fine line between love and hate; he had never lowered his head in front of others, and also had never... Standing on one side, Ping An did not dare to approach and interfere. Without any warning, Jing Qi strode outside. Ping An thus hurriedly ran after him: "Master, where are you heading?" "Don''t follow me." Jing Qi chased all the way to the Sorcerer''s Residence ¡ª since the day of becoming their guest, this was the first time he had ever left out all the prattles and meaningless pleasantries after knocking on the gate; instead, he vehemently charged in with his quest: "Where is your Young Sorcerer?" Nu A Ha was unable to react at once ¡ª after a moment of bafflement, he finally answered: "When he came back just right now, his mood apparently was not very good. So he left to the back garden by himself, not letting any of us follow..." He had yet completed his sentence, Jing Qi already turned around to walk toward the back garden. Wu Xi did not know what was so-called "once taken as a lowly exiled captive, hair turning white, waist becoming slack day after day" (2), neither had he ever "climbed high to watch over Mount Bagong" (3) nor would he ever fool himself and others by "singing an elegy instead of weeping while staring into distance instead of returning home"(4). The motherland was merely three thousand miles away; yet, all that remained was only a distant memory of the past. Trapped in a daze, he recalled what had happened few years back then when he first entered the Great Hall, wielding his wilful and defiant disposition, refusing to bow down to anybody, and even acting with such audacity and recklessness ¡ª suddenly, it felt like they were all matters from the previous life. A deep roar imbued in hoarseness escaped from Wu Xi''s throat as he used all his strength to slam his fist against the back garden''s hard wall ¡ª as if doing such would allow him to unleash and pour out all the resentment that had been persistently looping around and dwelling in his heart. Powdered debris burst from the wall, yet it seemed like he had not felt any pain. Suddenly, his arm was seized into a firm grasp of a certain someone. Wu Xi closed his eyes, one hand propped up against the wall as he panted heavily for breath. It was not until a while after that he finally raised his head and, with unyielding eyes and impenetrable silence, stared at Jing Qi whose grip had been locked on his arm. On the face sculpted in delicate fineness of this young man called Nan Ning Wang that Wu Xi had been used to looking at, whose features invited affection from others, whose expression was always carrying hints of frivolousness, there was nothing else but sternness. Like a confrontation between an old fox who had long been accustomed to the wind and frost of life for hundreds of years, remaining unruffled in the face of raging billows and turbulent seas, and a wolf cub who, albeit badly battered, resolved to trudge down its path until the very end ¡ª even just for half a step, neither of them was willing to back down and put an end to this stalemate. It was not until a long time afterwards that Jing Qi finally heaved a sigh. He lifted Wu Xi''s wrist and aimed the fist that was battered in blood at himself, his voice faint and nonchalant: "Here, hit this. Vent it out." Wu Xi clenched his fist; it was too tight to the point that his entire forearm was trembling. Without any warning, he broke free from Jing Qi''s grasp abruptly and swung his fist. Without a blink of his eyes, Jing Qi watched Wu Xi''s fist graze past his cheek before landing in the air ¡ª the wind spawned from his slashing strike caused a few strands of hair to alight from Jing Qi''s temple and flutter along. Wu Xi took a long, deep breath and whispered in a low voice: "I will not hit you. You did that for my own good." Jing Qi was slightly taken aback, but then the other continued: "In the eyes of you people, there is probably no difference between the Black Sorcerers and us. They... those people with the Helian surname can resort to all means to battle the throne. If Helian Zhao discovers that Helian Qi has some connection with the Black Sorcerers, he would not let him off so easily... I know you only stand in front of Helian Zhao in order to protect my life."1 Wu Xi was chosen among the thousands of children in South Xinjiang to become the future successor of the Grand Sorcerer, thus his qualifications undoubtedly ought to be excellent along with his remarkable intelligence. However, there were several things that, despite the awareness that had soon arrived in his heart, he was still unwilling to comply; simply grinding his teeth in silence, he refused to either be tamed or bow his head in submission as if he would never accept defeat to this rotten world. The current capital of His Majesty was like a vat of dye: after witnessing its glory in all these scarlet blossoms and verdant willows, how many people could still possibly maintain the unbridled haughtiness from the early days? Wu Xi shook his head, struggling to gather all his strength to repeat once more: "You did that for my own good." 2 "Only then that I realized you have been right from the very first place." + Translator''s note: (1) Pipi used this Chinese mythology reference in which Nuwa, the mother goddess, melted the five-colored stones to patch up the sky when Heaven and Earth were in disruption. (2) Quoted from a poem called "Cracking the enemy''s formation"(ÆÆê‡×Ó) by Li Yu (ÀîìÏ) from the Tang Dynasty (3) Quoted from a poem called "Passing by Huaiyin I have feelings" (¹ý»´ÒõÓиÐ) by Wu Wei Ye (Îâΰҵ) (4) Quoted from a folk song called "Elegy"(±¯¸èÐÐ) from the Han Dynasty CH 26 Like falling pearls on a jade plate, the sound of pipa cascaded down from the small embroidery floors (1), carrying the fresh coolness of clear water. No one knew about the origin of this tune, yet, like a creek flowing through the countryside, it lapped against the shore of their hearts, little by little. After a moment of silent listening by the entrance, Zhou Zishu finally pushed the door open and went inside. The sound of pipa came to an abrupt halt, the lingering reverberation of its tune still meandering in the air while the maiden with the instrument in hands had already risen to her feet, gathered the sleeves of her robes together, and greeted with a bow. Zhou Zishu responded hurriedly: "Miss Su, there is no need for courtesy." Her makeup was light and graceful ¡ª at the corners of her eyes was a streak of rose color that faded toward the end; and, with a slightly upward slanting, it scattered into the cloudlike sideburns, adorning and accentuating the cheeks that were as fair as snow. Different from her singing voice, the sound that arrived when she spoke was rather deep and low; her voice did not carry the melodious and crystalline shrillness like those of other women ¡ª on the contrary, it was rather unusually titillating. Her words were of tender thoughtfulness, her moves of decorous moderation ¡ª she bore no similarities with those bland and boring ladies, so-called maidens from families of nobility, who did not dare to take a single step outside, nor did she resemble the women from the red-lantern district, whose gestures were tastelessly awash in sensual gratification. Zhou Zishu could not help but heave a sigh ¡ª What kind of man could ever resist a lady like this? Helian Yi: "Qingluan, you go ahead and rest. I have a few words to say with Zishu." With the instrument in her embrace, Su Qingluan retreated in silence; only then, Helian Yi gave a gentle nod of his head: "Zishu, take a seat." Zhou Zishu sat down on one side and said with a smile: "Your Highness, you truly have great luck with the ladies." Helian Yi seemed to have donned a smile, yet that fleeting trace that grazed his lips and vanished at once was more or less perfunctory. He lifted his gaze and stared out of the window, somewhat lost in his own thoughts. As a person who was always mindful of the situation, Zhou Zishu also did not make a single sound ¡ª all he did was to pour himself a cup of fruit wine, his eyes squinted in pleasure as the taste delivered. It was not until a while after that Helian Yi finally returned to the conversation with a deep sigh: "The whole incident regarding Cai Jianxing is Beiyuan''s meddling." It was not a question that he posed but an assertion. Zhou Zishu responded with a smile: "It''s rather hard to say. In any case, those performance troupes in the capital city have all caught up with the freshly told story about the concubine of a minister eloping with her lover after the husband met his doom. There are even rumors about how someone had actually seen the butler of the First Prince''s Residence helping a pregnant woman get in the palanquin that day ¡ª after giving a careful look, they said it was indeed Lady Hu from the Cai Residence." Helian Yi shot him a glare and remarked, his voice indifferent: "What are you pretending for? Wasn''t that him who enabled you to devise this wicked prank to trigger an outburst of noises and heated discussions, filling this entire city with the rotten stench of foulness?" Since Zhou Zishu already knew that this lord of his had always despised these sorts of things, all he could do was to let out a chuckle of resignation and say nothing else. Helian Yi fell silent for a while before asking again: "Why in this world did he have to insist on chasing Cai Jianxing to a dead end like that? I have been thinking about this matter for several days and was able to have a general idea of what happened. But in the end, I still cannot fathom this entirely." YOU''LL ALSO LIKE Those Days of Saving The School Heartthrob (... 49.1K1.8K Paid Story The Painter''s Apprentice 139K3.5K Lantern: Reflection of the Peach Blossoms 8.6K192 Jin Se - Priest [English Fan Translation BL... 7.8K293 Way to Charm Your Rival 1.8K44 ¹Å¶­ÏÂɽ (ENGLISH: Old Fogey Goes Down The Mount... 11.7K643 WFYO - reupload 86.8K3.9K Zhou Zishu casually commented: "His Royal Highness embraces great vision and foresight. If even the Crown Prince cannot fathom his intention, how is this commoner supposed to figure it out? However, His Royal Highness never does anything without justifiable reasons; plus, he knows how far to go and when to stop. Please don''t worry, Your Highness the Crown Prince." Yet, Helian Yi could only flash a somewhat bitter smile: "What is there for me to even feel worried about? He is just a little devil who never wants to share more than half of the story. Now that he has matured after these past few years, even I myself can no longer see through him anymore." Zhou Zishu was startled. Having wandered in the jianghu for a long time ¡ª even doing the kind of job that required painstaking vigilance like this ¡ª naturally he would also be someone whose heart was ladened with schemes and speculation. But, after all, he could not be compared with the people who had long immersed themselves in the royal court''s game plan since childhood; thus, there certainly would be some occasions of negligence. The moment those words departed from Helian Yi''s lips, Zhou Zishu immediately realized that what he had just said right then was a mistake ¡ª that one phrase "embrace great vision and foresight" absolutely could never be mentioned in front of the crown prince. He dropped his gaze at once and replied in a soft whisper: "The prince devises these plans for your sake; if Your Highness can trust him..." Suddenly, Zhou Zishu thought of Su Qingluan. Since he held no official ranks whatsoever, and in addition to his background as a person coming from the jianghu, Zhou Zishu usually paid no mind to trifle formalities ¡ª the number of times he had come along and accompanied Helian Yi to Su Qingluan''s performance exceeded everyone else. There was one detail that had not quite caught his attention at first; yet as time went by, Zhou Zishu came to realize that when this young lady Qingluan stayed quiet, the side view of her face bore striking resemblance to one certain person. The thought struck him in the middle of his sentence, thus he decided to swallow the unsaid, latter half back inside.2 Helian Yi lifted his gaze and looked at the other man. At that moment, albeit the usual expression of refined gentleness found in the crown prince''s eyes, it actually had caused Zhou Zishu''s heart to constrict in apprehension. In those abyssal orbs, there seemed to hide a deep well, and no one could ever see the bottom of it. After all, His Highness the Crown Prince was still the heir apparent to the throne. Normally, he could go out of his way to be courteous to the wise and respectful to scholars; he could disregard ranks and statuses to drink wine and seek entertainment with all of these companions, but no one could ever touch what was in his heart. Suddenly, a burst of laughter emitted from Helian Yi''s lips, then in a low whisper, he said: "Imperial Father plans to issue a decree at his Longevity Ceremony, bestowing the marriage to me and the granddaughter of Grand Preceptor Song." Zhou Zishu promptly commented: "So it has already been decided? Your Highness, congratulations!" Yet, in a voice that was neither too fast nor too slow, Helian Yi inquired: "When I brought this up to everyone that day, other people were surprised upon hearing it; but your pair of eyes, on the other hand, wandered over to Jing Beiyuan. That, I do not understand." Zhou Zishu''s complexion turned completely pale: "I..."1 Cold sweat began to trickle down on his spine. However, Helian Yi only heaved a sigh: "Look, I haven''t even said anything. Why are you nervous already? Seriously, you people..." He then raised his head and looked at Zhou Zishu before continuing with the question: "At that time, you must have been thinking, ''The person that the Crown Prince has been yearning in his heart is right in front of his eyes. What did he mean by saying these words? Could it be that he was trying to test that person''s feelings?'' Am I right?"4 When it comes to this kind of matter, there is no problem for one to know about it very well in their heart; however, they absolutely cannot let others see through these feelings. Zhou Zishu''s thoughts staggered ¡ª he did not understand what Helian Yi was trying to accomplish by coming at it directly and laying bare the truth like that, thus could only take a step back to the side and drop on his knees: "This lowly commoner should have not made that outrageous, nonsensical guess. This... I deserve thousands of deaths, Your Highness the Crown Prince..." Helian Yi let out a soft chuckle and said: "Get up, won''t you? What are you getting worked up for? How major can this matter be? If you can tell by looking, it is what it is. It is not like I could order someone to gouge your eyes out." Hearing those words, Zhou Zishu felt the terror creep up even more. Helian Yi continued, his voice quiet: "Stand up. What else can I do? He is right in front of my eyes, and I watch him live a good life ¡ª that is enough. The kind of person he is, you probably already have somewhat understanding. If I really locked him up and kept him by my side, having him as... wouldn''t that be awfully muddle-headed and incompetent of me? I am still able to distinguish the importance level between state affairs and personal relationships, still able to tell which one weighs more than the other. Don''t think of me as the preposterous kind like that."2 Zhou Zishu breathed out a soft sigh of relief and finally rose back to his feet, yet he did not dare to sit down again. Helian Yi continued with a sigh, "If he could cause less worry in others, even just half of how Qingluan was, and not making me upset all the times, how great would that be." Heart filled with regret as I greeted the late arrival of spring, Leaving you behind, your solitude amidst the fallen petals, Grief-stricken, eyes followed the pair of swallows dashing away in the drizzle dance. (2)1 In the end, Helian Yi was still a level-headed man ¡ª if one had soon known that the sound of unremitting night rain like carriage bells'' echoes would only beget resentment, why indulge in the fleeting moment of bliss and utter the love oath upon Mountain Li? (3) There was nothing else but a fragmented afterimage, an eyeblink of reverie, a pang of yearning, lost in a mellow yet endless stream, drifting on and on. And, perhaps one day, the affection he had embraced during the time of youth would fade away in a scatter over the passing of years, and eventually vanish without any remaining trace.6 Helian Yi added: "His movements haven''t been any modest these past few days, however... in the end, I still feel a little worried. You should secretly keep an eye on him more." Zhou Zishu hurriedly bowed in compliance. With a gentle nod of his head, Helian Yi waved his hand dismissively: "You can go ahead and leave. I want to sit here by myself for some time." Before Zhou Zishu''s feet could cross the threshold, he had already heard the low voice of Helian Yi again from behind him: "Zishu, what happened today, it is only between you and me. If..." Zhou Zishi abruptly turned his head around and saw that the young heir apparent to the throne was still sitting there, with half of his body shrouded in the shadow of the falling curtain, neither joy nor anger shown on his face. One could only see the pair of eyes abound with strictness as if he would devour the person across him alive. Zhou Zishu felt his heart shiver, and with a low voice, he answered: "Your Highness, when it comes to words that should not be spoken aloud, this lowly commoner is even more reliable in comparison to the dead. I beg Your Highness to rest assured." It was only then that Helian Yi finally gave a few weary, dismissive waves of his hand. Before anyone could realize, the palace had already been caught up in a whirlwind of activities. Helian Pei would reach the age of 55 for his birthday: whether good or bad, it was still a round number; thus, while the aftermath remnants of Wei Cheng''s case had yet ceased from evolving, the atmosphere was nonetheless teeming with urgency. On the other hand, all the princes and other royal descendants, along with the civil ministers and military officials, had no other choice but to launch another round of racking their brains to find the right gifts. Of course, it would be impossible for Helian Zhao at the celebration of His Majesty''s Longevity to present the rare cat that Jing Qi had handed to him; otherwise, the validity of his "First Prince who encourages indulgence in pleasure" title would be inevitably confirmed. The gifts for His Majesty had to be those ceremonial and orthodox playthings like a thousand-year-old tortoise, "wishing his happiness be as immense as the Eastern Sea and his longevity be as great as the Southern Mountain." Thus, just a few days before the celebration, Helian Zhao had already entered the palace to pay his respect and conveniently presented the dancing kitten to his father. He only mentioned how his own disciples had been able to procure the cat from some outlandish talent out in the town, yet he dared not to keep the treasure all to himself, thus wanted to bring it here in hope that it would help relieve Imperial Father''s boredom and fulfill filial piety on Helian Zhao''s behalf. This demonstration of filial piety by using a pet could not make Helian Pei any happier ¡ª he immediately bestowed this son a handsome amount of rewards. If His Majesty had not had some bits of rationality left, he would have blurted out and granted Helian Zhao the title "Qin Wang (4) with the flavor of cats" on the spot. Helian Pei inherently possessed a childlike temperament: as soon as he acquired something good, he would immediately want to run to every possible corner to show it off. He even left the palace specifically for a trip to Nan Ning Wang''s Residence where he dawdled about for a meal and bestowed Jing Qi with an eye-opening performance featuring the rare cat. Before this creature was handed over to Helian Zhao, it had been fed and taken care of at Nan Ning Wang''s Residence for over ten days, thus everyone there had soon got sick of looking at it. Yet at the sight of His Majesty being in high spirits, nobody was able to lay the truth bare ¡ª they even had to accompany him and feign interest for this creature of novelty, causing Jing Qi to be completely trapped in this absurd state of half laughing and half crying.3 These past few days, good and bad things continued to take turns and happen without an end. Undoubtedly, Helian Zhao had already beat Helian Qi with a step ahead ¡ª there was no need at all to mention what kind of joy had bloomed inside the former''s heart followed by this result. As the news of the Crown Prince''s marriage was passed down, a certain old fox with his awfully keen nose began to heed the hidden force behind His Highness whose reputation had never been rotten at all. Helian Qi finally understood what it meant for one "to act humbly and keep a low profile." The Black Sorcerer incident was hushed up under his hand; and while Jing Qi had entrusted Zhou Zishu with digging this up, to one''s surprise, even the latter had yet been able to attain any results for the time being ¡ª this certainly showed how prudent and careful kind of person the Second Prince was. About half a year had passed by ¡ª Lu Shen advanced to the Ministry of Revenue, thus, at last, was able to spread his wings and showcase his talent. On top of that, he had also received Jing Qi''s help in seeding opportunities and accumulating resources ¡ª for a little while, his momentum could be considered to be high tides in the rising wind. However, Nan Ning Wang''s Residence had just acquired another "student". Since the day Jing Qi learned that Wu Xi only slept for four hours a day as the remaining time was all devoted to practicing martial arts, he no longer shamelessly attempted to drag the other person out to play and revel anymore. On the other hand, Wu Xi had become accustomed to dropping by Nan Ning Wang''s Residence for a while every afternoon -¡ªmost often that was also when Jing Qi just woke up after a nap. All this time, Helian Pei had remained unsuccessful in finding a proper teacher for the young sorcerer; consequently, Jing Qi''s lousy tendency of lecturing others was unleashed. Every time Wu Xi made his visit for a cup of tea, he would immediately take that open opportunity to ramble on and on. Wu Xi was absolutely a good student ¡ª never had he failed to listen to Jing Qi while thinking about how the other person, at first glance, did not look much different in age. As long as the person was right, as long as they had the knowledge that he could learn from them, let alone Jing Qi, even if those had been words from a little maid whose job was to serve tea, he would still hold his breath and listen to her attentively, and not even once would he allow himself to carelessly interrupt. Jing Qi had been an idle sloth for this entire life, but certainly not because he did not read ¡ª rather, he had already read all of these books before, thus no longer carried any patience to study them one more time. Whether it was Confucian classics, historical records, philosophical writings, or other miscellaneous works, there was none that he could not understand. In the past, he used to spend time in the palace to read books with the princes, and was still able to reach a certain level of accomplishment. Plus, his insights had always been in much greater breadth compared to those old scholars who only knew literary jargon and bogus talks. When he talked, none of his teachings could ever be considered insipid and boring, and he could cite any scriptures or classic works with perfect ease. During his talk, there were times when he would digress from the subject, going from the Four Books and the Five Classics (5) all the way to unofficially documented history before bringing it back to military strategy and political tactics. Wu Xi continued to listen with such immense fascination. However, every time he heard Jing Qi mention political schemes and tactics ¡ª perhaps for some reason that had to do with his own personality ¡ª Wu Xi often found himself somewhat stranded in perplexity. That day, Jing Qi was indeed recounting stories that happened in the history; when his narration reached to the part about the power struggle among several countries from the previous dynasties, specifically at the mention of the technique of wartime diplomacy, he immediately exclaimed: "The so-called ''alliance'' actually only exists among people who share the same goal for a defined period of time. There is no such thing as eternal enemies, nor is there a friend for life. In the beginning, we should act submissively and follow what was told. Once we have found the opponent''s weakness, we must nail deep and directly into that vital point, or we must bribe them, rope them to our side, and make their attitude soften for us. We should not be too deliberate, otherwise, it will make ourselves look foolish and also make us fall into a disadvantageous position. Our actions must be quiet and discreet, making the matters seem like a pure coincidence." Wu Xi nodded his head: "The same way you have handled Helian Zhao." Jing Qi straightened his back and responded in soaring spirits: "Correct, but that is not enough. Do you know what else is missing?" --- End of chapter 26--- Translator''s note: (1) Embroidery Floor (ÐåÂ¥): the place where maidens did embroidery during ancient times. (2) The idea behind those lines was based on the poem Linjiang Narcissi (ÅR½­ÏÉ) by Yan Jidao (ê̎׵À). (3) Based on the poem Tune of Lily Magnolia Flower (ľÀ¼»¨Áî) by Nalan Xingde (ÄÉÀ¼ÐÔµÂ). The whole meaning is that if you already know that thing will not end well, don''t start it in the first place. There is a story behind this poem actually, but I don''t think I should post it here because it is quite spoilery at this moment...+ (4) Ç×Íõ (Qin Wang) = Prince of the First Rank. It is the highest prince title that was granted solely to direct male-line descendants of the Emperor. (5) The Four Books (The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, The Confucian Analects, and The Works of Mencius) and The Five Classics (The Book of Songs, The Book of History, The Book of Changes, The Book of Rites and The Spring and Autumn Annals) CH 27 Wu Xi contemplated for a moment then answered: ¡°What you are trying to say is, this sort of alliance is a hypocritical show of cordiality, neither coming from the heart nor lasting for a long time?¡± In his head, Jing Qi quietly commended the promising young lad for being worthy of his teaching. Then, with a fan that appeared on his hand out of nowhere, he gave a tough smack ¡ª bam ¡ª on Wu Xi¡¯s shoulder. Wu Xi already knew that the strength from this person¡¯s arm was nowhere near powerful ¨C even a strike like this was painless ¨C thus he didn¡¯t even bother to dodge and simply sat there to endure it. Then, with utmost patience, he finally asked: ¡°Did I get it wrong?¡± ¡°No, you actually have hit the key point.¡± Jing Qi shook his head, seemingly very impressed and pleased with himself, ¡°That kind of ¡®alliance¡¯ must not be trusted. There is a saying that goes ¡®husband and wife are like birds from the same forest, yet they ought to part ways and fly separately in the face of imminent calamity,¡¯ let alone the kind of ¡®casual, short-lived affair¡¯ like this¡­¡± Wu Xi grimaced. Realizing that the expression written on this child¡¯s face was clearly of disapproval, Jing Qi let out a soft cough and casually dismissed the matter: ¡°It was just a metaphor. Just a metaphor?¡ª¡± As expected, Wu Xi took it to heart and gave a solemn response: ¡°Husband and wife are together for a lifetime ¡ª why would you use unpleasant words like ¡®birds from the same forest¡¯ and even ¡®part ways and fly separately¡± to compare them with?¡± Jing Qi was too lazy to even bother arguing about these trifling matters, thus only waved his hand dismissively: ¡°I was only using that as an example ¡ª it is not like what you thought. Just let that go in one ear and out the other.¡± Wu Xi furrowed his brows ¡ª for some unknown reason, that offhand manner of Jing Qi made him feel rather dejected. However, since his mind was still wrapped around the subject Jing Qi had just touched upon, that one concern was then temporarily put aside as he resolved to bring it up again in the future and talk it through properly with the other man. After such a long time, Wu Xi had come to realize that this friend who first appeared to be able to giggle with anyone and always carried the kind of ¡°going with the flow¡± demeanor was, in fact, someone who never took what others said to heart ¡ª on the surface, he would work fast to admit his fault but on the inside pay no heeds whatsoever, and once some time had passed, he would forget about it entirely. The old-yet-still-ill-mannered Jing Qi gave his nose a few rubs and hastened to bring back the topic that seemed to become more and more irrelevant as further discussed: ¡°You have also mentioned it just now, currying favors will not do, being each other¡¯s kindred spirit is also out of the question ¡ª at most, the so-called alliance is only an agreement for both parties to synchronously advance and retreat. However, an agreement is not a rope ¡ª if one side acts in bad faith and forsakes their ally, there is nothing else to be done.¡± Wu Xi¡¯s brows were slightly knitted together as he thought to himself, these Da Qing people are really terrible ¡ª not only that they will act in bad faith after establishing an agreement but also fail to live up to their promises. Then he heard Jing Qi go on with his spill: ¡°This ally of yours must not be those who just revel in the highs of victory but forsake you during times of misfortunes. You must not go a great length to painstakingly win an ally over just so that during critical times where support is needed, they can stab you in the back and let you put up a brave fight all by yourself. Tell me, what would you do?¡± Wu Xi remained silent for a while before shaking his head: ¡°I will not form an alliance with that kind of person. All of my friends are people who are reliable and trustworthy. As for the matter between you and Helian Zhao, how are you going to handle it later on?¡± YOU''LL ALSO LIKE Those Days of Saving The School Heartthrob (... 49.1K1.8K Paid Story The Painter''s Apprentice 139K3.5K Lantern: Reflection of the Peach Blossoms 8.6K192 Jin Se - Priest [English Fan Translation BL... 7.8K293 Way to Charm Your Rival 1.8K44 ¹Å¶­ÏÂɽ (ENGLISH: Old Fogey Goes Down The Mount... 11.7K643 WFYO - reupload 86.8K3.9K Jing Qi said through a smile: ¡°I am going to teach you two little secrets: one is called coercion, and the other is enticement. The so-called coercion is, indeed, to grasp their weakness and bind them down, forcing them to be on the same boat with you. You have to make sure that if you die they will also perish, and that even if they are ruined, you still remain unscathed and happy ¡ª that is precisely the most superior level of coercion. It is even easier to entice them with the promises of gain. All that human beings ever desire are merely wealth, beauty, power, and pleasure. As long as you grant them high enough value for the bargaining chip, under this sky, there never exists a person who dares not to make a move, nor is there anything that cannot be accomplished.¡± These words were beyond blatant ¡ª upon hearing such an utterance, Wu Xi only felt a wave of acidic water gushing backward from his stomach. No matter how long he had tried mulling over in his head, he still could not find the right words to refute ¡ª it was because Jing Qi indeed had made a valid point. After some time had passed, a soft sigh finally escaped his lips, and he asked: ¡°Then, what are you doing that for? Is it also for wealth, beauty, power, and pleasure?¡± ¡°If I were doing that for the sake of wealth, beauty, power, and pleasure, I would not have talked to you about all these things. Why is it not the case? This entire nation belongs to the hands of His Majesty ¡ª but doesn¡¯t he just eat a portion for one man, sleeping on a bed for one person? No one has ever seen him sleeping in the carriage that goes around the capital city in the middle of the night.¡± A fluttering trace of a smile grazed Jing Qi¡¯s lips as he narrowed his eyes out of habit; then he heaved a sigh, rose to his feet, and gave his back a little stretch, ¡°Just for the sake of staying alive.¡± Wu Xi fell completely silent. Right at that moment, Ping An entered the room to present a list of presents. He turned toward Jing Qi and spoke: ¡°Master, please take a quick look at the wedding gifts for His Highness the Crown Prince and see if there is anything that is unfit.¡± The Ministry of Rites and Imperial Household Department had been engaging in the preparations since His Majesty issued this decree, waiting for the auspicious date to arrive. It took them from the budding of spring until autumn to hassle through and be near completion ¡ª at last, the good hours were nigh. Jing Qi took the list from Ping An and ran his eyes over; once having confirmed that everything was within the bounds of proprieties, he nodded: ¡°As long as the wedding gifts for His Highness don¡¯t surpass those of his own brothers, it is fine being a tad more generous.¡± Ping An nodded his head, indicating that he had understood. As if something had just crossed his mind, Jing Qi turned towards Wu Xi and asked: ¡°The Crown Prince is getting married next month ¡ª are the wedding gifts from your side all prepared?¡± Wu Xi gave a nod: ¡°I did hear about this, and have asked Nu A Ha to help me prepare. I told him to come to Ping An if there is anything that he is not certain about.¡± Jing Qi replied in approval: ¡°Just make sure that the degree of formality is befitting and the choices appear to conform to the conventional standards. The Crown Prince is also not going to trouble you over these sorts of things. Your status is special ¡ª you need not to show yourself.¡± However, Wu Xi¡¯s mind obviously had already drifted to an entirely different matter. He then inquired: ¡°Didn¡¯t the emperor already decide on the Crown Prince¡¯s marriage since the early of this year?¡± Jing Qi expounded his response: ¡°The Crown Prince is the heir apparent to the throne, who will inherit this grand position and rule the nation in the future. There are a myriad of rules to follow for this marriage with the appointed Crown Princess. It has taken the Ministry of Rites a very long time to prepare. They even had to peruse the Yellow Calendar (1) carefully to find the auspicious day for the wedding ¡ª that explains why it had been elongated until this moment.¡± ¡°I understand. At our place, there is just as much of a trouble whenever there is a marriage between the noble aristocrats. But¡­¡± Wu Xi furrowed his brows, ¡°What is Miss Su supposed to do?¡± Jing Qi blinked, neither able to react nor wrap his mind around the meaning behind the other person¡¯s words: ¡°Huh? What is it about her?¡± Wu Xi immediately realized that his conversation with this person had just been an exchange of noises between a chicken and a duck, thus without any moment of hesitation, he firmly rebuked: ¡°The Crown Prince treated Miss Su so good like that before, but now he wants to get married with another lady. Assume that he wants to wed someone else, but even so, for what reason did he have to go see Miss Su for the past half year?¡± Once the words left his mouth, the young man frowned: ¡°It is wrong for the Crown Prince to do such a thing.¡± Jing Qi helplessly replied: ¡°Then you go and tell him yourself.¡± Wu Xi stared at him with accusing eyes: ¡°Are you the same?¡± 2 Jing Qi was stupefied, then thought to himself, What on earth does that have anything to do with me? Isn¡¯t this tragically wronging others? In the end, he could only force a smile and deny: ¡°When was I ever like that? How could you wrongfully accuse me¡­?¡± ¡°Master.¡± Before Jing Qi¡¯s sentence was even finished, Ji Xiang had already walked in and handed over an invitation card: ¡°It is from the Young Marquis, saying that today is the Qixi Festival (2), just in time to chance upon the ¡®Orchid Chamber¡¯. He beseeches you to grant him the honor of your presence tonight.¡± That invitation card was indeed very special ¡ª its entire covers were wrapped in rose-colored silk, with floral designs meticulously and delicately embroidered around the edge; once the card was opened, a burst of fragrance immediately assailed one¡¯s nostrils. With just one glance, Jing Qi could tell right away what it was ¡ª right at that moment, Jing Qi felt that this damned, jinxing brat Ji Xiang came in precisely to give him a slap on the face. Since Wu Xi had a very keen sense of smell, his nose was instantly tickled by the invasion of that aroma, thus he could not help but reach one hand over to give it a few rubs while gazing at the card with an inquisitive gaze. But after all, he was still a tactful and polite person who knew when not to cross the line ¡ª knowing that the item belonged to the other person, he thus decided not to ask much. Then he heard Ji Xiang go on: ¡°The Young Marquis also said, if the Young Sorcerer is willing to grant him a kind favor, he would like to invite you to come along. This opportunity only occurs once every three years ¡ª last time when it happened, the Young Sorcerer was still of young age, thus certainly had yet to attend. If you miss it this year, you will have to wait for the next three years. The Young Marquis added that he had specifically reserved a private room already.¡± This He Yunxing is indeed afraid that all under heaven are too free from chaos! It was only then Wu Xi decided to ask: ¡°What place did he invite us to go to?¡± With a beaming face, Ji Xiang explained: ¡°Our nation Da Qing hosts the Imperial Examination once every three years to select talents; everytime, there will be a newly appointed Zhuang Yuan (3) in civil services and one with military talent, who will enter the court and become the Son of Heaven¡¯s disciples. You are familiar with Master Lu, am I correct? He is the renowned Zhuang Yuan of the Civil Services Examination. But, Young Sorcerer, do you know what kind of person the Zhuang Yuan in rouge is?¡± Wu Xi vaguely understood the reason why that invitation card was nothing near being ordinary. He then shifted his gaze to Jing Qi, only to see that ¡°the man of moral integrity¡± was avoiding his eyes in embarrassment, his head lowered for a sip of tea. A smile grazed Wu Xi¡¯s lips as he answered: ¡°Last time, His Highness the Crown Prince said that person was the Lady of the Moon.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Ji Xiang¡¯s face was radiant with joy, ¡°Those Ladies of the Moon have all been ¡®brought to glory¡¯ by the hands of the noblemen. In our capital city, there is a tradition at the end of every year where the Lady of the Moon will offer her singing on the Wang Yue River. However, if there weren¡¯t already thousands of those beautiful maidens out there, the number would at least be around eight hundreds. Due to fear of seeing these ¡°talents¡± buried under the mud, they decided to organize this event once every three years. At the beginning, it was named as ¡®All Flowers Banquet¡¯; but later on, His Majesty felt that the three words ¡®All Flowers Banquet¡¯(4) were too coarse, hence with his golden mouth and jade words, he changed it to ¡®Night Creation of the Orchid Chamber¡¯, which means¡­¡± Ji Xiang¡¯s voice came to an abrupt halt ¡ª after all, he was not a person of fineness and grace; even after a long time had passed, he was still unable to construe the hidden meaning behind this allusion. Jing Qi said with a smile: ¡°Isn¡¯t there a line that says, ¡®there stays a dazzling maiden in the orchid chamber. Her room is nigh yet the person is far: like poison, this pain seeps through my entrails¡¯? (5) It is simply a casual, teasing remark from His Majesty during his time of youth, and that is all.¡± Ji Xiang grinned, "Yes, yes, that is exactly what it is about. All the procuresses from those brothels, along with a handful of the performance troupes coming from other places that have yet to gain popularity, will bring their young ladies, taking advantage of this opportunity to showcase their beauty and talent. Several noblemen who keep courtesans at their residence and are willing to take them out for the public to appreciate will also attend. This is a vibrant and glamorous event, blazing with brilliant purples and beautiful reds ¡ª if these maidens truly stand out and catch the eye of the nobility, who knows, perhaps they will end up being the future Lady of the Moon three years later.¡± ¡°Are you saying that all the most beautiful ladies in the entire capital city are partaking in this occasion?¡± ¡°Not necessarily¡­¡± Ji Xiang had not finished his sentence, yet Jing Qi already interrupted with a motion of his hand: ¡°They are only a group of prostitutes and performers who are there to offer entertainment to those pleasure-seeking people. Which proper lady brought up in a respectable household would ever brazenly stand in front of the large crowd, allowing others to point fingers and whisper frivolous remarks about her appearance like that? These people are not any different from the birds and cat pets raised at home. Don¡¯t listen to any of the gibberish from this brat Ji Xiang ¡ª we are merely following everyone else and playing along as the occasion arises. We are going to have some moments of fun, and that is all. If you are willing to come tonight, I will take you to join in this lively scene.¡± Wu Xi was in deep silence for a while before asking: ¡°Did Miss Su also participate in that?¡± Ji Xiang responded: ¡°Isn¡¯t that an unwritten rule? All the Ladies of the Moon have to participate, or where else could they dig up an opportunity to catch the eyes of these noblemen and receive the help to climb up to their splendor?¡± Jing Qi looked at Wu Xi, a faint smile ghosting over his lips. It then immediately dawned on Wu Xi¡¯s mind: all this time, this person, Jing Qi, who had just been beating around the bush without explaining anything explicitly, was actually borrowing this conversation to respond to the comments Wu Xi had just made regarding the crown prince: Su Qingluan was simply a public plaything ¡ª she might have been elevated to a slightly higher peak of glory, which made her appear to be of greater rarity and value. Apart from that, there was nothing else to be mentioned, let alone being compared with the formal, legitimate status of the crown prince¡¯s future wife. One could not be married to two wives; however, nobody had ever forbidden a married man to play with the birds and cats. How lowly or noble one¡¯s status was, all because they had been awash in the dazzling and voluptuous grandeur of wealth and fame. But ¡°playing along as the occasion arises¡± ¡ª Wu Xi found those words hardly acceptable. After a moment of silence, he finally nodded: ¡°Alright, I will come and look for you tonight.¡± ----- End of Chapter 27 ----- Translator¡¯s note: (1) Yellow Calendar (üS•Ñ): Most of the contents of this calendar deals with what is suitable to do on each day. Some Chinese families still follow these days for wedding ceremonies, funerals, etc. The most common use is in choosing a wedding date. (2) Qixi Festival (ÆßϦ) is a Chinese festival celebrating the annual meeting of the two lovers, the cowherd, Niulang, and the weaver girl, Zhin¨¹, in mythology. It falls on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month on the Chinese calendar. (3) Zhuang Yuan (×´Ôª) is the top scorer in the palace examination (highest rank of the Imperial examination system). (4) The combined word Ⱥ·¼ can be translated as either ¡°all flowers¡± or ¡°all beauties¡± (beauty ~ flower). That¡¯s why the emperor thinks such a name for the event might be too vulgar. (5) Quoted from the lyrics written by Sima Xiangru (˾ñRÏàÈç), called Phoenix Courtship (øPÇó»Ë/Feng Qiu Huang). Later, it was made into a zither melody. CH 28 Although the Night Creation festival would not officially begin until evening arrived, by the hour of Shen (t/n: the time between 3 and 5 PM), Fei Cui Court had already been besieged from inside out by swarms of people ¨C even across the street, spectators had also occupied any vacant space on top of the walls. Right down the next street, the tavern took advantage of its building¡¯s considerable height with the top floor that allowed one to partially capture the scene, thus not even bothering to continue its regular business ¨C all because during such an occasion, nothing else would yield better profit than the selling of seats. After taking his sweet time to finish the meal, Jing Qi finally headed out with Wu Xi, filling the air with endless chatters on various topics as they sauntered down the street. Witnessing the vast sea of people upon his arrival, Wu Xi took in a lungful of the cold air: there had always existed some fear within him when it came to visiting crowded places, thus he could not help but blurt out quietly: ¡°Why are there this many people?¡± Unfortunately, due to the deafening commotion from in the surroundings, these words were unable to reach Jing Qi¡¯s ears. On the other hand, Jing Qi had soon come to this realization, thus he had deliberately brought along a few tall and burly bodyguards ¨C as soon as the group arrived, these men proved to be useful, specifically in helping to clear the roads. Fearing that the crowd would push them apart, Jing Qi extended his arm and took a firm hold of Wu Xi¡¯s hand. In this chilly weather of the autumn night, Jing Qi¡¯s palm was of tender warmth, yet his fingers were of wintry cold. Wu Xi felt a shiver pass through his body, and the skin on his hand became remarkably more sensitive to that touch. He noticed that the hand of this person was much smaller compared to his own, and those fingers were also considerably more delicate; however, they carried the special kind of strength that could only be felt from a man¡¯s grasp, along with the calluses residing on the tip of his fingers, which did not seem to be the marks left after having held a pen for too long.2 The struggle they had to go through in order to go inside Fei Cui Court was nowhere near easy, and someone finally came out to greet them. As soon as Ping An handed over the invitation card, they were immediately and attentively escorted to the private room upstairs. Zhou Zishu and He Yunxing had already long arrived by the time Jing Qi¡¯s group entered the room ¡ª on one side, there was Su Qingluan whose presence was specifically to keep them company, along with several other young maidens with exquisite charm and beauty who were waiting to serve these guests. He Yunxing said with a smile: ¡°You finally arrived! Brother Zishu almost thought that we couldn¡¯t have the honor to receive you both today. Here, drink your forfeit! Drink!¡± His Highness the Crown Prince was not present, nor was Lu Shen the disciple of great sages ¡ª in some respects, those young men who showed up could be considered birds of the same feather, thus were given much freedom to fool around and have rumpus without restraint that night. Jing Qi did not refuse that offer ¨C he took the drink into his hand in great delight and drained the cup in one gulp before casually sitting down, a smile on his face as he commented: ¡°The flavor of flower wine has always been very distinctive ¨C I can even drink a few more jars. Brother Yunxing, when has there ever been any fun time without me?¡± He Yunxing laughed: ¡°Since you all have made it here, I can guarantee that your trip today was anything but fruitless! Beiyuan, let me tell you one thing: if you had not come to partake in this grand occasion, all the admiration of beauty and immersion in romance would simply be in vain.¡± A smile grazed Jing Qi¡¯s lips; without saying anything in return, he poured himself another cup and thought, You little youngster, the number of experiences this grandpa has with ¡°Night Creation¡± is more than the number of times you have ever heard about it. YOU''LL ALSO LIKE Those Days of Saving The School Heartthrob (... 49.1K1.8K Paid Story The Painter''s Apprentice 139K3.5K Lantern: Reflection of the Peach Blossoms 8.6K192 Jin Se - Priest [English Fan Translation BL... 7.8K293 Way to Charm Your Rival 1.8K44 ¹Å¶­ÏÂɽ (ENGLISH: Old Fogey Goes Down The Mount... 11.7K643 WFYO - reupload 86.8K3.9K Nonetheless, he was simply sitting there on the side with a beaming face while watching He Yunxing get carried away and enthusiastically pull Wu Xi around to boast and blither. ¡°Young Sorcerer, hurry over here and take a look! Do you see that stage below?¡± Wu Xi followed He Yunxing¡¯s gaze and looked over downstairs; came into his view was a giant stage that was mounted in the center of the main hall with flowers overflowing at its base; at a first glance, it seemed to have been built out of these blossoms. Adjacent to the elevated platform was a small staircase of a slightly narrower and more delicate build in comparison to those of the usual kind, yielding the feeling of featherlike grace and refinement as the maiden made her up the stage. Although the stage was set up at an elevated height, it was perfect enough for everything to be in plain sight in the eyes of the visitors sitting in the main hall below and in the private rooms from the upper level. After appraising it for a long time, Wu Xi finally commented: ¡°Looking at its appearance, I find that it resembles somewhat the altars we use back home to worship the deities.¡± He Yunxing was stupefied. Just then, he seemed to have gotten too carried away ¡ª although Wu Xi¡¯s presence was often seen at Jing Qi¡¯s residence, once the greetings were exchanged, the other party would also shut his mouth without fail, and hardly would Wu Xi ever give a response like how he did today. As a result, the Young Marquis who already had the tendency of a babbler became even more eager and excited, thus, without sparing another thought, he asked away: ¡°What do you people use that altar for?¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Wu Xi was slightly taken aback ¡ª after a long while, to the point that He Yunxing had begun to lose hope of hearing an answer from the other person, Wu Xi finally opened his mouth: ¡°Our altar is dedicated for making offerings to the Great Deity Jia Xi. In order to conduct this ritual, we need to use livestock and blood of the five poisonous creatures. There are also our ancestral memorial rites¡­¡± He Yunxing immediately realized that he had asked the wrong question. Wu Xi continued, his face void of expressions: ¡°The ancestors whom we hold the memorial rites for often have been killed by the enemies; therefore, the head of their enemy will be displayed on the altar, and the blood of the enemy must be splashed on each step and trodden on as we walk up.¡± He Yunxing¡¯s complexion was somberly pale. Yet Jing Qi was nodding his head; wearing a humorless and solemn expression on his face, he said: ¡°That is actually not wrong. When you put it like that, I can see there is a little resemblance.¡± Wu Xi looked at him strangely and asked: ¡°You know what our altar looks like?¡± Jing Qi shook his head and thought to himself, Can there even be any difference? They all are platforms to display human flesh. Of course, bearing in mind that this pertained to the religion of people from South Xinjiang, Jing Qi did not allow these words to part from his lips. From there, he simply walked over and leaned against the railings, his finger pointing at a few big baskets in the corner that had been filled up with flowers as he explained: ¡°Do you see those? Later on, when the event begins, someone will come and bring those flowers here. If you take a liking to any of these girls, just throw a flower as she ascends the stage ¡ª there will be people who are assigned to collect her flowers. However, such practice is not meant for these maidens to compete against each other, and that is because the emphasis of ¡®Night Creation of the Orchid Chamber'' lies chiefly within the word ¡®creation¡¯ as grace and liveliness are to be sought, and harmony to be valued. All the ladies will be sitting in the back ¡ª if you fancy anyone, you can write down her stage name on a card of admiration and have it delivered to her hand; if she is also willing¡­¡± Jing Qi erupted in laughter, one that was totally up to no good, and lightly swept a glance over with his peach blossom eyes: ¡°Then, ¡®ones can only wish to be a pair of lovebirds, envy not the life of an immortal¡¯.¡± Zhou Zishu asked in astonishment: ¡°Your Little Royal Highness, have you truly never partaken in this ¡®Night Creation¡¯ gathering? How did you come to acquire such a thorough and crystal clear understanding of it?¡± Jing Qi coughed softly: ¡°What is so rare and unusual about this? When it comes to the kind of squandering gold and silver at Zhang Tai (1) shops and establishments, aren¡¯t there only a few story patterns to be repeated over and over again? I might have yet to taste pork, but I certainly would have already seen pigs running.¡± As soon as these words left his mouth, it immediately came to his attention that Wu Xi had been staring at him with a pair of eyes rather filled with contempt which clearly spoke: ¡°you even dare to say you are not that kind of person.¡± Jing Qi could only feel his nose then return to his seat without another utterance.2 The crowd had yet to wait long before the string of lantern lights encircling the main hall was covered and everything fell into dimness. Procuress Li of Fei Cui Court brought along two little maids and personally went up to pay respect to all the guests ¡ª even the group of men who had been rambunctiously making a scene had to quiet down. Soon after, there came the servants assigned with carrying the flowers and distributing them to each of the guests. One by one, maidens in fluttering, joyful shade of rose and jade ascended the stage amid the playing of both elegant tune and folk music, all were alluring and charming in their rouge. With discussions exchanged in low whispers, the guests in the private rooms upstairs were comparatively reserved. On the other hand, the main hall was bursting in excitement and astir with loud shouts of comments and applause; some of them were extremely vulgar, and some were beyond obscene for one¡¯s ears. Wu Xi has been watching for a while, yet he only felt insipidity and tastelessness from those songs and dance full of fawning attempts. Originally, he intended to come along and see it with his own eyes since he was unable to fathom Jing Qi¡¯s words; but at that moment, it finally dawned on him what the other person had meant by ¡°standing in front of the large crowd and allowing others to point fingers and whisper frivolous remarks about their appearance.¡± Wu Xi thought about how it had turned out to be entirely different from the festivals from his hometown, where the young ladies from their clan partook in singing and dancing as some of the young men went as far as openly conveying the admiration held in their hearts; and that was because all the clansmen only looked at the females with the eyes full of tender kindness, like those of a father, a brother, and a lover. They treated the maidens with respect and still found joy when they were urged to join in the dance. 1 Unlike this place. He felt that those maidens with dazzling charms and beauty who were standing on that stage were truly pitiful: not only that others were treating them with disdain, but they were also disdaining themselves. As a matter of fact, there was nothing elegant about this ¡°Orchid Chamber¡± at all. The atmosphere was gradually being brought to its climax; and at that moment, Jing Qi stumbled over with two jars of wine in his hands. After giving one to Wu Xi, he casually and carelessly leaned against the railing, leaving little distance between him and the other young man. Noticing the aroma of wine lingering on Jing Qi¡¯s body, Wu Xi recalled catching a glimpse of this person and Zhou Zishu like two drunkards with endless rounds of ¡°One cup for you and one cup for me, we won¡¯t be done until we are drunk¡± just moments ago ¡ª indeed, it seemed like he had overdone it. Jing Qi¡¯s gaze traveled down the stage and stayed on the girl who was singing ¡°Gazing to the South of the River¡± (2) while playing the ruan (3). Then, unexpectedly he began to tap his fingers on the carved railing, his singing voice quietly blended in with the instrument¡¯s melody: ¡°Don¡¯t hold onto me, for it would only make my heart waver. I am the willow drooping by the side of the Winding River. This person breaks me, that other grabs. Their love lasts only a moment¡­¡± 1 The sound of his voice was very low as if it was a soft whisper by the ear, rending hearts in the sorrowful hum; yet, for some inexplicable reason, he had chosen to stifle more of the vibration in his voice compared to that girl, singing lyrics like ¡°greener than grass¡± and ¡°redder than fire¡± (4) which harmonized even more to the tune she played. A soulmate does not only listen to the words of the song but to the unsung meaning within. Wu Xi suddenly felt the tickling sensation creeping on his ears, thus could not help but turn his around: ¡°What did you say?¡± Jing Qi raised an eyebrow and smiled. Gesturing at the maiden who was gracefully gathering her sleeves for a curtsy, he whispered under his breath: ¡°Have you seen the smile on her face?¡± Wu Xi gazed over and nodded his head in silence ¡ª that maiden appeared to be fifteen or sixteen at most, a smile beaming radiantly on her face, yet, for a nameless reason, invoked a feeling of agony in the hearts of others. ¡°The red belt on her waist indicates that she is the girl whose chastity has yet to be taken (5). Her singing today was not bad at all; quite a number of people have just thrown their flowers to her just now. It seems like her first night can be bought at a good price today,¡± Jing Qi mumbled heedlessly.1 There have always been pearly tears soaking fine silk robes, as has always stood the young nobleman who turned away unfaithfully and ungratefully. A low and long sigh tenderly left Jing Qi¡¯s lips ¡ª its sound, unbeknownst to one which part from the past or present life it was drawn over, made Wu Xi¡¯s heart tremble lightly, and he could not help but reach out his hands to hold the other man¡¯s shoulders: ¡°You drank too much.¡± Jing Qi gave a few nods of his head: ¡°Mm, I drank too much¡­ But even with as much wine that I had, only for a while could I drown in this drunkenness. What else can I do? Mundane affairs flow with the stream, fleeting life stays a prolonged illusion¡­¡± All of a sudden, he pulled away from Wu Xi, his hand picking up a flower; and, with much force, he flung it down to the stage and raised his voice: ¡°I have taken a fancy to this young lady!¡± Once his declaration was finished, tottering and wobbling, he immediately wanted to find his way downstairs. Ping An, having stood on one side, followed along in hurry; even Su Qingluan who was accompanying them during the wine drinking also rose to her feet, worries tinted her voice: ¡°Your Royal Highness¡­¡± Wu Xi gave her a few dismissive waves of his hand: ¡°It is alright, I am going to follow along and take a look as well.¡± Yet, who would have thought that by the time that one single sentence was completed, Jing Qi and Ping An had already been engulfed in the sea of people crowding at the main hall; and in an instant, there remained no more trace of these two. Wu Xi furrowed his brows as worries heightened a little in his heart. Fearing that the other man in his drunken state would encounter a mishap, he immediately turned around and motioned A Xin Lai to come along. Since A Xin Lai who used to be the most skilled bird hunter back in their clan possessed incredibly good eyesight, Wu Xi tugged him over and asked: ¡°Help me to take a look and find out where Nan Ning Wang has gone just now.¡± Although A Xin Lai could battle against the most cunning prey in the dense forest, when standing amidst the noisy bustles of the crowd as the reek of rouge and wine weaved together and assailed his nose like this, he could only be rendered somewhat muddleheaded. He widened his pair of eyes that were shaped like bronze bells and scanned the place; after a good amount of time had passed, he turned around and looked at Wu Xi with a hint of embarrassment: ¡°Young Sorcerer, this is really¡­¡± Wu Xi could only heave a sigh: ¡°I will go down and look for him.¡± From the beginning with, he was indeed very sensitive to smell ¡ª it was acceptable when they were staying in the private room upstairs; however, the moment he stepped foot in the main hall, a burst of peculiar and miscellaneous scents imbued in cloying sweetness from the mingling crowds immediately rushed towards his nostrils, causing him to choke up in a sneeze and suffer a surge of nausea. As the young ladies whose beauty was of scarlet blossoms and verdant willows passed by, they would all try to steal a glance of this handsome young man. Some of the women even deliberately rub their bodies against him, leaving Wu Xi with no choice but to drag A Xin Lai over to become his shield. Poor him, the South Xinjiang fellow of eight-foot height, whose face did not take long to flame up to the deepest shade of red and purple, as if his vessels were about to burst into bleeding. The maiden whom Jing Qi had declared to ¡°take a fancy to¡± just right then already stepped down from the stage, and another one already walked up in replacement; yet, Jing Qi was still nowhere to be found. Wu Xi darted his eyes around in cluelessness, his brows still tightly knitted together. He truly disliked this place. Suddenly, someone standing beside suddenly tugged him over. Wu Xi turned his head around and immediately saw that person was Ping An. The latter placed the index fingers against his lips to hint silence from the other two before saying in a low whisper: ¡°Young Sorcerer, come with me this way.¡± Amid the ongoing dizziness induced by the incense burned in the main hall, Wu Xi became level-headed at once ¡ª he knew that Ping An was the most loyal person, and if Jing Qi had been running helter-skelter around during the state of intoxication, it would have been impossible for him to leave his master alone to come over here. Wu Xi immediately understood that there must have been something, thus threw a signal glance at A Xin Lai and soundlessly moved along the wall with Ping An in order to slip outside. It turned out that at one secluded corner of the main hall there existed a side gate almost undetectable to the eyes. Ping An beckoned them and took both the master and the guard outside from that exit. As soon as they stepped outside, a blast of wintry air immediately struck, sending a quiver through Wu Xi¡¯s body ¡ª he then finally asked Ping An: ¡°What is going on? Where is your prince?¡± Ping An answered: ¡°His Royal Highness is waiting for you, Young Sorcerer. This way, please.¡± After walking a long, narrow, and winding path with multiple turns, Ping An finally led them into a small room that appeared to be the resting place for Fei Cui Court¡¯s servants. The moment their feet crossed the threshold, they saw Jing Qi and a middle-aged man in coarse clothing already sitting inside. This legendary Nan Ning Wang who fooled around in his drunken madness seemed sober to the point he could not sober up any further. ------------ End of Chapter 28 ----------- Translator¡¯s note: (1) Zhang Tai (ÕĄ̂) is the name of a famous street in Chang An that had a lot of brothels during the Tang Dynasty (2) ¡°Gazing to the South of the River¡±, or ¡°Wang Jiangnan¡± (Íû½­ÄÏ), is a folk song that was composed during the Tang dynasty. (3) The ruan is a traditional Chinese plucked string instrument with a circular body and four strings. The ruan comes in 5 different sizes, and the one mentioned in this chapter is the small ruan. It is different from the pipa, which has a pear-shaped body. (4) Quoted from the poem Recalling Jiangnan (Òä½­ÄÏ) by Bai Juyi (°×¾ÓÒ×) (5) In the original text, Priest used Êá£, which means ¡°combing hair¡±, a word indicating that the courtesan had just ¡°served¡± her first customer. CH 29 It was not until after Wu Xi had first appraised the middle-aged man with utmost caution that he finally asked Jing Qi: ¡°Didn¡¯t you get drunk?¡± ¡°A tad, but it was not to the point of becoming muddleheaded.¡± Jing Qi was sitting on a tattered chair, utterly relaxed as he pointed to the middle-aged man standing next to him, ¡°This gentleman is Sir Lu, Zishu¡¯s person.¡± ¡°Sir Lu¡± hurriedly gave Wu Xi his greeting: ¡°I would like to present myself to Young Sorcerer. His Royal Highness has overstated it ¡ª This lowly commoner is Lu Yu, and I am merely someone who runs errands for our Lord.¡± Wu Xi looked at Jing Qi, a hint of doubt in his eyes: ¡°What happened?¡± Jing Qi responded: ¡°Sir Lu, let us hear about it from you.¡± Lu Yu responded with a ¡°yes¡± and began explaining: ¡°Some time ago, this lowly commoner received an order from our Lord to secretly inquire into the ¡®Black Sorcerers¡¯, and very recently I have been able to track them down and found some clues ¡­¡± ¡°Where are they?¡± Wu Xi¡¯s expression was solemn, his gaze filled with fierce sharpness ¡ª in that flashing moment, Lu Yu could not help but turn away to avoid the other person¡¯s eyes. ¡°As the second Helian Prince holds a penchant for the search of immortality, there is a specific manor on his estate that was built next to Huai Xu Taoist Temple. Those Black Sorcerers whom he has been sheltering inside the temple rarely came into contact with the outside world ¡ª whether it is wine or dine, everything is handled by the temple master himself, and their presence has never been made known to others. Helian Qi has been extremely vigilant about this ¡ª it took us three months to have someone infiltrate their place as a daily vegetable delivery man. Besides scouting for the trace of those Black Sorcerers, we also discovered an unexpected individual who has been making contacts with them on the sly.¡± Wu Xi cast a glance at Jing Qi¡¯s indifferent expression; with some vague speculation having already arrived in his mind, he asked: ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°The Lady of the Moon, Su Qingluan.¡± The one who answered was Jing Qi, his voice was lowered to sheer depths, and the emotion painted on that face was indiscernible. A Xin Lai gawked at Wu Xi with openmouthed incredulity. Wu Xi remained quiet for a long time, a plethora of thoughts flashing through his mind; then, with utmost prudence, he opened his mouth, unhurried, and asked: ¡°Are you certain? Aside from the indication that she has gone to that Taoist temple, is there any other evidence?¡± Lu Yu nodded his head: ¡°Afterwards, we went to investigate Su Qingluan¡¯s background, learning that her former name was ¡®Su Cui Er¡¯, and that she was originally from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. The hamlet where she used to live is called Su Jia Village. Although she has no other relatives in her family, it is mentioned that when she was young, her parents once offered a saving hand to a Taoist with the surname Li.¡± Lu Yu glanced over at Wu Xi, whose face had then been overcast with somberness, before adding: ¡°Based on the description provided by an old man, it seems like he is precisely the one who has been staying at Helian Qi¡¯s residence.¡± Jing Qi then joined in: ¡°Wu Xi, you understand these Black Sorcerers more than I do. Those people have been held idle by Helian Qi for over half a year, and allowed to do nothing. Having to live the days that are no different from being imprisoned, how could they be willing?¡± Lu Yu continued: ¡°That¡¯s right. If it had not been for the conflict between the leader of those Black Sorcerers and the temple master, it would have been impossible for our man to verify that they were hiding inside.¡± YOU''LL ALSO LIKE Those Days of Saving The School Heartthrob (... 49.1K1.8K Paid Story The Painter''s Apprentice 139K3.5K Lantern: Reflection of the Peach Blossoms 8.6K192 Jin Se - Priest [English Fan Translation BL... 7.8K293 Way to Charm Your Rival 1.8K44 ¹Å¶­ÏÂɽ (ENGLISH: Old Fogey Goes Down The Mount... 11.7K643 WFYO - reupload 86.8K3.9K Wu Xi gave an unhurried nod of his head then asked: ¡°Since there is such a special event happening tonight, with many people coming out to join the bustles, the curfews were then lifted?¡± As Jing Qi nodded his head, it immediately dawned on Wu Xi¡¯s mind the reason why the former had to take advantage of the chaos to slip out earlier. He then turned around and faced A Xin Lai: ¡°You go back first, gather the warriors together, and come here wait for me.¡± A Xin Lai stared at the other with widened eyes: ¡°Young Sorcerer, who is going to be here to protect you?¡± Wu Xi shot him a glare of displeasure, prompting A Xin Lai to hastily respond: ¡°That¡¯s right, Young Sorcerer is powerful, but¡­ but¡­¡± After stuttering all the ¡°but¡± for the longest timehalf a day, he finally thought of a reason: ¡°But if you masters go back up there later without me escorting you, won¡¯t that arouse suspicion from others?¡± Lu Yu chimed in with a smile: ¡°About that, you don¡¯t have to fear.¡± Once finished talking, he walked to the side and took out a small, obscure case; with his back against everyone else, he started to fiddle with his face for a while before turning around. A Xin Lai was startled to the point of nearly leaping up, his finger pointing at Lu Yu as he said: ¡°You, you you you... how¡­¡± Jing Qi smiled: ¡°Sir Lu¡¯s disguise technique indeed came from Zishu¡¯s authentic teaching; it is truly miraculous.¡± With a face bearing exact resemblance to A Xin Lai¡¯s, Lu Yu responded: ¡°It is merely a small, frivolous trick, and can¡¯t be considered a thorough, elaborate work. But since the night is dark and the light is dim, that should be enough to bypass people¡¯s eyes. I will also have to ask this brother A Xin Lai to exchange clothes with me.¡± Thus A Xin Lai had no choice but grudgingly trade his robes with Lu Yu. The latter then summoned a servant boy over and told A Xin Lai: ¡°There is no need to act rashly to alert the enemy; just let him lead you to a different route.¡± Both of them heeded the order and left. Jing Qi then rose to his feet and was just about to walk away, but something seemed to have crossed his mind, thus he turned around towards Ping An: ¡°Go fetch that lady here to avoid having other people say how we have jostled in the crowds for naught. Wu Xi will come back with me.¡± As soon as they entered the side gate to return to the hall filled with all sorts of wretched souls and evildoers, the clarity that had just shone in Jing Qi¡¯s eyes immediately vanished. With arms soft and legs limp, he leaned against Wu Xi, his mien entirely engulfed in a drunken stupor. Wu Xi had long grown accustomed to this man¡¯s special ability to easily change one mask to another; however, getting too close to other people like this was not something he had come to adapt, thus he could only scramble to hold the man up. Jing Qi then whispered into his ears: ¡°Let us go for a walk. Wait for the cold air on our bodies to be gone before coming back up there.¡± Those words nestled up to Wu Xi¡¯s ears almost too closely, setting flame to it at once. All of a sudden, he came to realize, the cloying sweetness lingering inside the main hall was very likely something that had been released in the air to excite others. Such a thought made him feel even more restless.2 The body resting in his embrace was very special, and it was distinguished from that of any person he had ever encountered before. During his fighting practice with A Xin Lai and the crew, there also involved physical contact; however, the bodies of those men were sturdy as a rock and tough as iron ¡ª within close distance, the smell of sweat could be noticed, and striking his fist at them was no different from punching at the wall. This person¡¯s body was also not the same as those of the women who had deliberately rubbed against him when passing by with a pungent reek of scented powder, whose velvety white flesh reminded him of the anacondas from South Xinjiang. The person who was leaning on him at that moment was remarkably slim ¡ª when Wu Xi caught Jing Qi in his embrace and wrapped one arm around the latter¡¯s back, he could feel the hardness of the man¡¯s ribs, thus dared not to apply too much force. Amidst staggering footsteps, the jabbing from Jing Qi¡¯s shoulder gave Wu Xi a whiff of pain. His waist was very slender, but unlike the kind of female delicacy that could be crushed in one tight grip, underneath that form there hid the kind of strength full of resilient limberness. Only then did Wu Xi realize that Jing Qi was neither rottenly pampered nor helplessly fragile in the slightest as shown on his facade. Anyone who practiced martial arts would know that acquiring power in the four limbs, in fact, was only next to being important: the most essential was the strength and flexibility in the waist and hip region that could control movements of the entire body. Thus it could be seen that even if Jing Qi¡¯s fighting skills only consisted of impractical fanciness, those embellished moves had definitely been procured through training ¡ª those who took shelter in the study all day would not be likely to have such firm and strong lower back muscles like that. The eyes of that person slightly shuttered in the enshrouded mist, his gaze unfocused ¡ª although Wu Xi was clearly aware that the other was only feigning, he could not help but look away and avert those eyes. He believed that all the coldness on his body had already steamed off without fail. At last, he was able to endure until Ping An came back and brought along a shy young lady whose head was lowered timidly. Wu Xi then hurried pushed Jing Qi back to Ping An as if he had been holding a hot potato on his hand and, with Lu Yu in A Xin Lai¡¯s disguise, he strode upstairs in haste. Even until after returning to the private room, there was still a dash of warmth on Wu Xi¡¯s face that had yet to dissipate; however, a certain someone had tacitly mistaken it for another reason. With an expression shaded with ambiguity, He Yun Xing looked at Wu Xi and asked: ¡°Young Sorcerer just went downstairs for a walk, and perhaps you have caught sight of a girl to your liking?¡± Wu Xi was feeling rather miserable in his heart, thus immediately shot a wintry glare at the man upon hearing those words. He Yun Xing blinked a few times; realizing that he had irritated the other person, he could only seal his lips, looking extremely pitiful. Zhou Zishu knew very clearly what these people had been up to after leaving the scene, yet he did not make a single sound. On the other hand, the person who ended up asking was Su Qingluan, her voice tinted with worry: ¡°What about His Royal Highness?¡± Wu Xi raised his head to glare at her, and Su Qingluan could not help but shiver a little. She felt that there was a kind of extremely cold and terrifying aura exuded from the young man who had never spared her a direct look, and that seized her in a helpless tremble, where the feeling was similar to that of the rabbit running into a wolf on the prairie. It was not until moments later that Wu Xi began to slowly speak, ¡°He is right behind,¡± before shifting his gaze away. Only then Su Qingluan finally breathed out a sigh of relief. A while later, Ping An, after an arduous struggle, eventually was able to bring Jing Qi, whose appearance was no different from a dead dog, up to the room. Jing Qi, albeit being in such a state, did not forget to take hold of that young maiden¡¯s wrist ¡ª it was unclear what sorts of incoherent words he was whispering into the girl¡¯s ear, yet one could see that her head had lowered even more. Unexplainably, Wu Xi found this scene rather an eyesore.2 Wu Xi mused to himself, I should have realized earlier that there is absolutely not a single bit of connection between this Nan Ning Wang and the glorious word, ¡°decency¡±, whatsoever. Later in the future, he will definitely become an unfaithful and fickle one who says three in the morning but four at night. If I myself had sisters, I¡¯d rather break their legs than let them become close to this disastrous kind of man. 3 Everyone was immersed in boisterous laughter until very late ¡ª during that time, He Yunxing, fearing that all under the heaven were too free of chaos, kept pushing a young lady, called Shui Mo, who was accompanying them towards Wu Xi¡¯s direction. Despite her graceful and gentle-sounding name, the girl herself was awfully fierce and daring: noticing that Wu Xi was not acknowledging her, she went as far as leaning over to feed the food to his mouth. Wu Xi finally had reached the limit of his endurance, thus shoved her aside then immediately rose to his feet, almost backing out on them and taking his leave. Next to him, the two half-drunk and the one feigning drunkenness began to burst into unscrupulous and heartless laughter. With the hand hidden in his sleeve, Wu Xi took out a poisoned needle, quietly figuring out in his mind how to stick all of these on Jing Qi¡¯s body for having brought him to this kind of place, after returning home later.2 Even until after midnight, the main hall was still bustling with excitement as before ¡ª it seemed like these people would remain boisterous like this all night. Even Jing Qi could no longer sit steadily and slid to the floor like an ooze of mud. Zhou Zishu finally arrived at his side to help him up: ¡°Your Royal Highness, you cannot drink anymore. Tomorrow you still have to rush to attend court early in the morning.¡± ¡°Attend¡­ attend my foot! His Majesty is not going, I¡­ I am also not going¡­¡± Jing Qi blurted out heedlessly, borrowing this opportunity of drunken madness to act rebellious and utter blasphemies. This time, even Wu Xi could tell for sure if the other was truly intoxicated or not. Although he was sober earlier, what if the wine had finally kicked in? Not to mention that Jing Qi had poured himself a good number of cups as soon as he sat down. If he had not drunk until besotted, when would the utterances that crossed the boundaries of propriety ever come out of Nan Ning Wang¡¯s mouth like that? Wu Xi could no longer care about his wish about pricking Jing Qi with the poisoned needle that he had moments ago ¡ª after calling Ping An and the fake A Xin Lai over to help prop the man up to his feet, he said: ¡°I am taking him back. Both of you, please help yourself.¡± He Yunxing¡¯s loud refusal of ¡°No. The winner has not been decided yet!¡± was completely ignored. Su Qingluan hurriedly turned to a little maid who was waiting on the side and ordered: ¡°In this autumn weather, when the dews descend, one will certainly catch a cold. Go and call a carriage.¡± Wu Xi slightly pursed his lips together: he was quite unsure how to arrange this situation for Jing Qi, and whether it was a good idea to sit in the carriage prepared by this woman. Before that night, he had always felt that Su Qingluan was not only very beautiful but also very pitiful. By intuition, he had never particularly liked her, nor had he been willing to come to approach her; however, Wu Xi occasionally pondered about how much agony her heart had to suffer because the Crown Prince, who already had her, yet because of her low status, had chosen to marry someone else. Thus, there were always some feelings of sympathy that Wu Xi had for her. But after the truth had been learned, at that moment, anything that came from her was an act in his eyes, the kind of falseness that made people scorn, and he did not even bother to spare her a single glance. Then, Wu Xi heard the careless question from Jing Qi, who was wobbling on his feet while being supported by the other two: ¡°Mmm¡­ Carriage? What carriage? Are there any beauties inside?¡± Su Qingluan had no other choice but to coax him: ¡° Yes, anything that Your Royal Highness wants will be there.¡± Jing Qi started to laugh: ¡°Good, good, sitting in the carriage¡­ with the beauty in my embrace, I will get on¡­¡± Then, he wriggled out of the support and insisted on going outside. Wu Xi could only chase after him. Su Qingluan personally led both of them to the gate where the two carriages had already been waiting, and it was unclear whether they had soon been neatly arranged or not. From the beginning, she was afraid that Jing Qi would open his mouth to demand the person, thus having brought the other maiden along. However, little could she have expected that as soon as they walked out of the gate, a blast of wintry air immediately struck, and that troublesome, disgraceful young prince who then even became unable to tell one direction from another immediately broke away from Ping An and ¡°A Xin Lai¡±, throwing himself directly at Wu Xi, his hand lifting the other person¡¯s chin up as he let out wicked laugh: ¡°Beauty, come back with me¡­ I¡­ I will never ever mistreat you¡­¡± 2 Wu Xi¡¯s face finally flushed into the shade of crimson. With one hand raised, he was going to swing a strike on the back of Jing Qi¡¯s neck, making this person faint before dragging him back ¡ª fortunately, such a plan was halted by those people around him. Jing Qi, who clearly did not even want his own life, clutched at the other person¡¯s robes, unwilling to let go. Su Qingluan could only helplessly tell the young maiden to stay back while letting Jing Qi pull Wu Xi into the same carriage. CH 30 As soon as the carriage turned at the street corner, the coachman started to significantly slow down the vehicle. All of a sudden, he felt the coldness against his neck. The coachman quivered, realizing a dagger had already been held to his throat, its blade glistened in pallid light as the person behind him spoke softly: ¡°Stop the carriage.¡± The coachman dared not to disobey: shivering in trepidation, he pulled the carriage over and halted on the side of the road. Tracing a circle on the skin of the other person¡¯s neck with his dagger, the finely dressed young man who had been mad drunk to the point of failing to distinguish between men and women just moments ago showed not even a single hint of inebriety. With a beaming face, he kicked the coachman off the carriage ¡ª without waiting for the latter to struggle up, several figures immediately leapt out, pushed the man against the ground, and muzzled him. Jing Qi gave the coachman an appraising look while playing with the dagger in his hand; then, he turned to some of the imperial guards and said: ¡°Brother Zishu has already found out about the route this man was going to take us. There is no more use keeping him. Just save us some trouble and kill him.¡± Heeding his order, one of the imperial guards stepped forward and drew the sword from his waist. With utmost desperation, the coachman immediately struggled to break free, and whether it was coincidental or not, the gag in his mouth fell out amidst all the writhing and floundering. The coachman wailed: ¡°Your Royal Highness, please spare my life! This lowly one was merely hired by that woman. I don¡¯t know anything¡­ Your Royal Highness, please spare my life!¡± The guard halted his steps and looked at Jing Qi as if he was waiting for further command. Jing Qi gave a few impatient waves of his sleeve: ¡°Who are you trying to fool? You really thought that I was too drunk, didn¡¯t you? That Su Qingluan is Helian Qi¡¯s person ¡ª at this point, if she, as his secret informer, was planning to silence us, would she even be able to afford to do this kind of rash and shallow thing like paying for an assassin? Kill him! Make sure that he is not screaming ¡ª hearing that only annoys me further.¡± The coachman hurriedly added: ¡°Your Royal Highness, you have misunderstood. This lowly one is really not the Second Prince¡¯s person. I originally was a minor Taoist priest from Huai Xu temple. It was Black Sorcerer Master who instructed me to do so¡­¡± ¡°Just now you said that was a woman. Not a single word coming out of this mouth is the truth. What are you all dawdling about? Are you taking my words as a joke? Cut him up!¡± A barrage of overlapping sounds gushed out from the coachman¡¯s mouth: ¡°The Black Sorcerer leader is also a woman ah¡­ Ahhhhhh sir, please spare my life! Sir, please spare my life!¡± Even Wu Xi was somewhat caught off guard: he had also never seen this mysterious Black Sorcerer leader, thus motioned to the guard with a wave of his hand: ¡°Let us hear from him first. You are saying, the Black Sorcerer leader is a woman?¡± With the blade of the guard hovering less than a palm¡¯s length above his head, the coachman was terrified to the point of nearly peeing in his pants, thus he hurriedly answered: ¡°Yes, yes¡­ Black Sorcerer Master has already begun to doubt His Highness the Second Prince. I eavesdropped on their group secretly discussing how they suspected that the Second Prince had been confining them in the temple due to his fear of them inviting troubles and implicating him. Also¡­ they also said that in the future, His Highness the Second Prince would definitely kill them to cover his tracks. Black Sorcerer Master then came up with a plan, ordering me to deceive Miss Qingluan by borrowing the name of the Second Prince and make her keep a close watch on Your Royal Highness¡¯s and Young Sorcerer¡¯s whereabouts. Then, they would kill both of you and take their leave without any notice so that His Highness would be unable to track them down¡­¡± YOU''LL ALSO LIKE Those Days of Saving The School Heartthrob (... 49.1K1.8K Paid Story The Painter''s Apprentice 139K3.5K Lantern: Reflection of the Peach Blossoms 8.6K192 Jin Se - Priest [English Fan Translation BL... 7.8K293 Way to Charm Your Rival 1.8K44 ¹Å¶­ÏÂɽ (ENGLISH: Old Fogey Goes Down The Mount... 11.7K643 WFYO - reupload 86.8K3.9K ¡°Kill¡­ us?¡± Wu Xi narrowed his eyes. A faint, derisive laugh emitted from Jing Qi¡¯s lips, Even ¡°came up with a plan¡±? This Black Sorcerer is seriously a killer coming from a village ¡ª as long as they were not making a scene, how would the Second Helian who has been mooning days and nights away about attaining eternal youth, obsessed with trickery and heterodoxy like that be willing to throw everything away and make any move against them? One can be afraid that he will actually be humiliated into rage after this incident. And that Su Qingluan too ¡ª the beautiful face indeed came at the expense of her wits. ¡°Yes¡­ it¡¯s true. Madam Black Sorcerer had an order for Miss Qingluan, and that was to make sure everyone rode the carriage I operated. Afterwards, I would take your group to the small road outside of Cheng Wu Gate; and with three stripes of my rod as the signal, they would raid on altogether. And¡­ and she even said, this time, since they were going for a full-scale attack, even the heavenly king would not be able to dodge. Then, once the killing was done, they would take advantage of the night and flee.¡± Jing Qi and Wu Xi exchanged a glance; the former then drew a deep breath and gave his temples a few rubs before saying with a smile: ¡°It truly is¡­that man proposes but Heaven disposes. Oh dear, if I had soon known it would turn out this way, I would have not asked you to go find Helian Zhao and make compromises for the greater goals from the first place¡­¡± The coachman looked at them, his body quaking in fear: ¡°Y...y...your¡­ Your Royal Highness, this lowly one I¡­¡± Jing Qi tilted his head and cast a glance at the man: ¡°You what? I only scared you for a bit and you have already confessed everything. Now I obviously will have to silence you for good.¡± As soon as he motioned to the imperial guards with his eyes, one of them immediately went to gag the coachman once again, along with a strike of his blade¡­ Without even bothering to look at the pile of rotten flesh on the ground that no longer carried any breath of life, he turned to Wu Xi and asked with a smile: ¡°Young Sorcerer, are you ready to battle the enemy?¡± Wu Xi had soon taken his hook out; a wintry smile grazed his lips, and there was not a single utterance. Not too long after, the warriors from the Sorcerer¡¯s Residence brought by A Xin Lai arrived to join them. Jing Qi left a few imperial guards with Wu Xi before taking Ping An along and going back through a different route. After all, this was Nanjiang people¡¯s affair ¡ª given the sense of pride that Wu Xi embraced, all the meddling Jing Qi himself had partaken here was more than enough. The Black Sorcerers had been lying in ambush for quite a long time. The autumn night dews had already formed in the air, seeming to almost descend but yet to fall; despite the bitter coldness that was piercing one¡¯s bones, they were still waiting, motionlessly, as if they had not felt any of that. It was unclear how much time had passed until the tottering carriage finally emerged into their view from amidst the vast enshrouding fog of the imperial city. Still, the Black Sorcerers had yet to rush and make any move. They continued to patiently wait for the carriage to approach close until they could clearly discern the familiar appearance of the coachman. The coachman then raised the whip in his hand, held it poised in the air, and struck it down three times in crisp loudness ¡ª It was time for the hunt. Twenty-three of the Black Sorcerers synchronously leapt out; the coachman immediately tumbled down from the carriage, his body trembling as he went to hide in the corner of the wall, unnoticed by anyone. The carriage soon turned into a hedgehog, pierced with poisoned arrows, leaving the person inside not even enough time to let out a miserable scream as they went to see the King of Hell right at once. It was not until this moment that the twenty-fourth person started to come out from the shadows, whose entire body was swathed in pitch-blackness; however, from that physique, one could still tell that was a woman. She then personally walked over to the carriage and lifted its curtain: the smell of blood immediately assailed her nostrils, and there was only a dead man inside the carriage. With her heart constricted in apprehension, the woman vaguely felt that something was not right. Thus, she grabbed the dead body by the hair and dragged it out of the vehicle ¡ª the assassins nearly screeched in horror, and that was because the dead man was precisely the coachman who had just rolled off the carriage earlier! Supposing that the actual coachman had been dead, who was the one with his exact same face just then?! The woman immediately released the corpse from her grasp ¡ª but who could have thought that this body would mysteriously sit up all of a sudden, its bloodstained blue hand grabbed onto her wrist! Someone cried out: ¡°The Crimson Corpse Poison!¡± At a lightning speed, the woman¡¯s hand turned into the shade of purple ¡ª her decision rapidly arrived, and she used the sword to cut off her own hand at once, her blood spattered several feet (1) away. She shrieked: ¡°Go!¡±2 The footfalls echoed through the empty crossroads as the Nanjiang warriors charged forward from all directions ¡ª blended amongst those fighters was the enigmatic ¡°coachman¡± with an indescribably eerie smile hung on his face, as if that layer of skin was merely a flimsy painted work. Cheng Wu Gate ¡ª this was the place where the ancestors of Da Qing had beheaded the last emperor of the previous dynasty; when Emperor Taizong (2) staged his overthrow, he had also ended the life of his brother at this same location. Under the reign of the late emperor, the Great General Zheng Si was suspected of plotting treason and assembling his personal army, thereby presenting a threat to his late Majesty¡¯s regime; he then was tricked into arriving at this place, where he and his rebel troops were shot to death by a torrent of arrows firing upon. Zheng Si, albeit with a body full of arrows piercing through, continued treading forward for ten more steps before shouting aloud: ¡°Heaven and Earth are ruthless; benighted ruler caused my ruins.¡± Underneath their feet, there were eighty-one slates of three-foot-long and three-foot-wide emerald slabstones, each and every crack in between tainted with blood that could never be cleansed. The victor is king, the loser perishes: this was the onslaught where one thrived on another¡¯s death. From corner to corner, the capital of His Majesty might have sunken in deep slumber, or perhaps they were still reveling in ardor. The woman¡¯s blood puddled on the ground, and she knew that she no longer had a path to retreat ¡ª everyone else had died, leaving her to be the only one left. Both of her hands had been cut off, one was executed by herself, and the other was slashed off by her opponent during the fight. She helplessly watched the young man whose body was half-covered in blood walking towards her, step by step. He stared down at her, his form towering, then gently reached for her veil and removed it from her face. Wu Xi said: ¡°Who would have thought that I was fortunate enough to witness the true face of the Black Sorcerer Master.¡± The woman let out an anguished laugh. The moment she opened her mouth for words, Wu Xi, without any warning, seized her abruptly and tightly by the neck. The woman¡¯s shrill laughter came to an immediate halt; gradually, her eyes began to protrude from the sockets ¡ª the face that was once considered beautiful, little by little, grew into a violet shade, her two legs thrashing convulsively, and her throat trembling with each quackish sound. Wu Xi continued, his voice wintry: ¡°I know that inside the body of every Black Sorcerer exists a poisonous insect called ''Mole Cricket of Vengeance''. When the host is about to die, this poisonous insect will come out of their throat, its speed as fast as lightning. Any person who happens to touch it will immediately die by decomposing into mush. The only technique to handle this thing is to grasp its host tightly by the throat, causing the insect to die from suffocation inside, just like this¡­¡± The woman¡¯s eyes widened lifelessly, her body immobile, and a burst of rotten stench gushed out. All of a sudden, her chest began to melt ¡ª first was her clothes, followed by her flesh, and finally, revealed was the sight of her white bones, whose decaying speed was even visible to one¡¯s naked eyes. Wu Xi then gently relinquished his hold, letting that woman¡¯s remains fall on the ground before continuing: ¡°So that the poisonous insect and its host will be doomed to the same fate, turning into water together.¡± After wiping off the blood on the hook with his robes, he beckoned Nu A Ha and A Xin Lai over: ¡°Clean up this place. Do not leave behind any traces.¡± There approached another person driving the carriage. As soon as Wu Xi climbed up, a thought seemed to have crossed his mind, thus he gazed over at Lu Yu who had been disguised as the coachman. The latter had yet to regain his calm from all the brutality and bloodiness of this onslaught by these Nanjiang people as his eyes were filled with awe. Wu Xi nodded at Lu Yu and spoke, weariness tinged his voice: ¡°Please send words of gratitude to Young Master Zhou on my behalf. No matter how he is going to settle this with Nan Ning Wang, after all, I will still owe him a favor. In the future, if I can ever be of help, do not hesitate to ask.¡± Lu Yu hunched over and gave Wu Xi a very deep bow: it was not until that moment that he had finally acquired his true understanding of the Young Sorcerer ¡ª the kind of person this future ruler of Nanjiang was. That person would be the recipient of worship and admiration from more than hundreds of thousands of people as if he was a deity. Even though he was stranded on a foreign land, and still a young man who had yet to become full-fledged, he would absolutely not tolerate a look of contempt from anyone. The people of the magnificent forests and lofty mountains where leaves covered the sky and blanketed the earth would be the most loyal as friends and the most ruthless as foes. By the time Wu Xi returned to the Sorcerer¡¯s Residence, it was almost dawn. After a cursory wash to clean off all the remnant traces of blood, wine, and pungent smell of rouge from his body, he retreated to his bed. From underneath the pillow, the little snake slithered its way out, intimately coiled itself up, and rested next to him as if to bring to his side a fragment of warmth. Perhaps it was because exhaustion had taken over, or perhaps the fuzzy feelings of worries had no longer resided in his mind, as soon as Wu Xi¡¯s head and the pillow came into contact, he immediately sank into a deep slumber. It was unsure why amidst the haziness, Wu Xi somehow found himself standing outside a carved wooden door ¡ª he could only tell that this door felt remarkably familiar to him, yet for a moment, the answer had escaped from his mind. He pushed the door open: there was a large bed inside the room, its curtains down, and in dim outline there sat quietly a person behind. All of a sudden, Wu Xi felt his throat somewhat tighten ¡ª slowly and steadily, he walked over to one side of the curtains, his heart beating faster and faster. He then lifted the curtain, little by little, and found the person sitting behind with a face that he was unable to make clear of ¡ª yet, deep in his heart, the only thing he felt was how beautiful this person was. The strange thing was, the other had a full head of white hair, spreading across and covering the entire bed like a snowdrift. Wu Xi leaned down, tenderly picked up a wisp of the other man¡¯s hair, and held it in his hand. All of a sudden, the man reached over and wrapped his arms around Wu Xi¡¯s neck, his faintly cold lips alighting on the tip of Wu Xi¡¯s nose and at the corners of his mouth, a whiff of fragrance rushing into his nostrils. Albeit this feeling of somewhat familiarity, Wu Xi still could not recall who that person was ¡ª lost in the mind that had grown even more addled, he gave in to his impulses and reached out his arms to embrace the other man¡¯s body, holding him down¡­3 ----- End of Chapter 30 ----- Translator¡¯s notes: (1) Chinese foot, or Chi (³ß) = ? meter = 1.094 ft. (2)Taizong (Ì«×Ú) is the posthumous name given to the second emperor of a dynasty. CH 31 Stranded at a place where he had no kin to turn to and where danger lurked at every step, Wu Xi seemed to have always lacked a sense of security since birth. He was not fond of coming into contact with other people, and even if the conversations were absolutely essential, he would keep it as brief as possible ¡ª but there was only one thing that could make him loosen up a little: familiarity. He did not know the reason why, but when it came to that white-haired man, there was a strong feeling of intimacy as if it had been carved deep in his bones. Even though the face of the other person was hardly visible in his view, he could feel that he had known this man for a very long, long time ¡ª long enough to the point that when his palm came into contact with the other''s slender body, there surged a peculiar yet hidden kind of excitement and joy in his heart.3 Amidst the hazy state of mind, Wu Xi was guided by the other man, and, like a little animal, he gave in to his impulses to nibble at that person''s skin, lightly and finely, as he brought their bodies together in entanglement with much eagerness, wanting to be closer and closer to him, even just a little more. Beyond the blinds was the cold autumn frost, behind the curtains bloomed a warm spring dream.2 Never once that Wu Xi had gone through such an experience: his soul seemed to have escaped from the body and floated up in the air, and next to his ears rang a faint laugh. He looked over with an attentive gaze ¡ª in that flashing instant, the face of that white-haired man seemed to have somewhat become more distinct; the pair of peach-blossom eyes brimming with laughter crashed into his heart. Startled, Wu Xi woke up in suddenness. The sky was already glowing bright. On the bedding, there was something sticky and moist ¡ª Wu Xi got up, his mind still immersed in the dream that felt too real from just a moment ago, bewildered.2 Since medicine and poison had never been separated from the beginning with, if there was any incurable illness in his clan, the Great Sorcerer would undertake this responsibility and bring the patient from the herbal physician''s place back. Naturally, Wu Xi knew exactly what kind of thing that was: Fei Cui Court was a pleasure house, thus, albeit having never been there prior to this, he had heard that in order to liven things up for the guests, at these places, a moderate amount of arousal-inducing incense would be utilized. The effect was rather mild ¡ª in theory, it should have not left much impact. However, considering that he was at the age of entering one''s full vigor, it would be normal for him to experience such a dream. Wu Xi understood that, at most, this was only a proof that he had grown into a normal adult male ¡ª yet, it didn''t necessarily mean that he would not feel embarrassed. Especially when those eyes of unparalleled familiarity that belonged to the man in his dream came back to his mind. As soon as he thought about that, all the details, from the fragrance that could only be faintly discerned, to the quiet, indistinct chuckle of that person, seemed to have already been traced back to the source. Wu Xi propped his forehead on one hand, a low groan left his lips. He felt that this dream was completely absurd. Why did it have to be that person? Indeed, he really liked Jing Beiyuan ¡ª although he did not say these words out loud, but if he had not liked the other man, he would have not squandered that much of his time keeping that person company and going to places that he could never see himself fit into. Since he was a child, the Grand Sorcerer had taught him to remember all the good deeds other people did to him: if someone treated him well, even just for a little, he ought to repay their kindness twice as much. YOU''LL ALSO LIKE Those Days of Saving The School Heartthrob (... 