Lu Wenshu knew that they were trying to pull him closer but he couldn"t expose them right now. As such, he responded respectfully, “I am indebted to His Majesty"s grace and I am utterly humbled. I will have to trouble you to lead the way.”
“It"s my job, no trouble at all. Will sire please follow me.” De Quan realized that Lu Wenshu wasn"t as hard to deal with as the rumors made him out to be. Seeing as how this individual in front of him was someone the Emperor wanted to pull into his camp, he didn"t act pretentious as he usually would. He quickly led Lu Wenshu into the throne room.
Before Lu Wenshu could offer his greetings to the Emperor after entering the throne room, he heard a burst of hearty laughter and a brilliant speech from the old Emperor who was more than half a century old.
“Hahahahahaha, Young Master Lu"s arrival has brought light to my humble Cloud Water Nation"s imperial palace! It is my Cloud Water Nation"s honor and blessing to be able to host Young Master Lu.”
Lu Wenshu had been living in seclusion for such a long time that when he experienced such warm treatment by this old fox, he was stunned for a moment. He stared blankly into s.p.a.ce and he didn"t know what to do.
When Eunuch De Quan noticed the stale atmosphere in the air, he quickly spoke up in order to alleviate the situation. “Your Majesty, Young Master Lu is a person who isn"t involved in worldly affairs. Your overwhelming welcome might scare him off.”
The old Emperor detected Lu Wenshu"s embarra.s.sment and he laughed it off. “Young Master Lu can be at ease. This Emperor is old and when I see a young and talented individual like yourself, memories of the past will resurface in my mind. I hope that Young Master Lu will not laugh at this old man.”
Lu Wenshu was once a disciple from a famous sect. Even though he had been living in seclusion for a long time, it couldn"t be denied that he used to communicate with influential people in the past. He regained his senses and exchanged greetings with the old Emperor. “Seeing how graceful and radiant Your Majesty is, you must be comparable to the current generation"s outstanding youths back when you were young. How will Wenshu dare to laugh at you? Coming back to the topic, Wenshu is here to seek forgiveness.”
Lu Wenshu immediately knelt down as he asked for the Emperor"s forgiveness. “Will Your Majesty please issue your punishment. During the trip to the Falling Cloud Mountain Range, I took Divine Physician Bai for a person with bad intentions and made a move on him. I did not expect that His Second Highness would risk his life to protect Divine Physician Bai. It wasn"t intentional, but Wenshu did injure the Second Prince. Wenshu is willing to compensate by giving up the Green Flame Eagle"s youngling. Please accept Wenshu"s apology.”
The atmosphere of the throne room turned cold and the sound of a pin drop could be heard.
Lu Wenshu was kneeling on the ground and had an expression that was neither obsequious nor supercilious. The old Emperor looked at Lu Wenshu with an indiscernible expression. De Quan"s gaze was switching back and forth. He was afraid a conflict would break out and the fish in the pond would suffer from the consequences. After all, he was the fish in the pond.
A moment later, the old Emperor replied, “Young Master Lu doesn"t have to be so courteous. The Second Prince has already been treated by Divine Physician Bai. Moreover, the blame doesn"t fully fall onto you. De Quan, hurry up and bring Young Master Lu to his seat. Young Master Lu has been standing for a long time and his legs must be tired.”
When De Quan heard the Emperor"s order, he acted swiftly. First, he helped Lu Wenshu up before getting another eunuch to bring a chair. He seated Lu Wenshu at the left side of the throne room.
The Cloud Water Nation"s custom was to reserve the left side for influential people. Now that Lu Wenshu was sitting on the first position on the left, he understood that the old Emperor was treating him with respect. Most importantly, the old fox was probably trying to use the name of the Cloud Water Nation"s imperial clan to pull their relations.h.i.+p closer. It was the same as adding wings onto the tiger that was the Cloud Water Nation.
Lu Wenshu"s a.s.sumption wasn"t wrong. Firstly, Cloud Water Nation had the Third Prince who was the Phoenix King Valley Master"s last disciple. Furthermore, they had three outstanding individuals among the princes. There was also Divine Physician Bai who appeared out of nowhere. If they were to add Lu Wenshu into the equation, Cloud Water Nation"s influence would sweep through the world.
Lu Wenshu sneered in his heart. How could he not know what the old Emperor was scheming? There was only one question in Lu Wenshu"s heart. Why was this mediocre emperor able to gather so many talents by his side? Should he play along with the emperor in order to look into that matter?
“I shall thank Your Majesty for your kind intention. Seeing how forgiving Your Majesty is, the citizens of Cloud Water Nation must be blessed. However, this one wishes to request a favor from Your Majesty. I wonder if Your Majesty would agree...” Lu Wenshu remained calm and collected. Even when facing this suspicious emperor, Lu Wenshu didn"t have any intention to restrain himself.
“Please speak. Since you have arrived at our Cloud Water Nation, there is no need to be so mindful. As long as my Cloud Water Nation can be of a.s.sistance, we will fulfill our part as a host and allow Young Master Lu to enjoy a guest"s treatment.” This old Emperor immediately replied. After all, the "favor" that Lu Wenshu was asking for was actually a demand. No matter what, Lu Wenshu showed him so much respect and there was no reason for him to refuse.
Lu Wenshu smiled and knew that as long as his request wasn"t too excessive, the Cloud Water Nation"s emperor would agree. Lu Wenshu immediately expressed his intention, “To be honest, Wenshu has admired the Cloud Water Nation"s imperial city"s local customs and culture. I hope Your Majesty will allow Wenshu to stay in the Cloud Water Nation for a few days to experience the local customs and culture.”
“That isn"t a problem. Even if you didn"t request for it, I would"ve asked you to stay for several days. I have already asked De Quan to prepare a few places for you. He shall bring you to look at the courtyards.”
The old Emperor gave De Quan an eye signal and the eunuch naturally understood his intention. De Quan gestured towards Lu Wenshu and said, “Young Master Lu, will you please follow this old servant.”