Imagining the Scene of a Princeâs Forgiveness
âHe came towards me like diarrhoea, quick, unpredictable and stinky beyond belief.â
Dugu, Ye Luo and Tie Hanyi scrunched their faces.
âI couldnât let him get close, right? Who am I? Who is he? I am a strong advocate for hygiene. Is a shot of diarrhoea a joking matter? Using âPhoenix Hits the Groundsâ, I bobbed my head down.â
Ye Luo asked, âIsnât it supposed to be Phoenix Lowers Its Head?â
âGreat question. That is the usual name. However, as you might be able to imagine, just ducking your head under that technique would avoid the thrust, but it wouldnât create enough distance to avoid the stench. Hence, I had to duck and drop to the ground.â
âI see. Excellent thinking, Brother Ming.â
âAlthough Iâm inferior to him as a martial artist, my evasion manoeuvre caught him by surprise. I then grabbed a shuttle I shot His M-, an un-blockable shuttle and, zoom! Clang! Hit his sword with perfect precision. See this? This is his sword.â
I held out the sword that cost two hundred silver taels for shipping and a bunch of whacks from Boss. With just one glimpse, you could tell that youâd be able to get rich just from putting it up as an exhibition item in the capital. All three of them gasped the same way I did when I saw it.
âThis is no ordinary sword. You know Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan?â
The trio: âYes.â
âThis is the sword Emperor Xuanyuan fought Chiyou with.â
The trio: âWow.â
I flicked the sword. âLook. If you ever suffer from insomnia, swing it at the moon. Youâll hear rain and see light erased. Fengbo the Taoist deity of the wind will even sing and prance for you in heaven.â
Tie Hanyi: âIsnât Fengbo Chiyouâs subordinate?â
âWhat happens after you lose? Surrender to the opposition, right? They say a hero can serve two masters is just as a beautiful woman doesnât fear being a concubine.â
The trio: âOooh.â
âAnyhow, this sword is worth a lot of money. Since the three of you are quick with information, please help me find out who the shameless assassin is. I have no use for this sword, so I shall gift it to whoever identifies the shameless scumbag first.â
âWe canât accept such an honour,â replied the trio, taking the sword straight away and promising I could count on them.
I had to pretend I didnât recognise Feng Qizhi since Boss didnât want anyone to know we were involved with him. If Emperorâs Entourage exposed him, then the bone to pick was with them, not Liu Shan Men. The trio I recruited werenât materialistically greedy â and they probably werenât short on money â and they couldnât embezzle the important evidence. Anyone in the martial world wouldâve loved to have a few days to play with the sword. Besides, it wasnât a hard task for them.
âLame. Iâm going home.â Long Zaitian got out of his seat and walked out.
I was somewhat perplexed. Typically, Long Zaitian wouldnât leave Liu Shan Men until he saw Boss every time he dropped in.
âWhat are you going to do at home?â I asked.
Long Zaitian halted in his tracks, bit down on his bottom lip as he fought back the silver pearls that had formed in his eyes. âTo cry,â he answered before running off.
No matter how strong one was, theyâd cry, too, if they went from heaven to hell â and had to spend three days there. Long Zaitian had one hell of a story to tell. I think there were already performance teams selling out their âStrong Small Dragon Resists His Tearsâ performance, though I wasnât sure if Long Zaitian was paid any royalties. For the last few days, he had been drowning his woes in alcohol all day. He didnât look haggard, but he mustâve snacked a tonne while drinking because he looked heavier. I couldnât find the words to describe how sickening it was to watch a gruff guy turn into a snowflake, but his experiences were worthy of a handful of tears.
âBrother Tie, where has Olâ Long been reassigned?â
âThe barracks outside the capital.â
âAs grand commander of a thousand troops?â
âTeam captain of a team of ten.â
âTasked with training?â
âTasked with standing guard at gates.â
âOf the barracks?â
âThe kitchenâs back door.â
See? Sad, right? Well, I only called him over to use as a red herring. The Emperorâs Entourage trio were the main stars I needed to spread the news of the sword and assassin.
âOh, by the way.â I wore on a serious face. âThe assassin and this sword must be kept secret. Please do not divulge this matter to anyone under any circumstances.â
Tie Hanyi and Dugu raised their hands. âRest assured. We are well-known for keeping secrets. Secrets are secrets for a reason, right?â
âI shall leave it all in your capable hands, then.â
As soon as the three of them left, the person in the rear asked, âIs my sword so magical?â
I turned around to meet Feng Qizhiâs squinting eyes. As the nutcase touched his bandaged head, he asked, âWhere am I? That was my sword, right? Why was it given away?â
âWho are you?â
âWho am I?â Feng Qizhi tilted his head, scanned my face, then retreated as if he saw a monster whilst instinctively reaching for his empty sash. On a second thought, he grabbed his sash as if it was a whip.
