If life has to be some way for you, and you have no way to resist, then you will just let it be. If you weren’t especially defiant, and were quite pa.s.sive, surely it would become a lot easier. Based on this understanding, Ning Que broke from a shocked and distressed state of mind with extreme speed. He scratched his head, his gaze crossing Xu ChongShan’s thick shoulders, pa.s.sing through the the gloomy room’s window grates of the daytime guard office, and said, “Can I still ask a question?”
Xu ChongShan simply and straightforwardly replied, “If I can answer then I will.”
“Why me?” Ning Que asked.
Xu ChongShan replied, “Old Chao very much admires you. He thinks that if your luck gets a little better, that your future accomplishments will even be above his own. The other reason is because of the events last night, Chang the Third and Qi the Seventh and others also regard you well…..according to rules of the Imperial Guards, no matter if they are members in the open or secret Imperial Guards, the opinions of seniors are a bit more important.”
“Sir……” Ning Que covered his forehead and said, “If so many people know my ident.i.ty as a secret Imperial Guard, then I would like to inquire just how to describe the word “secret” of “secret Imperial Guard”? Would you like me to go to 47th Street and light a few hanging firecrackers, and then hang two banners telling everyone in the world that I’m not up this job?”
Of course Xu ChongShan could hear the angry dissatisfaction in his voice, and slightly frowning he explained, “The Tang Dynasty is a place that has rules. Even if a n.o.ble of the Palace knows your ident.i.ty, no one would dare to risk His Majesty’s wrath and threaten to expose you. As for Chang the Third and the others…….you have long proved your loyalty and reliability.”
Ning Que put down his arms, and shook his head saying, “Time is the only criterion to test the truth.”
“They’ve already used more than ten years of time to prove this.” Xu ChongShan said without any expression on his face, “But kid, I quite like these words. It’s a pity you want to study at the Academy, and can only go down the dark path, or with Old Chao’s admiration for you and these words, I have the mind to actually train you as my successor.”
“I, Xu ChongShan, even though I was born in the military, I still keep some integrity – but I can’t be as calm as Old Chao. Even without even knowing who you were, he dared to put his own life in your hands. In the end the Imperial Guard’s concern is His Majesty’s safety, so the Imperial Guards investigated your ancestors for 18 generations.”
“Unfortunately when the Imperial Guard Office investigated your background, only finding that at age seven, they confirmed that you were an orphan, and couldn’t investigate your ancestors. But we were very clear about your performance at the military camp at Wei City, and we very much liked it.”
Xu ChongShan extended his thick palm, and heavily patted Ning Que’s shoulder, saying, “Your military record with acc.u.mulated years of military merits was already enough to prove your loyalty to His Majesty and the Tang Dynasty.”
Hearing that the Imperial Guard Office had already investigated his personal information, Ning Que was not at all alarmed because he knew that in this world, besides Sang Sang and the already deceased Little Black, no one else knew who he really was.
He slowly fiddled with the slightly moist tablet in his hand, and after a moment of silence he went on to say, “According to what you said earlier, there shouldn’t be anyone taking the initiative to contact me. Then if I have a situation, how do I report to you? I think in the future when we meet, it shouldn’t be in the Palace right? I never imagined that this kind of thing could be done in such a open place.”
“Why not?” Xu ChongShan proudly said, “The whole world doesn’t have a place safer than my Tang Dynasty’s Imperial Palace.”
Ning Que let out a sigh, helplessly accepting reality. Then he lifted his head up, and raising his face filled with hope he said, “It’s not allowed for people to know about the conferring of this honor, then I…..when do I get to see the Emperor?”
Xu ChongShan stared at him, then immediately laughed out loud, rubbing his ball-like belly. He laughed and said, “You kid……did you think that coming to the Palace today you would see the Emperor?”
“Could it be that it isn’t?”
“Age?”
“16.”
“Surname?”
“Ning.”
Xu ChongShan looked at him and seriously asked, “You’re not a 100-year old person, and not a distant relative of the Imperial Clan. Is your reputation bigger than other people?”
Ning Que stroked his own delicate cheek reluctantly, and shook his head.
Xu ChongShan heaved a sigh, and looked at the youth while shaking his head and said, “Chang the Third and the others already haven’t seen His Majesty in many years. On what basis are you ent.i.tled to have an Imperial audience by yourself?”
Ning Que was silent for a moment then seriously said, “My calligraphy is truly written pretty well. If his Majesty likes it, maybe he wouldn’t be willing to have me become an Imperial Guard, and directly declare me to enter the Palace and have me as some teacher to the Emperor.”
