Chapter 52: For My Beloved Minister
As soon as the summons ended, someone arrived!
However, it wasn’t just Lang Xun; it was two people.
And they didn’t run in; they fought their way in!
The two were arguing while fighting, weapons clashing ding-ding-dang-dang. Outside the not-so-spacious doors of the study, the silhouettes of two dazzlingly fast figures were projected.
It was Ying Dang’s voice, magnificent and frivolous: “Guard Lang, wounding a Prince is a heavy crime. How many guts do you have to block Gu (the Lonely One/Prince’s self-address)?”
“Guarding the Imperial Palace is Lang’s duty. Your Highness trespassing in the Weiyang Palace study is a crime first; Lang fulfilling his duty comes second. If there is a crime, Your Highness has one too!!!”
” Gu is worried about the Dragon Body (Emperor’s health). I haven’t seen my Imperial Brother in person for weeks. If I hadn’t fought you all the way here, Gu would have climbed onto the dragon bed to visit the sick long ago!”
The phrase “climb the dragon bed” seemed to trigger a sensitive switch in Guard Lang. Lang Xun was instantly furious, shouting angrily, “Your Highness speaks disrespectfully! Don’t blame Lang for being ruthless!”
With that, the study doors burst open—
Dong Gu was just staggering up, swinging his knife to slash at Ying Xi. Ying Xi retreated to the side.
The two fighting saw Dong Gu—a stranger’s face holding a weapon aimed at the Emperor. Immediately, their thoughts diverged, and they blurted out simultaneously: “Hey, another assassin!” “Kid, come over and help Gu, and Gu will reward you with a thousand taels of gold!”
Dong Gu was arrogant by nature. Besides, how could he know he had been taken into the Weiyang Palace by the Emperor?
Dong Gu spat “Pah!”, drew his short knife, and fought, screaming presumptuously: “I (Laozi)…”
“A thief assassin dares to call himself Laozi (Father/Superior)?”
“Whose father are you playing in front of Gu!?”
The waters of Chang’an were deep, filled with noble scions. Who would genuinely submit to anyone else?
It just so happened that Dong Gu had provoked the two with the worst tempers. They didn’t unite against a common enemy; instead, they turned the fight into a contest of who could kill the assassin first. In the narrow study, three blades clashed. The light of the blades was blinding, the swordplay dazzling. Blade shadows filled the Imperial Study.
“Watch the blade!”
“Watch another blade!”
“Don’t look at his blade, look at mine!”
“What’s so good about looking at your crappy blade? Gu‘s blade is hundred-refined steel quenched in Tianshan spring water, with a rare pigeon-blood ruby embedded in the hilt. The standard-issue Modao can’t compare at all.”
“…” Dong Gu was caught in the middle, blocking moves, instantly flustered.
He could run rampant in Luoshan because he was indeed highly skilled in martial arts, but the key lay in his ruthlessness and having hostages.
Now Dong Gu was a commander without an army, facing two men whose double blades had no eyes.
Thus, Ying Xi silently withdrew from the battle circle, stretched his waist wearily, and walked slowly out of the Imperial Study. He couldn’t be bothered to manage the ding-ding-dang-dang continuing inside, accompanied by Dong Gu’s wretched screams!
“Yu Jing.”
“Your Majesty.” Under the moonlight, Yu Jing was impeccably groomed, bowing his head outside the study to await orders.
Ying Xi said, “Tell me about recent events.”
“Yes.” Yu Jing nodded and reported in a gentle, slow voice, “Thanks to Prime Minister Su presiding over matters, everything in the court is orderly. However, after the envoys left, they took back many Chang’an specialties. Upon seeing them, the Barbarian King greatly admired the national strength of our Great Qin and wants to come for a personal visit.”
—Princess Huachao was married off far away.
In that instant, Ying Xi’s brow furrowed tight. Thinking of this plot point from his past life, he couldn’t help but suspect the Barbarian King’s intentions.
He had already made a plan in his heart but showed nothing on his face, continuing to ask, “Anything else?”
“The Xiongnu side hopes to exchange good horses for our Great Qin’s new tea. The spring tea is already on the market, and the price isn’t quite suitable, but Prime Minister Su agreed.”
If Su Xueyi could accept it, the loss shouldn’t be much.
As for a small financial loss, Ying Xi didn’t care much. After all, his current work focus was domestic; the Xiongnu had better stay quiet.
But Ying Xi thought for a moment and arranged: “It’s best to let the Xiongnu think we desperately need good horses. Every grassland horse that comes to Great Qin can improve the local horse breeds, making Great Qin’s cavalry stronger.”
If you want to take a small advantage, Zhen won’t let you take it peacefully.
Ying Xi harbored a teasing thought.
At this moment, Dong Gu in the Imperial Study was no longer making human sounds.
More guards flooded in, dragging out Dong Gu’s corpse, which had been hacked into bloody pulp. Drawing a blade in the Emperor’s study meant death!
However, although the guards had the advantage, facing Prince Yong—this heavily backed relation—they only dared to surround him and shout:
“Your Highness, drop your weapon!”