You had to give it to him. He really was specialâŠ
The confused nutcase appeared to recall the events leading to him ending up here. âY-you planâŠâ
âIs something the matter, Sir?â I asked in a worried tone as I advanced. âSir, you are still recovering. You must take caution.â
âIâm recovering? Iâm still recover-⊠What did you call me?â
âAs I do not know your name, I can only refer to you as Sir. What happened was, I was drinking at a restaurant when an assassin suddenly attacked me. I am untrained, but I was lucky enough to have an adept passing by come to my aid. Regrettably, the assassin managed to escape. I was going to give chase, but I noticed you had passed out on the ground, so I hurriedly brought you back here to nurse you. Thankfully, your injuries are minor. I have bandaged your injuries, and you will soon be back to full health.â
Feng Qizhi didnât space out. The man was on so high up on cloud nine that he muttered to himself, âThis idiot doesnât even know I tried to kill him! Thank heavens! Thank heavens! Iâd be in the tigerâs den if he had another brain cell. Iâm not afraid of him, but itâd be a sticky situation. How is someone so stupid even still alive.â
If you had another brain cell, youâd realise I was fooling you! You canât even remember how you were slept. Adept passing by? I whacked the lights out of your head, nimrod! If you had the eastern wind, youâd have legged it, you dropkick.
âBased on your mutterings, can I safely assume your surname is Feng?â
He started having nervous sweats and trembles.
âI think your name was Feng⊠Xiangxiang?â
âYeah, yeah, yeah!â Feng Qizhi cared naught for the logic and reasons that led to the name. âMy name is Feng Xiangxiang, Xiang as in soaring. My mother did not want me to stand out in one go, hahaha.â
âOh, I see. This one is Ming Feizhen. It is a pleasure to meet you.â
Despite him thinking he hid it well, I saw an obvious sly grin. He covered his mouth as he responded, âYoung Master Ming, it is a pleasure to meet you, too, hahaha. I have never heard of you. How do you keep such a low profile? Hahahaha.â
Based on what I could tell, Feng Qizhi didnât achieve his level of prowess thanks to talent. I was willing to bet it was beaten into him from childhood.
âSo⊠you do not remember the assassinâs appearance?â
âYou are interested in the assassin?â
âNo, no, no, no! Who would? That is a filthy person. I have never heard of assassins. I am merely curious, haha, curious.â
âI did not. The assassin truly was despicable. He fled faster than a rat.â
âWho are you insulting?!â
âHmm?â
âAhaha, nothing, nothing.â Feng Qizhi wiped his forehead, then smiled to himself as if he just managed to successfully play it off.
You donât seriously think you fooled me, do you?!
âWhy didnât you chase the assassin?â
âI was planning to, but we at Liu Shan Men always prioritise the people, and think for the people. How could I ignore a dashing man as you?â
The cleaner outside turned his back to us as if listening to my claim was sickening. Even Zha Pi, who passed the door, shepherded his subordinates along, whispering, âStay away. Head Constable Ming is fooling him. Donât get in his way.â Only Feng Qizhi had tears welling up in his eyes.
âYou truly are a man with a good heart.â
Donât tell me heâs given up on killing me already. Did I finish my task ahead of time? Man, I wouldnât have asked the Emperorâs Entourage trio to come over if it was this easy. That was my lunch money, damn it.
Feng Qizhi wiped his ears, then questioned, âThe people from before wereâŠ? Why did they take m-, cough, cough, cough, the assassinâs sword?âđđđđŁđđđđ.đđ€đą
âOh, they are friends from Emperorâs Entourage.â
âEmp-Emperorâs Entourage?â
âIndeed, they are agents in Emperorâs Entourage. I can count on them to identify the assassin in no time at all.â
âAhahaâŠâ
Feng Qizhi: Damn it, thereâs no way out of this now. Wonât they realise Iâm the owner of the sword as soon as I leave?
Reading Feng Qizhiâs expression, I jumped on the opportunity to say, âIt looks like you have rested sufficiently. I think it would be best if you returned home now so as to avoid worrying them.â
âN-no, I canât!â stuttered Feng Qizhi, waving his hands frantically in front of his ghastly-pale face.