49.1K1.8K Paid Story The Painter''s Apprentice 139K3.5K Lantern: Reflection of the Peach Blossoms 8.6K192 Jin Se - Priest [English Fan Translation BL... 7.8K293 Way to Charm Your Rival 1.8K44 ¹Å¶­ÏÂɽ (ENGLISH: Old Fogey Goes Down The Mount... 11.7K643 WFYO - reupload 86.8K3.9K Nu A Ha once told him, the reason why those people whom Wu Xi had chased away before did not come back to stir up trouble was because Ping An from Nan Ning Wang''s Residence had quietly given him a hand to arrange everything. There were countless other times put together, and it was not that Wu Xi was ungrateful ¡ª in his heart, he also already regarded Jing Beiyuan as his best friend. Whatever that person requested , as long as Wu Xi was capable of doing, he would be willing to risk his life to accomplish. But... no matter how favorable my impression of this person is, Jing Beiyuan is still a man! Wu Xi was truly too simple ¡ª despite having witnessed numerous extravagant and lustful affairs after his arrival in the capital city, in the end, his understanding was still awfully limited. Although Jing Qi wasn''t very reliable, it was not to the point where he would bring a young man still in his teenage years to the filthy sorts of places ¡ª the "Night Creation of the Orchid Chamber" from the evening before was indeed Wu Xi''s very first visit to the red-lantern district. Hence, Wu Xi had no clue that two streets and thirty steps from Fei Cui Court existed another place called "Huang Hua House" where their guests would not be served by the ladies but boys with pretty faces and fine brows, fully covered in rouge and powder. Jing Qi told him about the political landscapes from ancient to recent and also the path that allowed one do anything and everything unhindered, however, he had forgotten to mention about the "household" affairs of emperors and princes ¡ª such as how Helian Qi had a specific manor to keep more than a dozen of "talented and beautiful" young men, or how the older those ministers become, the more they would take liking in young girls. Needless to mention about other people, just inside the residence of Minister Jian, Jian Sizong, alone there was already a bunch of eleven- and twelve-year-old adoptive daughters.1 Compared to that, it was rather too nitpicking of Master Lu Shen for fiercely remonstrating with His Highness the Crown Prince upon the latter''s occasional visit at Miss Su''s place to just listen to a few songs. Thus, at that moment, Wu Xi felt nothing but utter haziness about life. He kept reminding himself over and over again that it was simply a dream, a misunderstanding that arose from the taint of incense at that wanton place that was worsened by Jing Qi''s feigned-drunken, importunate pestering. But the more he thought about this, the more he could not resist but compare the man from his dream last night with Jing Qi: that pair of smiling eyes, the long and slender brows that curved towards his sideburns, the intrepidly straight nose, the slightly pale lips, the warm body, the cold fingers, and even the waist with resilient limberness...4 Wu Xi somewhat suspected that he himself had gone into qi deviation ¡ª even until when A Xin Lai, realizing that his master hadn''t gotten up yet, came to knock on the door with the thought that the other had fallen ill, he still had yet to snap back to reality. By afternoon of that day, during the usual time when he would come to Jing Qi''s place to sit for a while, Wu Xi, at last, committed a very shameful act ¡ª¡ª avoiding. Yet, Jing Qi was worried about whether he had gotten hurt last night, even specifically sending Ping An over to the Sorcerer''s Residence to inquire after his health ¡ª Wu Xi thus only used the lousy excuse, "I''ve caught a cold last night," to get away with it. He genuinely could not figure out how to face this friend at all. Jing Qi also did not take notice, nor was he aware of the "youthful affection" the other person was embracing, and that was because there were more important matters for him to take care of ¡ª for example, plotting the next move with Zhou Zishu to figure out how to handle Su Qingluan''s incident. By then, Zhou Zishu had already sent someone to keep a close watch on Su Qingluan. Last night, Wu Xi''s group carried out their acts in an extremely swift and organized fashion. Having waited for the corpses to be disposed and the scene to be cleaned up, Lu Yu, before heading back, made sure that when the morning came, no one among the passers-by could realize that just a few hours ago, at that Cheng Wu Gate, twenty something people had been quietly wiped out without a single trace. For the time being, the questions were how to deal with Su Qingluan and whether they were supposed to tell Helian Yi or not. Even then, it would not be long until Helian Qi realized that the band of Black Sorcerers whom he kept all these times had disappeared into thin air, and whether Su Qingluan had the brain to escape his suspicion was another question. There were too many things that were still up in the air. Lu Shen, after having entered his career in court for several years and even joining the Ministry of Revenue upon his leave at the Imperial Academy, had become considerably more clever and diplomatic in his way of dealing with people ¡ª but after all, he was still a man of integrity. He Yunxing had the youthful zeal and vigor, unfortunately, his personal character was overly straightforward. Hence, these kinds of matters could only be discussed between Zhou Zishu and Jing Qi. They both came to a conclusion that the truth about Su Qingluan''s identity could not come from them: the Crown Prince, luckily, was also a wise man, and it''d be better for him to realize that himself. These kinds of affairs that involved love and romance were the most intricate ¡ª although Helian Yi was only the heir apparent to the throne, his heart was inscrutable, and with regard to this point, Jing Qi could not be more familiar. At the moment, the best tactics would be to meet any changes with constancy: first was to pretend like nothing had happened on their side in order to avoid stirring the grass and startling the snake, then wait and see how Su Qingluan would react. Who could have thought that the Black Sorcerers would end up giving them a hand in this matter. The leader of their group who had soon suspected that Helian Qi was harboring ill intention began to devise her plan. In order to destroy all ties, they inflicted gu poison (1) upon all the insiders who had come into contact with them during their stay at the Taoist temple, completely undetected. As soon as they departed from that place, the poison was immediately activated ¨C only the dead could best keep the secret. But Su Qingluan''s value only lasted until they could kill Wu Xi ¨C to those Black Sorcerers, such a weak and fragile woman like her could be effortlessly sent to death with one slash of their blade right before departure. This early caution in their arrangement rendered Helian Qi completely unable to fathom how those Black Sorcerers had gone missing ¡ª he even thought that they had left without bidding farewell; meanwhile, it was an oversight that allowed Su Qingluan''s life to be spared. Thus, at that point, as long as Su Qingluan was not foolish enough to bring herself to Helian Qi and admit her mistake, this matter would conclude right here. Su Qingluan was able to evade the mishap from that side, yet, over here, the moment she caught Jing Qi''s sight, she would immediately begin to tremble in fright ¨C it was just that she didn''t breathe a single word about anything, and Jing Qi was blithely playing along with his act and immersing in the role of a good-for-nothing, prodigal playboy. After a long time, Su Qingluan became truly convinced that the Black Sorcerers had walked into the misfortune themselves, and that no one had found out about her, thus, eventually, was able to retrieve a peace of mind. This sort of affairs which involved colluding with the Black Sorcerers was something that could never leave Helian Qi''s mouth, much less to be vaunted with a grand, showy display; as a result, he could only hold his tongue and suffer this loss. No one could have expected, however, that something would happen again in court right at that moment, which allowed His Highness the Second Prince to think that he had stumbled upon an opportunity to unleash all his wrath that had been pent up during that entire time. Jing Qi originally wanted to go check on Wu Xi as he was unsure why this child had been hiding from him for some time ¡ª who would have thought that before his feet could even cross the gate, he had already been snatched away by an urgent letter from the palace. Since when did His Majesty, who had always holed up in the chambers of imperial concubines, have to rush and summon the court officials? This time, it must have been a major event ¡ª however, Jing Qi truly could not recall what exactly was supposed to happen. Oh well, no one can do anything this time ¡ª let''s get into the palanquin then. Helian Yi was already there when Jing Qi arrived at the palace ¡ª he shook his head at the younger man, a rather solemn expression worn on his countenance. After paying respect to Helian Pei, he walked over to stand beside Helian Yi and quietly whispered his question. Helian Yi lowered his voice and answered: "Something happened in Liangguang." That gave Jing Qi a jolt; only then that he finally recalled what had happened this year ¨C as the summer flooding occurred in the south, the victims, noticing that the winter was approaching close and rendered survival impossible, resorted to riots. During this time in his past life, it was precisely Jing Qi who was devising plans on behalf of Helian Yi while beginning to wield the actual power in court. Although the uprising in Liangguang was a major event, he was not overseeing the matter ¡ª it was actually Helian Qi who had besought to be sent there as an imperial envoy. The uprising of these victims was not simply a problem about the flooding, but rather about how from the top down, starting with Viceroy Liao Zhendong of Liangguang, everyone had flagrantly defied both heaven and the laws to pervert justice for bribes, even selling ranks, bartering titles, increasing tax on their own, and going great lengths to do all sorts of wicked things ¡ª that was exactly the reason why unrest was incited among the people, and not to mention how there existed a mastermind who instigated the situation, causing the rising tide of violence to worsen. That Liangguang land was of great distance from the capital, and with a bunch of officials shielding one another, the entire problem had become much more twisted and complicated to handle. This job was extremely messy ¡ª if done well, the person was merely fulfilling their duty; but with one wrong move, grave trouble would befall. That very year, Helian Qi had begged to offer himself for this job due to no other reason but the fact that Liao Zhendong''s chief support at the capital city, as luck would have it, was his very own eldest brother, Helian Zhao. Later on, it was also Helian Qi who added fuel to the fire, thus, Helian Pei, in an outburst of anger, ordered Helian Zhao to be placed in confinement, which essentially stripped him from his luck for the throne. And just like that, the First Prince''s faction was never able to revive after the collapse. Jing Qi felt a chill in his heart: he had been keeping a low profile all his life and only operating in the dark; the chess piece had long been buried next to Helian Zhao along with his hope to bring it out for the fight against Helian Qi one day. If things were to be thrown into a tumult like that, I am afraid it will be difficult to make the next move. Today, I will absolutely not allow Helian Qi to go to the south as he wishes. It did not take long until Helian Zhao, Helian Qi, the Six Ministers, and all the senior officials were fully present. Helian Pei then ordered Eunuch Xi to bring the urgent report from Liangguang so that they could all look through it at once, his face overcast with silent somberness. As expected, when the gathering of people was roused into commotion and began to discuss statecraft and how to resolve this problem, Helian Qi was the first person who stepped forward. Helian Qi said: "Imperial Father, since ancient times, it has always been the officials who exploit and infuriate the people into rebellion. Liangguang is a remote location, and Imperial Father is residing in the capital, which makes supervising them difficult. Thus, it is inevitable there would exist these corrupt and fawning officials who ride roughshod over their people, being a horse that brings trouble to its herd. This is a matter of utmost urgency, and it is imperative to first mobilize troops to subdue the violence, then appoint someone as an Imperial Envoy to do a thorough investigation of the cause, give the public a justifying answer and the officials what they deserve. That will greatly calm the people''s agitated hearts." Helian Pei raised an eyebrow and asked: "You tell me, who should go investigate this?" Jing Qi caught a glimpse of the man from the corner of his eye, all sorts of thoughts whirling around in his head ¡ª refuting words were already on the verge of passing his lips. Yet unexpectedly, Helian Qi answered: "I think that it is a tremendous honour for one to investigate corrupt officials for the sake of the nation and the people, and it is just right when we have the new promising talents joining the court, this can serve as a great learning experience. Nan Ning Wang has been astute since birth, a talent despite his young age ¡ª since the day he started attending court and contributing to state affairs, everything has been done with devotion and diligence. In due time, he will certainly become the pillar of our Da Qing nation. Thus, I would like to make my bold recommendation." Helian Yi was appalled ¡ª in a subconscious attempt, he reached out one arm to pull Jing Qi back yet his grasp had failed him. Meanwhile, Jing Qi had already taken one step forward, calm and unaffected: "Much gratitude to His Highness the Second Prince for the praises and consideration. Your Subject is willing to risk life and limb to fulfill this duty. I plead to Your Majesty to issue the decree." Helian Pei pondered for a moment ¡ª obviously, in the eyes of this ruler, the so-called "uprising in Liangguang" was merely a mob wanting to stir up some trouble. Based on what Helian Qi had suggested just then, it would not be any major issue to dispatch troops to suppress the riots, and he could use this opportunity to capture a few corrupt officials. This was nothing that one could not afford doing, not to mention it would become a great achievement in their political career. It was also a good idea to borrow this chance to send this child, who only knew how to idle away in the life of pleasure all day long without being able to accomplish anything proper, to the outside world to train himself ¡ª if this kid was able to become someone worthy of respect, it would be considered that he had not let Jing Lianyu down. Helian Yi could tell with a glance that his glutenous, good-for-nothing father was about to do something senseless, thus hastily spoke: "Imperial Father, this... I am afraid that Beiyuan is too young to convince the crowds." At the same time, he motioned to Jing Qi with a wink, hinting that the other ought to be sensible of the situation and not try to wade into this muddy waters anymore. Little did he know that the remark the Second Helian went on about was exactly what Jing Qi desired ¡ª the young Nan Ning Wang stood there like a blind man, persistently unable to see His Highness the Crown Prince''s gaze full of worries. Indeed, one couldn''t care less, and one was anxious to death... Helian Qi operated the calculation in his mind with exceptional shrewdness ¡ª with Helian Zhao as the mainstay of Liang Guang officials, when Jing Qi went there, would he choose to set things right or wallow in the mire with them? If the former was the case, he and Helian Zhao would undoubtedly fall out, and Helian Yi would as well be dragged along into the water: amidst the strife between these two factions, to Helian Qi, the gains would ultimately be his. And if the latter was the case... one could only fear that, while other people could forgive, His Highness the Crown Prince who donned a face of perfect impartiality all day long would be the first one unable to spare him. Thus, Helian Qi rejoined with a smile: "Those words of the Crown Prince, I beg to differ. Corrupt and sycophant officials are borers of a nation, and anyone has the right to punish them. What qualifications and experience does one even need? Your Royal Highness, what is your thought on this?" "It is exactly what Your Highness the Second Prince said." Jing Qi was far beyond coordinating with Helian Yi, "In ancient times, there used to be a twelve-year-old Prime Minister. Although Beiyuan has no talent, I am willing to follow the footsteps of distinguished predecessors, serving the state and the people." Helian Pei burst into laughter: "Good! Good, good! You have ambition! Someone, come! Issue the decree¡ª" CH 32 While Helian Pei was very pleased as he issued that decree, Jing Qi who received it was even more elated ¡ª however, this pair of one old man and one young lad made Helian Qi whose heart had been reveling with joy no longer happy. He then started to mull over the matter, his eyes scanning over Jing Qi in appraisal. There was a certain thing about this young man Nanning Wang that he could not fathom, and it was even more so as Jing Qi, whose ploys were nothing but a question to others, began to approach Helian Zhao in broad daylight as well as hidden in the shadow, spurring vigilance in the hearts of both Helian Qi and Taoist Li. However, these two also thought it was just themselves trapped in their groundless fears ¡ª whether this was truly a lucky coincidence or a plan that this young Nanning Wang had deliberately plotted all along, they would never be able to tell. Regardless, having a presence at the imperial court was like treading on thin ice: from the very first place, Helian Qi''s way of doing things had always been ''better leave them all dead rather than letting one escape''. While all the people present at that moment already knew something was fishy about the Liangguang incident, about which they dared not to breathe a word, who would have thought the emperor and this future imperial envoy seemed to be the only ones whose minds were still basking in optimism. The moment Jing Qi left Helian Pei''s place, he immediately sprinted out of the palace lest he be caught by Helian Yi ¡ª at the end, the face of His Highness the Crown Prince, who had always acted with much staidness and prudence, could be considered to have turned into all sorts of hues and shades. Too bad, one could never escape from his doom, and Helian Yi had acted faster than him. As soon as Jing Qi arrived at the gate of the palace, the palanquin that had been waiting there for him, was already in sight, along with a row of imperial guards standing in front, whose formation was arranged in the robbing-traveler type of fashion, "Want to pass this road? Put the money down first." Jing Qi forced a smile; with grand composure that showed no attempt to run nor hide, he slowed down and proceeded forward, his words full of reverence as he halted in front of the palanquin: "May I offer my greetings to Your Highness the Crown Prince." "Get over here for me!" Someone over there completely forgot using the honorific "gu" (1): it is thus clear that his wrath is not to be taken lightly at all. Jing Qi felt his nose and obediently dawdled over toward the palanquin before being forcibly yanked in by a hand reached out from inside. Jing Qi staggered for a moment; had he not grabbed onto the door of the palanquin, he would have landed prone on the ground and prostrate at the feet of Helian Yi''s in admiration. With utmost caution, Jing Qi threw a glance at the face shrouded in raging gale and rising storms of His Highness the Crown Prince; therefore, he felt that the best choice at that moment was to put on an act of sincerity, with eyes, nose, and mouth watching out for each other. Helian Yi glared at him once, his face wintry, then ordered: "Back to the Eastern Palace." The palanquin of his Highness the Crown Prince was not only large and comfortable but also scented with burning incense ¡ª however, to Jing Qi whose stature, albeit not necessarily stood out like a crane amongst the flock of chickens, could be considered sparingly tall and slender when standing in the crowd, the height of this palanquin was still somewhat on the low. Thus, Jing Qi had to slightly bend his back over while keeping his head down in order to barely manage to stand on his feet ¡ª it ought to be fine momentarily, but after a long time, this position would be rather difficult to bear. Quietly, he peeked over at Helian Yi, only to realize that His Highness the Crown Prince did not even bother to spare him a single glance, as if the latter had actually intended to let him suffer. Thus, Jing Qi could only heave a sigh in his heart and look forward to their speedy return to the Eastern Palace. YOU''LL ALSO LIKE Those Days of Saving The School Heartthrob (... 49.1K1.8K Paid Story The Painter''s Apprentice 139K3.5K Lantern: Reflection of the Peach Blossoms 8.6K192 Jin Se - Priest [English Fan Translation BL... 7.8K293 Way to Charm Your Rival 1.8K44 ¹Å¶­ÏÂɽ (ENGLISH: Old Fogey Goes Down The Mount... 11.7K643 WFYO - reupload 86.8K3.9K As soon as the palanquin totteringly arrived at its destination, Helian Yi immediately strode outside, not even throwing a look at the other man. Jing Qi hurriedly sprinted out of that torturing place and trotted along to keep up with the pace, taking the opportunity to slightly loosen up his sore shoulders while His Highness the Crown Prince was not paying attention. Lu Shen had long been waiting at the study before Helian Yi, seething with anger, stormed inside. The former had yet to get the chance to utter any words of advice, in his uncontrollable rage, the crown prince had already swept everything on the table: all the brushes, the paper, the ink stick and stone, off to the floor. Without sparing a single glance, he then picked up a teacup and hurled it straight at the door; liquid splashed everywhere and shattered pieces strewn all over the places. Jing Qi halted at the threshold, his head lowered as he glanced over the soaked hem of his official robe and said with a bitter smile: "Your Highness, do you want me to listen to your reprimand at the door?" "Roll in here!" Helian Yi said furiously. With utmost obedience, Jing Qi thus "rolled" inside. Lu Shen heaved a sigh; as his gaze landed on Helian Yi''s expression that seemingly wanted to devour someone, he then wisely swallowed back all the "please, calm down" nonsense that was about to leave his mouth. Helian Yi pointed at Jing Qi and stammered "You... You... You..." for a very long time, his hand in a ceaseless tremble. At last, he let out a long, heavy sigh and dropped to his seat dejectedly. Then, with a low voice, he said: "Jing Beiyuan, you want to infuriate me to death, right?" Jing Qi bowed his head, appearing like he had acknowledged his mistake. Helian Yi asked: "Do you know the reason behind the uprising in Liangguang, huh? And what kind of person Liao Zhendong is?" Lu Shen also frowned as he added: "Your Royal Highness, this time you are really too reckless." Jing Qi: "The reason behind Liangguang uprisings was unknown, and that is precisely why His Majesty has ordered Your Subject to go and investigate. However, I do have some understanding about Liao Zhendong''s background. For example, this person was the Tanhua (2) from the imperial examination six years ago; at that time, he was also considered a student of Great Scholar Lu Renqing. Later on, he married the Prefect of Lantai, Wu Junhui''s younger sister, and his career as an official began to prosper subsequently, where he even became the Viceroy of Liangguang." He paused for a moment before resuming: "Wu Junhui did not have much talent, and was even a short-lived soul. This person might have passed away early, but he was the son of Jian Sizong''s sister, Minister Jian''s nephew. The sky is high and the emperor is far, Liangguang is the remote land that is beyond the government''s control. From fishery and waterborne transport to salt trade and farming, anything that is deemed profitable... all became the money tree of that man." The blaze of wrath in Helian Yi''s heart erupted ''whoosh'' at once, he grudgingly snarled under his breath: "So you even know that!" Jing Qi went along and grinned goofily: "Without a fine steel drill, I dare not to take on this porcelain work." (3) "What kind of fine steel drill are you trying to be? Jing Beiyuan, do you even know the immensity of heaven and earth anymore, huh?!" Helian Yi slammed his hand on the table and was angry to the point of being nearly rendered speechless, "You are even aware that that place is where the sky is high and the emperor is far! Those local officials colluded with each other, their relationships are full of twisted intricacy. If I have to use disrespectful words to describe this, it is precisely a metal pail, a small nation within this country. How many years have you lived? How many things have you seen? Aren''t you afraid... Aren''t you afraid of drawing the fire upon yourself?" For a while, Jing Qi was stupefied. He watched Helian Yi, who was scolding him with such stern countenance and irascible voice, with the realization that this person''s dismay was due to the fact that he was actually worried about him. After a long time, Jing Qi let out a heavy sigh: "Your Highness, do you know from which place the First Prince amassed his wealth?" Of course, Helian Yi knew the answer very well in his heart. Since Feng Yuanji''s death, Helian Zhao has repeatedly borrowed all sorts of excuses to have his hands in the military operations. There were also rumors that Helian Zhao''s level of audacity was great enough for him to secretly raise an army, his ill-harbored intention was as clear as daylight. Jing Qi continued: "What if... His Highness the First Prince was imprisoned for plotting rebellion and conspiring against the emperor at this moment, what does Your Highness think your odds of winning against the Second Prince is?" Helian Yi was befuddled. Then he heard Jing Qi''s voice again: "If I don''t go, who will bring justice back to the people of this nation? And even if it was someone else, suppose that they could provide fairness to the people, would Helian Zhao still be able to escape?" Lu Shen was silent for a while before suddenly turning to face Jing Qi with a deep bow: "Your Subject is short-sighted and failed to see beyond the nose; there have been many occasions where I had misunderstanding toward Your Royal Highness." Jing Qi waved his hands, implying he dared not to accept the apology. Helian Yi''s gaze was firmly fixed on him; it wasn''t until a long time after that, in a trembling voice, he asked: "You... did that because of me?" In that flashing moment, Helian Yi suddenly wanted to bring this person into his embrace, suddenly wanted to cast everything about the nation, the people that had been weighing upon his heart aside, so that he could no longer care or hope, nor that he would dare to grow attached. He wanted to say, from now on, no matter if that is knife-like wind or sword-like frost, there is already me who will be shielding you from them all; in this whole life, you are the only one, and I am not afraid of giving up all these lands and rivers for you.1 However, Helian Yi, after all, was still Helian Yi. He shut his eyes lightly and, for a while, sat there without a single sound, stifling his emotions ¡ª those beautiful and charming thoughts were nothing but outlandish wishes of his own: he could not allow it to ruin him, much less letting it destroy that other person. "Even more for the common people of this nation." Jing Qi''s face remained calm and nonchalant as if nothing had ever happened. The sound of sheng like a phoenix''s melody is flying across from the sky of rosy clouds; wondering the name of the player whose house is nearby. (5) Each person carried their own worries, and each had their personal drive to persevere. It wasn''t for Helian Yi that Jing Beiyuan had employed all sorts of intrigues and wiles, and it wasn''t for Jing Beiyuan either that Helian Yi had poured his heart in devising plans. The sentiment existing in that heart was too water-clear and shallow: as soon as the wind blew, it would immediately dissipate without a trace. That melody was indeed rapturous, but beyond the wall was a sky-high distance ¡ª a place that could not be reached no matter what happens. At that moment, Jing Qi could clearly see the disheartened and weary look engraved on Helian Yi''s countenance. In the past three hundred years, there existed no other human being that could understand this man better than him. Yet... Jing Qi ridiculed himself as he thought, suppose that each person had their own shackle, then for the most part, he and Helian Yi had never been bound together with the same chain. That night was destined to be endlessly long... Soon after Jing Qi returned to his residence, Helian Zhao personally came by the door and handed him a sealed envelope of 100,000-liang worth of silver notes as "travel expenses". Helian Zhao also wrote down the names of several people, simply mentioning that they were "old acquaintances", and if Jing Qi encountered any difficulties during his investigation in Liangguang, he could go look for them. There was no longer any trace of haughtiness on the older man''s face: upon the sight of Jing Qi, he began to act with such warmth and affection as if they were actual blood brothers. Helian Yi left the Eastern Palace all by himself and stayed out through the night ¡ª it was not until the following day that he finally returned. After he had gone, Su Qingluan held the white snow-white sheet that had been dappled with a few red plum blossoms into her chest ¡ª in the end, the smile that seemed to have rooted deep into the flesh of her beautiful face finally fell apart, leaving her choked in tears. Within a few days after, Helian Yi already sent his people to secretly purchase another place outside of the palace and brought Su Qingluan over, completely undetected. From then on, the Lady of the Moon, Su Qingluan, whose beauty was the kind that would overthrow cities and ruin states, whose mesmerizing melody on the Wangyue River held the crowds spellbound on that New Year''s Eve was no longer to be seen in the capital city. With a troubled heart and perplexed mind, Wu Xi, in his plain clothing, brought Nu A Ha along and left the manor. As he was aimlessly wandering the street with terrible boredom, Wu Xi suddenly realized that without Jing Qi, no matter how beautiful the sights and how flourishing the capital''s landscapes were, they all ended up being very dull and boring. He continued walking and walking, until his feet finally arrived at Fei Cui Court. It was Fei Cui Court, and no longer the Orchid Chamber ¡ª not even a little attempt to put up the elegant facade touched with graceful literary pursuits was there, as the young ladies with their little tunes were behaving in a way that was beyond provocative, and their entertained guests showered them with boisterous applause. Nu A Ha immediately blushed red at the sight ¡ª this husky, masculine fellow with the back of a tiger and shoulders of a bear clung tightly at Wu Xi''s sleeve and simpered bashfully: "Y... Young Sorcerer, what did you come here for?" The question caught Wu Xi, who was still lost in daze, by surprise. Having yet recollected his own thoughts, he then asked back mindlessly, his words light as feathers: "You tell me... If I don''t know whether I am liking someone or not, what should I do?" Nu A Ha replied: "That is very simple. To like someone is to think about her all the time; whatever she wants, you also want to do it all for her. You always want her to be happy, and any moment of being unable to see her will make you yearn for her..." Wu Xi was stumped for words; his heart seemed to have missed a beat. As soon as Nu A Ha saw such a look from his master, and given that they were standing in front of a location for the conversation, he then naturally misunderstood. The servant was taken aback for a moment before probing with another question: "The person that Young Sorcerer likes... does not seem to have a status that is very compatible?" Wu Xi thought, That person is a grown man, obviously, his status can''t be considered compatible, thus he slightly nodded his head. Nu A Ha''s misunderstanding grew even more serious. He and A Xin Lai were rather different: although A Xin Lai was fierce and upright, he often came off as too simple and impulsive in comparison; Nu A Ha, on the other hand, was somewhat more calm and reliable. After a moment of pondering, he then carefully asked: "Is... that person beautiful? Good-natured? Is she treating you well?" [t/n: Nu A Ha used Ëý (she/her), but it sounds the same as Ëû (he/him) so both misunderstood the gender the other person was referring to] Wu Xi then mused, Since he is a man, his "beauty" is naturally not the female''s kind of soft and gentle beauty; but that person is indeed very good-looking. Of course, his temperament is also good: he always wears a beaming smile on his face, and no matter how much I upset him, he will never get angry at me. Hence, he quietly nodded his head. Nu A Ha raised his head to gaze at the sign of Fei Cui Court and the bevy of young girls who were chirpily welcoming visitors and sending them off like flocks of orioles and swallows. As if he was trying to comfort himself, he said: "A person... can''t be judged based on what is seen on the surface. Sometimes, a person can seem to have an unseeming character on the surface, and the things that they do are also awful; but if she treats you very nicely and wholeheartedly ¡ª words from me are nothing beautiful or remarkable, but in general it is still the same truth." Wu Xi then thought, in his opinion, Jing Qi was indeed horrible sometimes, especially because this person really enjoyed deceiving others: perhaps, to that man, blurting out thoughtless lies and suddenly turning against someone while putting on an act were no different from eating rice or drinking water. But it was because that person had been treating Wu Xi truly, truly well, the young sorcerer nodded: "There are times I feel like he really loves telling lies and fooling people, but he doesn''t like deceiving me. He is also very good to me." Thus Nu A Ha immediately nodded his head and spoke up: "Young Sorcerer, we the Nanjiang people don''t put an emphasis on statuses. As long as you genuinely feel that way about her, and that she is also sincere about you, you can just marry her and bring her home. We will all respect her." Wu Xi stared at the other man, all befuddled ¡ª suddenly he felt that Nu A Ha was a lot more open-minded compared to him. At that moment, a woman''s voice tenderly rippled down from upstairs: "Wishing that I can have your heart; even with white head, we shall not part from this love..."(6)1 Like a hammer, each and every single word struck directly in his heart, straight, and Wu Xi was rendered almost muddleheaded: "Wishing that I can have your heart; even with white head, we shall not part from this love." --- End of chapter 32 --- Translator''s note: (1) ¹Â ( g¨±): lit. meaning is "the orphaned/solitary one"; it is one of several ways that members of the imperial families addressed themselves. Because He Lianyi is the crown prince, he will be using this honorific to address himself throughout the story. (2) ̽»¨ (t¨¤n hu¨¡): Number Three Scholar, a title conferred on the person who ranked third in the highest imperial examination (3) This is an allusion, whose original text is ûÓнð¸Õ×ê,²»¸ÒÀ¿´ÉÆ÷»î (for the novel, Pipi changed ½ð¸Õ×ê = diamond-coated drill to ¾«¸Ö×ê = steel-coated drill). It is basically saying "one doesn''t take on a job without the right tool/skills" (4) This allusion is about how Qin Xiangong (Duke Xiang of Qin) used the statelet of Yu to attack the neighboring vassal state, Western Guo (Xi Guo), during the Zhou Dynasty. (5) These lines were originally from a poem called "Listening to the playing of Sheng from a neighbor home" by Lang Shiyuan. (6) These are well-known lines from the song °×Í·Ò÷ (°×Í· = white hair, Ò÷ = song, chanting) by Zhuo Wenjun, a talented female during the Han Dynasty. CH 33 Prince Nan¡¯ning¡¯s Estate, which had been still for many years, seemed to have become a high-demand sweet cake in the span of a night. Over several days, guests arrived in a continuous stream, heavy carriage traffic right before its gate. Jing Qi, feeling that his face had already gone somewhat stiff from smiling, thus sighed in lament. Leaning on the doorway and selling smiles to entertain the guests coming and going all the time was indeed a variety of physical toil. Wu Xi, upon circling back from that day with Nuahar below Jadeite, couldn¡¯t sleep a wink at night, as he thought that the man had made sense. So long as there was sincerity between them, whoever the other party was ¡ª man or woman ¡ª really made no difference. He had that figured out all of a sudden. He was always thinking of him, and whatever he wanted, he would always want to get it for him, and he always wanted to make him happy, and he missed him if he didn¡¯t see him for a while¡­ was that not fondness to a T? Priceless worldly treasures that were easy to obtain had always existed, whilst amiable people were difficult to find. Wu Xi believed, however, that as long as one strove hard, there would come a day where they would get the things, as well as the one, they liked. If success was not had, that merely illustrated that they had not worked hard enough. Therefore, the very next day, he went to the Prince Nan¡¯ning Estate. This was quite strange, though. When he had gone to find Jing Qi before, the other would be pretty much doing nothing; given that it wasn¡¯t the period at daybreak when he had gone to Court, whenever he came was whenever Jing Qi would inevitably be idling about. However, upon going to the Estate following a few days of hiding away, he discovered that the bloke had gotten busy all of a sudden, as he had made a few trips over there yet had never caught sight of his shadow. Even Ping An was going to and fro with his feet never touching the ground; only after he asked did he learn that this was to help get Jing Qi¡¯s luggage in order. As soon as he noticed that he had come over, Ping An hastily steeped some tea and poured water out for him, which was followed by Wu Xi asking him where Jing Qi had gone to. Ping An, seeing this as having caught someone to gab with, thus complained without end once he opened his mouth. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it said that there¡¯s people making trouble someplace in the Guangs? And I don¡¯t know what¡­¡± He looked out to the side, suppressing his voice. ¡°I don¡¯t know what His Long-Lived Majesty was thinking, having our Master go act as some kind of Imperial Envoy. I¡¯m telling you, that Lord of ours didn¡¯t suffer through cold this winter nor endure heat this summer, gets clothed with a lift of his arms and fed with a lift of his mouth, has never walked more than a few steps during a journey, and doesn¡¯t dare to be even a little late for every tea and snack break. This is a long excursion, but he told me not to abandon the Estate and won¡¯t let me follow him. No one nearby knows what the hot or what the cold is, and he definitely doesn¡¯t care, either, but how is that good?¡± Once Ping An got to prattling away, he became unable to put a brake on it, though Wu Xi was faintly dumbstruck. ¡°He¡¯s going to go so far away?¡± ¡°Right?!¡± Ping An grumbled without rest, rolling his eyes as he thought that the most of what his Master did was precisely to go looking for trouble when he had none. ¡°I¡¯m not sure who¡¯s gorged themselves to bursting now. There¡¯s so many idle gentlemen in the Dynasty that grow weeds in their idleness, yet he was called to go.¡± Naturally, Ping An overlooked the fact that their master, in the vast majority of people¡¯s eyes, was also part of the clan of ¡®growing weeds in idleness¡¯. Ruminating for a bit, Wu Xi pulled out about eight small bottles that he had stored on his person, then requested a brush and paper to distinctly write out the effects of the contents packed inside each, carefully handing it over to Ping An after. ¡°Give this to him for me. They don¡¯t occupy much space on the body to keep on hand. In such a faraway place, no one can come to look after him, so this is for him to use as self-defense.¡± In spite of Ping An¡¯s astonishment at this ¡®if I can¡¯t think up words shocking enough, I won¡¯t give up on that until I die¡¯ little Lord suddenly doing and saying things, he was still aware that what the Shamanet carried on him was ¡ª if not top-grade poison ¡ª then top-grade medicine, not to mention that any rarely-used stuff that would have gotten pushed to the recesses of his storage were about the same class anyways. Face propering up on the spot, he hurriedly expressed thanks. Wu Xi silently shook his head, got up, and left. The next day, Jing Qi departed the capital at morning in an extremely low-key manner, only having enough time to dispatch someone to the Shamanet Estate to say thank you. It had already become habitual for Wu Xi to rise before the sun came up everyday, but on this dawn, he didn¡¯t go practice martial arts. Once he got up, he sat by himself on the roof of a restaurant neighboring the city gate, silently awaiting Jing Qi¡¯s carriage. Then, he followed his departure out with his eyes, after which he soundlessly returned to the cage that was the Shamanet Estate. This parting would take a further greater half of a year, as well, until fall and winter had passed and been cycled out for spring and summer. The thing known as ¡®affection¡¯ was very strange, sometimes. For instance, if he hadn¡¯t had that bizarre and outrageous dream, he might currently still be interacting with Jing Qi as normal, occasionally scolding him or saying a few things to anger him, and occasionally being markedly earnest versus his nonchalance. If he hadn¡¯t cared so much to reflect on what that dream ultimately meant, he wouldn¡¯t secretly trace the outline of the other¡¯s features, again and again on repeat, every day on the sly. He wouldn¡¯t involuntarily match up his looks together with the person from his dream, nor would he involuntarily miss him, yet not dare to go see him. If it weren¡¯t for that misfired conversation with Nuahar, or that songstress¡¯s lyrics which were too touching to the heart¡­ If it weren¡¯t for him having just thought to get a feel for him and gone to get close to him in conjunction with his own feelings, then, with Jing Qi leaving for such a long time, perhaps the minor sentiment produced in the midst of disorientation would have still not yet taken form, and died out within a sigh of ¡®I took things for granted back then¡¯ after however many years. Yet everything appeared to be preordained from a previous life, coming in just perfectly. Even if one looked at something every single day, they wouldn¡¯t necessarily be roused much in their heart. Only when they couldn¡¯t see them would they toss and turn at night, frequently reminiscing on the other¡¯s looks, where each cun, thread, and hair slowly seemed to engrave into their soul. That was then their fate, where missing them changed its flavor, and pining was forever inside their bones¡­ It was just like a stretch of grass; the seeds were accidentally planted, inadvertently taking root and germinating, and departure was exactly what made it grow like mad via raindew and fertilizer. The water before the palace ran out the years,[1] and the interior of life lacked one person. With that big missing chunk, his juvenile feelings thus went out of control inside his vacuous adoration. Juvenile feelings or whatever, in Jing Qi¡¯s opinion, could be compared to floating clouds on the horizon, since he was hurrying down his journey urgently. Outside of Imperial City Guard He Ji, who had been appointed to him by Helian Pei, and a few guards from the Prince Estate, only Ji Xiang was brought to attend to him. [T/N: It¡¯s not the same He as He Yunxing.] To speak with finality, the alleged ¡®Guang insurrection¡¯ was nothing more than a group of disaster victims that couldn¡¯t keep living with being malnourished, thus they hefted up bits of broken metal and waved them all about. Seeing how very many people there were was very frightening, but in reality, it was just a mob. Even though the Dynasty could no longer put forward an army as powerful as when Great General Feng was alive, it still had a standing one. It wouldn¡¯t be able to handle anyone else, but towards this band of ordinary people, it still had some clout. Jing Qi rushed along at every speed, and by the time he arrived, the rebellion had since been suppressed. Its few leaders were all arrested and harshly interrogated, while the rest were simply purged clean. Liao Zhendong had gotten the news long ago and brought people thirty li out to welcome him. They were both royal envoys, but Jing Qi was likely the one that received the most courteous treatment ¡ª Liao Zhendong was currently overwrought, and had ordered simultaneous death upon those that participated in the riot, killing them in ones and twos. He was well aware that if what he had done actually got exposed by someone, killing ten thousand in a row still wouldn¡¯t be enough. Unexpectedly, the Heavens had blessed him, as he heard that the gentleman coming had synergy with His Eldest Highness in the capital. Supposing that he incurred Prince Nan¡¯ning¡¯s favor right now, this affair would not reach its dead end. Right after the Guangs flooded, hundreds of thousands of its victims had nowhere to settle in. Then, during this year¡¯s cold season ¡ª as if the Heavens were doing so deliberately ¡ª it got frigid that it was soon impossible to live through, regardless of it only being November. In areas of the Guangs that had never seen even the dregs of snow in prior years, snow fell down heavily from the sky. The amount of nameless corpses that were added onto the ground after the fact could not be determined for certain. Jing Qi¡¯s arrival was right during a pause in this once-in-a-century snowfall. For fear that he¡¯d freeze, Liao Zhendong had imperatively conscripted over ten-thousand people to construct a canopy, its end unable to be seen at a glance, in the period of a few days. It was covered entirely in first-rate satin to guard against the wind, which looked exceptionally good fluttering in the breeze, and the space inside was just enough for the carriage and its entourage to pass through. Accustomed to seeing all sorts of luxurious things in the capital, Jing Qi still couldn¡¯t resist sucking in a cold breath as it engulfed him, uncontrollably pausing in his steps. Ji Xiang and He Ji were at both his sides, and they heard him recite something almost inaudibly. ¡°¡­Wholly adorned shopfronts, eaves and rooms as one, abundant canopies arranged, valued goods heaped, figures bustling about, vegetables sellers also using dragon¡¯s beard mats¡­¡±[2] Neither He Ji nor Ji Xiang had studied any divine scriptures prior to this, so they only half-understood, though they could hear a bit of stifled wrath in his voice. ¡°Master¡­¡± Ji Xiang whispered. Jing Qi gently closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the tense lines on his face had already softened, and the eyes that had just been wintry brought a familiar smile back to them. Liao Zhendong led folks from far off to receive them. All the people gave big bows, Jing Qi said ¡®the sacred form of the Emperor is in health¡¯ ¡ª this was but a spectacle of custom. He then rubbed his hands, tightened the cloak around himself, and smiled. ¡°I never could have imagined that there would be a time of such cold here. I¡¯ve just gotten off the carriage, yet the northwestern wind nearly bowled me over. Sorry to trouble you with thinking of how to assist me, Sir Liao.¡± Liao Zhendong quickly smiled apologetically. ¡°You rushed over here without fear of the long roads, Prince. This humble official has merely exhausted a bit of meager strength that¡¯s within my capabilities. If there are places in the border area that are improperly looked after, please do not take offense.¡± He let out a sigh of relief on the inside. Seeing Prince Nan¡¯ning¡¯s demeanor, the majority of it was quite satisfactory, and there was politeness in his words, as well; he had no fixings that would flagrantly make things difficult. Seeing how old he looked, he also came to have a bit of an understanding; the Eldest Scion had privately sent him a letter telling him that he didn¡¯t need to be worried, as the Emperor is unconcerned with the Guang rebellion, and he only need give directions at will for the other to handle it. Seemed like that was the truth. Once the rock was off of Liao Zhendong¡¯s heart, his speech was promptly revitalized. The Superintendent of Education, Li Yannian, was one most able to accommodatingly provide impromptu clownage. Upon seeing an opportunity, he acted upon it, amusing Jing Qi with a bit of talk. Adding to that, Jing Qi was someone who would be fine with water splashed from any direction, so he intentionally ingratiated himself towards him, making for momentary harmony. Immediately following that, Liao Zhendong grandly set up a reception banquet for Jing Qi to wash the hardships of travel off himself. No matter what the latter was thinking of on the inside, others wouldn¡¯t be able to make it out, and he was always glad to accept things on at least the surface. The entire sum of the several hundreds of Guang officials came to help entertain him; on exhibition were eighty-one rare delicacies and sixty-four types of seafood. Jing Qi had formerly believed himself to be an uncontested connoisseur of eating, drinking, and making merry, but he had never tasted more than half of these things before. ¡°Guard He, have you ever once seen so many names when imperial dishes were served?¡± he couldn¡¯t help jesting with He Ji. He Ji immediately paused for a long while. ¡°This subordinate has learned just today that I am akin to a villager in the countryside,¡± he replied quietly. ¡°Right? This Prince has also learned just today what they like to call, ¡®having enough wealth for a whole nation¡¯,¡± Jing Qi said with a smile. The instant that came out, Liao Zhendong swiftly broke into a full-body cold sweat in the middle of this frosty winter. Weren¡¯t those words, inside and out, saying that he had eclipsed the Emperor¡­? Th-th-that was immensely disrespectful! He raised his head to look at him, insides quivering in disarray, but he saw Jing Qi just smiling brainlessly as he spoke to him. ¡°I can¡¯t blame them all for scrambling to come here, if going abroad is actually so lucrative an assignment. How fortunate the Emperor¡¯s fondness is. Pitifully, this Prince has been in the capital year-round, having never even had the time to go out and view the world. You¡¯ve been very courteous today, Sir Liao, so if you come to the capital in the future, my Estate is available. I¡¯d like to return the invite.¡± Was this guy actually a dimwit, or purposefully¡­? Peering at Jing Qi¡¯s innocently smiling face, Lian Zhendong agreed to him like a yes-man, his mind a mess. Changing direction towards the rear courtyard by means of leaving for the latrine, another was beckoned over with a wave, and such-and-such was explained. That was why, right when everyone had drunk and eaten their fill, someone was vaguely heard to be causing a commotion. Before anyone else could react, Lian Zhendong went roaring. ¡°Sir Imperial Envoy is present! Who is it that¡¯s eaten an ambitious leopard¡¯s guts, since they¡¯ve dared to make a racket?¡± With that said, Jing Qi also put down his chopsticks and looked over. CH 34 A young man in a long tunic was seen barreling straight in, a few imperial guards hunting him down from behind. The pitiful scholar, with his long hair falling loose and fluttering in the night scene¡¯s breeze, looked just like a living ghost. The ruckus drew the eyes of everyone on-scene over. Oppositely, Jing Qi raised his head, swept a glance at him, then went to look at Liao Zhendong with a smile. ¡°Which opera is this that¡¯s being sung, Sir Liao?¡± Liao Zhendong hurriedly admitted his error (like a yes-man), then turned his head and scolded the guards who hurried in afterwards. ¡°What¡¯s this thing that you¡¯ve let free to come in?! What am I keeping you all around for?!¡± In but a moment, the scholar was captured, both arms fastened behind him. The guard that caught him pressed him down like his life depended on it, making the man bend at the waist. Two more then came up and made to tow him outside, but the scholar was witnessed to struggle hard, cursing as he did so. ¡°Such audacious, corrupt officials! What ¡®Governor¡¯, what ¡®Imperial Envoy¡¯? You two are a snake and rat in a nest, fog and mist colluding with each other! Just look at¡­ at this land today; whose realm actually is it? Is the one seated in the throne room not blind¡ª¡± Jing Qi narrowed his eyes slightly, then lifted his face up slightly. ¡°Don¡¯t be hasty. Release him for now.¡± After the guards looked at Liao Zhendong, they let go of the tunic-scholar that was laid out on the ground. He actually had no fear, despite the sorry figure he cut, and didn¡¯t neglect to erect his back tall when he stood up, gazing towards Jing Qi with glimmering eyes. Jing Qi smiled. ¡°Why, you¡¯ve claimed that Governor Liao and I are in a nest together. Which of us would you say is the snake, and which the rat?¡± The man straightened his neck. ¡°Governor of the Guangs, Liao Zhendong, makes his living off the fruits of the peoples¡¯ labor. First, he eats the fortune of the salary the monarch affords him, then, he drinks the blood and marrow of the citizenry. He doesn¡¯t fix the government, he nibbles away at the assets of the people, he¡¯s avaricious yet fears humanity; is he not a huge rat? You, majestic Prince Nan¡¯ning, have come from the capital carrying the three-chi-long Sword of Dominion on your back. You do not take pleading on the nation¡¯s behalf into consideration, but are here, losing yourself in song and dance and ambrosia on jade plates like nothing is wrong! You covet the rat¡¯s delicacies and are willing to share a pillow with him, so how are you being accused unjustly when I say that you¡¯re in the same nest?!¡± ¡°Impudent!¡± Ji Xiang was the first to not let this slide. Jing Qi waved him off. ¡°What is your name and surname, scholar?¡± ¡°I, Mu Huaiming, will never alter my given nor my family names!¡± the scholar said, voice bright. Jing Qi nodded, picking his wine cup off the table and leisurely taking a light taste. A while after, he asked, ¡°Is anyone still in your household? Haven¡¯t you any classmates or friends?¡± ¡°My parents have already passed,¡± Mu Huaiming replied, loud and clear, ¡°but I have two young servants. We rely on one another for survival, depending upon each other as we scratch out a meager existence. My friends¡­¡± His voice faltered, an emotional look appearing on his face, but he repressed it by force, pointing at Liao Zhendong. ¡°The majority of my friends and classmates have already been snatched by this dog official, and the rest are waiting at the entrance with indictments in hand!¡± ¡°Indictments?¡± Jing Qi smiled lightly, looking at Liao Zhendong. ¡°I say, Sir Liao, despite the wealth you have here, you also don¡¯t have much peace.¡± Liao Zhendong bowed his head and just said nothing, intending to wait and watch how Jing Qi resolved this. Yet, against expectations, Jing Qi abruptly set the wine cup down, then knocked moderately against the alcohol table with a crisp sound. Young Prince Nan¡¯ning¡¯s smile was cold as he gave orders to those around him. ¡°What are you still waiting for? This wicked, commoner thug has openly slandered the Dynasty, wildly letting loose a lot of talk. Why are you not arresting him, nor that group of mad apostles at the entrance? If you all dare to let one slip away, this Prince will only have all of you to interrogate about it!¡± That bout of shouting just made everyone in the environs freeze for a second. Jing Qi minutely bowed his head and fiddled with his sleeve. ¡°What? This Prince said to do it now,¡± he continued, bizarrely imitating Helian Qi¡¯s manner of speech. ¡°None of you gents have listened carefully, have you¡ª?¡± The guards quickly held up Mu Huaiming, put him in a five-flower bind, and hauled him out. At the same time, someone also took the order to call a group of the Estate¡¯s courtyard guards over, and, not long after, each of the kindred scholars outside had been tied up and brought back. Mu Huaiming cursed furiously whilst they dragged him like a dead dog. ¡°Corrupt official! Vicious courier! What benefits has Liao Zhendong given you?! Jing Beiyuan, you¡¯re tyrannically preying on the flesh of commoners! There will come a day where you are struck by lightning, and you won¡¯t die a good death¡ª!¡± Though Scholar Mu was a bookworm, he still had quite a great voice. His holler of ¡®won¡¯t die a good death¡¯ had cadence, which was felt to reverberate around the rafters for three days. Jing Qi smiled faintly. How a bad death comes about isn¡¯t something you can call. You can have your own conscience clear for hundreds of years, yet still never experience a good death. Liao Zhendong was the first to get up from his seat. ¡°This humble official has handled things unfavorably. Please issue punishment, Prince,¡± he said, as if he was fearful before royalty. Even with that, his heart settled. No matter what was said, Jing Qi¡¯s yelling had clearly demonstrated where he stood. Prince Nan¡¯ning and he could now be considered grasshoppers crawling the same rope. Superintendent Li Yannian was even quicker to take notice of the opportunity, and with one clap, a pack of plain-clothed beauties came in single-file from the end of the veranda. No brightly-colored jewels or hair ornaments were to be seen, just qins and xiaos matched with them. The one leading was all the more stunning, almost on par with the capital¡¯s Miss Moon Su Qingluan in terms of looks, with quite a bit of similarity between them; she was somewhat more remote than Su Qingluan¡¯s loveliness, though. Jing Qi inwardly smiled. They were going straight for the weak points, alright. The Two Guangs were far away, but these gentlemen¡¯s information hadn¡¯t been cut off in the least. They even thoroughly scouted out his preferences. Li Yannian first cupped his hands towards Provincial Coordinator Zhang Xun, then spoke to Jing Qi. ¡°These are nothing more than a few women from ordinary families. They can¡¯t be claimed as national beauties, but Sir Zhang did go to a lot of trouble to look for them. You are a refined one, Prince, so, out of fear that you would disdain their plain adornment, he had them specially instructed with care. Those with us here are all considered to be the apex of looks, and there¡¯s hope that they¡¯ll be able to catch your eye, Prince.¡± He had just applauded his superior, then applauded his superior¡¯s superior. Jing Qi tilted his head to sweep his eyes over him. He had met this man on the road when he arrived, and his impression of him was rather deep; though he was a Superintendent at present, it was still a slight waste of talent. ¡°That¡¯s right. So to speak, they indeed can¡¯t compare to the capital¡¯s Miss Qingluan that you¡¯re familiar with, Prince. They¡¯re not that bad, though, and each have their own unique style,¡± Zhang Xun said with a smile. The corner of Jing Qi¡¯s mouth bent. He tried desperately not to laugh. Upon getting it under control only an age later, he raised his head to aim a look at Zhang Xun, not making a sound. No wonder this Late Emperor Initiate Scholar of twenty-three years had gotten to a fully white beard, yet was only acting as a Coordinator out in the hinterland. He probably had to spend money in bribes to get the position, too. Even Liao Zhendong glared at him, thinking to himself: aren¡¯t you undermining this? You¡¯ve just started talking, yet explicitly told him ¡®we know every trend that goes on in your capital, no one¡¯s business is too small¡¯. It was most taboo for others to make inquiries on the whereabouts of the capital¡¯s nobility. Zhang Xun had said nothing for such a long time, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he committed a faux-pas, acting the lead opera star in the process. That the beauties sung and danced during the banquet went without saying. After the party dissolved, Liao Zhendong gave a signal with his eyes, and someone sent the leading beauty to Jing Qi¡¯s room. Thus, it came to the event that once Jing Qi pushed open his door, he caught sight of a grand, beautiful woman sitting inside, her swaying figure under the lamplight inspiring words that were put a stop to, which narrowly caused him to retrace the step he had just taken out of fright. Coincidentally, as if he had telepathy, Wu Xi was in the capital, listening to Nuahar informing him of what he had scouted out. Nuahar couldn¡¯t investigate every thought of every everyman, naturally, so he could only divulge the general idea of what everyone knew. ¡°You¡¯re saying it¡¯s because he was dispatched to go investigate a rebellion?¡± Wu Xi asked. Ashinlae added spice to the story. ¡°I heard that the officials over there are really rotten. Commonfolk will only create a disturbance if they don¡¯t have the means to keep living. Though, I think that rotten officials are the Great Qing¡¯s specialty, so those ones might be the pinnacle of rotten.¡± Wu Xi creased his brow in worry. Weighing the other¡¯s body language, Nuahar quickly said, ¡°But you don¡¯t need to be too concerned either, Shamanet. Zyale is intelligent, nothing will happen.¡± ¡®Zyale¡¯, in Nanjiang, meant ¡®good friend¡¯. Wu Xi cast him a look. ¡°He¡¯s not zyale, he¡¯s the one I like. I¡¯m going to take him back to Nanjiang later,¡± he retorted like this was no big deal. It went quiet for a short moment. Nuahar and Ashinlae, whose smiles were frozen on their faces, looked at each other, narrowly believing that they had heard wrong. The Shamanet, who wanted their lives, said further, ¡°I didn¡¯t lie, and neither of you heard wrong. It¡¯s true. I like him.¡± Of course it was true, their Shamanet had never told a lie¡­ Nuahar¡¯s rump sat on air, and he fell from the small stool. Ashinlae opened his mouth, ¡°th-that¡±ing and ¡°th-this¡±ing for half the day, yet could not organize his words into a full sentence. ¡°However, I will request that you two don¡¯t let anyone else know. If Beiyuan knew now, he wouldn¡¯t agree to it, and might not want to see me again,¡± Wu Xi said mildly. ¡°Wait¡­ wait for a while to pass to speak further on it.¡± Saying so, he disregarded them, stood up without prior consultance, picked up the little snake that had curled up into a ball in his arms, then went towards the back courtyard. He pondered on how those rotten officials Ashinlae spoke of might want to exhaust their means to buy off Jing Qi. The guy once said that what people sought out was nothing more than the few words of riches, beauty, power, and lust. Power and riches and whatever were things he might not attach much importance to, but¡­ what about beauty? Of course, he might not attach much importance to that, either. Based on what Wu Xi understood of him, he believed that the guy, at most, would like it on the inside while feigning that he didn¡¯t on the outside, and not care too much. To use his words, he had ¡®come across a stage and was putting on a play¡¯, and would not actually get bought off. However, once he brought Jing Qi¡¯s casual attitude to mind, in joint with ¡®like it on the inside¡¯ and ¡®come across a stage¡¯ and such, he felt the roots of his teeth itching, making him urgently want to go find something to grind them on. He was truly accusing Jing Qi unfairly, though, as he was one of devotion and infatuation in this world again, absolutely no different from the Lord Seventh that had previously sat tall beside the Three-Life Rock for over sixty years; he just did too many regular, perfunctory social niceties. Wu Xi, the earnest and opinionated one, could not distinguish between putting on a play and taking genuine pleasure in something, so he always viewed the other¡¯s heart to be quite flower-like. After the riches came the beauty, Jing Qi jested to himself. That Sir Liao really hadn¡¯t spared any effort. Being only vaguely shocked at the doorway, he thus stepped foot into the room, then shut the door offhand. The beauty stood and bowed respectfully. It was far from obvious just now, but it seemed that the makeup she had on was very unusual; there appeared to be just a touch of it, meticulous and in good taste, yet, with a closer look, one would detect some other mysterious element at play. Zhou Zishu and Jing Qi had been associating for a long time. The former was a national expert in face-changing, which entailed the latter coming to understand a small amount of its various techniques. He couldn¡¯t do them himself, but he could make out a thing or two by looking. He marginally froze, thinking to himself that Liao Zhendong really didn¡¯t know when to quit. Why was one thing happening after another? He came this whole way to feel him out, then a huge scene was just kicked up. How was that still not enough? Somewhat impatient, he tamped his temper down and asked her with indifference, ¡°Who had you come here?¡± ¡°Governor Liao,¡± the beauty whispered back, head lowered. ¡°Hm. What are you called?¡± ¡°Miss Jiu.¡± What he asked was what she answered, no honorifics. Her eyes were constantly cast downwards, every sentence was truncated extremely short, and her voice was pressed down into her throat, extraordinarily tender¡­ yet vaguely having a sense of disharmony. He frowned, glanced at her again, then discovered that this beauty¡­ was a bit tall. He reached out to grab ¡°Miss Jiu¡±¡®s chin, narrowed his eyes as he sized her up carefully, then let her go, unable to glimpse any emotions from her charming face. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to attend to me, then. Go on out,¡± he said while waving her off. With that, he turned around and paid her no more mind. A long time passed, but he didn¡¯t hear sounds of movement. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you left yet?¡± he thus asked in some displeasure. An arm abruptly reached out and hugged him from behind, the puff of a fine fragrance wafting with it. Miss Jiu¡¯s warm body was almost plastered onto his back. ¡°Am I not good enough, Prince?¡± the beauty asked delicately. He knocked her arm off, flinging her away. ¡°This Prince dislikes people who are ill-behaved. Scram,¡± he expressionlessly replied. Miss Jiu raised her gaze to look at him, complete coldness inside the gorgeous drawn lines of her eyes, with a cold glint of light suddenly within her sleeve¡­ CH 35 In the midst of imminent peril, Jing Qi nevertheless moved to the side with exceptional dexterity, critically dodging her. Miss Jiu¡¯s slim, jade finger held a knife, its edge swiping across the hem of his clothes and slicing open a shallow cut on them. Her hit not landing, she turned her hand and swept it horizontally out, straight for his middle. He quickly drew three steps back to evade it, but the other¡¯s killing move came at him again. Once he saw that¡­ great. This was likely an ace of the martial forest, he wasn¡¯t a match for her, and it was probably too late to call for anyone right now. He Ji, that bastard ¡ª if there was ever a bad time to go out and ¡®fix your clothes¡¯, it was this one! He kept dodging and retreating all the way into the corner, where he couldn¡¯t retreat any more. Miss Jiu¡¯s knife came sweeping. Desperate, he took a small bottle out of his lapels and sent it right into the blade¡¯s edge. With a crisp sound, a greater half of the bottle was pared off. Looking on as she cut Jing Qi¡¯s hand, Miss Jiu nonetheless suddenly shrieked, tossing the knife away and abruptly taking a couple of steps back. That greater-half of the bottle she had doggedly cut apart happened to have ricocheted, leaping onto her hand. The area that was contaminated from bumping into the bottle¡¯s liquid felt like it was burning her all of a sudden, infiltrating with a sharp pain. Once the pain was done, it went numb, and the numb feeling followed along her hand, straight up her arm, and to the rest of her. Not long after, half of her body could no longer move. Miss Jiu glared viciously at him. ¡°You¡­ you¡­ dog official! You actually employed a despicable method like this!¡± As soon as ¡®she¡¯ said this, no more care was given to concealing anything, as that deepness and hoarseness was obviously a man¡¯s voice. The door got abruptly pushed open from the outside. He Ji barged in with Ji Xiang following behind, the latter cautiously carrying a small lidded cup in hand. Upon seeing this war, he promptly cared about nothing else. ¡°Master!¡± Jing Qi rolled his eyes, thinking to himself if I had been counting on you guys, I would¡¯ve really been dead without even pants to go off in, and waved him off. ¡°It¡¯s fine, both of you go. Keep watch at the door for me.¡± Once He Ji came near, he noticed Miss Jiu¡¯s awkward predicament of being unable to move a muscle, and was minutely startled. He was someone who came from the palace, though; he hadn¡¯t been following Jing Qi his entire time, but he still knew what matters were taboo, so he bowed and withdrew. Jing Qi swept his eyes over to Ji Xiang. Even if the latter was unwilling to, there was nothing he could do, either, so he had no choice but to place the cup down and say softly, ¡°Master, the day is cold, if you¡¯re wanting to drink.¡± Nodding cursorily, Jing Qi expressionlessly watched them retreat. The door shut tightly once more, he casually sat down and observed ¡®Miss Jiu¡¯ ¡ª who had already gone numb through his leg and couldn¡¯t stand at all, only able to kneel on one side and pant heavily ¡ª with a smile. ¡°This Prince wholly doesn¡¯t deserve the praise of being despicable and whatnot. Speaking of methods, my good¡­ brother, you¡¯re a majestic man disguising yourself in women¡¯s trimmings. That¡¯s also not very open and honest, is it?¡± ¡®Miss Jiu¡±s mouth suddenly moved, but Jing Qi¡¯s hand was even faster, clasping his jaw and nimbly unhinging it. ¡°What are you up to? Is this you thinking of imitating suicide-agent[1] assassins, biting down on poison kept in your mouth?¡± He leaned over and picked up the knife from the floor, weighed it in his hand, then brought it up close before ¡®Miss Jiu¡¯. ¡°Do you know what sort of knife you ought to use in late-night assassinations?¡± he quietly questioned. This was clearly bullying a man that couldn¡¯t speak. Smiling, Jing Qi spoke on without input. ¡°You¡¯re an amateur, aren¡¯t you, Hero? The knives used in daytime are different from the ones in nighttime. This one you have glinted with cold light, so how blind would one have to be to not see it in pitch darkness? I¡¯ll teach you, buddy; the next time you do something like this, seek out a master and get them to give you one specialized for use at night. Neither its blade nor hilt will be able to reflect light, as there¡¯s going to be dark copper covering them.¡± ¡®Miss Jiu¡¯ had his mouth open, unable to close it, with saliva already dripping from it. Never before had he suffered this degree of mistreatment, watching Jing Qi¡¯s gaze that seemed like it was going to swallow him whole. Jing Qi recognized that the guy evidently had nothing to do with Liao Zhendong. If it weren¡¯t for the stuff Wu Xi gave him coming into use just now, he might have had to hand over his little life here, and Liao Zhendong wasn¡¯t too likely to be at the point that he would put on a fake show for a real act. Hesitating a bit, he crouched down, peering at ¡®Miss Jiu¡¯ as he spoke whisper-like to him. ¡°I¡¯m going to hinge your jaw for you now. A manly man, even one that¡¯s an assassin, needs to have the presence of being able to kill someone within ten steps, even a distance of a thousand li unable hinder you. Isn¡¯t it thus unpresentable for you to seek death because you got caught?¡± His eyes were too clear and bright, a smile indistinctly inside of them, which made ¡®Miss Jiu¡¯ look at him blankly. Jing Qi had since carefully pushed his chin back in, though, not minding the filth, then sat on the ground next to him. Not waiting for ¡®Miss Jiu¡¯ to open his mouth, he asked, ¡°You¡¯re an assassin that kills corrupt officials, so what are you fixing your gaze on me for? With that sort of skill, Liao Zhendong is in the front courtyard ¡ª why didn¡¯t you go chop his head off? Would that not be solving one problem to end them all?¡± ¡°That greedy official really cherishes life and fears death, and he knows that he¡¯s guilty of doing lots of things. Afraid that a demon would drop by in the middle of the night, the place he stays in is layered up with what are openly imperial guards, but are actually all privately-stationed troops. Their patrols are so strict, they¡¯re not any lesser than the royal palace, so how could I get inside it? I was thinking that if this Mister Imperial Envoy was good, then even if I put my life at risk, I could still lend him a strong arm, but I didn¡¯t expect¡­ that you and him are scoundrels conniving together, bringing harm to a loyal subject and meting out punishment to everybody! I am untalented, but I might as well have had you take his place!¡± ¡®Miss Jiu¡¯ explained angrily. Turned out the guy was aware that he had gone picking for soft, low-hanging persimmons. Jing Qi ¡°oh¡±ed, narrowed his eyes, and drew his syllables out. ¡°Privately-stationed troops¡­ is this him about to rebel?¡± He chuckled as he shook his head. Taking out a row of bottles and jars from his lapels, he spread them out on the floor, fished out a piece of paper, then compared them in turn. ¡°Martial arts is something I¡¯ve practiced for a few days,¡± he said mellowly. ¡°I don¡¯t dare boast, as it¡¯s barely enough to get by in use. It can¡¯t be compared to yours, of course ¡ª you could tell so, too.¡± ¡®Miss Jiu¡¯ huffed coldly. ¡°If you didn¡¯t use poison, I definitely would have fetched your dog life within two moves!¡± Jing Qi didn¡¯t mind him, reaching out to leave two bottles in the pile behind as he stuffed the rest of them back into his lapels again. ¡°Of the two people who came in just now, one is my bookboy. All he does is serve tea, bring water, calculate bills, and run errands; all the more someone not to set in your sights, Hero. The other is a Forbidden City Guard that has martial artistry, and might barely be on par with you. There are also a few folks I had brought from the Prince Estate. You¡¯ve noticed it, too ¡ª you made such a huge ruckus with your flailing about just now, yet they didn¡¯t hear it at all. That¡¯s because Sir Liao intentionally set up arrangements for them elsewhere, and had done so under the glorious name of strengthening protection against mob movements.¡± Having not expected to hear a set of words like that, ¡®Miss Jiu¡¯ couldn¡¯t help but be stunned. He saw Jing Qi smilingly pick up a small bottle, which he passed beneath his nose. An acrid scent shot to the top of his head, and though ¡®Miss Jiu¡¯ promptly sensed that there was still no strength in his body, the potency of the numbness had gone away a bit. Before he could react, Jing Qi picked up another bottle, poured a pill out of it, then relentlessly stuffed it in his mouth and forced him to swallow it. ¡°This stuff isn¡¯t mine,¡± the other muttered to himself, ¡°I¡¯m just going off instructions. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll have effect or not. If, by any chance, I made a mistake, don¡¯t blame me when you go off to the Yellow Springs, brother. You did try to assassinate this Prince first.¡± ¡®Miss Jiu¡¯ was stupefied at the start, but after hearing this, his face trended towards turning green. He heard Jing Qi continue on. ¡°You said¡­ you were going to risk your life to help me. Dare I ask, Hero, why is that the way you¡¯re going about it? There¡¯s nothing you can do about Liao Zhendong, so you go congregate with our master-servant tri¡ª¡­ Ji Xiang wouldn¡¯t matter, but, even if you got two-and-a-half people, would you be able to take him down then?¡± He suddenly jabbed ¡®Miss Jiu¡¯ hard on the head, quietly scolding him. ¡°Hero, you were born of wheatpaste sellers, yes?¡± Despite Hero ¡®Miss Jiu¡¯ having decent martial arts and a few tricks at hand, he was but a young lad that left his thatched cottage for the first time, acting only in accordance to being full of hot blood. He hadn¡¯t expected this overlap, going stunned on the spot from his jab. Hesitantly, he reached up and felt the area where he had been poked, thus discovering that he could move again. ¡°You¡­¡± Jing Qi stood, patted the dust off himself, took the cup Ji Xiang had brought over, lifted its lid, and took a light sip. ¡°Oh, right, you said that this Prince has brought harm to loyal subjects ¡ª I¡¯ll explain this to you, Hero. You said that Sir Liao has tight security where even you couldn¡¯t infiltrate it easily. How was that ¡®loyal subject¡¯, who didn¡¯t even have enough strength to fight a chicken, able to charge in all willy-nilly?¡± ¡®Miss Jiu¡¯ stared blankly where he stood. He donned the fine painted skin of a beautiful woman, but his expression right now was that of an idiot¡¯s. With an accidental glance at him, Jing Qi nearly bust out a laugh, and the rampaging little bit of fire he had tossed out was also gone. ¡°Tidy yourself up,¡± he said, waving him off. ¡°When someone asks after you go out, just say that this Prince dislikes excessively tall ¡®beauties¡¯ and told you to withdraw. Go on, then.¡± There was a fake face on ¡®Miss Jiu¡¯ ¡ª no changes could be seen on it, but his ears did go red. ¡°S¡­ so you¡¯re saying that you and Liao Zhendong aren¡¯t in a group?¡± he mumbled. Jing Qi laughed mockingly, thinking to himself that this guy was actually a sincere one. ¡°This Prince never said that.¡± Those words exceeded the scope of the Hero¡¯s comprehension. He didn¡¯t leave, nor did he stay, being bewildered for a long time before he had an epiphany. ¡°No, you and he aren¡¯t in a group. If you were, you could have killed me just then, or given me to that dog official.¡± ¡°Maybe I want to exploit you for something,¡± Jing Qi said, not even lifting his head. ¡°Anything you had, you could go tell it to Liao Zhendong, since he¡¯s eager to fawn on you. If he couldn¡¯t do something, how could I?¡± ¡®Miss Jiu¡¯ replied, completely self-confident. Jing Qi lifted his head to look at him with some surprise, thinking that the guy was kind of interesting; when he thought someone else was crooked, then, regardless of how crooked they were, he would turn around and think towards whatever good areas they had. Disinclined to be caught up with him anymore, he nodded perfunctorily. ¡°You said it isn¡¯t so, so it isn¡¯t so. Go. This Prince is going to rest.¡± ¡®Miss Jiu¡¯ was unforgiving, however. ¡°No way. I swear to you, if you¡¯ve come to investigate corruption on behalf of the commonfolk, I will stake my life to assist you!¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a matter you have use in.¡± You not stirring up trouble would be great. That¡¯d be helping. ¡°You say the word, and I¡¯ll definitely be able to accomplish it for you.¡± ¡®Miss Jiu¡¯ looked at him with a determined face. ¡°I won¡¯t blink come mountains of knives or seas of fire.¡± Despite the bit of exasperation, Jing Qi also inexplicably felt some geniality, thinking that this fake ladyfolk was somehow the same as that little toxic thing, obstinately walking a path into darkness. ¡°What¡¯s your name and surname?¡± he asked with a grin. ¡°My surname is Liang. I¡¯m called Liang Jiuxiao.¡± Jiuxiao, ¡®the ninth and highest heaven¡¯, with no small amount of spirit. Jing Qi nodded, but before he thought to speak, he suddenly remembered something¡­ Liang Jiuxiao? That name was a bit familiar-sounding! He recalled that, prior to his departure, Zhou Zishu had specifically sought him out and said that he just so happened to have a younger sect-brother that had gone off on his own to experience the world in the Guangs, and he was free to go find him if he had any use for him. That ¡®sect-brother¡¯¡­ seemed to have been called ¡®Liang Jiuxiao¡¯. ¡°What¡¯s your relationship with Zhou Zishu?¡± he couldn¡¯t resist blurting out. Liang Jiuxiao¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°You know my big sect-brother?¡± Jing Qi nearly wanted to smash his head against something and die ¡ª what kind of convoluted mess was all this? CH 36 Jing Qi peered at Liang Jiuxiao, mute, for a good while. Then, he put a hand on his forehead and smiled helplessly. He had believed himself to have witnessed a considerable amount of absolutely absurd events in this vast, complicated world before, but he didn¡¯t expect that, by happenstance, there would be a situation like this that made him feel debilitated as well. Liang Jiuxiao, who caused Prince Nan¡¯ning¡¯s yet-helpless smile, smiled at a bit of a loss. Ever since he was a child, his natural aptitude hadn¡¯t been very great at all. Whether it was studying, practicing martial arts, or even the technique of face-changing, he was a few beats slower in all of them than his fellow sectmates. Luckily, he was willing to put in painstaking work, and, a long time later, he was contrarily much more solid than those who were naturally gifted but unwilling to try hard. Who he admired most all his life was precisely his omnipotent-seeming eldest sect-brother; on this event of going out on his own to experience the world, he was holding in his power, harboring the inclination of wanting to make a career like Zhou Zishu had. As it happened, he had received a letter from that sect-brother a few days prior that stated that he had a friend coming to the Guangs, and they had been entrusted with an object as proof. So, if they had a need, he was to provide assistance as Zhou Zishu¡¯s allocated local agent. Vaguely recalling something at this point, he couldn¡¯t help but open his eyes wide. Jing Qi pulled out a piece of green jade from his lapels, placing it on the table. ¡°This¡­ this is my sect-brother¡¯s¡­¡± Liang Jiuxiao exclaimed. Endlessly astonished, he took the jade into his hand and carefully examined it. Something that he had been accustomed to seeing since he was small would, naturally, not be mistakenly recognized. He then lifted his head to look at Jing Qi, immediately after which he knelt onto the ground with a thunk. ¡°This commoner didn¡¯t know that the Prince was¡­ I have highly offended you. Please forgive me,¡± he said, unflinching. His manner of speaking had already gone respectful. ¡°Don¡¯t do that. This Prince can¡¯t withstand your gracious gesture,¡± Jing Qi replied cheerfully. ¡°If, by any chance, I¡¯m a villain, wouldn¡¯t you now be suffering a huge loss?¡± Liang Jiuxiao bowed deeply. ¡°This commoner has deep knowledge of my eldest sect-brother¡¯s moral character. If you really were a corrupt, fawning official that mowed human lives down like grass, Prince, then he absolutely would not make friends with you. This commoner has treated you rudely; I was alarmed by your handling, and narrowly made a huge misstep¡­¡± Following that, he mumbled until no words came out, simply kneeling on the floor and kowtowing on end, refusing to lift his head up. He was genuinely regretful and repentant, the anxiety even making his eyes go red around the edges. Jing Qi mentally sighed, thinking that Liang Jiuxiao was different from his sect-brother and his bellyful of schemes, being a truly sincere kid ¡ª if he didn¡¯t give him a way out of this, he would probably annoy him to death on the spot. As a result, he leaned over and personally helped him up. ¡°Well, then, since you¡¯re Zishu¡¯s brother, I actually do have a little something to trouble you with.¡± Liang Jiuxiao¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°Please state it, Prince!¡± Jing Qi took out a brush and paper, then jotted down a string of names at flying speed. ¡°Help me by secretly making contacts to get information about these couple of folks¡­ family background, close paternal relatives, the more details the better. Especially on this Li Yannian.¡± Liang Jiuxiao was surprised. ¡°Isn¡¯t he Liao Zhendong¡¯s crony?¡± Jing Qi shook his head, not giving him much explanation. ¡°Just having someone research him is fine,¡± he said simply. ¡°As this Prince is in this place, I¡¯m afraid sending letters to others will be quite inconvenient. I¡¯ll need to rely on you all.¡± Since this guy incidentally bumped right into his hand, to not utilize him would be meaningless. Liang Jiuxiao hurriedly nodded with passion. ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°You go on ahead, then, and have a bit of caution in your comings and goings.¡± His movements were entirely in the dark. Despite Liang Jiuxiao being a moron, he had some amount of self-awareness. Once he obtained Jing Qi¡¯s instructions, he never acted willfully again, and whatever Jing Qi commanded was what he did, turning him into a legitimately immense help. In the eyes of Liao Zhendong and the others, Prince Nan¡¯ning hadn¡¯t come to investigate the case, but to have fun, apparently. That day, a few people had been specially invited to ask whether there were any local specialty trinkets, as he claimed that he wanted to take them home with him to give to his little friend in the capital for his amusement. Governor Liao didn¡¯t know who the ¡®little friend¡¯ he was referring to was, guessing that they were some descendant of nobility. He had sought out a group of four people ¨C Li Yannian and himself included ¨C to take turns entertaining him; Jing Qi was awaiting the triumph of pacifying the riotous army in name, while he enjoyed eating, drinking, and entertainment in reality. As such, peace and balance were dwelled in. He was unfettered here, but because he had hurried out of the capital at this critical juncture, he didn¡¯t get to catch up with a grand occasion there ¡ª the wedding of the Crown Prince. The evening before it, Helian Yi dismissed his attendants and sat alone in his study for the night. Beyond the innermost, deeply-buried stack of documents about scriptures, history, religion, and anthologies, he opened a secret compartment, taking a small box out from it. As if he was holding a rare treasure, he opened it very carefully; inside was an oddball pile of faded knick-knacks, as well as a scroll painting. These things were helter-skelter in quality, some fine and some crude, but they had all been given by one person. He remembered that when Jing Qi was a boy, he spoke with a kiddie voice while he acted like a little adult, but once he turned around, he would have an evil grin, liable to go up on the roof and tear off its tiles were he to go three days without discipline ¡ª there were many times that Grand Tutor Zhou would get so angry, he wouldn¡¯t be able to say anything, his beard shaking all about. He recalled how that tiny ball of fair softness would present a little gift to him like it was a treasure every time, readily putting on a natty intonation like he was wheedling a little girl, which he had learned from who-knew-where. ¡°Your Highness, this one I brought back specially from a stroll outside the palace. If you¡¯re going to make me mad again, I won¡¯t be wise and kind.¡± ¡°Crown Brother, Uncle Emperor gave me a pair of bunnies yesterday. I specifically wanted to leave one for you, but no one let me¡­ Grand Tutor Zhou punished me with copying the Book of Rites, too. Do you¡­ think you can help me with a few pages? Just a few?¡± ¡°Quick, look, Crown Brother, I made this little bamboo pig myself¡­ huh? Uncle Emperor¡¯s katydid cage? The¡­ th-the bamboo on this really wasn¡¯t broken off of that one. I already hid the one that I did break it off of.¡± ¡°Crown Brother¡­¡± ¡°Crown Brother¡­¡± The corner of Helian Yi¡¯s mouth unconsciously raised up in a light wisp of a smile, an unspeakable feeling of tender affection suddenly swirling in his eyes. He then waved his hand to open the scroll. Inside the painting was a teen sitting casually atop bluestone, with his features angled low, hair loosely coiled in a bun, a miscellaneous book on his lap, an attentive grip on the writings, and a faintly discernible, leisurely smile on face ¡ª it was lifelike. The one who painted it was of average skill, but beneath his brush was indescribable emotion, as if every single iota of the youth in the picture was seeped into his heart, and once he shut his eyes, all his frowns and smiles would be before him. Helian Yi abruptly shut his eyes, closed the scroll, then moved it closer to the margin of a candle. He stayed there for a long time, only to extinguish the small, burning flame in a flurry, sighing quietly in the end. Cautiously, he put the scroll and tiny things away once more, then placed them into the deepest depths of the secret compartment. It¡¯s only because he¡¯s Jing Beiyuan, and I¡¯m Helian Yi¡­ It¡¯s only because¡ª The long night was near to over. The Crown Consort was the granddaughter of Grand Preceptor Song, a young mistress of reported virtue and goodness that also bore the fragrance of orchids and the qualities of osmanthus. This was the first time Wu Xi, who was watching from the sidelines, had seen as majestic a wedding ceremony as this. The month of the Ox of Man, the day of the Rabbit of Man, and the year of the Rooster of Toil all cut the West off, and thus were suitable for marriage.[1] Fanciful attire to worship the heavens, divination to announce auspiciousness, maintenance of the gift list of seasonal works and treasure. A hundred officials stood before the Hall of Revered Heaven. The Sacred One sat in dark red robes, overseeing the toast and sacrifice of drink. The royal Crown Prince personally welcomed the Consort outside the main gate, donned in beaded crown and robe with guards guiding, as was tradition. Each step had particular standards. The sky and earth and yin and yang harmonized, alongside hundreds of things going by unhindered. Fortune was prayed for and peace was sung for, the sound transmitting endlessly for dozens of li. The lyrics were indistinct inside the incomplete noise of the wind, solemn and profound with a bare trace of inviolable isolation faintly suffusing it. Wu Xi listened to it distractedly; he couldn¡¯t understand the majority of the verses, but he suddenly felt somewhat lonesome. He turned his head to once again gaze towards the infinitely-important palace that had lasted through countless ages, determining that the entire capital was a four-sided cell. During his daze, his seven-ish year situation was like a short flash, passing by with such pressing. He had believed himself the prisoner at the start, but, as it turned out, everybody was a prisoner. He recalled dreamland Jing Beiyuan; his body so cold with only that one thread of warmth even on his lips, a fuzzy haze always seeming to have shrouded his features, and that head of shocking white hair, too. The idea in his mind of bringing the other back to Nanjiang suddenly became stronger than ever; he didn¡¯t want to have him ruminate on things day and night, fawning on people contrary to his will, nor to have him exhaust his mind for every scheme, eternally having difficulty with finding peace. He contemplated on the nearly-vanished Su Qingluan, who was currently in a tiny courtyard waiting to sing for one person alone every day. Today, that person got his own wife, and every single official and commoner in the whole city had gathered together for the excitement. Was she mixed in with the crowd and wandering about by herself, or was she silently polishing her qin inside her own little yard? He couldn¡¯t understand it, really. That woman had handed her entire life over to Helian Yi, so why would she want to betray him? Or, in the event that her heart was awry to begin with, what was she even thinking right now? Getting a frustrated knot in his heart all of a sudden, he thus wordlessly turned around and returned. Life had no roots, floating like dust above a path. Yet, there were forever quite many lovesick children that thought of someone more than a thousand li away: concealing them in their heart, yearning for them in both waking or sleeping, dreaming about them, reflecting on them like mad. Because he had been a newborn calf, he hadn¡¯t been afraid of the world¡¯s ways that were vicious as a tiger, constantly believing that there would be a day that he¡¯d be able to return to the mountains and forests of nature, fleeing the confinement of the human realm. Following very many people and very many years, the wind from the overgrown gate of heaven blew and dispersed his youthful hesitation, and his heart¡¯s boulder turned into a huge amount of sand, scattering with a light bump. How many people were there that could die without cowering back, die without turning their head, die without yielding? If one really could, then the Heavens would obey their will. However, that logic was something the majority of people would not understand. In any case, Jing Qi, who had gotten reminisced about by two people, just had other things to do. The insurrection had already been fully quelled with the Dynasty troops returning victorious in a few days¡¯ time, as was foreseen when they were coming over. Jing Qi used this moment to quietly call Liao Zhendong over, who was confused over his intent. ¡°Prince, this is¡­¡± Cracking melon seeds in his teeth, Jing Qi crooked his fingers at Ji Xiang, who tacitly understood to take a letter out of his lapels. Not saying anything, Jing Qi simply passed the letter over so that Liao Zhendong could read it for himself. The latter accepted it, his bewilderment boundless, but one glance told that it was in Helian Zhao¡¯s handwriting. Obscurely hinted on it was that there were several fairly major figures that were within the Eldest Scion¡¯s scope of influence in the Guangs, the implication glaringly obvious. Liao Zhendong lifted his eyes to look at Jing Qi, merely listening to him speak. ¡°Sir Liao, open people don¡¯t speak in veiled words. This Prince had come on this trip and will, nevertheless, have to give an explanation to the Emperor and those gentlemen. How this will be explained, however, is up to you.¡± The man firmed up, cupping his fist. ¡°I request your pointers, Prince.¡± ¡°Ah, Sir Liao¡­¡± Jing Qi sighed, swiping his hands clean of seed shell debris. ¡°You¡¯re silly. Are you aware of why the Guang mob riot came to be?¡± Liao Zhendong was caught off guard, only to hear him continue on. ¡°Let me ask you this; how much money do those couple of big local merchants and landlords pay you each year, and how many benefits have they given you?¡± The other¡¯s eyes widened into circles. ¡°Prince, nonsense mustn¡¯t be spoken.¡± Jing Qi smiled slightly. ¡°But, Sir Liao, regardless of whether it¡¯s officialdom or merchantdom, there¡¯s no getting up early if there¡¯s no profit in it, everyone comes out to idle away their days, double-crossing is most taboo, and words are uncalculated. Since they¡¯ve spent money to buy security, in what way did you then stretch out your hand aboard the ship others were ferrying? Sitting on the ground and divvying up the spoils can still get your human head beat into a dog¡¯s one. This treachery of yours¡­¡± He chuckled, stopping there. Liao Zhendong, of course, internally understood that inside this was the interference of local wealthy households, which were taking advantage of the disarray to blacken him. He couldn¡¯t help but show distress on his face. ¡°Prince¡­¡± Following that, he used his eyes to signal at Jing Qi¡¯s Helian Zhao letter, voice subdued. ¡°The appetite of those mentioned gets greater and greater. This humble official has many difficulties that I have no choice in, as well.¡± Difficulties, my ass. Your greed is insatiable¡­ Jing Qi pat the back of his hand, his next words heartfelt. ¡°Sir Liao, the midday sun will shift, and the full moon will wane. Stop everything while you¡¯re ahead, have both leniency and strictness, and then thin water can flow as a long stream; why trouble yourself with digging your own grave? I¡¯ll ask you again. Counting up every type of idle operative in the Guangs, how many positions are there in sum, and how many were sold by you? It was with great difficulty that they had accumulated a bit of an estate, and then they contributed for rank on behalf of their heirs, so even if a position is idle, it still has an official¡¯s salary. You¡¯ve made an uncountable hash of things like this, giving them both empty power and wealth; are you aware of how many below will hate you so much that their teeth itch?¡± Liao Zhendong wiped his sweat off. ¡°Th¡­ this humble official didn¡¯t think things through enough.¡± ¡°Now that something bad has happened, you still want to cover things up, which just makes it worse,¡± Jing Qi said with a sigh, shaking his head. ¡°This Prince really doesn¡¯t know what to even say to you. If it weren¡¯t for the Eldest Highness¡­ tch!¡± The other knelt down, trembling. ¡°Prince, please save this humble official¡¯s life!¡± Jing Qi grinned and crooked his fingers. ¡°Bring your ear closer.¡± Once the briefing for this and that was given, Liao Zhendong withdrew, his heart filled with anxiety. Jing Qi sat idly about, alone in the pavilion, for a full half-day. Beside him was fresh, unfiltered wine with green foam, a little red clay stove, and brilliant snow outside the pavilion.[2] All of a sudden, he horribly crooned out a discordant rendition of the Song of Resentment.[3] ¡°Newly-made qi silk, shining bright as snow, cut to make an embroidered fan, round as the bright moon. In and out of the cradle of the lord¡¯s sleeve, it sways to create light wind, ever fearing the autumn festival¡¯s coming¡­ heh-heh, ever fearing the autumn festival¡¯s coming, eh¡­¡± At that moment, Ji Xiang came in close and said a few things into his ear. He nodded. ¡°Call him in,¡± he said, his mood quite good. Ji Xiang turned and left. A short while after, he brought Li Yannian over the small veranda and into the snow-viewing pavilion, who gave an obsequious smile. ¡°You truly are someone of refinement, Prince. Now could be said to be the exact right time for snow viewing. What a pity that we rarely see this white here in average years, look at how clean it is.¡± Jing Qi smiled. ¡°Have a seat, Sir Li.¡± Li Yannian thanked him and did so. Ji Xiang poured wine out for the both of them, then retreated soundlessly to the side. Li Yannian took a taste, only to detect a heart-penetrating fragrance shoot right up to the crown of his head. He couldn¡¯t help but cry out that it was great, though Jing Qi was unmoved. After downing it in one breath, the latter spoke unhurriedly to him. ¡°Sir Li, the first thing this Prince invited you here for today was for wine-tasting, and the second¡­¡± He drew out a yellow-saturated letter from his sleeve, passing it before Li Yannian with a grin. ¡°The second, I found something a bit interesting. Please, look it over.¡± The man took it, and, right when he opened it, his expression changed drastically at once. CH 37 The inside of the yellow-tinged envelope was packed thick with a pile of stuff. Li Yannian¡¯s familial background, relatives, and even the whole course of his forty-three years of life were all listed out, article by article and in no specific order of importance, using tiny, flyhead script. He read it down ten lines a second. The more he saw, the more fearful he became, and when he got to the end, both of his hands were trembling uncontrollably. As if there had been a pair of eyes nearby him for all his years, staring, a layer of bone-penetrating chill scattered across his back. Jing Qi gently pushed down his wine cup. ¡°You¡¯re truly very fortunate, Sir, to be in deep love with your wife. As an appointed Dynasty official, you have droves of maidservants at home, but you still being able to eat sweets that the venerable Madam had personally cooked up on the day of the Kitchen Sacrifice is truly to be envied.¡± Little New Year¡¯s eve¡­ had been just the night before. Jing Qi sighed with some seeming emotion. ¡°Splashing tea as you both collect books, the wife lifting a tray to her brow-level for you¡­ both of those things are ordinary boudoir trifles, but what¡¯s the big picture in one¡¯s lifetime? Isn¡¯t it just having a place like that to lodge in when you¡¯ve come back from making your way in the world during bleak wind and bitter rain, and having a person like that waiting for you with the lamps lit? Tell me ¡ª is there or is there not sense in this, Sir Li?¡± Li Yannian stared dead at him, a vague emergence of dread coming over that always-affable and delightful face. Jing Qi, unmoved, questioned him once more. ¡°Tell me¡­ is there sense?¡± There was an instant of stillness between them. Ji Xiang stood to the side, not daring to make any loud sound at all, and thought that this small pavilion filled with coal and fire had gotten cold and lonesome. Jing Qi¡¯s smile did not wane, but the fear on Li Yannian¡¯s face diluted drop by drop until only a certain unspeakable determination remained, along with a silence that was near to viewing death as a return to home. He nodded afterwards. ¡°Yes. What you¡¯ve said has sense, Prince.