Xu ChongShan gathered a smile, and mockingly looked at him saying, “Besides Imperial Guards, the only ones who can stay in the Palace for long are eunuchs.”
Ning Que’s expression froze, and bit awkwardly smiled, no longer daring to continue this topic.
Xu ChongShan was the Vice Commander of the Tang Dynasty’s Imperial Guards, and as expected, was very busy. Today, that he specifically took the time to spend some time alone with this youth, was already giving Chao XiaoShu face as big as the sky. After chatting about things, naturally he turned away the other party without any hesitation, then quickly hurried back to guard beside the Hall of Political Discourse.
Ning Que walked out of the empty Imperial Guard daytime office, and became worried about how he would exit the Palace – the kind like in a moment would he mistakenly enter the Imperial Study, or mistakenly enter some Spring Willow Palace Courtyard, and hear some cold Palace woman’s complaints, and creating some kind of very horrible situation – or perhaps running into someone he called idiot and he even thought of Her Highness the Princess….then he saw that little eunuch that took him to the palace, standing next to him like a ghost since an unknown time.
Even though he really wanted to ask him to explain that without knowing the situation, he went into the Imperial Study and then suffered from the poisonous lure of inks and brushes as well as fear, but considering a safety perspective, he finally tightly closed his mouth, behaving himself and quietly following the little eunuch to the deserted lakeside willow pathway to the stone gate. Sitting in that cramped carriage, they pa.s.sed through the laundry department galloping towards the exterior of the Palace.
Just as they were to pa.s.s the bit of Palace alley through the laundry department, Ning Que suddenly felt a sensation. His chest had a fit of tightness, and he couldn’t be bothered with the severe stare of the little eunuch beside him. Lifting up a corner of the carriage curtain, he frowned and looked outside.
His gaze penetrated heavily through the skylight of the alleys, crossing the sounds of bang boards and the smell of ca.s.sia pervading the alley; falling onto a base corner of the distant magnificent Palace. Crouching high in the light blue sky on the eaves were 8-9 decorative guardian beast statues, each with a different appearance.
He didn’t know what the names of these guardian statues were, or for whom from where it was auspicious for. Staring outwards, he only felt his own chest become more and more tight, his heart thumping faster and faster as if it was about to break his ribs and jump out. And following the acceleration of his heartbeat, those distant guardian statues became more and more clear; the stone tiles weathered by wind and rain for an unknowable hundreds of years became more and more life-like, seeming as though in the next moment they would become living life forms.
He m.u.f.fled a groan, covered his chest, and couldn’t stop himself from remembering that rainy day he and Sang Sang first saw the image of ChangAn’s Vermillion Bird. Resolutely looking towards those guardian beasts of the Imperial palace, his face became paler and paler, but he refused to divert his gaze. …… ……
Earlier inside of the Imperial Study, a very intense argument broke out. Vice Commander of the Imperial Guards Xu ChongShan and the Interior Deputy Steward Old Sir Lin were like two statues guarding the outside of the Imperial Study – no matter what sounds they heard, they didn’t dare to leak the slightest expression, because inside the deepest depths of these two important figures sat a grandson; fear, dread, doubt, and shock had reached their apex. At the same time they felt that the person inside of the Imperial Study was truly too d.a.m.n brave.
The Tang Dynasty’s Sky Opening Emperor was already thirty-three, and no one had seen His Majesty the Emperor so enraged. Even after last night’s Spring Wind Pavilion Incident, His Majesty merely heavily smashed a few desks and cursed ‘morons’ more than thirty times. But today inside of the Imperial Study, His Majesty the Emperor smashed several tea cups, and cursed many dirty words that people absolutely shouldn’t hear.
“Chao XiaoShu! If you’re still so unappreciative of favors, don’t blame your father for disciplining you!”
“How do I deal with you? We…….We……..We……truly don’t f*cking know!”
“You foolish to the extreme fellow, why don’t you even understand a bit of reasoning of the world!”
“Alright alright alright. Today I’ll call you Chao Second Brother one last time. Will you stay or not!”
Inside the Imperial Study it suddenly became quiet. Xu ChongShan and Old Sir Lin beyond the door couldn’t help but to turn their heads and glance at each other, confirming the shock and admiration in the eyes of the other of someone not at all like the two of them. With extreme understanding they again turned their heads and wordlessly looked at the flowers and trees.