âWhatâs the matter?â
âHuh? Eh? Why canât I see? Young Master Ming, I think my vision has been compromised after I was hit over the head. I think I still need more time to recover.â
I feigned shock. âOh, I see. Letâs do this: you rest. I will have you escorted to an inn.â
âOw! My feet suddenly hurt. I canât move them. I have a critical internal injury⊠Uh, Brother Ming, do you know martial arts?â
âNo, not at all.â
âOw! Itâs a terrible internal injury! I canât move! If I move, Iâll die from qi deviation. Brother Ming, I think I need to stay nearby.â
âCould it also be the work of the assassin?â
Feng Qizhi joyously nodded. âYes, yes, it must be.â
âHow audacious of him, hurting a good citizen! Rest assured, Brother Feng. Since the assassin is responsible, you can say we have gone through life and death together. Nurse your injuries here at Liu Shan Men. I will obtain medications for you and anything else. You can stay until you are recovered. Consider Liu Shan Men your home.â
Feng Qizhi, tearfully filled with some guilt, expressed, âBrother Ming, your knowledge knows no bounds. You⊠You⊠I shall say no more!â
âYouâre welcome!â
Once I got Feng Qizhi to settle in, I exited and shut the door behind me. Blue Princeâs assassination plot was basically history. In a matter of days, the assassination shouldâve spread to every corner of the capital, and Feng Qizhi didnât dare to set foot outside. Therefore, nobody would blame neither of them for it. Long-story short, I was the victim no matter who you asked. You couldnât prohibit me from reporting the assassination when I was nearly assassinated, right? Thus, I avoided a confrontation, and I effectively sent Blue Prince a warning, so the matter was settled for the meantime. As for Feng Qizhi, he could go water the flowers with Sir Sui. He had the good looks, so Sir Sui wouldnât have rejected him.
I went for a casual stroll while waiting for the news to ferment and serve its intended purpose. Subsequently, I went to see His Majesty. I could visit him whenever I wanted without a summon since I had his token.
I told His Majesty my thoughts on his request. I was going to keep it to myself for some time before telling him, but Boss said I could just tell it to him straight and that he mightâve actually preferred so. If I was lucky, he mightâve even given me some means of dealing with his troublesome sons. To my surprise, he was even happier than I expected.
âThatâs nothing, hahaha! As long as you are fine with it, it matters not if they are a disciple of Mount Daluo. It is your character and wisdom that I value, not your background. Were you expecting me to have you teach them martial arts? Itâs not as if I donât know what your martial arts level is, hahaha.â
Boss sure knew His Majesty well.
âI know whether or not Mount Daluo will support a Prince. Perhaps you canât call the shots since you arenât patriarch, either. Having said that, Hero Lian promised a number of things in our last conversation, so I am awaiting his good news. Itâs natural you donât know the details since you have always been with me. Of course, your life would be easier if Mount Daluo backed you. I am just glad you have agreed. With your mentorship, I feel assured about my sonâs future. You have helped me take another problem off my table. You truly are a blessing to the country and a pillar of the nation.â
âYou flatter your subject, Your Majesty. It is praise too high for him to accept.â
âThere you go being humble again!â His Majesty gave me a smile. âThe ministers ought to learn a thing or two from you when it comes to humbleness. Do you want to know about this yearâs imperial exam? Hahaha, you have amazed me.â
⊠Huh? Imperial exam?
âThe imperial exam! Duke Ming, you performed, hahahahahaha.â
Come on. Donât do this. Iâm dying over here. Why six âhaâs specifically?
âThe imperial court has its own regulations I need to respect, so I cannot divulge the results just yet, or I would never hear the end of it from Secretary Leng.â
The mere mention of Secretary Leng was enough to dissuade me from pursuing the results of my exam. Judging from His Majestyâs reaction, though, I mustâve done okay. He wouldnât be laughing if I embarrassed him, right? Plus, I copied He Shiâs paper⊠and didnât make any writing mistakes.