¡± Jing Qi finally curbed his probing smile. When he wasn¡¯t smiling, it was like a film of clouds and fog had been removed from him. He got up, hands clasped behind him as he stood, and leaned against the railing to gaze off into the distance. The thousands of li of white snow resembled the sand of a vast ocean, far removed from the endless land and without bounds, washing the dust of the human world clean in a single sunset. A long time passed before he spoke. ¡°Ever since this Prince had arrived here, you¡¯ve been the one scurrying around most diligently, Sir Li. This is Governor Liao training you to act as a confidante. As I see it, whether it¡¯s your ability or your methods, neither of them ought to wrong you with residing in this place.¡± Li Yannian buried his head down low, not making a sound. ¡°Governor Liao has a close relationship with the Eldest Highness,¡± Jing Qi continued on. ¡°What all he¡¯s done on behalf of the latter is something you know, as well. This Prince is about to ask you this ¡ª under Liao Zhendong¡¯s hand, how many troops have been privately reserved? In the Guangs, how many businessmen have given him bribes before? How many official¡¯s spots have been sold? How many human lives have been scythed like grass? During this disturbance in the Guangs, how many people with any sort of ulterior motive have been maneuvering within it?¡± Li Yannian¡¯s expression was unwavering, and he responded unperturbed. ¡°Answering you, Prince, Liao Zhendong has sixty-thousand private conscripts and innumerable personal armaments, which are stored in four separate areas. Not counting the dealings of minor merchants, he has previously been in contact with all four of the local major trading families. The amount of official¡¯s positions sold ever since this humble official has been keeping record sums up to eight-hundred and sixty-four. The lives lost have all been documented in the register. This incident¡­¡± He paused, displaying the trace of a smile. ¡°Prince, the sky knows, the earth knows, he knows, and I know. You feigning stupidity is something well understood, too.¡± Jing Qi turned his back to him. ¡°You are quite thankless, Li Yannian,¡± he said, words drawn out. ¡°You knew the second you met me. You are someone accustomed to mulling over people¡¯s hearts, and are the most capable of seamlessly incurring affection for yourself in others. There¡¯s no one better to use for dealing with the achievement-striving sort that Helian Zhao is. Liao Zhendong has had contacts in the capital for so long, that it can be plainly discerned that if you were willing, you would have long become a capital official, following along at Helian Zhao¡¯s side and getting more protections for Liao Zhendong, right? I¡¯m thinking¡­ that you¡¯re actually as void of ambition as a canyon. In such great circumstances, you still have no aspiration to climb upwards. It¡¯s likely that Liao Zhendong has no idea, either, that he¡¯s raising a white-eyed wolf who has methodically schemed to jot down all sorts of information for use against him.¡± Li Yannian knelt down, face calm, then took off his official¡¯s hat and placed it to the side, baring his head. ¡°This humble official has acted for the sake of righteousness. I was born into an ordinary commoner family and raised to adulthood by my elders back home, so I had responded by demanding justice for them. I will accept being methodically scheming, but the words of ¡®white-eyed wolf¡¯ are ones I absolutely don¡¯t dare to bear. Prince Nan¡¯ning, as things have reached this point, there is no need for you to say anything else; punishing me is proper. I, Li Yannian, have conducted myself respectably and stood tall, thus I will die with meaning.¡± With that, he hung his eyes, as if he was averse to taking even one more glance at Jing Qi. Turning his head to size him up for a short moment, the expression on Jing Qi¡¯s face then gradually softened. He bent over, personally lending his arm to help the man up with a smile. ¡°Were I to punish you, Sir Li, who would I get to help me with arresting Liao Zhendong and bringing him to justice in one fell swoop?¡± Li Yannian abruptly lifted his eyes to look at him with incredulity, making him laugh heartily. Snow passed the teal sky like a cleanse. After a hundred-plus day haze in the Guang area, sunlight was finally seen. Jing Qi and Li Yannian conspired together, ending with He Ji sending him off himself. A dark shadow flashed by in the rear courtyard, then leapt in from an open window; the movements were soundless, his attainments in lightness arts evident. Liang Jiuxiao excitedly cupped his fist towards him. ¡°Prince!¡± Jing Qi nodded, extending his hand out to him. Liang Jiuxiao busily pulled a letter out of his lapels. ¡°This is the reply from General Cui, who fortunately did not fail in his mission.¡± General Cui¡¯s full name was Cui Yingshu. He had formerly been directly under the command of Feng Yuanji, and now that the Feng army had declined, he had been in a dismayed slump for a good few years, solely called upon for events like this insurrection. Taking it, Jing Qi skimmed it over, then chuckled. ¡°This is good. We can just sit here and watch the excitement, waiting for someone to throw themselves into the net.¡± Having said so, he still prudently moved the reply near to a candle¡¯s flame and burned it away. After that, he sat down, with Ji Xiang serving the two of them tea in a timely matter. Jing Qi nodded at the eager-to-try-some Liang Jiuxiao. ¡°Sit.¡± Liang Jiuxiao widened his eyes into two big mirrors, peering at him solicitously. The guy¡¯s face-changing skill was indeed outstanding, as after he washed off the substance on it, his face was robust-looking and a bit candid. In spite of Jing Qi having seen a lot of things, he, too, was dazed for a while; learning that the immensely charming, hidden-orchid-in-an-empty-valley beauty from that day had actually turned out to be goods like this gave him quite some sense of disillusionment, even if he was fully aware that it had been fake. ¡°Prince, let me go rendezvous with General Cui again!¡± Liang Jiuxiao exclaimed. ¡°We¡¯ll snatch that dog official Liao Zhendong in one move!¡± The other shot him a look. ¡°If you dare to go and inconvenience me, I¡¯ll beat-¡­ I¡¯ll get your sect-brother to break your leg.¡± Liang Jiuxiao stared at him, aggrieved, but listened as he explained things to him with rare patience. ¡°Liao Zhendong has been rooted in the Guangs for many years, and his influence is knotted and deep-set. Those mischief-making merchants set him up in secret, but all of them have kept their own strength hidden, as well. No one is standing up, and everyone is watching the fire from across the bank, waiting to see the way the wind blows in the Dynasty. Who, in that gang of old jerks-turned-elites, would be willing to poke their head out? If there was no name set to this, for what reason would General Cui revolt against Liao Zhendong? Furthermore, if that sixty-thousand legion of Liao Zhendong¡¯s actually kicked up trouble, could either you or I bear the burden?¡± Blinking from his scolding, mouth agape, Liang Jiuxiao looked at him stupidly. Jing Qi sighed. There was nothing else going on, anyways, so he might as well debate thoroughly with this blockhead to avoid him going out and causing trouble in a bit. ¡°Now that the pit has been dug, Liao Zhendong is sure to jump into it. I¡¯ll ask you this; what is his biggest wish right now?¡± ¡°Um?¡± Liang Jiuxiao shook his head. Having had no hope that he would answer to begin with, Jing Qi went on ahead. ¡°His sort, which are accustomed to playing the local Emperor, are the most arrogant and maverick. At this moment, he¡¯s likely relying on having the Eldest Scion¡¯s support; prior to getting into real trouble, he definitely thought that this matter was nothing more than a momentary miscalculation that he made, and if he got a do-over, it certainly wouldn¡¯t happen again. For that reason, what he¡¯s most anxious to do now is set repairing his relationship with those very major merchants to task. If they hadn¡¯t caused havoc, the Guang insurrection would have never come to exist.¡± Liang Jiuxiao listened, not daring to make even a loud exhale. ¡°Yet, he hadn¡¯t expected Helian Zhao to give me that list of names, having me safeguard those people, but not them¡­ instead, the pawns were being abandoned to protect the chariots. Governor Liao, to that Master of his, is only a round fan in the autumn chill.¡± Taking in a breath, Jing Qi proceeded on. ¡°As for the technique of using profits as a lure, the key is simply to know yourself and your enemy ¡ª whatever they want is then what they should be given. I gave this idea to him, and my reason for saying that is because he was thinking that in his own mind, too. If he wasn¡¯t, then, regardless of whatever logic I had, he would merely take me as a decorative puppet and disregard what he¡¯d heard. However, with a statement like this, and despite it coinciding with his own views, the old man would definitely still get other ideas incited from the occasion.¡± He stopped, suddenly returning to the capital; it was as if he was harping on about these survival skills to that taciturn youth of few words, and he couldn¡¯t help but smile gently. Yet, when he turned his head to look, there was no obstinate-yet-intelligent teen seated there, but a fool boy with his mouth open in bewilderment, and he couldn¡¯t help but get a bit disheartened. ¡°Understand?¡± he asked with some impatience. ¡°No.¡± Liang Jiuxiao was utterly honest. With a huge roll of the eyes, Jing Qi continued on by himself. ¡°Given that they¡¯re the old loaches that they are, they¡¯ll want to slip out of hand, and need to achieve the same thing; nothing at all can be done on your own initiative, so raking in benefits from other¡¯s fights is the best thing they could possibly do. I raised the issue, so he would naturally think to exploit me to take initiative. Merchants? Merchants are nothing but heavy money-making, in the end. At present, Governor Liao has probably begun to ponder using my name to feed elephants to all those greedy snakes still surveying, and he¡¯s gotten nice and ahead of himself in thinking to suppress this matter by my hand. The stigma of an appointed Dynasty official bribing businessmen would also be borne by me, allowing him to be neatly removed from it.¡± Quick-witted Ji Xiang¡¯s eyes looked about. ¡°Master, just now ¡ª didn¡¯t you have Sir Li refer from that name list to go make secret inquires into those people in turn? You said that merchants are heavy money-making, so doesn¡¯t that indicate that they¡¯re benefiting by means of Liao Zhendong¡¯s work?¡± Jing Qi glanced at him, thinking that when it came to stewarding, Ping An was much better than Ji Xiang, but when it came to scheming, he was the real inferior one. In that instant, he smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry. When you to get to work, you¡¯ll still have to handle giving all those redeemed aristocrats a welcoming banquet to banish the dust of their travels, then.¡± Ji Xiang gave a hey, cheerful. Only reacting a long time later, Liang Jiuxiao stammered out, ¡°Th¡­ then, Prince, what¡­ what am I doing?¡± Jing Qi wasn¡¯t happy. ¡°I said all that, but you don¡¯t get it?¡± ¡°¡­No.¡± ¡°¡®No¡¯ and ¡®no¡¯ ¡ª did you jump in a river?!¡± Jing Qi seized a book and smashed it directly on the guy¡¯s skull. ¡°Everything¡¯s already ready and the only thing we¡¯re lacking is the driving eastern wind, so go put on women¡¯s clothes for me!¡± On New Year¡¯s Eve, Cui Yingshu returned in triumph bearing captives and troops, and Prince Nan¡¯ning had a big feast with the official crowd. However, right when the singing and dancing was about to reach its climax, a duo of officers suddenly barged in and cleared the way, after which a large group of people followed in. Among them were richly-bedecked merchants in brocade clothes, scholars waving fans in winter because they were pretending to be aloof, and disaster victims with ragged clothes that didn¡¯t fit their forms, all numbering in the thousands. They held a million-word note written in blood, which filed charges against Guang Governor Liao Zhendong, the Provincial Coordinator, and a miscellaneous group of other officials. Caught off guard, Liao Zhendong had no choice but to play dumb, kneel down, and weep bitterly that he had been accused wrongly. Jing Qi took the letter of blood, pretended to read it, and laughed, saying only two words ¡ª arrest them. Whilst no one in Liao Zhendong¡¯s crew ¡ª not even his group of imperial guard lackeys ¡ª could react, the entertaining ¡®beauties¡¯ on scene suddenly transformed into rakshasa, easily subduing all who were present. Concurrently, Cui Yingshu had already arranged troops on the sly to heavily encircle the place. ¡°You dare to touch me, Jing Beiyuan?!¡± Liao Zhendong cursed furiously. ¡°Are you not afraid of tens of thousands of my soldiers becoming roving bandits, turning the Guangs to anarchy from here on out?!¡± Jing Qi propped his head up with one hand, ignoring him. ¡°Sir Li? Where¡¯s Sir Li Yannian?¡± Li Yannian stepped forward. ¡°This humble official is present. Reporting back to the Prince and General, soldier¡¯s wage bundles have since been issued. Those who were willing to leave have taken the money and left, and those that weren¡¯t have been incorporated into General Cui¡¯s troops.¡± Eyes widening until they threatened to crack, Liao Zhendong stared at Li Yannian, speechless. ¡°Don¡¯t you see, Sir Liao? Didn¡¯t I tell you?¡± Jing Qi asked with a smile. ¡°Do you have the components of that famous general? When Han Xin led troops, he dared to state the more there were, the better; what do you even have? No matter how many people are in your hands, all of them are what¡¯s called a mob ¡ª come, detain him!¡± Liao Zhendong died suddenly in prison three days later, his cause of death not concrete. Jing Qi¡¯s letter stated ¡°the rebel traitor killed himself.¡± Helian Pei¡¯s only comment was: ¡°What a good death for a traitor like that!¡± The pitiful bunch of small fry that ordinarily followed Liao Zhendong either suffered implication as scapegoats, or they didn¡¯t know anything at all and babbled a lot, itching to clean themselves of blame right away, then stomped on Liao Zhendong¡¯s body ten thousand times to demonstrate their viewpoints. The Guang case came to a conclusion like a swift sword cutting through tangled rope, all due to the novice Prince Nan¡¯ning. Cui Yingshu came back to Court with his troops, triumphant and having made a huge contribution. On his return, he requested the grant of weaving quite a few more people into his ranks, and his aspirations were then satisfied. Li Yannian had been hibernating for many years. With this single strike that hit true, the aura of gloom inside him was exhausted, causing him to pat his chest and let out a long sigh. Every citizen of the Guangs celebrated. Helian Pei was happy to search and seize the possessions of the corrupt official¡¯s Estate, conferring the ill-gotten gains to the Repository of Internal Affair¡¯s treasury. Helian Zhao was also quite happy, even. Jing Qi had been the peak of capable at handling this; he totally prevented the man from entering the capital alive, solved the matter neatly, and didn¡¯t incriminate him in the slightest. The private troops were a regret, but he could plainly see the situation ¡ª considering that good-for-nothing Liao Zhendong had made up a mob ¡ª and didn¡¯t mind it, merely minimizing the losses as much as he could. As for that Li Yannian, he was an acquaintance, too. Once a few years had passed and talk had loosened up a bit, the Guangs would still be his infinite-treasure bowl. What difference was there between Liao Zhendong and Li Yannian? They had different names and surnames, yet were the same exact dogs. Jing Qi let out a light sigh of relief, slowly traversing in the freezing wind as he returned to the capital. CH 38 Year by year, those atop Fullmoon River were annually different, but the sights were always similar. The spring wind passed the ten-li-long shore once, separating people by nine steps and three turns of the head. All the vermilion was observed turning to teal. The year¡¯s song on the River was missed, along with the night of the Lantern Festival. Once Jing Qi caught sight of the distant gates of the capital, some sort of continuously stifling yearning faintly arose in his heart. Yearning for the remote and carefree Prince Estate, the nagging Ping An, and even the neighboring little monster, Wu Xi. He couldn¡¯t resist laughing. ¡°In your opinion,¡± he said to Ji Xiang, who was attending at the side, ¡°will that conscienceless sable at the Estate still recognize me?¡± Ji Xiang quickly smiled ingratiatingly. ¡°You¡¯ve spoken baseless words, Master. That little thing has been kept beside you the whole time and would never let anyone else close. How could it not recognize you?¡± As if he had remembered something, Jing Qi smiled as well. ¡°Yes, animals are much more conscientious than humans¡­ hey, do you know why that is?¡± It was idle chatter, but it took Ji Xiang a bit aback, and he didn¡¯t understand what the Junior Prince meant ¡ª why had he dragged the topic here? Was it homesickness? Thus, he shook his head. ¡°Humans have too many things they worry about, such as parents, siblings, friends, family, wives, children, elders, and juniors, along with daily socializing that can¡¯t be skipped, and there¡¯s constantly untold amounts of temptations that they might get ensnared in,¡± Jing Qi explained, with some apparent feeling. ¡°Animals are different, though; their daily worries are no more than living, eating, and drinking. Raise them, and you¡¯ll be the only one they will normally look at and recognize. You have this great big mortal world outside, yet they remember your kindness alone¡­¡± Talking up to there, he stopped. Ji Xiang was at a loss and didn¡¯t get it, so he was obliged to smile deferentially, nod, and say ¡°right.¡± ¡°Prince, why is what you¡¯ve said so¡­ so painful to hear?¡± Liang Jiuxiao suddenly asked, however. He inhaled through his nose, thought for a long spell, then had to say, ¡°Prince, you¡¯re coming home from an assignment, and I¡¯m able to meet my sect-brother I haven¡¯t seen in a while. Those are both happy events, so let¡¯s not say things like that, okay? They make one feel sour in the heart listening to them.¡± Jing Qi cast a glance at him. ¡°I was just weighing the matter offhand. What¡¯s painful about it?¡± he asked mildly. Liang Jiuxiao¡¯s entire face wrinkled up, and he shook his head. ¡°No, it sounds painful, like a breath¡¯s caught up in my chest. It¡¯s an uncomfortable feeling, as if¡­ if¡­ as if I¡¯ve gotten disappointed with something so many times, I refuse to think about it anymore.¡± The corner of Jing Qi¡¯s mouth curved. He said nothing. He believed that, sometimes, the Heavens were extraordinarily impartial; what one¡¯s aptitude was would also be their shortcoming. The greater part of intelligent people, for instance, thought more, but their lives wouldn¡¯t necessarily pass by easier than fools¡¯. Shrewd, deep-thinking people that were constantly mulling over the minds of others, for another instance, always had an intrinsic perspective when viewing people, but were often inferior to honest-natured folk, ill-versed in the ways of the world, that had near-mystical intuition. Wu Xi had that type of intuition, as did Liang Jiuxiao. Jing Qi was convinced that, in actuality, everybody had it when they were newborns, but as more and more time passed¡­ even their own hearts wouldn¡¯t believe in it. Suddenly, the carriage stopped, startling him. Ji Xiang promptly poked his head out to ask after it. The front side said something in answer, and he hopped off, coming back a short moment later with joy seemingly across his features. ¡°Guess who¡¯s here, Master.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± The rays of light were somewhat dim, and he wasn¡¯t taking note of Ji Xiang¡¯s expression, so his brows nevertheless furrowed once he heard that, tumult immediately roiling in his mind. He was lightly decorated and simply accompanied, walking ahead of Cui Yingshu for the sake of sneakily returning to the capital; no one had been informed of that so he could go directly into the palace, come before the Emperor, and explain the incident¡¯s settlement, preventing there from being a time where Helian Qi would kick up a fuss out of nothing. Yet, his footprints had been discovered here¡­ Who was it that was so magically talented? Where had the stake been hammered in? Near him? Not possible ¡ª they might be near Zhou Zishu¡­ And what was the meaning of obstructing him here? Silent for a time, he then reached his hand out, his surface yet undisturbed with no emotion to be seen. ¡°Help me down. I¡¯ll take a look at what kind of friend has such magical abilities.¡± As soon as he disembarked, however, he was stunned. On an ancient road in the capital¡¯s outskirts, there was a wine pavilion-turned-¡®rest pavilion¡¯. Three willows were at its doors, pedestrians passing them by, and the snapping off of a branch would transmit yearning for a thousand li out. Were one to walk any further out, they would go beyond the city gates. Currently, in the open area at the pavilion¡¯s entrance, a single person was seated. The teen had grown fast. Having not seen him for the greater half of a year, he almost couldn¡¯t recognize him. His height had risen by a good amount, rather like a crane amongst a crowd of chickens. There was no veil on his face, and the forever slightly-boyish curvature from his memory had nevertheless seemingly been polished by time; he had grown up overnight by virtue of a gust of wind. The eyes he gazed at him with were extraordinarily bright, even bringing a smile with them. Jing Qi had never seen such a gentle smile on the young man¡¯s face before, and for a moment, he felt somewhat unfamiliar. Of course, he wasn¡¯t the only one who had never witnessed a smile like that on Wu Xi. Even the accompanying Ashinlae and Nuahar couldn¡¯t help but be horrified. Following the day their Shamanet had spoken those words that scared the world and made spirits cry, the two¡¯s minds had continuously been in chaos. Forget about Ashinlae ¡ª not even Nuahar could understand why the Shamanet was fond of a man. What was so great about this guy? Not nice-smelling, not soft, and solid-bodied; he couldn¡¯t speak in a delicate voice, nor would he wash clothes, cook food, bear children, or manage the household. Nuahar peered at Ashinlae, silently imagining the same man being labelled a wife and taken back home¡­ he immediately got goosebumps all over and narrowly vomited up food he had eaten last night. He increasingly felt that the Shamanet was hexed. Every day, he would be overcome with boredom as he escorted Wu Xi to sit in this lousy little wine pavilion for a while, and he wasn¡¯t sure what the other was doing, either, since he didn¡¯t eat anything. He did the same stuff each time where he would ask for a pot of wine, then pay and leave once he finished it, taking a longing look at the towering city walls on his departure ¡ª that was it. But the instant Prince Jing got off the carriage, both Wu Xi¡¯s eyes and smile suddenly shone, like a thunderclap that struck Nuahar¡¯s heart. He understood at a glance that this wasn¡¯t the Shamanet being hexed; it was heartfelt. Back in the day, when his own older brother would pick a daily small basket of Nanjiang¡¯s most beautiful silkgrass from highly dangerous areas ¡ª braving the peril of losing his life at any time ¡ª and then bring it home to his wife, he frequently would have an unconscious expression like this on his face. Upon seeing that someone, it was a look akin to a plant on the verge of withering getting a second of sweet nectar, its entire form coming alive. For that reason, Nuahar¡¯s mood was complicated as he followed after Wu Xi to go meet him. He secretly took a measure of the familiar man. Jing Qi¡¯s looks were indeed good, and not a woman¡¯s type of good ¡ª he was tall-statured, his apparel sharp as a jade tree facing the wind, and his entire person held an indescribable refinement and sophistication. While within this impeccable dressing, his speech and conduct nonetheless involuntarily held a brand of unrestrainedness that minded nothing, and could relinquish anything; a bit overly perceptive, but, as a friend, able to be bonded with out of admiration. This was a fine person, but¡­ he was a man! Nuahar automatically cast a stealthy look at Ashinlae. Contemplating how the one the Shamanet liked was a big ol¡¯ manfolk like him, Nuahar was all the more in a snag. Naturally, Jing Qi was unaware that at this very moment, someone else was in the process of mentally establishing a description-defying connection between him and the big-and-rough Ashinlae. All he was thinking about was that his recent vigilance had been a bit ridiculous. He was accustomed to meticulous caution, even being slightly skittish. For some reason, he relaxed as soon as he saw Wu Xi. Despite knowing on the inside that the little brat had a poisonous heart, poisonous hands, and poisonous everything else, he still had a sincere sense of security. In any case, on the whole, he didn¡¯t need to have his mind calculating before him; he could relax some, smile when he was in a good mood, and not force a joyful appearance when he wasn¡¯t, as if he was going by his nature, too. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that the first person I¡¯d bump into at the capital would be you,¡± Jing Qi said with a grin. Wu Xi abruptly reached out and hugged him. Stupefied, Jing Qi adjusted only after a short moment had passed, and clapped the other forcefully on the back. ¡°You ran off into a farm and pilfered some peasant family¡¯s compost to eat, eh? I haven¡¯t seen you for a few days, and it seems you¡¯ve gone mad.¡± Wu Xi detected the man¡¯s bones pressing painfully into his arms, as if he had gotten thinner compared to before he had left, and his heart ached dully, having a feeling of sadness and joy weaving together. He had never known previously that there could be so very many subtle feelings in a person¡¯s heart, and half a year¡¯s worth of pining tilted out, the flood turning into a disaster. In the end, all he sullenly said was, ¡°I missed you.¡± Jing Qi¡¯s heart warmed ¡ª Helian Pei was awaiting the list of equity he had taken inventory of, Helian Yi was awaiting the collection of corrupt officials he had caught, Helian Zhao was awaiting news that he himself had been washed clean, Zhou Zishu was awaiting his sect-brother¡­ not one would have come to this rest pavilion on an old road, where noise and dust were liable to scatter about, to hug him tight and say I missed you. Nothing else. Just missing you, just you alone. ¡°So you do still have something of a conscience.¡± He couldn¡¯t resist laughing. A long time later, Wu Xi let him go, watching him unblinkingly with dark black eyes. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Jing Qi asked. ¡°I have nothing else to do regardless. I heard you would come back down this road, so I¡¯ve been coming to watch every day.¡± Jing Qi¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Every day?¡± he blurted out. ¡°I left for over half a year. You, every single day¡­¡± Wu Xi nodded like it was by rights. ¡°I sit here for a while, then go back. I didn¡¯t expect you would be gone for so long.¡± How was this kid so affection-invoking¡­? Abruptly feeling pretty gratified, Jing Qi thus beckoned for Ji Xiang to bring a small box over, then took it and passed it to Wu Xi. ¡°I bought little trinkets for you.¡± Wu Xi accepted it mutely, an odd look suddenly emerging on his face that resembled extreme happiness, which was then forcibly repressed. ¡°For me?¡± he whispered. Jing Qi nodded. ¡°Folk specialties of the Guangs. They¡¯re not worth anything, but I was thinking that you might not have seen them before, so you can take them back home and do with them what you will.¡± ¡°Then¡­ they¡¯re for me alone?¡± Wu Xi asked again. Those who have grown to independence are indeed grown, Jing Qi thought to himself. Something one would regard as important had to be carefully planned for (and baubles for cajoling small children were naturally unfit to be seen in public), so he nodded. ¡°Who else would I get it for?¡± Fully satisfied, Wu Xi carefully opened the satin-wrapped box. Inside was an intricate ivory case, its surface decorated with the designs of fauna that were all nothing short of exquisite. Since time immemorial, the signature of tusk and horn had been juxtaposed with the jade of the Kunlun mountains, the pearl of the bright moon, the pendant of the night¡¯s brilliance, and other such things, the shine and affluence to it not needing to be said. The case was opened, and inside that were twelve small figurines of the Zodiac animals, all carved in ivory, and each painstakingly crafted with palpable innocuity. Wu Xi cautiously accepted it, placed it exceptionally preciously on his chest, then gave a smile that didn¡¯t have the slightest affectation. ¡°I really like it.¡± Saying that, he took a dark-green, jadeite ring that he was wearing off his finger. ¡°You gave me a gift. I will give you one also.¡± Nuahar and Ashinlae¡¯s eyeballs nearly bulged out ¡ª Shamanet, that¡¯s been passed down through generations of Great Shamans! The Great Shaman had given it to him prior to his exodus, instructing him to keep it safe, and if he didn¡¯t bring it with him in the future, then it definitely had to have been gifted to his wife¡­ that¡¯s¡­ but then¡­ Ashinlae opened his mouth, wanting to speak, and Nuahar stomped on his foot hard. He choked it back down with an ashen face. Jing Qi waved him off and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re no fun, huh? They¡¯re but some curios. Gifts are just gifts; mess around with them when you want to, toss them to the side if you don¡¯t.¡± ¡°What you give me, I will absolutely never toss to the side ¡ª this is different, too. You must accept it,¡± Wu Xi replied earnestly. Jing Qi blinked. Taking the jadeite ring, he observed it in the light. He knew it was a good item, but, as Prince Nan¡¯ning, he had hitherto seen genuinely too many good things, so he didn¡¯t care much about this piece of jade, either. ¡°What¡¯s different about it?¡± he questioned, teasing. Wu Xi went quiet for a bit. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you right now. Anyways, it¡¯s different.¡± Delighted at the prospect of mystery, Jing Qi went to speak, but he noticed Wu Xi looking at him with utter seriousness. ¡°You must accept this,¡± he insisted. There was no need to wrangle with him over this trifle. Mood good, Jing Qi readily went along with him. ¡°Very well. It would be rude to decline.¡± He compared it to his hand. It wouldn¡¯t go on his thumb, but it was a bit bigger than the rest of his fingers. The attentive Ji Xiang swiftly got a section of string from wherever and strung it for him to hang around his neck. Wu Xi smiled silently. Prince, you have received a token of this one¡¯s love¡­ CH 39 Wu Xi was not an especially chatty person. Most of the time, someone else would be doing the talking, and he the listening. Regardless of whether he was absorbing what he heard or not, the majority of his responses were brief questions, or nods and shakes of the head. After getting to know him for a long time, though, Jing Qi found out that his expressions from when he was actually listening versus casually skimping were unalike. During others¡¯ nonsense talk, Wu Xi¡¯s eyes would generally be looking downwards, half-hooded and motionless, making it hard for him to time his nods with precision. When he was seriously listening, though, his eyes were fixed directly onto the other party, as if he never wanted to blink. Every time he was looked at with eyes like that, he couldn¡¯t resist talking a bit more. When one constantly faced some complicated people and complicated emotions, then witnessed simple, unadulterated things, they were particularly prone to soft-heartedness. That was why Jing Qi always had unusual patience towards young children and small animals. What a shame that, despite reincarnating so many times, he had never had his own heirs. At times, he would abruptly want a son just like Wu Xi, who would open his big, black eyes to soundlessly urge him to keep going whenever he was talking. During any situation, his mind couldn¡¯t get sidetracked, he would clearly identify matters of right and wrong for himself, and he would never wantonly waver ¡ª ¡®I¡¯ll allow your wind to blast and rain to beat, but I¡¯ll be a motionless peak.¡¯[1] Having none of those, Jing Qi believed that the type of person Wu Xi was ought to be the luckiest; as he lived, even if he would sometimes get tired, he would not ever be exhausted. Because he was forever persevering with a few things that were very clear-cut, he would not be at a loss, nor regretful, nor overcautious to the point that he would hesitate and not put his foot forward. In spite of the admiration, something that was innate nature couldn¡¯t eventually be learned. Jing Qi collected amusing events of the whole journey as he chatted with him, with Ji Xiang, Ashinlae, Nuahar, Liang Jiuxiao, and the rest of them following behind. ¡°Who is that?¡± Liang Jiuxiao asked Ji Xiang quietly. ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like someone of our Great Qing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the Nanjiang Shamanet, who lives next to our Estate and visits often.¡± Liang Jiuxiao¡¯s eyes shone, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit eager. ¡°He¡¯s the Shamanet? Isn¡¯t he the one that you said had awesome martial arts?¡± ¡°Young Master Zhou has praised them before, too,¡± Ji Xiang replied with a smile. ¡°His other skills are good as well. As it goes, those bottles of precious stuff that the Prince had on hand were also made up by him.¡± Hearing of his eldest sect-brother Zhou Zishu, Liang Jiuxiao promptly seemed to get injected with chicken blood, and he itched to rush up and compare notes with Wu Xi. Then, he heard the latter half and couldn¡¯t keep from being astonished. ¡°Oh, that drug that put me down when a little bit got on me?¡± The two were trailing them not-closely and in hushed voices, but Wu Xi had extraordinary hearing. He hadn¡¯t been paying attention at first, but once he caught this, he couldn¡¯t resist turning his head with a slight crease of the brows. ¡°Who is that one?¡± ¡°Zhou Zishu¡¯s younger sect-brother. He helped me out a lot with this¡­ oh, right. Ji Xiang, when I go into the palace later, you don¡¯t need to follow. Bring Young Master Liang back, have people entertain him properly, then send someone to invite Young Master Zhou to talk with him.¡± Ji Xiang nodded and affirmed. Wu Xi was yet unsure. ¡°Was there any place unclear in the usage of them that I wrote for you, for you to harm him by mistake?¡± Jing Qi shook his head and bust out laughing. Liang Jiuxiao¡¯s face went thoroughly red, but he was a straightforward person; before Jing Qi could speak, he stammeringly explained the matter, sneaking a peek at Jing Qi as he talked. Seeing that the other was only taking it as a joke without the slightest trace of moodiness, he therefore said out loud, ¡°Regardless, the Prince is a great benefactor to the people of the Guangs, as well as me. I had transgressed you, yet you didn¡¯t get mad, as you are a truly good man. If there is an errand I can be sent on later, then I, Liang Jiuxiao, will not decline it, even if my head falls to the ground and my blood shoots to the sky!¡± Both Nuahar and Ashinlae¡¯s mouths were wide open. They looked at this big-talking brother, then at Wu Xi, having a bit of reverence in their hearts. He dared to admit that he tried to¡­ tried to assassinate the Shamanet¡¯s future wife, to his face. Truly, phenomenally courageous. ¡°You? You not causing trouble for me is fine by itself. You¡¯re lacking in successes and have an abundance of failures, so how could I dare to trouble you, O Great One?¡± Jing Qi cheerfully scolded. Wu Xi narrowed his eyes at Liang Jiuxiao expressionlessly, though. If the look in his eyes that he just had while listening to Jing Qi could be described as being akin to a gluttoned little sable, this one would instead be of a hissing viper¡¯s. Liang Jiuxiao suddenly felt a bit cold, thinking that Nanjiang was a place where barbarians stayed, indeed. Even this guy was so eerie, one look of his made him feel discomfited all over for a very long time. Wu Xi latched onto Jing Qi. ¡°Did he harm you?¡± Before Jing Qi could speak (again), Liang Jiuxiao cried out automatically. ¡°How could I? Had I harmed the Prince, wouldn¡¯t I had to have made up for it with my death?¡± Upon peeking at Wu Xi¡¯s face, Jing Qi knew that he was a bit angry. Afraid that he would split hairs over Liang Jiuxiao being some kind of villain, he consequently gave a laugh. ¡°It was a misunderstanding, just a bout. I got to experience Hero Liang¡¯s practiced face-changing arts, so it was worth it.¡± That was the truth. Zhou Zishu was even more practiced at it, able to switch out his face like a carousel lantern, but he generally seldom turned himself female. On the occasions he did, they were only in the category of haggard village women, and not like this guy, who displayed originality by turning himself into a major beauty. As was known, although face-changing sounded divine when spoken of, it ultimately wasn¡¯t without flaws, and for that reason, experts usually avoided making themselves up too extravagantly so they wouldn¡¯t look unnatural. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for that beauty being too tall and robust, I likely wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell anything was amiss,¡± Jing Qi teased. Things would¡¯ve been fine if he hadn¡¯t said that. Wu Xi wasn¡¯t an unreasonable person, since the misunderstanding was unmasked and the other wasn¡¯t truly injured, but once he heard those words, he swiftly felt that looking at this stupidly-smiling guy was displeasing to the eye. He had disguised himself as a woman, then went by himself late at night to¡­ to that man¡¯s bedroom. Good. Very good. Hence, that very night, Liang Jiuxiao almost puked and trotted himself half to death. The following day, he got a whole body rash, and the fact that it wouldn¡¯t be going down for a few months would temporarily go unmentioned. Even Zhou Zishu, an old jianghu hat, couldn¡¯t tell what had befallen his sect-brother, and merely took it as him being unadapted. Anyways, Jing Qi returned to the Estate on the same path as Wu Xi, hastily changed his clothes, then went to the palace. Junior Eunuch Wang Wu welcomed him, a heap of smiles on his face. ¡°The Emperor invites you inside, Prince.¡± Jing Qi walked to him, beaming, then passingly fished out a hefty pouch from his sleeve and handed it over. ¡°Thanks for your trouble, Eunuch Wang. We haven¡¯t met for over half a year. The Emperor is in good health and Eunuch Xi Ning is getting older, so you¡¯ve had a lot of work, eh?¡± Wang Wu hurriedly denied this with deference. ¡°Waiting upon the Emperor is a boon that this slave has cultivated over several lifetimes. How could I claim it to be work? The Emperor has just awoken from an afternoon doze, so his energy is currently rather high. He was just reminiscing about you, Prince, and then you return; isn¡¯t that a coincidence?¡± Jing Qi exchanged pleasantries with him. As he followed him towards the inside, he heard him speak into his ear in a extremely quiet voice. ¡°The home remedy that you asked the Shamanet for last time was truly effective, Prince. This slave¡¯s old mother took two doses, and her legs have gotten a bit stronger¡­ I thank you for your great kindness and virtue, Prince¡­¡± He swallowed down the latter part. The palace was an important place with ears all around, and some words could be understood implicitly. Despite Wang Wu¡¯s body being incomplete, he was a most-rare filial son. His mother¡¯s legs were bad, and she took a fall last spring that left them completely paralyzed while Wang Wu had still been on duty in the palace, enduring being right under the Emperor¡¯s nose. Unable to manage both sides, he got overly anxious, and poured out scalding tea due to negligence, thus getting berated by Helian Pei. Jing Qi just-so-happened to be on scene, so he asked after it in private, then sought out Wu Xi to seek a remedy for him, which actually worked. Jing Qi smiled. ¡°It was no more effort than the lift of a hand,¡± he said lightly. Slight effort exchanged for someone¡¯s lifetime of deep gratitude ¡ª what wasn¡¯t to love? The wind and waves of the world were easy to dodge, but there were too many hidden ravines to capsize ships. What made things easier for someone else also made it easier for oneself. Wang Wu sighed. ¡°The Emperor has been excited these days. The Second Highness has acquired many strange creatures from somewhere, and this slave has never seen them before. This act of filial piety has coaxed the Emperor into quite some joy.¡± Jing Qi¡¯s peach blossom eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn¡¯t stop in his tracks, merely nodding ¡ª Wang Wu was pointedly warning him¡­ that Helian Qi was moving about a lot at the Emperor¡¯s side recently. Evidently, he had dropped a lot of medicine in his eyes, too. Helian Pei was very affectionate when he saw him, calling him to his side, then saying he was tall, then saying he was thin, continually moaning and groaning about stuff once through. Conversely, he only carelessly listened to his explanation of the Guang event before towing him into some gossip, sighing ruefully during. ¡°Had we known you would be gone for most of a year like this, we wouldn¡¯t have made you go to that place of simultaneous gusts and snowfall. Child, we know without being told that those things were all done by Cui Yingshu and his band of rough-skinned folk. You rushed in to get up close to whatever excitement there was?¡± Jing Qi touched his nose and merely smiled. ¡°You are one of innate wealth. In light of what we¡¯ve said, we don¡¯t request that you do any sort of wondrous feat. Just like with Mingzhe, being safe and sound your whole life is good. There¡¯s only one thing ¡ª you mustn¡¯t follow his nature of not being able to let things go,¡± Helian Pei educated him. His heart jolted. Carefully, he raised his head to look at the man, only to see a gentle smile on his face without any particular expression. He then knew that Helian Qi must have done a lot of talking in circles to stab him with hidden knives in this segment of time. Mind in a flurry, he put a wronged look on his face, lifted up his sleeve, and came close before Helian Pei in that friendly sort of way, resembling what he had done as a child. ¡°Speaking of that, take a look, Your Majesty.¡± Helian Pei looked and saw a scab on his fair arm, dark and outstandingly large. ¡°Oh, how did that happen?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a burn.¡± ¡°Which slave has forfeited their life to have dared burn your arm so?¡± Helian Pei asked worriedly. ¡°Have you sought out an imperial physician yet?¡± Jing Qi waved his hand and put his sleeve down. ¡°I got a local doctor to take a look at it. It¡¯s fine; he said that it wouldn¡¯t leave a scar, and it¡¯s even close to healed. This subject hadn¡¯t wanted to add to your burden, but when you said such a thing just now, I couldn¡¯t hold back this bit of grievance that I¡¯ve had in my heart the whole journey ¡ª this burn was from me myself. Everyone said that the Guangs were a warm place, but, unexpectedly, it became cold once a heavy snowfall came down. This subject unwisely held a portable heater all through the day, and the instant I wasn¡¯t being careful, I burned myself.¡± ¡°Oi, look at you!¡± The man reached out and poked him on the forehead. ¡°How old are you? You weren¡¯t going to tell? Ah, you kids. We watched you all grow up, and the one day you¡¯re not in our sight, you have to add a drop of variety.¡± ¡°Right?¡± Jing Qi replied, aggrieved. ¡°This subject regretted at the time that I wasn¡¯t staying at a good place in the capital, having instead run off to such a distant region. I was just thinking at the time that everyone had already gone out there, and if my business wasn¡¯t settled, I wouldn¡¯t have any face at all to meet my fellow countrymen with, so I forced myself to do it.¡± ¡°You still have no face to meet them? Which opera are you singing?¡± Helian Pei asked him in jest. Jing Qi¡¯s mouth curled. ¡°Over there, one moment I¡¯d be thinking that I needed to argue on behalf of Royal Uncle and Father Prince, and then another moment I¡¯d be thinking that, later on, I would never listen to someone else conning, meddling, and making trouble again. It sounded easy, but the doing was really awful. Next time, I¡¯ll get beaten to death and still not go.¡± Helian Pei was taken aback, as though he was only just now remembering that Jing Qi¡¯s departure to the Guangs was by Helian Qi¡¯s urging. All of a sudden, he had nothing to say. Jing Qi yet appeared to be ignorant of this, continuing to recount some interesting news from the Guangs, after which he took his leave. Quietly, he let out a sigh of relief. The mark on his arm was from before leaving on the trip; he suddenly had a thought, so, in order to protect against the unexpected, he had Liang Jiuxiao personally use face-change stuff to make something for him where the fake could be passed off as the real, and others wouldn¡¯t be able to easily tell so. Against expectations, his worry had come true. Sure enough, keeping one¡¯s monarch company was akin to keeping a tiger company. In the heavenly family, there was no such thing as father and son, to say nothing of an unverified foster son¡­ He abruptly recalled that, in his previous life, Helian Pei seemingly didn¡¯t have gripes with him. Back then, his mind was entirely devoted to Helian Yi, as if every other thing up in heaven and down on earth aside from him was no more than a thought. Perhaps it was exactly because of that that Helian Pei was unusually at ease. In this lifetime¡­ everything was instead too precise, and it narrowly became a pitfall. CH 40 Spring in the imperial city exhaled soundlessly, the bitter cold still present, yet faintly collapsing. The spring¡¯s chill would abruptly turn to warm, then back to cold again, like both were scouting out with advances and retreats. Jing Qi emerged from the throne room, face gone apathetic, and rode the palanquin straight back to the Estate. He calculated inwardly that he had indeed been a bit over-the-top the time before. Having kept silent for all these years, the majority of those in Court only took him as a wealthy idler. However, starting from when Jiang Zheng incited unrest, his movements hadn¡¯t been small whether they were open or hidden, and with the Guang incident now, those interested saw through him all the more. The words of ¡®once he wanted to sing, his first song amazed the world¡¯ were said of the King of Chu; if they fell upon his own head, it would be enormously far from encouraging. Whitewater had to withdraw, one day. Jing Qi dismissed the servants and sat alone in his study for a moment, unconsciously fiddling with the jadeite ring hanging on his neck that Wu Xi had given him. He pondered how, from what Helian Pei had said, it had probably come time for him to need to draw back. This realm was the Helian family¡¯s, in the end. Some things were fine for adding fuel to the fire, but climbing onstage with them to put on a show wasn¡¯t necessary. ¡°Where is Ping An? Ping An!¡± he suddenly called out. A response came from outside, and Ping An pushed open the door and came in. ¡°Master.¡± Jing Qi ruminated for a bit. ¡°When the Crown Prince got married, I wasn¡¯t in the capital, and didn¡¯t attend. I¡¯ve oft been close with him, and he hasn¡¯t taken any less care of us these years, so that ultimately doesn¡¯t feel very fitting, when I think about it.¡± Ping An was startled, understanding his hidden connotation immediately, after which his face crumbled. ¡°Master, even if you weren¡¯t in the capital, there¡¯s no logic in saying that we servants didn¡¯t carry through for that big event. The gifts for His Highness¡¯s wedding had been delivered long ago, and when they were being prepared, I asked you to look over them, too¡­ what¡¯s more, you can go to the East Palace in person to apologize for your fault with sincerity.¡± Peering at him, Jing Qi only felt amusement, and he deliberately teased him. ¡°Go in person? If both my hands are empty, wouldn¡¯t others still say that this Prince is insincere?¡± ¡°How could you be insincere?¡± Ping An quickly replied. ¡°What objects could be comparable to you having the mind to make a personal visit, Master?¡± ¡°I still have the self-awareness to know that I¡¯m not that valuable,¡± Jing Qi followed. Turning his head to see Ping An¡¯s twisted-up, big-pancake face, he thus got twisted up on the inside as well, and reached out to poke him hard between the brows. ¡°Is our Estate going to run out of money? It¡¯s just a supplementary gift for the Crown Prince, and no one will find the extra courtesy strange. That look of yours is like you¡¯re going to have to go pawn the planks off of coffins. Talk less nonsense and go do whatever it is you should be doing,¡± he scolded. There weren¡¯t many people in the Estate. Jing Qi had been born into a noble household, so its daily expenses didn¡¯t need to be announced, but it wasn¡¯t to the extent that it was lavish, and most of it went according to the norm. Despite loving to mess around and be able to live it up some, those were non-excessive occasions set for a fixed amount of time. The majority of the Estate¡¯s expenditure went entirely to socializing and bribes. Ping An was internally distressed. The one not making the money was the one that didn¡¯t know how to spend it wisely, but there was nothing he could do, either, so he mumbled to himself as he left. Not staying there for the night, Jing Qi walked to the East Palace himself. Normally, those who had just gotten married ought to have their countenances glowing with light. For some reason, though, His Highness the Crown Prince was haggard, looking to be more exhausted than him, the one that had barely returned to the capital and been running about all over the place before he even had time to drink a sip of water. Only when he saw him arrive did he have the slightest bit of radiance to his face, and he pulled him over to take a close measure of him, sighing quietly a long while later. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten thinner.¡± Not waiting for Jing Qi to say anything, he spoke to those attending. ¡°Go see if that medical meal is done stewing, and have someone serve a bowl for the Prince.¡± Jing Qi waved his hand repeatedly. ¡°Don¡¯t do that, don¡¯t. I can¡¯t stand that taste.¡± Helian Yi completely ignored his protest, paying it no attention as he questioned him in a pileup of noises. ¡°Did your work go smoothly? I heard that heavy snow fell from the sky there this year, did you freeze?¡± The look in his eyes was pressing, and he forgot to let go of the hand holding Jing Qi¡¯s wrist, either because he was unaware that he forgot, or he was emotional. With a light cough, Jing Qi drew a half-step back to the side and pulled his hand out, feigning insouciance. ¡°What¡¯s this all about? Liao Zhendong treated me with good food and drink. Fearing that I would freeze, he specially erected a few li long canopy in wait for me. My life had been much more comfortable than it had been at the capital.¡± For but a short moment, he suddenly sensed that there appeared to be something hidden in Helian Yi¡¯s expression, but he refused to investigate it. Once one was bit by a snake, they would fear well ropes for ten years. Sometimes, the pain would be difficult to deal with, and the fear, close at hand; upon putting a moment of more thought into things, he felt scared out his wits, and couldn¡¯t wait to get eight zhang away from him. It was said that, in a foreign land, there was a species of animal known as elephants ¡ª huge, long-nosed, and possessing the strength of thirty-thousand catties. If one was chained to a wooden stake when young and grew up bound to it, then, many years later, when it had the ability to wrap around a tree and uproot it, it still wouldn¡¯t be able to struggle free of that tiny little stake. Jing Qi understood well that instinct could not be resisted, because Helian Yi was, at times, his stake. Helian Yi¡¯s complexion imperceptibly dulled some, following which he let go of him in coordination, sat down, and sipped his tea like nothing had happened. ¡°I heard that you had only just come back today and debriefed Father Emperor. How come you¡¯re not resting at this moment, but have run off to my place?¡± ¡°I have a gift for you, Your Highness,¡± Jing Qi said with a smile. ¡°I was afraid that you wouldn¡¯t be able to get it if it was any later.¡± Helian Yi glimpsed the trunk Jing Qi had someone carry in, and he promptly understood what the ¡®gift¡¯ was. Lowering his lashes, he smiled without rushing to speak, then waved his hand to have everyone in the surroundings withdraw before he answered. ¡°Could it be that you¡¯ve gotten inside information on Helian Zhao?¡± Jing Qi picked out important words as he explained the entire series of events in his visit to the Guangs, after which he opened the box, displaying a layer of calligraphic works, paintings, brushes, inkstones, and other such stuff; since he had a good eye, everything being gifted to the East Palace was quality goods. In ordinary times, Helian Yi would be fond of fiddling with these baubles, but he didn¡¯t have any inclination to do so at this time. He watched as the other irreverently arranged those masterfully-crafted, strenuously-obtained works of art on the floor like he was setting up shop, noticing thereafter that the trunk was packed full of string-bound ledgers. Helian Yi stood to reach out and grab a volume, casually flipping it open. The more he read, the more shocked he was, and he quickly picked up another volume in sequence. The eyes of the Crown Prince, who had previously never shown happiness nor anger in his looks, widened into two circles. ¡°Where¡­ where did you get these from?¡± he asked in a hushed voice. ¡°Inside here are records of all sorts of illegal dealings that happened between Liao Zhendong and Guang merchants over the years, with copious ledgers of him having sold official¡¯s positions and titles of nobility therein,¡± Jing Qi responded, grinning. ¡°It was Li Yannian who had written down each and every word of them, as he had been following Liao Zhendong these years. As for the rest¡­ they¡¯re Liao Zhendong¡¯s contacts with other people in Court. Those are from when their steward couldn¡¯t withstand being under torture any longer, and quietly pointed out a hidden room for me to search.¡± Immediately hearing something amiss, Helian Yi raised his gaze to look at him with a furrowed brow. ¡°You secretly enacted torture while interrogating the convict?¡± The Great Qing hadn¡¯t tolerated cruel methods since its beginning, apart from what was properly endorsed by the Ministry of Justice. Even the Emperor¡¯s Imperial Envoy could only go as far as taking a case to trial, or giving a couple of beatings with a switch ¡ª they weren¡¯t allowed to conduct torture in private. Jing Qi smiled, voice low. ¡°No one will know.¡± ¡­Everyone that knew was dead. Helian Yi¡¯s face underwent a couple of changes. He stared at Jing Qi for a good long while, then sighed. ¡°Beiyuan, you shouldn¡¯t¡­ do stuff like this.¡± Jing Qi raised the corner of his mouth into a smile. ¡°I¡¯m willing to toil like a running dog for you, Your Highness. I only request that you don¡¯t forget my assets in the future,¡± he stated pointedly. Helian Yi watched him for a bit with a deep look in his eyes, as if he was slightly disappointed, then waved his hand. ¡°What¡¯s done is done, and that¡¯s the end of it. You¡­ should be careful, anyhow.¡± He quickly took the out. ¡°Right. Thank you for your guidance, Crown Prince. I will not disturb your rest any further, then.¡± With Helian Yi¡¯s visage sickly, Jing Qi ceased talking, and went to bow and withdraw. When he was about to walk out the door, he heard Helian Yi suddenly speak up from behind him. ¡°You refused to even rest for a night, instead sprinting to me. Did Father Emperor say something to you?¡± Jing Qi paused in his steps. In truth, reporting to the Emperor when he had just returned from handling such a huge, outside case was within the norm, but apart from him, it was ill-advised to get in contact with anyone else straightaway, lest people suspected that hidden agendas were had. For example, even if he was allowed to, Helian Zhao wouldn¡¯t be so bold as to go seek him out and hastily gift him stuff. As it happened, the Crown Prince managed the Ministry of Appointments, so if Helian Zhao went looking for him later, it would be regarded as being within decency. He had anxiously taken a trip to the East Palace in person; on top of the reason for it, he had also faintly made it clear to others that his loyalty was to the Crown Prince¡¯s party. It had been an implicitly understood thing, but Helian Yi, for some reason, bluntly pointed it out all of a sudden. Jing Qi was stunned where he stood. ¡°What do you mean, Your Highness?¡± Helian Yi didn¡¯t look at him, though, only telling him in a quiet voice of unclear implication: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, okay?¡± Don¡¯t worry? Don¡¯t worry about what? Don¡¯t worry about Helian Pei, Helian Zhao, or Helian Yi himself? Amused in secret, Jing Qi played dumb. ¡°Are you okay, Your Highness? What would this subject have to worry about?¡± With that, he paid him no more mind, departing the East Palace following another bow. After he was gone, candle flames flickered. Helian Yi abruptly gained a feeling of physical and mental exhaustion. Once Helian Zhao realized that Jing Qi had him fooled, he already knew that all the things that weren¡¯t on his table had come into the hands of the Crown Prince. Subsequent to being frightened out of his mind, he understood one thing ¡ª now, he was truly on the same boat as the Crown Prince. He inwardly issued his fury by mentally chopping Jing Qi to pieces several hundred times. He shot geese every year, but this time around, a goose pecked his eyes. Against expectations, Jing Beiyuan was so profoundly scheming, he had played a naive follower while actually taking every single person into consideration in his plans. That old man in the dragon throne had better stay alive. His death awaited otherwise¡­ If the rebellion plot came true, then the ledgers Helian Yi had would automatically turn into wastepaper. On a separate side, Jing Qi was talking to Wu Xi. ¡°In this realm, there¡¯s the possibility of enticing the benefits of the Eldest Helian, yes, but I can¡¯t give what¡¯s not in my hand. Since I couldn¡¯t entice him with profit, coercion was necessary to make him sit on the same stool as me¡­ speaking of, I should thank Helian Qi.¡± Wu Xi had resumed his habit of reporting daily to the Prince Estate at a set time, but now, he took it even more seriously. He had intentionally bought an entire set of books ¡ª ranging all across ones for instructing children, like the Three Character Classic and the Student and Child Standards, to all of the Four Books and Five Classics ¡ª and came there every day to bug Jing Qi about explaining them. Jing Qi was fond of lecturing, and Wu Xi listened to him earnestly; over time, it genuinely came to look like a student reporting back to his teacher. Jing Qi even joked that Wu Xi should show him filial piety and pay for the private tutoring lessons. Unexpectedly, the very next day, Wu Xi had actually made side-inquiries on the proper tutoring fee for tongue-tilling teachers, and gave him a presentable amount of it. Prince Nan¡¯ning, who had just earned money for the first time ever, wasn¡¯t sure how to react. Ashinlae, a straight-talker, was internally anxious, thinking to himself: didn¡¯t the Shamanet say he liked him? Why doesn¡¯t it look like he¡¯s making any moves? Bearing the energy of an imperial eunuch being anxious while the Emperor was unruffled, he quietly asked Wu Xi, ¡°Shamanet, with you and the Prince always being like this, when would he agree to go back to Nanjiang with you?¡± Wu Xi¡¯s line of sight didn¡¯t stray from the book he held, but he paused upon hearing that. ¡°I haven¡¯t spoken to him yet.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Ashinlae worried. ¡°Are you afraid that he won¡¯t be willing?¡± Wu Xi nodded, then shook his head. ¡°Even if he¡¯d be willing, I don¡¯t have the skill right now. How could I not make him worry again, were some incident to happen? It¡¯d be better to train up on my capability first, so that I¡¯m able to protect him someday.¡± Ashinlae thought about it, then tested for something. ¡°Then¡­ what will you do if he doesn¡¯t like you?¡± Wu Xi was taken aback for a long time. ¡°I¡¯ll treat him well. He will know so, of course.¡± He spoke no more, turned, and went back to the study, ignoring Ashinlae, who was pulling his hair in distress. CH 41 The advance-retreat approach consists of retreating after you¡¯ve advanced and advancing after you¡¯ve retreated.¡± Jing Qi was loosely draped in a light-blue robe, its white collar contrasting with a strand of his uncombed, inkstroke-esque hair that had fallen, since he had just woken up from an afternoon nap. Reclining on a chaise with his eyes half-lidded, he had a slightly nasally tone to his words; clarity in the young man¡¯s voice had already initiated at some unknown interim, gradually getting polished into a deep and low sound by time, which his each and every unhurried word like a strike on one¡¯s heart. ¡°Bystanders all believe that when you advance, you then must take some steps back in retreat, so as to avoid blocking the path of one whose path shouldn¡¯t be blocked. Bystanders all believe that when you retreat, you must advance regardless ¡ª that¡¯s what is called ¡®pushing forwards despite a hundred thousand people opposing me.''¡± Wu Xi watched him mutely, his mind clearly wandering. Jing Qi had babbled on to this point lazily, liable to fall back asleep at any time, so he didn¡¯t notice at first. After not hearing him respond for a long time, though, he tilted his head to look at him. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Startled, Wu Xi avoided his gaze in a slight panic and lowered his own head a bit. ¡°Just like you, then?¡± he asked. ¡°Uh¡­ wha?¡± Jing Qi opened his eyes some. ¡°What about me?¡± ¡°When everyone else thought you shouldn¡¯t go to the Guangs, you went. Once you came back, everyone else thought that you would use that opportunity to do something, yet you¡¯ve done nothing, and are entirely the same as you were before.¡± ¡°Going to the Guangs was Helian Qi causing trouble for me. The matter¡¯s settled. If I didn¡¯t play the wealthy idler when I came back, when would I?¡± Wu Xi pondered this, then shook his head. ¡°Your words are ingenuine.¡± Jing Qi burst out laughing, standing up to loosen up his body and stretch. The peach blossoms in the courtyard were blooming like a pileup of snow, and once the wind blew, frost dropped all over the place, bringing a cool aroma with it. As it fluttered down upon Jing Qi, Wu Xi thought that the other seemed to have walked out of a painting. He couldn¡¯t help but recall a poem he had heard a few days prior and blurt it out. ¡°Humble and modest, a youth nomadic¡­¡±[1] Having not heard that clearly, Jing Qi turned look at him with some skepticism. ¡°What did you say?¡± Wu Xi shook his head, inclining his head away frantically to gaze at the mottled courtyard wall. He felt that there was a dampness in his heart akin to the moss growing in that corner of the wall; he was right before his eyes, but some words had to be resisted. Suddenly somewhat wronged, he consequently asked in a low voice, ¡°Can you talk about the Three-Hundred Poems for me today?¡± Wu Xi was usually one to focus on pragmatism, typically being only fond of listening to things about historical tactics and peaceful governance, while not very willing to listen to him speak of etiquette and poetry. He wasn¡¯t planning to take the exam for Prime Scorer, nor did he have a need to write works too well ¡ª those rhythmic written parables in the Poetry Classic had always gone into his ears, but he wouldn¡¯t set them to heart. As long as he could understand what he heard, that sufficed. Jing Qi was slightly taken aback. Taking note that the other¡¯s head was tilted so that he could stare blankly at the base of the wall, gaze seeming to drift outwards with the shallow color of devotion suffused amidst his enigmatic and hearty features, he couldn¡¯t resist giving a knowing smile, thinking to himself: this kid¡¯s finally gotten to yearning age, huh? ¡°Which section do you want to hear?¡± ¡°The one with ¡®to take their hands and grow old with them.''¡±[2] Ah, so it was true. Though jubilant, Jing Qi yet remembered something else. He didn¡¯t point it out, merely saying, ¡°That¡¯s a sorrowful song, yet you¡¯ve remembered the two most heavily heart-breaking lines in it.¡± Surprised, Wu Xi turned to look at him uncomprehendingly. Jing Qi lightly let off the couple of petals that had fallen onto his shoulders, then slowly began to speak. ¡°¡®With the noise of the striking drums, we leap out with arms, and a moat is dug out the city wall as we march South alone. We follow Gongsun Zizhong, since peace was made with Chen and Song, yet we were not lead back home, our anxious hearts distressed.¡¯ ¡ª There¡¯s fighting a hundred wars in the yellow sand until one¡¯s armor turns gold, as well as meritorious achievements built from countless skeletons. Some people reminisce fondly of Loulan and the attitude of not returning until it had fallen, but the majority of folks would rather hear a song such as Snapped Willow[3] in the nighttime, where the spring wind never waned and pining never stopped. What this says is that, in the landsea, a vast army is rushing forth with gold spears and armored horses, war drums swelling and steeds whinnying, but there was one such person that was turning his head to gaze in the direction of his hometown, and observing the living people surrounding him; one by one, they would march out to attack in the morning, and would not return at night. In his heart, that old friend harbors thoughts about his homeland, then appears to die.¡± Wu Xi hadn¡¯t expected that he would turn the subject matter to this, and he didn¡¯t react for a moment, simply listening to him in a daze. With a sigh, Jing Qi continued on. ¡°¡®A promise in life and death made with our wives, to take their hands and grow old with them.¡¯ These words were not said by a General that had pledged to accomplish his mission, nor an Emperor that could lay millions of corpses low in a second of anger, but a minor soldier. In his life, he was doomed to not have outstanding aptitude, and only hoped that he could live it with his needs met, together with his plain-clothed, poor, ordinary wife: waiting for her makeup and splendor to wash away completely, waiting for her youthful beauty to age, waiting for her to fall deathly ill. After that, he would find a three-chi grave to lie both of them in, and if they were fated in the next life, they would see each other around again. If not¡­¡± He suddenly paused. After a long time had passed, he reiterated, ¡°Flourish, and the commoners suffer. Lose, and the commoners suffer. I shouldn¡¯t say this to begin with, but dare I ask, Shamanet ¡ª if you return to Nanjiang, how will you then act?¡± Wu Xi witnessed his typically slipshod look presently go completely serious, with a certain indescribable, deep feeling inside the peaceful lament of his gaze. In that instant, he felt that a distance, going from Nanjiang to the capital, had opened between him and the one he was normally close and familiar with. Sour in his heart, his eyes swiftly dulled. ¡°¡­I get your meaning.¡± You¡¯re guarded against me, so why are you good to me? Jing Qi was accustomed to watching others¡¯ facial cues and body language. Upon sweeping his eyes in a circle across Wu Xi¡¯s face, he knew that he was thinking of something, so he paused. Sitting down across from him, he poured the herbal tea on the table, and replenished it anew for both him and Wu Xi. He interlaced his fingers, placed them atop the desk, then exhaled. ¡°How do you feel about the Crown Prince?¡± Wu Xi was stunned, promptly after which he ached a bit. ¡°He isn¡¯t bad, of course. You wouldn¡¯t do everything in thought of him otherwise.¡± Jing Qi smiled. ¡°I fear him, though. His Highness is in the most challenging space in Court, and he likes to escape to my place because the Prince Estate is tranquil. In truth, I don¡¯t dare to speak much with him, so I annoy him less.¡± Wu Xi¡¯s brows furrowed. In his impression, Jing Qi seemingly hadn¡¯t been afraid of anything previously, since he never saw him have any special reaction to even the most terrifying toxic creatures at his own Estate, and could talk and laugh with anyone without a care there. When he looked at him before, he felt that the guy didn¡¯t take anything seriously. Later on, he gradually understood his strain, but after feeling sorry for him, he still believed that the other was executing things with ease and skill. ¡°Why do you fear him?¡± he couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°He¡¯s the Crown Prince, and Helian Zhao has never once bowed to him upon meeting him in twenty years, yet he didn¡¯t mind it at all, still giving him brotherly respect.¡± Jing Qi shook his head. ¡°Helian Zhao is courageous and accomplished. Helian Qi is insatiably greedy, vicious, narrow-minded, and heterodox. Only the Crown Prince¡­ after his coming-of-age, even someone who grew up with him since childhood, like me, can no longer discern his emotions. Even so, nobody else knows his scheming and shrewdness better than I. Tell me, how could I not be afraid of him?¡± Wu Xi¡¯s brows scrunched even tighter together. ¡°Since you dislike him, why do you aid him?¡± Jing Qi smirked. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that I dislike him. His Highness has the power to hold up the world, having achievements both political and martial, I have no reason to dislike him ¡ª if I don¡¯t aid him, then who could I? In the realm of the Great Qing, who could support it aside from him? Helian Zhao, or Helian Qi?¡± Racking his brains, Wu Xi discovered that he still couldn¡¯t get a grasp on a state of mind like that: revering, admiring, and able to do his utmost for someone else, yet also fearing them to the point that he wasn¡¯t even willing to converse with them much. He had always distinguished between love and hate; he liked what he liked and disliked what he disliked, unaware that there were many further specious feelings in the world. Left unable to understand this for a moment, he merely listened to Jing Qi go on. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about me going to the East Palace the same day I came back from the Guangs. The final words he said to me upon my departure¡­ what he meant, and what was going on in his head, are things I still feel like I can¡¯t figure out even now. The more I can¡¯t figure them out, the more I¡¯ll think about them, and after thinking back and forth on it, I¡¯ll get terror-stricken.¡± ¡°Why do you have to think about it? Can¡¯t you go ask him directly?¡± Wu Xi asked, confused. Jing Qi went mute, finally looked at Wu Xi, then uncontrollably bust out in a loud laugh. The haze and shade on his face were entirely washed clean by his ear-to-ear smile, like a light wind, cloudless moon, and bright, clear sky. Despite not internally getting it, Wu Xi nevertheless really liked to see him briskly belly-laughing to his heart¡¯s content like this. A long while later, Jing Qi wiped off the tears he got from laughing, reaching out to clap Wu Xi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°No suspicion exists in your heart; I¡¯ve forever admired that about you. I talked to you about Nanjiang just now, and you didn¡¯t get worried. You¡¯re the Nanjiang Shamanet, the future Great Shaman ¡ª how could you, in a moment of whimsy, privately make friends with me¡­ when I¡¯m yet the Great Qing¡¯s Prince Nan¡¯ning, and will naturally conspire on its peoples¡¯ behalf? It¡¯s tantamount to me plotting step-by-step for the Crown Prince to get the throne, yet refusing to be close him, and you¡¯re ultimately a foreigner, yet I recognize you as a friend.¡± That was to say¡­ in his heart, the Crown Prince was way less close to him than he was? Wu Xi suddenly felt light, like his entire body was about to float out of joy. At that point, Jing Qi suddenly appeared to remember something, though. He gathered up close to him, the look on his face obscene. ¡°The topic veered off just then, so I almost forgot. You specially asked me to talk about poetry today, Shamanet, and once you opened your mouth, it was ¡®to take their hands and grow old with them¡¯, which is super curious. Could it be¡­ that there¡¯s some Young Miss you fancy?¡± With him suddenly coming near and sticking close, his neckline, embroidered exquisitely and complexly with silver thread, thereupon seemed to faintly give off a subdued fragrance. Wu Xi knew that the scent came from the clothes being placed within an incensed closet after they got washed, but he always felt that it came off the other¡¯s body, and it smelled a bit subtly distinct-like. Heart quickly skipping a couple of beats, he zigzagged his eyes in fear of looking inside the other¡¯s slightly-drooping collar. In spite of that, Jing Qi believed himself to have the right idea even more; it was rare to see this kid be so flustered. His teasing heart promptly started up again, and he put his elbow on the youth¡¯s shoulder with a grin. ¡°Well, we have to talk about it ¡ª what kind of friendship do we have, eh? If you fancy the Emperor¡¯s Princess, I can tell you this; he might be willing to have a marriage connection with your Nanjiang.¡± Wu Xi flung his hand away and stood up with a boom. Whether out of anger or anxiety, his face was permeated with a thin layer of blush, and he stared dead at Jing Qi for a while before turning his head and leaving without a word. ¡°Hey, I really can¡¯t help but tease.¡± Jing Qi sat down and picked up his tea cup, unruffled. ¡°That dumb kid. We talk and talk he still gets nervous with me.¡± He smiled, then called out, ¡°Ping An, prepare a carriage for me. I¡¯m going out.¡± Ping An affirmed, passing the order down. ¡°Where are you going today, Master?¡± he questioned off-hand. ¡°Yellow Flower. I haven¡¯t gone in several days, and I miss Ming Hua¡¯s tea. Go look for him.¡± Ping An¡¯s face crumbled immediately, wrinkling up to be bun-like. ¡°Why are you going to that filthy place again, Master?¡± ¡°How is it a filthy place?¡± Jing Qi asked heedlessly as he let Ji Xiang take care of his hair. ¡°There¡¯s wine, tea, and beauties. Is there any better place for a debauchee like me? The Emperor¡¯s word is paramount; he told me to act as a wealthy idler, so how could I dare to disobey my orders?¡± Ping An was severely anguished. Yellow Flower ¡ª that was male prostitute territory, and in the minds of ordinary folks, it was probably more unbearable than Jadeite and Finemist and other such places. The magnificent Prince, going to see a¡­ a catamite practically every day, what did that look like? Why was the Prince¡¯s deviancy getting worse? CH 42 Today, it was heard that the Ministry of Appointments¡¯ Sir Zhao had stepped down. Tomorrow, it would be heard that the Ministry of Revenue¡¯s Sir Zhou had been extracted and appointed elsewhere. The day after tomorrow, fights would spring up in all directions with the whole Court blowing out black smoke and sick air, practically being an event of ¡®as soon as you quit singing, I¡¯ll go up on stage.¡¯ Jing Qi¡¯s days passed in particular ease, though. At daybreak every day, he would go make a report, wandering about in a circle beneath the eyes of all the officials while quite lacking in a sense of existence, following which he would vanish without a trace. He could be described as appearing and disappearing like a spectre. The rest of his time after he returned ¡ª apart from the daily block of being a low-cost teacher for that brat, Wu Xi ¡ª was spent running off to Yellow Flower to hang around in when the weather was nice, or holing up in the Prince Estate when the weather wasn¡¯t nice. He kept a group of young actors of unknown origin in his rear courtyard, and when he had nothing to do, he was fond of taking it upon himself to write a couple irrelevant, eccentric works for them to sing. During good moods, he would sometimes specially invite Wu Xi over, too. Wu Xi inwardly hated the other¡¯s unrestrained lifestyle so much that his teeth itched, of course, but he still understood that no matter how intemperate the guy was right now, he was entirely being compelled to be so. Oftentimes, he¡¯d finish listening to it without a word, then look into the eyes of the one that was anticipating his assessment. Even if it might dampen his enthusiasm, he always told the truth: ¡°Similar to death wailing.¡± ¡°Day-long creepiness. A lifelike night owl¡¯s call.¡± ¡°Why¡­ that costume? I don¡¯t understand. I just think it looks exactly like a hanged ghost that didn¡¯t get washed clean before it reincarnated.¡± Witnessing Jing Qi straight-up grind his teeth from his attacks, unable to explode and only able to force an awkward smile, he felt a bit of melancholy stuffing up his chest. Those well-read and overly-heedful were frequently too inflexible in the ways of the world, conversely being unable to think of extremely imaginative stuff that would make peoples¡¯ eyes shine. A long time later, Jing Qi also discovered himself to be relatively boring, as all the stuff he could think up belonged to the same old collection of stuff. He might as well run off to commoner¡¯s haunts, listen to stories, and come out jolly. In a few days¡¯ time, he discovered a new way to have fun. Over in Tianqiao[1] was a fortune-telling half-immortal with a goat¡¯s beard; he had a small kiosk set up, and his mouth was so big he could let a carriage out of it, as his ability to make crap up to fool people was top-notch. Jing Qi happened to pass him by while on a random stroll, caught a glimpse of him, then had a sudden flash of inspiration, thinking that banking on his own babble to make a living seemed to be very fitting for him. As a result, for a segment of time on the daily, he would squat beside the half-immortal like a roasted chicken and wait upon him. Good-looking and sweet-talking, he wore an outfit of coarse hemp clothes every day, so no one knew what his identity was and just said that he was the half-immortal¡¯s young, newly-accepted apprentice. After more than two months of coaxing, the half-immortal would teach him many swindling skills whenever he was in a good mood. Jing Qi thought to himself that now that he had a decent skill, he could always rely on it to save up money for food if he ever did wander jianghu someday. Finishing his apprenticeship after half a year, he felt it would be awful to rob his ¡®master¡±s business. With his master being in the north of the city, he deliberately sought out a spot in the south, set up a little kiosk, got a sign, and wrote the few extraordinarily graceful words of ¡®Divinations of Old Seventh¡¯ on it. He asked Zhou Zishu for some face-change stuff, smeared a bit of it randomly on his face so that his skin was smudged greenish-yellow, then put things on his eyelids so both his eyes were shut. With a broken walking stick in his hand, those unfamiliar would truly regard him as a young, starved-looking blind man at first glance. When customers came, he would first inevitably make a head-bobbing show of swaying about, and once the day was done ¡ª sometimes it was a day spent crouching ¡ª he could earn over ten-something copper coins. Despite not knowing what he was going out for, he wasn¡¯t hanging out with a bunch of sing-song actors all day long (and thus wasn¡¯t forcing him to accompany him in watching those unintelligible plays), Wu Xi breathed a sigh of relief at last, immediately after which he got alarmed again. He had vaguely heard Ping An complain about his Master always running off to prostitution areas whenever he was bored, and, although he knew that Jing Qi was bound to be proper about it, he still couldn¡¯t resist following him for a look on this day. His martial arts were superb, and after exchanging notes and sparring with Zhou Zishu, they were pretty much on par with each other. Jing Qi was naturally difficult to find, but he saw him saunter out of a side gate of the Prince Estate by himself, send back the imperial guards that pursued him, then take specially-selected, winding alleyways through the capital. As he walked, he took out a small box from his lapels and pasted up his face, after which he wound into a large, mixed-family compound. A while later, he came back out from it, happily greeting people prior to his departure, a signboard and small trunk added to his back. Afterwards, on an area at the upper reaches of Fullmoon River in the city¡¯s south, he found a big willow and built his stall there. The little sable popped out of his arms, leaping onto the tree to mess around, and he leaned against its trunk. Autumn had already entered the capital at this point, making it yet a bit chilly. He thus curled up into a ball with both hands collected into his sleeves as he crossed them before his chest, which made his entire person look wretched. Where was the vivacious, prodigal Prince Nan¡¯ning, who incurred crushes in women¡¯s quarters all over the capital when he passed them? Wu Xi gracelessly rolled his eyes, bought a bowl of pleasantly warm tea gruel from a nearby vendor, then stood holding it in front of Jing Qi. The latter¡¯s nose, which had gone a bit red from freezing, twitched. The sable in the tree scuttled a few paces down and then jumped to Wu Xi¡¯s shoulder, rubbing against him affectionately. Jing Qi wasn¡¯t surprised when he noticed him. Putting on an act, he picked up his broken cane, tapped it against the ground, pushed lightly against Wu Xi¡¯s foot, then gave a dry cough. ¡°Young Master, will it be literomancy, or palmistry? Divining for a fated bond, or your future outlook?¡± Wu Xi placed the steam-emanating tea gruel before him, then sat down on the small stool opposite him. Jing Qi immediately beamed in delight. ¡°This Young Master is a truly generous person. Cultivate good karma, and one will obtain good fruits; he will have a day where his good heart will certainly have a good recompense.¡± Immodest ¡ª and seeming to be genuinely, terribly cold ¡ª he raised it up and drank it. Wu Xi smiled. ¡°Why did you come out in this kind of weather? Are you unafraid of the cold?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t the fragrance of plum blossoms get enhanced from bitter chill?¡± Jing Qi blew on the steam whilst he spoke obtusely. ¡°Besides, am I also not forced into this lifestyle?¡± The gruel¡¯s bowl was a big one. He held it one-handed, occasionally switching hands due to the burn, and ate it joyfully, as if the cents-worth food was the tastiest stuff in the world. Wu Xi suddenly felt that his show of morality and virtue was pretty adorable. After he had more or less eaten it all, he wiped his mouth. ¡°Alright. As you¡¯ve kindly bestowed me, Old Seventh, with something to eat, today¡¯s divination fee will be waived. Ah, I see that your heart seems to have suspicions. How about I help you deduce them?¡± Wu Xi shook his head with a smile. ¡°You said my heart didn¡¯t have those last time.¡± The other waved him off. ¡°You didn¡¯t have them last time, but today you do. I, Old Seventh, have blind eyes, but not a blind heart. You¡¯re skeptic about marriage karma, right, Young Master? Come, come, come, this lowly one will take a look for you. Bring your hand over.¡± That other time, he had made Wu Xi abruptly leave out of anger. Against expectations, the kid came again the very next day like nothing had happened, and simply refused to open his mouth no matter what he was asked. Sore all over from boredom, Jing Qi¡¯s gossiping heart had acted up, so he switched tactics in extorting him. How could he have foreseen that Wu Xi would regard him sincerely, yet his mouth would be as tight as a clam with no seam, unable to be pried apart in either life or death? Since he said that he was going to grab Wu Xi¡¯s hand, the other didn¡¯t dodge him, allowing him to snatch it over with both of his own warm hands covering it ¡ª though he still shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to deduce them, and you¡¯re not allowed to.¡± Jing Qi¡¯s smile went stiff. Being not blind, he opened his eyes to glare at him. ¡°Don¡¯t undermine me all the time, you awful brat,¡± he said in a hushed voice. ¡°You¡¯ll scare all my business away in a minute.¡± Wu Xi shut up, smiling both tenderly and indulgently at once, as if he was keeping an impish child company to play. Jing Qi¡¯s slender fingers kneaded his hand, drawing along the creases of his palm, and he couldn¡¯t help but purse his lips. His heart seemed to get lightly brushed by a feather, softly tickling; he itched to close his palm and grasp the other¡¯s roving hand, never letting go for a lifetime. Intermittently nodding and shaking his head, Jing Qi smiled after studying for half the day like this was genuine work. ¡°Ah, congratulations, Young Master.¡± Aware that he was talking rubbish, Wu Xi kept smiling. ¡°Congratulations for what?¡± ¡°Your bond-signifying heaven-line[2] is long and deep, which shows that you are an infatuated person rich in sentiment,¡± Jing Qi answered, swaying his head while he acted the part of someone above and beyond the world. ¡°Your journey of love will certainly have great luck and benefits, and there is nothing to be wary about from the start, so if you¡¯re a bit determined, you¡¯ll definitely be able to get that beauty. Hm¡­ there¡¯s no island-line[2], which illustrates that the one you admire is a staunchly loyal woman¡­¡± The former part was similar to being taught again, and the latter part was too unfounded. Wu Xi took a measure of Jing Qi¡¯s deplorable-looking face before him, thinking to himself: a staunchly loyal¡­ woman? Hence, he took his hand back. ¡°You¡¯re full of blather. You didn¡¯t even get close.¡± Jing Qi grabbed him and wouldn¡¯t release him, however. ¡°I, Old Seventh, absolutely do not blather. If it isn¡¯t so, then that proves the one in your thoughts right now is not a good match. Young Master, that sea of bitterness is without bounds; turn around and go to shore!¡± Hearing him miss the mark more and more, Wu Xi stood up. ¡°Talk nonsense again, and I¡¯ll go.¡± The other quickly tugged at him with a grin. ¡°My good brother, you¡¯re always coming out here. You can sit and hang around with me for a while.¡± Wu Xi smiled, compliantly moved the stool to be next to him, sat down, and pulled a copy of the Six Secret Strategies out from his lapels. While he read, he took of note of this swindler¡¯s deed of glibly conning passersby in turn. Once some time passed, a cloud came to cover up the sun, which caused it to get colder. He untied his outer robe and tossed it to Jing Qi. Knowing that the other had good martial arts that made it so chill and heat wouldn¡¯t infringe upon his tough skin, Jing Qi wasn¡¯t humble to him, and held it to wrap it around his body. From that point on, Wu Xi appeared to have gotten into a general habit. Whenever Jing Qi went out every day, he would put a book into his pocket and follow after him, and then would help him carry his booth and signboard back to the compound at night. It was strange to say, but Jing Qi¡¯s business appeared to have gotten a lot better after Wu Xi started coming, especially since women of all ages that came and went always loved to cast a couple of looks at the handsome foreign lad. Jing Qi grumbled, half-genuinely and half-falsely, that if he had known this earlier, he wouldn¡¯t have put so much chartreuse-yellow stuff on his face. Wu Xi gave him a blank look. ¡°So that everyone in the capital will know that Prince Nan¡¯ning has set up a fortune-telling stall in the middle of the streets?¡± ¡°This Prince would call this ¡®experiencing the sufferings of the commonfolk by living them.''¡± Jing Qi crouched at the roadside, biting into half a drumstick and talking in an utterly unmannerly way. ¡°Besides, pretty much everyone here already knows. This little ploy of mine can fool poor commoners, but can it fool those gentlemen that have eyes and ears that connect to the sky? When I went to Court yesterday, I was stopped by the Emperor, and he insisted on making me give him a divination.¡± That really seemed like something that old guy would do. ¡°You divined one?¡± Wu Xi asked. ¡°What divining? Wouldn¡¯t my nonsense talk be deceiving the monarch?¡± Having nibbled it so clean that even dogs couldn¡¯t get anything out of it, Jing Qi threw the chicken bone to the side and wiped his mouth. ¡°I said that the Son of Heaven has a holy fate, that fate is a celestial secret, and I¡¯m a wandering immortal whose talent in the Dao isn¡¯t profound enough to divine it.¡± ¡­Wasn¡¯t that deceiving the monarch? Wordless, Wu Xi peered at the sky; it was already nighttime. He was about to tell him to go back, but, all of a sudden, a lone figure was blocking their way in front. Raising his head to look, he saw that it was Crown Prince Helian Yi, followed by an exasperated-looking Zhou Zishu. After being startled for a second, he stood up to cross his arms before his chest and bow to Helian Yi, who waved him off. ¡°No need to be so courteous, Shamanet.¡± Jing Qi still used his rotten cane to jab at the guy, though. ¡°I can smell a whiff of wealth. This Sir¡¯s nobleness cannot be described in words. Do you want a divination done? Not charging is forbidden¡ª¡± Helian Yi had heard that he was making this kind of limitless trouble and couldn¡¯t stand to see that continue, so he had come to haul him back to prevent him from making a fool of himself. Once he saw that scoundrelly image of his, he got both uncontrollably angry and amused, and flat-out sat down. ¡°I don¡¯t know what this¡­ Lord Seventh can divine?¡± ¡°Ah, fated bonds, horoscopes, calamities, minor ailments ¡ª this lowly one doesn¡¯t mean to brag, but I have some know-how in all of those. Is it literomancy or palmistry for you, Sir?¡± ¡°Literomancy,¡± Helian Yi replied with a skin-deep smile. Before Jing Qi could react, the other pulled his hand over, then drew the word ¡®Jing¡¯ onto his palm. ¡°That word¡­¡± Jing Qi gave a dry laugh. ¡°Well, that word has a lot of meaning. What are you asking about, Sir?¡± ¡°A fated bond.¡± Jing Qi¡¯s heart jolted, and Wu Xi¡¯s face suddenly cooled down. CH 43 Zhou Zishu, who was following behind Helian Yi, took a step back, looking pensively at Wu Xi as he stood beside him, brows lightly furrowed. Jing Qi was quiet for a long time, still having that sallow complexion and those unmoving eyelids despite his heart flipping around a couple of times. That day in the East Palace, when Helian Yi blurted out those words, which seemed to remain in his ears, prior to his leaving, a slight hint of something different vaguely came through them. The affairs of life were one big dream. The human world had experienced several bouts of autumn chill, and three hundred years of love and hate had hurtled past. From the beginning to the end, as if happening in the snap of one¡¯s fingers, youthful faces and beautiful hair would both become dried-up bones, warrior¡¯s courage and musician¡¯s essence turning into flying ash. For sixty-three years, there was an unconventional guest next to the Three-Life Rock. After sixty-three years of hard contemplation, he then realized that there were no characters upon the Rock to begin with. Those alleged several lifetimes of karmic ties; weren¡¯t they laughable? This world hadn¡¯t changed a bit. It was just fickle. Just¡­ fickle. Jing Qi smiled lightly, closing his palm. ¡°The Explanation of Characters puts the clouds of yun, the bright of jing, and the light of guang together. The sun of ri is associated with it, and the jing of capital sounds like it,¡± he said, composed. ¡°It¡¯s a good word, but you¡¯ve asked the wrong question, Sir.¡± Helian Yi looked at him, eyes sullen. ¡°What have I asked wrong?¡± Jing Qi reached out his hand, dipped it into the bit of water in his cracked, coarse porcelain tea cup, and rewrote the character ¡®Jing¡¯ onto the table with a slender finger. ¡°The sun rises in the East, daylight sprouting in all directions, and is gradually able to climb the layers and layers of mountains. It misses the Emperor¡¯s head a bit, but the splendorous capital beneath his feet is filled, able to advance yet not retreat. If you ask about this word¡¯s future prospects, Sir, then despite its difficulties and challenges, it will also have sublime affluence.¡± Helian Yi chuckled, though there were no laugh lines at the corners of his eyes. ¡°And if I¡­ want to ask about a fated bond, instead?¡± he asked, voice hushed. Jing Qi shook his head, chuckling back. ¡°This word has no affinity. Were there to be a three-life-long karmic tie for it, it would only be an empty shadow. There was no need to ask, Sir. You¡¯re well aware of this in your heart.¡± Helian Yi lowered his head. A long while later, he forced out a smile and stood up. His shoulders and back seemed to be getting pressed down by something, both of them bent. Lifting his head and narrowing his eyes, he looked at the ostentatious signboard of ¡®The Divinations of Lord Seventh¡¯, the expression on his face somewhat irrepressibly miserable. ¡°What you¡¯ve said makes sense, Mister¡­¡± That phrase seemed suppressed inside his throat, each and every word spat out like knives slicing his voice up, until he sounded a little hoarse. ¡°It makes sense.¡± He suddenly took out an absolutely exquisite pouch out from his lapels, then tossed it into Jing Qi¡¯s broken bowl for receiving divination payments. It bumped against the less-than-half filling of copper coins with a clinking sound. He turned and left in big strides, as if he didn¡¯t dare to even turn his head back around. Zhou Zishu nodded at Jing Qi and Wu Xi, rushing to follow after him. The smile on Jing Qi¡¯s face seemed to grow right then and there, and it didn¡¯t recede for a very long time. Afterwards, he picked up the pouch and opened it up for a look; inside was not pieces of silver, but a two-cun sized jade hare. There was a hole drilled through its foot from which an ancient bell hung, making a crisp ring when the wind blew. He held it in hand, observing it, for half the day, then remembered that it was from that pair of jade hares that Helian Pei had given to him when he was a child. He had deliberately gotten someone to put a bell on one, which he had given to Helian Yi. The other one was likely still in his own Estate, together with those old things that had been accumulated over time. It had already been more than ten years. Grinning, he put the pouch away, then languidly stood up and stretched his back. ¡°That rich guy spent a generous amount, so it¡¯s time to pack up. Li¡¯l Wu, this Lord invites you to go to the stall across from here and eat wontons.¡± Saying this, he bent down, collected his ostentatiously deceiving kiosk into its worn-out case, and started moving forwards as he bumped his wooden cane against the ground. After going a few steps, he realized that Wu Xi wasn¡¯t following him. He looked back with his eyes slightly open a crack and a curl on his lips. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you coming? Do you not want to?¡± ¡°What did that guy mean just now?¡± Wu Xi asked. ¡°Was he saying that he likes someone with the surname Jing?¡± Jing Qi stood stock-still. Rubbing his nose and thinking that he mustn¡¯t misguide children with messy affairs like these, he replied, ¡°Whether the surname¡¯s ¡®Jing¡¯ or ¡®He¡¯, it was just a joke making fun of a wealthy Young Master being a wastrel. He was really hoping that he got it right, but he didn¡¯t find me out.¡± Wu Xi shook his head. ¡°He wasn¡¯t making fun, he was saying it seriously. I know it.¡± ¡°What do you know?¡± Jing Qi sneered. ¡°You¡¯re a little kid. Studying well is fine and all, but what are you thinking so much for?¡± Wu Xi frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not a little kid.¡± Jing Qi nodded half-heartedly. ¡°Yeah, yeah, you¡¯re not little, you¡¯re right at the time of your life where your youthful looks are in full bloom and you take neither passion nor woe into account. Hey¡ª¡± He started mumblingly singing in an imitation of an actor¡¯s intonation, mocking and cracking jokes like nothing at all had happened just then. Wu Xi remained standing where he was, motionless. ¡°I¡¯m not a little kid,¡± he insisted. Jing Qi had since swayed over to the front of the wonton stand, put down his stuff, and begun to strike up a conversation with the owner, too far away to hear what he had said. There was a vast field of reeds dewed with frost-like white, and a certain someone stood on the other shore, difficult to reach out and touch.[1] In glory and dust, his native land was a far journey away. Who had the free time to sigh deeply over these sentiments? Wu Xi suddenly traipsed forward, grabbed Jing Qi¡¯s arm, and looked at him with a cauterizing gaze. ¡°In your heart¡­ has there ever been someone that, whenever you see them, it feels like there¡¯s a flower blooming inside you, and when you don¡¯t see them, you¡¯re restless all the time? But even then, you¡¯re afraid to say it to them, and just feel that you¡¯re unworthy of them? And you think up of all sorts of things on their behalf, refusing to let them have one day of difficulty or one spot of unhappiness even if you died?¡± Jing Qi¡¯s hand that was reaching for chopsticks paused. Having seemingly remembered something upon hearing that, he lightly laughed an age later. ¡°Yes.¡± Wu Xi jolted, his mouth open with his voice stuck in his throat, neither spitting it out nor swallowing it down. A long time after, he took in a deep breath, then asked in a quiet voice, ¡°What¡­ kind of person are they?¡± Two piping-hot bowls of wontons were served, steam assailing their faces. Jing Qi picked up a soy sauce dish from the table and poured some seasoning into his own. ¡°Dead,¡± he responded casually. ¡°I¡¯ve long since been unable to remember them clearly.¡± ¡°If you really had someone, you wouldn¡¯t forget them even if you died. You¡¯re speaking untruthfully again.¡± Jing Qi smiled, yet said nothing. Shutting his eyes and lowering his head, he put on a whole slew of affectations in fumbling about to eat the wontons. The reason why he couldn¡¯t remember clearly wasn¡¯t because the person was dead, but because¡­ his heart was dead. In Court the next morning, Helian Pei unexpectedly appeared. At departure time, Jing Qi was intentionally made to stay behind, and he called for him to accompany him for tea and xiangqi. ¡°You little brat, wanting to run off again. What is appealing to you so? Do you not even feel like seeing your Uncle Emperor?¡± Jing Qi smiled apologetically. ¡°Ah, how could that be? Am I not¡­ busy with official business?¡± Helian Pei lifted his eyes to glare at him. ¡°Busy? You¡¯re entirely busy with setting up a fortune-telling stall in the city¡¯s south, ah?¡± ¡°Cough, you see¡­ what¡¯s with the Crown Prince suddenly reporting this subject¡¯s circumstances again?¡± Jing Qi grumbled with a bitter face. ¡°Is this because his friend extorted him out of a speck of divination money?¡± Helian Pei pushed him on the head with a smile. ¡°Troublemaker! When your Father Prince was young, he was a first-rate talent of our capital. How could he have made such a naughty, undisciplined kid as you?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity that he passed early,¡± Jing Qi followed along, ¡°or else you could¡¯ve asked him if he had swaddled the wrong child, right?¡± Those words invoked Helian Pei¡¯s nostalgic memories. He looked Jing Qi up and down once. ¡°Mingzhe¡­ has been gone for eight years, yes?¡± he asked, sorrowful. ¡°Yes. Answering Your Majesty, it¡¯s been a whole eight years.¡± Helian Pei narrowed his eyes as he recalled the past. Somewhat emotional, he extended his hand into the air and made a gesture. ¡°Eight years ago, you were only this tall¡­ such a tiny baby. Now you¡¯ve already grown into an adult.¡± Jing Qi remained silent. Helian Pei sighed once more. ¡°Those old friends that we used to talk, jest, drink, and compose with have mostly passed on now. Watching all of you grow big, we have also grown old.¡± ¡°You are right in the middle of the prime of your years, Your Majesty, how can you say that you¡¯re old?¡± Jing Qi countered immediately. ¡°Father Prince¡­ had poor luck, is all.¡± The man kept sighing for a while, dragging Jing Qi into jabbering about those times when he was young, and dripping a couple rounds of tears in the midst of them. Jing Qi was obliged to be beside him and listen, having to contort into an outstandingly sad expression as he accompanied him in his anguish. Really, who made the Emperor extend this topic himself? He knew that His Majesty was someone of deep feelings, and he still wasn¡¯t allowing anything new towards himself these days, so he took this chance to deliberately bring up past events. He hadn¡¯t expected that this gentleman would get distressed and be unable to put a brake on it. The tea continued for three or four rounds, and only then did Helian Pei stop, wiping his tears. ¡°When people get old, they love to talk about past things. All you young folks certainly don¡¯t love to hear of them.¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Jing Qi said with a smile. ¡°Father Prince had gone early, when this subject was a child. My impression of him is not profound, and sometimes, whenever I think of him, it even feels fuzzy. The more things you say, the more things are jotted down into my heart, and they will remain in the next life for me to be filial towards him.¡± Helian Pei shook his head. ¡°Ah, you¡­¡± Suddenly remembering something, he looked up at Jing Qi. ¡°Beiyuan, with that said, you aren¡¯t little, yes? It ought to be time for you to be concerned about major life events. The day of selection[2] is next month, so Uncle Emperor will decide on a noble and virtuous lady for you among the debutantes. Though, if there¡¯s one you take a liking to, you may say so ahead of time. Old man that I am, I mustn¡¯t be hasty, lest I irritate you into unwillingness.¡± Jing Qi raised his head to look at him, somewhat stunned. Helian Pei clapped him on the shoulder with a happy grin. ¡°You¡¯re not little, and should settle down and establish yourself. What will you end up looking like, when you muck about everywhere, anywhere, and all day long? Wouldn¡¯t it make people laugh?¡± The forebear of mucking about was now educating someone else. Jing Qi quickly lowered his head. ¡°What is this you¡¯re saying, Uncle Emperor? Beiyuan still feels young,¡± he whispered. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ still too early to¡­ to settle down.¡± ¡°Hah?¡± The man glared. ¡°Still too early? Tell me, when would not-early be?¡± Coughing drily, Jing Qi racked his brains for half the day until he choked out one phrase. ¡°The¡­ the Xi-Xiongnu haven¡¯t been exterminated yet, how could I think about family?!¡± Helian Pei guffawed, nearly rocking back and forth, and once again laughed out tears that had just been wiped away. ¡°The Xiongnu aren¡¯t yet exterminated, so how can you think about family? None of your four limbs work hard, and you can¡¯t distinguish between the five crops. If the Xiongnu actually came, what could you do?¡± Jing Qi looked pained. ¡°Your Majesty, you say it like that, b-but¡­ but¡­¡± ¡°But what?¡± Helian Pei cut him off. ¡°Do you avoid taking a wife because it¡¯ll prevent you from playing wild? It¡¯s time to find someone who¡¯s tremendous enough to manage you ¡ª right, speaking of tremendous, there¡¯s that girl from Feng Yuanji¡¯s household whose nickname is Shu¡¯r. You¡¯ve seen her once when you were young. Her dad was loyal to the last for the nation, and we looked upon her with pity, accepting her as an adopted daughter. As it happened, Noble Consort Xian had no heirs, so she¡¯s been raised with her this whole time. Indeed, that girl is a lady who doesn¡¯t concede to men, being fond of dancing with blades and toying with spears ever since she was a child, and animated in personality, you see¡­¡± Jing Qi¡¯s heart thumped. Whilst smiling obediently, he gave Helian Pei¡¯s expression a careful investigation. Great General Feng¡¯s daughter, the later-titled Princess Jing¡¯an? Whoever married her would pretty much receive the General¡¯s crowd of ambitionless former ranks, which were scattered all over the country. Furthermore, didn¡¯t Noble Consort Xian have that high-powered Grand Preceptor Zhao? He and Lu Renqing had a very close personal relationship. Though the bulk of him was ordinarily hidden from view, what scholarly hanger-on didn¡¯t take him as a superior? What position did marrying Princess Jing¡¯an give within the Court? The Princess was a sweetcake, but when it came to him, she was a hand-burning sweet potato. Was this another testing maneuver, Helian Pei? He let out a breath of relief, taking in another one anew. With a sudden idea in mind, he knelt down with a plop. ¡°Your Majesty, this subject wholly doesn¡¯t dare to follow this order!¡± Helian Pei swept his eyes over him. ¡°Why? Is our Princess undeserving of you, Prince?¡± he questioned mildly. Jing Qi merely knocked his head against the floor in kowtow, soundless with his teeth gritted. A chunk was bashed off of his forehead, yet he seemed to not feel it at all. Helian Pei¡¯s face morphed. ¡°Enough! What does this look like?!¡± he bellowed, then laughed coldly. ¡°Since you dislike our Princess, and we are not an incompetent ruler lacking in reason, how could we force you?¡± ¡°This subject deserves infinite deaths,¡± Jing Qi replied, voice low. ¡°May I atone for my sin, Your Majesty, but I have someone else I¡¯ve fallen for. I absolutely do not dare to tarnish the Princess¡¯s clean reputation.¡± Helian Pei paused, raising his eyes to look at him. ¡°Which family¡¯s Young Miss has such magical talent as to enrapture our Prince Nan¡¯ning into not even wanting a Princess?¡± After being silent for half the day, Jing Qi began slowly. ¡°Answering Your Majesty, Ming Hua is¡­ a man.¡± Helian Pei nearly sprayed out the mouthful of tea he was drinking. Witnessing this, Eunuch Xi quickly stepped forward to pat him on the back, and he choked for ages before slowly breathing out. ¡°What did you say?¡± he questioned, raising his voice. Jing Qi knelt on the ground without rise, head lowered. ¡°Answering Your Majesty, although Ming Hua is someone from brothel grounds, his heart is not that of a lowly person, and he¡¯s mutually fallen in love with me. We¡¯ve both known it for a long time, I¡­ I¡­¡± As soon as the words ¡®brothel grounds¡¯ were said, Helian Pei¡¯s brain exploded. He pointed at Jing Qi with a trembling finger, ¡®you¡¯ing for half the day because he forgot words. ¡°Quell your anger, Your Majesty, it¡¯s only¡­ an affair of passion. Restraining oneself is most difficult,¡± Jing Qi stopped and started. ¡°Like old willows and purple jade, I just know that it¡¯s a matter of vowing to be with each other in life and death¡ª¡± ¡°Scoundrel!¡± Helian Pei furiously chastised, interrupting him. ¡°There are three ways to be unfilial, and having no descendants is the greatest; do you want no heirs? Do you want to make the first outer-surname Prince title in our Great Qing have its bloodline cut off from now on?!¡± Reticent, Jing Qi looked forlorn. ¡°Jing Beiyuan, you will return to your Estate and be on house arrest, not to come out of it for three months!¡± Helian Pei raged. ¡°If¡­ if we come to know that you¡¯ve gone off to someplace as ridiculous as a brothel again, w-we¡¯ll break your leg on Mingzhe¡¯s behalf!¡± Jing Qi prostrated himself, and Helian Pei suddenly threw his tea cup onto the ground. ¡°Get up and get out! You make us angry just looking at you! Get out, go back, and don¡¯t you dare leave from there!¡± Jing Qi stumbled a bit when he stood up, with Eunuch Xi hurriedly ordering Wang Wu to support him, and ended it with a barely-squeezed-out smile. ¡°This subject will obey the decree.¡± Then, he withdrew with a slight curve to his back. He was a thin person to begin with, and this bow gave his retreating figure an emaciated feeling. Helian Pei watched him, dazed, and couldn¡¯t resist turning his head away. He walked all the way out of the palace in this dried-wood-god manner, after which he straightened up his spine, a minor smile exposed on his marginally pathetic-looking face. The Great Qing¡¯s first outer-surname Prince? Might as well cut off those authoritative roots, then, and save that gang of top-seaters the time of being overly suspicious all day long. Three months of house arrest¡­ well, after three months, the Emperor wouldn¡¯t have reason to not be worried anymore. When the time came, someone would be waiting to make their move. CH 44 Prince Nan¡¯ning Jing Beiyuan was typically favored, running amok in the capital with a team of the Emperor plus Crown Prince backing him. The Eldest and Second Scions both deeply hated him for different reasons, but they had no way to apprehend him at any point. Now, however, he abruptly came under house arrest. There were secrets all over the place within the depths of the palace, and for that very reason, they would turn into non-secrets; on top of that, Helian Pei had blurted out his inquiry, and the move Jing Qi had made was impromptu, without a painstaking avoidance of taboo. The result was that, in the span of a day, the reason why Prince Nan¡¯ning got a three-month house arrest was pretty much spread throughout the whole Imperial City. Literally everyone was in an uproar. In the East Palace, Helian Yi vigorously crushed a cup, the fragments of broken porcelain cutting his regaled hand until it was dripping blood. A couple of young palace maids beside him were terrified, some quickly running out to call for an imperial physician, and another kneeling down, carefully gathering up his hand, then removing the porcelain pieces. Before she had cleaned them, he suddenly flung her away, stood up, and strode outside. His personal attendant, Yu Kui, happened to be bringing tea in from the outside then, nearly full-on colliding with him, but got pushed away by him. Noticing that his expression was off, Yu Kui didn¡¯t take anything else into consideration as he hurriedly followed him out, repeatedly shouting to him. ¡°Your Highness, Your Highness, where are you going?¡­ You are¡ª¡± Helian Yi¡¯s words seemed like they were getting squeezed out from between the cracks in his teeth. ¡°Go¡­ bring people to raid that Yellow Flower or whatever it is for me. Furthermore, that Ming Hua¡­ I want to see what he¡¯s made of. His ambitions are connivingly deviant, to have turned into this seduction of a powerfully-connected, named official of the Dynasty¡­ good. Very good, very good!¡± For what reason is something inferior like that perfectly acceptable, while I¡¯m not? A cherishing heart that, for so many years, hasn¡¯t stepped the slightest bit out of line ¡ª was it fed entirely to the dogs? I see you as a treasure, and you reciprocate by letting yourself go like this? Anxious, Yu Kui rushed up in front of Helian Yi, out of breath, then knelt on the ground with a plop, hugging his leg. ¡°Your Highness, you absolutely must not! Right now, the Prince¡¯s affair is causing a scandal all throughout the city; were you to muster a huge force to arrest one single prostitute at this critical juncture, and word of that got out, what would people say? What would the Emperor think? What would the reputation of the Crown Prince be, too? Y-You¡¯re not thinking of anyone else, nor about our flock of servants in the East Palace, but can you still not think of our Great Qing? You should take your time making decisions on this, Your Highness!¡± Helian Yi¡¯s eyes were all red, and he wanted to struggle free, but Yu Kui was hindering him for dear life. He staggered ¡ª thinking that there was some blackness before his eyes, he subconsciously reached through the air to grab it. Fortunately, an observant imperial guard nearby noticed that he looked weird, and he promptly came over to support him, disallowing him from collapsing to the ground on-scene. The Crown Prince, normally slightly smiling when coming across people with neither joy nor anger recognizable on him, had a face white as paper, and with the addition of his hand that was bleeding without cease, he was frightening no matter how one looked at him. Yu Kui frantically stood up, framed by imperial guards on the left and right of him. ¡°Your-Your Highness?! Where¡¯s the physician? Is he dead? Disabled? Why is he still not here?!¡± Helian Yi seized his shoulders with all of his strength, eyes opened. Anxiety and fury attacked his heart in that moment, the color of blood in his lips fading all the way to nothing. He spat out a few low words from within his throat. ¡°Arrange for a chariot, and go¡­ to Prince Nan¡¯ning¡¯s Estate.¡± It wasn¡¯t a long journey from the palace to the Estate, but he felt like a lifetime had passed. When he had emerged, his mind was blank from rage, but as time passed little by little, he seemed to have a feeling of powerlessness that climbed little by little as well. He thought of the other¡¯s gradual change from childhood to adulthood. He thought of that pair of vibrant and stained-glass-like, yet bottomless, eyes. He thought of his face smeared with sickly yellow as he grasped a broken cane, a slender finger pointed at the remnant water on the table beside the southern river, telling him in a muted tone that ¡°this word has no affinity.¡± It felt like he was rolling on a bed of nails, and he couldn¡¯t say where exactly he hurt. Do not praise this place as being separate from the world, for it only has Consort Xu¡®s half-face of makeup¡­ the realm is to the left, and that man is to the side. Within the human world, there are all sorts of pains from seeking yet not obtaining ¡ª from the very beginning, there was no reason that you heavenly, royal descendants would be able to avoid them. What joy was there¡­ what joy was there in life? What it was like to have a knife twisted in one¡¯s heart¡­ he now knew. The ache was awful. He nearly cried, but that wad of melancholic air was felt in his chest, rather like it was going to break it open. It neither went up nor down, getting stuffed up in there like that, where he couldn¡¯t even vent it out. Year after previous year, several times, he had been heartbroken. Several times, for him. Several times¡­ He was hardly aware of how he got to the Estate. Somewhat discombobulated, he pushed away the person guarding the entrance, not even waiting for them to give any sort of prior notice as he charged straight in. All of a sudden, a burst of scintillating sound came through the wind. Helian Yi¡¯s consciousness awoke, and he couldn¡¯t help but pause in his steps. Raising his head for a look, he saw that there was a string of colored silk ribbons hanging from the doorway of Jing Qi¡¯s study. Beneath them was a row of small bells, which split into two segments, a little jade hare hanging from each. As the breeze came, the little bells would sway left and right, bringing the rabbits to bump together from time to time as if they were alive, friendly and frolicking. The noise of bells and green jade knocking against each other was akin to the music of a pure-hearted immortal. In the span of a seeming second, it strangely made the horribly twisting air in his chest dissipate by more than half. He stood there dumbly, staring, for half the day, then pointed to the little stringed-together things. ¡°Since when has that been hanging there?¡± Ji Xiang, who had been keeping up with him at all speeds the whole journey, quickly answered. ¡°Of that pair of jade hares, one had previously come from the Estate, and the other one was brought back by the Prince out of nowhere from outside. On that day, he had people hang it up there, only saying that it was a present from an old friend; by seeing it often, he would be able to go back to the past, and feel a bit better on the inside, too.¡± ¡°Better?¡± Helian Yi asked, practically sleeptalking. ¡°Is he not doing well?¡± Before Ji Xiang had time to speak, someone was heard to interrupt and come in from the side. ¡°The Emperor placed this subject on house arrest for three months. Isn¡¯t that enough to be unwell about?¡± Jing Qi appeared from the half-covered study. His hair had not yet been bound, and there was a bloody mark on his forehead ¡ª despite this appearance, he was utterly unabashed, as if he had not just been castigated by the Emperor, but instead had just returned from an excursion. Once he caught a glimpse of Helian Yi¡¯s hand that was coated in bloody trails, his expression changed, and he took a few steps forward. ¡°What¡¯s going on, Crown Prince?¡± He then turned his head to chastise Yu Kui. ¡°Are you dead, or what? Are you even trying at your job?¡± Saying so, he carefully bent over, flipped Helian Yi¡¯s palm over, took a careful look at it, then turned to talk to Ji Xiang. ¡°Go fetch the goldsore ointment[1] that Young Master Zhou brought last time, quick!¡± Helian Yi laughed coldly. ¡°I¡¯m not dying yet.¡± Jing Qi sighed, exasperated. ¡°My dear Highness, who are you getting annoyed with now?¡± With a turn, Ji Xiang jogged back over while carrying a small box. Jing Qi pulled Helian Yi to sit down at a small stone table in the middle of the courtyard, the latter watching him unblinkingly. He saw his delicate brows lightly knitted as he leaned over, a sprinkling of his black hair hanging down from behind him. He saw him meticulously clean him up, apply the ointment, and bandage him up. As if feeling no pain, he suddenly reached out to place his other hand on Jing Qi¡¯s shoulder, his fingers touching his neck. He could almost feel his pulse jumping there. Helian Yi thought that, so long as he closed on it and squeezed, this hateful, vile man would never be able to take the reins of his soul again. So long as¡­ Like he detected something, Jing Qi lifted his head. ¡°What? Does it hurt, Your Highness?¡± he softly asked. That countenance being within reach made Helian Yi¡¯s heart jolt, and he automatically released his fingers. He heard Jing Qi sigh. ¡°Why go through this pain anyhow, Your Highness? You can¡¯t be injuring yourself like this when you get angry at whoever,¡± he said quietly. ¡°In the case that you genuinely displace your muscles or bones, who would be able to compensate for that awful loss?¡± Helian Yi was silent for a long time, then smiled wryly. ¡°What does that have to do with you?¡± Jing Qi froze, opening his mouth like he wanted to say something, but ultimately only lowered his lashes. Looking at them up close, they were extremely long and seemingly trembling, his expression unspeakably gloomy. Helian Yi raised the hand he had bandaged up, grabbed Jing Qi¡¯s chin, then forced his head up. Ji Xiang and Yu Kui were both clever people, and gave each other a look. After dismissing the group of surrounding non-working workers, they quietly withdrew to the entrance as well. Helian Yi¡¯s lips trembled a couple of times, as he momentarily had no idea what he ought to say, merely gazing extremely closely at Jing Qi. The latter sighed again, being the first to speak. ¡°Do you know what this subject and the Emperor talked about, Your Highness?¡± The former narrowed his eyes. ¡°He said¡­ that he would allow me to take Princess Jing¡¯an as a wife.¡± Helian Yi¡¯s mood had been going up and down so many times while inside the Prince Estate, it since gotten a nostalgic tang to it. He was startled upon hearing this, already reacting by giving an involuntary cry of ¡°What did you say?¡± Jing Qi lowered his voice. ¡°The elder Zheng defeated Duan at Yan. According to the city granted, he waited, waited until the walls were thick enough to overthrow the king¡­ the Princess is to me as the city was to Duan. I am loyal with no place to express so, and it would be better to get rid of the hidden apprehensions in His Majesty¡¯s heart.¡± Helian Yi¡¯s eyes were getting wider and wider while he listened to him continue on. ¡°Now, the legacy of Prince Nan¡¯ning ends with me.¡± When subjects were strong, the ruler was then weak. A Prince of a different surname ¡ª the first Prince of different surname ¡ª had been an ailment in the Emperor¡¯s mind, not allowed to be too close nor too far. Helian Yi abruptly stood up, remaining silent for a while, then suddenly took Jing Qi into his arms. A hundred different emotions intersected within him. The helpless, distraught expression on Jing Qi¡¯s face was discreetly stowed away in a place Helian Yi could not see. He slowly raised his hand and patted him on the back, knowing on the inside that¡­ he could barely force himself to do this much. Once Helian Yi was seen off, he let out a sigh of relief. He looked up at the darkened sky, then turned back and returned to the study, shutting the door. Someone suddenly walked out from behind the screen. Zhou Zishu was holding a folding fan with a smile. ¡°You¡¯ve planned for a rainy day with that exhaustive scheme, Prince. Very admirable.¡± Jing Qi waved his hand. Without answering him, he sat down at the side, a bit mentally worn out. ¡°I¡¯ll still need to trouble you with Ming Hua, Brother Zishu.¡± Zhou Zishu nodded. ¡°That¡¯s only natural, Prince, do be assured. I¡¯ve already made adequate arrangements for Young Master Ming Hua. I definitely won¡¯t let the Crown Prince to do anything in a moment of impulsivity that would dishonor his grace.¡± Jing Qi took in a deep breath. ¡°Many thanks to you.¡± The emptiness in his heart was indescribable. It was simply that that was once the one greatest to him in both life and death, once the one he relentlessly kept in mind beside the Bridge of Helplessness, underneath the Yellow Springs. Nowadays, he had to excavate his mind like this to calculate the guy¡¯s anger and joy, or his thoughts. He couldn¡¯t resist laughing bitterly. ¡°I don¡¯t even know when this is going to end¡­¡± Zhou Zishu took a mindful measure of Jing Qi¡¯s expression, then suddenly drew a paper out of his lapels and passed it before him. ¡°Speaking of that, this is something that I require an explanation for, Prince.¡± Caught off guard, Jing Qi looked up to see that the paper he held was a signed contract, and his face swiftly contorted. ¡°This commoner is untalented, but a few days prior, I incidentally found a few things out¡­¡± Zhou Zishu continued, voice fain, ¡°are you planning to construct a separate manor in some other area, Prince? Your subordinates are truly astute. We went around in one big circle, yet still couldn¡¯t discover the purchaser of these land deeds, and it wasn¡¯t until a bit ago that we could laboriously find out a little. The residences you¡¯ve established in private likely aren¡¯t limited to just this one, right? Is it purely personal capital, or¡­ is it to prepare for the future¡­?¡± Jing Qi shut his eyes, then opened them back up. The look they had showed some vulnerability, along with a smidgen of a plea. He opened his mouth, yet no sound came out, and only his lips were seen to be moving extraordinarily slowly. ¡°Cut me some slack¡­¡± They stared at each other for ages, one sitting and one standing. Zhou Zishu suddenly smiled with some unclear feeling, then hoisted the thin piece of paper up close to the edge of a candle¡¯s flame, watching as it burned bit by bit into ash. ¡°I owe you one,¡± Jing Qi said gently. Zhou Zishu gave a big grin, turning to leave. ¡°When another day comes that we meet by happenstance in the landscape of jianghu, I hope that you¡¯ll grant me a cup of wine to drink, Prince.¡± Jing Qi smiled as well. Regardless of whether the other was too far to hear him or not, he yet lowly agreed, ¡°It¡¯s a deal, then.¡± He leaned against the chair in relaxation and closed his eyes, feeling a lassitude like all the strength in his body had been sucked dry. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he had been sitting there when he heard Ping An call for him from outside the door. ¡°Master¡­¡± Eyes shut in rest, he didn¡¯t move them at all as he asked back, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Master, the Shamanet is at the entrance¡­ you¡¯ll go to take a look, yes?¡± CH 45 With a downlike sigh, Jing Qi reached up and swiped his face hard before sluggishly standing. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with him now?¡± Ping An gazed at him awkwardly, and, not long after, Jing Qi understood why, because Wu Xi not only came doggedly barging in, but his steps staggered so that he narrowly plunged headfirst into his arms. A suffocating whiff of alcohol attacking his face, Jing Qi frowned. Wu Xi swayed as he strived to grab his sleeve in a want to stand up on his own, his half-open eyes appearing to be out of focus. Nuahar and Ashinlae were chasing after him, but they stopped in their tracks at almost the same time, looking at each other. Ashinlae extended his finger to point at Wu Xi, giving Nuahar a guileless and inquiring gaze. Nuahar angrily pushed down his know-nothing hand, then took a step forward to speak. ¡°Prince, the Shamanet seems to have something he¡¯s unhappy about today, and he drank a lot. He didn¡¯t come to stir up trouble for you on purpose at all.¡± Jing Qi was propping up a drunkard that was incessantly wobbling, and also incessantly attempting to throw him off to stand up by himself. His head swelled to twice its size. Isn¡¯t this trouble enough¡­? This guy weighs a lot. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, now?¡± he asked distractedly while keeping a hand on Wu Xi. The latter struggled out of it, pushing it aside while simultaneously using all of his strength to snatch his sleeve. ¡°Don¡¯t help me¡­¡± he vaguely mumbled. ¡°I¡¯m standing, I can¡­ can walk¡­ myself¡­¡± A lot of Nanjiang Vassa words were mixed in together after that in an incoherent mess, leaving whatever he was muttering unknowable. Jing Qi couldn¡¯t hold him back even when he was sober, to say further nothing of the other currently having an inebriate¡¯s brute strength. Wu Xi was forcefully grabbing the sleeve of his practically-new robe like he was taking it as a banister, and Jing Qi nearly got dragged down to the point that he couldn¡¯t stand. After withdrawing his own hand, there came a ripping sound, and that sleeve was torn open all the way to his elbow. Rolling his eyes, Jing Qi thought to himself that this ¡®cut-sleeve¡® seriously deserved its name this time around. The sound of splitting silk scared Ashinlae and Nuahar. Wu Xi¡¯s head also seemed to clear up a bit, the look in his eyes not so disordered. He stared at Jing Qi for a long time before he asked, ¡°B¡­Beiyuan?¡± Jing Qi raised a brow, giving him a skin-deep smile. ¡°It must be hard for your esteemed self to keep remembering me all the time.¡± Wu Xi stood in place for half the day, still holding his half-torn off sleeve, and looked at him mutely, as if his consciousness was unable to react. Thinking about how the weather wasn¡¯t warm anymore (and also how one unit staring into each other¡¯s eyes while in a group with other people was inappropriate), Jing Qi pat the other on the face. ¡°Wakey, wakey. Ping An, go to the kitchen and bring a sobering brew for the Shamanet.¡± Before he could finish saying that, Wu Xi abruptly grabbed his hand. His intoxicated body temperature was quite high, somewhat scalding his palm. ¡°I won¡¯t drink. Don¡¯t bring,¡± he heard the drunk cat mumble fuzzily. ¡°I got words to say to you.¡± Ashinlae inclined his head to look at Nuahar again, faintly having a vague premonition. The latter glared at him ¡ª talk less, don¡¯t ruin it. ¡°Okay, okay, okay. Let¡¯s go to the study to sit, you can say your words then. I¡¯ll have Ping An fetch things for you¨D¡± ¡°You¡­ you, make them all go out. I don¡¯t need anything fetched¡­¡± Wu Xi took a step forwards, and his knees went soft, nearly causing him to prostrate himself on the floor. Jing Qi rapidly hooked his arm to fasten him by the waist, not sure whether to laugh or cry from this madness. ¡°You still need to wait two months for New Year¡¯s. What are you being so polite for? I haven¡¯t even gotten the red envelopes prepared yet, you know.¡± ¡°Make them all leave¡­ all leave!¡± Wu Xi replied, muddleheaded. Taking into consideration that this disturbance would need physical labor when his mind had already been turning about without rest for a whole day, Jing Qi thus waved towards the ones surrounding them. ¡°You heard, eh? The Shamanet wants you all to leave.¡± He then turned to talk to the Ashinlae-Nuahar pair. ¡°If you don¡¯t feel at ease, find a place to rest in now ¨D Ping An, get the kitchen to prepare sobering soup.¡± ¡°I said I won¡¯t¨D¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes, you won¡¯t drink. I¡¯m going to drink it myself, alright?¡± He took one of Wu Xi¡¯s arms and slung it across his shoulder, his own arm passing beneath his ribs, then helped him into the study to settle onto a chair. By the time he straightened up, the late autumn weather had actually given him a head full of thin sweat. Wu Xi shrank into the chair, staring at him with a goofy grin. Jing Qi sighed again. ¡°This is going to be the entirety of what I owe every single one of you¡­ drinking tea is always fine, right?¡± Wu Xi huffed lightly out of his nose in apparent response. ¡°My standard is high, as a matter of fact,¡± Jing Qi chided as he smiled. ¡°This Lord hasn¡¯t served other people with water yet.¡± He turned around, hefted up the teapot to weigh it, picked up a cup, rinsed it, dumped the water onto the floor, poured tea in it anew, tested the temperature with the back of his hand, then turned around again. ¡°Wu¨D¡± This turn scared him; his eyes had been shut in rest just then, and the lighting in the study was dim to begin with, so he had no idea when Wu Xi had soundlessly come up to stand behind him. A pair of pitch-black eyes peered fixedly at him without blinking. His normally somewhat-noticeably pale complexion was even as haggard as a dead man¡¯s; with dark circles under his eyelids and his clothes and hair arranged in a horrible mess, he was the spitting image of one that had crawled out of a graveyard in the middle of the night. In a moment like that, Jing Qi suddenly felt like he had returned to the netherworld. Once he came back to his senses, he couldn¡¯t resist swatting Wu Xi on the forehead. ¡°What are you standing up for all of a sudden? A more timid person would¡¯ve been half-dead from you scaring them.¡± He then stuffed the tea cup into his hand. ¡°Drink.¡± Wu Xi obediently accepted it, tilted his head back, and drank it down in one gulp, though his gaze didn¡¯t stray from Jing Qi¡¯s face for even a moment. Once he was done, he was still aware enough to place the cup onto the table. All the hairs on Jing Qi¡¯s body were made to stand up due to his staring. Knowing that drunkards had no sort of rationality, he smiled to coax him. ¡°There¡¯s a small bed behind the screen. Go lie down on it for a bit and call for someone when you sober up. What was so terrible that you drank so much wine down over it? Go, go lay down. I¡¯ll call you when the sobering soup comes in a bit, okay?¡± ¡°No.¡± Jing Qi shook his head, exercising patience. ¡°Tell me, then; what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°The Emperor said he was closing you off.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure whether the power of the alcohol had come over him completely, or had waned slightly, but his tongue wasn¡¯t as big as it just had been, his words were more succinct, and his expression was straight-browed and blank-eyed. A bit uncomprehending as to what he meant, Jing Qi consequently replied half-heartedly, ¡°It¡¯s only three months. After the New years, it¡¯ll be almost¨D¡± Before he could finish, Wu Xi cut him off. ¡°Because you said you wanted to take a man as a wife.¡± ¡­Why did even this guy know about that? Jing Qi began to suspect that, were he to be let go after three months, that every single citizen all over the capital would know that the Great Qing had produced itself a Prince that was fond of setting up fortune-telling stalls and visiting whorehouses. His smile went stiff automatically. ¡°Uh¡­ I made him mad on purpose,¡± he said, a bit embarrassed. ¡°Besides, he¡¯s eager for my bloodline to get cut off as soon as possible, so he was pretty relieved¡­¡± Wu Xi¡¯s mind likely wasn¡¯t working too well; it wasn¡¯t clear if he heard him or not, as he simply repeated himself. ¡°You¡¯re going to wed a man. Nuahar told me that the one you talked about was a man.¡± Jing Qi gave a dry laugh. ¡°I didn¡¯t say I was going to wed him.¡± Wu Xi wobbled, then misstepped. Before Jing Qi could help him, he stood again, and laughed bizarrely a couple of times. ¡°You said¡­ you like¡­¡± Wu Xi didn¡¯t talk much in general, and his cadence was mostly deep and low, but the laughter he emitted was a little like the shrieking of an owl. Hearing it made even Jing Qi feel a bit wary, and he mentally said to himself that he had never met such a hard-to-please child as this before. When he eyed him swaying without any wind once again, he reached out to tug him by the elbow. ¡°You¡¯re not putting proper attention to your studies. Where did you hear such shameful words from? And¨D¡± He didn¡¯t get to the end of his words before Wu Xi suddenly clasped his wrist. He jerked, subconsciously turning his body and bending his own elbow, then bumped into the shanzhong acupoint on the other¡¯s chest. Out of fear of injuring him, he didn¡¯t dare to use too much force, simply giving it a gentle tap that compelled him to let him go with a muffled grunt. Once he rescinded his strength, he took a look; his wrist already had a red ring around it from Wu Xi¡¯s grip. Jing Qi shook his head, having realized that dealing with this drunk alone was a bit challenging. Right as he opened his mouth to call for someone, Wu Xi caught him off guard by abruptly throwing himself at him, his entire person ramming into him. It made him take three or four steps backwards in succession, then knock the side of his back on a corner of the desk, the pain making him lightly hiss. ¡°You¡¯re a¡­¡± Wu Xi hugged him tightly with both arms, his chin pressed down onto his shoulder. Half of his body weight was entirely hung upon Jing Qi¡¯s, and his arms slowly shifted downwards until they just-so-happened to affix to the area that he had recently made run into the desk corner. Jing Qi didn¡¯t need to see it to know that it had definitely turned green, and he couldn¡¯t help but push him away while cussing him out. ¡°You¡¯re a bastard! Did you eat iron balls growing up or what¡ª sst, let go!¡± Wu Xi held him all the more tightly, however, whispering into his ear almost inaudibly. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill him¡­¡± Jing Qi was shocked. ¡°What did you say?¡± Wu Xi laughed. It sounded like it was suppressed inside his throat, and it didn¡¯t stop, making his voice hoarse. Yet blended with the sound of weeping, it made goosebumps break out over Jing Qi¡¯s body, who heard him answer in stops and starts. ¡°Whoever you like, is whoever I¡¯ll kill. I¡­ I¡¯m going to take them and go feed them to my snake. Once they¡¯re all nice and dead, you¡¯ll be mine¡­ heh heh heh¡­ you¡¯ll be mine¡­¡± Jing Qi completely forgot to even struggle, then, only feeling his scalp tingling as he was rooted to the spot, like a god of lightning from the highest heaven had struck him. Unsparingly, Wu Xi continued on. ¡°I want¡­ I want to take you back to Nanjiang. You can¡¯t like anyone else. I¡¯ll treat you really really well. Don¡¯t like anyone else, Beiyuan, don¡¯t like anyone else¡­¡± He sprayed his strongly alcoholic breath onto Jing Qi¡¯s neck. Soon after that, he practically deferred to his instincts, holding him tight in his arms and then frantically, fiercely biting on his neck, the heat of his body seeming to burn. Jing Qi suddenly returned to his senses, forcefully pushing him away. Wu Xi had been standing somewhat unstably to start with, so his push sent him a good couple of steps back, all the way until he stopped when his back bumped against the study door. His body going limp, he slowly slid down along the wooden boards. His dazed and not-very-sober eyes appeared to be congealing with glimmering tears, but upon a closer look, their rims were dry once more, merely reflecting the light. That pure-black gaze was filled up with sorrow, as if it would be expressed the instant he shut his eyes. He kept calling out ¡°Beiyuan¡­ Beiyuan¡­¡±, following which he became unable to brace himself against the chaos in his mind, closing his eyes with his head lolling to the side. Jing Qi gradually raised his hand to cover the side of his neck that had been bitten into something of a sorry state. His head hurt like a fight was brewing inside it, and his heart was as tangled as a rope. A long while later, he came forward, bent over, and picked Wu Xi up with some effort, then lightly placed him upon the small resting couch behind the study screen. After pulling up an embroidered blanket to cover him with, he turned and left. He ordered Ping An to get someone to feed the guy a bowl of sobering soup, then got someone to notify Ashinlae and Nuahar that they could return ahead of time. Returning to his room himself, he changed out of his distressed clothes. The night was calm, its moonlight dissolving; in usual instances, that youth would currently be gradually expressing laughter throughout his looks. The academic yard was quiet; beneath the poplars and willows, that child looked to be quietly focusing on rumination, his brow knitted in perplexion and anxiety, something shallowly buried at the bottom of his heart. At this moment, a burst of autumn wind blew away the settled dust, as if coming alive before one¡¯s eyes. He only took him as a magnanimous, composed friend. He had never thought that¡­ he actually had thoughts like this, actually had¡­ There were clouds of deceit and tides of shrewdness within the Court. None of the party wars had ever made him hesitate even a smidgen, yet, because of that boy¡¯s drunken monologue, he lost sleep for half the evening. CH 46 ¡°One of charming words flatters to portray loyalty. One of ingratiating words quotes from scriptures to portray wisdom. One of just words abandons qualms to portray bravery. One of worrying words presents stratagems to garner trust. One of quiet words¨D¡±[1] ¡°Master.¡± Ping An was obliged to speak up and cut him off. Jing Qi had been holed up in his bedroom all day long, leaning against the headboard as he sat with an old book in his hands. The interior of the room was cozy warm, even making one a bit drowsy, as well. Both of the eyes of young maid waiting in attendance nearby were already about to slide closed. Ping An was standing to the side, neither leaving nor staying. ¡°I¡¯m not finished talking yet.¡± Jing Qi didn¡¯t even look up. ¡°Listen carefully, for these tactical methods are interlinked with commercial and operational methods. Someone else made me lecture on this, and I haven¡¯t yet explained it for him to absorb, you know¡­ there is a saying that goes, ¡®one who intends to become desirous must first flatter.¡¯ If you decide to take notice of and want to incur the favor of someone, to make them lay down their heart¡¯s defenses, you first must get them what they want. The methodology of flattery lies in moderation. Be shallow, and it makes them feel that you aren¡¯t sincere enough. Be deep, and it makes them feel you¡¯re being excessively meticulous. When you want to achieve being to someone¡¯s liking, scratch their itch, and then you need to¨D¡± ¡°Master, the Shamanet is still outside, waiting to see you.¡± Noticing that he was intending to go down quite a lengthy speech, Ping An reached the end of his patience, and could only interrupt him again. In the common past, all of these words had been lectured for the Shamanet to hear; he wasn¡¯t sure what was going on today, but the Shamanet had been shut out by his Master, who was unwilling to see him no matter what. Jing Qi¡¯s speaking voice paused for a bit. ¡°Say that I¡¯m sick, am taking to bed rest, and am not seeing outside guests.¡± Ping An couldn¡¯t tell if it was his misperception or what, but he thought that the way his Master said ¡®outside guests¡¯ was bitten out with special clarity. ¡°The Shamanet said he would cure it, and that his medical skills are greater than those of the imperial doctors in the royal hospital,¡± he replied honestly. Jing Qi threw the book to the side with a bang, his good-looking brows crinkled up into one lump. ¡°Then say that I¡¯m dead,¡± he said, miffed. The young maid, whose bobbing head resembled a chicken pecking at rice, immediately woke up, widening her eyes as she looked this way and that. Ping An, like a wronged little wife, measured Jing Qi¡¯s expression, after which he affirmed and headed out. Jing Qi sat up by his lonesome for a while, then spoke to the maid. ¡°Go to my study and fetch me the gray ledger and northwestern defense plan. After that, you can go on and play.¡± The maid wasn¡¯t very old. She affirmed, then came in bringing things not long after, blinking her big eyes expectantly as she looked at him. Once he nodded, she ran out in high spirits. He furrowed his brow and opened up the plan, barely managing to tamp down his emotions to view it for a spell. Soon after, he picked up a brush and paper from his side table, wrote a letter, then blew it dry. While he was sealing it, there suddenly came a burst of rustling noises from under his bed, and the sable shortly bored its way out with its face and body covered in dust. It stepped on his shoes when it jumped on the bed, stamping out a string of tiny gray footprints. He picked it up by the scruff and gently tossed it off. It wobbled, disoriented, on the ground for an interval, then went to climb up again, undaunted. It got glared at by him, and it crouched unmovingly on the ground, its little paws innocently stretched straight up, with its head raised to watch him. He patted the dust off of the blanket. ¡°I¡¯m occupied with serious matters, got it? Looking at you is annoying ¨D go play by yourself, don¡¯t bug me.¡± The sable wagged its big tail in aggrievance, then ambled over to the corner and shrank up into a ball, awfully heartbroken. At this moment, Ping An pushed open the door and came in once more. At a glance, he could tell that Jing Qi¡¯s expression was poor, so he pursed his lips and stood trembling at the entrance without walking fully in. ¡°Master, he says that if you¡¯re alive, he wants to see you, and if you¡¯re dead, he wants to see your corpse¡­¡± Jing Qi huffed. ¡°Why¡¯s he being such a filial son? Go and tell him that he is unneeded for collecting my corpse when I die.¡± Ping An looked outside. ¡°With how you¡¯re talking, you got into some sort of dispute with him, yes? You¡¯ve been quarreling since daybreak ¡¯til now, and it¡¯s already noon. How massive is this matter that you can¡¯t speak properly to him?¡± ¡°Ask less about things you shouldn¡¯t ask about.¡± Jing Qi coldly swept his eyes over him, handing the blow-dried, sealed letter over to him. ¡°Find a dependable person to bring this to Sir Lu Shen. Deliver it to his hand in person.¡± Ping An affirmed, accepted it, took two steps out, then turned his head back around. ¡°Master, you¡¯re giving the Shamanet such a cold shoulder. Are you not worried that he¡¯ll storm right in in a minute?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t this Lord keep so very many imperial guards around that all work for their food? To say that someone could storm the Prince Nan¡¯ning estate; are you taking this place as a vegetable garden? I said I won¡¯t see him, so I won¡¯t see him. He¡¯s inclined to wait.¡± Once he looked up and caught sight of Ping An still stupidly erected at the doorway, he became even more irascible. ¡°You can scram now, too. Stop taking up space in front of my eyes.¡± Ping An frowned, slipping quietly out along the base of the wall. Jing Qi casually picked up a book. After opening it, he looked at it for a long time, not reading even one word. With a fling of the hand, he threw it to the ground, and it coincidentally tumbled over to the sable¡¯s side. The creature vigilantly jumped back, then came up close to sniff it. Jing Qi let out a long sigh, shutting his eyes as he leaned against the headboard. Likely sensing that it would be unsuitable to stay here for long, the sable consequently hopped out the window. The interior of the whole room had only Jing Qi breathing like so, being exceptionally peaceful. He knew that Wu Xi drank too much yesterday night, and he also knew that this was quite a bothersome event. He couldn¡¯t fathom how much Wu Xi would be able to remember once he sobered up at dawn, nor could he figure out how to deal with him, so he intended to hide out of extraordinary cowardice. Once Wu Xi got up that morning, he would then conceal himself in his room; the other going back to his own Estate on his own was just fine. For something so embarrassing, if Wu Xi came to and still remembered it, he ought to be a bit judicious and silently see himself out. Unfortunately, the Nanjiang Shamanet was not a bit judicious, and was now plainly a dead pig unafraid of getting burned by boiling water. In spite of everything having come out, he didn¡¯t shy nor hide away from it, and he had been waiting outside since daybreak, wanting to see him. As soon as Jing Qi heard the fracas when he got up, his head immediately swelled to twice its size, and he unthinkingly made Ping An find an excuse to rebuff him. That suggestion of reluctance to see the other party had already been quite obvious, and Wu Xi had always been deemed a perceptive person ¨D so, he should¡¯ve gone back, right? No one could¡¯ve known that the Prince would once again underestimate the Shamanet¡¯s stubborn donkey temper. The guy had the presence of a tax collector; he stood straight as a brush, clearly expressing that if Jing Qi wasn¡¯t coming out, then he wasn¡¯t leaving, and absolutely had to be given an explanation. Watching the sun already climb up the sky, Ji Xiang gently pushed open the door and entered. ¡°Master, shall I send you a meal?¡± Jing Qi¡¯s eyes passed over him. First he nodded, then he shook his head. ¡°Forget it. I hadn¡¯t been up for very long just now, and the stuff I had this morning is still pretty stuck in my chest. All of you can go on and eat yourselves, I don¡¯t need any.¡± Ji Xiang was aware that he had recently lost his temper while clashing with Ping An, so he didn¡¯t dare to provoke him. Giving a particularly obedient affirmation, he went to withdraw, but was stopped by Jing Qi calling for him. ¡°Go and talk to the Shamanet. Make him go back and not stay around, okay? Once a few days have passed, I¡¯ll have the energy to talk to him again. In any case, the Emperor is presently in the middle of restricting my movements, so it¡¯s improper for me to be seeing guests all the time.¡± Not long after Ji Xiang left, there was a commotion in the courtyard. Brows furrowed, Jing Qi couldn¡¯t help but get off the bed and go to stand at an angle next to the window. From his point of view, he happened to be able to see Wu Xi standing at the entrance of the courtyard alone. As if Ji Xiang had said something to him, he suddenly became agitated, and made to barge inside. The guards had received their orders, blocking his way and disallowing him from coming in. Unable to do anything to help, Ji Xiang was soothing him from the side. ¡°Beiyuan! Jing Beiyuan!¡± Wu Xi bellowed. ¡°Come out and talk to me! Since you know everything, what kind of man are you being by hiding away right now?! Come out!¡± The guards watching the courtyard were naturally not his match, but, thankfully, he wasn¡¯t planning on injuring them. He took their weapons and tossed them to the side, then struck their acupoints to make them temporarily incapable of free movement. Ji Xiang wanted to hinder him, yet also didn¡¯t dare to, so he had no other option than to chase after him. ¡°Shamanet! Shamanet!¡± No one was obstructing his path, yet Wu Xi hesitated a bit. He stationed in the courtyard for a time, the lines of his face and fists both drawn tight. With his body wrapped in an ensemble of black clothes, he was standing as ramrod straight as a staff, indescribably obstinate. Fixedly, he gazed towards where Jing Qi was. That tenacious zeal of his¡­ really made Jing Qi¡¯s head hurt. He could handle other folks, because they all had weak points, and possessed the capacity to spend recklessly on what charmed their eyes. In his life, there were innumerable devious ones, bootlicking ones, reserved ones, nobles, and peasants, yet there hadn¡¯t ever been a child as direct as Wu Xi, who didn¡¯t falter at all, nor turn around in the face of death. He kneaded the space between his brows. Sighing, walking out, and leaning against the doorframe, he looked at Wu Xi indifferently. There was a split second where Wu Xi cowered from coming into contact with his gaze, soon after which he straightened his spine back out again. ¡°You¡¯ve fussed from dawn until now. What¡¯s such a big deal that you can¡¯t talk about it in a few days? The noise is making my head hurt.¡± Jing Qi was already accustomed to beginning to perform tai chi with his rambling words as soon as he opened his mouth. Wu Xi stared blankly for a moment. Unable to appreciate even one bit of Jing Qi¡¯s painstaking effort in thinking up a way for both parties to get out of this, he thus came up and said, ¡°I drank myself drunk yesterday, but I remember all the words I had said to you, and they were my thoughts.¡± Jing Qi went quiet for a bit. To this day, he was still fairly incapable of adapting to the other¡¯s brand of excessively unrestrained and straightforward speaking. A long time after, he raised his head, expression calm, but didn¡¯t look at Wu Xi again. ¡°Call for everyone to withdraw. You, as well,¡± he said to Ji Xiang. ¡°What was said today¡­ if one word of it gets out, don¡¯t blame this Prince for becoming hostile and speaking nothing of sentiment.¡± From the tone he raised, Ji Xiang knew that this wasn¡¯t in jest. He nimbly purged the scene, then withdrew himself. Only after organizing his turns of phrase did Jing Qi turn to Wu Xi. ¡°Whatever words were said last night, I will take as having never heard before. You can go on back.¡± Wu Xi was anxious. ¡°Words that have been said are said, and you heard them. How could you take them as having never been said?¡± ¡°That¡¯s my business,¡± Jing Qi said softly. ¡°Shamanet, in a friendship, you mustn¡¯t make things hard for me¡­ nor hard for yourself.¡± Wu Xi froze in place, forcing himself to talk ages after. ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t like me even a little?¡± He never disguised his emotions towards him, and in that moment, the look in his eyes was so dismal, even a blind person could have seen it. Jing Qi suddenly recalled the night before, and how the youth looked as he laid against the door, limp on the ground while he repeatedly called his name. His heart softened, and all sorts of soft and gentle excuses whirled about in one big circle inside his head, yet he ultimately said nothing. He believed that, after such a long time, he had some internal understanding of what kind of person Wu Xi was. The kid hadn¡¯t been innately born with the chord of tact, being direct and to the point; it would therefore be better to be blunt to him, so as to avoid giving him an unrealistic hope such as this and contrarily leading him to be persistent in his ignorance. In consequence, he nodded. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have an overactive imagination.¡± With that, he turned to go back in the room. Wu Xi gritted his teeth, shouting from behind him. ¡°There will come a day that you¡¯ll be willing to leave with me!¡± Jing Qi abruptly turned his head around. ¡°Nanjiang Shamanet, are you openly persuading this Prince to fraternize with a foreign clan?¡± he replied, pausing between each word. Wu Xi¡¯s entire body jolted. The rare red on his face immediately waned to nothing. Jing Qi swung his sleeves, turning back around. ¡°Forgive me for not seeing you off further out.¡± Wu Xi stared at the tightly shut door for a long time, after which he spoke to the vacant courtyard as if he was talking to himself. ¡°There will come a day.¡± There was no answer. It was unclear whether Jing Qi heard him or not. Following that day, Jing Qi didn¡¯t see Wu Xi anymore. The latter continued to come and sit at the Estate for a time at noon every day. Jing Qi wasn¡¯t seeing guests, and he didn¡¯t charge inside again. Just like how it was when Jing Qi went to the Guangs, he would wait there on the daily for a spate, then return, come wind, rain, or shine. And yet, Prince Nan¡¯ning¡¯s era of house arrest was not as long as had been imagined. Less than a month later, he was released from it; because there had been an earthquake at Dongping¡®s Mount Tai. Gold supported foliage, throwing Bixia¡®s temples into disarray. Jade inspected mud, unseating the Azure Emperor¡¯s seal.[2] The lord of the Five Peaks ¨D an important site of the imperial cult where nations coexisted, impressive and arcadian ¨D had toppled. The Court and the commonfolk were in uproar. And conspirators in every faction started to use this opportunity to sharpen their blades. CH 47 Helian Qi had been feeling unhappy recently. Ever since the scourge that was Prince Nan¡¯ning ¨D Jing Beiyuan ¨D had come back from the Guangs, he had been unhappy. In particular, whenever he bumped into him in Court on occasion, the way Jing Qi would peer at him with a fake smile while giving him respectful well-wishes painfully stuffed up his chest. He hadn¡¯t thought so before, but, thinking back after a reminder from Daoist Li, it seemed like all the very many events that had happened behind the scenes were the doings of this young Prince. He had previously thought the guy to be decent-looking, which had faintly aroused his libertine heart. Upon seeing him now, though, he felt that there was an enormous shadow behind that pair of beaming, peach-blossom eyes, no matter what. Even his gaze being stuck upon him gave him a sense of unease from the staring. Su Qingluan had been planted at the Crown Prince¡¯s side, but that hadn¡¯t born fruit ¨D the woman had apparently been neatly hidden away by his dear little brother, and getting her out for a trip was too difficult. In addition, the Crown Prince apparently only harbored a tiny, recreational inclination in being with her, and he did nothing but say uninspired words, drink alcohol, and listen to songs. Anything of utter importance wouldn¡¯t be spoken of in her, a songstress¡¯s, presence, either. If Helian Zhao¡¯s power was claimed to be in the South, and the Guangs were controlled by his hand, then Helian Qi¡¯s power was in the Northwest. Beitun Field¡¯s Zhao Zhenshu was someone who would come with a single look, completely unlike a tall tree that attracted wind like Liao Zhendong had been; he never slacked on giving things to his superior each year, and bribed on all levels appropriately. For all these years, Jiang Zheng and that gang of not-yet-dead things had been steadily watching the northwest, but Zhao Zhenshu was a true talent, and they couldn¡¯t grab a handle on him. For that reason, starting from the year the eldest procured that dancing, demonic cat out of nowhere, Helian Qi got an idea. The Northwest was considered a border area, and its landscape was naturally quite different from the capital¡¯s. Since it also had a few unusual creatures there, he ordered Zhao Zhenshu to smuggle a lot of them over. He granted them as they came to curry favor with Helian Pei. In those same intervals, he used the opportunity to color his eyes towards Jing Beiyuan. Daoist Li and Helian Qi discussed that, prior to watching him, the Crown Prince was unremarkable, and their biggest enemy was Helian Zhao. These years, however, the former had grown, his wings looking to be getting more spread out; Lu Shen was young, but had entered the Military Privy Council, and at assembly that summer, He Yunxing, Marquis Jingjie¡¯s son, had also been nominated into the Ministry of War by Helian Zhao. Helian Zhao had seemingly joined up with the Crown Prince, suffocating Helian Qi a bit from the pressure, and making him always feel surrounded by enemies; his own territorial power was getting nibbled away bit by bit and swallowed down like a whale, too. Even so, Daoist Li claimed that despite those people looking like they had vast influence, it was nothing more than a meaningless pledge between Shu and Wu. In the meantime, though, there was one person that needed to be removed, and that was Prince Nan¡¯ning. Even the Eldest Scion could be grasped in his palm. For a moment, there was nothing to be done, as no one had made out a crumb of weakness in him for so many years. The depth of how low he lied was plainly visible. ¡°He¡¯s a slick person, and his skill at scheming is terrifying. Nevertheless, he is not without weakness. You need only to say a set of words in the presence of the Emperor, Second Highness,¡± Daoist Li conspired with Helian Qi. ¡°What words?¡± the other asked. Daoist Li beckoned him to lean his ear over, speaking lightly. ¡°You need only say to him: ¡®All we brothers have grown up. Even little Beiyuan, who had followed the Crown Prince back in the day while calling him big brother every time he opened his mouth, can act on his own. He smoothed such a terrible mess in the Guangs back out, and there was no objection to it all across the civil and military ranks when speaking of it.¡¯ And so on. He will inevitably know what¡¯s going on.¡± Sure enough, Helian Pei actually did drift apart from Jing Beiyuan. Helian Qi was briefly unknowing of what he was feeling on the inside. Luckily, Daoist Li had a genuinely accurate hold on the monarch¡¯s designs ¨D Jing Beiyuan was a flunky that Helian Pei had set aside for Crown Prince Helian Yi. Now that this ¡®chamberlain¡¯ had gotten too precociously wise in his youth, there was a vague feeling that the Crown Prince could no longer steer him, so he inevitably became unsanctioned in the Emperor¡¯s heart. Sadly, he had excavated his thoughts like so to curry favor for his Father Emperor, yet the other was still single-mindedly plotting for the sake of that fame-angling Helian Yi. Unpredictably, that Jing Beiyuan was quite intense. In order to pacify the Emperor¡¯s heart, he deliberately labelled himself as a ¡®cut-sleeve¡¯, and had now admitted such before the Emperor; he would never take a wife nor sire children in the future, and if he didn¡¯t say so, he would then be deceiving the monarch. Daoist Li couldn¡¯t refrain from being stunned for a very long time, shaking his head and sighing once he was done. ¡°This guy is really¡­¡± When one could not tolerate tolerating someone anymore, they would then scheme against them in a way they hadn¡¯t dared to scheme before. However, Helian Qi didn¡¯t foresee that he would cut off his own family line, so what else could he even scheme? Shameless people indeed constantly thought that every person in the land was as shameless as them. Even more unfortunately, Mount Tai had suddenly suffered an earthquake and landslide, putting every level of the Court and society into one mass of chaos. The Emperor¡¯s anger was vanished and let go of once this critical event overtook them, and he released Prince Nan¡¯ning from his house arrest. The day after Jing Beiyuan came to Court, an imperial censor¡¯s manifest once again brought up an old matter, seizing the topic of the Northwest¡¯s instability and insinuating that the Spring Market in Beitun Field was unclean. Before Helian Qi had any time to rage out of shame, the disaster that was Jing Beiyuan tossed out some bad ideas again, saying crap like ¡°why the Eastern Emperor toppled is unclear, Your Majesty should lead all the officials in fasting and praying for blessings¡± and such. [T/N: Mt. Tai is in the East, icyww] In guilty conscience, Helian Pei hastily agreed, proclaiming that there would be a three-month fast; no meat was to be eaten, no illness was to be inquired after, no marriage was to be had, no regard was to be given for criminal law, and no merrymaking was to be had. Jing Qi was great at smacking a horse¡¯s butt, and happened to jibe with Helian Pei being older, as compared to when the man was younger, he was more liable to respect the supernatural. The Mount Tai earthquake was baffling, and his imperial heart was unsettled; he wasn¡¯t like Helian Qi, where he was obsessed with pills and Daoist techniques, but his health had been getting increasingly worse these years, and he feared old age and death. Had Jing Qi not said anything, Helian Pei would express something to that extent anyways, so, with his statement, the man merely felt that it honestly wasn¡¯t easy for a young child to have this level of sincerity. His previous spot of hard feelings also subsequently went away. Seeing how Jing Qi had gotten a lot noticeably thinner over this one month, both his cheeks looking like they were getting slightly concave, some compassion and affection was born within him, and he felt that the kid was like Mingzhe way back when: an infatuated and passionate person. It was said that the wise would inevitably be hurt, and deep feelings would not last, which Jing Lianyu had already set a precedent for. This child was of the same inclination, making him feel that his previous suspicion was somewhat excessive, as well as somewhat apologetic to him, and his mien was pleasant towards him. Helian Qi observed at the side. Thinking about how this and that wasn¡¯t being allowed for three months, and that all his days were going to be spent with no taste in his mouth, his mood got ever more worse. Following Court¡¯s end, he didn¡¯t return to his Estate, but directly brought a couple of attendants with him to an extremely remote location in the northwest of the capital. He entered the alleys, and after turning a couple of bends, he arrived at an ordinary little residence, after which he discarded his servants and walked in alone. In a short time, an awfully beautiful youth came out from inside to welcome him, pouncing headfirst into his embrace and attaching to him coquettishly. ¡°You haven¡¯t come to see me in some days, Your Highness.¡± Helian Qi gathered him in his arms, reaching into the other¡¯s lapels. Snow fell from the sky, cold wind coming in bursts; his ice-cold hand extending into the boy¡¯s clothes made the latter jolt from the chill, then giggle and shrink into his hold. ¡°You really don¡¯t know how to cherish treasures.¡± Helian Qi chuckled, rubbing him up and down. Only after making the teen pant faintly over and over again did he release him, quite a bit proud of himself, and smacked him lightly on the ass. ¡°Little slut, getting loose like this after not seeing men for a couple of days. Has the one I gave you a few days ago been trained properly for your Lord?¡± The pretty boy gave a bit of a ¡®pouty¡¯ flavor as he glared at him, the look in his eyes no different than that of a girl¡¯s. ¡°You never think about us old ones and only keep your new flames in mind. What¡¯s so great about that little mute?¡± These good-looking kids that Helian Qi was fond of keeping would fight each other for his attention. Upon hearing him grumble in discontent, he didn¡¯t get angry, and snatched the youth over, pinching him hard on the chest. The teen let out a soft cry. The moan coming out of his mouth got blocked off, and all he heard was Helian Qi laughing next to his ear. ¡°Don¡¯t get mad at me. Wash yourself up at night and wait in your room. It¡¯ll be your perk.¡± Only then did the boy get himself out of his arms, happily leading the way in front. The weather was all the more overcast. The first blanket of snow began to fall. Helian Qi was unaware that, at the mouth of a street two lanes away from him, there was a run-down carriage that had been parked there for ages. Someone inside it gave an order, and the coachman cracked his whip, driving it away. There was a stove making tiny flames inside it, but it was still cold. Jing Qi stretched out his legs, relaxedly leaning against the cushions. Slightly lifting the carriage curtain, he peered at the dark sky and increasingly heavier snowfall, yet remained silent. The one sitting beside him was in the middle of warming wine, its fragrance suffusing outward, as if it were delving deep into one¡¯s heart. That was Zhou Zishu. Noticing that he hadn¡¯t said anything for a long while, he gently asked him, ¡°What is it? Do you think I¡¯ve made a mistake, Prince?¡± Jing Qi¡¯s face was indifferent, but the color of his glass-like eyes appeared to deepen a bit, answering what he heard like he was sleeptalking. ¡°Many acts of injustice will bring ruin to oneself¡­ Zishu, are you not afraid of meeting with retribution?¡± Zhou Zishu grinned. ¡°Prince, you believe in that supernatural stuff?¡± Feeling a bit cold, Jing Qi let the curtain down and gathered his hands into his sleeves. ¡°In my life, I don¡¯t believe in anything but the supernatural.¡± Zhou Zishu poured the warmed wine into two small cups, passing one over to Jing Qi first. ¡°Here you are, Prince.¡± Jing Qi took it, placed it under his nose, and lightly sniffed. Eyes hooded, his handsome profile was encircled by dim light, like it was made of porcelain. Zhou Zishu took a shallow sip like he was living it up, enjoyment all across his face. ¡°Alcohol is banned during a fast. Today is our last drink. Tch, you flapping your lips in the throne room made us drunks of all sizes suffer.¡± ¡°Zishu.¡± The smile on Zhou Zishu¡¯s face paused. ¡°Be at ease, Prince. I confiscated everything off of Young Lord Zhang, searched him over a good couple of times, switched out his clothes inside and out, and gave him a muting drug so that he can¡¯t talk for three months,¡± he said, grave. ¡°It was done in absolute secret, so even he himself is in a haze about it. No matter how one looks at it, this is Helian Qi drooling over another¡¯s charms and being in a rush to snatch them back to his place, not bringing anyone else to mind at all¡­¡± He picked up the corner of his thin mouth. ¡°Once this is all over, I¡¯ll guarantee that Young Lord Zhang will cut his own life short, of course. When the time comes, the dead will give no testimony, and it¡¯ll be all the better.¡± Zhou Zishu privately came out to this meeting with Jing Qi wearing no mask, his original appearance exposed. The outline of his features was distinct and profound, and his nose was tall and straight; he could be described as handsome, despite those abnormally thin lips. There was a saying that people with thin lips had thin emotions; decent at origin, they were the utmost of clear-headed, and the utmost of unfeeling, in the world. What a shame that Liang Jiuxiao, the fool boy, believed with all his heart that his eldest sect-brother was a figure of indomitable-esque will and noble-like character. Jing Qi sighed. ¡°Zhang Tingyu, son of Zhang Jin, Provincial Coordinator of Gansu. He¡¯s isolated in the capital, and his family background is all the talent he has. I¡¯m not acquainted with him, but I know that he¡¯s a bit mediocre in other aspects, and his prospects for the future can¡¯t be weighed. Is¡­ is destroying him for no reason like this not moving your conscience in the least?¡± Zhou Zishu smiled. ¡°No reason? Those words can¡¯t be used like that. What good deeds has Zhang Jin done with Zhao Zhenshu these years? With a father like that, Littlest Master Zhang dying isn¡¯t an injustice. His old man is Helian Qi¡¯s lackey, and I delivered him to Helian Qi¡¯s rear courtyard. Isn¡¯t that just a son continuing his father¡¯s legacy? Besides¡­¡± He lowered his voice, looking at Jing Qi. ¡°If I truly did handle this in a way that violated Heaven¡¯s law, would you be able to look on blankly and only admonish me a bit in private like so, Prince?¡± In just a few words, he specifically implicated Jing Qi in this, as well. Jing Qi abruptly realized that he had nothing to say. He drew back the corner of his mouth with some weariness. At this moment, the carriage stopped, and the driver quietly spoke up from outside it. ¡°Landholder, the Prince¡¯s coach is up ahead.¡± Jing Qi downed the wine in one gulp, setting the cup down. ¡°Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. I can¡¯t denounce you on anything, either. Zishu, as a friend, I¡¯ll give you a bit of advice; perform less immoral acts, and take care to repent in the future.¡± With that, he tunneled out of the carriage, and left without turning back. ¡°Immoral acts?¡± Zhou Zishu smiled and shook his head, then poured himself a glass. Once he drank it up on his own, he shortly knocked on the coach door and ordered, ¡°The Prince is gone, so we¡¯re going back, too.¡± If one wanted to accomplish first-rate deeds, they had to be first-rate cruel ¡ª cruel towards others, and even crueler towards themself¡­ Immoral? How many people in the world were moral, really? Jing Qi rode back to the Estate in the heavy snow. Unexpectedly, once he pushed open the gate, there was a snowperson presently waiting for him in the courtyard. Wu Xi was standing there, flanked by Ping An and several servants that were holding umbrellas for him. In the continuing wind and snow, however, they blocked nothing, making him quickly turn into a snowman. Jing Qi was stunned. Wu Xi nonetheless scrambled to speak first. ¡°I¡­ just noticed today that a shichen passed and you didn¡¯t come back. I came to see you. I was scared something happened¡­¡± Jing Qi¡¯s heart warmed. ¡°You¡¯ve been waiting here, then?¡± he couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°I came in from the side gate. I wouldn¡¯t cause trouble for you,¡± Wu Xi said carefully. Jing Qi pursed his lips, but didn¡¯t know what he ought to say to him, so he had to go glare at Ping An. ¡°Did you grow your eyes to breathe out of, or what? You hung the Shamanet out to dry on such a windy and snowy day? Is this how you treat guests? You¡¯re getting more and more brainless, to have still not brought him to change out his clothes and get him ginger soup from the kitchen.¡± CH 48 Looking at him deeply, Wu Xi shook his head. ¡°No need. I¡¯ll leave.¡± Jing Qi¡¯s brows lightly scrunched, which Wu Xi noticed. ¡°Don¡¯t frown,¡± he said softly. ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to, I won¡¯t show up before you much. I¡ª¡° Jing Qi sighed, grabbing his wrist. ¡°Come with me.¡± First, Wu Xi startled, after which a virtually over-the-moon expression showed on his face. Jing Qi glimpsed so out of the corner of his eyes, and his heart couldn¡¯t help but warm, but he merely turned away and acted like he didn¡¯t see. Thinking of how an unfeeling person like Zhou Zishu seemed to still be able to scrape his heart for goodness towards his dimwit little sect-brother, his heart had the same feeling. It appeared that whenever an even more dangerous road was pried open from within this dangerous world, one wouldn¡¯t be allowed a moment of rest; for that reason, catching sight of these honest-eyed kids felt unusually emotional, and unusually precious. They entered the study on their front step, and Ping An was ordered to get someone to come bring two bowls of ginger soup on their back step. Once they were set down, everyone tactfully and quietly withdrew. Jing Qi threw a dainty handwarmer pot into Wu Xi¡¯s arms, sitting down silently and drinking the soup absently. Between the two of them, Jing Qi would speak frankly, while Wu Xi would listen obediently more in comparison. In consequence, since he wasn¡¯t talking right now, there was a current of awkward, painful, deathly silence spreading out. He didn¡¯t say anything, and Wu Xi didn¡¯t move. After finishing the brew in a couple of mouthfuls, the latter faintly exhaled a warm breath, watching him intently as he sat there. He recalled how, when he had last seen him, fall wind had just begun to sweep past leaves, yet this time, a blizzard had coated buildings. Not seeing him one day was akin to being separated for three autumns; this month, for Wu Xi, was akin to gut-wretching agony. Upon seeing him now at last, he felt like every missed look would be a waste, as if he wanted to install him right into his eyes. Jing Qi¡¯s mind wandered. As soon as he raised his head, he came into contact with that pair of pitch-dark, lonesome eyes. He put the bowl to the side, leaned back, and leisurely crossed one leg over the other, thinking for a time with both hands folded in his lap. ¡°You¡¯re not small anymore,¡± he said, slowing down his words. ¡°Don¡¯t act willfully.¡± Wu Xi shook his head. ¡°I never act willfully. If I did, I wouldn¡¯t wait for you here for a month. If I did, I wouldn¡¯t wait for you for most of last year.¡± Jing Qi smiled stiffly. ¡°How old are you now? What do you know? You¡¯ve just got a mouth full of ¡®like¡¯ and ¡®dislike¡¯¡­ it would be perfectly logical were you to say that a girl from a good family would be going back to Nanjiang to be your Great Witch. What would it look like, if you to get stirred up with a man?¡± Wu Xi looked at him placidly. ¡°I¡¯m not a child. I know that I should forget about you and like someone else, but I can¡¯t forget you, and I won¡¯t marry someone else. You want to leave this place later on anyway. Why can¡¯t you leave with me?¡± Shocked, Jing Qi shot him a hesitant look. ¡°How do you know I want to leave?¡± The other smiled gently. ¡°You said you feared the Crown Prince, and yet you do things on his behalf, knowing his very many secrets. If he assumes being the Emperor in the future, wouldn¡¯t that make you even more afraid? You also told His Majesty that you weren¡¯t going to take a wife. If you hadn¡¯t made plans to leave later, how could you say that so firmly?¡± Jing Qi couldn¡¯t answer him for a long time, thinking that this tiny toxin was neither simple nor dull, to be able to still be quite astute after making such a scene for half the day. He had detected even his thoughts that had been pushed to the bottom of the box, making him wonder ¡ª was he acting too obvious? If even Wu Xi could see it, what would others think? If there actually came a day that he needed to disengage, wouldn¡¯t there be a massive hassle¡­? Out of habit, his thoughts floated off to other matters. Some people were born to live a life like this of back and forth calculation. Outsiders would feel his past-and-present deliberation tiresome, yet could scarcely imagine that his deliberation defect had already grown deep-rooted, and that he was as used to doing it as others were used to eating and drinking. As his attention was wandering, by the time he reacted, Wu Xi had since come to stand straight before him. The youth was looking at him with some captivation. ¡°Beiyuan¡­¡± Jing Qi blinked. ¡°I really missed you,¡± Wu Xi said, voice low. ¡°It felt in my heart¡­ like I haven¡¯t seen you for a lifetime. Can I hug you?¡± Jing Qi widened his eyes slightly, watching him in silence. Wu Xi waited for a bit. Seeing that he wasn¡¯t responding, the hopefulness on his face cooled down piece by piece. A long while after, his hands were hanging down, and though he had no particularly visible heartbroken expression, his eyes were looking at the ground. The corners of his mouth tried to curve up, but the arc wasn¡¯t great, and it turned into a fairly lopsided, failed grin. He pursed his lips, wanting to try again, then squeezed a smile out. Jing Qi, in all his several lifetimes, had never been treated this carefully before. A bit of a peculiar emotion arose in his heart all of a sudden, slightly bizarre, and slightly uncomfortable; back in the time he was together with Helian Yi, their relationship was mostly equal in private. At the start, feeling that he, a several-centuries-old elder man, was getting coveted after like a lady by a young man, he was indeed a bit angered on the inside ¡ª yet this kid always had the ability to make him soften his heart over and over again. That initial, meager resentment gradually quelled, and now, he was more along the lines of dearly touched. He mentally mocked himself for being so old. If he was this softhearted a couple hundred years ago, he would have long been dead with nothing left behind. That in mind, he stood up, drew Wu Xi¡¯s shoulders in, and hugged the teen that was apparently a bit taller than him, gently patting his back like he was comforting a child. Wu Xi, however, seemed to have a full-body shudder. Once he snapped out of it, he buried his whole face into Jing Qi¡¯s shoulder, and said kind of incoherent things into his ear. ¡°I¡­ I actually wanted to hold you in my arms as soon as I saw you, but the northwestern wind had been blowing for so long, that I was too cold, and I was afraid of freezing you, heh-heh. Now I¡¯m warm¡­¡± Jing Qi slightly suspected that he was doing this on purpose. How else could each and every word he said specially incite warmth within him? After a good long time, Wu Xi reluctantly let go of him. ¡°I¡¯ll come find you later. You won¡¯t refuse to see me?¡± he whispered. Jing Qi smiled, nodding. ¡°Then¡­ I said I wanted to bring you back to Nanjiang. Do you agree?¡± he asked probingly again. Brow raised, Jing Qi hit him on the shoulder in both annoyance and amusement, then sat down anew, shaking his head. ¡°Don¡¯t ask for a li when you¡¯re giving a cun, brat.¡± ¡­Whether he¡¯d be able to live to that point was still an issue, eh. ¡°Mn,¡± Wu Xi answered, not especially surprised by that answer. ¡°Explain a book for me this afternoon, then?¡± Jing Qi sighed, waving his hand and not bothering to fight anymore. ¡°What do you want to hear?¡± Wu Xi gave a big grin. The fast began. Drinking, singing, and dancing were completely banned. The entire capital looked to be seated inside a depressing atmosphere. After a few days passed with such a dark cloud overhead, a lightning bolt finally struck when it was close to the year¡¯s end, and turmoil came knocking. Helian Qi had just acquired an untamed, wild beauty; though he was focusing attention on him, due to it being in the middle of a fast, he exercised thorough caution. The three bros were all looking forward to their old man¡¯s premature demise, but they couldn¡¯t express so out in the open; the accusation of being unfilial was one no one could endure, after all. For that reason, either by human effort or ¡®Heaven¡¯s Will¡¯, the ¡®beauty¡¯ he was hiding in a little decorated house north of the city, Zhang Tingyu, took advantage of a day the guards were slacking off, and fled. With the Zhang¡¯s Young Lord gone missing, his family had long been searching like mad, narrowly overturning the whole capital. The perfectly good Young Lord had entered the city for imperial exams, and after going out for a stroll, he had simply vanished, with no one assuming responsibility to return him. Right when all hope was about to be lost, he found his own way back. He was already no longer human-looking. His legs were almost entirely crippled, and he had crawled all the way there, falling down unconscious beside the entrance. He froze for most of the night before someone found him, and by the time he was lifted inside in a furor, his breaths were coming in, yet not going out. The Zhang family, hopping like ants on a hot pan, called for doctors from all directions, then took great effort in peeling his bloodied clothes off. At a glance, even a fool would know what had happened to him. Shortly following, there was blackness before the eyes of Zhang Tingyu¡¯s old steward, and he nearly passed away right then. Only after a long period of pinching acupoints and whatnot did he let out a sluggish breath, throw himself onto Zhang Tingyu, and burst into wails. Whether out of illness or suffering from hysteria, Zhang Tingyu¡¯s consciousness was already clouded. His black bean-like eyes were open, empty and soulless, and he didn¡¯t react to anyone¡¯s calls; once two shichens passed, they were peering into his oncoming death. The old Zhang steward had watched him grow up and loved him like his own half-son. After crying until he fainted several times, he would shout one phrase as soon as he opened his mouth: ¡°This is the capital, this is right under the Son of Heaven¡¯s feet ¡ª what beast dared to do such a thing?!¡± Those words were said no less than three hundred times upside-down and backwards, and the Emperor of Heaven ultimately didn¡¯t turn his back on resolute folks. Young Lord Zhang Tingyu seemed to have reacted a bit, and, as if in a dying flash, grabbed onto the steward¡¯s deadwood-like arm. His mouth opened wide, but no sound came out, and he only mouthed something equivalent to ¡®Helian¡¯. All the others were frightened into silence, leaving the steward by himself to not return to his senses from excessive grief. He held him ardently, old tears winding down his face as he harped on, ¡°Young Lord, if you can¡¯t talk¡ª if you can¡¯t talk, write! Write it!¡± Zhang Tingyu reached out a finger, used the extremes of his effort to draw the word ¡®two¡¯ onto his palm, and strongly grasped his hand soon after. Eyes wide open, his lips trembled for a long time, then his head listed to the side ¡ª he breathed his last, not shutting his eyes even in death. While Helian Qi was over there hurriedly combing the whole city with beads of sweat on his forehead due to having lost such a person during fasting, Zhou Zishu, who was in the middle of drinking tea at Jing Qi¡¯s place with the Crown Prince and crew, had already received the message. Hearing it, he lightly smiled, and spoke to Helian Yi as he chatted with Lu Shen. ¡°Your Highness, the matter is settled. Wait and see how loyal slave Zhang Jin bites his owner back.¡± The news hadn¡¯t yet spread, which was because Helian Qi had no idea that the little toy he had fucked for so long was Zhang Jin¡¯s son; not one member of the Zhang household would be able to get away, otherwise. Zhang Jin had taken ten different concubines, but still hadn¡¯t had even half an heir for so many years. It was with extreme difficultly that he got a son in his old fifties, and that handsome, intelligent individual was as precious to him as life itself. Lu Shen glanced at Helian Yi, not knowing what was going on, since Zhou Zishu generally didn¡¯t share unpresentable stuff like this with him. Thankfully, despite Lu Shen being an upright person, he wasn¡¯t inflexible. He knew the score when it came to things he wasn¡¯t made to know, and didn¡¯t ask much of them. The benevolent, honorable Crown Prince Helian Yi was silent for a long time, noiselessly nodding in the end. Jing Qi was seriously daydreaming, however. Everyone was used to him talking a mental walk from time to time and typically didn¡¯t bother him, but this time, he slightly furrowed his brow, as if he suddenly remembered something. ¡°All of a sudden¡­ I feel like there¡¯s something unresolved.¡± Zhou Zishu smiled. ¡°What about this isn¡¯t resolved? Helian Qi is now fearful because he thinks he smells fishy during the fast. There hasn¡¯t been any movement from the Zhang family¡¯s end yet. If there comes a time that Zhang Jin realizes the betrayal, how could he not risk his old life to incriminate the Second Highness on all his actions in the Northwest these many years?¡± Jing Qi still thought that this had progressed too quickly. Zhou Zishu and he had originally been the same type of character, being both reliable and ruthless when they set to task, leaving no margin for error; however, he had, in the end, experienced many things, being prone to indecisiveness at times despite being even more dependable. Hearing this, he lowered his head, pondering the matter carefully from its start to its finish. Helian Yi landed a piece, suddenly opening his mouth. ¡°Zishu, outsiders cannot separate kin. This isn¡¯t so simple. Don¡¯t be lax.¡± Zhou Zishu was startled, not at all as clear on the workings of a regent as these two were. ¡°¡­Cannot separate?¡± Jing Qi lifted his head to speak to Helian Yi then. ¡°I still expect that you and Sir Jiang will strike up a hello, Your Highness.¡± Helian Yi dropped a playing piece and looked at him. ¡°The Northwest is a tumor, but if we want to cut it off effectively, it needs to be plotted for slowly. Especially when¡­ implicating people in the capital.¡± Once he heard that, Helian Yi understood him implicitly. They thought about and talked about it here, but, sometimes, human calculations were forever inferior to celestial calculations. CH 49 Zhou Zishu always completed tasks tidily, with no room for error. Those who should die died, those who should live lived, and things that shouldn¡¯t get out would not even be known by the dead. One month passed. While Helian Qi had already forgotten about the Lord Leveret he had been keeping and was starting to look for new pleasures, the northwestern Zhang family had already overturned the heavens. Once Zhang Jin¡¯s concubine, Zhang Tingyu¡¯s birth mother, heard the news that was brought back, she nearly died. It was with great difficulty that she was brought to life with strong medicine, only for her to take gravely ill and accompany her son not even a few days later. The old steward found a rope and hung himself is his own room the very next day, the body already gone cold by the time others discovered him. Zhang Jin spurted a mouthful of blood more than three chi out, and went terribly mad for over half a month, getting rigidly shaken out of it later by someone¡¯s howling voice saying, ¡°Master, if you die, who will avenge the Young Master?!¡± Zhang Jin, while in his dying gasps, came to an understanding. He had no sons or daughters, and was watching helplessly as his familial line was being cut off, with no hope left for it; if he actually died too, the old Zhang family would disappear. He then thought of how he had given the absolute of his effort to that punk, Helian Qi, for the greater part of his lifetime, only to be given such a conclusion. It hadn¡¯t been worth it. It really hadn¡¯t been worth it at all. For that reason, he no longer wanted to die. With strength gone to his head, he decided to struggle until the net split or the fish died. He could not merely be alone in having his family ruined and its members gone. He had to pull someone down to share his fate of death. A fruit growing worms was no big matter, but if its core was spoiled, it was then completely inedible. Zhao Zhenshu had greedily raked in wealth for decades like it was one day, bribing up and down to obtain fealty. He had just one secret: he followed his pockets, not his sky-high, faraway Emperor, and would do anything he could for them in his locality. On the tough side, he had a division of Vakurah troops under his command, all of which were brutes that ate raw meat and drank blood ¡ª whoever had the material assets was whoever they followed to work for, and every single one of them was as robust as a small mountain, and several mortals at once wouldn¡¯t be their match. On the soft side, in the line from the northwestern Spring Market to the capital, all of the merchant caravans, if not suppressed by him, were headed by his people, giving him endless profits in the northwest. Provincial Governor of Gansu, Zhang Jin, and Zhao Zhenshu were close enough to wear the same pair of pants. The two had been partners in crime for decades, there was no individual distinction between them, and they were as close as a pair of hands or feet, just shy of being extra-charitable bosom friends. In the end, from Helian Qi¡¯s impressive feat of overstepping his bounds, the overthrowing of royalty silently went on under the condition that Zhao Zhenshu had no idea what was going on at all. Zhang Jin knew that there would be no gain in calling on Zhao Zhenshu for this matter. No matter how good of friends they were, the other was still Helian Qi¡¯s person, and was lead along by who knew how many threads of benefits by the man, a grasshopper tied to the same rope. Furthermore, Zhao Zhenshu had a wife and children, a large family, and a large industry, so he wouldn¡¯t commit to this risk for the sake of their so-called ¡®friendship¡¯. As was said, whores had no feelings, and performers had no morals. This crowd of gentlemen had no feelings and morals, being no lesser than those whores and performers that roamed jianghu and leaned against banisters. Zhang Jin hid the body of his beloved son inside their icehouse, keeping it a secret and not even having a funeral. He spent three days and nights hustling out all those filthy, reeking, sealed-up things from over the years, ledgers placed to one side and letters to the other. After that, he sat down and wrote a manifest, then prepared a good many portions of rat poison. He left one for himself, as well as one to every concubine he had ¡ª he couldn¡¯t make them live the hardship of being widows. When he finished writing, he pondered over one more thing. For the Emperor to be able to see the manifest when it was sent up, someone in the capital needed to help him out, or it would be unclear whose hands it would ultimately fall into. Over so very many years, the entirety of the connections Sir Zhang had in the capital were people he wanted to go against now, so the first one he thought of was Eldest Scion Helian Zhao. To outsiders, he only mentioned that he had grown a malignant sore, following which he snuck into the capital to go meet Helian Zhao. Firstly, he put on a display of indiscriminately crying hard over his unfortunate son, and only when he had cried even Helian Zhao¡¯s face green did he bring everything out, giving an explanation for this and that. As soon as Helian Zhao understood what Zhang Jin meant to do, his eyes went totally blue, and he was more excited than if he had caught sight of a beautiful woman. Before he could state his position, he heard Zhuo Silai cough a couple of times next to him, and managed to tamp down his emotions to get someone to take Zhang Jin away for hospitality. Following that, Zhuo Silai came in close and said to him in a hushed voice, ¡°Your Highness, have you forgotten the lesson given by Jing Beiyuan?¡± Helian Zhao was startled. Back then, he had been banging his own drum while Jing Qi used him as a tool. Having loosened his vigilance, he thus allowed that little bastard to get a handle on him, and was unable to free himself from it for many years, ever itching to do something like peel Jing Qi¡¯s skin off of him. Could this Sir Zhang be more of the same? For that reason, he sat himself down, mulled it over for a short time, then let out a cold laugh. ¡°I won¡¯t stick out this time around, but simply watch the excitement of them biting mouthfuls off each other.¡± The following day, Zhang Jin met Helian Zhao again, but he discovered that the Eldest Highness was beginning to trend towards ignoring him or dancing around his words. With the sort of person Zhang Jin was, he understood body language the most, so, once he saw this scenario, he knew that Helian Zhao was going to pull back, and consequently started to covertly think of other connections to be had. The Crown Prince? No¡­ Zhang Jin knew his own worth in catties and taels. The Crown Prince, in his impression, was an ethics pedant that consumed ancient texts without absorbing them, and had a clique of babbling, sagely rich kids under his command. Him not flaying him for being a ¡®corrupt, fawning official with a cushy national job¡¯ would be good enough; hoping for collaboration was an impossibility. He thought and thought about it, then remembered another person ¡ª Jiang Zheng. That old man had been clear on things for decades. The way he spoke was unpleasant, but since the Emperor kept him around, he clearly knew his stuff on some matters, and rubbed sand in his eyes the least. Zhang Jin hadn¡¯t dealt with him himself, but at this point in time, he nevertheless had to try. That same evening, he stealthily paid a nighttime visit to Jiang Zheng. The man didn¡¯t fail his expectations, either. Once he figured things out, he went pale with shock on the spot. The northwest¡¯s privately-stationed Vakurah troops, the Spring Market¡¯s forgery, the official-bandit collusion to mow human lives down like grass, the abuse of the law to sell nobility and officialdom, the rape and humiliation of a serving official¡¯s son during a fast: any one of these would be sufficient to sully the Second Highness for a lifetime. This was no small affair in the least. Jiang Zheng was stabilizing Zhang Jin in his Estate on one hand and mulling this event over in the other. It took a good couple of days to secretly send people to investigate Zhang Tingyu¡¯s place of imprisonment, where it was declared true ¡ª and he really couldn¡¯t sit still. The day after, he summoned several trustworthy people together to speak over things on the sly, with Lu Shen included among them. Helian Yi greeted him ahead of time. He didn¡¯t plainly inform him of what Zhou Zishu had done, but Lu Shen had some idea of it, and thus comprehended the whole of the events as soon as he heard Jiang Zheng¡¯s call. Even with he and Zhou Zishu being familiar friends, a layer of cold air scampered across his back. All he thought was that the heart the man had behind his thousand faces was malicious to an immeasurable degree, after which he became a bit worried; if a day came that this guy couldn¡¯t be utilized by the Crown Prince, what would happen, then? After a flash of mental effort, he bounced back to witness everyone, together with Jiang Zheng, being beyond mad. This gang of old scholars had scolded people their entire lives, the lifelong goal they strived for being to break their heads open on a pillar in the Great Hall. Jiang Zheng was old and stable; at the start, he felt that this matter was too massive, and feared that there were spots of uncertainty in it, but he had a fiery temper at his foundation that couldn¡¯t withstand everyone¡¯s clamor. What a mob¡­ Lu Shen shook his head. Recalling Helian Yi¡¯s entrustment, he stood up and spoke to Jiang Zheng. ¡°Sir Jiang, this humble official thinks that this affair should be considered at length, and must not be acted upon hastily.¡± Jiang Zheng had always been quite appreciative of Prime Scorer Lu. The young man had talent when talent was needed and knowledge when knowledge was needed, with neither his background nor moral quality able to be nitpicked. He was a smidgen precocious, but it contrarily made everyone else think him steadfast. Upon hearing him speak, he paused, looking like he wanted to hear his case. ¡°Sir, Mount Tai had an earthquake, and all classes of society are in a panic at present. Recently, the Emperor has been sacrificing to the heavens in sincerity, and diligent in politics for the love of the people even more, both reviewing his own noted faults and rectifying harem affairs, granting amnesty to the realm. Were you to speak out against the Second Highness¡¯s acts at this moment, the Emperor will find it hard to take¡ª¡± Before he could finish, he got interrupted by an individual beside him. The interrupter happened to be Jiang Zheng¡¯s son, Jiang Yuqing, who, also by coincidence, had taken the same examination as him. Nowadays, however, Lu Shen was already sitting in the storm of the Court, while Jiang Zheng was still a mere editor in the Hanlin Academy; that notion of negligible schoolmate rapport had also more or less dispersed. He looked mostly like Jiang Zheng, but didn¡¯t have half his presence. At the time Lu Shen spoke up, he couldn¡¯t resist cutting him off to talk to Jiang Zheng and the rest. ¡°Sir Lu¡¯s words are lacking. Since ancient times, civil officials risking death to criticize the Emperor, and martial officials risking death to fight in wars, are common events. To die for the sake of the country and its people is a death in its proper place. If we¡¯re all yes-men like Sir Lu that dare not to admonish, who will come preside over justice?¡± Lu Shen knew the personality of his former classmate, and was disinclined to wrangle with him, looking only at Jiang Zheng. ¡°Speak cautiously, Sir. Strangers cannot separate kin. The heir at His Majesty¡¯s knee can be regarded as frail, and the Second Highness is in the middle of receiving favor. I¡¯m afraid that¡­¡± Had Zhang Jin sought out Jing Qi, the latter definitely would have suppressed this event. Helian Qi naturally had to be involved, but how he would be involved was an issue. He needed to be managed right now, and the best way to do that was to grasp the issue of ¡®drinking, partying, and raping a citizen during a fast¡¯; this would be the crime of unfilialness, but it wouldn¡¯t result in death. The Emperor was currently finding this second of son of his, who procured strange curiosities, pleasing to the eye. To carelessly fasten him with a crime as big as ¡®treason¡¯, even if the evidence for it was conclusive, would be impossible for Helian Pei to accept ¡ª it was forcing an Emperor to kill his own son. To bring Helian Qi under complete control, this needed to be simmered over a small fire, and with the effort extended over several years, Helian Pei would be made to spurn this son all on his own, and he could be eliminated in a single move. Governing a large country was like boiling a small fish alive ¡ª everything seemed to be in a violent tempest, and there would inevitably be a bit of negligence, but with that bit of negligence, the opposite result would likely come to fruition. Helian Pei could calculate and induce, but he couldn¡¯t reveal any tracks. A monarch¡¯s mentality was something gods and ghosts wouldn¡¯t speak of; it couldn¡¯t be explained nor investigated, else it violated major taboo. Zhou Zishu didn¡¯t necessarily understand that principle, but Jing Qi and Helian Yi were very clear on it. Lu Shen patiently conversed with Jiang Zheng and the rest for a good while. When the sun was tilted to the west, Jiang Zheng nodded in endorsement. Lu Shen sighed in relief and returned to his Estate, believing the matter was over with. Against expectation, on the day after in Court, Jiang Zheng abruptly went back on his word, kowtowed hard, then presented each and every gathered clause of Zhang Jin¡¯s testimony, his own research, and material evidence before Helian Pei, stirring up every single official. Lu Shen looked at the righteous-appearing Jiang Zheng in shock. The latter didn¡¯t avoid it, the utmost of calm on his face; he clearly looked like he possessed the will to die. Afterwards, one person after the other stood up to support Jiang Zheng. Thus, the atmosphere was ultimately out-of-control, and the crowd¡¯s emotions were incited. Helian Qi¡¯s face was wretchedly pale, and his knees were as soft as noodles, unable to even get up from his kneel on the ground. Helian Pei nearly went mad as he sat atop the dragon throne, unable to say even a word. Even He Yunxing, who had just begun hearings, was almost riled up by this ambience. When he about to stand up for reconsideration, Lu Shen thankfully moved quickly to pull him to a stop, and he didn¡¯t count as an emerging head. Jiang Zheng had been upright his whole life. Unfortunately, he was too upright. It wasn¡¯t that he had no tact, nor that he didn¡¯t listen to what Lu Shen had said. From rousing this amount of people, he was banking on an Emperor that ruled the nation with humanity, and had never applied punishment to a whole crowd at once. Jing Qi¡¯s face nonetheless paled. He raised his head noiselessly, and happened to meet Helian Yi¡¯s gaze. He closed his eyes, quietly saying to him, ¡°This is a rebellion¡­¡± Punishment didn¡¯t apply to a crowd¡­ this, however, was a rebellion, Sir Jiang. CH 50 Helian Yi and Jing Qi shot each other crisscrossing looks at flying speed, both quickly getting their own plans. Jing Qi took a step back, playing deaf and dumb and not getting involved, while Helian Yi knelt onto the ground with a plop, taking the lead in making his standpoint known. ¡°Father Emperor is as insightful as a clear mirror; how could second brother do such a thing as this? This serving son is the first to disbelieve it!¡± It stood to reason that, under these circumstances and as the heir apparent, it was best for Helian Yi to play deaf and dumb as well ¡ª he knew well on the inside that Helian Qi¡¯s vile affairs were all true, and also understood that if he spoke up to aid him in this instance, it would be excessively stupid, and circumvential of the law on behalf of a relative. If he aided Jiang Zheng, though, things would be even more grave; he would obviously be seizing the chance to do away with a dissident, and thus was thinking about eradicating his own brother without even being the Emperor yet. And they all knew that the one sitting on the throne was poles removed from words like ¡®wise ruler¡¯. Helian Pei didn¡¯t want to hear of a bit of whose son was dead and whose son was alive, nor of who was sneaking funds or who was keeping private troops. Those things were immensely important, of course, and would normally be enough for him to smack the table, stand up, and bellow for a thorough investigation, but there was only one thing remaining in his eyes at present ¡ª that Jiang Zheng and his group of not-dead-yet things joined up to force him to punish his own son. This was compulsion! This was rebellion! In response to this, Helian Zhao immediately came back to his senses. Knowing that he had been a step slower, he had hidden regret in his heart, but could only follow the Crown Prince in agreement. ¡°Father Emperor, what the Crown Prince said is quite correct. This serving son doesn¡¯t believe this, either. This is no small matter, and I hope that everyone will speak and act cautiously to take our time in making a decision.¡± Jiang Zheng was evidently a dead pig that didn¡¯t fear going into boiling water, speaking up in a methodical matter upon hearing this. ¡°Wise Emperor, this subject has Sir Zhang Jin¡¯s personally-written blood letter here, and all sorts of ledgers and contact letters. His Second Highness had detained Young Master Zhang in a small courtyard in the northwest of the capital, which I have already investigated and verified from capturing more than thirty attendants and such. I would not dare to deceive the sovereign. Whether this is true or false can be known from one investigation by the Imperial Clan Court.¡± Helian Pei had a rumbling noise in his head straight from the beginning, and it was only after Helian Yi spoke that he lightly tasted the betrayal. He hung his eyelids, looking at his disappointing son, Helian Qi. As soon as he saw how he was, he understood almost everything, and knew that the majority of what Jiang Zheng had said was true. Half of his heart went cold, his qi and blood billowing; he wished that he could push his son back into his mother¡¯s womb and act like he had never been born. In the blink of an eye, he then noticed that Jiang Zheng and the rest were kneeling, but with extraordinarily straight backs and almighty, motionless expressions. The old Emperor got another idea, coldly thinking: Ah, okay. Today, they compel us to punish a Scion, so tomorrow, they¡¯ll compel us to vacate this throne, yes? Great! He was silent for a long time before he managed to steady his voice. Knowing that this matter necessitated an explanation, he thus had to stifle his anger. ¡°Come, arrest unfilial son Helian Qi,¡± he forced out. ¡°We decree¡­ that the Imperial Clan Court investigate.