Clear the Laurel Blossoms in Front of the Palace First
His Majesty smiled haplessly. “Do you know Yiren requested an audience with me straight away? I believe you already know what she is after without me having to say it.”
“It is only normal for siblings to be protective of each other. Considering Vice-captain Shen’s intellect, there is no way she could not perceive what this foolish old one could.”
“I am in dilemma.” His Majesty heaved a big breath. Every time he recalled Shen Kuang’s paper, Shen Yiren’s pleas also appeared in his mind. “As you have noticed, the Qilin Guards are dominant in the landscape at the moment. It is not what I wish to see, but I do not have any means to stop it. Emperor’s Entourage cannot openly compete due to the nature of their existence, but their dissatisfaction is no secret. Liu Shan Men was supposed to be down and out for the count, but Yiren’s constant achievements as of late have pushed them back towards the surface. Emperor’s Entourage would not miss such an opportune opportunity to light a fuse. Kuang is making himself a target by standing out at this point in time. The Qilin Guards are known for being action takers. I am worried he cannot endure the hardship.”
Huang Yuzao jovially stroked his beard. “If there is anything Grand Commander Wang would not dare to do, that would be to oppose you.”
His Majesty shook his head. “Baima respects me, and I feel the same way. The Ultimate Three are the imperial court’s pillars; they cannot sacrifice their reputation. The only way to protect Kuang is to approve of Yiren’s request and let her Kuang serve peacefully without any achievements. I cannot allow him to pick a bone with Baima. It is a delicate balancing act. Howbeit, would this not waste Kuang’s talent?”
“You truly have it hard.”
After a think, His Majesty sighed. “Kuang is as talented as Brother Shen when he was young. Plus, as he is a descendant of Shen Clan, I can trust him. There truly is not a second civil servant who I could pick over him, but if he cannot survive the power struggle of the three offices…”
“Considering Baima’s respect for you, it is unlikely he would personally act.”
“Baima is no muscle-bound fool. He only needs to insinuate, and countless people will fight for an opportunity to be his blade. There is no doubt he will not cross my bottom line, but Kuang will still be in for it. We have yet to even account for Emperor’s Entourage’s naughty agents. They are becoming lawless under the pretext of working for me.”
“If it is not Baima personally acting, then deterrence will suffice.”
“Until you realise who you need to deter.”
It only just occurred to His Majesty that Huang Yuzao was beside himself. Huang Yuzao never beat around the bush, not even when teaching, yet he had only been speaking at a formality level since his arrival. Rather than say they were in a teacher-student relationship, it would’ve been more accurate to say it was a conversation between gentlemen.
“What insight did you have for me, Brother Yuzao?”
“A demanding request that this old one hopes you would approve.”
For someone who never had any requests to suddenly state that he had a “demanding” request warranted His Majesty to treat the matter with earnest.
“You need not be so distant, Brother Yuzao. On account of your contributions to the nation alone, even twenty requests would be reasonable… Since your residential quarters at Daren Academy are currently being repaired, how about I find another plot of land for Daren Academy to build on and donate?”
Huang Yuzao laughed as he wagged his hand. “A roof over one’s head and enough food to eat is more than enough. There is no need to get fancy. How much room could this old body possibly use up? What would a useless old man want all the luxuries for? The students of Daren Academy are already enjoying plenty more than necessary thanks to your generosity. There is no need to waste precious resources on expanding an already large academy.”
His Majesty praised Huang Yuzao for his modesty.
“After this crisis, this old one has lost all his martial arts training. He only wants to use the remainder of his pitiful life to nurture the next generation’s talent. If he had one wish, it would be to avenge his mentor’s unfair death so that he could rest in peace.”
His Majesty saluted Huang Yuzao with both hands. “Every soul can sympathise with your sentiment.”
“As you already know, this old one is not just a teacher at Daren Academy but also carrying the name of Confucianism.”
His Majesty let out a hearty smile. “How could I forget your revered reputation?”
“You jape, Your Majesty. It is unbecoming to continue holding the title as a defenceless old man. Thus, he wishes to select a successor.”
“Hmm… He Kanyu is more than competent. What troubles you?”
“Kanyu has a great personality. Unfortunately, he is not the best candidate.”
