Chapter 71 - Dance
The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Yu Tang was silent for a long while. “…You may rise.”
Lu Guozhong, the Dingbei general, was the one who had gone into battle with Yu Jintang against the Xiongnu, and who had personally sent the heavily injured emperor back to the imperial palace. When Song Xiao killed himself, the general had been standing by the dragon pillar at the front of the imperial hall.
The great general got up excitedly. When he lifted his head and spotted Song Xiao standing by Yu Tang’s side, his eyes instantly widened. “Empress…”
When he and Cao Gonggong met previously, the two of them had been shocked, but things had been too rushed, and they hadn’t been able to communicate much. Hence, the general had no idea that the empress had come as well. That year, he had been the one standing the closest to the empress, and the blood from the suicide had splashed on the general’s face, becoming the weight in his heart that he couldn’t get rid of, even after his reincarnation.
“General, I trust you’ve been well.” Song Xiao smiled faintly.
The Lu family had been very loyal for many generations, and each generation had been able to produce a formidable general. Before Song Xiao entered the imperial palace, the two of them had been a civilian court minister and a military general, and had bickered in the imperial court. When the emperor chose a male empress, this general had also opposed it, but when the emperor insisted, the general didn’t say any more. Instead, he even swore his loyalty and devotion to the empress as well.
Lu’s loyalty to the country was genuine loyalty: whatever the emperor wanted, he would make it so.
The great general was stupefied for a long while, then his fierce eyes gradually filled with tears as he wailed and knelt before Yu Tang, hugging his legs and sobbing. “Your Majesty ah! This servant crime deserves a thousand deaths for the crime of not stopping the empress from committing suicide that year!”
Song Xiao’s lips quirked. “General, there is no need for this.”
Disgusted, Cao Gonggong took out a white handkerchief from his coat pocket and handed it to Yu Tang.
Yu Tang tossed the handkerchief at the general’s face. “Enough. Get up and speak.”
The great general blew his nose, then turned to Song Xiao and knocked his head on the ground before he stood up again. After blowing his nose with the handkerchief, he looked around and then pa.s.sed it back to Butler Cao.
Butler Cao took out a litter bag from his pants pocket in distaste for the general to throw the handkerchief inside.
The great general finally realised that his behaviour was somewhat inappropriate. Drawing his hand back, he balled up the handkerchief and stuffed it into his own pants pocket. He then said into the walkie talkie, “Bring over a few stools.”
Very quickly, two muscular men dressed in black ran over panting and carrying camping foldable chairs. They put down the chairs, then ran off, still panting.
Speaking of what happened that year, everyone got a little choked up. The emperor of a glorious dynasty had been sent off by the machinations of rebels and traitors, and the only male empress in history followed closely behind him, leaving the few of them who remained to cry without tears. Fortunately, the imperial younger brother had been personally instructed by the empress, and had profoundly absorbed both their teachings. At the mere age of fifteen, he could intimidate the imperial court.
The great general continued fighting a war on all sides as he guarded the territory. When he got old, he was even bestowed a t.i.tle and became Marquis Dingbei.
“So, this means I should call you Marquis,” Song Xiao teased.
“The empress must be joking.” Lu Guozhong wiped his face. “The gaozu is currently the one in power. When the gaozu was around back then, this servant was just a footsoldier.”
Song Xiao blinked. He had actually been joking, but this person had unexpectedly broken it down so earnestly. He looked at Yu Tang, who gave him a look which said, “Don’t quibble with idiots”.
“Zhen wants a few bodyguards. Anyi will be going to the family’s training camp soon to study.” They couldn’t stay out for too long, so they didn’t continue speaking nonsense, and got straight to the point.
“Your Majesty is too polite; this servant will have the entire team of bodyguards follow you,” the great general said with a solemn gaze. During gaozu’s era, he had been a mere footsoldier. During the previous emperor’s era, he was already a subordinate of the seventh prince, Yu Jintang. After the seventh prince ascended the throne, Lu Guozhong was promoted to vanguard general, and followed the emperor into battle against the Xiongnu as they fought all the way into the imperial palace. In Lu Guozhong’s heart, his true master was Yu Jintang alone.