¡± Today¡¯s morning Court was swiftly over. After Helian Pei finished speaking, he appeared disinclined to look much at anyone else. Every time he announced that he was withdrawing from Court, he would get up and leave in stride; when he stood up now, his body uncontrollably swayed. Luckily, Eunuch Xi acted quickly and held him up, disallowing the Dynasty¡¯s Son of Heaven from prostrating himself on the ground. Helian Zhao viewed Helian Yi from a distance, bowed to him compliantly ¡ª his intention unclear ¡ª and then turned and left. Jing Qi stood to the side, pensive. Helian Yi lightly grabbed him. ¡°We¡¯ll go to your place.¡± Their group exited the palace quietly. Jing Qi and Helian Yi were respectively taciturn. Lu Shen was some amount of apprehensive. Only He Yunxing was in the midst of jumping up and down with passion, having quite an air of a newborn calf that wasn¡¯t afraid of tigers, and also wanted the world to burn. It wasn¡¯t until Jing Qi¡¯s head hurt from his hubbub that the former sighed. ¡°Junior Marquis, could you not for a while?¡± Only then did He Yunxing realize that he was the only one present that was blindly pumped up. He couldn¡¯t help but be a bit embarrassed, after which he felt it was wrong to be, and thus spoke in full confidence. ¡°You all saw how Helian Qi looked today, too. I think even the Emperor mostly believes it. One who sins cannot live, and he went walking at night too much, finally bumping into an old hanged ghost like Sir Jiang. Isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡± Jing Qi glanced at him, very sensibly electing to shut up. Seeing as absolutely no one was paying him mind, He Yunxing blinked, then thought hard about it for a good spell, followed by him slapping his thigh in enlightenment. ¡°You¡¯re all worried for Sir Jiang, right? As I see it, he hasn¡¯t said a word into people¡¯s ears for so many years, and wouldn¡¯t make life hard for the Emperor over anything trifling just to get arrested then chastised by him. Besides, Helian Qi provoked the anger of the crowd this time around, lots of gentlemen accused him of misconduct, and the Emperor is angry. Can he still deal with so many of them together?¡± Helian Yi turned a deaf ear to him, wholly pretending someone like him didn¡¯t exist. Arriving at the Prince Estate, he asked Jing Qi, ¡°In your regard, what is the most serious result of this?¡± Jing Qi brought them to sit in the study. At this moment, Ping An snuck over to speak into his ear. ¡°Young Master Zhou has come. The Shamanet is also here, and this servant took him to the garden.¡± ¡°Bring Young Master Zhou in,¡± Jing Qi ordered in a low voice. ¡°The Shamanet¡­ let him entertain himself for now¡­¡± Ping An accepted his orders and left. Jing Qi returned to Helian Yi¡¯s question, muttering out, ¡°Stopping free speech is worse than stopping flowing waters, but faithful advice is ultimately grating on the ear¡­ and those that listen to it are rare. I¡¯m afraid that, since the Emperor has been bitten by a snake, he will overcompensate for it in the future, then truly refuse to be lenient.¡± He paused there, and in that moment, even He Yunxing understood his meaning ¡ª the Emperor disliked censors to begin with, so, in the case that he was shamed to anger after going through this, there might no longer be speaking censors in Court in the future. He Yunxing was taken aback. ¡°That¡­ can¡¯t be, right?¡± No one said anything, including Zhou Zishu who had just come in, as each of them were ruminating on Jing Qi¡¯s hypothesis. They all knew that this wasn¡¯t an impossibility. Anyone else wouldn¡¯t have done it, but that didn¡¯t mean that their long-lived lord that sealed a bird as a Great General wouldn¡¯t. A long white later, Helian Yi sighed. ¡°A step forward is a step forward, I guess¡­¡± ¡°This is exceedingly treacherous to Helian Qi,¡± Jing Qi picked up, ¡°but it isn¡¯t without a route of survival.¡± Zhou Zishu was shocked. ¡°Where are you going with this, Prince?¡± Jing Qi unconsciously rapped on the table as he carefully explained to him, his enunciation very slow. ¡°Zishu, do you understand what it means to ¡®open one side of the net¡¯ when allegedly doing things?¡± A person as intelligent as Zhou Zishu went mute for short moment, promptly after which he got a grasp on it ¡ª the ¡®net¡¯ that came out of his mouth naturally wasn¡¯t referring to nonsense like ¡®the Heavens cherishing life¡¯ or whatever, but the particularly-chosen military tactic of ¡®a cornered enemy cannot be pressed; the surrounding army must leave an out.¡¯ If an opponent was placed in a mortal position, they would inevitably resist in a desperate struggle. When the time came, it would certainly be easy to sink their boats and make them fight with their backs to the water, but the losses would instead outweigh the gains, as it was also easy for the opponent to go in for making a destructive last stand. For instance, Helian Qi presently looked absolutely horrible, but the fact that the previously-mentioned long-lived lord, His Majesty, suffered his face getting thrown away in Court couldn¡¯t be forgotten, and the main culprit behind that was Helian Qi. Were the Emperor slated to hate Jiang Zheng to the bone, then, for his second son that had done something like this, his spot of father-son affection was likely also in approaching peril. If the higher officials compelled him too urgently, however, the Emperor would have quite a sense of crisis, and a sense of crisis related to authority was deadlier than anything else. If his heart flipped over completely, and then he looked at his son¡¯s current sorry state, he likely would not only not spurn him, but also have a subtle feeling of sympathy. Lu Shen couldn¡¯t resist looking at Helian Yi, who was mumbling to himself, and mentally prostrated all the more towards the Crown Prince; he had come to see through this layer in such a short period of time, then made the prompt decision to stand by Helian Qi, irrespective of right and wrong or black and white. He thereupon opened his mouth to ask, ¡°Your Highness, what should we do now?¡± Helian Yi didn¡¯t answer at first, instead asking Jing Qi, ¡°Beiyuan, what do you think?¡± Not waiting to formulate a proper response, Jing Qi subconsciously kicked the ball back to him. ¡°This will entirely rely on your decision, Your Highness.¡± Helian Yi glared at him. ¡°You¡¯re still a sneaky little¡­ Shenru, send a manifest up tomorrow¡ª¡° Upon calling Lu Shen over, he debriefed such and such to him once through. Once he understood, Lu Shen instantly took his orders and left with He Yunxing, going back to draft a manifest. Helian Yi sat for a moment. Noticing that Jing Qi and Zhou Zishu both looked to be absent-minded, he also thought that this was boring, and hence remembered that it was still the middle of fasting months. Were he to leave the palace for too long at this critical juncture, it would be easy for people to denounce him, so he brought his guards back with him to the East Palace. Prior to his departure, he cast Zhou Zishu a glance, who immediately understood, said goodbye to Jing Qi, then caught up with him. Once out of the Prince Estate, Helian Yi gave him a hushed order. ¡°I had him send a manifest up for the purpose of safeguarding Old Jiang. For so many years, there hasn¡¯t been many people that can handle things practically.¡± Jiang Zheng had never before mixed in with the business of wresting power from the legitimate son, not relying on several sides. Not understanding what he was going to say, Zhou Zishu had no choice but to nod. Helian Yi suppressed his voice even lower. ¡°However, if it¡¯s no use, and we¡¯ve exhausted our human resources, then we still need to obey the mandate of heaven¡­¡± He paused, tilting his head to look at Zhou Zishu. Helian Yi didn¡¯t resemble an heir apparent at all, as he looked not awe-inspiring, but bookwormish, cultured, and refined, always having a bit of a smile that made one feel like they were cleansed in a spring wind ¡ª but the look in his eyes made Zhou Zishu feel a chill in his heart. ¡°If it¡¯s no use,¡± he heard him continue, ¡°the blame of slaughtering a loyal subject needs to be carried on Father Emperor¡¯s behalf by my filial second brother.¡± Zhou Zishu knew what he meant. ¡°This subordinate understands,¡± he quietly responded. They said nothing the whole road. The incense stick in the Prince Estate¡¯s study noiselessly burned, visibly shortening piece by piece. Jing Qi reclined against the chair, eyes slightly closed and fingers still rapping against the table unconsciously. He could nearly envision what Helian Yi would say to Zhou Zishu in the middle of their journey. Others wouldn¡¯t have heard it, but he understood. The order Helian Yi gave Lu Shen was, on the surface, trying hard to protect Jiang Zheng, yet he knew the reality thoroughly; no one could protect Sir Jiang this time around¡­ Looked like the Crown Prince had already set his plan. Since Sir Jiang insisted on showing loyalty to the nation to his very end, he would make the fullest use of that. He was in the middle of being lost in thought. Once he wasn¡¯t paying attention, he suddenly felt two fingers lightly press on his temples. Jumping in fright, he opened his eyes, only to find out that Wu Xi had come in to silently stand behind him at some unknown point in time, and was now rubbing his temples. Jing Qi felt somewhat ill at ease, thereupon giving him a glossing-over smile. ¡°When did you come in? Why do you make no sound, like a cat?¡± Wu Xi hushed him. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± He rapidly reached out to push him to stop, then massaged several spots on his temples. Jing Qi hissed, feeling that the areas he pressed on seemed to have a force that was boring into his body, unendingly sore and numb. He went to dodge it, but was held firmly down by Wu Xi. ¡°Focus. Remember what I say.¡± Immediately after that, he started to recite a set of simple mantras. Jing Qi had also practiced some amount of martial arts, so, once he heard them, he knew that this set was for arts of exercising qi and resting, and thought it quite novel. Following along his mantra plus the strength of the acupoint massage, he opened his eyes not long after, yet his whole body felt awfully comfortable, more so than if he had woken up from a nap. Only then did Wu Xi release him, the remnant, crisp fragrance from Jing Qi¡¯s clothes seeming to be on his fingers. The grandeur he had just now from scrupulously giving a lesson suddenly vanished like smoke. Inexplicably getting the feeling that he had taken a small advantage of the other, then fearing that Jing Qi would harbor a grudge, he gave him an explanation while slightly blushing with shame. ¡°You¡­ were thinking too hard. Your qi and blood stagnated. I was just alleviating it for you¡­¡± That pure-hearted, cautious look of his abruptly amused the Prince, whose mind had been in an abominable mess a moment ago. Jing Qi wasn¡¯t sure why, but he couldn¡¯t resist laughing. He¡¯d been extremely good-looking to start with, though his jaw was a bit pointed, he always looked a little thin, and the color of his lips was meagre, which made his appearance seem ill-starred. In this moment, as he laughed, both his eyes and brows curved, and there was a bit more flush to his cheeks. Wu Xi was right at the age of being young and spirited. Watching him blankly, his brain was an out-of-control mess, and he thought obsessively: He really does look good. What if, in the future, a lot of people like him, and he refuses to leave with me? Then¡­ then I¡¯ll knock him out, tie him up, and bring him back. Once past the miasmatic forest, not even any birds can fly away. I¡¯ll see where he can run to, then. CH 51 First, Jing Qi was somewhat uneasy from seeing his completely unmasked, fixed gaze. Soon after, he recalled that these days had gone by in dismal misery with schemes all over the place, meagre fare, no alcohol, and no songs to listen to, and felt that the cracks in his bones were all aching for a moment. Therefore, he stood up, stretched his back, and said to Wu Xi, ¡°Come with me to practice in the courtyard and loosen up our muscles.¡± Wu Xi was still mentally plotting how to get the other back to Nanjiang, and didn¡¯t react for a second once he heard this. Distracted, he subconsciously spoke with honesty, ¡°I won¡¯t fight you. Your martial arts aren¡¯t good, I¡¯m afraid of hurting you.¡± As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he knew that he had misspoken, even if it was the truth. Sure enough, Jing Qi came to a firm halt mid-stretch, glared at him with malevolence, then smiled quite eerily at him all of a sudden, picking him up by the collar and going to drag him out of the study. ¡°Whether I¡¯m good or not is something you¡¯ll know after enduring a couple of punches, brat.¡± Wu Xi dared not to resist getting hauled away by him, asking him in bewilderment at the same time, ¡°How about I get Nuahar to come exchange blows with you?¡± Nuahar had always acted as a steward for him, able to talk comparatively better, read people¡¯s expressions comparatively better, and, despite looking tall and powerful, having skills that were comparatively weaker; legend told that when he had already reached adulthood, he still underwent the glorious experience of getting toppled to the floor by his nine-year-old little brother. Jing Qi glared at him. ¡°If I don¡¯t make you know what power is today, you won¡¯t even know how many eyes Prince Ma[1] has.¡± He also could¡¯ve said that it had been passed down from a famed teacher, but that ¡®famed teacher¡¯ was Great General Feng. Bringing his and Nanjiang¡¯s past festival to mind, it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate to mention him in front of Wu Xi. There was a workout room specifically for the Master to use for practicing martial arts, in fact, but for several years, Jing Qi had been caring purely about playing around when idle and caring purely about events when busy, so it didn¡¯t get much use. Ping An, unsure of what their Master was going nuts for again, hurriedly called for people to clean it up, then light the stove, then spread out a blanket on the floor out of fear of him falling down, instead busying it into a complete mess that implemented the words ¡®born pampered, raised spoiled¡¯ to their cores. Wu Xi had never witnessed a martial arts practitioner like this before. Feeling both amused and angry, he couldn¡¯t help but let out a pfft of laughter. Jing Qi¡¯s expression went stiff, and he coughed dryly, admonishing them as he tightened his face. ¡°What are you doing this for? It¡¯s just physical practice. Going over to the courtyard for a couple of muscle-relaxing moves would be enough.¡± Ping An, turning pale with fright, nagged him. ¡°What are you saying, Prince? On such a cold day, there isn¡¯t even any grass growing on the ground. If you fall down or bump something and hurt your bones, how would that be good? The northwestern wind is blowing like this¡­ if you sweat and let the cold wind blow against you, you¡¯ll catch a cold again¡ª¡° ¡°Ping An, throw something out for me,¡± Jing Qi cut him off with no expression. ¡°Ah, what do you not find pleasing to the eye, Master?¡± ¡°You,¡± he replied, no hesitation at all. Ping An agreed. ¡°Okay, that will now be thrown¡­¡± Halfway through his speech, he realized something was wrong, shriveling his mouth and squinting his little eyes to look at Jing Qi in grievance. ¡°Why did you say that? But¡­ this slave isn¡¯t intending to nag you, but you don¡¯t know how to cherish yourself¡­¡± With Jing Qi glaring at him, Ping An finally stopped his mouth and left, crestfallen. Unexpectedly, not even a blink¡¯s worth of time had passed after he just left before Ji Xiang came running out of the study carrying a cloak. ¡°Master, why are you standing outside with the Shamanet on this really cold day? Quick, put on a¡ª¡° The speck of heroic spirit within Jing Qi for wanting to swap pointers in brawling and fighting to his heart¡¯s content soon leaked pretty much all out. Wu Xi understood, then. When other people practiced, they would pay close attention to ¡®practicing in all weather, even the coldest days of winter and hottest days of summer¡¯; no matter how bitter it was, they would do it, becoming able to strengthen their physique using half the effort for twice the effect. This one¡­ likely moved his arms and legs only in the workout room where eighty people attended to him, and only when the spring was warm, flowers bloomed, and autumn wind was happening to blow ¡ª that was indeed the framework of a Prince of the Great Qing. He recalled that, in private, the loose-tongued manly man that was Nuahar had hypocritically stated, ¡°The Prince is a good person. He¡¯s polite, nice, and looks good, but he definitely¡­ wouldn¡¯t be easy to provide for.¡± Wu Xi was rather in agreement, thinking that this guy sure would be hard to keep. If he was going to cajole him back to Nanjiang, he¡¯d likely have to hoard some equity to allow him to live a life of luxury. Thereafter, he started calculating what Zhou Zishu had sought him out to discuss for some time ago; Zhou Zishu had a means to sell those Nanjiang medicines of his, and he had something that would leave a bit of influence for him behind in the Great Qing¡¯s jianghu wildlands. In the case that the Great Qing and Nanjiang became hostile in the future, having a correspondence would be good. As a result, he felt that he should go back home to plan and prep properly. ¡°Beiyuan,¡± he thus said, ¡°I suddenly remembered that there¡¯s still something happening at the Estate. Can I come and play with you tomorrow, then?¡± Hearing that tone that was the spitting sound of coaxing a child, Jing Qi consequently blurted out unhappily, ¡°What are you so busy with?¡± ¡°Taking a look at how to buy a few properties, lest you suffer from coming with me later,¡± Wu Xi answered in a deadpan. Jing Qi got caught off guard from hearing him say something like that. A breath choked up his chest that almost couldn¡¯t come up, his face turned green, and he pointed at Wu Xi, saying ¡®you¡¯s for half the day. He actually couldn¡¯t get one word out, so he huffed coldly, flung his sleeves out as he strode away, and, a short moment later, was heard to slam a door shut inside. Ping An heard that, and couldn¡¯t help but stick his head out for a look. Patting his chest cautiously, he asked Wu Xi, ¡°Was that our Master slamming the door?¡± Wu Xi looked at him very innocently and nodded. ¡°It¡¯s alright, don¡¯t lower yourself to his level, Shamanet,¡± Ping An whispered. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a fast? One isn¡¯t allowed to drink alcohol nor have fun. You know as well how our Lord lives idling by, participating in dogfights and horserides every day. The fast was brought up by him himself, though, and he doesn¡¯t even have a place that he can vent his anger on about that. This is suffocating for him, and he¡¯ll be fine once the bout of fasting passes.¡± ¡°I seem to have said something wrong today. I made him upset.¡± Ping An waved him off. ¡°What upset? He¡¯s only displeased on the inside, and put on a show of taking the opportunity to leave in a huff, not truly taking it to heart. He¡¯ll definitely forget about it tomorrow¡­ this slave has followed him since childhood, and for these few years, we¡¯ve never seen him get moved to genuine anger more than a couple of times.¡± Wu Xi understood. Thinking to himself that the other had merely been acting like a brat, he consequently said goodbye to Ping An and left in a good mood. That same night, the young eunuch in the palace that had previously obtained Jing Qi¡¯s grace entrusted someone to send news outwards, stating that the Emperor had quietly gone to visit the Second Highness. After he dismissed the help, no one knew what the father-son pair had ended up talking about. Even so, not hearing it didn¡¯t mean that it couldn¡¯t be guessed. Helian Pei¡¯s action was more or less understood by those who knew him well, like Helian Yi and Jing Qi, and they showed no sort of surprise upon hearing the news. The Imperial Clan Court began trial for the case the next day. The facts really couldn¡¯t be any more obvious, but the group of people in the Clan Court were all stale dough sticks, and they dragged it out day after day. Obviously, these things could¡¯ve been cleared up in the span of a second, yet they instead had to strike a pose and mess around for a few months. They, too, were waiting to see which way the wind blew. In a few days¡¯ time, Lu Shen sent the manifest up in Court. Censor-in-Chief Jiang Zheng was accused of misconduct, though the crimes named were quite insignificant; there was no mention given to the oft discussed ¡®formation of a clique for personal interests¡¯ or ¡®slandering of imperial kin¡¯, and he was merely implicated in the crime of ¡®failing to do his duty and being a sinecurist¡¯. The hearts of all gentlemen had bottom lines. Despite estimating that the Second Highness¡¯s sudden downfall had to have something to do with the Crown Prince, they also thought that the latter standing out at this juncture was to demonstrate his understandable standpoint that he, his father, and his brothers stood on the same battlefront, and they watched as Lu Shen fervently scolded Jiang Zheng. ¡°In his position, he does not organize his government, cannot supervise officials, cannot support main policy, always looks for ways to flatter and curry favor in those above him, and isn¡¯t interested in the least in those below him¡­¡± Now, they believed that Sir Jiang was about to be out of luck. The Emperor happened to be unable to find an opportunity to lash out at him, so Sir Lu wisely and tactfully sent him to the door. Yet, against expectations, Helian Pei listened to Lu Shen¡¯s speech in its entirety, then mumbled to himself for a short moment. Not only did he not give a dramatic response, he also hesitated for a bit, then played things down. ¡°Subject Lu has spoken excessively.¡± Thus, he took the lid off the matter without bringing it up. Every single person was wide-eyed and dumbstruck, secretly beating drums in their minds. They didn¡¯t know what it meant for the Emperor to transform into a ¡®wise ruler¡¯-type all of a sudden, while some people already inwardly figured it out. Whether or not the Sacred One genuinely intended on tidying up the Second Highness, the Second Scion¡¯s party was in quite some alarm for a second at the start, but some devotees of the party had already relaxed their hearts and begun to conspire with seeking help from connections everywhere. Even He Yunxing, who had been anxious, ill at ease, and fearing for harm to Sir Jiang at the start, was clicking his tongue in wonder. He thought that the Crown Prince had talent, and this speech was indeed good; from making Lu Shen write a manifest like this, the Emperor would genuinely have no means, and now couldn¡¯t lash out at Sir Jiang. It vaguely let the Court subjects catch sight of a certain mindset, too, and since all of them were accustomed to adapting to situations, not one would dare to recklessly send a manifest up in the future. If there came a time that the Emperor really did want to lash out, he likely wouldn¡¯t have a justification for it. Because of this, He Yunxing was inwardly delighted, simply thinking that Sir Jiang was safe this time around. In truth, with the manifest Lu Shen sent over, regardless of how irritated Helian Pei was at Jiang Zheng for taking the lead in causing a disturbance, he couldn¡¯t use it as grounds to strike at him, and the reason for that was simple ¡ª Jiang Zheng was someone he promoted to his position, and was the lone official that could be regarded as efficient for this ¡®heroically bright, divinely martial¡¯ long-lived lord to use. Lu Shen claimed that Jiang Zheng ¡®flattered and curried favor in those above him¡¯ with complete confidence in his conviction, but the Emperor wasn¡¯t confident in it at all on hearing it. Jiang Zheng wasn¡¯t someone that didn¡¯t understand technique. He had both always known that this long-lived lord was useless mud that couldn¡¯t stick to a wall, and was sour-faced; for that reason, the words he used to advise the Emperor to be diligent in governance had never been said in public areas, but were a few phrases mumbled out in private. That was it. If annoyed by his harping, Helian Pei would just shut the door and not see him. He could punish Jiang Zheng for any type of baseless accusation, but the sole exceptions were these ¡®sinecure¡¯ and ¡®flattering¡¯ ones ¡ª otherwise, it would be he who didn¡¯t know someone well enough, and appointed a fawning lowlife. Helian Pei had a lifetime of having best reputation. Back in the day, he had commanded hundreds of thousands of troops to attack Nanjiang for the sake of reputation. He resented Jiang Zheng because of reputation, as well. This time, he managed to swallow his breath back down, not punishing Jiang Zheng¡­ due to reputation. He looked at Lu Shen, who was both at a loss and astonished as he knelt in the Great Hall. Knowing that the one backing Prime Scorer Lu was the Crown Prince, he then glimpsed Helian Yi¡¯s expression of righteous indignation. There was at last a bit of slight comfort in his mind as he thought that his young son was still placing importance on sentiment. Ordinarily, he watched on lukewarmly, but at a pivotal point, he knew to safeguard his father and brothers. Soon after, he recalled the day before. He had listened to Helian Qi weep bitterly as he said that there was a ¡®villain¡¯ that had harmed him, insinuating the Crown Prince with every sentence, and had some second thoughts on the inside. He felt that though his second child was pitiful, he was a bit heartless, too; once he suffered a wrong, he didn¡¯t call on outsider¡¯s troublemaking, but first thought that his own blood-related brother had brought harm to him. Somewhat unhappy, he felt that he ought to confine him for a chunk of time longer. Allowing him to exercise restraint and receive a bit of a lesson would be great. The case got dragged out further, dragging and dragging until it was dragged to when the fast was about to break. For this period of time, groups of people of all roads eagerly tried hard to get active, attempting to deduce what the old Emperor meant; they simultaneously strove to clear themselves of relationship to Helian Qi and shift people they themselves disliked over to his side. The investigation on Helian Qi hadn¡¯t had much activity to begin with, but Zhao Zhenshu and the rest acted as scapegoats; pulling out a radish uncovered a string of dirt along with it. With all sorts of revelations, reports, blame-passing, and once-you-stop-singing-I¡¯m-going-onstage things, no one knew where their own clay Bodhisattvas were on the river.[2] When everybody was keeping an eye on everybody, there was no emphasis on sentiment. Helian Pei¡¯s attitude had constantly been ineffable, not saying a word as he allowed them to make a fuss. The greater the disturbance over this, the more people that would have their attentions diverted. The one that initiated the trouble, Zhang Jin, naturally didn¡¯t have a good decline, and was well aware of his own end. On the very night he was detained in prison, he took out the poison he had hidden in advance and ate it. With a kick of his legs, death ended all his troubles, and it was without physical pain. Vermin of all sizes on the northwestern line were sacked in whole sum, spanning ten-something very brief days. How many there were and how great their scope was made people gasp in astonishment; some citizens among the people made a joke, saying that in the Northwest, if officials were chopped down successively, then one might actually die wrongly, but if they were chopped down one by one separately, then more would slip the net. These people had devoured the Great Qing¡¯s beautiful landscape into an empty frame. The gold-spending cavern that was the Emperor¡¯s Repository of Internal Affairs was once again replenished, the Crown Prince received verbal praise, countless corrupt officials were sacked, and the Second Scion¡¯s party fell to pieces. As for Helian Qi himself, after being confined in the Imperial Clan Court for a spell, the matter was ultimately solved by remaining unsolved, causing the old dough sticks to beat around the bush. He was punished with a year¡¯s salary take for only the crime of ¡®promiscuity during a fast¡¯, and Helian Pei ordered him to go on house arrest to reflect upon himself. Although His Second Highness had disastrous losses, it could be viewed as being more scared than hurt. Hence, the time for settling accounts at an opportune time arrived. CH 52 The fast finished, and cold winter flickered, then passed. The royal capital, which had been silent for three months, was celebrating with song and dance once more in warm cottonrose curtains, with light upon Fullmoon River. An evening of spring rain washed the chill away; the scent of apricot blossoms was strong, dampened clothes were not wet, green and hazy fog was upon the branches of willows, and flowers bloomed everywhere. Passing travelers came and went at the base of the Imperial City, unable to help but empty their minds. Refusing to think of anything, they only went along with the warm breeze and delicate willows in lazing about, listening to the crisp song of a woman of unknown location, and getting drunk without alcohol. The whole capital was placed within a very peaceful atmosphere. Out of the fasting months, Helian Pei seemed to sigh in relief. His ¡®brilliant monarch¡¯ addiction passed, and he refused to crawl up in the middle of the night on fifth watch(3-5am) for Court. Naturally, the Second Helian didn¡¯t have the strength to make a fuss. Helian Zhao and the Crown Prince seemed to be competitively getting all the more low-key, declining to say a word more in anything and following their old man in wasting time all day long. Like the calm before a storm at sea struck, they awaited the level sound of thunder. And that thunder echoed when the fragrances of the human world vanished in April. It was unknown where the person was, nor what anger they suffered, but they wrote a ballad named ¡°Seven Frights, Eight Confusions¡±, and it spread among the streets, copies incessantly made and sent; it wasn¡¯t until it reached the Two Hus that local officials discovered it. Under the pseudonym ¡®Tempest Visitor¡¯, it depicted the looks of the monarch, Generals, and Chancellors in Court one by one, the details as if there was a pair of hidden, unseen eyes in the throne room that just watched as everyone jumped from the rafters and played dead. No one knew where this crap had streamed out of, but it seemed like the entire country came to know of it the span of a night. Helian Pei had just been hit once on his left cheek, and his anger hadn¡¯t yet smoothed out before another big slap fell out of thin air to hit his right cheek, thus making him furious. Believing that this reactionary ballad involved very many areas, and certainly a lot of henchmen, he harbored worries in his heart. He had never thought that there would be such an extremely bold person within the citizenry who dared to brazenly chastise him. Later, he couldn¡¯t refrain from raging out of humiliation again, and vowed to surely pull up the weeds of this rebel party and destroy its roots. In Court, three layers of waves could come in even without wind, to say nothing of ones from a huge event such as this. Liang Jiuxiao was accustomed to strolling the streets and picked up a copy from who-knew-where; not daring to give it to his humorless sect-brother for a look, he presented his treasure to ¡®enlightened Prince¡¯ Jing Qi. Gloom settled on Jing Qi¡¯s face, and he admonished him on the spot. ¡°What have you dared to ask me about? Do you want the Emperor to raid your house?¡± Liang Jiuxiao got embarrassed, touching his nose. He wasn¡¯t sure why, but in the presence of this young Prince, he constantly had a feeling that he was unable to lift his head when facing an elder. He always thought that it was because he had indiscriminately tried to assassinate him before, and therefore had guilt about it. He rubbed his nose. ¡°Take a look, Prince. They¡¯re speaking the truth, too.¡± Jing Qi passingly seized a book and smashed it down on his head, entirely acting as Zhou Zishu¡¯s substitute in educating him. ¡°Liang Jiuxiao¡­ you truly are Giant Idiot Liang. The Emperor is in the middle of having anger rush to his head. The entire city is in a panic right now, and even strongly desire that no one dares to speak aloud, for fear that the walls have ears. Yet, you dared to bring it back here; do you hate the fact that I and your sect-brother are long-lived, or what? Out, out, out, don¡¯t dangle that in front of me! If I see you, I¡¯ll want to get you with a ladle.¡± The cooks in the Prince Estate were known for their good craftsmanship, as they had originally worked in the imperial kitchens. Ever since Liang Jiuxiao stopped fasting, he would always come running here every couple of days to freeload a meal, so he wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with Jing Qi. Even though he intensely admired him, he wasn¡¯t afraid of him at all, and still quibbled, ¡°Aren¡¯t there no outsiders here¡­¡± Jing Qi ignored him, lowering his head to the sable in his arms. ¡°You¡¯ll go watch the door for me tomorrow and not let the Giant Idiot in. If he comes in, bite him. Do you hear me?¡± The sable immediately flashed Liang Jiuxiao with extended claws and puffed-up fur. When Great Idiot Liang first came to the Estate, he noticed that this little thing was pretty cute, so he very despicably groped it on the butt, becoming its enemy ever since. When it saw him, it was like it had seen a foe that had killed its father, relentlessly chasing after him as it insisted upon giving him a slash and a bite. Unexpectedly, the antidote Jing Qi had stored up was all used up, so Liang Jiuxiao had no alternative but to specially go to the Shamanet Estate to find Wu Xi and request a bit more. Wu Xi¡¯s settling of the issue was very direct. He only called for someone to give him a small bottle, then informed him that it was a one-time use. Liang Jiuxiao¡¯s face was bitter. ¡°Shamanet, this isn¡¯t enough. It bites me once each time it sees me¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s an animal¡¯s nature. I can¡¯t manage it,¡± Wu Xi told him expressionlessly. ¡°Since this is so, you can just not go to the Prince Estate.¡± For that reason, once he saw the sable rising at him in demonstration again right now, Giant Idiot Liang¡¯s heroic spirit disappeared by over half straightaway. ¡°P-Prince, can you hold that little thing back?¡± he stammered out. ¡°The Shamanet said that he wouldn¡¯t give me any antidote next time¡­ ah!¡± Before he finished, he saw that, whether Jing Qi loosened his hands purposefully or not, the sable pounced out of the other¡¯s arms at flying speed, rushing towards him aggressively. He screeched, declined hand-to-hand combat, threw down his helmet and armor, then fled the Estate without looking back. Jing Qi took the copy of Seven Frights, Eight Confusions, then read it through carefully from beginning to end, laughing as he read. ¡°Talented. This person is talented. Finished reading and laughing by himself, he put the book face-down once again, then placed it close to a candle, burning it away. With only a pile of ash left behind, he called for no one, cleaning it up alone. He mentally plotted that he¡¯d have to go beat up Zhou Zishu some other day to make him look after his senseless, idiot sect-brother properly. Jing Qi didn¡¯t understand; one master taught them, so how could Zhou Zishu, such a bright person, have a sect-brother like this that was missing some strings? Matters became increasingly out-of-hand. The investigation of the commonfolk gradually changed course for the inside of the Court. Jing Qi had forecast that well; the Emperor had lost face twice, and was seriously looking for a chance to take this situation back. The atmosphere was unbearably pressurized. Those with keen senses of smell began to secretly burn the ballads and writings in their own homes. It went without saying that this was going to be banned literature. To put it even simpler, this was trending towards a persecution of writers¡­ It no longer became important who wrote that ballad; saying who wrote it was only that. A joke made in the composition of poetry might turn into proof of a party member¡¯s conspiracy. The old Emperor was ultimately still the Emperor, and differed from the Scions that committed small-scale framing. He couldn¡¯t do anything else, but for business like this, once he moved his hand, it was a world-shaking masterstroke ¡ª not one of the gentlemen that had filed against the Second Scion alongside Jiang Zheng remained, as each had been ¡®taken care of¡¯. This situation of not prosecuting a crowd under law hadn¡¯t existed from the beginning. There was no shortage of people wanting to act as officials; no one was the same. Apart from Jiang Zheng, of course. Helian Pei deceived others with his own self-lies an unusual amount, and thought himself bright as he hid his strength, as if no one else could understand that he was honing in his retaliation by doing it like this. From start to finish, he appeared to be targeting Jiang Zheng, yet also didn¡¯t touch him from start to finish, which only made the old man on edge all day long, to the point that he ended up getting scared into serious illness. And, when it rained, it poured. On the second day of Jiang Zheng¡¯s bedrest, a ¡®thief¡¯ got into the Jiang family¡¯s rear courtyard. The weird thing was that the thief didn¡¯t steal anything, but firmly twisted the necks of several dogs that opened the door, as well as killed a young maid that had gotten up in the middle of the night. Unexpectedly, another maid had seen it and screamed without end, alerting the Jiang family, after which the thief desperately fled. Generally, thieves would steal, not stir up lawsuits in human lives, and would have even drugged the dogs to knock them out and be done with it ¡ª that wasn¡¯t a thief, that was an assassin. It was unknown who was so bold as to attempt to assassinate a Dynasty official right under the Son of Heaven¡¯s feet. Even Helian Pei was shocked by this incident. He immediately called for people to go investigate, then assembled several dozens of imperial troops to guard Jiang Zheng¡¯s home. He also had Helian Yi visit the Jiang Estate on his behalf. Even though the Crown Prince had Lu Shen implicate Jiang Zheng, he now displayed unusual disregard for former hatred and joined forces against a common enemy, calling for Zhou Zishu and ordering him to summon some endurance to protect the Estate in secret. Who Jiang Zheng had offended, and who was fond of making use of these nefarious means, was self-evident. At this point, the layer of dense, obscuring haze enveloped the capital all the more. Wu Xi disregarded everything except for the matter of expressing to Jing Qi that he wasn¡¯t going to give up, so he concentrated on earning his ¡®wife money¡¯. Zhou Zishu held an advantage therein, too, and knew that he had a good relationship with Prince Jing; being quite considerate of him, he acted under the name ¡®Witch Doctor Valley¡¯ in the outside world. Slowly, via Zhou Zishu, some Nanjiang warriors that had been idling in the Shamanet Estate stealthily left the capital to depart for elsewhere. Zhou Zishu wouldn¡¯t conceal his actions from Jing Qi, naturally. The latter knew that the kid was growing, and his mind was growing, too. He had spent so many years in the Great Qing; going into Court was a no-go, so wanting to leave his influence behind in jianghu was reasonable¡­ of course, he acted like he had never heard any nonsense like ¡®afraid that you¡¯ll suffer from coming with me later¡¯, merely closing one eye and opening the other. With Zhou Zishu being commanded to defend the Jiang Estate on the sly, Liang Jiuxiao had finally found something to do. He regarded this mission as matchlessly glorious; he had heard of Sir Jiang before, and he was a good official, making this the defense of a loyal subject. As a result, he diligently wandered around the vicinity of the Jiang Estate, not having the time to stir up trouble every which way at last. This caused his sect-brother Zhou Zishu, who was constantly worried for him, and Jing Qi, who was constantly so annoyed by him that his ears received no peace, to both sigh in relief. Against expectations, there was a day that Giant Idiot Liang got free time again, then remembered Jing Qi¡¯s private stash of good wine in the Prince Nan¡¯ning Estate, then got greedy for it, then ran off to there. Upon joyfully following Ping An into the garden, the flash of a shadow suddenly came before his eyes, and he promptly had some unclear premonition. Sensing that his cheer was about to be turned into sorrow, he abruptly leapt backwards. In spite of his movement that could be judged as swift, there was still a mark left behind on the back of his hand ¡ª the sable had scratched him. He sucked in a cold breath, quickly sealed a couple of major acupoints on his arm, and spoke to the sable, which was crouched on the doorsill and licking its paws in immense satisfaction, with a pained face. ¡°Great Ancestor, will me begging you still not do? How much hatred is there between us for you to hold onto it up to now?¡± Ping An, who had brought him in, quickly went to inform Jing Qi, who felt glum as soon as he heard it. ¡°Why is he here again¡­¡± he asked somberly, holding his forehead. Thus, he went to get the antidote, didn¡¯t find it, and then remembered that he had long since allowed Giant Idiot Liang to eat it all like candies. With no means, he said to Liang Jiuxiao as his one hand hung miserably at his side, ¡°Go ask the Shamanet for it.¡± Liang Jiuxiao curled his lips. ¡°Prince, the Shamanet said the last time that he wouldn¡¯t give it to me again.¡± ¡°Mn, then just bear with it. The poison on the sable¡¯s claws isn¡¯t as severe as the poison on its teeth, so you can probably survive for a couple of days before you die,¡± Jing Qi said, voice like cold wind. ¡°Prince, for the sake of this lowly one that follows your every order, you mustn¡¯t watch me die and not save me!¡± Liang Jiuxiao howled. Jing Qi rolled his eyes. ¡°I should¡¯ve made it bite you so you could go into reincarnation as soon as possible and save me from having to make trips for you.¡± Saying that, he picked up the sable by its scruff, then stood up and took him to Wu Xi. Wu Xi welcomed him with delight. As soon as he saw the bothersome object that was following behind him, he knew why he had come, and his face immediately sank. ¡°Why is he here again?¡± Jing Qi thought to himself that pets really did resemble their owners; Wu Xi and the sable he raised looked at Liang Jiuxiao with practically carbon-copy expressions. Seeing Liang Jiuxiao look at him pitifully, Wu Xi huffed, then tossed him a small bottle from out of his sleeve. ¡°Antidote. Take it and go,¡± he said irreverently. Without even glancing at him, he turned his head and his face immediately softened to Jing Qi, talking as he led him inside. ¡°I have always gone to your place. You haven¡¯t come in a long time, can you eat dinner here tonight?¡± Before Jing Qi could answer, he kept going, ¡°The season of growing and dying plants is when you should have supplements, pay attention to your diet, and nourish the liver and blood. I made medicinal food; I know you don¡¯t like things with heavy flavor, so I specially made it with no taste. Come try it.¡± Knowing that the Shamanet didn¡¯t want to see him either, Liang Jiuxiao very tactfully took the antidote and ran to the Prince Estate to freeload alcohol. He still had this speck of minor craftiness; he knew that the Prince had no conscience, but Grand Steward Ping An would certainly be apologetic. He prepared himself for a good while so that he wouldn¡¯t be an eyesore there. Jing Qi had no choice but to get hauled away by Wu Xi. Who could¡¯ve known that, for this meal, he truly would suffer an accident? CH 53 Truthfully speaking, Jing Qi liked Wu Xi¡¯s courtyard ¡ª it had many entertaining and novel things, and he used to frequently drop by here to mooch food. Yet, ever since that time Wu Xi drank too much and hugged him while blubbering, he harbored something of a grudge. He had always previously taken Wu Xi as an obstinate and ignorant child. Never had he thought that the other would get an inclination like this after such a long time. Once the chaos in his heart passed, he decided to cut the tangled knot and simply refuse to meet up henceforth, intending to wait for him to get older and think more about things. The charming, unrealistic notion he had during his youth should have diluted by then. But on that night of heavy snow, he stubbornly caused that heart of his, as cold and hard as iron, to soften for a time. One thing and another happened, and he ended up not having the heart to hold off the kid outside the gates of the Prince Estate. He would sometimes think that, when he grew old later and started to reminisce on the grace and grudges of his old feelings he harbored in days past, how many ¡®old feelings¡¯ would still be had for him? Prince Nan¡¯ning had the money and power to dance well as well as everything going his way. When he returned to dreams at midnight, he would wake with a start empty-hearted, not having even one longing thought at all. He had enjoyed the extreme cravings of the human world, then gone three chi down to the Yellow Springs. Having seen all the beautiful and ugly scenes of the world, he naturally had a knowledge of what was good and bad, and since he knew, he was all the more reluctant to part with this current bit of minute good. He was not Zhou Zishu. It was impossible for him to be the sort of vicious that struck down with decisiveness, following Heaven for fate; once he thought too much, too thoroughly, it was always somewhat difficult for him to reach a conclusion. He felt that, in his previous human life, it was a bit of an injustice to die by Helian Yi¡¯s hand because of his apprehensions towards him. The latter really had regarded him highly, while Jing Qi knew what kind of goods he himself was ¡ª eternally just one good-for-nothing, scheming strategist that followed by the Head Commander¡¯s side, and innately didn¡¯t have the presence for passing judgments or determining the universe. Due to these indescribably challenging thoughts, he hadn¡¯t come to the Shamanet Estate in more than a year. Backing down out of softheartedness was one thing; Jing Qi mulled the matter over a couple of times, and thought that when handling a one-track mind like Wu Xi (who was so undaunted by failure that there was sometimes no way to communicate with him), persuasion was useless, and yet he was always soft-hearted, unable to get hard-line on him. He could only play dumb and hope that his teenage nature, after this period of time, would change from the evil path and return to the proper one, and he would do what it was he should¡¯ve been doing. Even so, Wu Xi could see through him or something, because every so often, he had to remind him once with utter bluntness. Jing Qi would act like he didn¡¯t hear, or half-heartedly joke that he wasn¡¯t serious, but he had an increasing feeling of fear and suspense. He had deceived himself by saying that he wasn¡¯t serious, but he knew well in his heart that Wu Xi¡¯s words were absolutely realer than hazelnuts. As soon as he entered Wu Xi¡¯s small garden, he caught sight of a couple of strings hanging off of its big banyan tree at varying heights, upon which were tied small wooden slats no slimmer than a palm. Wu Xi had been watching him with a silly smile the whole time, so he had to divert his attention some, reaching out to lightly grasp a slat. ¡°What is this for?¡± He had only just finished speaking when Wu Xi grabbed his hand and pulled him back a step. Immediately following, cinnabar water dripped down from above, and happened to land right where he had just been standing. After that, he saw that there was a saucer balanced on top of the string, swaying in the breeze. Him bumping the slat knocked the precarious saucer off-balance and spilled the liquid out of it. ¡°Don¡¯t get that on your clothes,¡± Wu Xi said. ¡°That¡¯s what I originally used for practicing lightsteps. The strength put on the slats every time they¡¯re stepped on can¡¯t be enough to spill the cinnabar water. Granted, I¡¯m done with it and already have no use for them. Ashinlae messes around with them. Though, his body is too bulky, and he can never do light-body martial arts, so he gets a head and faceful of red water every single day.¡± Jing Qi inwardly wiped off sweat, mentally thinking that it was fortunate that Ping An and Ji Xiang had annoyed him that day and caused him to be unable to exchange blows with this guy. He really wouldn¡¯t have had anywhere to put his old face, otherwise. Further yet was everything else the courtyard had. To the side was a rack for weaponry, and next to that were several plum tree stumps standing at uneven heights. Looking at it, it didn¡¯t resemble a place that the Nanjiang Shamanet resided, but instead an area where a secret sect practiced martial arts. Beside it was a study; taking advantage of the day¡¯s sunlight, a woven mat was spread out at the doorway with several books basking in it. ¡°Sit here for a moment,¡± Wu Xi spoke once more. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a look at the flower-paste syrup made a couple of days back that¡¯s been soaking in sugar water. I was planning to send it to you when it was ready, and you happened to come over.¡± The guy was honestly quick to act yet slow to speak, and, without waiting for Jing Qi to put on a show of saying ¡®many thanks, don¡¯t rush¡¯, he ran away. Setting spring had since arrived at the royal capital, putting it right in a period of excitement, yet it seemed not to meld into this tiny courtyard even one bit. The large banyan in the middle that had been there for an unknown amount of decades seemed to hide the sky and shade the earth, leaving a large swathe of shadow with light loitering from its gaps. The imperial bodyguards knew he was here right now, so they hadn¡¯t come to the courtyard, making this place faintly exude an eerie, isolated atmosphere of somberly-chiming bells, the clean sound faraway and indistinct. Every now and then, there would be a snake or scorpion or some such slowly crawling by, the poisonous bugs also appearing to be well-trained. They didn¡¯t get near Jing Qi at all; they looked at him from afar, then made their ways for elsewhere, as if they were somewhat wary towards the sable he held. Jing Qi strolled a circle around the courtyard, then opened up books that Wu Xi had simply left out in the sun, randomly reading them. He noticed that every one he read through had small characters attentively jotted in the margins, in vermilion brushstrokes or black ink. He examined them carefully; the vermilion sections were his everyday, casual lectures, and the rest were Wu Xi¡¯s own annotations. The characters were in disarray and not very pretty, but had a rare earnestness. He closed it with a secret bout of high praise, then glimpsed a tiny mat beside the book, where a pile of snow-white powder was sunbathing on it. He didn¡¯t know what it was, and when he got closer to it, he still couldn¡¯t smell anything. It flashed under the sunlight, being extraordinarily sparkling, clear, and beautiful. He couldn¡¯t resist wanting to reach out and grab a bit of it to examine it. Unexpectedly, before he touched it, Wu Xi happened to come in, and cried out as soon as he saw him. ¡°Don¡¯t touch that¡ª¡° Jing Qi was caught off guard, turning his head to look at him. However, with a mental distraction like that, the sable he held ¡ª having been long impatiently wanting to go bounce around the place ¡ª seized the opportunity to get free, giddily jumped out, and pounced right on the half-sun-dried powder. It really moved too swiftly, able to even scratch someone of Liang Jiuxiao¡¯s skill, so Jing Qi naturally wasn¡¯t able to haul it back. In the span of a spark, he got sprayed in the face with the powder the sable jumped on. He abruptly stood up and took a big step backwards, unknowing if he had breathed any in or not. He caught sight of Wu Xi striding towards him, soon after which he felt dizzy, his consciousness becoming murky; as if dwelling in a nightmare at midnight, his mind was somewhat clear, yet muddled. He swayed, fingers clutching in midair like he was grabbing for something. Then, without him to realizing what he had grabbed, he knew nothing. Wu Xi looked at the one that had plunged headfirst into his arms, then lowered his head to peer at the sable that was similarly lying motionless on its stomach on the ground. For a split second, he badly wanted to skin it, stew it, and eat it. He sighed, used the tip of his toes to pick it up, then flung it to the side. Soon following, he leaned over, hooked one arm under Jing Qi¡¯s knees, cautiously picked him up, and placed him on his own bed. When looking at him previously, he thought that he was tall, svelte, and confident, but, right now, Jing Qi¡¯s body was weak, and appeared very frail with the way he was curled up in his arms. He also wasn¡¯t heavy when he carried him, as if he were skin and bones; he maintained his three energies like this, yet bantered, joked, and devised strategies afterwards. At this moment, when he had suddenly come into contact with the sable¡¯s sudden mishap and fell over, the souls in his body were forced to rest, and he thus resembled a skeleton that was picked clean. The circle of shadows cast on his fair skin by his eyelashes made one feel some pity looking at him. Wu Xi wasn¡¯t sure why, but he felt that he¡¯d be cold, so he pulled a silk blanket out and gently covered him with it. After that, he got up, poured a cup of hot water, took a porcelain bottle out of a small cabinet, and put the antidote into the water. Once it cooled after a bit, he put droplets on the back of his hand to test it, then propped Jing Qi up only after he felt that it wasn¡¯t scalding. With him leaning on his chest, he gently pried open his jaw and fed him the medicine. That odorless white powder he had been sun-drying was a type of knockout agent. It hadn¡¯t had a name at first, but after Zhou Zishu sold a batch of it, it received one from the jianghu folk: Dream Stupor. Zhou Zishu understood the way to people¡¯s hearts the most ¡ª he didn¡¯t sell much of it, merely distributing five or six bottles and then refusing to give any more, with each one selling at a sky-high price. After it dried completely, it was colorless and tasteless. Whether placed in food and drink or scattered throughout the air, no one could detect it. If no antidote was had, one only had to inhale a little bit, and then they would need to lie down for five or six days. However, that timespan wouldn¡¯t be spent in a coma. Those who took the drug would dream wildly without waking, dreaming about the things they most longed for in their hearts; that was thus how it got its name. Even with feeding him the medicine, Wu Xi knew that he would still need a shichen or two to wake up. Dipping his head, he tenderly wiped off the wet drops on Jing Qi¡¯s lips, his fingertips rubbing against them, and he couldn¡¯t help but pause. The softness of the other¡¯s lips made his heart palpitate. The one that pondered days and nights was leaned against him without the least bit of consciousness. The heart in Wu Xi¡¯s chest suddenly increased in speed, his breathing becoming disordered. As if infected by something, he slowly lowered his head, raised Jing Qi¡¯s chin, and went to kiss the lips that had just burned his fingers. Immediately following, it was not only his fingertips that burned; he felt like his entire soul was surrendering. Jing Qi subconsciously panted a bit due to his slightly invasive kiss. Wu Xi seemed to be able to feel the other¡¯s bones as they pressed against him hard¡­ but it still wasn¡¯t enough. That air-tight distance still wasn¡¯t close enough. The thirst clamoring within him wasn¡¯t appeased, wanting something else. Ever since Wu Xi had arrived at the capital at the age of less than eleven, his life had constantly been simple and disciplined: physical practice, medicinal practice, studying, watching Jing Qi mess around. He had never experienced human relations before, but at this second, as if spurred by instinct, he lifted his hand and groped about. Starting from his collar, he undid Jing Qi¡¯s buttons one by one. Very soon, the white and exquisite skin of the pampered Prince Nan¡¯ning was exposed. Wu Xi reached out and touched his compact, warm waist, like he was testing, like he was enraptured and couldn¡¯t let go anymore. The man seemed to be made of porcelain, yet wasn¡¯t as cold as it, nor was he as high as his own body temperature. It was like he was at just the perfect warmth. He had just the perfect looks everywhere, too. A strand of hair came loose and fell down, draping gently on his collarbone. Hanging near the side of the bed, the black and white contrast was astonishingly pretty. Wu Xi went mad. He felt like his entire body was steaming, abnormal heat flowing everywhere at random. He recalled the dreamland of touching tenderness. Memory and reality overlapping, the string in his head suddenly snapped, and he obeyed his instinct to lean over¡­ Right then, Jing Qi moved all of a sudden. Wu Xi startled, staring blankly where he was, and couldn¡¯t react for a moment. Jing Qi didn¡¯t wake, though. As if Dream Stupor was beginning to take affect, he seemed to be dreaming of something, elegant brows slowly creasing, then relaxing again soon after. A small, uncertain smile showed at the corner of his lips, but the tips of his brows lowered, faintly shrouding him in a layer of sorrow. Looking at the one he held whose clothes were disheveled, Wu Xi jolted all of a sudden. The flush on his face subsided, and he turned both green and white. Speedily gathering up Jing Qi¡¯s lapels, he buttoned him up once more, then placed him on the bed, covered him with the blanket, and dashed out like he was fleeing. CH 54 By the time Jing Qi woke from the bizarre, kaleidoscopic dreamland of the drug¡¯s effects, the sky outside was already entirely black. Only one dusky lantern was shining in the corner of the room. A teen quietly sat there holding a book up, looking like he hadn¡¯t moved for a very long time. Wu Xi promptly detected the change in his breathing, of course, and lifted his head to look at him. ¡°You accidentally inhaled a bit of a knockout drug,¡± he whispered. ¡°The antidote was fed to you. There¡¯s no headache now, right?¡± It wasn¡¯t clear whether it was Jing Qi¡¯s misconception or what, but he overall felt that Wu Xi¡¯s attitude seemed to have changed a little, being somewhat too unnaturally estranged. Jing Qi gave an mn, rubbing his eyes; he still wasn¡¯t fully awake, and only felt that this nap had been deeper than a slumber of any length of time. Hearing a burst of thumping noises coming from over his head, he looked up to see that the sable was tied up snugly and hung from the bedcurtain. Its round little eyes watched him pitifully as its bound limbs repeatedly struggled without cease. Jing Qi couldn¡¯t resist laughing. As he propped himself up, he took it into his hands. ¡°What was this for?¡± Wu Xi lightly huffed. ¡°Charge into disaster, and there ought to be punishment. If it weren¡¯t for you spoiling the creature too much, it wouldn¡¯t have gotten to the point that it bites people every couple of days.¡± Jing Qi was clear-headed now, smiling. ¡°What are you saying? I¡¯m a big human that weighs a hundred or so catties. How could I bicker with this little thing that weighs a couple of taels?¡± Wu Xi paused, suddenly feeling uncomfortable upon hearing that, because the attitude displayed in Jing Qi¡¯s understating words was very similar to the attitude he had towards him ¡ª like he was a child. It was very indulgent, though it was an indulgence that wasn¡¯t taken seriously¡­ he thus had to say, ¡°I¡­ shouldn¡¯t have let you be alone in the courtyard today. I should have told you in advance¡­¡± Whilst Jing Qi got out of bed, he said casually, ¡°It was my slip of the hand. What did it have to do with you?¡± He stretched his back, feeling rather energetic, and the ample sleep put him in a good mood. ¡°It¡¯s so late, I won¡¯t trouble you. I¡¯m returning to the Estate.¡± Looking on as he was about to leave, Wu Xi abruptly stood up and called out to him as if supernatural forces were at work. ¡°Beiyuan¡­¡± Jing Qi paused, raised his brows, and looked at him. He noticed that the youth had a slightly confounded expression on his face, appearing to want to say something yet stopping, and looking like he got into trouble yet was hesitant and afraid to speak. He stopped in his tracks, gazing at him with a bit of profundity. Wu Xi got a little flustered from his eyes watching him. He wasn¡¯t in the habit of reading at night, so the lighting in the bedroom was dim. It was barely enough to see clearly, and it caused Jing Qi¡¯s eyes, which were normally simply gentle and good-looking, to appear especially remote. His gaze pierced as though it had substance, like all the words hidden inside of him were seen through. That ambiguously feigned perplexion became more real. For a short moment, he lowered his eyes and didn¡¯t look at him. Forcing his mind to calm, he said, ¡°The drug you breathed in is something I haven¡¯t finished making. People who take it should dream, but I¡¯m not certain yet¡­¡± Jing Qi had an epiphany. ¡°You¡¯re asking me what the drug¡¯s effects were?¡± The other nodded. ¡°Brat,¡± Jing Qi scolded with a grin, ¡°I actually tried out your drug for you¡­ in my daze just now, I really did have a dream. Don¡¯t worry, eh? It was pretty effective, and relieved tiredness, too.¡± ¡°What did you¡­ dream of?¡± Wu Xi questioned closely. Jing Qi stopped and swept his eyes over him. ¡°Could that be controlled for, as well?¡± he doubted. Wu Xi had never told a lie before. He didn¡¯t know why he had blurted out that sentence just then, and mentally long regretted it. The more of a guilty conscience he had, the more he felt that Jing Qi knew something. Since he was asked, he had no choice but to be overly alert as he braced himself to nod. ¡°It can, of course. There¡¯s still drugs that can produce hallucinations and make people see demons and ghosts. Making people dream isn¡¯t completely the same, either. Sometimes it makes people have good dreams, and sometimes it makes people have nightmares. What did you dream of?¡± Jing Qi didn¡¯t understand a single thing about this stuff, so he didn¡¯t suspect him, thinking back on it for a bit. ¡°It wasn¡¯t good or bad¡­ I dreamed of a big rock, and a river with its grounds full of safflowers that hadn¡¯t grown leaves.¡± Noticing that Wu Xi looked dumbfounded, he shook his head with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just a drawn illustration that I¡¯ve seen in folk literature before¡­ didn¡¯t you get up early? I won¡¯t disturb your rest.¡± He left, carrying the sable. ¡°A big rock, and a river¡­ with its grounds full of leafless safflowers?¡± Wu Xi stood where he was, repeating his words for some reason. Then, he abruptly recalled the sad smile that came onto the other¡¯s face, and slowly creased his brows. The wave in Court hadn¡¯t yet leveled out when another rose up. Perhaps his diet wasn¡¯t harmonized with the change in seasons, or perhaps many years of indulging in sensuality had hollowed out his foundations, or perhaps he was angered by the incidents happening in quick succession; in not many days, Helian Pei fell ill. His illness wasn¡¯t serious, but no improvement was seen after a couple days of downing decoctions, and faintly invoked a lot of serious maladies to come. When another half month passed, he was too lazy to even say words, and was observed to have some intention of riding a crane out West. For that reason, the momentum of the vast literary persecution was inevitably stopped. Helian Pei was holding a feeble breathing rate that could possibly be choked back at any time, his previous ambition vanished. Unable to care about about whoever was stirring people up or whoever was going to rebel, he merely switched out prescription after prescription. Others meant nothing while his life was most precious, lest he kick up his legs and die, leaving the utmost of glory and splendor to vanish entirely like smoke. Helian Pei had originally felt that he, sitting on the dragon throne for a lifetime, was a great hero that woke up grasping ultimate authority from his nap on the lap of a beauty, the sagely Son of Heaven. He didn¡¯t expect that he would get so invalid in older age. He feared death and old age. When he wasn¡¯t sick, he was engrossed in mucking about and not caring about these many worries, but in this illness, all his private concerns were forced out. He was unwilling to see Helian Zhao, feeling his eldest son to be overly violent, with ominous evil always within his gaze; whenever he came over, he wasn¡¯t looking at him, but at the throne under him. He wasn¡¯t willing to see Helian Qi, either, as his second son had broken his heart. He hadn¡¯t felt so when he was angered, but now he had no strength to be angry, and every component was streaking across his mind. When he thought of the Mount Tai earthquake, that was in fact the Heavens giving him enlightenment, calling for him to be diligent in governance and fasting. At the start, it had been enough to avoid this catastrophe, but that unfilial son stubbornly destroyed it and caused such huge calamity, making the whole Court laugh behind his back. He was even more unwilling to see Helian Yi. This son was well-behaved, but once Helian Pei recalled that upon his dying breath, everything before his eyes ¡ª the throne room, the imperial gardens, the infinite landscape, the infinite beauties ¡ª would become his, he couldn¡¯t help but get envious of his successor¡¯s youth. In the end, he only called Jing Qi to his side, having him read to him and relieve his melancholy. On the outside, Jing Qi gave him the same sort of ¡®filial piety¡¯ as a blood son would, and on the inside, he was naturally not scheming any less¡­ of course, he wasn¡¯t looking forward to the old Emperor¡¯s death at the moment. In the hubbub kicked up the time before, many sought refuge in the Crown Prince¡¯s party, making the number of people the Crown Prince now had for use unknown. At the bare minimum, he¡¯d be able to rival with Helian Zhao for longer. However, the Second Helian was right outside; even though he had suffered serious damage, he could be dead ash reigniting at any time, and the state of the Court would be unstable. If the Emperor died at this juncture, Helian Zhao would have no scruples, being the first to fall out with Helian Yi. There were a few ways to deal with him, but it was still best to be capable of getting a victory with no blood on the troops¡¯ blades. The Emperor was currently a demon-dispelling barrier. During this period of teetering, all the parties of monsters were beginning to get restless; if he really did get snuffed out, would the sky not get overturned? So, he was all the more sincere towards him. Despite his heart having other calculations, Helian Pei couldn¡¯t tell, and only thought that this was a truly good child, even claiming that there had been no filial sons before his sickbed for a long time. Those three wastrels he had raised couldn¡¯t compare to his one adoptive son. He frequently pulled Jing Qi into talking endlessly about things that happened when he was young, and the child wasn¡¯t bothered, simply quietly listening at the side. This caused Helian Pei to be considerably touched, feeling that he had treated him poorly over these years. Helian Yi kept doing his duty, conscientiously acting on his behalf to manage the Court and absolutely never deciding things in private. Every morning and evening he would visit his father with thorough courtesy (whether Helian Pei liked it or not), and he would give accounts of both huge matters and tiny situations, needing Helian Pei¡¯s ideas before he would accept his orders and go manage them. He wasn¡¯t the least bit brash because he was handling things, nor was he the least bit dejected because of Helian Pei¡¯s poor tone of voice. Lots of people didn¡¯t say anything, but as soon as this came about, they sighed endlessly about the truth of the Crown Prince¡¯s stability, where he was unaffected by the collapse of Mount Tai, knowing that the man had been hiding his strength before to have truthfully been as dependable and resolute as this. In comparison, Helian Qi and Helian Zhao, who had been jumping about randomly these years, really looked to have fallen downwind. Unawareness of one¡¯s own sight hence made them see clearly. Unawareness of one¡¯s own accuracy hence made them truthful. Unawareness of one¡¯s own glory hence gave them merit. Unawareness of one¡¯s own esteem hence made them supreme. They alone did not contend, hence there were none in the realm that could contend with them¡­ everyone could recite this book from memory, but that principle was one many people would likely never understand all their lives. Laozi and Zhuangzi had exited the world, but in the opinions of those in the world ¡ª given that they genuinely wanted to contend ¡ª they would at least have to put on an appearance of ¡®not contending¡¯. Stirring things up into an obvious secret would then be undoably stupid. Helian Qi obediently reflected upon himself at home, but Jiang Zheng¡¯s side was on edge, neither the imperial troops nor Zhou Zishu withdrawing. The old Emperor was preoccupied with season-change depression and had no spare time to harass him, but the honest-looking ¡®Second Highness¡¯ might be making up some things out of nothing. The Second Scion¡¯s devilish, off-path image was set very deep in the people¡¯s hearts. Liang Jiuxiao, in the capacity as a ¡®Hero¡¯ with an unusual sense of responsibility, couldn¡¯t feel at ease about the Jiang Estate. Added in with the painful memories he had of the Prince Estate, he wholeheartedly devoted himself to guarding Sir Jiang¡¯s home. He was very carefree and outspoken. When he had nothing to do, he was fond of talking at will and laughing about nothing, thus getting a good relationship with all levels of the Jiang Estate. Jiang Yuqing appreciated wild ¡®Heroes¡¯ like him the most because it was easier to set his mind in motion, so he became good enough friends with him to sling an arm across his shoulder. Jiang Zheng¡¯s four-year-old daughter, Jiang Xue, was nevertheless a tiny scourge that could go on the roof and take off its tiles, a little monkey that followed after Liang Jiuxiao¡¯s big monkey butt all day long. She was young and had no need for being suspicious, likely being the sole member of the Jiang Estate that felt nothing. Liang Jiuxiao had huge guts, and once snuck out while carrying her to go see Zhou Zishu and ¡®show off¡¯ to his sect-brother. Yet, he happened to accidentally bump into Helian Yi, and only angered Zhou Zishu. The eternally-collected man took out a whip and chased him as he ran halfway around the capital. The little girl Jiang Xue was an ignorant one that knew no fear, staring dim-wittedly at Helian Yi. After having a staring contest with the Crown Prince for half the day, she suddenly stuck out her pudgy little hands and grinned with her little baby teeth, calling out a crisp, ¡°Hug!¡± CH 55 The Crown Consort had a pregnancy prior, but it was lost in a month. She had wept within an inch of her life, but Helian Yi didn¡¯t have deep feelings about it, just some pity. Su Qingluan had always been squeaky clean, a bowl of medicine saving a lot of inconvenience¡­ for that reason, he had never had his own offspring. Seeing such a chubby little girl reaching out to him and watching him impatiently, he first stood in place expressionlessly for a minute, following which he slowly stooped over, put his hands under the little lady¡¯s armpits, then picked her up off the ground. Only when he lifted her did he realize something was off. The girl was plump, not a single space on her that wasn¡¯t soft, and carried the scent of milk, like she had no bones; he thus became slightly unsure of where to puts his limbs and what he ought to do next. Jiang Xue wasn¡¯t shy with strangers, though, and giggled happily as she threw herself into his arms, all her spit wiping off onto his shoulder. He side-eyed the small patch of dampness on his clothes, and the corner of his mouth immediately drew back. ¡°Li¡¯l Liang said you¡¯re the Crown Prince. Are you the Crown Prince?¡± she asked. ¡°Do you even know what a Crown Prince is?¡± he went along, finding this amusing. She nodded, gripping his clothes like an octopus monster and wanting to climb onto his shoulders to sit on them. However, they weren¡¯t wide enough ¡ª she messed around for a long time but still couldn¡¯t find a good spot for herself, so she gave up, obediently shrinking into his arms. ¡°Li¡¯l Liang said that the Crown Prince is a big official, bigger than my papa,¡± she said in a childish voice. Helian Yi couldn¡¯t resist laughing. After thinking for a bit, she said, ¡°Does my papa listen to you?¡± Getting a bit of a handle on how to hold a child, he crossed his arms and had her sit on them, one hand placed on her back. ¡°He probably does,¡± he answered with a nod. Jiang Xue got spirited, her pair of big, black-and-white, contrasting eyes blinking as she looked at him, then pulled out a small bag of candy from her lapels, putting it up to his mouth. ¡°Eat one.¡± Her hand was moistened with her own saliva, and when she grasped a piece of candy like that, she made it sticky. ¡°I¡¯m an adult, I don¡¯t eat these,¡± he was forced to say. Jiang Xue was happy, and, out of fear that he¡¯d go back on his word, very nimbly flung the candy into her own mouth. ¡°I told you to eat candy, you didn¡¯t eat it. But I still offered it to you, right?¡± she spoke vaguely. Helian Yi restrained his laughter and nodded, so she continued on, ¡°Since I offered it, can you tell my dad, and not let him scold me?¡± This time, he couldn¡¯t hold back, laughing out loudly. This girl was making such petty calculations; would she not be a little thing that caused worry when she actually grew up? For some reason, when he looked at her, he suddenly brought the young Jing Qi to mind, and his heart went unspeakably soft. Seeing that he was solely regarding her with a grin and not answering, she got anxious, and used those flabby little paws to pat him on the face. ¡°You haven¡¯t said it yet.¡± This was the first time the His Highness¡¯s face got beaten. He looked at her happily now, however, not getting mad. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll tell your dad, and he won¡¯t scold you¡­ Li¡¯l Liang took you out today. What did he say he would bring you to see?¡± Jiang Xue reached out a hand and counted on her fingers. ¡°Big horses, buying sweets, his sect-brother, the Prince.¡± Helian Yi gave an order for horses to be prepared. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said happily to her, ¡°I¡¯ll take you to see the Prince.¡± They traveled to the Prince Estate, but someone was strolling out of it, too; right at the time Helian Yi brought young Jiang Xue through its front gates, Ji Xiang was leaving it through a side gate. He knew that right now, their Prince was in the middle of lecturing the Shamanet, so all he needed was a book and a pot of tea with a maid or two dozing off at the side. There was no use for him. He went out the entrance, down a small road, and turned down a couple of alleys. Beneath a giant willow, a run-down carriage awaited, the driver watching him distantly from its side. Ji Xiang gulped and squeezed somewhat restlessly into the cabin. The driver waved his whip, and then the carriage started to roll forward, only going to areas with few people. Inside it sat a woman ¡ª or, from looking at her age, she was maybe still a girl. She had apple-like cheeks, a pair of apricot-pit eyes that watched him limpidly, and a flowery, dimpled smile. When he caught sight of her, he felt his heart go entirely weak. Reluctant to blink, even his breathing automatically came out lightly, lest it frightened her. ¡°Hua Yue¡­¡± he carefully leaned against her side. ¡°Yue¡¯r, I m-missed you.¡± The typically clever and attentive youth actually stuttered a bit, his heart pounding, and he seemed to be unable to talk. The girl he called Hua Yue lowered her head, reed-like fingers wringing a handkerchief. Face turned to the side, she softly said, ¡°What do you miss about me?¡± He merely opened his mouth with no words coming out, thinking that the lady before him didn¡¯t have one spot on her from head to toe that wasn¡¯t beautiful. From one of her glances, it was like his three immortal souls left his seven mortal ones behind, and he thus gazed at her in infatuation. She cast a look at him. Noticing his exceedingly foolish look, she laughed quietly, and leaned against him without batting an eye. There was a boom in his head, and he had nowhere to put his hands or feet ¡ª he felt that a sweet fragrance was spreading everywhere, his mind muddling into a wad of paste. When first catching sight of Xiao Ping, two layers of words of love were woven upon her gauzy clothes¡­[1] youthful feelings were always this way. Ji Xiang lifted his hand, placed it on her soft waist, then thought to himself that if he died for her right now, it¡¯d be worth it. Yet, he heard Hua Yue sigh ¡ª sorrowful, mellow, and rather delicate ¡ª so he raised her face and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hua Yue shook her head. With her cheek plastered to his chest, her apricot-pit eyes staring at the handkerchief with some absent-mindedness, and her little mouth pouting slightly, she made one feel pity looking at her. Worried, he questioned her repeatedly for a long time, and only then did she gently push him away, sit upright, and whisper to him. ¡°The Crown Prince has been coming increasingly less to our courtyard recently. Though My Lady says nothing, she cries every night, and the morning after, her eyes will be swollen¡­¡± With how he viewed her, he smiled and consoled her once he heard this. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? The Emperor is ill, so the Crown Prince is busy with Court management. How could he still have the mood to listen to songs and visit beauties? It¡¯ll be fine once this burst of busyness passes. Besides, you say your Lady is your Lady; why so anxious? I treat you well, too. When I save up enough money, I¡¯ll redeem you, and then we¡¯ll be¡­ be¡­¡± She blinked as she watched him. ¡°Be what?¡± Ji Xiang smiled stupidly. ¡°Be husband and wife. What do you say?¡± She lowered her head and laughed, the laughter almost making him throw himself into her arms. The next instant, however, she became sad again, tears falling down. Confused, he scrambled to coax her. ¡°Why are you doing that? What¡¯s wrong now?¡± ¡°Idiot. You don¡¯t understand,¡± she cried. ¡°My Lady is nothing more than an outside concubine kept by the Crown Prince. People like us aren¡¯t allowed to be someone¡¯s second wife, nor a bedservant. In the future, the Lady will grow old and her looks will fade, so he won¡¯t like her. How could we settle down and establish ourselves?¡± He was dazed, but listened to her go on, ¡°Besides that, him keeping an outside concubine is not a popular matter. The feelings are here, but no matter what, they won¡¯t be here later on, and then¡­ then, she won¡¯t¡­¡± When feelings weren¡¯t there, he would naturally want to erase this disgraceful history. As one employed in a Prince Estate, how could he not understand a little something about this situation? Ji Xiang¡¯s face promptly went white. ¡°Th-then what can be done?¡± he said, somewhat at a loss. ¡°I¡­ I might be able to beg the Prince?¡± Hua Yue grabbed his sleeve and looked at him with tears in her eyes. ¡°Who is the Prince? Who are we? How could he care about the trivial matters of such lowly people as us? Furthermore, he has a relationship with the Crown Prince. If it wasn¡¯t the latter speaking, how would he answer?¡± His entire body jolted, and he then remembered that on the day the Crown Prince was angry, Jing Qi had him hang the rabbits in the study doorway, and even told him an excuse to give him. Now that Hua Yue mentioned it, he could faintly sense that the two¡¯s relationship seemed to be a bit too abnormal ¡ª the Crown Prince¡¯s ire was inexplicable, and the Prince¡¯s words he told him to say were even more inexplicable, so the combined inexplicableness of the two sides gave a profound implication¡­ Seeing that he had heard her, she stuck to him even more bonelessly. ¡°Brother Ji Xiang,¡± she said, velvet-like, ¡°I only have you left, you¡­ you have to save me no matter what.¡± His mind was in a tangle. ¡°What way do you think would work?¡± She pressed in close to his ear, saying such and such. Ji Xiang clenched his fists and forcefully shoved her away, scowling down at her. But, upon seeing her eyes that were whirling with tears and the threats of wailing, his face softened again. Heart in a mess, he only shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± She let out a winsome sob, turning her face to the side as giant teardrops fell down it for free. Ji Xiang was endlessly distressed, and he leaned in to hug her cautiously. ¡°This¡­ can¡¯t be done. I can¡¯t do something that goes against the one I work for. We¡¯ll think of a way, we will.¡± Hua Yue curled up in his arms like a kitten, only repeating herself. ¡°I only have you, only you¡­¡± Jing Qi, at this moment, had no idea that his wall was being dug under. The little girl Helian Yi brought back was currently in a flurry; he had originally been making Wu Xi copy a book, writing one sentence for every one he lectured, only for the Crown Prince to arrive. When other visitors came, Wu Xi would normally be aware that him staying on-scene wasn¡¯t too appropriate, and he¡¯d leave of his own accord. Once he heard that the Crown Prince had come alone, however, he immediately felt upset, so he acted like he knew nothing and remained seated in wait. Helian Yi carried Jiang Xue all the way in, then pointed at Jing Qi with a wide smile. ¡°Do you see? That¡¯s the Prince Li¡¯l Liang was talking about.¡± Before Jing Qi had time to give a bow, he saw a fat little girl biting her fingers and staring at him with wide-open eyes, looking exactly like she was viewing an uncommon animal, which made him not know how to react. Helian Yi lifted his head, caught sight of Wu Xi, and couldn¡¯t help but stare. He always felt that whenever the Shamanet looked at people ¡ª especially him ¡ª his eyes were black and murky, peering at them grotesquely. He had no idea why Jing Qi was willing to be friends with this beastly man. Even so, he had to consider face, so he nodded to him. ¡°You¡¯re also here, Shamanet.¡± Wu Xi bowed to him quietly, saying nothing. Jiang Xue was more greatly interested in the living ¡®Prince¡¯ than anyone else, and she waved her fangs and claws to get out of Helian Yi¡¯s hold. ¡°Prince, hug!¡± she ordered. Helian Yi had been carrying her the whole time and his arms had long gotten sore, so he quickly took the out and stuffed the girl into Jing Qi¡¯s arms. This was not good. Jing Qi had never held such a tiny child in his whole life. With a soft, warm lump wriggling into his arms like this, he could only feel utter trepidation; out of fear that he would choke her to death if he used too much strength, his entire body went stiff. Helian Yi laughed. All children liked good-looking people. As Jiang Xue looked, she discovered that there was no one here that looked better than the ¡®real-life Prince¡¯, and decided to cozy up to him. She didn¡¯t know what a Prince was, having only heard Liang Jiuxiao say that it was a very big official, bigger than her own papa. For that reason, she got in close, smooched him noisily on the cheek (and smeared spit on his face), then took out her treasured candy again to offer it up. As expected, this Prince and the Crown Prince had the same sort of tact ¡ª both expressed that they were adults and couldn¡¯t eat children¡¯s things ¡ª so she ate another piece in perfect satisfaction. Jing Qi thoroughly liked the child and didn¡¯t grow weary of carrying her, stopping to play with her as he roamed around the courtyard. He ended up saying, intentionally or not, ¡°Xiao Xue, you¡¯ll come be my daughter, yes?¡± The smile on Helian Yi¡¯s face froze. He cast a glance at him, running right into Jing Qi¡¯s own gaze coming over, then understood what he meant, thus shaking his head and laughing like it had been a joke. ¡°Are you even old enough to act as a godfather? Wouldn¡¯t that put Young Master Jiang a generation behind for no reason? Don¡¯t talk drivel.¡± Jing Qi lowered his eyes, pausing between laughter and non-laughter. Without saying anything, he sat down, put Jiang Xue down on the floor, then told her to find herself some snacks. Jiang Xue persisted in standing before him, though. ¡°I won¡¯t be your daughter,¡± she said, completely serious. Everyone was taken aback, simply listening to her continue on, ¡°When I grow up, I want to take you as a wife!¡± She had been born to Sir Jiang late. Her family spoiled her terribly and sheltered her too much, so no one had taught her about these things before, to the extent that she still couldn¡¯t distinguish between men and women. Helian Yi laughed so much that his stomach hurt, while Jing Qi was depressed for a long time. He bent over to blow on her nose. ¡°What nonsense are you saying, little girl? It would be more like you¡¯d be my wife.¡± Jiang Xue thought it over earnestly, then shook her head. ¡°That won¡¯t do. My big brother said that good-looking people are wives. My sister-in-law looks better than him, so if she¡¯s his wife, and you look better than me¡­¡± She rather gloomily pinched the meat on her tiny arm, unhappy. ¡°He also said that I¡¯m a fat little pig!¡± Jing Qi laughed heartily. Unexpectedly, Wu Xi had come to stand behind him at some unknown point in time, and now he placed his hand on Jing Qi¡¯s shoulder all of a sudden. ¡°He can¡¯t be your wife,¡± he said to her. Jing Qi turned to look at him, wondering to himself when this brat had ever joined in the fun of teasing a kid, but he was caught off guard by Wu Xi hugging him by the neck, listening to him use the same completely serious tone as Jiang Xue. ¡°He¡¯ll be my wife in the future.¡± CH 56 As soon as Wu Xi said this, his own heart genuinely jumped about in disarray. He would never bicker with Jiang Xue, a four-year-reckoned little thing that couldn¡¯t distinguish between men and women ¡ª those words were said for Jing Qi to hear, as well as for the Crown Prince. He had received a letter from the Great Shaman a few days ago. The man was getting old, and missed him much, having the desire to hand supervision of Nanjiang over to him. Counting them up, it had been almost nine years since he had come to the capital. In consideration of the Great Shaman¡¯s age at the start, it was agreed between Nanjiang and the Great Qing that the Shamanet would be a hostage for ten years. His martial arts practice was great, while his studies were so-so, but passable. The day he would depart this land of right and wrong was already not far away. For that reason, he wasn¡¯t afraid of Helian Yi. Jing Qi had taught him that someone like Helian Yi could not do anything that threatened the security of his home country, nor could he risk the danger of war between Nanjiang and the Great Qing again from offending the sole successor of that three-thousand li of miasmatic land. He was only worried about Jing Qi¡¯s reaction. Wu Xi knew that by openly saying this under such circumstances, he was pressuring the other party. He didn¡¯t want to do this, but the time he had left in the Great Qing wasn¡¯t much. If he had a choice, he would never use this half-bullheaded approach to compel Jing Qi. In spite of this man appearing to go with the flow ¡ª seeming to be extremely satisfied with anyone and anything, nodding and agreeing with everything others said, and putting on a show of practicing tai chi when he was unwilling ¡ª Wu Xi had a hunch; his bottom line couldn¡¯t be touched. He didn¡¯t know where Jing Qi¡¯s bottom line was, but he was apprehensive in advance. Because he cared, he thus worried about the gains and losses of this. Compared to Helian Yi, who had suffered a shock, Jing Qi didn¡¯t look to have even a blink¡¯s worth of hesitation. He pulled his arm off like he was playing around, lightly pat him, then smiled casually. ¡°What crap. Misguide this young lady, and Sir Jiang will surely find your head.¡± After that, he bent over, picked Jiang Xue up once more, took a piece of silk from the maidservant attending at the side, opened it, and dug out a piece of sweet to feed to her. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to this big brother¡¯s nonsense, little lady. All you talk about is taking a wife; what¡¯ll you do if you can¡¯t get married off in the future?¡± He had just said he wanted to recognize someone as a goddaughter, but the attending Wu Xi was morphed into a ¡®big brother¡¯. Helian Yi hung his eyes and held his cup silently, not responding. He had seen Wu Xi¡¯s expression just then clearly, making him upset on the inside, though that was ultimately hidden and not expressed. Once he witnessed Jing Qi¡¯s intentional (or not) display, he was even more secure. He knew of the agreement between Nanjiang and the Great Qing, and that the Shamanet was going back in another year. He mentally sneered ¡ª this southern barbarian had started to go for Beiyuan, but how was that any different from fishing the moon up out of the water? Helian Yi originally had the worst headache from Jing Qi¡¯s nature of making a scene practically every day and occasionally going to brothels all over the place, but at this moment, he was a bit proud. He believed that the man innately ought to be living a life of luxury in his wealthy homeland, surveying the realm; apart from these thirty li beside Fullmoon River, what other place could provide for him in the infinite zhang of the mortal world? The barbarian really was a barbarian, to even have such a pointless dream. No expression could be made out on Wu Xi¡¯s face. He was constantly of few words, with even his looks accustomed to being placid and waveless, and merely rubbed the place Jing Qi had pushed his arm away in silence. Wordlessly returning to sit in his original spot, he watched Jing Qi playing happily with Jiang Xue and heard Helian Yi occasionally tease them. It was like he became an unmoving, unspeaking, unsmiling mannequin. He was tense for a long while, but he had ultimately underestimated Jing Qi¡¯s ability to beat around the bush ¡ª Prince Nan¡¯ning¡¯s bottom line couldn¡¯t be touched, but he also had the skills to prevent people from touching it. Only when the sun had set did Zhou Zishu come bringing Liang Jiuxiao, face sullen, and personally picked Jiang Xue up to take her back to the Jiang family. Liang Jiuxiao¡¯s head drooped, looking exactly like a frost-beaten eggplant, and he rolled his eyes in aggrievance from behind Zhou Zishu. Jiang Xue was worn-out from playing and unwilling to walk. She rested in Zhou Zishu¡¯s arms, lying on her stomach on his shoulder and making silly faces at Liang Jiuxiao. Helian Yi departed as well. Jing Qi sent the group of miscellaneous people off, then returned to the courtyard, only to see Wu Xi standing there brush-straight and watching him steadily. At the start, he only felt that his arm was somewhat sore from getting pressed down on by that fat little girl, but seeing Wu Xi like this made his head start to ache in succession, having quite a bit of the depression of a fine scholar coming across soldiers. The Prince should have been used to this. He always thought that there were some words on earth, with such implications, that were fine to hint at, not to be said even if everyone knew what was going on. With leaving them behind, one could still advance and retreat ¡ª why bother disclosing it and blocking off a road? He was a bit thwarted, feeling that these many years of lecturing this real-life donkey were nothing but playing a qin for a cow. Before he could say anything, Wu Xi spoke. ¡°Where am I not good enough? Tell me, no matter what it is you want me to do.¡± He practiced martial arts year-round, was tall, broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted, and very good-looking. His features had grown out, no longer the immaturity of his youth; they seemed even more cut, with distinct edges and corners like a knife had carved them out, making him an exceedingly handsome young man. Jing Qi leaned against the willow in the courtyard, arms crossing his chest, and shook his head. Wu Xi took a step forwards, somewhat restless. ¡°Tell the truth. I can change anything¡­ or do you hate me?¡± The other quietly shook his head again. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you want me?¡± Jing Qi sneered faintly. ¡°Ever since Pangu opened the universe, starting from the three monarchs and five Emperors, men have tilled and women weaved, yin and yang in harmony. This is the heavenly law of human relations. I¡¯ve lectured as much before, was it all for nothing?¡± His gaze was cast slightly downwards, his features distant, jaw slightly sharp, and expression somewhat cold. ¡°Don¡¯t cut back on me,¡± Wu Xi said. ¡°You clearly told the Emperor that you like men before¡ª¡° ¡°Me?¡± Jing Qi raised a brow, smiling fakely. ¡°In this life of mine, I need to rely on living preposterously. To say nothing of me simply fancying men, even if I told him that I liked cats and dogs and wanted to live with animals for a lifetime, he¡¯d be happy; are you the kind of person I am?¡± Not waiting for Wu Xi¡¯s answer, he flung his sleeve out and turned. ¡°I am of humble talent and shallow knowledge. I taught for so long, yet nothing got through to you. You don¡¯t need to come again, Shamanet. Do find someone more qualified.¡± However, Wu Xi took a few steps forward like a bolt of lightning and grabbed him; he didn¡¯t dare to touch him directly, only using his fingertips to pinch his wide sleeve. Trying hard to bear with it, he attemped to make his own expression look less profoundly emotionally tinted, getting his face under control only with half a day¡¯s effort, but his mind was a white expanse, with not a sentence he could say. Only after ages did a few words quietly emit from his throat. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ be mad.¡± Jing Qi watched him unresponsively. ¡°Don¡¯t be mad,¡± Wu Xi said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ll stop being like this. Don¡¯t¡­ refuse to see me¡­¡± He was panicking hard, out of fear that the other would strike him down with one ruthless word, and there would no coming back from it. Never had he felt so distressed and regretful before. During youth was the first moment of heart would pound. During youth were months and years of all sorts of seeking yet not obtaining. During youth, soft heartstrings would be pinched by someone else, a light poke putting one in so much pain that they didn¡¯t want to live. But, over the years, hearts grew calluses, and they would not have that sort of soul-exhausting affection again, too experienced in the blue sea of life to bother with its water. Unbridled drunkenness was planned, song accompanying wine, yet the potent pleasure was tasteless. Clothes had slowly gotten looser, ending with no regret; for they, the body wasted away.[1] The look the other had suddenly evoked ancient memories that Jing Qi had buried at the bottom of his heart for these many past years. He recalled his own thirty-two years of heart-scratching time, and his infatuation of sitting in wait at the Bridge of Helplessness for several hundred years. The deep weariness infatuation caused someone¡­ no one understood it better than he. He sighed quietly. ¡°Wu Xi, don¡¯t be like this. Why even bother?¡± Three hundred years ago, Zhou Zishu was also here in the middle of the night, frowning. ¡°Beiyuan, why even bother being like this?¡± he had said to him. The feeling in this, a spectator wouldn¡¯t understand. All sorts of emotions had nowhere to be laid in the human world, humanity lacking. His self from three hundred years before and the one in front of him from three hundred years after suddenly overlapped together. ¡°If¡­ if I can live to the day that you return to Nanjiang, and if the world is at peace and the weather is good at that time, and if I¡¯m able to leave the capital alive, there wouldn¡¯t be any harm in going to stay with you for a couple of years,¡± he blurted nearly uncontrollably. Wu Xi¡¯s eyes widened. He stared blankly at him as if he understood every word, but didn¡¯t know what they meant when strung together. A long while later, he trembled out, ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re promising me¡­¡± He felt like his heart was about to fly out of his chest, squeezing Jing Qi¡¯s sleeve into a shape. Jing Qi smiled bitterly. ¡°If such a day comes, I will certainly keep my promise.¡± To be able to leave the capital alive in a time of peace and good weather, retiring with his merits accomplished ¡ª that was the sole thing he had plotted for over these ten years since his reincarnation here. With one careless move, it wouldn¡¯t only be his own worthless life that would be forfeit; how could things ever be so easy? This was no more than him not having the heart to see him take things too hard like this, nor wanting to say groundless words to cajole him. Yet, it was enough for Wu Xi to joyfully forget who he was, and he nearly floated ¡ª feet not hitting the ground ¡ª out of the Prince Estate that day. It was unknown whether it was because the weather warmed up or what, but Helian Pei¡¯s illness suddenly improved, as he actually simmered through it and slowly made a full recovery. After another month passed, not only did his complexion get ruddy, but the medicine stopped, and he was even able to put on the airs of going to Court. Everyone¡¯s stirring hearts were put back down into their bellies again. Helian Zhao, the one who was most looking forward to visiting a Late Emperor, had a good couple of days where he had no drive, feeling that his old dad was tactless to be aged but not dead, thus letting his expectations down. No one was pleasing to his eye; even his newly-acquired favorite concubine gave him the opportunity to vent his anger, which scared her into losing her two-month pregnancy, and made him feel increasingly unlucky. Helian Pei had come to life again and felt that he had been blessed by the heavens. Rather proud of himself, he still remembered the unfinished matter from before his sickness, and he wasn¡¯t happy catching sight of Jiang Zheng in Court. In consequence, he found out a flaw, then demoted Jiang Zheng out of the capital, having him serve as a minor, trivial official in a small town near the border of Nanjiang. This was a special favor in consideration of the man¡¯s many years of bearing the burden of office. The climate of that area was most overcast and humid. Jiang Zheng was already more than fifty, and with the repeated frights, his health was getting all the worse. This was a faraway journey to a wild, harshly miasmatic land; he would likely kick his legs up and pass away before he got there. This was the Emperor using special means to have his life, whilst dragging his whole family into it. Helpless, he had no choice but to thank him for his grace. Others didn¡¯t think so, but Liang Jiuxiao was exceptionally dismayed. He liked the bizarre little lady that was Jiang Xue, and he knew it wasn¡¯t just him; the young Prince, his eldest sect-brother, and even the Crown Prince all liked her. The Prince had joked that, from watching her bounce around the courtyard, he felt a bit of the blessedness of a fat dog and a chubby girl guarding his gates, and whatever family had such a treasure wouldn¡¯t exchange her for a mountain of gold. Yet, that chubby girl was going to have to follow her dad to such a distant place and leave the capital. Where would there be soft yogurts, sweet cakes, and little edible figurines? Wouldn¡¯t the girl wither to thinness? The day before Jiang Zheng and his group left the capital, Liang Jiuxiao came to the Prince Estate, entering with a listless look. Jing Qi was somewhat surprised, having not expected him to arrive. ¡°What winds have blown Hero Liang here again?¡± he asked with a smile. Liang Jiuxiao sat down with a deep sigh. ¡°I¡¯m uneasy, Prince.¡± Jing Qi was quiet for a minute. ¡°No one can clearly explain the ups and downs of human life. The Emperor is already being particularly generous. There are no seating mats in the realm that won¡¯t fall apart. Perhaps this¡¯ll be Sir Jiang¡¯s paradise.¡± Liang Jiuxiao nodded. ¡°You make sense, but I still feel uneasy.¡± There was nothing good Jing Qi could say, so he sat with him for a while. It took a long time for Liang Jiuxiao to get some energy back. ¡°My sect-brother said that you got a few jugs of high-quality wine,¡± he said cheerfully. ¡°He¡¯s too busy to get away from his duties, so he had me come try it for him. I dunno¡­ hehe.