“Your Highness, drop your weapon!”
“…”
Logically, Prince Yong had nowhere to run. It would be best to drop the knife, apologize to the Emperor, and then go through the usual subsequent procedures: get lectured by the Emperor, or have someone sent by the Emperor to lecture him, get fined, and be grounded.
This plan had been the same for years—not very insulting, and the damage was almost zero.
After all, being grounded didn’t stop Ying Dang from running around, and a fine was equivalent to no fine at all. If Prince Yong wanted to spend money, who wouldn’t fight to pay for him?
Thus, the two sides in the study were in a standoff, shouting back and forth, still persuading. Ying Xi got a headache listening to it.
He had been out for over a month and now just wanted to rest. In the end, the Battle of Luoshan had exhausted all of Sweet System’s energy from start to finish.
He was tired; punishment could go either way.
“Sheath blades,” Ying Xi decreed.
Lang Xun couldn’t believe it: “This—”
This was a thief breaking into the palace at midnight! Even if it was the Prince, the Emperor’s own brother, he shouldn’t be spoiled like this: “Your Majesty!?”
Ying Xi ignored him, intending to return to his bedchamber.
Who could disobey Ying Xi’s edict?
Thus, Lang Xun sheathed his Modao, glaring fiercely at Prince Yong. The guards sheathed their blades one after another, the silver light retracting.
There had been many people in front of Prince Yong, but now there was no one. They even left the study to him without confiscating his short knife!
To outsiders, this looked like immense preferential treatment, or one could say, doting. Ask the civil and military officials of the court, who didn’t secretly envy Prince Yong?
But as the Emperor left and the guards retreated, Prince Yong stood alone holding his short knife, looking at the lengthening shadow on the ground and his brother outside the study, of whom only some robes were visible… unexpectedly, he felt no freedom.
Prince Yong lowered his eyelids slightly, then raised his gaze. Even that bit of robe was about to disappear!
Prince Yong’s heart skipped a beat.
Ying Dang actually used lightness skill (Qinggong) to step forward. “Stop—” In an instant, he leaped in front of Ying Xi, startling the guards into battle readiness again, forming an airtight human wall.
“Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!!!”
Lang Xun’s Modao reflected the cold light as he said, “Is Your Highness determined to provoke the Dragon’s wrath!?”
Great Qin’s Dragon Face was usually not angry.
However, after rebirth, with his state of mind and national power changing simultaneously, if the Ying Xi of this life lost his temper, it would definitely be bigger than in his past life.
Ying Xi’s voice turned cold: “Seize him and send him to the Court of the Imperial Clan (Zongzheng Temple) to be dealt with according to the law.”
Being sent to the Court of the Imperial Clan was not as simple as a reprimand.
According to ancestral rules, the Court of the Imperial Clan educated royal children not limited to the use of rods; they could even use severe torture.
When had Prince Yong ever been sent to the Court of the Imperial Clan?
The guards secretly rejoiced that His Majesty had finally decided to teach his brother a lesson. Instantly, they raised their blades and charged, cutting off Prince Yong’s escape from all directions!
Lang Xun had been improving his martial arts recently, climbing several levels higher than during the Flower Viewing Banquet. He was also holding back anger at Prince Yong for deliberately causing trouble. Since the Emperor said to beat him, he would beat him as soon as he struck, beating him without mercy, regardless of whether they had the advantage of numbers.
So, amidst the array of blades cutting off Prince Yong’s retreat, Lang Xun thrust his blade forward in an upward slash, slicing open Prince Yong’s princely casual robe rank badge and injuring the skin. A ripping sound echoed in the night!
Ying Xi involuntarily took half a step forward, as if squeezing into the battle, observing Prince Yong’s wound.
But this movement was too subtle, perceived only vaguely.
Prince Yong’s heart tightened again.
He wouldn’t admit that it was a secret joy. Seeing blood on his body, Ying Dang shouted sternly, “Audacious! Do you dare to harm Benwang (This King/Me)?”
If the Emperor didn’t speak, of course, they continued to fight. Lang Xun held a grudge particularly well; having already attacked, he wasn’t afraid of offending him to the end. He thrust his blade again: “We are obeying the Holy Decree to send Your Highness to the Court of the Imperial Clan for punishment!”
The guards shrank the battle circle, and Prince Yong hurriedly dodged.
An inch shorter is an inch riskier. Daring to use a short knife meant relying on agility. Prince Yong wove and leaped within the guards’ blade net, his movements ethereal and agile like a ghost, rising and falling like a falcon. But the Weiyang Palace guards were truly increasing in number, and he had been cut by Lang Xun on his left arm and side waist. The brocade tore with hissing sounds!
Ying Xi: “Sto…”
The “Stop” was forced back by Ying Xi.
His word was gold; he had ordered Prince Yong’s punishment, so it wasn’t good to change it immediately.
But Ying Dang was, after all, the brother he brought out from the Prince Yongning Manor. No matter how disappointed he was in Ying Dang, he couldn’t bear to turn swords against him and watch his blood spill on the spot.