Yu Tang’s rubbed his temples. “Zhen only needs four people, not including you.” He still wasn’t the family head now. If the chief of the bodyguards gathered the entire team to follow him, how would he explain it?
The great general came back to reality. “This servant was muddle-headed. Your Majesty still doesn’t have authority; if the family head learns that you wield the power of the army, the consequences will be unimaginable.” With that, Lu Guozhong leapt up and went to round up his little brothers for the emperor to make his selection.
The three people left behind looked at one another. Looking at this Lu Guozhong, he was very proficient in modern things and didn’t seem like he had just transmigrated. However, when it came to work, why was he still like this?
A group of muscular men stood in a row, their hands behind their backs as they stuck their chests out and lifted their heads high as they waited for Yu Tang to make his pick.
The majority of them were African Americans, while Lu Guozhong was the only Asian. It was said that the Yu family’s bodyguard training ended with a strict test of physical capability and technical skills. The African Americans were probably still more superior, but they still couldn’t compare with the indomitable great general who was skilled in martial arts.
Waiting at the main residence to watch a good show, Yu Lang pulled Yu Taixian to the courtyard to play golf while they waited for Yu Tang. He saw the butler’s tour vehicle approaching from a distance, and the back was empty. He stopped his lips from curving up. “Oh, poor Xiao Tang; it seems that the bodyguard captain doesn’t think much of him – he isn’t even willing to give him one bodyguard.”
Yu Taixian swung his golf club, and when he turned his head to look, a tour car suddenly popped out from the distant grove. Four silent, burly men were sitting inside, and the person driving was in fact the newly appointed bodyguard chief, Lu Guozhong.
Yu Lang’s jaw dropped in surprise.
“Family head!” Lu Guozhong jumped out of the car and lowered his head to bow to Yu Taixian. The four men behind him followed him out of the car and silently bowed their heads as well.
“Yu Tang chose them?” Yu Taixian looked at the number of bodyguards and raised his eyebrows slightly. He knew what the bodyguard chief’s temper was like. When Yu Lang had gone to ask for men before, he couldn’t even get one bodyguard. In the end, Yu Taixian still had to make an appearance before the chief gave Yu Lang one. He had expected Yu Tang to only bring one back as well. Who knew how this youngster managed to bring back four at one go, and even got Lu Guozhong to personally send them here.
“The villa near school doesn’t have any neighbours around it, so we need a night watch,” Yu Tang explained without a change in his expression.
Yu Taixian didn’t say any more. He had Yu Tang and Song Xiao stay for lunch, then let the two of them go and watch a ball game. The four bodyguards changed into everyday attire and followed them to the venue.
When Yu Tang and the others left, Yu Taixian lifted up the tea which Song Xiao had made for him before leaving, and took a slow sip. “Xiao Lang, when you make friends in the future, you should also get to know good kids like Song Xiao. Don’t always hang out with those hedonistic children.”
“Daddy, the people I know aren’t hedonistic kids. We just go racing, that’s all.” Yu Lang shrugged with an innocent air.
“Enough, enough, go and get proper business done.” Yu Taixian raised his walking stick and tapped his son’s leg with it.
Yu Lang pulled a face and disappeared like a wisp of smoke.
Yu laoyezi couldn’t help laughing. He had always doted on this child of his, who truly made him happy. However, Yu Lang seemed a little hostile towards this eldest grandson. “Old Cao ah, the things Xiaojiu said about Tangtang – are they true?”
“Don’t you already know the answer?” Butler Cao refilled the family head’s cup of tea with a smile.
Yu Taixian sighed. “Xiaojiu isn’t friendly toward this nephew of his.”
“Ninth shaoye just has a child’s temper,” Butler Cao said placatingly. While it sounded like he was speaking up for Yu Lang by treating his behaviour as childish jealousy, his words in fact were accusing Yu Lang of sowing dissension. Young children did things like this to fight for an adult’s love, as if Yu Lang felt that his father loved his grandson more than he loved him.