¡± Jing Qi was startled for a moment, not understanding what Zhou Zishu meant. Liang Jiuxiao continued elaborating. ¡°Hey, I know that you¡¯re charitable and always pay close attention to good wine, but don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t drink much of yours. I have to go see Sir Jiang off tomorrow, I promised Xiao Xue. Grant me a couple cups to taste, and I can use that as an excuse to go back and show off to my sect-brother¡­¡± Jing Qi understood now, his heart suddenly sinking. Forcing a smile, he kneaded a paw of the sable he held. ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait, then. You two can¡¯t live under the same sky. I won¡¯t be able to catch it a minute more, and then it¡¯ll add color to you¡­ I¡¯ll take it back to the Shamanet¡¯s place, before anything else.¡± Saying so, he stood and left. Liang Jiuxiao brainlessly tched. ¡°That Shamanet¡¯s arrogance is way too big, for the Prince to have to make a trip in person over such a petty matter¡­¡± Before he could finish, the originally-docile sable that had been curled up in Jing Qi¡¯s hold bared its fangs, scaring him into quickly shutting up. Jing Qi¡¯s steps didn¡¯t stop. CH 57 Wu Xi was in the middle of preparing to eat dinner, and seeing Jing Qi come at this hour astonished him some. Jing Qi put the sable down, allowing it to go have fun in the courtyard. ¡°Give me a knockout drug that can be undetected in wine,¡± he said frankly. Wu Xi was taken a bit aback, but didn¡¯t ask, only saying to Nuahar, ¡°Go and bring that to the Prince.¡± Jing Qi paused, then suddenly called out to stop Nuahar. ¡°Is there still any of that Dream Stupor that I accidentally inhaled last time?¡± ¡°Go bring Dream Stupor,¡± Wu Xi ordered, then. Nuahar didn¡¯t dare to delay, promptly fetching a small bottle. Wu Xi took it, handed it to Jing Qi, then meticulously informed him of the dosage amount. Jing Qi forced out a smile, thanked him, and didn¡¯t remain seated, getting up and leaving. Suddenly remembering something, Wu Xi stood up. Catching up with him, he embraced him by the shoulders, then lightly patted him. ¡°No need to worry. This is a good drug. People who drink it will dream of what they want to have the most. At least in the dream, they will be very happy.¡± Jing Qi smiled lightly, shook his head, and went. Wu Xi continued to stare at his receding back in thought. ¡°Shamanet, what¡¯s the matter with the Prince?¡± Nuahar couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Why did he want Dream Stupor?¡± ¡°He has to go do something bad,¡± Wu Xi replied softly. ¡°Every single time he goes to do something bad, he has that empty sort of smile.¡± Nuahar startled. ¡°The Prince does things that are¡­ bad?¡± Wu Xi sighed and sat down once more. ¡°He¡¯s done a lot of bad things, but not one of them were what he wanted. I believe that¡¯s how he is, because I like him.¡± Liking a person, not liking a person, life within a drunken stupor, living in a drunken stupor ¡ª those were all fuzzy and confusing things. Sometimes, people had to spend their lives relying on belief. If they believed something to be true, then it was. Helian Pei sat for a rare spell in the study. He wasn¡¯t sure if it had been too long since he had stayed here or what; he felt that the things on the desk seemed to be somewhat familiar, yet also somewhat strange. He dismissed the attendants, leaving only Eunuch Xi in attendance. ¡°We sometimes think that we have done wrong,¡± he suddenly mumbled to himself. Eunuch Xi smiled apologetically. ¡°From where have these words come, Your Majesty?¡± Helian Pei raised his head and looked at him steadily, the look he had a bit dull, with peppered hair crowning his head. Although his complexion wasn¡¯t bad, he had wrinkles. His hands had fat, but his skin hung loosely, giving one the illusion of emaciation at first glance. Even if he had recovered from his sickness, he was still a senior. Excluding the dragon robe he wore, his wooden expression was exactly the one all lonely seniors in the realm had ¡ª haggard, lifeless, and with a bit of a heartbreaking, vacant hope. It was as if all he had left was that robe. It took until the time Eunuch Xi¡¯s smile had gone stiff on his face for Helian Pei to slowly speak. ¡°Good Subject Jiang has served as our Court official for many years, having toil yet no credit for it. Tomorrow¡­ tomorrow, he leaves the capital, and you¡¯ll go see him off on his excursion. Don¡¯t allow him to go to that humid and damp place to suffer. They¡¯re not going to be in the capital, so there¡¯s no need to make the many subjects frightened.¡° Eunuch Xi jolted, unable to resist raising his head to look at Helian Pei, then bowed. ¡°This slave accepts your orders.¡± People were as floating cotton, lives were as grass ¡ª the gentry and higher ranks were still so, so how would it be for ordinary citizens? If one didn¡¯t stand high enough, then they needed to be intelligent enough, heartless enough, and deeply shrewd enough to adapt to opportunities. Just to be able to live. This night, Liang Jiuxiao had a dream. He dreamed that he was in a big garden resembling the place he lived in as a child. It was halfway up a mountain and had peach blossoms as far as the eye could see; when they flourished, they seemed to cover the world. The garden was surrounded by a winding bend of shallow water that lingered all the way down the mountain, and when looked down on from the top, it looked like a faintly-seen white ribbon in a sea of flowers. The backmountain also had waterfalls, small springs, and water-like moonlight, the summit deep blue and naturally towering. And¡­ there was his sect-brother. He, who disappeared and reappeared like a ghost over these years and was busy with all sorts of routine junk, was smiling lightly, with all his features even relaxed. He carried two pots of bamboo-leaf green wine, drinking one himself as he tossed one to him, after which he told him that he said he wouldn¡¯t leave. Every year, he would return to this little garden when winter passed; once the peach blossoms bloomed, he would take him to roam jianghu with him. Liang Jiuxiao couldn¡¯t resist laughing. Yet, there was no sun nor moon in the mountains, and a thousand years had since passed in the world. By the time he woke up, it was already nightfall of the next day. He rolled up into a sit from the bed, rubbed his eyes, and stared mutely at the dark sky outside. It was a good minute before he could tell what time it was. He was a bit surprised; he felt like it was the exact same time that he had laid down, so why did he open his eyes now? He sat for a time. His head didn¡¯t hurt, but his mind was sluggish and couldn¡¯t get into motion too well. For that reason, he got up with excruciating slowness, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it down, sobering up a little then. The scene from his dream was before his eyes, which wasn¡¯t a bit like how it normally was, where he would forget most of it once he came to. Remembering Zhou Zishu¡¯s smile under the big peach blossom tree ¡ª no matter how real it seemed ¡ª entered his soul, and he couldn¡¯t help but giggle unconsciously. Suddenly, someone gently pushed the door open and came in. Seeing him awake, he exclaimed. ¡°Hero Liang, you finally woke up.¡± Liang Jiuxiao turned to see that it was Ji Xiang, then was somewhat embarrassed, rubbing his forehead. ¡°Take a good look. The Prince said the wine¡¯s strength was great, but I didn¡¯t take him seriously. I made a fool of myself once I drank too much, right?¡± Ji Xiang just smiled. ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything. Even if you drank too much, you didn¡¯t shout at anyone. Should I bring you water so you can freshen up?¡± ¡°Which shichen is it?¡± Liang Jiuxiao quickly asked. ¡°You slept for one day and one night.¡± Liang Jiuxiao was taken aback for a short moment, then stood up with a bang. ¡°Gah, that can¡¯t be, I promised Sir Jiang that I¡¯d see him off! This¡­¡± He paced in place a few times, then strongly smacked himself on the forehead a few times. ¡°Letting myself drink is letting myself screw up again!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Hero Liang. The Prince noticed that you weren¡¯t getting up when called, so he already went with all the other officials to see Sir Jiang off in the meeting this morning. He had to have explained things, so Sir Jiang won¡¯t blame you.¡± ¡°He won¡¯t blame me, but would Xiao Xue still not remember to hate me for a lifetime?¡± Liang Jiuxiao frowned, then ran out like he had made up his mind. ¡°No, I have to chase them down the official roads. Brother Ji Xiang, tell the Prince¡ª¡± His voice hadn¡¯t yet fallen before his person bounced away, no trace of him left. Currently, Jing Qi was actually in the study, standing by the window and watching. Seeing Liang Jiuxiao¡¯s image flash by and then disappear from view, there was no expression visible on his face. ¡°Prince, Hero Liang has left,¡± Ping An brought up quietly from behind him. A long time after, Jing Qi nodded. ¡°Go to where Young Master Zhou is. Let him know that I could only keep him here up until now. He¡¯ll have to do the rest by ear.¡± Ping An agreed and withdrew. Wu Xi, who was reading behind the desk, had not turned a page for a long time now. Jing Qi stared blankly out the window, and he stared blankly at his back. A minute passed, and then he saw Jing Qi suddenly use a hand to cover his chest, stoop over slightly, and lean his side against the wall. Wu Xi hurriedly stood and came next to him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked, deeply worried. ¡°My heart hurts.¡± Jing Qi¡¯s eyes closed slightly. His dense lashes trembled slightly, his brows creased into a ball, and his lips moved gently, as if he were sleeptalking. ¡°My conscience hurts¡­¡± Wu Xi stood silently beside him for a time, then slowly raised his arms and tentatively put them around Jing Qi¡¯s waist. The man wouldn¡¯t automatically lean into his embrace, of course, so he pressed in, putting his chest on his back. Through its slight curve, he could feel the other¡¯s heartbeat ¡ª it was very slow, and getting slower, seeming to have a hint of heaviness and decay. Jing Qi didn¡¯t shrug him off. Wu Xi counted his pulse unconsciously, as if by doing that, he could try to understand the man¡¯s intermittent feelings of discomposure, or could sniff out the tracks of what had happened off of him. But¡­ he couldn¡¯t. He thought sorrowfully that his world eternally went in a straight line, while Jing Qi¡¯s mind had countless circles tangled together in it, winding around until maybe not even he himself understood where they started and where they ended. Outbound the capital, past the rest stop, out the gates. Mortal sounds resonated on Xianyang road. One government lane went south, gradually getting wilder, gradually getting farther. The narrower the path became, the darker the sky was. Liang Jiuxiao ran like wild. He thought of how Jiang Zheng¡¯s group was mostly made of the old, weak, and invalid, and couldn¡¯t have traveled very fast. They were only a day away, and the congregation would¡¯ve had to stop for a rest ¡ª his on-foot journey would take half a night to get there. Along the sides of the road were several towns and villages, and he went inquiring house by house. Jiang Zheng¡¯s parade had many people and objects, so even if someone had only caught a wink of them, they would remember where they had come or gone. He followed their trail the whole journey. The further away from the capital he went, the greater the distance between settlements became. When he came to a place more than fifty li south of the capital, it happened to be the main city of the large county of Qinghe. Surmising that they were around here, he knocked on the doors of inns to ask in turn. However, he had gone knocking all over the place, and every single one of the woken-up servants had impatiently shaken their heads, as if Jiang Zheng¡¯s party had never arrived. He suddenly had an ominous premonition, jumped on his horse¡¯s back, and ran back from where he came, thinking the whole way as he sped. Someone in the town before had clearly said that they saw the group, so how did they suddenly disappear? Since they weren¡¯t staying in the country, nor in that town, where could they have gone? Could a pack of elders, children, and family property stay in a mountain forest overnight? He now slowed his speed, keeping a close eye out as he walked, and didn¡¯t even leave out the ruined temples at the wayside by going in to check them out. Most of the night had passed, but he still had nothing. He planned to improvise for the night in a ruined temple, thinking that he¡¯d wait until tomorrow morning to ask around again. With a fire lit, he intended to curl up on wildgrass for a minute, but once he laid down, his eyes suddenly swept over some marks in the corner of the room. Abruptly jumping up, he looked over the flames to see them ¡ª they were bloodstains. His pulse quickened in vain. Following along the both dark and bright stains to the back, he pushed the rear door of the abandoned temple open, and froze on the spot. The yard was filled with corpses, all collapsed in a jumble. In spite of them being mangled and mutilated, he could still make out a few familiar faces¡­ and there was a tiny figure shrunk into the wet nurse¡¯s embrace, a blade having stabbed through them both at the same time. He involuntarily let out a yell; hoarse, deep, tuneless, and discordant. The continuous sound of buzzing was in his head. He thought that this was impossible, that it was definitely an especially real dream again. The torch he held landed on the ground, rolled a couple of times, and went out. Moonlight fell down coldly, shining on those that had died with their eyes open. The infinite pain of the human world never made any distinction. Ages after, he walked out, tripping on the threshold. He staggered over to the side of Jiang Xue¡¯s little corpse and knelt down with a thud. With shaking hands, he pushed away the nursemaid that held her, but rigor mortis had already set into the woman¡¯s arms. He tried a couple of times without success. All he could see was that tiny face between the gaps in her arms. Her eyes, which had always been in crescents from laughing, were wide open, yet had no light. He stood there dumbly for a time, standing in stupefaction. ¡°No,¡± he began to mumble, ¡°I can¡¯t let Xiao Xue freeze outside¡­¡± Frantically, he searched out a space, then madly began to dig in the dirt using the the sword at his waist, but that was too slow, so he began to use his hands to snatch it, face listless. It went until someone abruptly embraced him from behind; he was already a complete mess from head to toe, and it wasn¡¯t clear whether he was digging a pit, or about to bury himself alive. He turned his head around woodenly. A large group was standing behind him with torches, the flickering lights hurting his eyes badly. Only after a long time did he recognize that it was his sect-brother, Zhou Zishu, that was holding him. He, at last, burst into tears. CH 58 Once the body died, yin and yang separated. Even though Liang Jiuxiao had once attempted to brutishly assassinate Jing Qi before, he had never truly stained his hands with human blood. Closing his eyes, the smell of earth mixed with the stench of blood and pelted down upon him, as if they were about to soundly bury him. The woman¡¯s arms that wouldn¡¯t let go in death, and the little girl¡¯s eyes staring wide like they were going to split¡­ A man not crying easily was only because he had not yet reached the point of heartbreak. He didn¡¯t know how he had gotten back to the capital, nor how he got to sleep, but he knew how he came to be scared awake from a nightmare. The instant he opened his eyes, an ardent hope arose within him that the tragedy in that dream was entirely fake, and came entirely out of his biased imagination. Once he washed his face and woke fully up, he would recall that the little girl was still living well at the Jiang house, and she would nag him about sneaking out to go bug the Prince about the godfather and wife issue. He froze there for a while, then suddenly remembered¡­ that it was all real. There was a nightmare when he closed his eyes, and a nightmare when he opened them, too. The human realm seemed to be endless and without edges. Even the torrents of the sea of bitterness were in his heart, frequently making him feel pain like he was drowning. The door was pushed open from the outside with a creak, and Zhou Zishu stood in the entryway. Liang Jiuxiao turned his head to look at him mutely, expression vacant. Zhou Zishu couldn¡¯t resist sighing, walking in to sit next to him on the bed. ¡°Can¡¯t sleep?¡± He shook his head sluggishly. Zhou Zishu sat in silence for a bit, then took him by the shoulders, just like how he had done when he was very young ¡ª though, the numbskull boy had already grown so big, it was difficult for him to fully shrink into his arms again. The latter was only able to get into an awkward pose, his body bent like a prawn, to lean against his chest. Zhou Zishu realized all of a sudden that this separation of many years had been an unfeeling era, and everyone had long been smudged until nothing remained the same of them. The Crown Prince couldn¡¯t sleep, the Prince couldn¡¯t sleep, and he himself couldn¡¯t sleep, either. And the Emperor? He was probably sleeping well in the middle of the evening, and would need to wait to be roused awake. Nevertheless, he thought incorrectly. In reality, Helian Pei wasn¡¯t asleep, and had woken up abruptly in the middle of the night. It was unknown what he had dreamed of, but his heart was palpitating somewhat. The pretty concubine next to him sat up and slowly rubbed his chest, but he couldn¡¯t fall asleep again. Once he asked the time, he figured Eunuch Xi would be back soon, so he kept his eyes open in wait. Eunuch Xi only returned at nearly fourth watch.(1-3am) This secretariat-originated eunuch was an elder in the palace, but when he came back, his hair was disheveled, and he was almost crawling away in a panic. Helian Pei shortly sat up, called for all the maids and concubines to withdraw, and leaned half of his body forward. ¡°What is it? Did Jiang Zheng have the audacity to defy the decree?¡± Eunuch Xi quickly gasped in some breaths, then threw himself to the ground, voice trembling. ¡°Answering Your Majesty, this¡­ this old slave met a group of black-clothed assassins halfway through the journey, and there was a long fight¡ª I don¡¯t know where they came from, but their arts were excellent, and I had believed that I wouldn¡¯t be seeing you ever again. But there was a whistle all of a sudden, and they all drew back. I didn¡¯t understand why this happened but didn¡¯t dare to delay, and continued to travel to catch up with Sir Jiang. The place that was planned to be reached forty li south of the city is right between counties and scarce of people. I considered ousting them from there to save some of Sir Jiang¡¯s face, and once it was done, I¡¯d order the family to continue on their way, able to pull wool over everyone¡¯s eyes¡­ who could¡¯ve¡­ who could¡¯ve known¡­¡± Helian Pei coughed worriedly. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The dozen or so members of Jiang Zheng¡¯s family have all been killed at a deserted temple, with not even the animals that accompanied them spared.¡± Helian Pei was shocked. Soon after, he suddenly grabbed the bed sheet, his fingers grasping it so tightly that they started to shake. ¡°What¡­ what did you say?¡± ¡°Your Majesty, Sir Jiang¡¯s entire family was dead in the temple for reasons unknown. The assassins didn¡¯t even deal with the bodies properly. There was a shallow pit to the side, maybe they didn¡¯t have time for it¡­ Sir Jiang and them were¡­ were just left to dry there¡­¡± Helian Pei seized his jade pillow and threw it on the ground, knocking a corner off of it. A crisp sound rang out. ¡°¡­Bastard.¡± He lowly squeezed the word out of his throat, leaning powerlessly against the headboard. ¡°Bastard!¡± Eunuch Xi didn¡¯t dare to say a word more, merely kneeling to the side. A long while after, Helian Pei spoke in quiet voice. ¡°Transmit the order to go to the Second Scion¡¯s Estate through the night and confiscate everything!¡± The chaos of battles was everywhere, but the majority of people inside the capital had no idea. They would sleep through this night to a sky transformed the next day. The Emperor wanting to kill Jiang Zheng was him bestowing grace. Eunuch Xi would naturally handle the matter of his death tidily, leave it settled for him, and allow Jiang Zheng to die on the official road in a way where even gods and ghosts wouldn¡¯t know the facts. Moreover, if the monarch wanted a subject dead, the subject couldn¡¯t not die. But what did Helian Qi do? Bought assassins, and didn¡¯t let any elder or child off! Such means made one¡¯s hair stand on end, one¡¯s heart chill! Helian Pei promptly remembered that day in the Imperial Clan Court, and what Helian Qi had said to him in tears while locked up. He thought his son had made a huge blunder, to not neglect to falsely charge his brother that was running about on his behalf while he was in prison. So malicious, so inhuman ¡ª it was simply terrifying¡­ His motive¡­ was appalling! Three thousand royal soldiers held the imperial decree up high and charged into the Second Scion¡¯s Estate without warning. In the instant of roiling turmoil, Helian Qi came out of the room of a boy he kept, his clothes not fully done. He wasn¡¯t alarmed, merely having a cold smile on his face. Eunuch Xi turned away, almost unable to bear looking at him. When daybreak came, more than thirty million taels of genuine gold and white silver were sussed out and seized from the Estate, which was nearly an entire year¡¯s worth of income for the Great Qing¡¯s public treasury. Further still were many antiques and treasures, making the rampantly accrued wealth simply infuriating. Apart from Daoist Li were a couple dozen minor practitioners, who made pills and cultivated evil methods on the daily, that were hanging out with beautiful catamites in the Estate, making a noxious atmosphere that was terrible to look at. In addition, there was a receipt ¡ª thirty-thousand taels of silver bought Sir Jiang¡¯s life. The evidence was a mountain. However, during the entire period his house was getting raided to the time he was bound in the palace, Helian Qi¡¯s expression was utterly calm. He knelt properly before Helian Pei as if he had done nothing wrong. ¡°Helian Qi, do you know your crime?¡± Helian Pei coldly asked. Helian Qi sized up his surroundings, and discovered that outside of his father¡¯s couple of trusted aides, not even the Crown Prince was present. He couldn¡¯t resist mentally sneering. The older this old man actually got, the more heavily paranoid, and the more fond of his reputation, he became. The corner of his mouth curved. ¡°Father Emperor, crimes have been added onto me. I have no worries, nor anything to say.¡± Helian Pei was angered straight into trembling, and smashed a teacup onto the other¡¯s forehead. ¡°You¡­ you¡­ unfilial son¡­ you¡¯re actually this insane, to purchase the assassination of a Dynasty offical, not even sparing the elders and children?! Everyday, I teach you benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, truthfulness ¡ª was it all said for dogs to hear?!¡± Helian Qi softly closed his eyes. ¡°Father Emperor, I¡ª¡° ¡°You still want to object?! Then what is this?!¡± Helian Pei slapped that receipt onto the table, anger sky-high as he glared at his former son. Helian Qi went on anyways. ¡°¡ªonly want to ask you something. In light of the statements of those gentlemen that had raided my house, how did you find out about those recently-dead people in the wilderness so quickly?¡± He appeared somewhat crazed, glancing at Helian Pei with a not-smile. The expression on the latter¡¯s face froze. Father and son both stared coldly at each other, as if the one opposite them wasn¡¯t a blood relative, but a foe they could never reconcile with. After a while, Helian Pei spoke flatly, and without emotion. ¡°Lock him in the Clan Court. You want to go mad, so you can go in there and be mad for a lifetime.¡± Helian Qi cackled like an owl. As he was forcibly dragged out, that laughter still echoed from the side, sounding extraordinarily shrill. He staggered along the whole way, swaying from side to side as he was pulled outside, but, at the doorway, he saw Helian Yi hastily rush up to beg for leniency, and his laughter just stopped. Helian Yi looked at him like he couldn¡¯t take this. ¡°Brother, bear with it a bit for a couple of days. I¡¯ll go and speak with Father Emperor, you¡ª¡° ¡°Helian Yi.¡± Helian Qi cut him off, opening those evil and beautiful eyes wide, and paused between every word. ¡°You are tremendous. I can¡¯t fight you.¡± Helian Yi stopped talking, only watching Helian Qi open his mouth and say in a low voice: ¡°There will be retribution.¡± The guards dragging him hurriedly pulled him away from before the Crown Prince. As they pulled him far away, Helian Qi kept looking back, staring at Helian Yi with a fake smile, and repeating himself until his voice could no longer be heard. ¡°There will be retribution.¡± Jing Beiyuan had told Zhou Zishu that too many wrongdoings would bring ruin to oneself, and that was a principle that applied to any one, at any place, at any time. Helian Qi went to prison to be incarcerated for his entire lifetime; that news spread around, and his final ensemble abandoned his sinking ship. Su Qingluan paced back and forth in a room without end, her mind in tumult. All of a sudden, the door was pushed open, and her personal servant, little Hua Yue, entered with swift steps from the outside. ¡°My Lady, have you heard¡ª¡° Su Qingluan quickly held up a finger to shush her. Hua Yue quieted her voice. ¡°My Lady, His Second Highness has been imprisoned. We have to save him.¡± Su Qingluan and she had both been bought from their troupe by Daoist Li, departing that depraved profession, and she knew that the Second Scion was their great benefactor. She had also peeked at Helian Qi from a distance before. Whether by coincidence or not, he just so happened to raise his head like he had sensed it, and met with her gaze, smiling slightly at her. In her mind, he thought that the Second Highness was a god-like figure, so noble and beautiful. Knowing herself to be lowly and unworthy of yearning for him, she thus wanted to do anything for him. Even if she died like this, her worries would be over with. Su Qingluan immediately jumped in fright on hearing that. ¡°S¡­ s¡­ save him?¡± she asked, dazed. ¡°What means do I have to save him?¡± ¡°He was framed by someone. I have an insider, we will find a way to expose this¡­¡± ¡°Who did it?¡± Su Qingluan asked hurriedly. Hua Yue laughed coldly. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell, My Lady? Who else could it be, aside from the Crown Prince?¡± Su Qingluan¡¯s eyes widened, and she stared at her incredulously. ¡°Is that the truth?¡± Hua Yue nodded. ¡°It is absolutely the truth. No matter how daring this maid is, I would never dare to dupe you like this, My Lady. I won¡¯t keep it from you; that insider is at Prince Nan¡¯ning¡¯s Estate, and he¡¯s the Prince¡¯s personal attendant, Ji Xiang.¡± Su Qingluan watched her with endless bewilderment for a time, then suddenly calmed down, her mind also getting to work. Lowering her eyes, she replied in a hushed voice, ¡°This cannot be spoken of. You will never bring this up again. If you do, I cannot keep you here.¡± Hua Yue was taken aback, ¡°My Lady, what are you saying? The Second Scion is¡ª¡° ¡°He was kind to us, of course,¡± Su Qinluan impatiently interrupted her, ¡°and we¡¯ve lied in wait by the Crown Prince¡¯s side for him. We don¡¯t owe him anything. Now that the trend of his downfall is a certainty, who else could we count on, aside from the Crown Prince? You must shut your mouth tight.¡± Hua Yue opened her mouth, speechless. ¡°I¡¯ll ask you this.¡± Su Qingluan gazed at her with a somewhat fierce look. ¡°Do you want to survive, or not?¡± Hua Yue nodded mutely, and Su Qingluan reached out to caress her tender and adorable face. ¡°Good, then. Listen to me. To not only allow yourself to live, but live well for the rest of your life¡­ go to the Prince Estate and think of a way to invite Ji Xiang out. The faster, the better.¡± Hua Yue watched her for a long time, then made up her mind on something. Gritting her teeth, she nodded, and left. CH 59 On the daily, Jing Qi would take a trip to morning Court at dawn as usual. If he had nothing to do after, he would frequently go out for another trip, only willing to come back once he was infected by the scent of alcohol and rouge, and take a nap at noon. Sometimes, Wu Xi would come over in the afternoon. Sometimes, no one would come, and he would just sleep through. No one knew how many things could pass by in his mind, as he instead appeared to be always somewhat lazy, like he hadn¡¯t yet woken up. When evening came, he was slightly more energetic. Sometimes, he would go to Zhou Zishu¡¯s place, and sometimes, he would sit by himself in the study to read some things, typically not calling for anyone to come in and attend to him. Outside of Ping An occasionally coming in to grind new tea, others wouldn¡¯t approach. The subordinates of the Prince Estate were very relaxed, goofing off and avoiding work on normal days; even if Jing Qi or Steward Ping An caught sight of that, they would most likely turn a blind eye. These years, apart from that one time Jing Qi went out, met with an assassination attempt, then came back to rectify things, and apart from him getting annoyed by Ping An¡¯s nagging, no one else had the fortune of hearing even an unpleasant phrase coming from the Prince¡¯s mouth. Ji Xiang had been following Jing Qi for these years, and was confident that his everyday actions were mastered to the point that they weren¡¯t lacking in the slightest. Despite the fact that every time he went out to rendezvous with Hua Yue, he acted very carefully, didn¡¯t dare to stay there for too long, and only chatted and pined, it still made him exceptionally uneasy. He knew that Hua Yue was waiting for him at the rear entrance. According to the norm, at this time every day, the Prince ought to be napping; however, for some reason, Jing Qi appeared to have decided to hang in the study today. He was reclining against the soft couch as he held a book, reading it idly, and had even drunk through two pots of tea. Ji Xiang was slightly anxious, but he didn¡¯t dare to show signs of that. After enduring it for a long while, he cautiously probed, ¡°Master, isn¡¯t it time for you to rest? Are you not sleeping today?¡± Jing Qi lazily mn¡¯ed, but his gaze didn¡¯t leave the book. Ji Xiang pursed his lips. Once a short moment passed and he saw that he wasn¡¯t answering, he thus boldly asked, ¡°Master, you¡¯re used to sleeping normally, so you should take a nap for a minute, right? Be careful to not get a headache in the afternoon.¡± Then, Jing Qi raised his head to look at him. It wasn¡¯t clear whether it was intentional or not, but those peach blossom eyes had a bit of an overtone of wanting to laugh, yet weren¡¯t, though his gaze was not soft at all. When it floated over, it was like a small knife lightly stabbed Ji Xiang, producing a current of restrained chilliness. Ji Xiang¡¯s heart abruptly went cold, getting the overall feeling that the Prince seemed to know something. However, the next instant, he calmed once more. He was confident in his utter familiarity with both this Estate and his Master, and that he absolutely hadn¡¯t given the jig up. This moment was nothing more than him being used to witnessing his Master¡¯s typical sly tricks, which then gave rise to a slight misperception stemming from reverence. Besides¡­ he was just a grown boy liking a lady. If the other genuinely knew of it, what major problem would there even be? For that, he nervously settled his heart. ¡°The tea is strong today,¡± he heard Jing Qi say. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten tired, but I can¡¯t sleep. In any case, tomorrow I¡¯ll rest and bathe; there¡¯ll be no rush to get up early, so I¡¯ll make up for it then.¡± Ji Xiang thought to himself that he was apparently going to have to wait for the Shamanet to arrive for the other¡¯s attention to be diverted, and she would have to wait for a little bit longer. With an affirmation, he obediently stood beside him. Jing Qi¡¯s attention returned to the page of the book again. Ji Xiang steadied somewhat, stooping to replenish Jing Qi¡¯s tea once more. All of a sudden, he witnessed Jing Qi turn a page, then speak to him with unknown intentions without looking at him. ¡°Don¡¯t let that young lady wait for too long. Go, get someone to invite her in. Let me take a look.¡± The pot Ji Xiang held fell to the floor with a crash. He lifted his head in alarm, took a half-step back, and knelt on the ground with soft knees. ¡°M¡­ Master¡­¡± Jing Qi ignored him. Someone promptly and silently came in to clean up the floor. A short moment later, the apprehensive little Hua Yue was accepted into Jing Qi¡¯s study. She had been following Su Qingluan from the start, so she had met Prince Nan¡¯ning before. Previously, she had only felt that he was an elegant and cute young man that was quite generous in his actions, and he did foppish things without a foppish air, having always treated them with extreme courtesy. Yet, right now, a trembling panic senselessly arose from the bottom of her heart. She knew that this man was the Crown Prince party¡¯s most deeply-hidden strategist, but that was ultimately a matter between men, having no relevance to them at all as well as being something of a faux-pas. Now, it appeared that she had only come to know of a drop of the true colors of this somewhat excessively beautiful Prince. Jing Qi lightly smiled and nodded. ¡°Miss Hua Yue, sit.¡± She hadn¡¯t expected that he would still remember her name, and didn¡¯t know how deep that went. Giving a blessing-bow, she sat down in a chair in accordance with his words and braced herself to bear with Jing Qi¡¯s measurement. ¡°This boy Ji Xiang is very insensible, to have a young lady dryly wait outside the back entrance for such a long time,¡± Jing Qi said leisurely. ¡°This Prince has already punished him just now.¡± Hua Yue looked askance at Ji Xiang¡¯s deathly pale face as he knelt on the floor. Suddenly, with a confidence that came out of nowhere, she stood up, then came in close to him and knelt as well. ¡°Prince, this maid has something to request that you fulfill.¡± The Prince, who had always widely been known for being kind to women, currently seemed to have transformed into a different person. Watching this young lady and Ji Xiang kneel together on the icy ground like it was no big deal, he unhurriedly lifted the lid of his tea cup, took a sip, and smiled. ¡°What are you doing, Miss?¡± ¡°Prince, Brother Ji Xiang and I have had feelings for each other for a long time. I¡­ know that my own status is lowly, and unworthy of him. In the future, I will act even as a concubine or a slave to be able to wait upon him for a lifetime, and will also be willing to know both heat and cold on his behalf.¡± Jing Qi thought that the girl was pretty courageous and a truly talented person, but no change in weather could be gleaned from his surface. ¡°Is that right? I had no idea,¡± he replied indifferently. All of a sudden, Ji Xiang wordlessly used force to knock his head onto the ground. His forehead quickly bruised, and faint wisps of blood oozed downwards, giving quite a sense of having a broken head with blood pouring out. Hua Yue, who was watching from beside him, couldn¡¯t help but feel terror in her heart. ¡°Prince¡­¡± she implored in a whisper. Jing Qi chuckled, then spoke to Ping An, who had come to silently stand behind him at some unknown point in time. ¡°Take a look. This Prince has become a vile man that beats mandarin ducks with a club.¡± Ping An regarded Ji Xiang¡¯s incessant kowtowing with a poor expression. ¡°You came to look for him,¡± Jing Qi continued. ¡°What for?¡± ¡°I had¡­¡± She felt her own voice shake a bit, so she cleared her throat to speak clearly and completely. ¡°I had thought myself to be lowly, with words that carry little weight, so I planned to bring Brother Ji Xiang back to find my Lady and seek her grace, then ask her to come forward to seek the Prince. I didn¡¯t expect that you would find out¡­¡± ¡°Mn.¡± Jing Qi nodded, speaking calmly. ¡°If I knew nothing about everyone that found my Estate¡¯s doorway, I would be quite dead.¡± Hua Yue jumped in fright. ¡°I didn¡¯t have the intent to offend you, Prince¡­¡± she said quickly. He waved her off, then shot a glance at Ji Xiang. ¡°Alright. Stop kowtowing.¡± Ji Xiang prostrated himself. ¡°Master, I¡­¡± Jing Qi lowered his eyes. ¡°Since another household¡¯s maiden has come to the door wanting to bring you to see her Lady, you may as well go ¡ª given that Lady Su nods her head, this Prince will naturally be happy to fulfill this for you.¡± Saying this, he stopped and smiled. Seeing Ji Xiang stare at him with a stupid, disbelieving look on his face, he then said pointedly, ¡°It¡¯s merely that you, Ji Xiang, are going to Lady Su¡¯s place, so you¡¯ll need to pay attention to propriety. Don¡¯t lose my Estate¡¯s face.¡± Ji Xiang was nearly about to cry. ¡°Master, thank you for your grace, thank you!¡± Jing Qi hooked up the corner of his mouth, but ultimately didn¡¯t reveal a complete smile, waving him off. ¡°Both of you can go.¡± Once Ji Xiang and Hua Yue fled together, Ping An let out a long sigh, and knelt down without a word. Jing Qi looked at him, then sighed with some exhaustion, extending a hand to pull him up. ¡°Get up.¡± Ping An knelt there stubbornly. ¡°Master, this steward Ping An holds a cozy position, yet allowed something like this to happen under my control. Please enact punishment.¡± Jing Qi sneered. ¡°Punishment for what? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to use that effort for some proper business? Go to the front hall and let Miss Su know that I¡¯ve already released those two, and ask her¡­¡± His words stopped here, the rest of them swallowed back down, after which he merely patted the back of Ping An¡¯s head lightly. ¡°Go on.¡± Ping An looked at him, unable to speak despite wanting to, and ended up also swallowing his words back down, standing up to quietly withdraw. Having missed today¡¯s afternoon nap, it was truly as Ji Xiang had said; Jing Qi was a bit drowsy in the head after sitting for a while, and he sighed at himself for seriously being spoiled. Then, he heard someone outside the door report that the Shamanet had come. He still didn¡¯t get up, continuing to recline on the couch. With his eyes half-closed, he saw Wu Xi enter, nodded lethargically, and told him to sit. ¡°I¡¯ll lean here for a minute. Go find books to read first and call for me when the minute¡¯s done.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Before he could answer that, Wu Xi had put a hand on his forehead to test, after which he grasped his wrist to carefully examine him. He felt at ease afterwards, knowing that Jing Qi was only having another flare-up of his laziness disease. Viewing his complexion, however, he furrowed his brows again. ¡°Why are you unhappy?¡± Jing Qi was startled, opening his eyes. ¡°When did I ever say I was unhappy?¡± ¡°I knew it with one look. Get up, don¡¯t lean. You¡¯re not ill, but your laziness will make you ill. I will bring you out.¡± Jing Qi sneered and didn¡¯t budge one cun. ¡°You¡¯ll bring me out? Are you ready to spread your wings, boy? You¡¯ve only walked the streets of the capital a couple rounds before, yet you still dare to say that you¡¯ll bring me out?¡± Wu Xi decided that directly getting into action would be faster, so he leaned over to pick the other¡¯s entire body up off the couch. Jing Qi thus used his elbow to not-softly jab him, forcing him to let go, and didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. ¡°What are you doing, kidnapping me? There¡¯s no use in that. Our resident cheapskate Ping An definitely won¡¯t fork up the cash.¡± ¡°I want you to go out and distract yourself,¡± Wu Xi replied. Jing Qi faced off with him for a long time, but ultimately lost against his determination. Thinking to himself that everything really did have a weakness, and that he had no way to deal with this little toxin, he stood up with swaying limbs. ¡°You¡¯re fearsome. Let¡¯s go, where to?¡± Wu Xi beamed. The two of them rode right out the city. Soon, the ten-year period would be satisfied, and Wu Xi¡¯s days in the capital were numbered. Normally, he didn¡¯t show his face and spoke little, making people think him all the more mysterious, imposing, and isolated, where no one dared to rashly provoke him. With his present ability, he would likely be able to act freely in the imperial forbidden city, to say nothing of a trip outside the capital. In this manner, the rule that the hostage couldn¡¯t exit the city was an empty shell. It was right in the season of spring flowers decaying. Hoofbeats startled the flowers into falling, the flowing wind revolving around; upon arrival at that abandoned, unmanned spot, he let loose and dashed forwards, giving one a sense of high aspirations. All of a sudden, Wu Xi hauled in the reins, turned over, and jumped off, smiling at Jing Qi. ¡°Come down, follow me.¡± Jing Qi dismounted, and followed him for a spell in a walk of both steep and light steps; the ground was bumpy and full of stones, and still had traces of rain left behind from the night before. Soon following, they abruptly turned to a tiny valley, and the field of view quickly opened up wide. Passing through its middle was a narrow, limpid stream, the sound of a mountain spring still able to be faintly heard. There were broad fields neighboring the capital that had no tall mountains, only small hills like this ¡ª but it had a special sort of uniqueness. Walking along the flow of the water, it got wider and wider the further they went. Grass grew and orioles cried on both shores, and flowers fell into the running water, as if it was a Peach Blossom Spring. ¡°This flows to the inside of the city, but is it Fullmoon?¡± Jing Qi asked. Wu Xi nodded. The other sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that a strip of water so heavy with makeup could actually be this clear.¡± Wu Xi took his hand. ¡°Come over here.¡± Jing Qi went with him on another journey through an area of some twists and turns, then caught sight of the mountain spring that he had heard prior, yet hadn¡¯t seen the image of. It came out of nowhere, suspended upon a cliff; at the area where the current was rapid, white droplets sprayed out, and they made a tiny cascade, painting a rainbow in the sky. The plants on the ground were velvety. Jing Qi straight-up sat down, generally sensing that there seemed to be an abnormal freshness in the air, like the scent had been washed clean by the water. The gloomy feeling within him really did vanish a little. Wu Xi sat down beside him. ¡°You all don¡¯t have tall mountains here, yet a place like this could still be found. If it was our Nanjiang¡­¡± He paused, because Jing Qi had turned to look at him with a grin. He wasn¡¯t sure when it had started, but the latter felt that this kid couldn¡¯t go three sentences without talking about Nanjiang¡¯s goodness, as if he was eager to sell it to him. Realizing this himself, Wu Xi reddened, smiled, and said nothing. When he smiled, the glum, detached aura he had was shed entirely, and he resembled big, bashful, unusually adorable kid. ¡°If you¡¯re unhappy in the future, I¡¯ll bring you here to distract yourself. Is that okay?¡± Jing Qi didn¡¯t nod, nor did he shake his head, only sighing. ¡°This is a good spot.¡± He then stretched out his back and laid down on it. Wu Xi hesitated, then tentatively came in close, leaning over to kiss him on the face at flying speed. ¡°Don¡¯t mess around,¡± Jing Qi said with a smile. Seeing that he wasn¡¯t angry, Wu Xi reached out and hugged him in full content, then turned onto his side. Burying his face into his shoulder, he took in the faint scent coming off of his clothes, and closed his eyes. The mountain stream flowed, the clean breeze blew past, and that man was in his arms. CH 60 The instant the words ¡®I have to save the Second Scion¡¯ came out of Hua Yue¡¯s mouth, Su Qingluan got the mind for murder. She had the sudden realization that the girl before her was greatly ambitious, and no longer that ignorant young lady that had just been bought and followed after her. When Hua Yue had hooked up with the Prince Estate¡¯s Ji Xiang at the onset, she had tacitly accepted it, as she also wanted to imitate those major figures that conversed like they were playing go by burying a chess piece like this. However, she very soon discovered that Ji Xiang held a dread towards Jing Beiyuan that exuded from his bones; even in the face of his beloved woman, he didn¡¯t dare to relent a tiny bit. And she, the one who had been place in closest proximity to the Crown Prince by the Second Scion, had utterly no way to be useful. The initial honeyed affection had passed, and all she knew was what they called ¡®crabapple flowers decline as easily as a man¡¯s feelings, the flow of water as infinite as sorrow.¡¯[1] What was in that man¡¯s chest was his home and country, and he had a moon-like life that the stars curled around. She was no more than a minor songstress that sang upon Fullmoon River, an performing plaything for the whole city to enjoy. No matter how dumb a woman was, she could distinguish between what were true feelings and what were false. From that bit of deep love could hidden ire be born, from the hidden ire was resentment born ¡ª after that, the huge dream was presently woken up from, and then the heart was as cold as iron. Dear women ought not to indulge in gents! Gents indulge, and still get spoken of. Women indulge, and do not get spoken of.[2] Now, she wanted nothing more than to keep on living in wealth and glory like this. Hua Yue might have had her own tiny calculations, but she didn¡¯t comprehend the matters those major figures had at all. Even if what she had said was the truth ¡ª that the Second Scion had been framed and blame-shifted by someone ¡ª the real cause of his imprisonment certainly didn¡¯t stop at that, and he had to have committed a disastrous taboo that would have gotten him lifelong jail. Sometimes, a matter¡¯s truth wasn¡¯t so important in the least. Su Qingluan knew that this time, Helian Qi really had no way to recover from this. At this moment, if she didn¡¯t know what it was to be smart and allowed Hue Yue to do something stupid, she was likely not going to able to ensure her own life, either. Even insects snuck around for their lives! Once a woman had determined a most savage resolution, she would either see it done to the end, or not do it at all. On one side, she sent Hua Yue off with an excuse, and on the other, she stealthily disguised herself and took a shortcut to the Prince Estate. Ji Xiang was different from Hua Yue; he was a servant of the Estate, and the beating of a dog depended on its Master. It was probable that the Prince still didn¡¯t know that there was such a double-crosser in his Estate; she wanted to sell this favor to him. She feared Helian Yi from the bottom of her heart. Her feelings had vanished, and only fear remained ¡ª fear of the cold light in that man¡¯s eyes, and because accompanying the monarch was like accompanying a tiger. Even so, she had an odd hunch that, if there came a day that she really was to die by the Crown Prince¡¯s hands, only the Prince could save her when the time came. Jing Qi indeed hadn¡¯t expected it. For one, Ji Xiang was genuine too familiar with his everyday customs, and had acted quite carefully. For two, Ji Xiang had been following his side for over a decade. Even though it couldn¡¯t compare with Ping An¡¯s accumulated camaraderie of several lifetimes, he was still a child he had watched grow up and diligently educated. He was guarded against the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and major officials both civil and military ¡ª if he also needed to be fearfully guarded against even the household members right under his nose, wouldn¡¯t a life like that be a bit too senseless? The colder people looked, the deeper their feelings were in reality. The more filthy things people saw, the more they wanted to cherish some good things in their hearts. At times, they always hoped to be able to believe in some people, and regret parting with some people. Jing Qi thought that cherishing old affections like this was terrible, and he really was getting old. Hearing what Su Qingluan meant¡­ the Crown Prince¡¯s affairs, his affairs, and Zishu¡¯s affairs were things Ji Xiang naturally wasn¡¯t clear on. It was merely that he was in a pavilion near the water at the Prince Estate, and he was clever, so he could have guessed some clues. Jing Qi had his own plans in doing things, and he never brought them up lightly, even to Ping An. It wasn¡¯t that he refused to trust in others; he simply felt that these villainous matters, if possible, were fine for him to know, while anyone else wasn¡¯t to be frightened. However, he had also never painstakingly avoided taboo around them before. Before Su Qingluan finished, he nodded absent-mindedly, and spoke like he was sighing. ¡°Act how you see fit, Miss. This Prince will merely act like I know nothing of it.¡± Therefore, he had someone get Ji Xiang to wait on him in the study while he held a book, mechanically flipping through the pages when he, in fact, didn¡¯t read a single one. Out of the corner of his eyes, he glanced the youth making an extreme effort to repress his expression ¡ª pretending that everything was fine, yet looking apprehensive ¡ª and the ache in his heart was simply unbearable to speak about. And no one could speak of it. Steward Ping An was an expert at financial management; upon running into these calculative matters, both of his eyes practically clouded over. It was likely that, to date, he still ignorantly didn¡¯t know what had happened, and, to date, entirely believed himself to be wise and powerful enough to foresee everything, watching Ji Xiang the whole time with only a cool eye¡­ But he wasn¡¯t a god. Jing Qi vacantly thought that he himself wasn¡¯t a god, either. He was used to typically having a nonchalant expression on at all times, but it wasn¡¯t like he could actually see five hundred years into the future and think of responses to everything in advance. He was just¡­ broken-hearted, and couldn¡¯t allow anyone to tell that he was. What he had said prior to Ji Xiang¡¯s departures could be considered his final act of extreme benevolence to him ¡ª if you¡¯re able to completely repent, if you still have even a bit of your heart still with me, then you know what to say and what not to say, and will make Su Qingluan know you as a loyal servant. This was for the sake of gaining a favor with me, anyhow, and she wouldn¡¯t move against me. If so¡­ Then fate will go by Heaven¡¯s will. A breeze faintly picked up. Wu Xi took off his outer robe, unfolded it, and covered them both. Jing Qi didn¡¯t open his eyes, but he abruptly grabbed his hand, startling him, and was heard to mumble like he was sleeptalking. ¡°I hate to do it. Someone like that, just¡­ gone, all of a sudden, I hate it¡­¡± Wu Xi didn¡¯t know who he was talking about, yet sensed that it was rare, and certainly not easy, for this man that never showed his emotions to speak some truth. Getting somewhat overwhelmed from this favor, he didn¡¯t dare to even breathe heavy as he waited for him to keep going. Jing Qi sighed, eyelids lifting slightly. The daylight inclined minutely. His gaze was in disarray, eyes appearing somewhat blank. ¡°But there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡± He chuckled miserably, let go of Wu Xi¡¯s hand, then reached out a finger and lightly tapped him on the center of his chest. ¡°Tell me, what are you made of inside? Say that you¡¯ve a wolf¡¯s heart and a dog¡¯s lungs, and I¡¯m afraid I¡¯d tarnish even those¡­¡± Wu Xi abruptly reached out to cover his mouth, silently holding him tightly in his arms ¡ª in my heart, you¡¯re a great person. Don¡¯t say such dispiriting things. If you won¡¯t take that seriously, I will. Hua Yue and Ji Xiang exited the Prince Estate. She pulled a piece of thin silk out and carefully wiped the wound on his forehead clean. He suddenly grabbed her hand, gazing at her with scorching eyes. ¡°Yue¡¯r, I will never let you down.¡± Her heart jolted, and she raised her eyes to look at him. He laughed gently. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry.¡± At that instant, the extremely earnest expression on the sorry face of the youth who had been foolishly deceived by her this whole time made her heart thump. Those sweetened words that were about to come out of her mouth got stopped up in her throat, stuffing up until she felt exceedingly unwell. She dove into his arms, closing her eyes. She thought: Brother Ji Xiang, I¡¯ll be taking advantage of you for the final time. After today, I will follow you unswervingly, for the rest of your life. I will compensate my whole life for the schemes and poor treatment I gave to you before. In one¡¯s life, they had to know kindness and attempt to recompense it. Utter loyalty was not only for peerless figureheads ¡ª she had owed the Second Highness prior, but she had repaid him now. In the future, she would owe Brother Ji Xiang alone. Thinking this way, she suddenly felt certain, and she relaxed by a lot. For that reason, she gently parted from Ji Xiang¡¯s embrace, smiling brilliantly. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said clearly. Liang Jiuxiao was, of course, drinking by himself in a restaurant, a great many things that he couldn¡¯t figure out going on in his mind. These days, his sect-brother was constantly distracted by attending to him. Regarding both his side here and the Crown Prince¡¯s side there, everyone was haggard, and he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Every day, he would simply say he was relieving his worries, take a stroll out by himself, and drink a couple of jars of wine at some tall building. Getting dead drunk resolved his worries for a while, after which he would lay down on the table and take a nap. Then, he would ask the proprietor for a bucker of hot water, wash the scent of alcohol off of himself, and muster the strength to force a smile, allowing Zhou Zishu to fret less. The young lady singing in the restaurant finished her song, then held a small dish and went around seeking for tips. She came before him, and though he hadn¡¯t heard much of her song, it would be bad to disappoint her, so he took out some tip money and placed it onto her plate. ¡°Thank you, Uncle,¡± she said in a delicate voice. She thanked him for the tip, yet she still didn¡¯t leave. He couldn¡¯t resist lifting his head to look at her, only to witness her take a look around, then draw her hand out from her sleeve, a tiny piece of paper in her palm. ¡°Someone entrusted me with giving this to you,¡± she said quietly to him, ¡°saying that if you wanted to know who the murderer was, you should go here.¡± He immediately sobered more than halfway up, but before he had time to ask for clarification, she gave him a pileup of words. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything, I¡¯m just doing this for someone else. Don¡¯t make things hard for me, Uncle.¡± Sure enough, she was a slippery character that had mingled in the common streets. He opened the paper up and saw an address written in tiny characters on it. Frowning, he put payment for the alcohol on the table, turned, and left. He was familiar with the capital, but he still felt that this place was out-of-the-way. Finding it was difficult. Seeing the tall-built courtyard walls, he first turned passersby and asked, ¡°Who lives here?¡± In a string of successive questions, none could be clearly answered; they were apparently a hermit. Getting suspicious, he silently wound around to the back wall and put his lightfoot skill to use by flipping inside. The whole journey, he prudently avoided maids that came and went as they were ordered around, the discovered that there were only women here, which made him feel kind of awkward. Right when he wasn¡¯t sure where to go, he saw two people swiftly come in the entrance. One was a beautiful girl, and the other one¡­ was Ji Xiang of the Prince Estate? Liang Jiuxiao furrowed his brows, vaguely detecting that something was quite off, and followed them in secret. Seeing them enter a place that seemed to be the main building, he walked to be below the foot of the wall and bent his ear to listen. His martial arts had been taught a bit by Zhou Zishu, so his lightfoot and hearing were both excellent. Listening like this, he could distinguish that there seemed to be quite a number of people hidden in the room, all of whom had martial arts and knew how to repress their breathing, like they were imperial guards. All he heard was a woman¡¯s nice-sounding voice ringing out to strike down upon his head. ¡°Hua Yue, you little bitch, kneel for me!¡± Soon following came the sound of teacup falling to the ground, and another female voice came. ¡°My Lady, I¡ª¡° ¡°Kneel!¡± The woman¡¯s voice raised up, after which she took two deep breaths, then toned herself down. ¡°Young Master Ji Xiang, I truly am sorry to have sought you out in such a way¡­ can you guess what this double-crossing little slut said to me before?¡± ¡°Miss Su, what are you doing?¡± Ji Xiang said after. ¡°Just say what you have to say, what mistake has Yue¡ª Miss Hua Yue made?¡± ¡°Do blame me for not controlling a wench under my control,¡± the woman said coldly. ¡°One moment of inattention, and the wench¡¯s ambitions grew big; she has climbed onto the Second Scion.¡± Shocked, Liang Jiuxiao couldn¡¯t help but gather forward even closer, not daring to let a word slip. ¡°You said you were collecting a high branch?¡± The woman spoke again. ¡°And now what¡¯s happened these couple of days? Now, you can see that the Second Scion is convicted, yet you still don¡¯t know your place, to have insanely said the words of ¡®needing to save the Second Scion¡¯! What are you? Is there any margin for you to butt into the affairs of gentlemen, and the Dynasty?!¡± Ji Xiang appeared to be a bit dumbstruck, only mumbling out after half the day, ¡°Miss Su, where¡­ where have these words come from?¡± ¡°She said to me that the Second Scion was unjustly accused of murdering a Dynasty official. She said that to me herself, Young Master¡­¡± The woman laughed coldly. ¡°I know how shameless this bitch acts, to still want to implicate you when her death quickly approaches. Does she think the Prince Estate has no standards?! I invited you here today for nothing other than one thing ¡ª to have you confront her, and to make her death one that she understands! Come, arrest her!¡± A burst of movement was heard. It was probably the guards hidden at the side coming to arrest the young woman. Ji Xiang immediately knelt down. ¡°Be merciful, Miss Su!¡± he shouted. ¡°Why? This girl has vilified you so. How could you still plead on her behalf?¡± the woman asked with a smile. ¡°That can¡¯t be done. Though I, Su Qingluan, am merely an actress, my subordinates still have rules. I¡¯ll ask you not to manage my household affairs for me. Seize her!¡± He was silent. The girl in the room started shrieking. ¡°Haul her away!¡± Su Qingluan then ordered. ¡°Follow regulations and whip her to death!¡± The guards affirmed, and the girl¡¯s wailing got even louder. ¡°Hold on!¡± Ji Xiang suddenly shouted. ¡°Miss Su, what she said isn¡¯t baseless at all!¡± All movement in the room suddenly seemed to stop. In that moment, Liang Jiuxiao felt his own heart suddenly stop, too. He heard Ji Xiang speak, word by work. ¡°On the day Sir Jiang was assassination, I personally saw the Prince put a drug in Hero Liang¡¯s wine, and then get someone to let Young Master Zhou know¡­¡± CH 61 Jing Qi didn¡¯t return to his Estate until it was very late. After lying down next to that small mountain stream, he had unwittingly fallen asleep, then woken up a lot more relaxed. Though, once he remembered that he had to go back to the Estate, he immediately started to feel depressed again. The capital¡­ truly was an oppressive place. He rode his horse back slowly, starting to ponder the issue of how he was going to accomplish retreating from here. To stay by Helian Yi¡¯s side was certainly drivel. No matter how many years he had experienced, no matter how much he had already held himself back ¡ª he was still him, and Helian Yi was still Helian Yi. When facing that man, Jing Qi would always fall short of avoiding him out of fear, feeling torment every time; but if he didn¡¯t face him, he would ultimately still have him on the mind. In former days, enmity was there, and affection was there, love and hatred engraved into his soul. Now that he had gotten over it and no longer cared, there was always a remnant sigh left over within him, in tandem with insistently wanting to draw back yet not being allowed to. If he was going to depart in complete secret while keeping all his parts, he needed a chaotic situation, and the more chaotic, the better, he thought. Wu Xi followed by his side, watching him in silence. For some reason, he suddenly felt that fortune favored the bold, so he said, ¡°Tell me¡­ if, right before I leave, I secretly kidnap you back to Nanjiang, would Helian Yi want to go to war?¡± Jing Qi rolled his eyes. ¡°That won¡¯t work no matter how many times you bring it up.¡± Wu Xi laughed. A minute later, he said softly, ¡°I have a way to take you away. Don¡¯t worry.¡± Jing Qi smiled, but said nothing, thinking to himself: I haven¡¯t even thought of a way yet. What plan could you have? ¡°If I return, the Great Qing will inevitably have apprehensions about Nanjiang within three years. I didn¡¯t understand this principle when I was little, but I couldn¡¯t be more clear on it now. When you want something, a white wolf cannot be caught bare-handed; a bargaining chip must be had. At that time, no matter what sort of request I make, the Great Qing¡¯s Emperor will have to ponder it over.¡± Jing Qi was stunned upon hearing this, turning his head to take a careful measure of the youth he had watched grow up. That final bit of immaturity on the other¡¯s face had faded completely, and he still didn¡¯t speak or smile the majority of the time. However, as he looked over in this moment, there was a slight smile suspended at the corners of his mouth, the look in his eyes unspeakably tender. Every single one of his motions were no longer those of the insensible, feral child that had made a scene in Court. An obstinate rock had undergone numerous temperings and smeltings, turning it into beautiful jade. All of a sudden, Jing Qi had an inexplicable sentiment. It resembled that sort of heart-aching lament, resembled gentle touchingness, resembled¡­ that sense of pride from thinking that he was the one to polish this jade. He couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°You¡¯re doing this for¡ª¡° ¡°I¡¯m doing this for you, of course,¡± Wu Xi cut him off, ¡°and I don¡¯t want war.¡± Jing Qi burst out laughing. No matter what this kid had turned into, his bluntness still hadn¡¯t changed. Wu Xi suddenly urged his horse a bit closer to him, then grabbed his arm. ¡°I can do anything for you. You can¡¯t like anyone else,¡± he said seriously. ¡°I don¡¯t like you going to those brothels, either, or anyone else touching you.¡± He paused, and then his voice got resentful. ¡°In the Great Qing, I can¡¯t do anything. If this was Nanjiang and someone dared to touch you, I would cut off their hand. If someone dared to look at you too much, I would gouge out their eyes. If someone dared to covet you, I would dig out his heart and throw it into a tree.¡± The smile on Jing Qi¡¯s face froze, and he sighed, not knowing how to react. He spurred the horse¡¯s stomach, and it leapt to jog forward¡­ this little toxin always appeared to be pure and good, but was his heart steeped in the red from the crown of a crane? When he returned to the Estate, Ping An came in close to him and said quietly, ¡°Miss Su s¡­ sent him back.¡± Jing Qi had wanted to ask something, but when he looked up, he saw that Ping An¡¯s eyes were red around the rims, and he knew that the ¡®him¡¯ that had been sent back was dead. Thus, he sighed softly. ¡°Carry him out and bury him. You can deliberate on how that¡¯s done, don¡¯t let me see¡­ Miss Su sure is honest. Was she wanting to make me inspect the goods?¡¯ The moment he had Ji Xiang go, he knew that his life and death would entirely depend on what he himself chose to say. In the end, it was what it was¡­ Hua Yue¡¯s abacus had been ticked well; all she knew was that her Lady was a beautiful human lantern that typically had no big ideas and blindly went with the flow, arranged for viewing and nothing else. She couldn¡¯t be counted on to make up her mind on major events. Watching as Su Qingluan swayed to the Crown Prince¡¯s side like grass at the base of a wall, Hua Yue knew that she wouldn¡¯t act again, and that wouldn¡¯t do. She plotted that, since Su Qingluan had gotten her to call Ji Xiang over, the other definitely wanted to know more. Ji Xiang would certainly refuse to talk, so she would then have to incite him into it; she thought to use the matter of marrying him as bait to swindle him into coming clean to the Lady. However, that alone still wouldn¡¯t work. When Su Qingluan knew, her mind would just get even more confused, and even more idealess. If this matter was to be nudged out, a fitting person and a fitting method were needed. That fitting person had to have a close relationship with the Crown Prince¡¯s party, and, at the very least, they couldn¡¯t be someone that would randomly go about killing people to silence them. After mulling it over, she remembered that one Young Master Zhou that frequently accompanied the Crown Prince, and his little sect-brother. Ji Xiang had told her a lot of interesting things from inside the Prince Estate; of those mentioned most among them, one was the Shamanet, and one was Liang Jiuxiao. Hua Yue knew that this guy not only had a good relationship with the Prince, but was even much closer to Young Master Zhou. Even the Crown Prince seldom joked around with him, willing to listen to him speak of some tales from jianghu. What was most important was that he had reportedly hijacked a young lady of the Jiang Estate to go play at the Prince Estate, and had a decent friendship with Jiang Zheng¡¯s family. Could there ever be a more fitting person under these skies? Thus, she secretly inquired after Liang Jiuxiao¡¯s whereabouts, and had a younger sister that had come out of her troupe back in the day pass on a letter. She had believed her own plan to be flawless, yet she didn¡¯t expect¡­ that Su Qingluan would actually want to kill her to keep her quiet. Hua Yue was only fifteen, a lovely, touching young lady that thought herself to be very clever ¡ª and she was genuinely clever, but ultimately too young, as she hadn¡¯t gotten to the age that she would understand the treachery in people¡¯s hearts. However, it was also precisely because of her youthful ignorance, which caused no one at all to take her tiny thoughts too seriously, that her plan was allowed to half-succeed. Liang Jiuxiao felt like his soul had been pulled out of his body. He didn¡¯t know how he came out of that place, nor did he know how he left, to the point that he didn¡¯t even have time to hear Su Qingluan order those two people killed. He was only thinking about how the Crown Prince had personally carried Jiang Xue from Zhou Zishu¡¯s place to the Prince Estate, and that was in order to cajole her into playing. The Prince had liked her at first sight, and nearly accepted her as a goddaughter. Even his sect-brother, in that span of time, would frequently be carrying some candies and toys on him. They all loved that odd little girl so much. How was this possible? Sir Jiang had been a loyal subject! A loyal subject that the Crown Prince did not hesitate to retreat in order to advance for, calling for Sir Lu to rack his mind for a way to keep him safe by accusing him of mere misconduct! He suddenly ran like mad. He needed to go back and seek out his sect-brother to ask him for an explanation! Zhou Zishu was sitting in the study. Seeing him charge in without even saying a hello, he didn¡¯t find it strange, lifted his head a bit, and continued to check the account book he held. ¡°How come you¡¯re so early today?¡± he asked casually. ¡°That¡¯s rare.¡± Liang Jiuxiao stared blankly at him for a minute, suddenly unable to say the words at the edge of his lips. He thus stammered out an affirmation, sat to the side, picked up a cup of tea, and brought it to his mouth. Zhou Zishu glimpsed that, furrowing his brow. ¡°Call for someone to switch the pot out. That one¡¯s already cold.¡± Liang Jiuxiao forced out a smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I just ran here in a hurry. I¡¯ll drink it.¡± Zhou Zishu put down what he held and looked at him somewhat doubtfully. ¡°Why is your mind not at peace?¡± Liang Jiuxiao shifted his line of sight away, not daring to look back at him, and laughed miserably. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I just¡­ I just caught sight of a fat little girl walking with tanghulu on the wayside, and I thought of¡­¡± Saying so, he lowered his head, yet sneakily examined Zhou Zishu¡¯s expression. Zhou Zishu sighed. ¡°Jiuxiao, don¡¯t be like this.¡± He appeared to have concern on his face, his brows scrunched up, but there was nothing else outside of that. Liang Jiuxiao was abruptly unsure of whether the other¡¯s look was real or fake. This person who cared the most for him, who was closest to him, he no longer understood. Thinking of Ji Xiang¡¯s words again, he said, ¡°Brother, I¡¯ve¡­ had some trouble sleeping recently. Do you have any incense or medicine that can aid in rest?¡± Zhou Zishu had noticed him getting more gaunt as the days went by; no distress or anxiety manifested on his surface, but they weren¡¯t cheapened any. Standing up, he grabbed his wrist, felt his pulse, and looked his complexion over carefully. Thinking that he ought to have some nerve-soothing medicine, he took out a small token from his lapels. ¡°Go to the apothecary and ask for someone to find you some. Make it clear that it¡¯s for your own use. All of the Shamanet¡¯s medicines are great.¡± Liang Jiuxiao took his token and headed out. The one managing the apothecary knew who he was, of course, and when he caught sight of the token in his hand, he solicitously went to find medical materials for him. Arranging a lot of them all about, he presented them one by one, smiling deferentially. ¡°Young Lord Liang, take a look at what sort you¡¯ll want to use. None of them cause harm, and can be used whenever.¡± Liang Jiuxiao thought of his experience from that day; all he felt was that the dream he had in the Prince Estate still seemed so lifelike, and he still remembered it after such a long time. ¡°Is there a type¡­ that makes someone have good dreams after it¡¯s taken? I¡¯ve been constantly having nightmares and can¡¯t sleep well.¡± The apothecarist was caught off guard, after which he smacked himself on the forehead. ¡°Oi, if you hadn¡¯t said anything, I would¡¯ve forgotten.¡± He pulled open a small cabinet, taking a small bottle out of it. ¡°This item is called ¡®Dream Stupor¡¯. This humble one has only one bottle here, as it¡¯s extremely rare. I forgot it just then only because it¡¯s a sort of knockout drug with no color or taste, and taking it or inhaling a bit of it can make one lay down unconscious for a long time. The reason why it¡¯s called Dream Stupor is because those who take it will dream of what they think is the happiest thing in their hearts. It¡¯s a truly good item.¡± Liang Jiuxiao accepted it dazedly, revealing a smile that was uglier than crying. ¡°So that is¡­¡± So it was that the Prince was yet truly a good friend, to have been willing to use something so rare on him. He took that small bottle of Dream Stupor, and walked out like his soul was missing¡­ At the end of it all, only he was such a fool. Only such a fool as he was kept in the dark. He stepped into Zhou Zishu¡¯s study once more, shutting the door with a turn of the hand. ¡°Brother, Sir Jiang¡¯s family¡­ was your doing, right?¡± The brush in Zhou Zishu¡¯s hand fell to the ground. The expression Liang Jiuxiao had was indistinguishable between crying and laughter. He raised up the bottle in his hand. ¡°On the day the Prince let me stay over, he gave me Dream Stupor, right?¡± Zhou Zishu opened his mouth, but he was mute, only able to force a smile a long while after. ¡°Have you been possessed? What¡¯s with all this wild imagination?¡± ¡°Brother, don¡¯t keep it from me. I want to understand everything,¡± Liang Jiuxiao replied. ¡°The Second Scion killed Jiang Zheng and got himself imprisoned ¡ª who¡¯s the one that benefits from that, in the end? Back in those days of conscientiously guarding the Jiang Estate all the way until he safely left the capital, who was then the least suspicious person? Why did you appear in that ruined temple that night? Even if the Prince sent you a message, you would have been fine with me going out to wherever by myself back then, so why would you instead stubbornly bring people to come look for me on account of a midnight farewell?¡± Zhou Zishu¡¯s expression was off. He only listened to Liang Jiuxiao go on. ¡°I¡¯ve finally realized, too, why the Prince was pained every time he carried Jiang Xue and held her hand. He didn¡¯t want to let go, and each time he brought up wanting to accept her as a goddaughter, the Crown Prince would always divert to a different subject.¡± ¡­That hadn¡¯t been the Prince wanting to make her his daughter, that was him knowing on the inside what was going to happen! He genuinely liked her! He wanted to protect her life! ¡°Brother¡­ brother, you¡­¡± Liang Jiuxiao¡¯s gaze met with Zhou Zishu¡¯s, and he only felt that his sect-brother¡¯s eyes were as empty as a dead man¡¯s. ¡°How can your heart bear this? What are you all doing this for, anyways? Power? The throne? Glory and wealth? You¡¯re all¡­¡± He ultimately couldn¡¯t resist shedding tears, heart aching as if it was being twisted. Zhou Zishu sat mutely on his chair. This man of a thousand machinations, a hundred changes, and a focused mind was, in that split second, empty-headed, unable to think up even one justifiable reason. Ages after, Liang Jiuxiao suddenly stood up, wiped his face off, then stared fixedly at Zhou Zishu. ¡°Brother, I can¡¯t hide this! I¡¯m going to tell the world!¡± Zhou Zishu snapped out of it then, standing all of a sudden. ¡°What did you say?¡± Liang Jiuxiao found himself to be scarily calm. ¡°Brother, you¡¯ve been bewitched by an authority figure and can¡¯t see clearly. The Crown Prince is someone that¡¯s benevolent and virtuous on the surface; one moment, he¡¯s close and indulgent to someone, but the next, he could do¡­ something as vicious as this. You¡¯re all being taken advantage of by him without knowing it! If you keep going on like this, you won¡¯t have a good ending! You need to wake up!¡± Zhou Zishu looked ashen. ¡°Do you know what it is that you¡¯re talking about?¡± Liang Jiuxiao shook his head. ¡°Brother, isn¡¯t murdering someone to be paid with one¡¯s life, let alone the slaughtering of a loyal devotee?¡± Zhou Zishu¡¯s body swayed. ¡°You¡­ you want me to pay with my life?¡± ¡°How can you not understand, Brother?¡± Liang Jiuxiao shouted. ¡°The Crown Prince is just using you! The murderer is him, it¡¯s Helian Yi! He killed Sir Jiang and framed the Second Scion! Such a dishonest, unfilial, heartless, unjust person ¡ª up to what point are you going to help him? Until he¡¯s become Emperor? Allowing him to harm our Great Qing¡¯s lands¡ª¡° He didn¡¯t keep talking, as he had gotten cut off by a slap from Zhou Zishu. He covered his face, looking at the latter in disbelief. ¡°Brother¡­¡± The one who had cared most about him since he was a child¡­ actually hit him? The sound from their side immediately attracted the people standing guard at the door, and several shadows noiselessly emerged. Zhou Zishu squeezed out a couple of words from between the cracks in his teeth: ¡°Take¡­ take him away for me!¡± CH 62 Jing Qi¡¯s mood had been awful the whole day. He was awfully fatigued, and slept unsteadily. As soon as he closed his eyes, they would be full of chaotic dreams, in the yang world one minute and in the yin world the next. Upon awakening, he only felt dizzy, and couldn¡¯t remember what he had just been dreaming of. For that reason, he woke up at once from Ping An¡¯s light push. He squinted as he glanced at the still-dusky sky. Having just woken up, his throat was somewhat relaxed, and his words came out slightly rough. ¡°Which shichen is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s at fourth watch(1-3am), Master. Young Master Zhou has come.¡± Jing Qi frowned, his mind clearing up before he had even rubbed his eyes. ¡°At this hour? Where is he?¡± Ping An paused. ¡°In¡­ the back courtyard.¡± While Jing Qi crawled out of bed and had Ping An help him dress, he asked, ¡°What did he go to the back courtyard for?¡± ¡°This slave had¡­ the body laid there beforehand.¡± In spite of being extraordinarily unwilling to see Ji Xiang¡¯s corpse, he still ended up tidying himself up and rushing to the courtyard. The body was covered in a white cloth, which had a corner of it lifted away. Zhou Zishu was crouched to the side, looking dazed. Jing Qi had never seen that sort of expression on him before. ¡°What¡¯s¡­ the matter with you?¡± Zhou Zishu lifted his head to look at him blankly, then pointed at Ji Xiang. ¡°You brought him along to go to the Guangs, and you didn¡¯t keep him?¡± Jing Qi waved his hand, getting Ping An to leave. When only he and Zhou Zishu remained, he gently sighed. ¡°I wanted to keep him, but I couldn¡¯t.¡± Zhou Zishu turned his gaze back around, as if he was going to carefully study Ji Xiang¡¯s corpse. ¡°Right. You couldn¡¯t,¡± he replied absently. ¡°Zishu?¡± Zhou Zishu fell backwards into a sit on the ground, both his arms propping him up from behind. The long hair at his temples hung down, his face unspeakably listless in the shadows. He inhaled deeply, slumped his shoulders, and forcefully wiped his face with his hand. Jing Qi walked up in front of him, then discovered that the other had a tangle of red veins in her eyes; he hadn¡¯t seen him for just a day, but he had gotten extremely haggard. ¡°Jiuxiao went out today¡­¡± he heard him say, ¡°and ran into a song-selling girl in a restaurant. After giving her some tip money, she gave him this.¡± Saying so, he took out a wrinkled, worded piece of paper from his sleeve and passed it to him. Suspicious, Jing Qi took it, and understood with only one look. His face went white immediately, and he suddenly lifted his head. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°Who?¡± Zhou Zishu laughed dourly. ¡°You mean the girl at the restaurant? I¡¯ll handle her. Liang Jiuxiao¡­ he¡­ he said murderers pay with their lives. Told me to pay with my life.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think this through,¡± Jing Qi answered quietly. Massive wind and giant waves were both coming, but a little girl had unexpectedly overturned the boat, and he had nothing to say at that moment. ¡°This was my mistake, Zishu. Later, if you want to strike or kill anyone, I¡¯ll go along with how you handle things, but for this matter to be dealt with cleanly, absolutely no one else should be allowed to know. Take me to go see him first ¡ª get up.¡± Zhou Zishu was pulled to a stand by him, swaying, and quietly watched him call for horses and carriages to be prepared, after which he followed him out. Zhou Zishu¡¯s residence was hidden behind a large fabric shop, its storefront shut up. Passing through a secret door went to a small back courtyard, where a good many plum trees were planted. Once the plum blossoms bloomed in season, their fragrance could spread far and wide. Going even further in, and past a small veranda, there was another courtyard, but it looked much more heavily-guarded. Zhou Zishu took Jing Qi all the way to the innermost part, then pushed open a small, shabby door in the corner. The doorway had several people guarding it ¡ª inside was a sinister-looking holding area. ¡°I locked him up in there,¡± Zhou Zishu said expressionlessly. Jing Qi gave him a glance, then hurriedly followed after the lamp-leading old servant. The internals of the holding area were like a maze, with someone standing watch at every single turn; it seemed more guarded than the Ministry of Justice¡¯s prison. Upon coming to the furthest point, Zhou Zishu stopped in his tracks, refusing to go inside. Jing Qi looked at the guard, then said to the old servant, ¡°Give me a key to keep. All of you, please leave for a short moment.¡± Once everyone had withdrawn, he walked over and opened the iron door of the cell. Liang Jiuxiao was shrunk into a corner. The food at the side hadn¡¯t been touched, already gone cold. Noticing Jing Qi come in, he mutely raised his head to look at him, a bizarre smile coming off the corners of his mouth. ¡°Ah, Prince. Many thanks for your hospitality that day.¡± Jing Qi walked over to his side without a word, looking down on him from up on high. The face of someone normally elegant and refined had gone cold, seeming to bring about an oppressive force out of thin air. As a result, Liang Jiuxiao moved his eyes away to stare at the corner, speaking stiffly. ¡°Have you come to be a go-between? I actually forgot that, in this slaughter of a loyal subject, you also had a part¡ª¡± All of a sudden, Jing Qi reached out and picked him up by the collar, lifting him off the ground, then viciously pushed him agains the wall, following which he smashed his fist into his stomach. Liang Jiuxiao was stunned, having not expected him to hit him so readily, and he didn¡¯t avoid him automatically. With a muffled grunt, he bent over, and Jing Qi punched him again on the chin. There was not a shred of relent in his fist, beating Liang Jiuxiao¡¯s head into dizziness and turning it to the side. Mouth full with the taste of rust, he opened it to spit out a mouthful of bloodied foam, then staggered back a few steps to the side. Seeing that Jing Qi was about to give his other side a supplementary punch, Liang Jiuxiao quickly held up both his arms to block the front of his head. Jing Qi slowly took back his fist. Liang Jiuxiao waited a long time before he put down the arms he put up, then blankly used his hand to feel his bruised chin. ¡°Liang Jiuxiao, do you know how to write the word ¡®conscience¡¯?¡± he heard Jing Qi say, a pause between each syllable. He wanted to ask another person this, as well: Ji Xiang, do you know how to write the word ¡®conscience¡¯? Liang Jiuxiao stared blankly for a short moment, suddenly recalled that after he had endured that slap, Zhou Zishu¡¯s face was pale, and his heart tightened for no reason. Soon after, though, he calmed back down again, chuckling quietly. ¡°Prince, someone always used to say¡­ that the throne was propped up by the bones of the dead. I had thought that was just the casual babble of wandering entertainers, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be true.¡± Jing Qi¡¯s face didn¡¯t fluctuate even a little bit. Liang Jiuxiao took a deep breath. ¡°I dare ask, then, Prince; where is your conscience?¡± ¡°I had a dog eat it,¡± Jing Qi replied indifferently. Liang Jiuxiao looked at him, disoriented, then suddenly started laughing, as if he had heard an immense joke. He folded over, only for that laughter to get more and more akin to sobs. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re truly the bluntest person under this sky, Prince.¡± Jing Qi paid no mind to this mad look of his, only saying softly, ¡°Jiuxiao, imagine that you¡¯re driving a big carriage with about eight people in it, and the horse is panicked while rushing straight towards a cliff. Not even a god could rescue you all. However, at this moment, another fork in the road appears at the side. If you turn onto it, none of those people will have to die.¡± Liang Jiuxiao wasn¡¯t sure what he meant, but he still ultimately had some respect towards Jing Qi in his bones. For that reason, he automatically stopped his laughter to listen to the other continue on. ¡°On that road, though, there is a child that won¡¯t have time to dodge. If you turn the carriage around, he will certainly die. What do you do?¡± Liang Jiuxiao opened his mouth, but no words came out. Jing Qi stared dead at him, his words pressing. ¡°Will you make these eight people die, or make the turn?¡± The other was mute for a long time. ¡°I¡­ I would prefer to die myself.¡± Jing Qi smiled. ¡°You? You dying does nothing.¡± Liang Jiuxiao leaned back against the wall of the holding area. Ages after, he slid down along it until his butt hit the floor, head lowered. ¡°I¡­ would turn.¡± ¡°Okay, so you¡¯d turn,¡± Jing Qi flatly picked up. ¡°Let¡¯s say there¡¯s a carriage, with eight people about to fall off a cliff, but this time, you¡¯re a bystander. Your hip acupoints are stuck and your legs can¡¯t move, so you can only watch helplessly. In that moment, there¡¯s a passerby beside you. You know he¡¯s a good person, but you also know that if you pushed him forward, the mad horse could be stopped, and those people would be saved. Would you push him?¡± Liang Jiuxiao raised his head to look at him, his blood running cold. ¡°What?¡± Jing Qi nodded. ¡°Well, you just decided to turn and take this person¡¯s life to save the lives of everyone on the carriage. Therefore, this time, you should push him forward, too¡­¡± ¡°What are you talking about?!¡± Liang Jiuxiao shouted. ¡°How could I, for no good reason, go and¡­ go and kill a good person?!¡± A ponderous smile showed on Jing Qi¡¯s face, causing that handsome, gentle countenance that Liang Jiuxiao was used to seeing to shortly turn harsh, and he heard him say, ¡°When you¡¯re driving the carriage and can only choose one path, you turn, using the life of one in exchange for eight lives, and claim that you had no choice. Yet, when you¡¯re told to kill someone, you would rather watch these people die than be willing to dirty your own hands. Good, good, good¡­¡± After those three successive ¡®good¡¯s, he laughed coldly. ¡°How awe-inspiringly righteous Hero Liang is. How serving of the nation and its people, how lofty and above the crowd.¡± With that, he turned and left, as if he disdained to even look at him. Liang Jiuxiao gazed at his retreating back, sitting on the ground in a daze. Striding around the corner, Jing Qi caught sight of Zhou Zishu standing there all by his lonesome. He sighed and reached out to pat him on the shoulder. Zhou Zishu smiled bitterly, grabbing his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ take you out for a drink later,¡± he said, voice rough. Jing Qi shook his head. ¡°I owed you.¡± ¡°What did this have to do with you, Prince?¡± Zhou Zishu asked softly. ¡°You aren¡¯t a god. Are you also not a human?¡± Jing Qi¡¯s heart jolted, and he laughed painfully a long while after. ¡°I¡¯m human. I just eat human food, though, and don¡¯t really do human things¡­ take care of yourself.¡± He quietly departed. No one brought closing the opened cell door to mind. Liang Jiuxiao sat inside for however long, and Zhou Zishu stood outside for however long. It was only at daybreak of the following day that Liang Jiuxiao shuffled out from within. Upon seeing Zhou Zishu, he didn¡¯t say anything for a long time, finally calling out, ¡°Brother¡­¡± Zhou Zishu shut his eyes. He said nothing, merely opening his arms to gather him up into his embrace. The human world¡¯s complications couldn¡¯t be deeply pondered. To deeply ponder them was misery. Those who could dream big and float through life with a pot of unfiltered wine were greatly wise people, and had to have been greatly fortunate, as well. Liang Jiuxiao seemed to have become taciturn all of a sudden. Everything he had believed had been overthrown in the span of a night, but had calmed down anyway. Zhou Zishu and Jing Qi both inwardly sighed in relief, but they couldn¡¯t look after him for the moment ¡ª something had happened in the Northwest. A few years prior, Jiang Zheng had put forward to his superior that the Northwestern Spring Market was a cause for concern. Now, Jiang Zheng was dead, as if a jinx had come true. Zhao Zhenshu and his group were successively falling off their horses. In former years, all Spring Markets had been organized by him, so when the Market happened this year, the Northwestern Vakurah people abruptly discovered that the officials handling it had entirely switched to a new batch of faces; not only that, but this batch of people didn¡¯t know how things worked around there. The Northwest had just undergone a purge ¡ª who would have dared to defy the law at this current critical juncture? Hence, as far as the commoners of the Great Qing were concerned, forcible taxing and levies were to be scarce, and as far as the Vakurah were concerned, big-ticket secret business deals and income were cut off. The Vakurah¡¯s ambitions were thriving, and, beyond that, an extraordinary person had come to be. He was a leader named Jeshe; in just a short couple of years, very nearly every part of the Northwestern barbarians clans had already been subdued by him. His domain grew bigger and bigger, and his power grew bigger and bigger, so his ambition naturally also grew bigger and bigger. And, at last, the opportunity for his ambitions to burst out of his chest had arrived. At the start of this summer, the Northwest had reported the emergency of mutiny. The Great Qing¡¯s northern defenses, which had been undisturbed for more than a hundred years, suddenly suffered an attack out of the blue. The defending army that was pretty much half-retired to civilian life retreated in defeat step by step, and in the span of a month, nine cities had been successively lost. Now, the weather had truly changed. Helian Pei genuinely understood that something had happened this time around, and even attended Court meetings for a couple of days, always patiently sitting on his throne as he listened to civil officials and generals shout the entire meeting into a hideous quarrel of ten million ducks in. Nevertheless, Jing Qi mentally formed an indistinct, different plan. CH 63 Other thoughts arose in Jing Qi¡¯s mind for none other than the sole reason of Helian Zhao¡¯s righteously-spoken set of words in Court; first, he lauded Helian Pei¡¯s military and literary skill, then urged this old man of his that couldn¡¯t do goddamn anything to lead his troops into battle in person, putting it under the glorious name of remedying the army¡¯s low morale. Helian Zhao and Helian Pei one-hundred-percent resembled the concept of striving to accomplish extraordinary feats, actually looking like flesh and blood kin, which was rare. Whether it was Helian Zhao himself or the group of confidants under him, someone had managed to get the hint, resulting in Helian Pei getting flattered into arrogance. Naturally, there were people that intensely opposed this, stating that precious progeny could not even exist in an area of danger, so how could the Emperor endanger himself? Moreover, Helian Zhao¡¯s intentions were known to everyone on the streets ¡ª excluding his old father, Helian Pei. Helian Pei thus mulled this over. Thinking himself to be very important, he withdrew from Court in order to go talk it over. The Vakurahs had created trouble in the previous lifetime, too, after which they went to war and got suppressed, purely being the loud sound of wind with very little rain falling. There was a clamor for the greater half of a year, and then everyone respectively went to do what they ought to be doing. However, Jing Qi was aware that there were some areas of difference. An example was that, compared to his memories, this unrest came to be much earlier, and much more suddenly. This was why he had no plan of action. Nine cities successively lost in a month, the Vakurah entering a no-mans-land ¡ª that hadn¡¯t ever happened before, either. The Dynasty was quarreling chaotically, and he was ruminating mentally. Helian Zhao was clearly wanting to avail himself of the conflict to put his not-dead-yet Father Emperor to death. The next manner of business was, in his view, likely very easy ¡ª for instance, once the old Emperor died, he believed that he would grasp some military powers, and those powers would, in the name of pacifying the insurgency, continue to expand, after which he could rebel out in the open. No matter how tremendous the Crown Prince was, no matter how much backing he received from major Dynasty officials ¡ª that flock of old men had skills in lips and minds, but what real power was there? Real power had to be fought for using real swords and spears. Helian Zhao had been suppressed down low by the Crown Prince these years due to the latter having a handle on him. Back in the day, if the Guangs affair had been displayed before the old Emperor, his following fate would likely be even more tragic than that of the one that had entered the Imperial Clan Court. But, if the Emperor tactfully moved to the underworld for his retirement, who would then care if he revolted? The Crown Prince was a dependable person, so he naturally refused to allow such a huge risk, opposing it at all costs. How old Helian Pei was, and how many catties he weighed, was something only he himself didn¡¯t understand. Everyone knew well that, were he to go out, he probably wouldn¡¯t really be able to return. At the time that no tigers were on the mountain, the lone monkey that was Helian Zhao would be named tyrant, even though there was going to be a mass of chaos. However¡­ Was wearing down Helian Zhao like that possible? Jing Qi was somewhat weary of such a life. Even if Helian Yi genuinely succeeded the throne, then disallowed him from departing the capital, he would, at the maximum, not have that open-world freedom, and, at the minimum, wouldn¡¯t be made to return to dreams every midnight anymore, where his head was filled with these vulgar matters of contending for power, making for a peaceful life. The citizens of the Great Qing also had hope. Speaking of caution, he dreaded being more overhead than Helian Yi, lest one step caused a branch off into trouble. Having Liang Jiuxiao¡¯s lesson from last time, he almost thought to think through every single person and every single event; yet, the momentum of a foreign race¡¯s iron hooves coming southwards could not be stopped, and the time remaining for him was getting lesser and lesser, the argument in Court getting intenser and intenser. For several successive days, he would leave morning Court to go to the East Palace, sometimes only coming back at nightfall, and would lie down to sleep on his return, regardless of whether the sky was bright or dark. Good politicians always made plans for the worst, so a day he got tied up was a day that he was situated within a pessimistic mindset. In a few days¡¯ time, he had gotten thinner. Consequently, Wu Xi, who had been waiting in the Prince Estate everyday to catch him yet everyday was unable to, couldn¡¯t keep watching this, and straight-up asked someone to put a guest room in order, intending on staying put at the Estate. Ping An appeared to be simple and honest, but he was ultimately a bit more reasonable than Ashinlae and Nuahar¡¯s lot. For such a long time, so many things occurred right under his nose, and the Shamanet¡¯s intent was something he intrinsically knew of very clearly. It was simply that he understood his own role, and the Master¡¯s affairs were never to be interrupted. Upon seeing him about to arrive at this moment, he took the initiative to tidy up a guest room that was extremely close to Jing Qi¡¯s bedroom, then explained once Jing Qi came back. Jing Qi waved his hand. All his words having been exhausted from talking in the outside world, he was a bit disinterested in talking upon his return, and simply replied, ¡°Don¡¯t neglect him.¡± Ping An then knew that this was his Master tacitly agreeing to the Shamanet¡¯s approach. At the beginning, he felt that the Shamanet¡¯s thoughts were something of a pipe dream; Nanjiang couldn¡¯t possibly be any further away, and it was impossible for him to remain in the Great Qing, since even if he wanted to, the country wouldn¡¯t dare to let him. Also, what sort of person was his Master? Even though he had casually admitted to the Emperor that he was fond of men, and he dawdled in Yellow Flower when he had free time out of fear that others didn¡¯t know that he was behaving improperly, he was still a Prince of the Great Qing. Keeping some gorgeous pets and messing around was fine, but following a foreigner to leave his homeland for somewhere faraway was unreasonable. Even so, over these several years, Ping An had observed him with a cool eye. At the onset, he thought the Shamanet to be a bit thoughtless, uncommunicative, and thoroughly malicious-feeling when he did things, which was really grotesque. But, slowly, the other had grown ¡ª though he still didn¡¯t speak too much to strangers, he had truly been ripened by this foreign land, no longer being that obstinate youth that didn¡¯t know the immensity of the heavens. The properties Ping An had purchased outside on behalf of the Prince Estate had already gotten quite hefty over the years, and he had extracted the majority of the Estate¡¯s assets outwards without even spirits knowing about it. He was thinking that, if the Prince was truly willing, and truly had the heart to, leaving the capital wasn¡¯t an impossibility. In any case, the Shamanet was the most reliable person he had ever seen. Whether he was a man or a woman didn¡¯t matter; at the very least, he was someone keeping the Prince company, so he would never be too lonely. Ping An thought wholeheartedly about Jing Qi. Though he had the capability, his mind didn¡¯t have many twists and turns to it; all he knew was that he was the Prince¡¯s servant, his Master was good, and he was living his life delightfully. It was still bright outside. Before the hour for dinner to be sent out came, Jing Qi instructed all in the Estate to dine by themselves, and for no one to come bother him. Thus, he hastily tidied himself up and shut his eyes in rest as he laid upon the couch. Right when he was half-asleep, he heard someone speaking in a hushed voice outside the door, and a minute after, that door was pushed open from the outside. He slightly lifted his eyelids to see that it was Wu Xi, and only then did he remember that he was already in the Estate. He sat up, rubbing his eyes as he smiled. ¡°Is the Shamanet Estate broke, and you¡¯ve come to borrow money?¡± Wu Xi voluntarily sat down at the side. ¡°Ping An said that your health was poor recently. I¡¯m here so I can help take care of you.¡± The ¡®getting taken care of¡¯ Jing Qi didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. ¡°Okay, you can stay then. It just so happens that it¡¯s chaos out there; tell your people not to always be running off outside. You¡¯ll be able to go back to your own territory with a talk¡¯s worth of effort, so don¡¯t grow a new branch out of a knot at this critical juncture.¡± Wu Xi nodded. Jing Qi bringing up the matter of his imminent departure gave him an extraordinary amount of words that he wanted to say, but he couldn¡¯t express them. He knew that taking Jing Qi away was unrealistic, and he needed to discuss terms with the Great Qing, as well as wait until he returned to Nanjiang to spread his wings out fully before he could act. For that reason, he wanted to take advantage of the time he was in the capital to see him more. He sometimes thought himself to be unable to speak well, and unable to incur fondness in people. Before, he had the mind that he needed to slowly pursue Jing Qi, but now, he was afraid that here wasn¡¯t any time left to do that, which was upsetting. Jing Qi had promised that if he left the capital later on, he would go look for him in Nanjiang; after that day of happiness, though, he felt alarmed once more. He feared that the other might forget, or might come to like someone else in that very long timeframe, and as soon as all the things that followed came to mind, it felt like someone was prodding his heart with a small knife. However, even with the myriad of thoughts in his mind, he said only one single phrase after firmly composing himself: ¡°Have you eaten anything yet?¡± Jing Qi yawned. He had gone to morning Court before daybreak¡¯s light, stood there plotting in a whirl while simultaneously listening to heroes of every path war with their words in Court, then got dragged into the East Palace by the Crown Prince afterwards. Helian Yi wouldn¡¯t go so far as to starve them, but how could anyone still be in the mood to eat right now with all the dark clouds pressing down on the royal capital¡¯s walls? He had run east and sped west for the whole day, and at this moment, he felt like all his limbs were numb, so he made a half-assed noise. ¡°Mn.¡± Ping An spoke up from the doorway, however. ¡°Master quickly had a couple bites of thin congee at dawn, then left. After he came back from a whole day out, he drank half a cup of tea, but didn¡¯t call for dinner to be brought to him.¡± Jing Qi laughed. ¡°Why on earth are you defaming your superior again?