Ying Xi’s voice stopping the guards was weak, but Ying Dang caught it keenly.
Prince Yong’s face stiffened for a moment, triggering a fierce sorrow in his heart, and complex thoughts exploded in his mind: Does the Imperial Brother, who has only the Jiangshan (Empire) in his heart, still care about me? —Brother is a petty person chasing fame and profit; who needs his fake hypocrisy!
Ying Dang frowned in a sulk, suddenly shouting with incomparable reckless abandon: “Brother won’t let this subject-brother climb the dragon bed! This subject-brother will climb it even if bitten to death by mad dogs! Climb it even if I become a ghost! While Brother sleeps, this subject-brother will climb in his dreams! Climb again and again! To die beneath the peony flowers, even as a ghost, is to be romantic!”*
Ying Xi took a deep breath.
“…” His recently overused brain could no longer distinguish whether he wanted to kill someone or beat someone up right now.
The guards looked at each other, hating that they had ears, fearing they would be silenced. They wanted to immediately control Prince Yong to shut him up but couldn’t.
This had absolutely no dignity of a Prince; it was about the same as a child throwing a tantrum.
If he were allowed to keep shouting, the clear and terrifying “climbing the dragon bed” would probably echo beyond the Weiyang Palace, circling the entire Imperial Palace.
Unknown which clever little ghost suggested at this moment: “Release the knockout gas! Release the knockout gas!”
In the chaos of the blade formation, knockout smoke rose on all sides.
Ying Dang and a few guards at the center were finally knocked out. The dignified Great Qin Imperial Palace Guards, to deal with a scoundrel Prince, actually had to use such low-class tactics.
The next day, on the way back from the amnesty mission, inside Luoxian County Town.
The sky was clear and the air fresh. Zhu Zhao temporarily took over the county affairs of Luoxian, while Xie Qianli was responsible for local defense.
This might be the most prestigious moment for Luoxian; the administrators were Great Qin’s top civil and military officials. The sense of security increased a hundredfold.
Plus, the vast majority of the commoners abducted to the stronghold had gone down the mountain safely. The amnesty mission had achieved almost the impossible. Thus, the people were joyous, every household setting off firecrackers. Even the number of people in the city was much higher than usual.
A white warhorse stepped on the ground, walking very slowly, crushing the firecracker casings on the ground. Red and white reflected each other.
Xie Qianli was patrolling the city. In a daze, his gaze happened to collide with a few commoners on both sides of the street admiring the Longwu Army, suddenly scaring away two or three girls.
He felt helpless inwardly, knowing he had an aura of ferocity all over him, but his profession was destined not to have too friendly an image.
Around the corner where Xie Qianli couldn’t see, those girls poked their heads out simultaneously, looking at the upright back of the Duke of Ying in his silver armor and cape carrying a falcon. They discussed in sweet voices:
“Did you see? Those armor scales are all relief carvings. The workmanship is even better than Silversmith Wang in the county town.”
Another girl giggled secretly. “My brother hunts on the mountain and has never caught an eagle. He says eagles are the most agile and spiritual. He actually keeps an eagle. Is it because he is the Duke of Ying that he must keep an eagle?”
“That Earl of Weiwu in Ping’an County doesn’t look very mighty either…”
The little girls chattered and laughed. Since they didn’t dare look the court official in the eye just now, the topic was limited to Xie Qianli’s attire, but even this bit of gossip could keep people discussing for a long time.
The clear wind of late spring blew through the long street, and blossoms from the roadside trees drifted down.
The line of patrolling Longwu Army soldiers, with their plain white capes flapping simultaneously, made a rustling sound.
In the eyes of the Luoxian maidens, as the Duke of Ying led the silver-armored soldiers further away, the girls’ pupils actually grew brighter.
And just at this time, at the other end of the long street, a clumsy dumb goose flew over from the distant sky.
That wild goose seemed to have traveled over mountains and rivers; its wings could barely flap. It honked as it flew, sounding terrible: “Honk—Honk—…”
Geese were within the hunting range of eagles, especially such a fleshy big goose. Not eating it would simply be a waste of heavenly gifts.
The girls all thought they were about to enjoy a falconry performance, treating it as side entertainment. They stood on tiptoe and stretched their necks, only to see that the eagle reluctantly moved aside, giving the goose ample space.
Then the dumb goose held its head high and puffed its chest, standing on Xie Qianli’s shoulder armor and extending a long leg: “Honk!”
It, it was turning the world upside down! It was astounding!
The girls harvested the latest gossip once again.
This dumb goose was precisely the messenger, bringing a letter carried by a wild goose. Xie Qianli’s fingertips trembled slightly.
Inside that thin palace floral note paper, there was a faint trace of the imperial incense that often lingered on Ying Xi. The cover read: For My Beloved Minister’s Eyes Only.
Xie Qianli didn’t notice anything else; he was already repeatedly rubbing the word “Beloved.”
TN: “Climb the dragon bed” usually implies seeking sexual favor with the Emperor. Here, Prince Yong uses it dramatically to mean bothering his brother.
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