Inside it was silent for a long time, then echoed with Chao XiaoShu’s calm and mild but extremely firm voice.
“I’m not staying.”
There was an oppressive banging sound, that should be that Tang Dynasty His Majesty the Emperor throwing and shattering his most cherished Yellow Province deep-clay inkstone. Xu ChongShan and Old Sir Lin guarding beyond the door had no way of maintaining silence – especially Xu ChongShan who was absolutely worried that in a fit of rage His Majesty would make a decision that he would certainly regret, scrambling two steps forwards preparing to knock on the door and admonish him.
Just in this moment the doors to the Imperial Study were pushed open with a screech, and Chao XiaoShu in a set of blue robes calmly crossed the entrance and walked out. Waiting for the doors behind him to once again close, he then turned his body, lifting his long lapel, and with both knees kneeled on the ground. Extremely solemnly and seriously he kowtowed three times, performing the ritual of a minister that will no longer see his king.
Afterwards he got up, and with a slight smile he cupped his hands to Xu ChongShan and Old Sir Lin, and left the Imperial Study to go outside of the Palace. Beside him, no eunuchs or Palace maids led the way, and just like this he alone slowly walked just as though he was touring the gardens. Ten years ago he would come to this Imperial Palace many times, and felt very deeply that these past years he had come much less to the Imperial Palace; it was very nostalgic.
Walking nearly to the big lake called the Li Sea, Chao XiaoShu was pensive. After folding his hands behind his blue robes, he calmly looked at the lake, watching the golden carp happily swimming about. Suddenly the corners of his lips slightly rose, bursting with a fresh smile like sunlight penetrating the shade of the willows.
He gazed outwards keeping his calm smile – those golden carp happily swimming about suddenly froze, unexpectedly becoming completely still as though they were jade fish suspended in the sparkling clear green waves – with overflowing life but completely without a sign of life.
Chao XiaoShu mumbled aloud, “Long caged within, returning back to naturalness.”
Heaven and earth were a cage for man within, the body was a cage for the mind within; to break the cage of the mind, the cage of heaven and earth itself will also break. …… ……
Inside of the Imperial Study, the Golden Crown was carelessly tossed aside into a corner of discarded firewood. The Tang Dynasty’s Emperor angrily stared at the ‘Leaping Fish in the Current Seas‘ that he personally wrote in the early hours before dawn, his face full of aversion and regret.
He didn’t know that in a corner of the bookshelf, someone secretly continued the poem for him and wrote “Blossoms Open Transcendental Skies“.
In a sudden instant he looked up. Separated by the window he looked towards the Imperial gardens, his brow slowly creased up and then slowly eased open, finally becoming calm and relieved. Then lightly disparaging himself he said, “Maybe you’re really right.” …… ……
Somewhere within the Palace, a Daoist around forty years old was taking the pulse of the Empress Mother, then all of a sudden his brow violently jumped and his finger extremely rudely scratched a mark on the Empress Mother’s ample wrist, blankly turning his head and gazing behind him.
The Empress Mother slightly frowned and was wondering that the State Master was usually so calm, why would he lose his composure like this?
The Daoist stared at that place – suddenly very remorsefully he cried out, “I was wrong. I was truly wrong. Back then I should’ve persuaded His Majesty to let XiaoShu leave earlier, or simply let him enter the Academy……”
“With Master’s ability, with XiaoShu’s perception and mental state, in these years my Tang Dynasty would inevitably have had yet another exceptional power, such that maybe he could even fight against that South Jin fellow. A pity, a pity, a pity it had to be callously ten years late!” …… ……
In some alley in the laundry department, Ning Que sat inside of a carriage stubbornly staring at several statues of guardian statue beasts that seemed like they were going to come to life – his complexion became paler and paler, his heart beat faster and faster. Suddenly all sensations disappeared. …… ……
The Imperial Palace’s Vermillion Bird Gate.
A middle-aged man turned his head towards a corner of the eaves of the main hall at those stone beasts, erupting into laughter. The sound of his laughter was exceptionally natural, free and cheerful, without a trace of other thoughts or ideas. The guardian beasts seemed to have understood the intent his laughing conveyed, and once again calmness and serenity returned.
Amidst the calm and free laughter, his blue robes fluttered as he walked out of the Imperial City’s Main Gate.
After today, ChangAn City would be lacking that person called the leader, Spring Wind Pavilion’s Old Chao.
This world would gain a Guan HuYu, a power that entered the Fate-seeker Realm. …… ……