¡± Noticing that he was truly worn-out along with a quite poor complexion, Wu Xi took his pulse. His brows furrowed for an instant, and then he took out a brush and paper, wrote down a prescription, and handed it over to Ping An. ¡°He normally analyzes things heavily, and he hasn¡¯t been eating regularly these days, so his qi and blood are insufficient, and he has no energy. This is for use in nursing health; get someone to decoct it and remember to have him take it on schedule.¡± Ping An hurriedly accepted it. ¡°If one wants to be healthy and energetic, they can¡¯t ruin their routine,¡± Wu Xi said to Jing Qi again. ¡°When you should be eating, you can¡¯t go hungry. When it¡¯s not the hour for closing your eyes, you can¡¯t be sleeping all the time, either. You claim this is a rest, but once you close your eyes, it¡¯ll likely last until midnight. If midnight passes and you¡¯re tired but can¡¯t sleep, that¡¯s even worse. If you eat something when you get up, you won¡¯t be half-unconscious.¡± Jing Qi nodded. ¡°Mm, makes sense.¡± His mouth said that it made sense, but that didn¡¯t mean at all that he was going to get off the couch. Wu Xi knew that this gentleman was the model of ¡®accepting ideas humbly, but not repenting even in death¡¯, so he was too lazy to jabber with him, turning around and leaving. A short while later, he personally brought in a bowl of steam-emitting congee. Ping An jumped in fright, rushing to go take it. ¡°How could you be the one to get that? This slave¡ª¡° ¡°You can go do you your work,¡± Wu Xi said. ¡°I¡¯ll watch him eat.¡± Ping An was taken aback for a moment, a subtle emotion suddenly rising in him. He felt that, after worrying about this lazy-manager-esque Master of theirs for more than ten years, he now finally had a backbone-like Master that was honorable and kept to his words. Hence, utterly touched, he considerately withdrew, closing the door upon his departure. Wu Xi held the bowl, blew on it to cool, then brought the spoon up to Jing Qi¡¯s mouth, wordlessly and motionlessly waiting for him to open it. Jing Qi¡¯s appetite had never been great, and when he had no energy, he was even more disinclined to eat anything. ¡°I¡¯m not hungry right now,¡± he said, exercising patience. ¡°Eat at this exact time every single day, and you¡¯ll naturally get used to it and get hungry.¡± Jing Qi wasn¡¯t even tired anymore because of his disturbance, so he said exasperatedly, ¡°I seriously¡­¡± Wu Xi held the bowl and grasped the spoon, watching him silently. Having grown this big, Jing Qi was always doing whatever he wanted; never had someone compelled him like this before. Going by the norm, he thought that he ought to be unhappy, but for some reason, he instead couldn¡¯t get mad at him. He had a staring match with him for a short while, then ended up conceding defeat under his opponent¡¯s persistence. With a sigh, he got up and took the little porcelain bowl and spoon. On the inside, he simply couldn¡¯t figure out what special ability this little toxin had, to make him repeatedly make exceptions because of him. CH 64 Alarm smoke billowed. Yellow sand appeared to quickly fill the air over the entire northern half of the Great Qing¡¯s landscape. The Vakurahs were like a pack of beasts that had been plotting for a long time, biding their time and concealing their strength for a hundred and ten years until they finally polished their claws and teeth, arriving on whistling winds. However, in the Great Qing, there were only celebrations of peace, gold-dusted glory, and a herd of high-class, intellectual conspirators. At the East Palace, luxurious flowers had already finished falling. ¡°If it¡¯s true that¡­ Helian Zhao plans to use the military strength he has to force abdication and rebel, I¡¯m afraid this won¡¯t be easy,¡± Jing Qi suddenly said. Everyone present knew what his words meant, and they couldn¡¯t resist freezing. They saw him open up the defense schematic of the capital. ¡°The people that Helian Zhao had stuck into the army long ago are now mostly agglutinated in the Northwest. A lesser portion of them had replaced the seat Great General Feng had back in the day in Nanjiang¡¯s border defense. These people are not easy to deploy. If there¡¯s truly any unusual movements, Li Yannian from the Guangs still commands Liao Zhendong¡¯s straggler army that he had previously incorporated, and they overall number fifty to sixty-thousand. There¡¯s still time for them to be transferred over.¡± He Yunxing was likely the one who most understood marching formations out of all of them. Hearing this, he took the subject over, pointing at the defenses near the capital. ¡°There are three encampments in the vicinity of the capital. The fifty-thousand Imperial Forest Army is its final defense. Mu Tong of the South Encampment is an old fox, and if any real trouble gets kicked up, he¡¯d likely be as grass that goes whichever side the wind blows. Once he comes to rely on Helian Zhao here, the connection between the capital and the entire South will be cut off. Tie Ru of the East Encampment doesn¡¯t need to be spoken of, since he was born as Helian Zhao¡¯s domestic slave. The North Encampment¡¯s Huang Tianyi¡­ I heard that he¡¯s been walking quite close to Helian Zhao these years, and has accepted six beautiful women from him.¡± At the end, He Yunxing sighed. ¡°If the Emperor actually does lead troops himself, I¡¯m almost positive Helian Zhao will rebel. This three-sided siege, Prince, is something this humble official can¡¯t explain in a nice way. You reside in the capital all year round and probably don¡¯t know much about these matters, but the battlefield undergoes a thousand changes a second, and faraway water cannot quench nearby thirst. We cannot get sidetracked from the situation of this chunk of land in the capital; if Helian Zhao¡¯s rebellion doesn¡¯t succeed, that would simply be a miracle.¡± Jing Qi shook his head, eyes still fixated onto the map, and spoke with extreme slowness as he thought. ¡°Huang Tianyi is the real grass here. If it weren¡¯t for this, he wouldn¡¯t be all-welcoming, either¡­ you don¡¯t know, Yunxing, but he not only accepted six beauties from the Eldest Scion, he also accepted one of my night pearls and a residence.¡± He Yunxing never knew of these privately-done transactions of theirs, and he was tongue-tied. Helian Yi glared at him. ¡°Last time, the South Sea paid tribute of a sum of such pearls. Aside from you, no one else has even ever seen what those look like. How generous of you to re-gift a present.¡± To state the truth, ever since that bout of illness Helian Pei had, he acted very odd towards Jing Qi. Anything delicious or interesting wasn¡¯t arranged for any of his sons, but was instead all sent to the Prince Estate. Jing Qi smiled, thinking to himself: how was His Highness the Crown Prince suddenly speaking with such a peaceful-sounding tone? Helian Yi skewed a glance at him, then smiled pointedly. ¡°I know that your Estate has ample assets, for you to even give away invaluable Hetian jade at will.¡± Jing Qi was silent. These words of Helian Yi¡¯s were needles hidden in silk thread ¡ª because he met with Wu Xi so regularly, that was getting tied to him. Speaking of, Ping An had actually hit it off with Wu Xi; every little thing given to whoever made the former distressed, but it was Wu Xi alone that he was rather unperturbed about. Lu Shen busily pulled back the topic that was about to go off-course. ¡°Huang Tianyi and Mu Tong are two opportunist parties that happen to be in the North and South, with the slave Tie Ru sandwiched in the middle. This subject feels like the royal palace is hemmed in by two white-eyed, ungrateful wolves, along with an evil dog watching its prey.¡± When Jing Qi heard that, he started to laugh, turning to exchange glances with Zhou Zishu. ¡°Sir Lu,¡± the latter said with a smile, ¡°General Mu is an opportunist, but the side he would move to would not be the Eldest Scion¡¯s.¡± Lu Shen was taken aback for a moment, asking, ¡°How do you say that?¡± ¡°Do you remember old Minister Cai Jianxing, who the Eldest Scion framed at the time? Sir Cai¡¯s wife is also surnamed Mu.¡± ¡°Back then, Mu Tong was still only a commandant of the South Encampment,¡± Jing Qi picked up. ¡°He was intended to be set aside as a chess piece, but had unexpectedly bored himself into the encampment like this, having risen to the rank of General of the Imperial Guards¡¯ South Encampment these years. That¡¯s also considering that Brother Zishu and I had far-reaching sight and could recognize talent at the time.¡± ¡°Then¡­ then, Madam Cai is Mu Tong¡¯s¡­¡± He Yunxing started. ¡°His blood older sister, of the same father but different mother.¡± Jing Qi took a sip of tea. ¡°Mu Tong was born of a concubine. The main wife had no son, with only one young lady at her knees. She had injured her body birthing her and likely wouldn¡¯t be able to do it again, so she got a different inkling, wanting to kill the woman that was pregnant with Mu Tong. Unpredictably, the woman escaped due to a freak series of events. After Mu Tong learned his own background, he once secretly returned for a look, but his old father had died early, and the entire household was dominated by that wicked broad. Only his older sister heard of this and treated him well in private.¡± Zhou Zishu laughed coldly. ¡°More than well. It¡¯s practically excessive, and against proper relations.¡± Lu Shen and He Yunxing went ah at the same time, then looked at each other, feeling that they had underestimated this aspect of the capital¡¯s hiding of filth. Helian Yi nodded. ¡°This will all depend on tomorrow¡¯s morning Court, then. Even so, a few more preparations still need to be made. There absolutely must not be upheaval in the capital.¡± The day after, the debate in Court was the same as before. Helian Zhao argued with high self-conviction, and at a moment like this, the script of predominant war was sounding more compelling than predominant peace, and the ones that instigated the Emperor to personally lead troops were overall more compelling than the ones that instigated him to shrink his head back into his turtle shell for the sake of safety. The Son of Heaven heading an army numbering in the hundreds of thousands and sweeping peace across the Northwest sounded so awe-inspiring, so blood-pumping. This era had been too smooth-sailing, with nothing to get one¡¯s hot blood roiling within them; Helian Pei nearly couldn¡¯t resist opening his mouth to praise him, but upon looking across the crowd of officials below him, he ultimately swallowed it down. Jing Qi looked at the man on the dragon throne from lower down ¡ª gray hairs were growing on him and his years of splendor were gone, but he was still ruthlessly naive. The Helian family sat tall on the country, while he alone had the say on all its mountains and waters. Citizens could only beg the gods and worship the Buddha, hoping that the firmament could make there be more wise rulers and benevolent officials, with less natural calamities and human-made disasters. It was simply a pity that disasters were frequent, and wise higher-ups were infrequent. Jing Qi suddenly recalled the period of his own youth, which was more than three hundred years ago. He believed that this would have vanished from his mind long ago, but, against expectations, it abruptly came up at this time ¡ª that year, Helian Pei had held him in his arms, and brought him back to the Prince Estate to see his father. Everyone else¡¯s features were fuzzy. He only remembered that his father glanced at him, and in that instant, it seemed like a multitude of thoughts rushed to the man, yet also seemed that none did at all. He gave the Emperor a de-emphasized bow, then refused to look at him anymore. Rather, when they left, that Royal Uncle sighed, and patted him on the back with a pair of warm hands. ¡°He is sad on the inside,¡± he said quietly, ¡°and very pitiful. In his life, you are his sole bit of blood relation left. Don¡¯t¡­ hate him, by any means.¡± Now, in the throne room, those words and that sigh started to echo strangely in his ears. That feeling of childish admiration during his youth was recalled with suddenness. He previously believed Helian Pei to be like his blood father, but that was an illusion of childhood, in the end. Helian Pei was a monarch, and he was a subject. Commonplace feelings would never appear in the imperial family. Jing Qi¡¯s concentration swayed at an inopportune moment, Helian Zhao¡¯s seconding voice in his ears. At this moment, Helian Pei suddenly looked towards him. ¡°We remember that, back in the day, Beiyuan had told us that if the Xiongnu were not annihilated, none of us could even think about domestic matters. Why have you now become a gourd with no mouth?¡± Jing Qi lowered his eyes. On the inside, he knew that Helian Pei was awaiting even more peoples¡¯ endorsement ¡ª he planned to play a hero, not a militaristic, dogmatic, muddle-headed ruler. He also knew how big Helian Pei¡¯s ambition was, and how small his abilities were; outside of this guarded imperial city, where would his means of survival be? In the span of a flint spark, he made a decision. He slightly inclined his head to look at Helian Yi. That look in his eyes was indescribably frigid, and resolute. The latter thus understood, opening his mouth but ultimately swallowing his words in, making the same decision as him. ¡°This subject believes that the Eldest Highness speaks the utter truth,¡± Jing Qi said. ¡°I hope that Your Majesty will be protected well, and pacify the Northwest.¡± Jing Qi¡¯s yielding represented the yielding of the entire Crown Prince party, finally expressing that they were supporting it fully. The matter of the Emperor leading the troops was thus settled. Those who were confused inside continued to be confused. Those who understood inside approved, either actively or passively, the change of Emperors. The imperial family was the most unfeeling. This was the first time Helian Pei had become a Great General, and he was very excited, eager to give personally supervising all the arrangements of the Ministry of War a go. Jing Qi, however, called out to stop Zhou Zishu when coming out of the East Palace that day. ¡°You¡­ should get Jiuxiao to leave the capital.¡± Zhou Zishu was caught off guard. Jing Qi wasn¡¯t a meddling person at all, and it was rare for words like these to come out of his mouth. ¡°Zishu, the capital is a place of quarrel.¡± Jing Qi looked at him deeply. ¡°Liang Jiuxiao should not have come here back then. Has he gotten anything other than a bellyful of grievance and indignation from doing so? You ought to send him away.¡± Zhou Zishu smiled quietly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. ¡°Many thanks for the suggestion, Prince. Zishu will withdraw.¡± He knew that Jing Qi was completely right, but he couldn¡¯t bear it. He couldn¡¯t bear for Liang Jiuxiao to leave. The Emperor hastened things incessantly, almost wishing that that the two-hundred-thousand strong army could finish assembling by the very next day. Summoning troops, army rations, and armored freight, which people would act as vanguards, how the army would march, how the rear would be arranged, how the Vakurah would be dealt with ¡ª he didn¡¯t know anything about these things, but he still thought he knew. The army actually did complete amassing in a month under his urging. Jing Qi and his group then had some ominous premonitions, but the situation was already out of control. Helian Pei had still previously been happy to wait for the opinions of Court officials in order to flaunt his own willingness to listen to public opinion, but now that he had truly become a ¡®Great General¡¯, he got smug, following which he gave no one leeway to speak. He believed that the two-hundred-thousand-strong army, one foot a person, could stomp the Vakurah tribe back to their place. With no alternative, He Yunxing requested to be appointed into the army, and then Cui Yingshu, who was posted at Shanxi, moved over. At last, he could support a piece of this whole affair, and not allow the old Emperor to be too over-the-top in the ranks. Despite this, Jing Qi was getting all the more ill at ease. For that reason, when he was in the Prince Estate that day, he suddenly asked Wu Xi, ¡°You ought to¡­ be going back in autumn of next year, right?¡± Wu Xi paused in his actions, giving an mn. Jing Qi thought for a bit, then suddenly stood up to be by the window, staring at the luscious, densely-shading trees in the courtyard. ¡°The Emperor is preparing to lead troops in person,¡± he said slowly. ¡°The capital is now in chaos.¡± Wu Xi startled. Not knowing what he was going to say, he nodded. ¡°Be at ease. My people have all been told. There won¡¯t be an issue.¡± Jing Qi turned, looking deeply at him. In the past, he felt that this man seemed to be right in front of him with a turn of his head, but now, he had abruptly grown up, and might genuinely be leaving for somewhere far away. Those infinitely linked fragments of past events, invisible in typical days, seemed to all flutter vividly in the eyes. He found himself to be unusually liable to reminisce these days, like an old man suffering seasonal depression. Wu Xi was ineffably stared at by him for a long time, and his heart went soft and ticklish, making him smile out of some uneasiness. ¡°What are you watching me for?¡± I¡¯ve watched you not lose your nature after ten years of luxury in the capital, watched you still long for the true purity of old scenery, watched you be magnanimous and affectionate, watched you¡­ Jing Qi thought of how he had secretly called him a little toxin for so many years, but now, all he remembered were his good qualities. How fortunate he was¡­ ¡°The present situation is turmoil,¡± he thus whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen, but¡­ I always feel faintly bad.¡± ¡°Bad about what?¡± Wu Xi frowned, not understanding. ¡°You¡¯re saying something will happen in the capital? What is it?¡± Jing Qi shook his head. ¡°I merely feel that it stands to reason that you should be returning next fall. Just in case¡­ I¡¯m saying, just in case, I¡¯ll find someone to send you all out¡ª¡± ¡°What about you, then?¡± Wu Xi cut him off. ¡°Me?¡± Jing Qi grinned. ¡°In the rise and fall of a home and nation, do you still need to ask where this Prince should be?¡± Wu Xi suddenly snatched his collar. All he felt was pent-up frustration in his heart, as if his chest was about to burst, and he grit his teeth. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re saying that, just in case something happens here, you¡¯ll send me away, staying behind yourself?¡± You inwardly accepted my approach and didn¡¯t mind my insistence, but why would you push me away at a time like this? Is it that I, in your mind, am an annoying, trouble-making, thoughtless child that needs you to come take care of and pamper me? Jing Qi was not the slightest bit affected by the influence of his practically flame-shooting gaze, calmly nodding as ever. ¡°Preparations have finished being made these couple of days. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll be too late th¡ª¡° Wu Xi firmly hauled him into his embrace, lowering his head to block his mouth. Relying wholly on instinct, he grabbed Jing Qi¡¯s chin and kissed him ferociously. It wasn¡¯t clear whether he was kissing him or devouring him, the thought to eat this man alive narrowly stemming up within him. CH 65 The breath that struck at his face seemed to bring strong despair with it, the smell of rust spreading outwards. Jing Qi felt that both his lips were pained to numbness, and he wanted to push him away, but his entire person was firmly confined in Wu Xi¡¯s arms. It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t kick him away and come to blows, either. Jing Qi knew that his own three-legged-cat-of-all-trades arts weren¡¯t enough, but they weren¡¯t so bad that he had no margin for resistance at all. Yet, he subconsciously didn¡¯t want to strike and injure him. Ever since the other was a child, he would speak rudely to him from time to time, and whatever he thought, even Jing Qi, with both his self-restraint and good temper, would occasionally shoot three zhang of fire off of himself, though he always secretly bore with it. But now, with the addition of touching, he still didn¡¯t have the heart to use violence against violence. It was like he had spoiled a child, and presently had to eat his own bitter fruit. Yet, he contrarily couldn¡¯t resist indulging him. He couldn¡¯t bear with that regretless infatuation of his, couldn¡¯t bear to keep him outside the door in fully calm, entwined indifference. A long while later, when both of their breaths were in utter disorder, Jing Qi managed to free up a hand with great difficulty. With his slightly cool palm, he gripped the back of Wu Xi¡¯s neck, forcefully pulled him away by it, then abruptly took a huge step back, bumping his back against the door. He furrowed his brow, reaching up to feel the corner of his mouth ¡ª it really hurt, and the skin had indeed been broken. Thereupon, he furiously wiped the bloodied foam that was coming out of it. ¡°Wu Xi, are you a dog?¡± he said angrily. Wu Xi¡¯s breath had not yet been relaxed, but his face¡¯s flush rapidly subsided, and it slowly suffused with white. His eyes landed upon Jing Qi¡¯s slightly red and swollen lips that he had bitten open. His heart somewhat pounded, after which he quickly averted his gaze, hot rage shrinking back and helplessness rising up. ¡°You¡­¡± He thought of how he liked him so much, but was always doing the wrong thing, and always made him unhappy. In that moment, he nearly gained a feeling of sorrow; endless mountains and rivers could be measured, but it was only the path to this person¡¯s heart that was so hidden, so perplexing. However, when Jing Qi softly sighed, he suddenly gathered Wu Xi in by the waist, whose eyes widened. The man¡¯s face was within reach, his soft breaths falling upon his own, making the color that had just shrunk back rush up once more. He heard Jing Qi chuckle. ¡°Learn well, puppy. If you bite open my lips, how can I go out and meet people?¡± Wu Xi¡¯s brains went to paste in an instant, heartbeat quickening like it was exploding. Jing Qi lowered his eyes a bit, then pulled the other¡¯s head down a bit, coming in close to lightly swipe the tip of his tongue against his lips. Wu Xi automatically opened his mouth some, like a confused and ignorant kid learning what bone-deep feelings were for the first time; novel, exciting, and making even his soul shake non-stop in the wake of the other¡¯s minute wanderings. On top of that, the sensory stimulation he got when he realized who was softly kissing him made it practically difficult to control himself, his final bit of consciousness also sinking into primal chaos. Time appeared to stand still, for a very, very long while. By the time Jing Qi let go of him, Wu Xi still couldn¡¯t resist gripping his hand around the other¡¯s shoulder, looking dizzy. Jing Qi, as a not very moral or clean-living man, suddenly felt like he was taking advantage of him. Thus, he fake-smiled as he lightly patted his face, teasing, ¡°What an inexperienced kid you are.¡± Wu Xi¡¯s face ¡ª not betraying anyone¡¯s expectations ¡ª got even redder. Inexperienced, as expected; Jing Qi hence curved his eyes along with his smile. Wu Xi felt his arms suddenly become empty, and couldn¡¯t help but grab Jing Qi¡¯s sleeve, sounding captivated. ¡°Beiyuan.¡± ¡°Hmmm?¡± Jing Qi drew out in answer. Wu Xi looked at his eyes that were still a bit mischievous, their smile not yet gone, though they appeared to be overflowing with light and color. ¡°In this life, you will be the only one in my heart. In the next life, and the life after that, I will forever remember you, so long as my soul hasn¡¯t scattered.¡± Jing Qi suddenly felt like he had plucked a heartstring, abruptly remembering that solemn Bridge of Helplessness, and that immense swathe of blood-like spider lilies. He only hung his eyes and smiled. ¡°I don¡¯t know who I¡¯ll be in the next life.¡± ¡°The head won¡¯t remember, but the heart will,¡± Wu Xi replied. ¡°I must have said something like this in a past life.¡± He was abnormally earnest, as if he had remembered something from it. Jing Qi raised his eyes to look at him all of a sudden, and Wu Xi only felt that the look they had was somewhat not-obviously peculiar. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ recall you saying anything like that in my past life,¡± he heard him answer. ¡°Even if I didn¡¯t say it for you to hear, I had to have recited it a million times in my heart as I watched your back.¡± Jing Qi couldn¡¯t help but raise a hand to touch himself between the brows, thinking to himself: how was this guy so dumb? He used to don such a papier-mach¨¦-esque face, and was both stubborn and moronic ¡ª in this lifetime, that personality was dead-set, and hadn¡¯t changed at all. ¡°Can you listen to me, Beiyuan?¡± Wu Xi asked softly. Jing Qi paused, then nodded silently. Wu Xi¡¯s voice seemed to get even softer, though the words he said weren¡¯t very soft. ¡°Don¡¯t like anyone else. I would never be willing to hurt you, but if you like anyone else, I¡¯ll kill each and every one of them.¡± He knew that the next thing Jing Qi would say would be along the lines of ¡®don¡¯t talk nonsense¡¯, so he quickly put forth, ¡°I¡¯m not talking nonsense. I will do what I say I will.¡± Jing Qi¡¯s speech got stuffed back in. He peered at him rather helplessly. ¡°Ah.¡± Wu Xi refused to spare him, though. ¡°I remember.¡± Jing Qi pulled his sleeve out of his hand and patted him on the back. ¡°I¡¯m not so old that I¡¯m confused and can¡¯t remember anything,¡± he scolded with a grin. Wu Xi finally laughed noiselessly, and gently tugged out the red string hanging on Jing Qi¡¯s neck. Seeing that the ring was still there, he said, ¡°If there¡¯s danger here, I won¡¯t leave. Even if I need to leave, even if I can¡¯t bring you back for the time being, I have to know that you¡¯ll be okay. If I truly can¡¯t take you with me in the future, just carry this with you, and you¡¯ll always be able to find me. This is a sacred relic of our Nanjiang, passed down through generations of Great Shamans. In this life, only one person can be given it for safekeeping.¡± Jing Qi was taken aback, only just realizing that the trinket he had worn for years was actually so formidable. His neck immediately felt heavier. Wu Xi piously kissed that green jade ring, coating it with warmth within his hand, then pushed it back into Jing Qi¡¯s lapels. Mutual hatred was inferior to tides of trust, and mutual pining made one feel that the sea wasn¡¯t so deep.[1] Without age, feelings were hard to extinguish. In this year¡¯s midsummer, the Vakurahs were rushing their soldiers down to the city walls with the momentum of predators. Once the Great Qing¡¯s elites finished equipping, the northern city gates were wide open, their ice-cold armor like coverings of fish scales. Crown Prince Helian Yi ascended to take the Emperor¡¯s place on send-off, the limitless-looking army strictly and silently lined up in arrays right before his eyes. His elder brother wore a military uniform and wielded a longsabre, quickly about to set out. The day was clear and endless, no clouds to be seen in its expanse. Following the conventional prayer to the gods and wine granted in metal goblets, Helian Zhao prepared to get his horse galloping. However, he paused in his motion all of a sudden, turned his head, looked at his little brother, and smiled, speaking in a volume only they two could hear clearly. ¡°Crown Prince, for this journey, I don¡¯t know whether I¡¯ll live or die. There¡¯s a secret in my mind, and if I don¡¯t say it now, it¡¯ll likely be going to the grave with me.¡± There was no change in Helian Yi¡¯s expression, who only said, ¡°You¡¯re on the verge of going into battle, Eldest Brother. Don¡¯t say such ominous words. Fight on the behalf of the Great Qing¡¯s land, but still keep caring for yourself.¡± Helian Zhao laughed loudly and brightly, having not expected to be able to receive such brotherly advice while he still lived. Before, they were like enemies, and once he was back from this campaign, the situation would likely be one where no rest was had until death. Only in this instant did he almost genuinely feel himself to be related by blood to the elegant, yet shrewd and profound young man before him. Even so¡­ feelings were ultimately thin in the heavenly family. A short moment later, he curbed his smile and quieted his voice even more. ¡°You probably don¡¯t know, but in my youth, I once erroneously bust into Father Emperor¡¯s bedroom, and inadvertently peeped at a secret of his. There¡¯s a hidden compartment beneath his dragon bed.¡± He mounted his horse, bending his back to look down on the other. ¡°What secret it is is unsuitable for me to say. If Your Highness wishes to know, you may as well go see it for yourself.¡± After that, without waiting for Helian Yi¡¯s response, he reined the horse¡¯s head around and shouted, ¡°Move out!¡± Banners flew in the western wind, the smoke and dust dreary. With the large army sent off, Helian Yi returned to the palace without a word, first going to report to and debrief Helian Pei. Helian Pei had been scared stiff by that assassin; his hero¡¯s heart got firmly punctured, and that courage all leaked out, making him a coward once more. Suspicious of everyone even in broad daylight and always having nightmares, he only dared to close his eyes upon lighting lanterns at night, then was disgruntled all day long. He reclined on the bed, narrowing his eyes as he sized up Helian Yi carefully. This son was as extremely filial as ever; not a hint of impudence to be seen, never saying a word more than he should, and never thinking to overstep his bounds in doing something he shouldn¡¯t. Previously, he thought that his youngest son was a bit too upstanding, uncomprehensive of how to be accommodating, and always feeling pain for both himself and others, so he was afraid that he was going to suffer setbacks in the future. Now, it suddenly became clear that, of the three sons he had in his life, none were as calculative as Helian Yi. A decade ago, Helian Pei had been worried that his youngest¡¯s power would be seized by his older brothers and he would not be able to survive, which was why he painstakingly wanted to get him close to the Nanjiang Shamanet so he would have a place to take shelter in later. Yet, a decade later, Helian Pei discovered that those older brothers were no longer the other¡¯s match. He was old and had no strength to manage things, but he understood something on the inside. Not speaking, he listened to Helian Yi¡¯s socially-conforming words, then waved his hand to express that he was aware. Young Eunuch Wang Wu brought medicine, and Helian Yi took it, personally attended to Helian Pei so that he drank it, then pulled out the pillow that was padding his back to help him lay down. There was something nerve-calming in the medicine. Helian Pei had already been lacking in vigor, and now he was drowsy. ¡°Both of you withdraw first,¡± Helian Yi said in a quiet voice to Wang Wu and Eunuch Xi. ¡°I will wait upon Father Emperor alone.¡± The two naturally didn¡¯t dare to interfere with the Crown Prince¡¯s filial piety, and tactfully withdrew. Helian Yi sat right at the side, waiting for Helian Pei to fall thoroughly asleep. Hearing his smooth and heavy breathing, he knew the medicine had taken effect, and that the sleep was real. He then bent down, lightly groping about under the dragon bed with his hand. As expected, he felt out a small mechanism on an unremarkable spot, twisted it, and opened up a small secret compartment. In that split second, he had a bad feeling, like Helian Zhao had laid a trap for him before he left, and that he couldn¡¯t give him that. He hesitated a bit, then screwed the panel back on. He started reading the memorials next to him, but he couldn¡¯t focus for a long time. A voice inside him was constantly urging him to go look, go look at what secret Father Emperor has hidden for so many years. The more he repressed it, the more curious he got ¡ª after a little under half a shichen, he finally couldn¡¯t take the torment in his mind anymore, unscrewing the panel once more. Cautiously, he reached inside in test, then took out an aged wooden box from it. He was amazed to discover that he and his useless old dad actually had a hard-to-believe aspect of similarity. In the East Palace, the portrait of that man he had drawn long ago and those tiny, trivial things were also packed into box by him, then carefully placed in a secret compartment. His mind abruptly sharpened, vaguely surmising what was inside it. He opened it up, and there were indeed some sachets, handkerchiefs, and other such baubles inside, along with a scroll painting. Helian Yi smiled silently, thinking to himself that they were still different; from looking at these objects, at least, Father Emperor¡¯s beloved was a woman. He cast a glance at Helian Pei, saw that he was still fast asleep, and gently unfurled the scroll. Sure enough, drawn upon it was an extremely beautiful woman. Her dress lifted with the wind, her long hair scattered around, her fingertips raised slightly, and the corners of her mouth held a smile, simply a hairsbreadth from lifelike. Helian Yi first gasped in admiration, but felt something was amiss soon after, as the woman in the picture¡­ was kind of familiar. All of a sudden, someone suddenly flashed past in his mind, and the scroll almost fell out of his hands. He was dumbstruck where he stood, because he had seen this woman before, in his childhood; she was the one whose smile could topple a city, yet also was a beauty that suffered an ill fate ¡ª the Prince Consort Nan¡¯ning! He was still young himself when she passed on, but the reason why he could remember her so clearly was because sons resembled their mothers, and her features, upon a fine look, greatly resembled Jing Qi¡¯s. Why¡­ was there a portrait of Consort Nan¡¯ning under Father Emperor¡¯s bed? At that moment, a thought instinctively streaked across his mind: was Beiyuan really the Senior Prince¡¯s son? Should his surname¡­ really be Jing? CH 66 Helian Yi¡¯s heart suddenly beat irregularly. If¡­ that man actually was his blood brother, what would happen? If¡­ A burst of footsteps was heard. He quickly returned to his senses, rapidly stuffed the scroll and box back into the hidden compartment, then stood up, acting like nothing was wrong as he lowered his head and adjusted his sleeves. The one entering happened to be young Eunuch Wang Wu, who whispered, ¡°Your Highness, Sir Lu of the Ministry of Revenue has come.¡± Only then did he remember that he himself had called Lu Shen over to discuss business, so he composed himself. ¡°I know.¡± He thus turned and left with slightly hurried steps, like he was itching to get away from Helian Pei¡¯s bedroom. Wang Wu affirmed obediently, standing to the side like a person made of wood. There were altogether two useful people at Helian Pei¡¯s side ¡ª one was Eunuch Xi, and one was Wang Wu. The former was capable of handling affairs and had followed him for a long time now, nearly being being considered his right-hand man. The latter was different; he stood next to him, not speaking nor moving, and did not try to make himself likable. Total inattention could make one overlook the giant living man that he was. He didn¡¯t bootlick, absolutely never said anything that shouldn¡¯t be said, and did what he was called to do. Back in the day, Eunuch Xi had looked upon his rare dutifulness and had the mine to promote him. For servants in the palace, many were clever, and many were talented, but not many were dutiful. Coming and going every day, he saw all of the most respectable people, the most priceless things, and the most heart-pumping power. There were those gentlemen that read sacred texts intensively in a place such as this, yet how many of them could still clear-headedly remember how to advance and retreat? For that reason, Eunuch Xi felt that Wang Wu was gifted. At this moment in the big, lonely hall, there was only one muddleheaded old Emperor that was sleeping like a dead pig. The imperial guards were all at the doorway, having just been sent out by Helian Yi. After about an incense stick¡¯s amount of time, the eyelids of Wang Wu, who was standing there like he wasn¡¯t alive, lifted, and his eyes turned about once, gaze ultimately landing on the spot Helian Yi had just been standing at. Under his panic, Helian Yi hadn¡¯t taken good care of that secret compartment. A crack exposed on the outside just so happened to fall into Wang Wu¡¯s eyes. He stared at the small slit, mute for a long while and not even blinking. In the end, he cautiously viewed the ordained Son of Heaven on the dragon¡¯s bed. Soon after, he slowly stooped over, his finger feeling about until it got to where the gap was to poke about inside. Then, after a bit more feeling about, he found the mechanism, gently twisted it, and opened the hidden panel. That improperly-placed scroll fell out. He swiftly seized it, ultimately disallowing it from landing on the ground, and couldn¡¯t help but lightly exhale. Maintaining his stooping posture, he looked at Helian Pei, following with he swiftly opened the scroll to take a look. He paused, brows creased slightly, then scrolled it back up, put it away, and closed the panel up snugly. Afterwards, he just stood there like a motionless mannequin, as if nothing had just happened. Ever since business dealings went on between Wu Xi and Zhou Zishu, the former had gotten rather busy with some things. Yet, in these days living at the Prince Estate, he had gotten quite a bit of the desire to have fun and forget his job, and Nuahar eventually couldn¡¯t help but drop by to come look for him. Whatever was happening on the outside, Jing Qi naturally wouldn¡¯t discuss it with him whenever he returned. So long as Jing Qi didn¡¯t leave home, he would read books and paint as ever, occasionally practicing a couple of martial arts moves in the courtyard when the mood arose. There was never any negative emotion on his face, giving him an apparent leisurely and contented look. ¡­Of course, considering he was missing his important schedule of going out and loitering around, his life seemed to be more relaxed than it had been before. This Lord had always felt that, in case there was collapse on the outside and he would have to come carry it up by himself, he would shed a layer of skin, and not be able to bring that dead flesh back home. At home was the place where he used to hear Ping An chatter on as he did his daily chores, and now where he additionally kept Wu Xi and the sable, two toxins of different sizes. There was only one Prince in this estate; other people¡¯s obligations were to eat, drink, have fun, and care for money and family. It wasn¡¯t their duty to listen to those vexing outer matters. Yet, even if he said he didn¡¯t, it wasn¡¯t like Wu Xi didn¡¯t know them. He was someone who had experienced the war between the Great Qing and Nanjiang when he was young, after all. In secret, he had an expert he had brought with from Nanjiang to see off Jing Qi to and from Court on the sly, never showing himself; he followed after him from the time he left in the morning until he returned to Wu Xi¡¯s presence in the Estate. Satisfied, he believed that the man was now entirely in his line of sight. Even if there was sky-high flood outside, as long as the Great Qing wasn¡¯t fighting with Nanjiang, he had no feeling of crisis whatsoever. When it was afternoon. Wu Xi was in the middle of coaching Jing Qi in martial arts. He had a good foundation to begin with, so, with the addition of ten years of hard, relentless training, he had pretty much already left Jing Qi in the dust, and his moves were all the more extremely measured. The two had no weapons, only exchanging blows with bare hands. Upon getting to it, Wu Xi discovered that the man¡¯s innate talent was still not bad, and he was highly perceptive. That he had put in some real effort before shone through, but it likely wasn¡¯t much, as he put a lot of tricky and opportunity-seeking energy into his movements. Ping An placed a hand towel down there, as well as pickled plum soup pressed down in ice. From the bottom of his heart, Wu Xi felt that since Jing Qi grew up in the forbidden city as a child, he ought to have been taught by a famed, expert master, yet his arts weren¡¯t going anywhere. The other was most likely accustomed to this group, headed by Ping An, making big fusses out of little matters. Summer in the capital was very stuffy. One slight movement could easily make someone drenched in sweat, but Jing Qi had instead began to train in boxing at this time. Ping An was already used to his Master¡¯s whimsical behavior and didn¡¯t take it seriously. Wu Xi, however, could see that he was earnest, and he was likely so at this time because of one thing; the war in the Northwest. Bring that to mind, he felt some pain in his heart. Seeing that Jing Qi¡¯s physical strength couldn¡¯t hold up some, he suddenly grabbed his wrist and gently pinned it behind his back. The other was just shy of plunging headfirst into his embrace, his steps staggering to a stop, and he bent down slightly, swiftly panting for a couple of breaths. ¡°No more training today,¡± Wu Xi said mildly. ¡°Martial arts isn¡¯t like other things, it needs to be built up over time in increments. Doing this last-minute will, at most, make yourself sore for a while, and do nothing to empower you.¡± Jing Qi was quiet for a minute. When he picked up the iced plum soup from the side and was about to drink it, Wu Xi quickly stopped him, used internal force to warm it up, then handed it back. ¡°Don¡¯t drink cold stuff. Sudden cold and sudden heat can injure the body. Next time, don¡¯t let them prepare it chilled.¡± Jing Qi finally ascertained himself to be useless mud that couldn¡¯t even stick to a wall, so he smiled and said nothing. Helian Zhao¡¯s army and the Vakurahs unexpectedly clashed in a mountain city of Gansu, attacking and defending. The gridlock had already gone on for quite some days. Helian Zhao relied on the Ministry of Revenue for supplies, but the national treasury had been empty for decades, and encouragement and support were just not enough. The Vakurahs, though, went about burning, killing, and looting, which was a trade of no cost. This scene of battle forced one to act against their will, and not fighting was not an option, but if it got drawn out, the cost of taxes would make a lot of citizens hang themselves. Hidden diseases were born early; taking advantage of this juncture, everything exploded out at the same time, and the successively-flooding South already had a calamity of rioting mobs. When Helian Yi dissolved a string of officials that had milked the people¡¯s wealth dry and hurriedly seized their properties to put the money into the treasury, it was still ultimately only a cup of water on burning firewood. The wave revolting citizens did not pacify before it was raised again, and the Guang troops didn¡¯t have the slightest bit of mobilization, despite everything. Helian Yi was also overwrought, feeling like he was tearing down the east wall to fix the west wall, but even after half a repair, the country was still leaking air all over the place. Wu Xi personally picked up the hand towel and wiped his sweat off for him. His hand¡¯s actions were gentle, but the words coming out of his mouth were incredibly blunt. ¡°Look at you. Such a short period of martial arts should have been fine, but it was too much. You didn¡¯t lay a good foundation when you should have worked hard at it as a child, so no matter how much you want to make up for it now, it¡¯ll be nothing but an empty fantasy framework, and won¡¯t make you proficient.¡± The soup in Jing Qi¡¯s mouth got stuck in his throat, nearly making him choke to death on the scene. Wu Xi pat him on the back, smiling. ¡°Hearing me say empty and gentle things won¡¯t be of any use. It¡¯s better to tell you these truths.¡± Jing Qi choked for a good while, then squeezed a sentence out from the cracks between his teeth. ¡°Thanks for the advice.¡± Wu Xi put down the towel, sighed, and hugged him from behind. ¡°I can¡¯t speak of the matters you all have, but when I¡¯m unhappy, I also like to find things to do; practicing martial arts, trampling the plants in the garden, and so on. It doesn¡¯t matter, anyways, it¡¯d be better to come with¡ª¡° Before he got to finish that sentence, Ping An suddenly came in. ¡°Shamanet, Nuahar is here.¡± Ping An was a thoughtful one, as he said this phrase swiftly and without even raising his eyelids, seeing no evil. After speaking, there was immediately no longer any trace of him left. Wu Xi had no choice but to let Jing Qi go with some awkwardness, thinking that Nuahar was really annoying. Nuahar came in with an expression of deep bitterness and hate. In his big string of jargon, there was only one central idea: Shamanet, you haven¡¯t returned to your own home for days, you know? You should be making decisions on things, are you abandoning all your responsibilities? Wu Xi frowned, but Jing Qi laughed from beside him. ¡°Alright, go on back and take a look. I¡¯ll invite people over and keep myself occupied, not train.¡± The other stood up, but still wasn¡¯t at ease, turning to Jing Qi. ¡°If you want to practice martial arts more, keeping fit and healthy is always good, but you need to be accompanied, lest you injure yourself or drink something cold and freezing that ruins your health.¡± Although those words were unpleasant to hear, Jing Qi nevertheless accepted his good intention, beaming as he nodded. Wu Xi walked two steps away, but felt really reluctant to have to part from him for one minute, so he turned back around again, hugged Jing Qi by the neck, and kissed him on the lips at flying speed, all right in front of Nuahar. Only then did he feel he had gotten enough. Nuahar watch, wide-eyed and dumbstruck, as his Shamanet cooly came over, threw out a ¡°let¡¯s go¡±, then made to leave first. He busily gave Jing Qi a supplementary big bow, then chased after the other one in a compliant run. He thought to himself: what¡¯s that thing Great Qing people said? Not seeing someone for three days gives you a whole new level of respect for them? The Shamanet was indeed wise and powerful, to have finally succeeded after a good many years. Jing Qi restrained his grin, bowed his head to look at the lines of his palm for a while, and drank all the warm, not-very-refreshing soup down, after which he ordered, ¡°Ping An, I¡¯m changing clothes. Get someone to prepare a carriage, I want to go out on a trip.¡± Ping An affirmed, passing the order down. Jing Qi tidied himself up, switched into an inconspicuous changpao, then got onto the carriage with a scroll from the study carried in his arms. Once it came to a small restaurant with a worn-out doorsill, air leaking in all over, and a desolate front yard, he came out from the carriage, went to a private room on the second floor, then lightly knocked on it thrice. The door opened in response. The dark-clothed person inside gave him a quick glance, then promptly let him in, shutting the door behind him. This so-called ¡®private room¡¯ was actually no more than an extremely creaky, shabby door, with windows that could only be half-shut, and no soundproofing. The dark-clothed person was precisely Wang Wu of the palace. He had been loyally doing his role for many years and possessed his own connections, allowing him to soundlessly drift out of the place. Neither of them had words. Jing Qi got straight to the main point, silently unfurling the scroll; the painting had been made by the Senior Prince himself, and his personal seal covered the signature spot, the words ¡°Year of the Monkey of Armor[1], the Seventh of March, a Gift for My Beloved Wife¡± written on it. He peered up at Wang Wu, looking very dignified. Wang Wu carefully viewed the painting for a short moment, then slowly nodded. No mood could be deciphered from Jing Qi¡¯s expression, and he looked neither happy nor angry, eyes flashing. He lowered his head, unhurriedly put the scroll away, then fished out a pouch from his sleeve. Stuffing it into Wang Wu¡¯s hand, he gave him a profound look, and clasped his hands in thanks to him. Wang Wu was a servant, so he of course didn¡¯t dare to accept such a huge gesture, hurriedly side-stepping it. Jing Qi just waved his hand, telling him to go back to the palace on his own, then sat down himself, calling for a pot of wine and minor dishes. Wang Wu left quickly in the same exact manner as when he arrived, scarcely causing anyone to notice. The weight of pouch in his hand was quite heavy, feeling different from the gold and silver of the past. After he went out the door, he secretly looked inside it ¡ª the bag was filled with cat¡¯s eye gems. He softly exhaled in relief and put it away in trepidation, knowing that the gift really wasn¡¯t that heavy at all ¡ª the Prince gave a thank-you gift not to say thanks for the information, but to say thanks for him saving his life. Jing Qi hugged the scroll as he called for Ping An to wait in the non-eye-catching carriage. He leaned against the decrepit window for a time, with that small dish of slightly burnt peanuts and drinking half a pot of inferior wine. After that, he put down tip money and quietly left. For the first time in a few hundred years, he learned of the relationship between His Majesty and his mother, whose face he had long been unable to remember clearly. He laughed bitterly like he was mocking himself, thinking: for being as addled as this, Jing Beiyuan can die without it being an injustice. He mounted the carriage, returning without a sound. CH 67 Helian Pei¡¯s consciousness became increasingly lethargic. That previous bout of illness had already hollowed out his barely-existing foundation, and with this fright, it seemed like he was about to die. The time he was awake during the day was lesser, and he had to muster his energy to listen to Helian Yi on the daily. The majority of the time, before the other had finished speaking, he would fall back into sleep. Everyone could plainly tell that while the Crown Prince was still living in the East Palace right now, it probably wouldn¡¯t be long until places were changed. For that reason, when he hadn¡¯t even yet ascended the throne, the problems of the nation were pressing down on his shoulders in such an unusually intense fashion, not even leaving any cushioning room. It was quite impressive; when the Late Emperor had withered half the country away and passed it to Helian Pei, it was still considered strong enough to hold up. Helian Pei had reigned for thirty-six years, and he withered the other half away, not betraying everyone¡¯s expectations. Coming into Helian Yi¡¯s hands, he simply had no idea what should come next. It wasn¡¯t clear whether he had an unlucky fate, or whether it was because he had been born in this world to begin with. However, if these things were considered no big deal, then the scroll he had discovered under Helian Pei¡¯s bed would have become the heaviest stone weighing on Helian Yi¡¯s heart. These days, he was always almost unconsciously going to see Jing Qi, and observing from all angles the visage that he had long since known well. Perhaps he was looking too much, perhaps he had an inkling inside him all along. Upon examination, he felt like he could make out some hints from the face of the one he could describe with his eyes closed. Before, he had felt that his brows and eyes resembled the Prince Consort¡¯s, and his mouth and nose resembled the Prince Consort¡¯s, and even the shape of his face followed hers, letting old friends back in the day tell whose son he was with one look. Now, however, Helian Yi inexplicably felt that the man also resembled Helian Pei a bit, especially when he was being impish and lost in thought. On the inside, he became all the more apprehensive. He thought that, if the other was only Jing Beiyuan, he would still have some hope, though remote. But what if he genuinely was his brother, linked by blood? In regards to human relationships, could a direct blood ever be reverse and ignored? That was his blood brother! Ancient peoples knew not of yearning from birth, but were tortured with yearning once they began to have it. Such was this feeling. A thought that was a guess at first finally began to gradually deepen within his repeated pondering. Slowly, it became like the truth, a current of despair generating from his heart. Even so, that feeling could only exist inside him, not to be said to anyone. If it was him alone that suffered a mental knot with this, it would be fine; the world was disorder right now, and others might not noticed the Crown Prince¡¯s private mind. Yet, Jing Qi knew. Every single time Helian Yi looked over at him, he noticed. Watching as the other¡¯s gaze became all the more complex, Jing Qi pretended not to notice, but he had a slow sinking feeling, too. In this life, all of his energy had been spent on getting out of the way. He had long not had even half of an ambitious mind, and had defamed himself for two decades. In his previous life, he was Prince Nan¡¯ning, shrewd and god-like in everyone¡¯s eyes, but in this one, he had turned into the capital¡¯s number-one preposterous dandy. How was the Crown Prince still thinking about him in such a way? Even clay figures had some degree of earthly qualities. He had travelled the mortal world once around, doing all of what he shouldn¡¯t have been doing. Could it be that this brand of deliberate plotting still wasn¡¯t pleasing enough? Thus, he was no longer unduly close to Helian Yi. After all, they had a friendship that went from childhood to adulthood, where they shared trials and tribulations for however many years, but due to painting that might or might not be real, and a bloodline that came out of nowhere, he could no longer tolerate him? How greatly suspicious His Highness was! As it was so¡­ he had not been too steady to begin with, so, upon enduring quite a bit of the present crisis, the tumult in his mind was completely gone. At last, he no longer wavered; he wanted to go far away from this divided land of bone-deep ice. Once the dust had settled on the Great Qing¡¯s crisis and the fire signals of the Northwest had been swept away to empty air, his death would then come, and he was going to die outside of the capital, never to return to the field of heartbreak beside Fullmoon River. Lamentably, Bai Wuchang had dithered about the underworld for a thousand years, growing accustomed to watching mortal souls float by, but he still hadn¡¯t understood that the most terrifying area of the human heart was none other than the concept of ¡®making something where there is nothing, then measuring someone else only on one¡¯s own thoughts.¡¯ Helian Yi and Jing Beiyuan, one paranoid and one mistrustful ¡ª between the truths and lies, likely neither of them could distinguish whether their own feelings were real or fake. The one with the obsession kept his obsession to himself, and the one with the suspicion kept his suspicion to himself, too. Defeated in the previous life, defeated in this life. Jing Beiyuan had painstakingly waited beside Three-Life Rock for three hundred years, and his incomparably infatuated heart had grown cold, no longer having the ash of being excessively troubled and thoroughly analytical. In the causation of nature, where were those seven years of predestined affinity? However, karma that was produced from some unknown event fluttered in response. Several hundred years of entanglement, every debt paid back, making those spirits of infatuation with insufficient wit could speculate on ridiculous evidence. Every night, Helian Yi had to work until deep in the night, and only then would he close his eyes. In his night-long daze, he dreamed of Jing Qi. Within his dream, that man was still in that long, wide-sleeved, billowing blue-green robe, his long hair unbound as if he was a teenager, and he smiled at him from a moderate way away. He took a step forward, and the other took a step back ¨C chasing him urgently made him draw back like he was getting blown by wind. Anxious, he suddenly understood what it meant to be so close, yet so far; it was like he was close at hand, yet also eternally unable to be reached. He could only helplessly watch the man smile so faintly and minimally as he drifted far away, immense grief inside him, and he couldn¡¯t help but shout, ¡°Beiyuan!¡± Immediately afterwards, his foot stepped on air, as if he was falling into an abyss, and then he woke up in the middle of the night. He reached up to feel at the corner of his eye, and was shocked to feel moisture. The night-guarding Yu Kui was in the middle of sneaking a nap when he got startled awake by him. ¡°Did you have a nightmare, Your Highness?¡± he said, quickly coming over. Helian Yi mn¡¯ed, sitting up in bed himself. That cry of ¡®Beiyuan¡¯ was one Yu Kui actually heard. Tense, he didn¡¯t dare to say anything, only quietly waiting by the side. Helian Yi suddenly couldn¡¯t stay here; perhaps that sorrowful ache from the dream was too real, making him all the more urgently yearning to be able to see and feel Jing Qi. Thus, he stood up. ¡°Change my clothes. I¡¯m leaving the palace.¡± Yu Kui was taken aback. ¡°Your Highness¡­ fourth watch(1-3-am) has just passed,¡± he replied tentatively. The other paused. ¡°I¡¯m going out,¡± he insisted. Helpless, Yu Kui had to help him change. Unexpectedly, right after Helian Yi¡¯s belt had been tied on, a burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the bedroom. ¡°Your Highness, there¡¯s an emergency message!¡± A thousand miles away, the entire northwestern sky was already beginning to burn with the flames of war. That night, the stars and moon were concealed behind clouds, the air pressure was extremely low, vague wind blowing and thunder flashing. Some days, it appeared to be simply be holding in heavy rain, but a few days later, it would still be hot and stuffy, no beads of rain to be seen. In the gloomy night, a couple claps of lightning struck, and then a gust was certain to come the next day, blowing the clouds away. All around were circling mountains, their ends unknown. The Great Qing¡¯s army had been facing off against the Vakurah for more than half a month here, and the fighting spirit it had when leaving the capital had long since gone on steep decline, with everyone unbearably exhausted. An old soldier standing guard for the encampment¡¯s provisions wiped his sweat off, cursing and damning lowly. All of a sudden, the muffled sound of thunder came from the distance as if it was present here, rumbling. He couldn¡¯t see the weak rays of lightning, even as that sound of thunder covered up the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground. The soldier couldn¡¯t hear it, continuing to diligently patrol. He traversed once around, but happened to bump into a Great Qing soldier whose clothes were in a bit of disarray. Seeing so, the old soldier startled slightly, then greeted him with a smile on his own initiative. ¡°Up at night?¡± He nodded, said no more, took two steps, then felt that something was fishy ¨C up at night? Why would he get up at night and come here? He halted, called out at the man to stop, and asked, ¡°Which camp are you?¡± The man paused in his tracks. ¡°I¡¯m a subordinate of Lieutenant Wang of the cavalry camp.¡± The soldier hoisted up his negligible night-patrol light, carefully illuminating the other¡¯s face with it. ¡°Lieutenant Wang¡¯s subordinate?¡± he said with suspicion. ¡°I got put on watch after getting injured, and I was in the calvary camp before, so why¡­ don¡¯t you look familiar?¡± The other¡¯s smile stiffened. ¡°You¡¯ve been away from the camp for some days, right, brother? I was transferred into it recently.¡± He then nodded, looked at him once more, and turned to leave, only to remember something and turn his head. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± The man was caught off guard. His eyes swept to the old soldier¡¯s back, a crafty smile showing on his face. ¡±It¡¯s¡­¡± The voice behind him was way too quiet, and the old soldier couldn¡¯t hear it, so he craned his neck. ¡°Wh¡ª¡° His voice disappeared all at once, because a hand passed behind him, and then a harsh, cold feeling sliced across his neck. Before he could even react, he witnessed blood spray out from his own neck. He took two steps back, eyes wide, and wanted to call out, only to discover that his throat had been cut open. A dragon of fire fell out of thin air. In no more than a moment¡¯s effort, the eastern wind stirred up trouble, and the whole encampment became a sea of flames. Someone screamed. ¡°Enemy ambush! Enemy ambush!¡± Each utterance seemed to be drawn-out and fearful. The tranquil encampment instantly went into a flurry. Soon after, the screamer¡¯s voice came to an abrupt stop, as he had been firmly nailed to the ground by a cold arrow shot out of some unknown area, motionless with his head tilted. Everyday, there was the growing glow of battle with the Vakurah army. Under the command of Helian Zhao¡¯s generals and and the reliance of numerous people, the army was still useful. In this moment, they got extremely scared, and the normally-pampered, hastily-assembled servicemen finally exposed their original looks. Men and horses panicked into a mess. It was unknown how many enemies infiltrated them, but many people were trampled to death by their own on such a chaotic night. Helian Zhao heard the shouts and came out of his large tent. Upon seeing some general having a hard time scurrying up before his eyes, he couldn¡¯t restrain his anger. ¡°In an incense¡¯s time, whoever can¡¯t assemble the troops together is whoever¡¯s getting executed on the spot!¡± ¡°Great¡­ Great General! Your Highness, the enemy army is killing I don¡¯t know how many people from behind, and half the camp has now already turned into an inferno! There¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s such terrible screaming over there, could it be that¡­ the barbarian¡¯s reinforcements have come?¡± Helian Zhao coldly observed the conscripts that had thrown themselves before him, then gazed malevolently at the raging encampment, words squeezing out from between his teeth. ¡°This is no more than a couple of minor night attacks. Transmit the command that those who dare to delude everyone with lies to damage army morale, and those that dare to disregard orders to flee at will, will be killed with no pardon.¡± Seeing the General¡¯s expression, his bodyguards immediately hauled up the terror-stricken conscript, nimbly blocked up his mouth, then hauled him away. ¡°Prepare horses!¡± Helian Zhao shouted. He had experienced many years in the Northwest in his youth, so the affairs of the army weren¡¯t unfamiliar to him. Hearing the fighting, he knew on the inside that it was definitely not just a few foes that had set the fire deep in the night. He understood that his conscript was right; the majority of the three-line-marching Vakurah had amassed together. However, he also knew that the Great Qing¡¯s army had not been the godly army of descending tigers and wolves that it had been for a long time now. He himself wasn¡¯t in disorder, still able to control the scene, because if he ever showed a bit of uncertainty, these two-hundred-thousand men would be nothing more than a clamorous and scattered mob. A horse suddenly stopped in front of him, and the one on it immediately dismounted, his armor covered in bloodstains. Focusing his eyes, Helian Zhao saw that it was He Yunxing. The latter wiped the blood and sweat off his face, voice sullen. ¡°General, the power of the fire looks terrifying, but it¡¯s already come under control. The scout dispatched has just now returned, and he reported that three lines of troops are now coming over. This humble general fears that the barbarians want to take advantage of the chaos to launch a full-strength pincer attack.¡± Helian Zhao didn¡¯t move, nor speak. ¡°Pleas give your instructions, General!¡± He Yunxing called again. Helian Zhao¡¯s warhorse had already been led over. He mounted it, grasped his longsabre in hand, and enunciated himself. ¡°Junior Marquis, looking at the autumn chill, the barbarians have no provisions or food, and they¡¯re worried, fearing that they won¡¯t be able to get through this year¡¯s cold seasons. Now, the Great Qing¡¯s life or death are both in this campaign. If¡­¡± He slightly smiled, an air of unyielding viciousness on his face. ¡°If anyone is defeated and concedes today, they can then commit suicide to make up for it!¡± CH 68 He Yunxing stepped up onto his own warhorse, following closely behind Helian Zhao. In that instant, the resentment between them suddenly vanished into air, smoke giving off all around them. The Junior Marquis, who had been looking forward to urging on a military horse since his adolescence, had grown up at flying speed in the wake of only a couple months of campaigning. Blood and fire was cast into an iron-made cradle. The smell of makeup that polluted Fullmoon River had been completely washed off of his flesh. The man whose horse was in the lead made a beast-like roar from his chest, his iron garments reflecting cold light in the dark night. Moonlight silently casting down upon his head, he disappeared without a sound immediately after. Do not laugh at those lying down drunk on the battlefield; since time immemorial, few ever return from their expeditions.[1] Helian Zhao slaughtered all. A predator-esque barbarian was cut down by him, his head severed from his neck. A Great Qing soldier ran into him after fleeing brainlessly in defeat, causing him to raise his hand and use the hilt of his several-dozen-catty sabre to ruthlessly smash down on the other¡¯s head, splattering his brains out on the spot. In no more than a moment, the original color of that snow-bright armor could not be seen, his entire body bloodied and as filthy as his warhorse, but his expression was as harsh and frigid as ever. A date-red horse shot straight over, and the person coming turned his head; He Yunxing could clearly see that it was Cui Yingshu. Cui Yingshu panted fiercely. ¡°Your Highness, the right wing can¡¯t hold up!¡± Helian Zhao only looked at him. ¡°Call the center army¡¯s archers to the summit,¡± he replied indifferently. ¡°When there¡¯s no more arrows to shoot, throw rocks. When there¡¯s no more rocks to gather, throw corpses. Even if you have to use corpses to crush them, the barbarians need to be crushed to death in them.¡± He twisted his head around to stare at Cui Yingshu viciously, his gaze like a venomous snake¡¯s. ¡°Cui Yingshu,¡± he said, a pause between each syllable, ¡°this isn¡¯t the age when our Great General Feng swept across Nanjiang, understand?¡± Cui Yingshu stared at him in a daze, as if Helian Zhao was a visitor from the underworld, only to hear the other laugh coldly. ¡°Back then, his death was planned for. Staking life on his behalf today is how it should be.¡± There was an ominous undertone vaguely carried in his words. He Yunxing couldn¡¯t help but interrupt him. ¡°Your Highness.¡± Helian Zhao didn¡¯t turn to look at him, merely speaking calmly. ¡°We can hold up, and that¡¯s because these troops are still dependent on knowing that our hundreds of thousands of Dynasty elites are here and that no mistakes can be made. Now, though, if even their hopes are all broken, what would be left?¡± Cui Yingshu¡¯s face sank. ¡°Yes. This humble general understands.¡± Helian Zhao smiled, forcefully whipped his warhorse with a riding crop, and it charged out on initiative. While everyone was on alarm, he alone headed the soldiers. All his movements seemed to have a bizarre magic power to them, as the hearts of those who saw him instantly settled down, automatically following him to welcome the sharp claws and teeth of the Vakurah. It was like a hole had torn open in the chaotic crowd, the whirlpool-like land integrating more and more people into coming together and flowing in one direction. In fear of the earth long being polluted by the stink of livestock, the people run scared! Lead a crowd of heroes to do their utmost to eradicate it, hence! Among this land, those who encroach on the country must be put to death![2] Human lives were lost for him to rake in wealth. He colluded with corrupt officials to use the people as meat, removed dissidents regardless of consequences, brought harm to loyalists, and, even on the point of his departure, didn¡¯t neglect to maliciously plant a seed of alienation between the Crown Prince and Prince Nan¡¯ning¡­ He Yunxing harshly wiped his face, angrily bellowed, and followed closely after Helian Zhao. In a split second, a cold arrow came out of nowhere and unerringly shot Helian Zhao¡¯s horse¡¯s head. The warhorse immediately let out a long whinny, narrowly bucked him off, rushed two steps forward, then abruptly collapsed to the ground. Helian Zhao rolled off of it, and a prophetic-seeming arrow suddenly came again ¡ª with no time to dodge, he almost got hit, but He Yunxing fortunately caught up quickly, swiftly cutting it down. The very second Helian Zhao fell off his horse, a voice started shouting. ¡°The Great Qing¡¯s worthless Head Commander is dead! He¡¯s dead!¡± Helian Zhao cursed, immediately pushing the warhorse away, pulling himself free of it, and getting up again. ¡°The fuck I am.¡± He Yunxing¡¯s mind was in a whirl, and he suddenly understood why the other was staking his own life to make himself the target, nearly getting frightened into a cold sweat. Hurriedly, he jumped off his horse as well and grabbed him. ¡°Your Highness, please retreat! If something happens¡ª¡° Helian Zhao snatched his collar, stared off with him for a short moment, then let go and pushed him a couple steps back, chuckling. ¡°You can go back and report the good news to my little brother, then!¡± Soon after, he mounted another horse, shouting, ¡°Come on, you barbarian dogs!¡± He Yunxing¡¯s eyes were blurred. He wiped hard at them, only to discover that, at some unknown time, his face had become full of tears. Helian Zhao was using his life to reinvigorate the Great Qing soldiers that were about to concede defeat. As karma went, a stream of blood turned into a sea. By the time the morning sun broke dawn, a small gap struggled out of the dense cloud cover, and gloomy sunlight spilled down on the yet-continuing battle. The ground was full of human and horse carcasses. He Yunxing had suffered a cut across the shoulder, and in spite of the armor relieving him of majority of its force, a lot of blood was flowing out nonetheless, adhering his battle armor tightly to his body. He was a bit weak, but he still gritted his teeth and gripped his sabre no matter what thought he had, refusing to let go. A huge boom filled his ears, resulting in his mind not being very sharp. The web on his right hand was torn open; in extremely short order, the dust on his utterly rubbed-rough palm and the blood mixed into black filth. Dust, dirt, and ash flew freely. He didn¡¯t know how long he could keep going. Weapons of fire were finished launching. Arrows had been shot clean. The Vakurah had brought such a devil-may-care-esque extreme, with one wave of them rushing up to meet the Great Qing¡¯s people head-on as soon as the prior one had fallen. His line of sight was fuzzy from excess exhaustion. All of a sudden, a man frantically hurried over, dismounted, and knelt down with a plop, like a clay monkey. Only after trying to recognize him for a long while could He Yunxing tell that he was Helian Zhao¡¯s personal guard, and his heart promptly sank. The guard gazed up at him, then abruptly propped both his arms against the ground, and buried his head firmly onto the ground. He Yunxing opened his mouth, but his throat was already so dry and rough, he couldn¡¯t talk anymore. ¡°Marquis, Marquis¡­¡± He nearly fell off his horse, body swaying, and he rigidly held onto the reins. It took some time before he could force himself to speak. ¡°Send an emergency message. Tell the Emperor¡­ and the Crown Prince¡­ In the East Palace, the tea cup in Helian Yi¡¯s hand fell to floor, smashing into three pieces. The area outside the gates was captured, and the blood-dyed foreigners were coming in like this was a no-mans-land, thinking of their next target ¡ª the capital. Jing Qi had long realized this, and was putting in effort to prepare to flee, so that he could do without it. At this juncture, Helian Pei had completely fallen into a coma, and was wholly reliant on imperial physicians giving him medicine to extend his breathing, which came in but not out; he was simply the living dead. In the throne room, no one was quarreling at last. From top to bottom, Helian Yi, looking down on the sparse Court subjects, wasn¡¯t even sure ¨C who was it that harmed the country? His Father Emperor? These couple of officials? His two older brothers? But his predator-like eldest brother had since died on the northwestern battlefield, with not even his corpse able to be put back together, so¡­ was it him, himself? Thinking back to these years, what all had he done? Helian Yi discovered that, apart from vying for power, he had accomplished nothing. He had been wanting to wait until he ascended to re-organize the old country for certain, but, for some reason, the Heavens were stuck in time and didn¡¯t give him the opportunity. Now, he was finally sitting up high in the Great Hall, but it was far too late. Suddenly, someone stepped out of the row of officials. Helian Yi woodenly swept his gaze over to see that the man was the former Assistant Minister of Revenue, and now current Minister of Revenue, Zhao Mingji. The dried-out, withered old man bowed deeply, his voice crisp. ¡°Your Highness, this subject has a memorial to put forth.¡± Helian Yi raised his hand and motioned to him. Zhao Mingji took out a manifest, offering it up with both hands. In response, Wang Qu quickly accepted it, and gave it to Helian Yi. Noiselessly, many others then stepped out of the row to stand behind Zhao Mingji. ¡°Your Highness,¡± he was heard to say, ¡°this subject had observed night divinations yesterday. The white tiger has overtaken the purple rose¡¯s light.[3] The imperial star is unclear, and now, having come across a chaotic world, the Emperor¡¯s dragon form has taken ill. May this subject be so bold as to request that you, firstly, continue on your great legacy, and ascend the throne as Emperor.¡± Helian Yi silently watched at all the major ministers that stood up, awaiting his ¡®secondly¡¯. After Zhao Mingji let out a slow breath, he said, ¡°Now, there is no one obstructing the beastly race of Vakurahs. The northern defense of the capital is entirely broken, the national treasury has long been emptied, and the elite troops have practically been exhausted from losses. Now, this war cannot be fought anymore. I ask that you make a decision soon, Crown Prince.¡± ¡°The enemy has invaded my territory and injured my people,¡± he chuckled, voice low. ¡°If I don¡¯t fight, who can?¡± ¡°The plan for the present can only be to send diplomats for peace negotiations and give what is necessary,¡± Zhao Mingji replied. ¡°You must bear with this at this time, Your Highness.¡± No expression could be seen on Helian Yi¡¯s face. ¡°What you mean, Sir Zhao, is to cut apart the land in reparation, giving half of the whole country to someone else, and to not spare any part of it?¡± he asked softly. Zhao Mingji knelt down and kowtowed to him. ¡°Your Highness, this is not the time to put on a brave front,¡± he enunciated. This subject implores that you impart a decree to shift the country to the south, avoiding their cutting edge! We will likely have another day that we can make a comeback, returning in a whirl of dust!¡± Helian Yi nodded emptily, gaze hung low as his hand landed on the manifest. On the signature spot, the six ministries and nine ministers had all signed their names. He looked up again, swept a glance over the crowd that knelt behind Zhao Mingji, and sighed. Tossing the manifest into Wang Wu¡¯s arms, he stood up for a minute, back to the crowd, and turned his face up to gaze at the golden plaque atop the Great Hall that was as magnificent as ever. ¡°Okay.¡± He gently shook his head, laughing. Zhao Mingji, believing that he had agreed to it, was about to kowtow and praise him as a wise ruler, but he saw Helian Yi turn around to look at him. ¡°Okay. Sir Zhao has made a good plan for ruining the nation and making its people suffer.¡± Immediately following that, he flung out his sleeves. ¡°Arrest Zhao Mingji and all the people behind him, and haul them away for me,¡± he ordered mildly. ¡°If¡­ if anyone brings up moving the capital again, gentlemen, please weigh how heavy the head on your neck is.¡± The capital was on wide, level plains. If the capital was captured, then the final barrier in the northern half of the country. What was the difference between that and a dead nation? Though the members of the Helian family are nothing good, we aren¡¯t cowards. Eldest Brother, big brother* ¡ª if your spirit is still here, don¡¯t laugh at your little brother for overestimating his abilities, okay? Helian Yi successively issued three orders. The capital went into emergency status, the final Imperial Forest Army was densely formatted in wait, and several orders were issued every day to the Guangs and the Nanjiang area. Cruelly, all who dared to bring up half a word of ¡¯moving the capital¡¯ were imprisoned to be dealt with, as he intended to fight with his back to the water. After the Court meeting, he kept Jing Qi behind. Helian Yi sighed, then sat down limply, as if his muscles and bones were not enough to support the pressure. ¡°Beiyuan, sit,¡± he said softly a long while after. Wang Wu quickly moved a chair over and asked for Jing Qi to sit down. Jing Qi did, waiting for Helian Yi opened his mouth, but the man¡¯s mind appeared to be wandering, as he just stared at him blankly for a time without making a sound. After waiting for ages, Jing Qi gave a quiet cough. ¡°Crown Prince?¡± he reminded. Helian Yi seemed to snap out of it, mn¡¯ed, and blinked, his expression clearing up. He reached up to knead the space between his brows, sighing. ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep last night, so my energy is a little lacking.¡± Jing Qi was quiet. These days, Helian Yi absolutely wasn¡¯t alone in not sleeping the whole night. Helian Yi forced a smile, mumbling to himself, though it wasn¡¯t known if it was to Jing Qi or not. ¡°This is the time life and death will be decided. The capital will have a fierce battle. They¡¯ve already stepped on the farmland, but worry won¡¯t do anything. Motivation needs to be nurtured so that decent soldiers will come to obstruct them.¡± Viewing his peculiar expression, Jing Qi couldn¡¯t grasp what he was going to say while he affirmed. Helian Yi looked at him, voice extremely slow and soft. ¡°The Shamanet is someone of Nanjiang. It¡¯s also about the time we should be returning the hostage. This is a matter of the Great Qing, it doesn¡¯t make sense to spread harm to him, a foreigner, by making him stay in the capital¡­¡± Jing Qi was taken aback, his peach-blossom eyes promptly widening to stare at Helian Yi incredulously. He heard him proceed on. ¡°I cannot leave. Avail yourself of the time before the Vakurah soldiers get to our walls, and take my place in¡­ seeing him on his way.¡± CH 69 As if he didn¡¯t recognize the man, Jing Qi couldn¡¯t come back to himself for a long time, only staring blankly at Helian Yi. Helian Yi chucked. ¡°Why do you look so dumb?¡± Jing Qi opened his mouth, but before he had time to say anything, Helian Yi raised his hand and motioned it downwards, cutting him off. ¡°I¡¯m not discussing this with you. Though the Shamanet is a hostage, his skills aren¡¯t bad. Since he was received by Father Emperor when he arrived, he shouldn¡¯t be too unpresentable when he leaves. That¡¯s why I¡¯m ordering you to see him off.¡± He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. ¡°Father Emperor is this way now, I can¡¯t withdraw, and anyone else like won¡¯t be skilled enough¡­ you need to leave as soon as possible.¡± He looked up to shoot the attending Yu Kui a look, who promptly reacted, and offered up an edict. Jing Qi stood up like it was a reflex, then knelt. Helian Yi personally took the edict in hand, then handed it over to him. ¡°This is Father Emperor¡¯s will, too, to order you to see off the Shamanet on his journey yourself. I didn¡¯t read the old man¡¯s decree out loud because I went back a bit earlier to put everything in order.¡± Jing Qi brows lightly wrinkled. ¡°Your Highness¡­¡± Helian Yi lifted the edict expressionlessly. ¡°What? Are you still defying the order, at this point in time?¡± Helian Pei had long lost consciousness. What kind of order could he have made? Helian Yi remembered that moment in the rear courtyard of the Prince Estate, where he heard Wu Xi declare that world-shocking declaration, like it had happened yesterday. He had felt it laughable at the time, felt that Wu Xi was daydreaming; what relationship could the stately Prince Nan¡¯ning of the Great Qing have with a foreigner from a remote area? Back then, all he really believed was that, apart from the edge of Fullmoon River, what place in this realm could be wealthy enough to support this man¡¯s lifestyle, and support it well? Looking at it now, though, that was all ridiculous. The ways of the world were fickle. In normal times, level land still raised into large waves, to say nothing of a distraught world in chaos. The extent of the elite troops the Court could use had been lost in Gansu. Finishing moving over troops stationed at Nanjiang and the Guangs was a long time off, wasn¡¯t it? How could the predatory Vakurah division, who could travel a thousand li in a day, give them enough time? The war in the capital was most likely going to be hopeless. He suddenly came to understand that, no matter whether the man was related to him by blood or not, he had already placed him into the softest place of his heart; so profound, and yet hard to describe. But, how could he bear¡­ how could he bear to watch him be ruined in a foreign race¡¯s hands, together with a city of used-up prosperity? He was such a promising young man, like a mortal banished from heaven, and he ought to easily be able to drink and be happy, living this life with no worries. Nanjiang was far away, but the Shamanet was still the future Great Shaman, so he shouldn¡¯t treat him too poorly. Though there were plumes of toxic air, he had heard that there were green mountains and beautiful people, too. Helian Yi¡¯s voice was pressed down low out of fear that raising it a bit would bring a hint of him choking up along with it, and he would be unable to control his unaffected tone. ¡°Take the edict,¡± he said stiffly. Jing Qi raised his head, expression complicated as he stared at him. Helian Yi shifted his line of sight away from him. To be cut off from him ¡ª just anticipating that he was about to be cut off from him ¡ª felt like his heart was being cut out with a knife. His raised hand began to shake slightly. ¡°Jing Beiyuan, take the edict!¡± Jing Qi softly close his eyes, slowly reached out, then took the edict with both hands. Helian Yi followed his back with his eyes as he departed for a place unseen, then dropped into the dragon chair like his strength had escaped him. He curled up into a ball, shoulders hunched with his face buried into the crook of his arm. The dragon chair¡¯s wideness, intricacy, and manifestation of an air of jeweled pricelessness were all gloomy, cold, and somber, making him look all the more thin and haggard in comparison. Yu Kui stood quietly at the side. Looking at him, he swallowed his sigh back into his stomach. Jing Qi returned to his Estate, went straight to his study, then placed his hand upon an inconspicuous and ancient little cabinet in the corner. After standing there silently for a time, he undid the three locks on it with the key he had on him, tossed the edict inside, and took out a small bottle. Immediately after that, he turned, then walked right out. In the moment he turned, the imposing, empty, solemn, mask-like look on his face vanished instantaneously with a gentle wipe. Not a trace of it was left behind, making one view it as the same slightly-smiling, thoroughly indecent expression as always. Following the day that Jing Qi had been order to come to the palace in the middle of the night, Wu Xi knew something big had happened without him needing to say anything. The Estate was oddly quiet for the past several days, and Zhou Zishu¡¯s group that occasionally came over to drink had not shown up for a long time. Jing Qi himself came in and out in a rush, as well, leaving the Estate very early in the morning and sometimes not even coming back after people had lit up lanterns. At this moment, the sky hadn¡¯t yet darkened. Wu Xi was in the middle of practicing in the courtyard. Jing Qi dismissed the attendants and entered alone, not making a sound. He just leaned against the big tree, crossed his arms over his chest, and watched. Wu Xi was utterly concentrated when he practiced. Jing Qi liked this undistracted look of his the most, as if even the sky could be falling down and he¡¯d ignore it. When he did anything, he would have only that in mind. Even when doing martial arts, he ineffably gave off a sense of ¡®stillness¡¯. Because he was calm. Only after the smaller half of a shichen did he stop in his arts. Raising his head to see Jing Qi, a smile abruptly appeared on his face. It was so genuine, that anyone seeing it couldn¡¯t resist the compulsion to smile together with him. ¡°Why are you so early today?¡± Wu Xi asked when he walked over. Jing Qi raised a brow. ¡°The Crown Prince chopped down everyone who clamored for moving the capital. No one made a fuss.¡± Wu Xi was startled, but since he actually quite approved of that, he nodded. ¡°It it was me, I would have chopped them down long ago. The battle hasn¡¯t started yet, what reason is there in running?¡± The matters he cared about were finite, restricted solely to those relevant to Nanjiang. The people he cared about were even more finite, restricted solely to the one before him. He only knew that there were encampments in the vicinity of the capital, not understanding the specifics of how many people there were, nor how reliable they were; he was probably one of the very few truly optimistic people left in the capital. Jing Qi had no intention of explaining things clearly, so he nodded with a smile. ¡°The way the two of you think is pretty identical. The Great Qing and Nanjiang will avoid fighting later on.¡± He was speaking, yet his eyes were focused unblinkingly on Wu Xi. He had a pair of peach blossom eyes to begin with, so when he casually stared right at someone, it brought an indescribable overtone. Wu Xi only felt that the look in his eyes was like a small hook, catching one¡¯s heart and making it gallop. Hence, he gave a dry cough. ¡°¡­Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Jing Qi laughed without sound, his eyes curving up slightly; because his lashes were thick, they were like ink strokes drawn around them. There had been a huge downpour in the capital a few days prior, early autumn had arrived, and the weather was slightly cool, but he was still dressed like it was summer. The button on his neckline had either jumped open on its own or had never been fastened in the first place, revealing an exceptionally fair neck. Wu Xi paused straightaway, feeling his heart twitch, after which his mouth became noticeably dry. Jing Qi suddenly reached out. Using two fingers to lift the other¡¯s chin, he leaned in close, as if he were teasing a young lady. ¡°Look at you¡­ how handsome,¡± he said, voice hushed. Wu Xi took a step back, not knowing how to react. ¡°Beiyuan, don¡¯t mess around,¡± he quietly demanded. Laughing lowly, Jing Qi put his arms around his waist, and then their positions swiftly changed. Wu Xi¡¯s back was pressed against the tree trunk, with nowhere for him to retreat to. Jing Qi was nearly stuck right against him, fingers lightly gripping his chin. ¡°Who was the one who threatened, and with such power, that he would kill everyone that I liked until none were left? What¡¯s making you be this bashful, now?¡± Anyone who got pressed up against a tree by their beloved wouldn¡¯t be able to handle a provocation like this; on top of that, he was a young man that had only just recognized what feelings were, but still didn¡¯t understand what desire was. All he felt was his blood surging up in bursts, his words stringing together somewhat awkwardly in no time, and his mind being a blank expanse. He was only able to say one phrase. ¡°Beiyuan¡­ don¡¯t mess around.¡± Jing Qi¡¯s gaze wandered, fingertips fiddling with Wu Xi¡¯s hanging locks. Aiming a look at his neckline, he lowered his voice even more, practically plastering to Wu Xi¡¯s ear. ¡°Due to that threat of yours, I feared that fooling around would spill blood three chi around me¡­ this Prince has slept in a cold quilt that no one has warmed for who knows how many days. Are you so uncharitable, Shamanet, that you wouldn¡¯t even compensate me for it?¡± An explosion went off in Wu Xi¡¯s head. ¡°B-B¡­ Beiyuan¡­ this isn¡¯t right, we¡¯re not officially married yet, w-we shouldn¡¯t,¡± he managed to stammer out. Jing Qi was stumped for a moment before he realized what he meant. Bravado finally broken, he leaned into Wu Xi¡¯s neck and laughed heartily. How could such a rare flower exist in this world? And how did he manage to come across someone like this? He started to believe that the Heavens were making things right for him, but when he thought carefully about it, he then believed that the Heavens had changed to a different tactic for messing with him: It wasn¡¯t seeking, yet not receiving, it was loving, but then separating. The sound of his laughter stopped all at once, and he lowered his head. Wu Xi couldn¡¯t see his expression and felt a bit panicky, after hesitating, he grabbed Jing Qi¡¯s shoulder to question, ¡°What is it, Beiyuan?¡± Jing Qi shook his head, wiping the tears at the corner of his eyes that had come out due to laughter. All of a sudden, he turned his head, bluntly asking, ¡°I want you. Can you give yourself to me?¡± Wu Xi¡¯s throat bobbed unnaturally, dazed for a minute. There was a voice in his head the whole time saying that this was wrong, but under the attentive look in Jing Qi¡¯s eyes that seemed to be entrancing, the voice grew weaker and weaker, until he slowly nodded his head. Laughing, Jing Qi bit his ear. ¡°I¡¯ll come to your room at night.¡± Then, he let go of him, turning around and leaving on his own accord. Wu Xi remained standing there for a moment. Feeling like this was an illusion, he airily walked away like he was sleepwalking, his arms matching the pace of his legs. When he was eating dinner, due to his mind wandering so terribly, dropped two pairs of chopstick in succession, and even ended up accidentally smashing the bowl. Nuahar, who he had intentionally brought to wait upon him out of fear that staying at the Estate would be an inconvenience, merely thought their Shamanet was possessed. The other¡¯s face was dignified at times, suffused with red at times, and revealed an indescribably dumb smile at times. It was exceptionally strange. The hair-raising meal was eaten with great difficulty. He likely didn¡¯t even know what he was eating at all, then had Nuahar draw hot water for him to take a bath early. ¡°Shamanet, don¡¯t you practice at night? You want to rest this early?¡± the latter questioned in horror. ¡°Go and retire earlier tonight,¡± Wu Xi answered irrelevantly. ¡°No need to attend to me.¡± Nuahar blinked, then blinked again, and thus determined that this guy was possessed. The moon was above the branches of willows. Not at ease, Wu Xi picked up a book and flipped through it from start to finish, but didn¡¯t know what he had read, his head like a racing carriage. The darker the sky got, the further he got away from reality. It was unknown how long had passed when, all of a sudden, the door was pushed open from the outside, and he immediately looked up. He caught sight of Jing Qi sporting a pearl-white robe, his hair loose, looking like he had just finished bathing and drying off. The other calmly blinked at him, pushed the door closed from behind, then walked towards him. With every step closer he got, Wu Xi¡¯s heartbeat quickened incrementally. When Jing Qi leaned in close, picked up the book he held, and threw it to the side, Wu Xi felt that his heart was going so fast, it wasn¡¯t beating anymore. CH 70 Jing Qi curled one leg up to kneel on the bed, lifting Wu Xi¡¯s chin to look down at him. Peering into those eyes that were nervous about something unknown, he felt like they resembled the rarest black pearls that propagated the ocean. With no mottled colors, staring at them for a long time seemed to be able to suck people in, and he couldn¡¯t resist reaching up to brush against Wu Xi¡¯s lashes. All of Wu Xi¡¯s fingers clutched the bedsheet tightly, his body rigid. The man¡¯s light fragrance from his recent bath hit him in the face, as if it was going to enshroud his entire body. While his heart fluttered away, he did everything he could to control himself. Nanjiang was much more straightforward than the convoluted Great Qing ¡ª the one he liked was the one he wanted. Even so, he still felt that this wasn¡¯t how it should be. Having read Great Qing books, he knew that ¡®etiquette¡¯ was the topmost important thing to them, and that before an unmarried couple took part in wedding ceremonies, they weren¡¯t even supposed to take one look too many at each other. Well¡­ he was a man, but¡­ He grabbed Jing Qi¡¯s fingers that were already getting into his collar, shaking his head with enormous-looking determination. ¡°Beiyuan¡­ I still think this isn¡¯t proper.¡± In previous times, Jing Qi had always considered himself to be someone that, despite messing around once in a while, was clean and moral the majority of the time. Yet, he abruptly found out that, compared to the Shamanet, his youthful, cluttered life of napping with flowers could practically be described as rancid. Even though he had no strong feelings about sensuality, his methods for playing the part were not few. Jing Qi¡¯s fingertips were like a slippery fish that slid out of the hand, Wu Xi felt, and they easily left his palm. Pulling open his lapels, they softly stroked along his collarbone, seeming to ignite a series of invisible little sparks along his skin. ¡°How isn¡¯t it proper?¡± Jing Qi asked, unconcerned. He deliberately slowed himself, both of his lewd hands caressing Wu Xi from top to bottom. Seeing the man flustered and incessantly nervous, he enjoyed the delight of feeling him up, and slowly stoked the fire within himself. With his one knee on the bed, his entire body was practically pressed down on Wu Xi. Out of options, the latter had to prop one arm behind himself, and embraced him with the other. Getting the majority of his clothes peeled off by him, he was endlessly embarrassed, and rambled on in desperation. ¡°Didn¡¯t your Confucius say that¡­ relations without marriage, are indecent¡ª¡° Jing Qi pinched his chest, shocking him into nearly jumping upwards. The arm supporting him went soft, and he laid down directly on his back, hearing only Jing Qi¡¯s quiet laugh. ¡°Does that refer to being with a woman, or with a man?¡± Wu Xi had no response ¡ª Confucius hadn¡¯t been specific. He sensed something flash before his eyes, then saw Jing Qi¡¯s loosely-draped white robe fall to the floor. The other leaned forward to casually let the bedcurtain fall, hazy light passing through it. He hadn¡¯t been wearing anything under that robe, his skin looking to be finer than the best brocade, and that fragile ring hung off his neck, his long hair landing next to Wu Xi¡¯s ears when he lowered his head. Wu Xi couldn¡¯t say a thing at all. ¡°Beautiful Wu Xi, will you be screaming out indecently for this gentleman to hear?¡± Jing Qi asked in a low voice, eyes curved in a smile. Reason finally flying away, Wu Xi pulled him down by the neck, blocking off his scoundrel laughter. The man¡¯s body heat and sweet scent both encompassed him. His arms were full, yet he was still duped into thinking that this was unreal. The Prince was, of course, an old hat at romance, and had patience, fluent in both the skill of flowery words off the bed and the skill of sweet-talking someone on the bed. Now, upon coming across such a hatchling, he wanted to make him nice and comfortable all the more kindly. Wu Xi detected something faintly amiss, but couldn¡¯t tell what exactly it was. Mind a ball of paste, he endured his actions, until Jing Qi¡¯s burning, meandering hand reached behind him and rubbed down along his spine. He didn¡¯t understand at first, but he did, now. He struggled with some discomfort, but looked up just in time to catch sight of Jing Qi¡¯s gaze ¡ª the look in the man¡¯s eyes was unspeakably tender, yet inside that tenderness were the depths of lust starting to burn. He believed that Jing Qi, at this very moment, had at last thrown everything and everyone in his eyes to the side, leaving only him behind. It made him feel like he would be okay with anything the other did; even if he died for him right now, he would have no regrets. For that, he smiled gently, and closed his eyes. His smile was abnormally happy, but it made Jing Qi pause for a short instant. Stopping his hand, he thought: if this really did go all the way, wouldn¡¯t the little toxin hate him to death, once he learned what was on his mind? In line with the man¡¯s intense and obstinate nature, wouldn¡¯t there be a lifetime of having no margin to come back from this? In his experience, he had to leave himself an escape route in everything he did, or else he might be out of luck in the future, and die for the country or something. If he instead was left breathing, where would he be able to find a person like this again? He lightly frowned for a second¡¯s time, making a decision¡­ The stab of pain Wu Xi imagined did not come, but he felt the body heat covering him retract slightly, quickly following which his hot dick was slowly engulfed in tight warmth. He suddenly opened his eyes. ¡°¡­¡± Jing Qi quickly pressed down on his shoulders with his hands, voice trembling a bit. ¡°Don¡¯t move¡­ don¡¯t move.¡± Gritting his teeth hard, he slowly sat down, the dull pain akin to his flesh getting cut into a thousand pieces. Nobody had ever dared Prince Nan¡¯ning to do something like this. He had been the one pushing Wu Xi down at the start, but it had gradually turned into relying on him to hold him up. The pressing pain made his arms go soft, and he fell upon Wu Xi, the two of them giving muffled grunts at the same time. Wu Xi quickly caught him, feeling that the other¡¯s entire body was shaking slightly. Unable to tell what emotion was inside him, he only embraced him with care, soothing his body with kisses almost piously. The red luan star in the night sky quietly ascended, then quietly fell. On the morrow, Wu Xi awoke as early as ever. The split second he opened his eyes, he almost couldn¡¯t clearly tell whether that poignant evening was a dream or reality. He cautiously turned his head only after ages had passed, and saw Jing Qi¡¯s slightly-messed hair lying beside him, half a shoulder having slipped out of the embroidered sheets. He laughed noiselessly, gently pulled the blanket up for him, and was in no rush to get up, inclining his head to look at him. He wouldn¡¯t get enough of looking at him in all his life. This wasn¡¯t a dream. The most beautiful thing ever had not come from a dream; the inside of one wouldn¡¯t have such genuine happiness that soaked into the soul. Maybe his gaze was too emotional, as Jing Qi was ¡®watched¡¯ awake. The latter open his eyes groggily, looked at him, mumbled out an unclear ¡°it¡¯s not even bright out yet,¡± then went to turn over and continue sleeping. Upon moving, however, he found out that there was an indescribable ache in his body, and he lightly huffed, brows scrunching up. Wu Xi promptly turned and sat up, nervously asking, ¡°Does it hurt? Where?¡± Jing Qi inhaled deeply and rolled his eyes. ¡°Water,¡± he impolitely ordered. Wu Xi immediately threw something on, got up, poured a bowl of water for him, carried it over, and fed it to him personally. Jing Qi drank two sips and then refused to drink any more, taking the cup in hand. ¡°Bring¡ª cough, bring me clothes.¡± Wu Xi hurriedly picked up his robe that had fallen to the ground last night, but didn¡¯t immediately hand it to him, stuffing it into the blanket. ¡°They¡¯re cold, warm them up before you wear them,¡± he said softly. ¡°Is there anything else? ¡­Did I injure you yesterday?¡± Leaning against the headboard, Jing Qi skewed a glance at him. Seeing that he looked bewildered and distinctly resembled a kid that had gotten into trouble, he couldn¡¯t resist a chuckle. Wu Xi wasn¡¯t sure what he was laughing at, but he saw the gleam in his eyes; whenever he laughed, they billowed with water exceptionally beautifully, making him uncontrollably laugh with him, too. Jing Qi smacked him on the back of his head. ¡°What are you laughing at? Go. Get someone to draw hot water, I want to bathe.¡± Wu Xi accepted his order, giddily ran off, then got the hot water for him himself. After that, Jing Qi sighed a bit, restraining the smile on his face. He looked down at the half-bowl of water that slightly rippled along with his movements, mind wandering for a minute, and soon after pulled out the robe that Wu Xi had stuffed under the blanket. Taking a small bottle out of it, he smiled painfully, and poured all of its contents into the tea ¡ª it melted in the liquid, colorless and tasteless. Wu Xi was happy to attend to him personally. Setting the hot water down and turning his head, Jing Qi had since put his robe on, and was in the middle of lowering his head to drink. He walked over and sat at the edge of the bed. ¡°Beiyuan, the water is ready.