âIs this the reason for you visit today?â
Seeing His Majesty trying to fight an urge to smile prompted me to fearfully bow my head. âYour subject is not sure what you are referring to. He dares not speak.â
âBut you dare to hide it from me? Hahaha, Dugu just came by. I apologise on his behalf.â Although he laughed, the pause in His Majestyâs speech and the shape of his brows indicated he was sort of angry. âFeng Qizhi is Lanâerâs subordinate. Lanâer has always known where boundaries are, so itâs unlikely for him to dispatch an assassin. Even if he did send one, he wouldnât have sent one with mental issues. Donât take it too heart. Feng Qizhi is not a bad swordsman, though. Did you get hurt?â
I bowed. âYou can rest assured, Your Majesty. Your subject is fine.â
âI heard he escaped with injuries. Did you hurt him using a hidden weapon?â
âYour subject is terrified.â
âPanic? Why?â
âFeng Qizhi is apparently a scion of Feng Clan. Your subject dares not make an enemy out of them.â
âSince when were you ever afraid of making enemies? Stop acting! You are correct, however. I rely on Feng Clan for many things. The fact that you arenât stirring their pot is proof that I am right to entrust my son to you.â
âIt is not that your subject is afraid, but it is a situation of trouble knocking on his doors. Have you accounted for security in the capital at the moment? Who would try assassinating an official under the current circumstances unless they have someone backing them? Without a plan to avoid problems, your subject would have trouble fulfilling his undertakings.â
âYou are worried about future assassinations?â
âThat is indeed your subjectâs apprehension. Please think about it. He was nearly assassinated as soon as he took up the role of mentoring a Prince. He dares not make baseless accusations because there might not be any foul play. Howbeit, as long as there is, how many lives does your subject have to fulfil his undertaking? Luck was on his side this time, but he would not be able to speak to you again if luck is not on his side next time. Furthermore, Feng Qizhi escaped. Your subject has no clue what to do. Please save your subject. Alternatively, please take back your directive.â
âYou just agreed to my request!â Once he calmed down, His Majesty stroked his beard whilst deliberating, then muttered, âThey are now grown adults around your age. Perhaps they are not satisfied with my arrangements. If you cannot teach the way you want to and need to, then that would not achieve the goal I hope for. It would be a waste of talent if I have you mentor them without letting you do so as you see fit. Okay. Duke Ming, step up.â
Honestly speaking, I merely jumped on the opportunity His Majesty presented, never expecting anything in return, but since he was offering something, I had to find out how much money he was willing to cough up!
I took a few steps forward, but His Majesty still had his head down in deep thought. He hesitated for a moment before shifting his gaze to the leftmost yellow scroll. He pulled one out and start writing a wall of text.
I flicked up a thumb. âYour Majesty, your handwriting is manly.â
The proud Emperor set his brush down, blew the ink dry and tossed it to me. âDone! Since youâre worried my sons will give you grief, I shall save you!â
I opened it up to find that it was an imperial edict! He officially gave me permission to take a Prince on as a student.
âThe next time someone tries to give you grief, show them this. If anyone still tries to harm you, Iâll send the three offices after them.â
I quickly stuffed it into my shirt. It was the best thing I had picked up since entering the capital.
Letâs see which Prince still dares to pick a bone with me now.
âYour subject has heard you!â
Every problem I had vanished into thin air. I grew taller. My bones hardened.
âYour Subject just has one question he hopes you would answer honestly.â
âGo ahead.â
âYour subject is a Princeâs teacher, correct?â
âCorrect.â
âHe can hit them and scold them?â
âYou may.â
âShould they not obey their teacher?â
â⊠Up to you.â
Thatâs what I needed from you!
âYour subject can accept the task, then. Thank you, Your Majesty.â
I bade farewell and left. I needed to carefully analyse the Princes to decide who to pick. If a fool decided to send an assassin after me, Iâd make sure he regretted it.
Long after I was gone, standing in the palace alone, Emperor Yuansheng uttered, âBut itâs not just the six of them who need a teacher. Another one of them also needs a teacher.â
As I briskly headed to the exit of the imperial palace, I heard familiar steps hurriedly closing in. I was just walking fast since running was prohibited in the imperial palace, so it was odd for someone to dare to run.
âShifu!â
A kidâs voice with some courage and naughtiness, the type of kid whoâd like to call randoms his dad. Donât tell meâŠ
As soon as I turned around, a tiger cub I recognised lunged at me.
âCatch this, Shifu!â
âLord Zi?!â
My moment of hesitation allowed him to get inside armâs reach. Seizing the initiative mustâve been a new skill he learnt. I knew kids grew fast, but he changed more than I expected. He was taller and looked tanner than he used to. However, he still had the aura of an innocent kid. Still, I mercilessly caught him by the leg and held him upside down.
âThat was amazing, Shifu! Can you teach me how you did that?!â
âIt seems you still like challenging people to fights as always.â
âMind your manners!â
She was as fast as her sweet voice. She saved Sir Zi from my grasp and adjusted his attire. It only dawned on me that I hadnât seen her in a long time when I watched her. Though she seemed a little worn out, she was as pretty as I remembered.
âEunuch Bai, itâs been a long time!â
Even though I smiled, she scowled.
âHmph! You have no manners treating Lord Zi like that!â
âHahaha, I was just playing with him. Weâre friends, arenât we?â
âWhen did I become your friend?â Bai Lian couldnât maintain her straight face for long before laughing. âHave you been well?â