His Majesty stopped himself from voicing his first thought, but before he could voice his second thought, Huang Yuzao elaborated, “Vice-captain Shen sent a request to have an audience with you, while her brother visited this old one.” He held his hands in a cupped-fist salute and added, “Please allow this old one to take him on as a closed-door disciple to inherit leadership of Confucianism.”
***
No matter how I surveyed her face, I couldn’t find any answers or hints from General Manager Bai’s face. Instead, she gave me an adorable frown.
“Nothing.” Though General Manager Bai didn’t remember anything, or anything within her scope that she deemed noteworthy, she still shared their experiences in Luoyang with me as she respected my opinion.
As General Manager Bai said, nothing particularly stood out to me.
“All that said, I do feel that Lord Zi is somewhat odd. Before returning to the capital, he started having an incredible motivation to learn martial arts. He has always liked martial arts, but his interest in it randomly rose before we returned. Ah… Maybe it was…”
“What?”
“I visited my shifu on the way, right? Lord Zi stayed at Feng Estate without me during my absence. If something happened during my absence, then… I don’t know.”
I felt I was finally making headway. That was the only window that Zizi could’ve experienced something that spurred him on.
“You make it seem really serious, like a stronger interest in martial arts isn’t all of it. What makes you think so?”
I had to think before I could choose the right words. “I’ve had Zizi fight a variety of pugilistic world failures recently.”
I had to finish when I noticed a bloodthirsty glare on me. General Manager Bai never approved of me having Zizi fight, but she had to force herself to turn a blind eye to it for his future’s sake. Mentioning it to her face was just asking for it, though my next sentence stopped her.
“He… just killed someone today.”
General Manager Bai jumped straight to her feet and glared at me. Taking a Prince out to fight was crossing the line, and letting him be injured from head to toe was unforgivable, but none of those caused psychological traumas.
“I don’t think it’s his first time killing someone.”
“That’s… That’s nonsense. Why would Lord Zi…”
“He calmed down too fast, and he showed no signs of acute stress. I initially thought it was his character, but that wasn’t what he exhibited. He was sad, but he tried to numb himself. That’s a far too experienced resolution for someone who killed for the first time. Among the skills I taught him, many are basics of Mount Daluo’s beginner skills.”
That last part was a lie since I never learnt any of Mount Daluo’s basics to a complete status, either.
“The last knife throw was only half of my teaching, though, while the other half was his own creation. The mental cultivation came from me, but the execution was his own creation.”
“That doesn’t prove anything… Why would Lord Zi learn to throw knives, though?” General Manager Bai finally understood what I was implying.
Throwing knives and using hidden projectiles were two different things, so their development system was also different. There were innumerable families that taught the usage of hidden projectiles in every direction, but the majority of renowned families that excelled in hidden projectiles were predominately located in the southwest or northeast.
I wasn’t convinced Zizi learnt to use hidden projectiles. His comprehension of hidden weapons would’ve made you think he was born unable to use them. In my several tests, I noticed that, although he had talent for hand-to-hand combat and internal disciplines, he was a dunce with weapons. He was barely any better than me with a sword. If he went up against a proper swordsman, he’d have been punctured dozens of times before he managed to pull off one technique. It made sense based off how unlikely it was that his mother would’ve let him touch real weapons; he only played with wooden versions of bladed weapons. General Manager Bai told me he was proficient in all weapons, but my tests revealed he unlikely even knew their names, let alone was proficient with them. How, then, was he able to turn “Whatever Floats Your Boat” into a throwing knife technique?
In order to master a skill without a teacher, diligence and a solid foundation were prerequisites. I never taught him how to throw knives, and I wasn’t well-versed in the art, either, yet he was able to use my mental cultivation to create a throwing skill. Evidently, I couldn’t have been the source. In other words…
“I taught him finger flicks, yet he turned it into knife throwing. You would know that it’s not a skill that you can learn without a teacher, let alone something you could nail in a matter of days. Moreover, his technique was crisp. If my eyes don’t deceive me, it’s a method used in Shuzhong.”
Shuzhong and the northeast were home to competent knife throwers. I immediately recognised the source of Zizi’s technique when I saw it.
“When did Zizi come into contact with Tang Clan?”
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