¡± Yet, Jing Qi smiled at him, unexpectedly wrapped his arms around his neck, and tangled their lips together. Passing him the whole mouthful of water like he was messing around, he forced him to swallow it down, then let him go. Wu Xi spluttered, tone exasperated. ¡°Why did¡ª¡° He didn¡¯t get to finish, because he sensed that something was off, blankly watching the smiling expression on Jing Qi¡¯s face vanish. The other sat there calmly, looking at him like he wanted to squeeze out a grin, but, for some reason, the curves of his face held sorrow. Wu Xi realized it in an instant, but felt his body get weighed down by something, eyes struggling to stay open. He swiftly stood up, stumbling a half-step back. ¡°¡­¡± Jing Qi avoided his eyes. In that instant, the man¡¯s handsome, lowered brows made a drowning desperation arise in his heart. His legs apparently couldn¡¯t support his weight, his knees went limp, and he fell, getting taken into Jing Qi¡¯s arms. ¡°Jing Beiyuan¡­ Jing¡­ Bei¡­ yuan¡­¡± He exhausted the last of his strength, firmly clutching Jing Qi¡¯s sleeve and fighting hard to open his eyes that had since gone slack. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ hate¡­ hate¡­ you forever¡­ hate¡­ for¡­¡± Consciousness at last unable to keep struggling, he slowly shut his eyes, relaxed his fingers, and collapsed powerlessly. Jing Qi picked him up, gently placed him on the bed, then reached out to delicately trace his facial features. All of a sudden, he smiled, fragmented rays appearing inside of his slightly raised peach blossom eyes. In that second, every type of prosperity didn¡¯t matter, and both the previous life and this one disappeared without a trace. Only that voice was in his ears: Jing Beiyuan, I will hate you forever. There was a run-down restaurant in the outskirts called a rest pavilion. Parting people would hereunto go their separate ways. Mortal sounds that resonated on Xianyang Road were unheard both here, and on the other side of the world. Ashinlae turned to gaze at the back of the figure seated atop the horse innumerable times, while the Shamanet was in the carriage, dreaming deeply without waking. He had many suspicions in mind, but didn¡¯t understand. He asked Nuahar, but he didn¡¯t understand, either. The Prince had only said that the Great Qing was going to war and the Vakurah were going to strike the capital, so they had to return to Nanjiang for safety. Ashinlae wanted to interrogate him on why he wasn¡¯t coming with them, but Nuahar grabbed him to stop. The latter seemed to have just come back from weeping at a funeral, numb grief on his face. Questions not to be said, he merely shook his head and sighed. At the city gate, the horses and carriages filed out, the setting sun now about to ebb. Jing Qi reined his horse to a stop, dismounted, lifted the carriage curtain, and stared fixedly at Wu Xi for a time. No emotion was visible on him, making one think that he was no different from usual, and yet not the same at all. ¡°It¡¯s a long road. Take care of yourselves, gentlemen,¡± he soon quietly said. ¡°I put all the Dream Stupor leftover from last time into that water. This sleep of his will likely last ten fortnights. If you all spur your horses a bit faster¡­ you might be able to make it.¡± ¡°Prince¡­¡± Nuahar uttered quietly. Jing Qi looked at him, exposing a shallow grin that rapidly disappeared, then released the curtain. ¡°Alright, no more drivel. Go on.¡± Nuahar¡¯s eyes went red, yet Jing Qi didn¡¯t look at him anymore, leading his horse back over regardless. Nuahar jumped out of the carriage and shouted, ¡°Prince!¡± Not looking back, Jing Qi simply lightly waved his hand. ¡°Once your Shamanet awakens, tell him¡­ that I owe him for today. If there¡¯s another day that we meet again, I¡¯ll definitely repay him. Go.¡± Ah, to tread a trail on Xianyang Road¡­ He led his horse back into the city alone, walking extremely slowly. The sound of carriages and horses was behind him. The sound of rolling wheels rolled into the distance. It was unknown how long had passed until he eventually couldn¡¯t resist turning his head, only to discover that all the Nanjiang folk had long become invisible. The sound of wheels was nothing more than an illusion of the mind, as if that man was still there, as if¡­ He smiled bitterly, mounting the horse. When he passed the rest pavilion, he noticed that a familiar carriage was parked at the entrance of the restaurant for who knew how long. Startled, he reined the horse to a stop, and shortly saw someone come out of the carriage. Helian Yi stared off with him for a long time. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go with him?¡± he asked quietly. Jing Qi smiled. ¡°This subject has obeyed the edict to send the Shamanet out of the capital. It¡¯s merely that these are extraordinary times, so I had to lack some courtesy this once. Don¡¯t blame me for not seeing him off further on.¡± The other stood there mutely for a while, then sighed deeply. ¡°What use could there be in remaining behind?¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t any. I just have to stay.¡± He was only in the everyday outfit of a sapphire robe, silver rolling on the edges of his wide sleeves, which rose with the breeze. His back and shoulders were exceptionally straight, like bamboo that refused to bend in any way within the wind. Then, inside the sunset, he explained himself clearly. ¡°I, Jing Beiyuan, was born a person of the Great Qing, and will die a ghost of the Great Qing.¡± CH 71 By this juncture, there was no one in Court that dared to bring up moving to the South anymore. Helian Yi, this young man that had appeared gentle and kind for more than twenty years, finally exposed his iron-blooded, ruthless side to the people of the world. Then, existing in this dire situation where everyone wanted to retreat, he had the Ministry of Rites hurriedly make preparations, and took the top seat in close to a panic. Deep inside the palace, Helian Pei¡¯s breathing was weak, already at the end of his wick. Now, though, in this realm, the son was going to have to pay off his father¡¯s debts. This year, Helian Yi was twenty-eight years old when the era¡¯s name was changed to Rongjia. At this period in the capital, all those who picked up their heads and said that they had to negotiate peace in compromise were the first soldiers to be made into cannon fodder. Anyone else was mostly quieted under Helian Yi¡¯s high-pressure policy, but it was only a quiet forced by lack of a better option ¡ª from the crowd of subjects in Court to the last of the Imperial Forest Army, everyone was on edge. The army had originally only had less than sixty-thousand members, and part of it had been temporarily transferred over by Helian Zhao, so it now had less than thirty-thousand remaining. In former times, they were elites, but right now, upon hearing the news that nearly the entire army was wiped out, they turned into cowards out of dread. Areas surrounding the capital, like Shandong and Henan, could be allocated, but they only had some backup ranks of the old, feeble, disabled, and whatnot. With no choice but to heal a dead horse like it was alive, Helian Yi assembled their entire sum. The remainder, such as the Nanjiang border guard and Guangs, traveled day and night to catch up to the capital, in spite of knowing full well that faraway water couldn¡¯t quench thirst at hand. Lu Shen assumed total control over the Ministry of Revenue. His first decision was to set down that the squadrons coming to the capital from the West had to pass Mian Province, and from the South, Cang Province, as those were the two largest provision stores closest to the capital. The armies were to go through them and carry their own rations over; the previously prepared armaments had all long since been given a funereal bury at the Northwestern battlefield, and it was definitely too late to raise funds again right now. Mian and Cang and such weren¡¯t far from the capital, but they were still a good distance away. With how messy the present way of the world was, failure was likely, and they were obliged to have the coming forces take on several duties simultaneously. As for Jing Qi and Zhou Zishu, they were doing something else. Ever since the early days of the Great Qing¡¯s establishment, there was an institution in the capital that featured specialized management of the Spring Market¡¯s affairs, known as the ¡®Northsent Department¡¯. It had originally been under the Consul Herald¡¯s control, but for the sake of easier work, there were quite a few Vakurah officials in it, which gradually separated it from the Consul¡¯s office to become a lone branch. Spring Market dealings had typically been in the Northwest, and only once per year. The branch generally didn¡¯t do much work, yet it carried a lucrative position. Zhao Zhenshu once had countless dealings with the Vakurah chief, Jeshe; inside the transactions of money and power, it could be claimed that Zhao Zhenshu had single-handedly reared this wolf, and the Department had nearly turned into a secret thread between Zhao Zhenshu and the capital¡¯s business. Zhang Jin had never meddled in these private exchanges, either, because foreigners were ultimately just foreigners, and it oftentimes wasn¡¯t good to be linked with foreigners in the Great Qing¡¯s internal political strife. For that reason, at the time of the great purge of the Northwest, these big-headed, fat-bellied vermin miraculously escaped it. Starting from the very day the Northwest went into a state of emergency, Helian Yi had Zhou Zishu keep a tight watch on this group. With the current state of martial law, the latter further tore off his mask and straight-up put them all under house arrest. Jing Qi understood, of course, that these fatties with stomachs two times rounder than their heads, and who hadn¡¯t looked a nomad for ages, only truthfully had things to do with money, with no relation to this war at all. Perhaps even Jeshe himself had no idea what they had done. Even so, he needed a little something right now that evoked even stronger emotions in the city, for warding off those fears of ¡®the Vakurah warriors are all indestructible¡¯ that were spreading around like a plague. He had never been a take-charge individual. He was more than enough for handling things and making ideas as a supporting role, but he wasn¡¯t unwavering enough, and seldom had the drive to act alone. However, he understood the human heart better than anyone else, and he knew that, at this time, the most frightening thing was not the large Vakurah army watching them like prey, but rather the scatterbrained and flustered minds in the capital. No matter whether they were legitimately discovered or fabricated out of nothing, Zhou Zishu made uncountable charges against everyone in the Northsent Department with extreme efficiency. Regardless of them being real or fake, they had the utmost of provocative power, and recounting clause after clause of them only made those that didn¡¯t know the truth itch to peel the skin off of these ¡®awfully guilty¡¯ people. Therefore, on that day, Jing Qi took about a hundred members of the Imperial Forest Army to hem in around the Department with no warning in the slightest. Without even a hello, people were dragged out of it one by one, stripped out their official¡¯s uniforms right on the streets, and hogtied. While he instructed someone to send the news back, he had another methodically organize a string of accompanying confiscation operations. After that, he rode up on a horse, expressionlessly ordering that these shivering people were to be individually bound to large wooden poles. Behind those poles would hang a massive white cloth upon which who these people were would be written, whether they be Vakurah or their scumbag lackeys in the Great Qing, along with a point by point list of what crimes they had committed. Then, he personally brought them in a parade through the streets. Taking into consideration that there were many among the citizenry that couldn¡¯t read, he borrowed two major experts under Zhou Zishu¡¯s command, Lu Yu and Duan Pengju, to follow him on the journey. Applying their internal force, they would recite them word by word as they went and be heard clearly from faraway. People poured out of the alleys of the capital as if a celebration was going on. The commoners and the soldiers keeping order all congregated on both sides of the mainstreet. It was unknown who took the initiative, but they threw a chunk of rotten, leafy vegetable onto the head of the director of the Northsent Department, who had been loudly shouting that he had been falsely accused. Slowly, the feelings of the crowd began to stir up; stones, rotten vegetables, spit, and whatever they had was what came smashing down. The troops that had been assigned in the name of ¡®keeping order¡¯ had been able to stop them at the onset, but they were human, too, and some had friends and relatives that had died in the big Northwest. As a result, the soldiers and citizens became one family later on, and the hurling morphed into stomping and beating them up. They were informed that these people ¡ª these big-headed, pot-bellied, fat people ¡ª were Vakurah. They were not all-knowing, nor were they indestructible. It was these outsiders that were currently blowing a foul stench onto this mild, peaceful land of gold dust, killing their brothers and families, and causing the chaos to separate people forever. Without anyone realizing it, Jing Qi and Zhou Zishu had withdrawn to outside the circle for observation. Jing Qi stood on a tall building, watching quietly for a while before he said, ¡°Zishu, later on, I¡¯ll have you mingle in with the commoners to keep a bit of the spirit up. Those that weren¡¯t beaten to death are to be given another strike on their skulls. Those that died are to have their corpses collected once these people have dispersed, and then their heads are to chopped off and hung up on the city gate.¡± Zhou Zishu exhaled lightly, shaking his head with a grin. ¡°Prince, you don¡¯t know this, but even I¡¯ve got the feeling of a sigh in my heart, like a huge rock that had been suffocating my chest exploded apart.¡± Jing Qi narrowed his eyes, inclining his head to look at him. ¡°I heard that you were finally willing to send Li¡¯l Liang away?¡± The other shook his head again and smiled painfully. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t leave, I¡¯d still have to mind him. In the case that he gets into trouble at a time like this, I won¡¯t have the leftover energy to wipe his ass for him and get someone to abduct him hard.¡± ¡°Take care that he doesn¡¯t that he¡¯ll hate you forever,¡± Jing Qi answered with a skin-deep smile. ¡°Prince, love is deep only when hate is definite,¡± Zhou Zishu joked. ¡°This subordinate doesn¡¯t have the atractiveness that you do, Prince.¡± Staring blankly for a short instant, Jing Qi then frowned as he looked at him. ¡°Are you actually making fun of me?¡± The other curbed his grin. ¡°You have to take care of yourself by every means, Prince, don¡¯t ruin your health by getting angry. I¡¯m still awaiting the future of coming to ask you for a cup of good wine. I heard¡­ that Nanjiang¡¯s five-poison wine can be a great tonic.¡± Jing Qi¡¯s originally somewhat solemn appearance swiftly unfurled. Following a moment of quiet, he softly replied, ¡°With your blessing, old friend, if I really can live to such a day, then the wine is nothing. I¡¯ll even tell a pretty, small-waisted Nanjiang lady to be your wife.¡± ¡°Prince, a nobleman¡¯s words are as a whipping of four horses. You have to keep your word,¡± Zhou Zishu said quickly. Jing Qi reached his fist over, raising his brows as he looked at him. Zhou Zishu smiled, then reached his own fist over as well, lightly bumping against his. ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡± After that, Jing Qi started to undertake divvying up the entire capital into several districts. Each one was appointed a person specially in charge of rationing food and supplies for every household, every day. He also ordered people to clear up a couple of roadblocks on the only road the ranks ordered to enter the capital could take. Troops were trained on the daily in the middle of the streets, lookout security tight. With every reinforcing army that came, three fireworks would be designated to notify the whole city. Helian Yi used great effort to placate Helian Zhao¡¯s family, posthumously titling him as Great General-Prince Zhongyong, and his eldest son, Helian Yu, as Kin-Prince Yangcheng. This had been a matter of honor, at first, but it had a result that was beyond expectations. Helian Zhao¡¯s old division, headed by Jian Sizong, his father-in-law whose culturedness had hit rock-bottom back in the day, became the first group to stand up as a core power of the primary battle. Ten years prior, Jiang Sizong had cradled Zhao Mingji in the throne room and called him ¡®darling¡¯. Ten years later, Zhao Mingji¡¯s head, along with a group of poor souls from the Northsent Department¡¯s, were hung up together on the city walls by Prince Nan¡¯ning. The long-since retired and now gray-haired Jian Sizong had brought over a bunch of people that had been born servants of the Eldest Scion¡¯s Estate, all arranged in rows, and knelt falteringly before Helian Yi, loudly calling ¡®Long Live the Emperor¡¯. Helian Yi did not nominate any generals whatsoever, merely shedding the dragon robe he wore and switching it for battle armor. He declared that he would defend the capital in person, and desperately fight to the very end. Behind him was no longer loose sand that refused to come together. There was the airtight Lu Shen, the suddenly sly and vicious Jing Beiyuan, the newly-founded, immeasurable ¡®Heaven¡¯s Pane¡¯, a vast crowd of impassioned scholars, and the unyielding, mourning troops of the former Eldest Scion party. And, at this point in time, another person stood up as well ¡ª the daughter of Great General Feng Yuanji, Princess Jing¡¯an, and adopted daughter of Retired Emperor Helian Pei, Feng Xiaoshu. The young woman that had been wronged by being in the rear palace had suddenly showed up, dressed in military attire. She had the same pair of stubborn eyes and the same exceptionally straight back that Great General Feng had once had. Like daughter, like father; being deep in the palace had not erased the intense Feng demeanor she bore at all. Princess Jing¡¯an leaned on a spear and had her hair coiled up like a man¡¯s, kneeling and begging Helian Yi to allow her to imitate Mulan in enlisting on behalf of her father. Right then, the old Feng faction in the army, formerly as incompatible as fire and water, at last merged together with Helian Zhao¡¯s remaining people. One month later, the number of people stationed at the capital reached eighteen-hundred thousand, and provisions were readied all together. Whether citizen or soldiers, everyone¡¯s emotions had reached a peak ¡ª Emperor Rongjia, Helian Yi, would likely be the most prestigious Emperor since the beginning of the Great Qing¡¯s history. On the eighth of November, He Yunxing had sorted out the surviving troops, and came to the capital alive. Upon receiving the news, Helian Yi personally went to the city gates to welcome him. He Yunxing knelt before him on the spot, weeping bitterly, and once his bout of crying was done, he never once labelled himself with fault, nor did Helian Yi descend fault upon him. He was simply still weaved into the capital¡¯s garrisoned generals; right now, whether one was dead or alive, they needed to have courage. Yet, what Zhou Zishu didn¡¯t know was that Liang Jiuxiao, who he had sent away, used a little trick halfway down the journey ¡ª the two escorting him did not check on him for a moment, allowing him to escape. Liang Jiuxiao said nothing, then happened to come across a backup squadron that was coming to the capital from the south, using the alias Xiao Jiang to go along with them. This whole time, he hadn¡¯t gotten over it. He hadn¡¯t gotten over his sect-brother killing Jiang Zheng¡¯s family, and he hadn¡¯t gotten over the Prince¡¯s words that made one feel a chill in their bones upon hearing them. He knew himself to be stupid and unable to see through things, so he couldn¡¯t understand how these smart people thought. Yet, he had always been guilty. He had always dreamed that he would one day transform into great hero that would uphold justice, but after coming to the capital, he had entirely lost himself. He felt that he ought to return, even if it wasn¡¯t for the purpose of living, dying, advancing, and retreating in tandem with his sect-brother. It was for the purpose of being inside this age of blood and fire, and again seeking that road leading to righteousness for the land. In this brief month, everyone found the shrunk-back resolution within themselves. So, invaders¡­ don¡¯t hesitate to give all that you got, eh? CH 72 Wu Xi felt like he was having a deep, world-inverting dream. The dreamland was way too lifelike; so lifelike, that everyone and everything inside it seemed to be real, making him unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy. He dreamed of the day the rolling carriage traversed past the dense scenery of Nanjiang. Going down a very long road, he saw many people, then arrived alone at the most flourishing and beautiful place in the world ¡ª Fullmoon River, which flowed on endlessly for thirty li out, and had beauties singing and dancing both on and around it. After that, he met someone. The other¡¯s eyes roamed, looking to be even more nimble than the River¡¯s light. His face always held a smile. He always had a means to live life in extreme comfort. He like fine wine and fine people. He talked and work with an easy calmness, never quarreling with anyone. Even so, he had many shortcomings about him, an off-beat, out-of-tune, discordant pair of silk pants. Yet, when Wu Xi caught sight of him, he felt warmth about to thaw his heart. He dreamed of a good many days of exceeding peace. The other was unfashionably leaning on a reclining chair under the big tree, lazily squinting slightly as he leisurely explained some things that weren¡¯t in the book, as if he had known them from birth. He didn¡¯t even need to reference the manuscript, able to speak confidently while half-asleep, and would occasionally lift his hand to drink a cup of tea, an especially clean fragrance coming from his wide sleeves. He also dreamed of the man¡¯s warm palms, dreamed of him going through all kinds of emotions when he helplessly called him ¡®you little toxin¡¯, dreamed of him holding the sable in his arms while wearing that red thread, the ring faintly seen on his snow-white neck, dreamed of that night where blood was ignited for emotions he would die for. Yet, those joys made him feel uneasy, like he faintly detected that there was something fishy. Wide-eyed, he stared closely at the other¡¯s smile, watching and watching while he felt panic arise within him. Then, the glowing features of the one before him grew paler and paler, paling until the veins under his skin could be seen. Then, the raised corners of his mouth lowered, his eyes getting more and more empty until lines of red blood seeped from the edges of his lips, landing drop after drop onto his snow-white robe. Feeling like he was about to be scared to death, Wu Xi reached out to him, but couldn¡¯t get to him, after which his foot fell on air. The entirety of his consciousness warping, only despair remained, etching into his core and blocking up his chest, like it was going to blow up his heart. He abruptly opened his eyes, vision extraordinarily blurred. The sound of carriages was in his ears. He stared blankly for a short moment, unable to remember where he was, yet he couldn¡¯t resist placing a hand over his chest. The corners of his eyes were freezing; rubbing them, he was surprised to discover that he had tears all over his face. ¡°The Shamanet woke up! He woke up!¡± A loud-voiced person called. In that instant, his mind produced a ridiculous notion ¡ª this was the road going to the capital, right? Everything just then was merely his imagination, and hadn¡¯t happened yet. Soon, Ashinlae¡¯s face appeared in his field of view, and he clumsily helped him up. ¡°Drink some water, Shamanet.¡± Wu Xi¡¯s sight flitted over the fine wrinkles climbing out the edges of the other¡¯s eyes, then flitted over his own adult hands. The thought he had within him, like a firework falling into water, slowly extinguished, ultimately leaving only a puff of ashes behind that flowed into the bone-chilling waves. He silently drank half a bowl of water from Ashinlae¡¯s hand, shut his eyes, and leaned against the mat behind him. There was white space in his head. He only single-mindedly concentrated on understanding the ache coming from his heart ¡ª the ache that, wave by wave, was like his insides were being torn apart. Jing Beiyuan¡­ Jing Beiyuan¡­ Jing Beiyuan¡­ Jing Beiyuan¡­ Ashinlae and Nuahar watched him from the side, trembling and not daring to make any noise. They saw him reclining there, pressing at his chest with a wretched complexion, sitting with his eyes closes for an incense stick¡¯s worth of time. The rise and fall of his chest nearly couldn¡¯t be seen, his thick brows tightly creased. A long while later, he asked them, ¡°Where are we?¡± Ashinlae and Nuahar exchanged a look. ¡°We¡¯ve already passed Shuzhong,¡± Nuahar quietly answered. Wu Xi nodded lightly, then said nothing. Ashinlae impulsively opened his mouth in a desire to speak. Getting grabbed to a stop by Nuahar, he fiercely turned to glare at him, and continued to speak regardless. ¡°Shamanet, when we were in an inn a few days back, I heard that the Northern Vakurah were soon about to reach the capital¡­¡± Wu Xi opened his eyes and looked at him, their blackness seemingly covered in a layer of something. No longer were any of those formerly distinct emotions appearing on his surface, and Ashinlae realized that the look in his eyes was somewhat unlike the Shamanet¡¯s. Who was it like? It was like Prince Nan¡¯ning¡¯s, like the Great Qing¡¯s Crown Prince; many things were going on inside him that others couldn¡¯t make out, hidden deep down. Even so, he continue to speak, straight-faced. ¡°Shamanet, if you say the word, we¡¯ll turn right around and head back!¡± He smacked away Nuahar¡¯s hand that was trying to stop him, furious. ¡°Don¡¯t stop me! What about the Prince? Are the things he does necessarily right? From how I look at it, his head¡¯s full of paste, too! Shamanet, let¡¯s go back. Let¡¯s go back to the capital and smuggle him out! Everything else can go piss off, no matter what. Later on, we¡¯ll give the Prince a nice beating with a switch, and make him¡­ make him¡­¡± Wu Xi watched him apathetically. Ashinlae¡¯s following words got stopped up in his throat. After that, Wu Xi said, clearly and briefly, ¡°Spur the horses on quicker.¡± Ashinlae and Nuahar were startled, and listened to him go on. ¡°Spur them back for Nanjiang. Don¡¯t stint. Have our brothers work hard for a few days, since we need to get to Nanjiang as soon as possible, the faster the better¡­ once I¡¯ve gotten my breathing under control, find me a quick horse so that I can abandon this carriage.¡± Ashinlae was agape for a long while. ¡°Shamanet¡­¡± Wu Xi had since shut his eyes anew, as if he had confirmed his decision, then spoke no more with him. ¡­Were the things the Prince did necessarily right? The man was certainly opinionated to that extent, at least. He always thought that he had everything planned out, and everything had to make sense. He meticulously planned his own road, others¡¯ roads, the road of life, and the road of death stretch by stretch, never talking ti over with anyone. Jing Beiyuan was accustomed to casually, half-assedly admitting his errors at any times, but that was no more than him not feeling like wrangling with other people. When he genuinely resolved to do something, there was no margin for discussion at all, let alone other peoples¡¯ comments. In his mind, what was he considered? A¡­ child? Someone who needed supervision, needed to be taught, and was unreliable¡­ just like how he himself had been towards Ashinlae? Three shichen later, Wu Xi got on a fast horse, and galloped all the way at full speed. He forced himself not to think about Jing Beiyuan, nor about the current situation in the capital, and only concentrated on what was in front of him. On the surface, he was as serene as a pool of dead water. He managed to condense the remaining near-month of journey into six days. He was alone on his route, having exhausted three horses to death. In these brief six days, he mastered repressing his emotions, repressing his expressions, and repressing everything at a hard-to-imagine speed. He mastered keeping everything inside of him, only giving others a look at the things he wanted them to know about. He mastered sticking an unshakable pillar in his heart under duress, so that even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, he would still be able to handle it systematically. The first time his life was suddenly lengthened was when Nanjiang had been defeated, and he had entered the capital alone to play the hostage. The second time it was lengthened was after being a visitor in a foreign land for a whole decade, and witnessing and experiencing assassinations, head-bowing, a bizarre, gaudy, entrancing life of luxury, hair-raising conspiracies, and bone-deep yearning. And now, this current and final time, he broke through to a sudden change, completing his metamorphosis. Brining along his group of alarmed Nanjiang warriors, they returned to Nanjiang like they rushing down a road of death. Before, he had believed that he would have a plethora of feelings when he returned to this land, but right now, he felt nothing. Those emotions, he had repressed too harshly, and they had become sluggish; he was merely saving them, a bow drawn yet not fired. Jumping off the horse before he had the time to brush the dust of travel off of him, and before he even took a sip of water, the first thing he did was to grab the collar of the one who came to greet him. ¡°I want to meet with the Great Shaman! Immediately!¡± The Great Shaman had since gotten old. His hair was entirely white, and countless wrinkles crawled up his thinned face, like they had been engraved with a knife. The instant Wu Xi caught sight of him, he suddenly discovered that the Great Shaman no longer looked how he did in his memory, which caused his steps to stop at the entryway. The Great Shaman lit up a tobacco pipes, slowly letting out a puff. He waved his slim hand to tell everyone to withdraw, and then only he and Wu Xi were left, mutually taking a measure of each other. The lock in Wu Xi¡¯s heart loosened. All sorts of emotions ¡ª injustice, pain, indignance, melancholy, and longing ¡ª seemed to destroy the dike, yet he grit his teeth firmly and bore with it. He steadily stepped inside, knelt on the floor, then kowtowed to the Great Shaman once. ¡°Teacher, I¡¯ve returned.¡± The Great Shaman sighed, stood up with the help of the table, and reached out, gathering the already grown-up child into his arms by his shoulders. Feeling that young, strong body that was brimming with power, his gaze went into the distance through the open doorway to view the remote mountain range. ¡°Ah, Wu Xi, Wu Xi¡­¡± he mumbled. Wu Xi shut his eyes, thinking that his person had come home, but his heart was still lost on the outside. For that reason, he gently struggled free of the Great Shaman¡¯s embrace. ¡°Teacher, I wish to beseech something of you,¡± he said, voice deep. The Great Shaman said nothing, merely putting the pipe on his lips and silently dragging it. His eyes were as clear as they had been many years ago, as if they could plainly view everyone¡¯s thoughts. When Wu Xi had gotten into trouble as a child, he had always feared that all-knowing look, but now, he suddenly found that he wasn¡¯t afraid anymore. That was because he discovered that, in this world, the number of things that could make him feel the emotion of ¡®dread¡¯ were truly not many. ¡°Teacher, when I arrived, I saw that the troops stationed at the Great Qing-Nanjiang border were in the middle of retreating. The northern Vakurah clan is currently warring with the Great Qing. I¡¯m sure you know this.¡± The Great Shaman sat back down cross-legged, nodding when he heard this. ¡°What do you want to say, child?¡± he asked amidst a plume of smoke. ¡°I want to borrow troops from you and return to the Great Qing¡¯s capital.¡± The Great Shaman¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change in the slightest, as if this wasn¡¯t at all unexpected. Following a short period of silence, he said calmly, ¡°For a decade, we and the Great Qing have interacted harmoniously, and there¡¯s some trade on the border. Their silk fabric and porcelain ware are quite good. When we marry here, the young men go to give betrothal gifts to the women, and a lot of them like to use the Great Qing¡¯s beautiful silks and trinkets to invite favor in a lass. However, have you forgotten that the Great Qing is our enemy?¡± Wu Xi shook his head. ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten. I remember that when I was about to leave, I pledged to the Deity that I would definitely return, and would not forget my people in this lifetime. I would bring my people to strike back, I would remember who had bullied us, and I would make them all die awful deaths ¡ª but I also remember that you didn¡¯t respond to my words at all back then, and only told me to remember my clansmen and homeland.¡± The Great Shaman pulled on his pipe, saying nothing. ¡°I also remember that you had said that Gazh was looking at everything from another realm. For many things, our lives are too short, and we cannot tell things unless they¡¯re right in from of us. I didn¡¯t understand that then, but I know now that my thinking then had been wrong.¡± ¡°What is it that you understand now?¡± the Great Shaman questioned, not batting an eye. ¡°Ten years ago, I felt that we should build up our strength, fight back, take revenge, and settle the score of our anger and hatred. But what happens once the settling is over? Another batch of brothers in the prime of their lives dead, causing their wives and parents to be heart-broken and suffering, and their children to forever pass that hatred down? I saw that many of our clansmen use Great Qing objects. They might remember what had happened back then, but they aren¡¯t angry anymore. Wouldn¡¯t it be painful to always carry enmity throughout one¡¯s whole life? Isn¡¯t the Great Shaman¡¯s duty to let the people live better lives? Why bind them to fury for the sake of the past?¡± The Great Shaman was quiet for a bit. ¡°Your meaning is¡­ that we should forget the past?¡± Wu Xi shook his head again. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t forget. We still should build up our strength, and even draw support from the Great Qing¡¯s strength to become formidable. Us neighboring would make those with vicious ambitions no longer dare to covet our land, and thus subdue them.¡± The Great Shaman sized him up for a minute, then suddenly laughed. His laughter grew louder and louder until a puff of smoke got choked up in his throat, making him start to cough. ¡°Cough¡­ good, good¡­ Wu Xi, I said back then that it was time you ought to go see the outside world. You¡¯re bright, but too stubborn. I¡¯d been worried, but now, I can tell that you learned a lot in the Great Qing.¡± Wu Xi smiled softly. ¡°I had someone to teach me.¡± The Great Shaman gave him a slightly surprised look. ¡°Oh? Who?¡± Wu Xi shook his head. He needed to focus his energy right now. Not going to think about that certain someone, he pulled the topic back. ¡°Teacher, you still haven¡¯t said whether you¡¯ll allow me to take troops or not.¡± The other got serious, placing his pipe to the side. ¡°I have to hear your reasoning.¡± ¡°The Great Qing has suffered heavy losses at this time, and won¡¯t be able to recover from it in a decade or two¡¯s time. We can take advantage of this opportunity to make ourselves even stronger, but I think that before we do that, we need to cast off our status as ¡®the Great Qing¡¯s vassal state¡¯. The Great Qing is now in crisis and urgently needs reinforcements; this would be a good chance for negotiations. I¡¯ll lead the troops there, and if the capital¡¯s crisis can be solved, the city will be flooded with Nanjiang warriors when the times comes. I understand a bit of their Crown Prince, and he won¡¯t disagree unreasonably.¡± The Great Shaman narrowed his eyes, sitting up straighter. ¡°Go on.¡± Wu Xi did, unhurriedly. ¡°The border can be opened up, as well, and I can even request that he make a path of convenience. Our side has dense forests and smog, which makes it hard for outsiders to attack, but also obstructs our own line of sight. Our brethren aren¡¯t able to see the outer world for their entire lives.¡± His voice took a turn. ¡°In addition, Teacher, you might not know this, but while I was in the Great Qing, the Emperor had three sons, all of which were fighting for the throne. In the end, I chose the Crown Prince; us being friends was out of the question, but we have no hatred, at least. That¡¯s because he is a pragmatic person, and in the case that he becomes Emperor, he will be thinking of how to make his citizens¡¯ lives better, not of how to leave his wise and powerful name behind in the history books. The Great Qing has undergone several centuries of steadily-growing prosperity from its founding to today; he isn¡¯t muddle-headed like his father, so he won¡¯t risk the idea of coming to attack us again.¡± After listening to this, the Great Shaman nodded. ¡°The Vakurah have copious ambitions. They want to annex the entirety of the Central Plains mainland, opening the borders to expand their territory¡­ you have spoken correctly. The ruler that makes the world flourish and the ruler that broadens influence are not the same. The former hopes for even more stability and prosperity, while the latter has bloodthirst in their bones that hasn¡¯t yet been quenched, hoping for even more land, and even more fluctuations.¡± He looked at him, overgrown with emotions. ¡°You¡¯ve grown up.¡± Wu Xi waited for him to nod, unblinking. The Great Shaman used a great deal of effort to stand up, and then he turned and went into an inner room. Not long after, he walked out, holding a sceptre with both hands. Wu Xi¡¯s eyes widened ¡ª that was the token of the Great Shaman. The man walked over to be before him. ¡°I¡¯m old, Wu Xi. Nanjiang was always going to be handed over to you.¡± Wu Xi opened his mouth, but didn¡¯t know what he should say. The Great Shaman bit his finger open, shakily drew a totem on the sceptre, then used his blood-stained thumb to press hard against Wu Xi¡¯s forehead. ¡°Accept it,¡± he said, voice deep. Wu Xi automatically reached out, and the Great Shaman placed the sceptre into his hands. With strength that came from somewhere unknown, he pulled him up off of the ground and brought him to the entrance. Only then did Wu Xi discover that the dark land had since become full of people ¡ª nearly all of Nanjiang¡¯s men, women, elders, and children were present. He clutched the sceptre, somewhat at a loss. The Great Shaman grabbed his hand and raised it over his head. ¡°From today onwards, Shamanet Wu Xi will inherit the Great Shaman¡¯s sceptre of our Nanjiang!¡± he called out crisply. ¡°Remember, all of you, that the messenger of Gazh will guide our people to great power!¡± Everybody, simultaneously and without choreography, put both hands on their shoulders and bowed. The Great Shaman got choked by the wind, starting to cough once more. Wu Xi quickly patted him on the back. ¡°Teacher¡­¡± The man waved him off. ¡°You stated Nanjiang¡¯s reasoning. What about your reasoning, then?¡± he suddenly asked in a whisper. Wu Xi was taken aback. It was a long time before he answered. ¡°It¡¯s for the sake of¡­ the one holding my jade ring.¡± The Great Shaman laughed without sound. ¡°I¡¯d really like to meet them.¡± CH 73 On the first of October, defense of the Great Unity failed. On the twenty-third of October, Xuancheng City was captured. At the end of October, Jing Pass was captured. North of the capital, at this point, no longer had treacherous areas that could defend it, nor towering city gates, a field that could be observed in its entirety from one look. Chief of the Vakurah, Jeshe, had confronted Helian Zhao¡¯s several-hundred-thousand strong army at Gansu. In spite of the latter dying in battle and the Great Qing¡¯s leftover ranks fleeing in terror, the damage to the Vakurah was not small. Jeshe had believed them to be a mob that couldn¡¯t take one hit, yet, to his surprise, they were exceptionally tough when in battle. He then realized that he had underestimated th Great Qing¡¯s people. In that battle, he was nearly in a situation where he defeated ten thousand foes only to lose eight thousand himself. If it weren¡¯t for Helian Zhao falling off his shot horse at the last second and getting hacked to death by a Vakurah warrior wagering his death to take advantage of the chaos, he probably would have even gotten the idea to retreat. However, the Heavens had aided him. After the great battle of Gansu, he rested and reorganized in place for a period of time to prudently formulate a new plan of attack, because he knew that what was waiting for him ahead were overlapping Great Qing barriers. Jeshe Urme was thirty-six years old this year, a rarely-seen ambitious character from the savannah. He helped Zhao Zhenshu with privately keeping troops in the Spring Market, bearing with spurring the man on like a dog for over ten years. In those years, he had from being a high-spirited young man, he slowly entered wolf-like calculating and perseverance, cultivating a sophistication that was as deep as a trench. Zhao Zhenshu used his power and money to happily raise a grassland wolfdog. For all these years, he had fostered him, giving him uncountable wealth to support him. Jeshe didn¡¯t squander it. He still ate the dried flatbreads made by his woman, gnawed on coarse, hard-to-swallow dried meat like everyone else, wore the clothes of shepherds that stank, yet used that money to secretly bribe high authorities, gift slaves and beauties to his enemies, and then annex them individually. It took a decade¡¯s time to sweep across the whole prairie, causing the Vakurah, which had been collapsed and in pieces for several hundred years, to unify once more. The northern blue wolf let out a long howl, and thus brandished its sharp claws and went south. Jeshe wasn¡¯t only after the riches of the Great Qing. He hadn¡¯t brought these predator-like warriors to rob a bunch of wealth, snatch back a few beauties, and be done with it; he coveted the entire stretch of great landscape in the Central Plains region. The ancients had a saying: was anyone born a Prince, Marquis, General, or Minister? Since even peasants that farmed in the mountains could say something like that, why should these weak, pretentious Central Plainsmen be allowed to occupy this lush, beautiful, fertile area for a thousand years? From start to finish, his marching army had only one target ¡ª the capital. After the capital, there came the grand throne room. And yet, the anticipated resistance was not run into at all. The one battle at Gansu seemed to have broken the Great Qing¡¯s courage, making the journey down south astonishingly smooth-sailing. Many cities nearly collapsed in on themselves with no fight, and the territories that did put up barely any resistance were no more than mediocre, looking extraordinarily flimsy. He came to understand something ¡ª the folks of the Great Qing had experienced a peaceful and prosperous age for a couple hundred centuries. Even if they managed to rouse their courage once, it was no more than a wrapping of extremely thin skin, where a puff of wind could break it into pieces. Jeshe was practically excited, and his excited mood turned all the more severe the closer they pressed in towards the capital. He seemed to envision the legendary, heavenly city-like capital crawling beneath his feet, and himself stepping into the palace paved full with gold, making everyone in the land come worship him. On the twentieth of November, finally, the troops were about to come to the city walls. Meanwhile, in the capital, the dust-coated throne room widely welcome court officials for the final time. Wang Wu, Yu Kui, Eunuch Xi, and the rest of them all retreated into the corners. Standing beside Helian Yi were two people whose faces had never been shown before; one was the male-dressed Princess Jing¡¯an, and the other was the human-skin-mask-wearing Zhou Zishu, who was dressed like a middle-aged scholar. Two rows of officials stood uniformly. Helian Yi had someone hang his dragon robes high up in the Great Hall, as if hoisting up a glittering gold totem. He wore heavy armor, and the lines of his cheeks were pointed due to wasting away, sticking straight into his hairline. He held a vigor no one had ever seen prior. With eighteen-hundred-thousand troops for the Nine Capital Gates, all the generals were finished being divided up. ¡°Black Tortoise Gate, Feng Xiaoshu. Morning Sun Gate, He Yunxing¡­¡± Finally, there was Martial Order Gate right in the north, with eighty-one three-zhang-wide, three-zhang-long bluestones laid the entire way out the city¡¯s gates. It was the most heavily yin-qualitied, blood-reeking spot in the whole capital, the place where fifteen-year-old Wu Xi cut apart twenty-four Black Shaman assassins, and now, the place directly confronting the Vakurah¡¯s wolf fangs. Zhou Zishu gripped the scroll of an imperial edict in his hand, and he read it aloud with a pause between each word. ¡°Martial Order Gate, guarded by the Emperor himself.¡± For the majority of those standing in the Great Hall, this was the first time in their lives that they had taken part in such a military meeting ahead of the crossing of army swords, and it might also be their last. Here, there were no longer Emperors, Prime Ministers, Princes, or Princesses, there were only people who defended the city, people who wielded blades, and people that were going to risk their lives. ¡°Half of the country has fallen, with the capital to the south of it. There are no longer any heavy barriers, and now, our unfilial self has caused our nation to be covered in grime, the landscape darkened. It will sincerely be difficult to face the rows of our ancestors down in the Nine Springs. ¡°Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were destroyed in Gansu, and the elites of the Court suffered losses until there were practically none left. Our Royal Brother died, not even leaving behind a corpse to wrap up. The barbarian army is near, the country has reached a dire straits; with good heads on our shoulders and hot blood in our chests, why do we still not abandon it? Why do we not discard it? At this time, should the capital¡¯s army be defeated, the carved railings and jade bricks will be fine, but the red faces of those around will change;[1] yesterday will be ancient history, and the nation will act according to a changed surname. We will be dead, then, and what face will we have to apologize to the whole realm? Everyone, what face would be have to meet our elders?! ¡°We hope to imitate Great General Han by burning our boats and fighting with our back to the water ¡ª if there is no victory, then this is where it ends. ¡°At the start of this war, the troops will go out, while the Nine Gates will shut. All who wear armor and hold weapons are not to enter the city! Those who disobey are to be beheaded! Those who abandon their post without permission, beheaded! If someone appears to draw back near the front lines, behead them immediately! Those that dare to shield them are to be considered guilty of the same crime! Should the generals seem to want to retreat, the soldiers may crowd up to reject, remove, and replace them, but if that is not so, those who dare to go against military orders, or refuse their allocations ¡ª beheaded!¡± His voice paused for a short time. ¡°We will also go with all you generals,¡± he said, clearly. ¡°We pledge that we live or die together with this place.¡± On the twenty-first of November, the Vakurah and the final Great Qing soldiers formally went into battle. This city that had gone through a hundred years of wind and frost, then used makeup to pad itself out, began to bear with its baptism in a wave of blood, originating from the nomadic race of a faraway place. The first day of the siege, Jeshe tentatively attack High Grace Gate. The defending general of the Gate was Tie Ru of the Imperial Forest Army¡¯s East Encampment, who He Yunxing had derisively called the Eldest Scion¡¯s slave in private before. Because he had been a guard of the capital, Helian Zhao hadn¡¯t brought him along on the campaign, and that was for the sake of leaving himself an internally-coordinating future escape route that he could kill his way back to. Now, however, Helian Zhao was gone, and no longer needed an escape route. For that, Tie Ru was going to go for broke. There was nothing more mystically powerful than hatred, then, for turning a lamb into a predator in the span of one night. Six-thousand energetic Vakurah warriors that had been dispatched by Jeshe to go knock on the gate were proudly walking with gusto that day, but they suddenly met with the devilish Great Qing defenders, who practically knocked them out. History shocked people when it repeated itself. They were the same exact way the Great Qing soldiers were in Gansu that night, when their camp was ambushed ¡ª panicked, bewildered, collapsing with one bump, and scattering in all different directions. The difference was that they didn¡¯t have a general that could clearly see into the hearts of both the enemy and his own side, and dared to hold a broadsabre aloft while he staked his life to lead the troops. It was like Fullmoon River had been filled it with melted, liquid iron overnight. Jeshe gazed up at the lofty, luxurious city gate, and the cloud-reaching palace that he could vaguely see when he raised his head. He had an ominous feeling, like¡­ this city was impervious. At this moment, the last two people remaining at Helian Yi of Martial Order Gate¡¯s side were circled around a defensive diagram, one sitting and one standing. Everyone usable had gone to defend the city. Jing Qi and Zhou Zishu remained by his side for his safety, first of all; the other hand of it was that this most dangerous location of Martial Order Gate was considered the final division of command. The several hundred ¡®Heaven Panes¡¯ under Zhou Zishu¡¯s command that came and went like ghosts had become a hub of connection between the Nine Gates. They all changed into commoner¡¯s clothes, a sprig of winter plum tattooed on their forearms, and mixed among all sorts of crowds, forming the entire capital¡¯s news system at the speediest rate. Jing Qi had changed into a dark-colored and extremely plain set of clothes. Those non-essential bits and bobs and the ornamentation hanging on him had disappeared entirely the previous night. His arms were crossed over his chest, his brows lightly scrunching. Helian Yi looked at his back, thinking that the man was somewhat unlike that ever-boneless, lazy Jing Beiyuan. His shoulders were thin, but ramrod-straight. Those wide sleeve cuffs of the past were all gathered up to his waist. The aura of a dandy that had steeped into his bones had disappeared all of a sudden, as if for these many years, it had all been an act. His cheeks were hollowed in and peach blossom eyes slightly sunken, making him indescribably harsh. Helian Yi felt a faint ache in his heart, but the pain was swiftly covered up by an even greater numbness; none of them had any means of retreat. Jing Qi paced in place a few times as Panes were constantly coming in to report the battle progress of High Grace Gate. Helian Yi had them keep this tiny victory a secret, and only let the other generals know that the Gate was in the middle of fighting, strictly guarding it. Jing Qi suddenly frowned. ¡°Your Majesty, the Nine Gates appear as strategic passed standing high above, but they¡¯re spots that are easy to attack, and not easy to defend. If that Urme bastard snaps out of it and singles out one area, it¡¯ll likely¡­ be difficult to handle.¡± Both Helian Yi and Zhou Zishu understood this fact. The eighteen-hundred-thousand defenders weren¡¯t many to start with, and distributing them across the Nine Gates was considerably harrowing. Back during the capital¡¯s establishment, it had a magnanimity that would welcome in guests from all directions with a smile, packed with the sense of superiority a huge country¡¯s capital would have. Now, however, these uninvited guests that were coming were no good, the capital refused to welcome them with a smile, and now this was a problem. With this many gates, it was like someone had punched it into a nine-holed sieve, each spot being one weak point. Neither Helian Yi nor Zhou Zishu said anything for a moment, so Jing Qi continued on. ¡°The enemy side has a few aspects that won¡¯t be easy to deal with. For one, Jeshe Urme is a man of restraint, and thus isn¡¯t liable to be enraged or impatient, unflustered on the brink of battle. For two, each and every Vakurah is strong-bodied, and this must not be said aloud. Right now, the soldiers in our capital are impassioned, which is fine. In case this gets drawn-out, and then they weaken to exhaustion, I¡¯m afraid that¡­¡± He shook his head, drawing his brows even tighter together. ¡°If we were Jeshe, we would test once or twice at each gate,¡± Helian Yi slowly picked up, ¡°and inevitably come to realize this principle; rather than work hard wandering between the Nine Gates, it would be better to keep watch on one place. We wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand a full attack.¡± ¡°In Your Majesty¡¯s opinion, which will he choose as his spot of attack?¡± Zhou Zishu asked. Helian Yi paused before he answered. ¡°If we only wanted to break into the capital, we would choose Black Tortoise Gate. Jing¡¯an is Great General Feng¡¯s orphan, but she¡¯s a young woman, in the end. Maybe she has some skill, but hard delaying tactics likely wouldn¡¯t delay these mad bull-esque Vakurah. If¡­ if we wanted to sit atop the realm¡­¡± He turned his head, gazing at the polluted, gloomy horizon in the distance, and mumbled to himself. ¡°If he wanted to sit atop the realm, he would definitely choose Martial Order Gate, and come to measure against us.¡± CH 74 Wu Xi made the miracle of traveling a thousand li in a day become a reality. The Great Qing-Nanjiang border army had also withdrawn, going at various speeds in its rush, but when they had just gotten out of Shu territory, he caught up with them. The Nanjiang people, who had once caused Great General Feng¡¯s four-hundred-thousand strong elites to be buried here, showing up again made the border army that had been at peace for many years mentally break out into a cold sweat. They were a race that was intrepid, yet likely to be content with their corner. They dared to love, and to hate; they could do both, and so purely, so simply. Having taken over the role of Great Shaman, Wu Xi had absolute authority in Nanjiang, and the Great Qing army barely managed to follow along with them after several days of this, once they figured out his purpose in coming. It was just like they had already considered he newly-appointed Nanjiang Great Shaman, and going with him like this aroused the potential in these armymen. After a few days passed, due to watching Wu Xi, that sluggish and nearly-lifeless atmosphere in the ranks vanished by over half. Wu Xi merely wished that he could be like a willow puff, riding the wind all night to blow over to a certain someone¡¯s side. When the night was deep and the people were still, everyone that had so desperately traveled for the day fell into a deep sleep, leaving only him to toss and turn. Terrified, anxious, and indescribably fearful in a way that stuffed up his chest, yet none could be recounted to anyone; in the blue sky and white sun, he repressed them behind his expression face. Purportedly, after the Shamanet had become the Great Shaman, he seemed to have gotten even colder. From the start of the day until night, his face didn¡¯t even have a half-trace of any of the four emotions on it to be seen, nearly giving him an immeasurable overtone. However, Wu Xi was thinking of how he wasn¡¯t being like this on purpose; his heart was simply unwell, and he was startled awake by nightmares every day. Recalling the bloodied appearance of the one in his dream, he felt pain like his insides were tearing apart, and he wasn¡¯t sure what expression would be right to use aside from this. If he didn¡¯t have him, if he didn¡¯t have him from now in this long, slow life¡­ Every time he thought to here, he forced himself to stop. He feared that he would go crazy, otherwise. The color of the evening was deep. Camping out in the countryside, after Wu Xi carelessly ate a couple bites of stuff, he wiped his face with the wet handkerchief, then waved him off to have him go out. He leaned against the front of the tent alone. Using the faint moonlight, he reached into his lapels, took out an embroidered pouch from a place close to his chest, its opening sealed with a pulled string. He raised the tiny thing in hand, looking at it for a time, and opened it up. A couple charmingly kitschy, ivory little animals rolled out from within it, and he caught them in his palm. In the light of the moon, the pure white ivory seemed to shine. He remembered that day. Jing Qi had returned to the capital, travel-worn, and casually gave these to him, saying ¡°I bought little trinkets for you¡± with that nonchalant look. He remembered his phrasing of, ¡°Who else would I get them for?¡± The pouch had been placed against his chest, making these little objects warm from his body heat. He stared at them mutely for a time. It wasn¡¯t clear what he was bringing to mind, but the corners of his tightly-pursed mouth lightly raised, and then his eyes dimmed, the gleam of his faintly-picked smile ephemeral. The moonlight stretched his shadow out long. One of his slender legs was curled up, and his head was tilted to the lonesome night sky, making him look like a particularly solitary figure. Nuahar suddenly came over, whispering, ¡°Shaman¡­¡± Wu Xi¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change as he indifferently gave an mn. Nuahar gathered in close. ¡°That day¡­ that the Prince sent us out of the capital, he previously asked me to bring some words to you. You¡¯ve been busy with other things ever since you woke up, so I didn¡¯t have time to see it yet.¡± Wu Xi turned his head. ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°He said, ¡®I owe him for today, and if there¡¯s another day that we meet again, I¡¯ll definitely repay him.¡¯¡± Wu Xi paused for a long time, then quietly began to laugh, finally feeling like he was beside himself. ¡°Repay me¡­ repay me? What¡¯s he going to repay me with? I want him to repay me with his whole life, but when¡­ when is he going to sincerely want to give that over to me?¡± The sound of his laughter stopped all of a sudden, and he tightened his fists. Those little ivory animals gave off creaking sounds. Nuahar looked on helplessly as the rigid ivory objects, getting clenched by him like so, slowly turn into a powder that leaked out the cracks of his fingers. ¡°Great Shaman,¡± he cried out in alarm, ¡°the Prince gave you those, y-you¡­¡± Wu Xi opened up his palm without a care. The fine powder promptly scattered in the wind. ¡°If he won¡¯t give it to me, then I¡¯ll go steal it¡­¡± he answered, word by word. ¡°Those were what he used to amuse a child. I don¡¯t want them.¡± With that, he stood up, and made his way into his tent without even looking at Nuahar. Meanwhile, the war of the capital had been fought for four days. To a certain degree, Jeshe and Helian Yi could be described as being strangely similar. Helian Yi had good fortune; he had been born as the royal Crown Prince, was the orthodox heir to the title of Emperor for the entire Great Qing empire, and had a relatively stable environment he had grown up in. His friends were Lu Shen, He Yunxing, Jing Beiyuan, and Zhou Zishu ¡ª ten years of prosperity were placed into separating chaos, and even though they were still inexperienced now, if they were given enough space and time to grow, they would end up being a pack of men that could overturn the realm. However, that was also only if the world never had very many things go just right, and just like people¡¯s expectations. Jeshe went to the other extreme. He had used half of his own lifespan to take, rob, and scheme for everything he had. Right in his robust years, with his ambitions swelling, he was in most glorious stage of a human¡¯s life. The edge of his sword was pointed straight at these young people that had just recently spread out their wings, but hadn¡¯t yet had the time to grow them fully. No one understood an ambitious person more than an ambitious person. Jeshe successively dispatch small platoons to serve as vanguards and go probe the defenses of the Nine Gates. At the end of it, he realized that those guarding the capital were a bunch of lunatics. Lunatics could not be reasoned with, making using any sort of strategy quite difficult. In that very moment, Jeshe¡¯s brother-in-law, Lurcata, stood up, and proposed aligning to a weakpoint in the Great Qing¡¯s guard ¡ª the one at High Grace Gate. Lurcata expressed optimism about this, because he had recently gleaned through special channels that the title of the Gate¡¯s defending general wasn¡¯t ¡®General¡¯, or ¡®Sir¡¯, but ¡®Princess¡¯. He believed that the Great Qing already no longer had any people to use, so even their women were putting on armor to go fight. His strategy was quite simple, too; lay it on heavy with the attack on High Grace Gate to stall with them. At the same time, wind troops around the city to be prepared to sneak-attack at any time, causing the other gate defenders to be too afraid of rashly reinforcing them. The city gate could then be pierced through with even a blunt iron truncheon. After listening to him, Jeshe said nothing, silent for a long while. Only after Lurcata¡¯s smile stiffened on his face did he gently nod, assign Lurcata forty-thousand men, and order him to bring them to attack High Grace Gate. Lurcata was a bit unsatisfied with this, as he thought this was a totally great way of handling things, yet the boss only gave him so many people. But, soon after, he was optimistic again, because according to reliable information, the sum of all living things at the Gate was no more than ten or twenty thousand people, so forty-thousand would be enough to take down that little woman. There were advantages to fewer people, such as having less folks to divide the credit amongst when the time came. On the afternoon of the siege¡¯s fourth day, High Grace Gate met with the most intense assault since the war¡¯s beginning, the Vakurah flood up like an earth-quaking tsunami. Lurcata rode in the lead with the others akin to brown bears, the sound like a flood of deep bells, one roar of theirs making one¡¯s ears ring for a minute where they stood; that was how they came rushing forth. Princess Jing¡¯an, Feng Xiaoshu, was mounted on a horse and holding her sabre, quietly stationed under the city gate to meet the enemy head-on. Her waist probably wasn¡¯t as thick as Lurcata¡¯s neck, but she, just like everyone behind her, had no kind of fear. Lurcata was surprised to discover that, behind this woman and the silent, solemn Great Qing army, the gate was shut up tight, not even a single thread of a gap left behind. Also, when they drew close, the Great Qing army completely abandoned defending the city to directly pounce upon them in an even more wrathful, even more fierce manner. Princess Jing¡¯an courageously urged her horse to charge into the enemy ranks, not even turning her head back. It was like whether the soldiers were following behind her or not was none of her business. Even if there are a hundred-thousand foes, I will advance.[1] As the defending general, she naturally wouldn¡¯t actually break through enemy lines recklessly by herself. Though she appeared to people as one person on one horse, in reality, the army behind her had divided into right, middle, and left lines, having long since been separated with corresponding deputy generals and commanders. They followed after her extremely quick advance without lagging behind in the least; the petite woman was leading the troops, so would the men just be waiting around to die? Lurcata was wrong. High Grace Gate wasn¡¯t easy to attack at all ¡ª because the defending general was a young woman. In a split second, the sieging side and the defending side seemed to mystically flip. A Pane rushed over to Helian Yi with quick steps and eloquently reported on the battle situation. Zhou Zishu frowned. ¡°Your Majesty, should reinforcements be given to the Princess?¡± Helian Yi shook his head. Zhou Zishu wanted to say something else, but Jing Qi extended a finger to stop him. ¡°Jing¡¯an can handle it. She¡¯s Great General Feng¡¯s daughter.¡± Helian Yi softly smiled upon hearing that, turning his head to ask, ¡°When Father Emperor told you to take her as a wife back in the day, why didn¡¯t you?¡± Jing Qi shook his head with a bitter smile. ¡°How could a good-for-nothing hedonist like me be a me be a match for a heroine like her? Don¡¯t be silly, Your Majesty.¡± Immediately following that, his face grew stern again. ¡°It looks like Jeshe is using that oaf to test the waters. The Vakurah cavalry has been in running about all over the place all this time; is it to make us unable to figure out what their next action will be?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then wouldn¡¯t their next step be Jeshe¡¯s army storming Martial Order Gate?¡± Zhou Zishu picked up. Helian Yi shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not the time for that¡­ even though he will want to go head to head with us, that old wolf Jeshe is a bit more crafty than that. If he attacked Martial Order Gate right now, it likely wouldn¡¯t be an inexpensive fight, though his military power is ultimately several times bigger than ours¡­¡± ¡°What you¡¯re saying is that he¡¯s paying his people as a price to wear down our army¡¯s willpower, then ultimately succeed in one go?¡± Zhou Zishu asked. Helian Yi slowly nodded. The three of them were briefly silent once more. After a little under half a shichen, another Pane came to report, cheerfully stating that the Vakurah had already seen defeat at High Grace Gate. Helian Yi¡¯s complexion, however, didn¡¯t look great. After a long time, he said quietly, ¡°Jing¡¯an has a life-staking style of fighting. Even if this one was a victory, there will inevitably be a final time it won¡¯t work.¡± Jing Qi pondered for a while, then said, ¡°I actually have a bit of an idea.¡± Before he had time to speak it out, another Pane came in. ¡°Reporting to the Emperor, the Vakurah army at High Grace Gate was defeated and fell back!¡± ¡°What about Jing¡¯an?¡± Helian Yi quickly asked. ¡°The Princess received some superficial wounds on her arm. It¡¯s no big hindrance,¡± the comer replied. Helian Yi relaxed his heart some, but the Pane cast a look at Zhou Zishu, like he wanted to say something but was stopping himself. Zhou Zishu took notice, asking, ¡°What? You have something else to say?¡± ¡°Landholder¡­ no, Sir, this subordinate just caught sight of someone at the Princess¡¯s side. It¡¯s said that he¡¯s a warrior, and has received quite a bit of her commendation¡­¡± Zhou Zishu got an ominous feeling in his heart. All he did was listen to the Pane proceed to say, ¡°It¡¯s Young Master Liang.¡± CH 75 Wu Xi made the miracle of traveling a thousand li in a day become a reality. The Great Qing-Nanjiang border army had also withdrawn, going at various speeds in its rush, but when they had just gotten out of Shu territory, he caught up with them. The Nanjiang people, who had once caused Great General Feng¡¯s four-hundred-thousand strong elites to be buried here, showing up again made the border army that had been at peace for many years mentally break out into a cold sweat. They were a race that was intrepid, yet likely to be content with their corner. They dared to love, and to hate; they could do both, and so purely, so simply. This chapter is fake, for the purpose of keeping thieves from having the epilogue. Stop reading and go to link on the blurb at the top of the post. If you don¡¯t see the blurb, that¡¯s because you¡¯re either reading off of a website that stole this post from me, or you¡¯re reading an unofficial epub from some garbage website like asianovel. Stop doing that and go read on the actual chichilations site, or get the official epub/PDF version that I made. Chichi out. Having taken over the role of Great Shaman, Wu Xi had absolute authority in Nanjiang, and the Great Qing army barely managed to follow along with them after several days of this, once they figured out his purpose in coming. It was just like they had already considered he newly-appointed Nanjiang Great Shaman, and going with him like this aroused the potential in these armymen. After a few days passed, due to watching Wu Xi, that sluggish and nearly-lifeless atmosphere in the ranks vanished by over half. Wu Xi merely wished that he could be like a willow puff, riding the wind all night to blow over to a certain someone¡¯s side. When the night was deep and the people were still, everyone that had so desperately traveled for the day fell into a deep sleep, leaving only him to toss and turn. Terrified, anxious, and indescribably fearful in a way that stuffed up his chest, yet none could be recounted to anyone; in the blue sky and white sun, he repressed them behind his expression face. Purportedly, after the Shamanet had become the Great Shaman, he seemed to have gotten even colder. From the start of the day until night, his face didn¡¯t even have a half-trace of any of the four emotions on it to be seen, nearly giving him an immeasurable overtone. However, Wu Xi was thinking of how he wasn¡¯t being like this on purpose; his heart was simply unwell, and he was startled awake by nightmares every day. Recalling the bloodied appearance of the one in his dream, he felt pain like his insides were tearing apart, and he wasn¡¯t sure what expression would be right to use aside from this. If he didn¡¯t have him, if he didn¡¯t have him from now in this long, slow life¡­ Every time he thought to here, he forced himself to stop. He feared that he would go crazy, otherwise. The color of the evening was deep. Camping out in the countryside, after Wu Xi carelessly ate a couple bites of stuff, he wiped his face with the wet handkerchief, then waved him off to have him go out. He leaned against the front of the tent alone. Using the faint moonlight, he reached into his lapels, took out an embroidered pouch from a place close to his chest, its opening sealed with a pulled string. He raised the tiny thing in hand, looking at it for a time, and opened it up. A couple charmingly kitschy, ivory little animals rolled out from within it, and he caught them in his palm. In the light of the moon, the pure white ivory seemed to shine. He remembered that day. Jing Qi had returned to the capital, travel-worn, and casually gave these to him, saying ¡°I bought little trinkets for you¡± with that nonchalant look. He remembered his phrasing of, ¡°Who else would I get them for?¡± The pouch had been placed against his chest, making these little objects warm from his body heat. He stared at them mutely for a time. It wasn¡¯t clear what he was bringing to mind, but the corners of his tightly-pursed mouth lightly raised, and then his eyes dimmed, the gleam of his faintly-picked smile ephemeral. The moonlight stretched his shadow out long. One of his slender legs was curled up, and his head was tilted to the lonesome night sky, making him look like a particularly solitary figure. Nuahar suddenly came over, whispering, ¡°Shaman¡­¡± Wu Xi¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change as he indifferently gave an mn. Nuahar gathered in close. ¡°That day¡­ that the Prince sent us out of the capital, he previously asked me to bring some words to you. You¡¯ve been busy with other things ever since you woke up, so I didn¡¯t have time to see it yet.¡± Wu Xi turned his head. ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°He said, ¡®I owe him for today, and if there¡¯s another day that we meet again, I¡¯ll definitely repay him.¡¯¡± Wu Xi paused for a long time, then quietly began to laugh, finally feeling like he was beside himself. ¡°Repay me¡­ repay me? What¡¯s he going to repay me with? I want him to repay me with his whole life, but when¡­ when is he going to sincerely want to give that over to me?¡± The sound of his laughter stopped all of a sudden, and he tightened his fists. Those little ivory animals gave off creaking sounds. Nuahar looked on helplessly as the rigid ivory objects, getting clenched by him like so, slowly turn into a powder that leaked out the cracks of his fingers. ¡°Great Shaman,¡± he cried out in alarm, ¡°the Prince gave you those, y-you¡­¡± Wu Xi opened up his palm without a care. The fine powder promptly scattered in the wind. ¡°If he won¡¯t give it to me, then I¡¯ll go steal it¡­¡± he answered, word by word. ¡°Those were what he used to amuse a child. I don¡¯t want them.¡± With that, he stood up, and made his way into his tent without even looking at Nuahar. Meanwhile, the war of the capital had been fought for four days. To a certain degree, Jeshe and Helian Yi could be described as being strangely similar. Helian Yi had good fortune; he had been born as the royal Crown Prince, was the orthodox heir to the title of Emperor for the entire Great Qing empire, and had a relatively stable environment he had grown up in. His friends were Lu Shen, He Yunxing, Jing Beiyuan, and Zhou Zishu ¡ª ten years of prosperity were placed into separating chaos, and even though they were still inexperienced now, if they were given enough space and time to grow, they would end up being a pack of men that could overturn the realm. However, that was also only if the world never had very many things go just right, and just like people¡¯s expectations. Jeshe went to the other extreme. He had used half of his own lifespan to take, rob, and scheme for everything he had. Right in his robust years, with his ambitions swelling, he was in most glorious stage of a human¡¯s life. The edge of his sword was pointed straight at these young people that had just recently spread out their wings, but hadn¡¯t yet had the time to grow them fully. No one understood an ambitious person more than an ambitious person. Jeshe successively dispatch small platoons to serve as vanguards and go probe the defenses of the Nine Gates. At the end of it, he realized that those guarding the capital were a bunch of lunatics. Lunatics could not be reasoned with, making using any sort of strategy quite difficult. In that very moment, Jeshe¡¯s brother-in-law, Lurcata, stood up, and proposed aligning to a weakpoint in the Great Qing¡¯s guard ¡ª the one at High Grace Gate. Lurcata expressed optimism about this, because he had recently gleaned through special channels that the title of the Gate¡¯s defending general wasn¡¯t ¡®General¡¯, or ¡®Sir¡¯, but ¡®Princess¡¯. He believed that the Great Qing already no longer had any people to use, so even their women were putting on armor to go fight. His strategy was quite simple, too; lay it on heavy with the attack on High Grace Gate to stall with them. At the same time, wind troops around the city to be prepared to sneak-attack at any time, causing the other gate defenders to be too afraid of rashly reinforcing them. The city gate could then be pierced through with even a blunt iron truncheon. After listening to him, Jeshe said nothing, silent for a long while. Only after Lurcata¡¯s smile stiffened on his face did he gently nod, assign Lurcata forty-thousand men, and order him to bring them to attack High Grace Gate. Lurcata was a bit unsatisfied with this, as he thought this was a totally great way of handling things, yet the boss only gave him so many people. But, soon after, he was optimistic again, because according to reliable information, the sum of all living things at the Gate was no more than ten or twenty thousand people, so forty-thousand would be enough to take down that little woman. There were advantages to fewer people, such as having less folks to divide the credit amongst when the time came. On the afternoon of the siege¡¯s fourth day, High Grace Gate met with the most intense assault since the war¡¯s beginning, the Vakurah flood up like an earth-quaking tsunami. Lurcata rode in the lead with the others akin to brown bears, the sound like a flood of deep bells, one roar of theirs making one¡¯s ears ring for a minute where they stood; that was how they came rushing forth. Princess Jing¡¯an, Feng Xiaoshu, was mounted on a horse and holding her sabre, quietly stationed under the city gate to meet the enemy head-on. Her waist probably wasn¡¯t as thick as Lurcata¡¯s neck, but she, just like everyone behind her, had no kind of fear. Lurcata was surprised to discover that, behind this woman and the silent, solemn Great Qing army, the gate was shut up tight, not even a single thread of a gap left behind. Also, when they drew close, the Great Qing army completely abandoned defending the city to directly pounce upon them in an even more wrathful, even more fierce manner. Princess Jing¡¯an courageously urged her horse to charge into the enemy ranks, not even turning her head back. It was like whether the soldiers were following behind her or not was none of her business. Even if there are a hundred-thousand foes, I will advance.[1] As the defending general, she naturally wouldn¡¯t actually break through enemy lines recklessly by herself. Though she appeared to people as one person on one horse, in reality, the army behind her had divided into right, middle, and left lines, having long since been separated with corresponding deputy generals and commanders. They followed after her extremely quick advance without lagging behind in the least; the petite woman was leading the troops, so would the men just be waiting around to die? Lurcata was wrong. High Grace Gate wasn¡¯t easy to attack at all ¡ª because the defending general was a young woman. In a split second, the sieging side and the defending side seemed to mystically flip. A Pane rushed over to Helian Yi with quick steps and eloquently reported on the battle situation. Zhou Zishu frowned. ¡°Your Majesty, should reinforcements be given to the Princess?¡± Helian Yi shook his head. Zhou Zishu wanted to say something else, but Jing Qi extended a finger to stop him. ¡°Jing¡¯an can handle it. She¡¯s Great General Feng¡¯s daughter.¡± Helian Yi softly smiled upon hearing that, turning his head to ask, ¡°When Father Emperor told you to take her as a wife back in the day, why didn¡¯t you?¡± Jing Qi shook his head with a bitter smile. ¡°How could a good-for-nothing hedonist like me be a me be a match for a heroine like her? Don¡¯t be silly, Your Majesty.¡± Immediately following that, his face grew stern again. ¡°It looks like Jeshe is using that oaf to test the waters. The Vakurah cavalry has been in running about all over the place all this time; is it to make us unable to figure out what their next action will be?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then wouldn¡¯t their next step be Jeshe¡¯s army storming Martial Order Gate?¡± Zhou Zishu picked up. Helian Yi shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not the time for that¡­ even though he will want to go head to head with us, that old wolf Jeshe is a bit more crafty than that. If he attacked Martial Order Gate right now, it likely wouldn¡¯t be an inexpensive fight, though his military power is ultimately several times bigger than ours¡­¡± ¡°What you¡¯re saying is that he¡¯s paying his people as a price to wear down our army¡¯s willpower, then ultimately succeed in one go?¡± Zhou Zishu asked. Helian Yi slowly nodded. The three of them were briefly silent once more. After a little under half a shichen, another Pane came to report, cheerfully stating that the Vakurah had already seen defeat at High Grace Gate. Helian Yi¡¯s complexion, however, didn¡¯t look great. After a long time, he said quietly, ¡°Jing¡¯an has a life-staking style of fighting. Even if this one was a victory, there will inevitably be a final time it won¡¯t work.¡± Jing Qi pondered for a while, then said, ¡°I actually have a bit of an idea.¡± Before he had time to speak it out, another Pane came in. ¡°Reporting to the Emperor, the Vakurah army at High Grace Gate was defeated and fell back!¡± ¡°What about Jing¡¯an?¡± Helian Yi quickly asked. ¡°The Princess received some superficial wounds on her arm. It¡¯s no big hindrance,¡± the comer replied. Helian Yi relaxed his heart some, but the Pane cast a look at Zhou Zishu, like he wanted to say something but was stopping himself. Zhou Zishu took notice, asking, ¡°What? You have something else to say?¡± ¡°Landholder¡­ no, Sir, this subordinate just caught sight of someone at the Princess¡¯s side. It¡¯s said that he¡¯s a warrior, and has received quite a bit of her commendation¡­¡± Zhou Zishu got an ominous feeling in his heart. All he did was listen to the Pane proceed to say, ¡°It¡¯s Young Master Liang.¡± CH 76 The first lifetime, a stone appeared, turning into the burial mound of a hero, feelings unable to be broken. The second lifetime, a boulder split, ferrying a predestined love across the Bridge, a pair of mandarin ducks flying off together. The third lifetime, a jadeite burned, vowing to abide by an invaluable oath, eternally following each other in life and death. Flowers bloomed all across the opposite shore, blood-like. The River of Forgetfulness¡¯s[1] waters trickled quietly, going three-thousand years to the East, three-thousand years to the West. Wandering souls came and went, treading on the endless Yellow Spring Road to come up the Bridge of Helplessness, pour a bowl of yellow soup down into their bellies, and thus have the entirety of their assorted previous lives go away. A crowd of beings passed the edge of the Three-Life Rock[2] to and fro, but none spared a glance towards the place. It was evident as to how reincarnation was little more than a trance. Beside the Rock sat a person. It was a man. Upon drawing closer, one could see he was wearing a wide-sleeved green robe with a crude bamboo flute stuck into its waistband, and also that he was between twenty to thirty years of age even though his head was full of silver hair, unbound and scattered about randomly. The man had his back turned to the souls on Yellow Spring Road, his front facing that smooth Three-Life Rock. All he did was sit there silently, eyes closed. It was unknown whether he was asleep or awake, and he was seemingly completely unaware that someone had been watching him for a very long time now. Hu Jia was a newly-appointed Ghost Messenger, and had traveled amidst the Yellow Springs for no more than forty years. From the very start of his memory, this white-haired man had always been sitting there, unmoving. Whenever Hu Jia came back and finished giving a report after handling an assignment at the human realm, he would regularly go and stand at that spot, staring at the man¡¯s rearview figure for a time. The yin realm was a world of demons. The yang realm was inundated with light, yet did not have any fewer demons than the yin realm did. Hu Jia¡¯s state of mind would sometimes get beyond gloomy; gazing at that back that was as motionless as a mountain would, for a moment, calm him down in a strange way. Suddenly, a deathly pale hand was placed upon Hu Jia¡¯s shoulder. Despite being a Ghost Messenger, he inevitably felt a wave of coldness attack him from it, which caused his senses to viciously sharpen a tad. He swiveled his head around, only to have Bai Wuchang¡¯s papier-mach¨¦-like face come up before his eyes. Patting his own chest, Hu Jia turned and hurriedly bowed towards him. ¡°Soulhook Envoy.¡± Bai Wuchang slightly nodded in an abstruse way. His lips didn¡¯t visibly move, but his voice was distinctly audible. ¡°Go call out to him, state that the time has come, and request that he get on the Road.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Hu Jia felt a chill. He looked at the statuesque white-haired man, then looked at Bai Wuchang. ¡°This¡­ lowly one¡­¡± ¡°Go do it,¡± Bai Wuchang said mildly. ¡°I hooked a person¡¯s soul by mistake once upon a time, harming him with separation in both life and death. He¡¯s an infatuate who has sought yet not obtained for several lifetimes, and hasn¡¯t had a peaceful life for several centuries. He presumably isn¡¯t willing to talk to me.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Hu Jia didn¡¯t dare disobey the Soulhook Envoy¡¯s words. He hesitated a bit, then asked, ¡°What¡­ what should I call him by?¡± Bai Wuchang only replied in a quiet voice after he had apparently been momentarily stumped. ¡°Call him Lord Seventh, everyone else does. He¡¯ll answer.¡± Hu Jia hesitated no longer, walking over to the man. When he had still been in the human world as a child, he had listened as his private school teacher told a tale. Long ago, there was a person of extremely good technique in painting. One day, he was casually scribbling a long dragon on a wall, but he did not do the eyes. Passersby that spotted this were puzzled, and when they asked, he just said that he feared that if the dragon¡¯s eyes were to be drawn, it would then turn into an actual dragon and leave. The onlookers simply didn¡¯t believe him, so the helpless painter was obliged to draw the dragon¡¯s eyes on, and it did indeed then come alive, letting out a long howl as it flew up into the sky like a cloud; that was precisely the legend within ¡®painting a dragon and dotting its eyes¡®. Hu Jia didn¡¯t know why, but at this moment, he felt that¡­ the quietly-sitting white-haired man was like a divine dragon whose eyes hadn¡¯t yet been drawn, and it seemed like once he called out to and awakened him, that plot of land next to the Three-Life Rock would no longer be able to retain him. He approached. The man remained unaware, sitting with his face towards the stone surface and his eyes closed as usual. Hu Jia cleared his throat, taking great courage to reach out and lightly push on the white-haired man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Lord Seventh, the Soulhook Envoy gave this lowly one something to come pass on; he stated that the time has come, and requests that you get on the Road.¡± The man didn¡¯t move, as if he hadn¡¯t heard. Hu Jia gulped, raised his volume somewhat, then got closer to the other¡¯s ear. ¡°Lord Seventh, the Soulhook¡ª¡± ¡°I heard. I¡¯m not deaf.¡± Hu Jia stood there stupidly for a second, only reacting after half the day had passed. The man that was wholly unlike a living thing had actually opened his mouth and said words, as well as spoken them to him. This ¡®Lord Seventh¡±s voice was quite quiet and gentle, like the wave of a soft breeze blowing against one¡¯s heart when in their ears. Immediately following that, he shifted a bit, his form as sluggish as if he¡¯d been sleeping for a long time, and he moved his shoulders about. He opened his eyes with extreme slowness, casting a glance at Hu Jia. Those eyes were absurdly clear and bright, their corners wide and outline distinct. They were curved up slightly as though they were containing a slight smile, a brilliance stored inside it, yet there was only a flash of it before it was swiftly restrained. Hu Jia stared, thinking to himself about how this Lord Seventh turned out to be such a good-looking person. The white-haired man sized him up for quite some time, then looked ponderous. ¡°I don¡¯t seem to have met you before¡­¡± ¡°This lowly one is Hu Jia. I am a Ghost Messenger of this underworld, and have only been at this post for not even forty years.¡± The man was stunned, pinched his fingers to count on them, then shook his head with a smile. ¡°I slept for so many years with just one shut of the eyes?¡± He slowly stood up via supporting himself against the Rock, patted nonexistent dust off his form, and swept his wide sleeves out, all the flowers on the opposite shore seeming to loosely bend their heads in conjunction with his movements. When he turned to go and thus caught sight of Bai Wuchang not too far away, he wasn¡¯t surprised, merely straightening out his sleeves and then overlapping his hands to modestly greet him. ¡°It¡¯s been more than sixty years since we¡¯ve seen each other, right, Sir Envoy?¡± Bai Wuchang paused. Though he still looked flat, Hu Jia felt that the man appeared to be a bit aghast. ¡°This lowly one crosses the Bridge of Helplessness daily,¡± he then heard him say, ¡°and has seen you every day, Lord Seventh. It¡¯s only you that has never turned your head to glance at me for sixty-three years.¡± The man blinked, then abruptly grinned. ¡°Why is it that the Soulhook Envoy¡¯s words contain a hint of complaint?¡± Bai Wuchang lowered his head. ¡°This lowly one wouldn¡¯t dare to.¡± Yet, the man was slightly taken aback. ¡°This tone of yours¡­ actually gives me the impression that I¡¯ve offended you.¡± ¡°This lowly one wouldn¡¯t dare be.¡± Bai Wuchang maintained his manner of speech that was even duller than a coffin. ¡°Now that the time has since come, this lowly one requests that you come this way with me.¡± ¡°Hm, what time?¡± The man blinked. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°I ask that you go with me to enter this reincarnation cycle. Missing the time will not be good, as it¡¯s already the seventh lifetime.¡± Bai Wuchang stopped briefly. ¡°When this lifetime has passed, your karmic allocation with Helian Yi will then be exhausted. From this, dust returns to dust, earth returns to earth ¡ª you will not necessarily be entwined again.¡± Once the two words ¡®Helian Yi¡¯ came out of his mouth, Hu Jia was startled. That was a name he had heard before; when he was still human, as a child, he had also studied at that private school. The old teacher was lecturing about history, and he specially brought up this Emperor of the former Dynasty¡¯s resurgence period. Archaic old men seldom revealed their unbridled feelings of admiration, but he stated that the man had been born during both foreign and domestic struggles, was magnanimous and brilliant, had pulled the infrastructure from the brink of collapse by his power alone[3], and worked himself to his full extent; he was therefore a first-class wise sovereign throughout the ages. He twisted his head around to look at this Lord Seventh, only to see his nice-looking pair of eyes staring straight in the direction of the River of Forgetfulness, saying nothing. Hu Jia stood at his lateral side, noticing that the man seemed to have a wisp of cloudy mist stored in his gaze, making one unable to make it out clearly, as well as displaying a somewhat vaguely listless feeling. That papier-mach¨¦-esque face of the nearby Bai Wuchang was also hard to get hints off of. Hu Jia wasn¡¯t sure why, but he could clearly sense that there was a layer of sorrow enveloping this Soulhook Envoy at present. I hooked a person¡¯s soul by mistake once upon a time, harming him with separation in both life and death, he¡¯s an infatuate who has sought yet not obtained for several lifetimes, hasn¡¯t had a peaceful life for several centuries, presumably isn¡¯t willing to talk to me¡­ All of a sudden, he witnessed the white-haired man return to his senses, blink, and then turn to question Bai Wuchang with a bit of confusion. ¡°Which one had Helian Yi been?¡± It was like Bai Wuchang got choked. ¡°He¡¯s¡­¡± The white-haired man thought hard about it, and, without waiting for the other to finish talking, slapped himself on the forehead when he had the epiphany. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re talking about him¡­ I¡¯ve got a little recollection. How is this still not over?¡± Hu Jia¡¯s expression slightly fractured ¡ª an infatuate who sought yet didn¡¯t obtain for several lifetimes? Infatuate? This infatuate¡¯s memory was a bit lacking. The white-haired man glanced at him. As if understanding his internal thoughts, he leisurely explained things as he stretched out. ¡°A human enters the Six Paths of Reincarnation, which is several hundred years passing in total, and they get reborn an unknowable amount of times. Their gender, age, name, and status frequently change; who¡¯d remember them? Besides, I haven¡¯t even been a human for several hundred years¡­¡± His voice on those last few words was suppressed to a very low volume, and ended up transforming into a bit of an insipid smile on the margins of his thin lips. Gathering up his sleeves, he looked at Bai Wuchang. ¡°If you didn¡¯t say so, I would¡¯ve simply forgotten. I¡¯d machinated to my utmost back in the day, only for you to mistakenly hook Qingluan¡¯s soul, thus having her die horribly and causing Helian Yi and I to have a falling out, right? No wonder you were afraid to speak to me just then.¡± Bai Wuchang evaded his sight, head slightly bowed. The white-haired man shook his head, came forward, and clapped Bai Wuchang on the shoulder all casual-like. ¡°It¡¯s been however long since that happened, yet you¡¯ve thankfully still remembered it. A young prettyboy¡¯s mind is indeed just as young.¡± Hu Jia¡¯s foot slipped out from under him and he nearly fell into the River. The man guffawed. One strip of the Yellow Springs, a hundred thousand ghosts, and everything else within the underworld all seemed to be echoing with his unbridled laugh. His slender figure had an unspeakably unrestrained aura, as if none of the Yama¡®s Ten Courts[1] were of any importance to him. Hu Jia listened to Bai Wuchang lightly say, ¡°This had formerly been a period of fated love spanning seven lifetimes. Due to my passing through at the time, I caused the two¡¯s set destiny to change, and what should have been them growing old together instead changed into a clash that became animosity.¡± Hu Jia was a bit shocked. ¡°Fated love? He¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Have you ever heard of Prince Nan¡¯ning before?¡± Hu Jia couldn¡¯t help but give an ah. ¡°He¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s¡­¡± So that¡¯s why the Soulhook Envoy called himself ¡®this lowly one¡¯ towards this man; it turned out that he was that previous Dynasty¡¯s Prince Nan¡¯ning. Bai Wuchang shook his head. ¡°He didn¡¯t pass thirty-two in his first life. He was too diligent, and already had a head full of white hair when he died, his obsession unchanged after his death. He refused to drink more than that one mouthful of forgetting water, then stood by the Bridge¡¯s edge in painstaking wait for ten years, waiting for that person so they could enter reincarnation together¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t those who don¡¯t drink Meng Po¡¯s soup unable to be a human in the next lifetime?¡± Hu Jia asked. Bai Wuchang nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why, in his second lifetime, he transformed into a flying bug. He flew beneath the lantern that person carried in the night, but unfortunately, they were an ignorant fool, and actually caught him between their fingertips and crushed him to death.¡± Hu Jia didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°He waited for that man until the third lifetime.¡± Bai Wuchang and Hu Jia were articulating far behind that ¡®Lord Seventh¡¯. The Envoy¡¯s voice was ant-like, repressed down low in his throat, yet each and every word was spat out with particular clearness. ¡°That time, he was made into a black dog, which that person raised from youth. Because they suffered a downturn later on, though, they killed the dog to take its meat and eat it. The fourth lifetime, he was a pot of jasmine the person¡¯s beloved gifted them, and was sat upon the windowsill. The person watered and tended to him with all of their heart, but after that, their beloved got married off to elsewhere. In their broken-heartedness, they turned around and moved away, ditching the jasmine at the abandoned residence where he withered and died. The fifth lifetime, he turned into an arctic fox. He was captured by them, kept in the inner residence, and provided them amusement, but because their concubine loved his fur, he suffered the pain of getting skinned¡­¡± ¡°What caused it to be like this?¡± Hu Jia stared, wide-eyed. ¡°Each of the infinite matters of the world are karmic. He didn¡¯t sow wickedness, so why¡­¡± Bai Wuchang swept a look at him, shaking his head. ¡°The calculation of karma isn¡¯t something we can thoroughly grasp.¡± ¡°Then, after that¡­¡± ¡°After that, following his coming back, he successively drank three bowls of Meng Po¡¯s soup beside the Bridge.¡± Bai Wuchang laughed sourly. ¡°But, for reasons unknown, the soup ¡ª which washes away the memory of all people who drink it ¡ª was actually useless on him. The times he didn¡¯t want to forget were contrarily forgotten, and the times he wanted to forget were contrarily remembered. He¡¯s mocked himself for these truly endless several hundred years, as there were times where he couldn¡¯t even think of his own original name, yet had to conflictingly remember the grime of those past happenings; because of the seven lifetimes, he calls himself Jing Qi. He waited out that Helian Yi¡¯s sixth lifetime for altogether sixty-three years, and thus had sat facing the surface of the Three-Life Rock for just as long. Coming to this point, the foreordained seven-lifetime entanglement of Helian Yi and Lord Seventh has just one occurrence remaining.¡± ¡°No wonder,¡± Hu Jia realized. He raised his head to look at the one unhurriedly walking in the distance, getting the overall feeling that the incomparable infatuate described in Bai Wuchang¡¯s mouth and this easygoing, uninhibited man were not one person. Yet, with that head full of white hair that was like a pile of snow flying loosely behind him, he also felt¡­ that this was the world¡¯s top-tier melancholic, destitute look. Jing Qi stood still at the Pond of Rebirth¡¯s border, waiting for the other two for a short time. When Bai Wuchang and Hu Jia came near, he asked them playfully, ¡°Am I going to be a human this time?¡± ¡°One of great nobility,¡± Bai Wuchang replied. Jing Qi peered at him, lip curled. ¡°Great nobility isn¡¯t necessary. Being unworried about food and clothing and unconcerned with the material world¡¯s events is best. It¡¯s fine enough to let me idly muddle around until my death, in any case.¡± Bai Wuchang didn¡¯t say anything more, merely stretching out his hand. ¡°Please.¡± Jing Qi nonchalantly cupped his fist towards them, smiled, and lifted his foot to step into the Pond. Watching him about to go in, the non-hindering Bai Wuchang suddenly bit his own finger open, then crooked it. That bit of maroon oozed out of his ghastly pale fingertip and fell into the Pond, the entire body of water thus shining a blood red. Hu Jia suffered a start. ¡°Envoy, what are you doing?¡± he cried out in alarm. Bai Wuchang ignored him, mumbling composed verses, and extended his bloody finger to poke at the space between Jing Qi¡¯s brows, who was in the pool and unable to evade him. The latter was dumbstruck on the scene, lifting his gaze upwards; that Wuchang was as vacant-faced as ever, and his eyes were as stagnant and dazed as ever, looking straight into his own. He felt himself seemingly get abruptly pushed by someone, and he submerged in an instant, someone¡¯s soft voice in his ears. ¡°Your destiny was ruined with me as the cause, and you were senselessly made to wander the world, suffering the utmost of hardships. I currently have no means of recompense other than to give up all of my cultivation, and change your hair in the next lifetime to black¡­¡± Hu Jia witnessed Jing Qi¡¯s figure quickly sinking down, dumbfounded. The Pond¡¯s red was nearly otherworldly in that instant, but before he had the time to call out in shock, he caught sight of the water resuming its clearness, calm and with no ripples. It was like no one had ever come, nor went. He slowly turned his head to the side, but Bai Wuchang had since disappeared, and all that was left was a piece of human-shaped white paper drifting downwards. With a crackle, a shadow appeared out of thin air next to him, then stooped over to pick up the paper that had fallen to the ground. Hu Jia was startled, then quickly bowed towards him. ¡°Netherjudge¡­¡± The black-clothed man waved him off. ¡°Forget it.¡± He could only watch as the paper abruptly caught fire within the Netherjudge¡¯s hand, becoming a lump of ashes in no time flat. The man opened his palm to a wisp of blue smoke that looked like spiritual essence, though it did not go inside the Pond. ¡°This cycle¡¯s Bai Wuchang was not originally a person of the underworld, and had been doing nothing more than borrowing a temporary frame in wait for his destined person,¡± he explained upon noticing Hu Jia standing there dumbly. ¡°Now, he ought to go.¡± Hu Jia¡¯s lips moved, seeming to have understood something, yet also seeming to have not understood anything at all. The Netherjudge sighed, then immersed once again into the darkness in the same exact manner he had come.