As expected, the cup in Yu Taixian’s hand paused before he sighed faintly.
Gracefully holding the teapot, Butler Cao smiled without saying a word.
The four bodyguards were very efficient. As soon as they arrived at Yu Tang’s villa, they took out an entire set of equipment and placed cameras in every nook and cranny. They took the initiative to turn one of the rooms into a surveillance room and even arranged the night duty roster.
Watching them tinker with their weapons and adjust the equipment, Dugu An felt that he had fallen behind, and he proactively requested Yu Tang’s permission to go for training.
The training camp he wanted to attend was where the Yu family’s bodyguards were trained. It was a small island in the Pacific Ocean, and those who didn’t meet the requirements wouldn’t be allowed to leave; it was said that to date, even the most outstanding person had taken half a year. To be a secret guard who was ahead of the times, Dugu An had to be able to use the most advanced weapons and vehicles in order to become his master’s sharpest blade.
After a few days of observation, Yu Tang deemed the four bodyguards reliable and granted Dugu An his request.
The weather got colder as the days pa.s.sed, and as Christmas approached, the streets became livelier with Christmas trees and presents being sold everywhere.
Yu Tang bought a pair of Christmas socks, and gave one to Song Xiao to hang on his bed’s headboard so that there would be a present in it the next morning.
Song Xiao’s eyes curved as he placed the Christmas sock on his bedside table and waited to hang it on Christmas Eve. “Then what present does Your Majesty want from Santa?”
Yu Tang glanced at him. “Zhen will put the present I want inside myself.”
“En?” Song Xiao blinked, puzzled.
On Christmas Eve, the school held a grand ball.
Socialising was an important part of the culture in a school like Halun University. There were often all kinds of parties, large and small, and this Christmas ball was especially grand. All students could attend, but they had to pay 100 USD for each admission ticket.
Butler Su selected suits in different styles for the two of them; Yu Tang’s was solid and imposing, while Song Xiao’s was elegant and n.o.ble.
This ball was jointly organised by the school’s three major clubs. When Emily was done with her work, she met up with her close friends and they happily ate cake together.
“Don’t eat anymore, Emily. You’ll rip your dress apart, and no boy will ask you to dance.” Her good friend, Lilith, covered her mouth and laughed at her.
“Tsk, the young masters of Sunspot Club wouldn’t take a fancy to me even if I don’t eat.” Emily remained unmoved and continued to take big bites. While it was said that this was a collaboration between the three major clubs, the truth was that the Sunspot Club just handed out the money, the Azure Dragon Club lent their strength, and her Angels Club did the odd jobs.
“Doesn’t your club also have that Asian gongzi?” Lilith craned her neck for a look. Someone had recorded Song Xiao when he performed the guqin in N City’s plaza, and posted it on various social network sites. That enchanting elegance and handsome features instantly caused a sensation online.
Pure elegance, charming, and beautiful like a tall bamboo – even the Americans could easily discern his beauty. Because they didn’t know his name, they gave him the t.i.tle “Asian gongzi”. Song Xiao felt that it was too embarra.s.sing, and forbade anyone from mentioning it.
To protect their member’s privacy, the Angels Club didn’t reveal even the slightest bit of information about Song Xiao. However, everyone in Halun University knew that he was a member of the Angels Club; recently, many people would go watch the Angels Club’s performances just to take a look at that gongzi; unfortunately, Song Xiao hadn’t partic.i.p.ated in club activities ever since that incident.
“Isn’t that him?” With a spoon in her mouth, Emily jerked her chin at the doors.
“Oh… oh my G.o.d!” Lilith suddenly clutched at her chest and cried out.
It wasn’t just Lilith – for one moment, the entire place fell silent. This was because the two who walked in side by side were truly just too dazzling.
Song Xiao walked into the hall together with Yu Tang and showed their invitation letters to the front desk. The receptionist blushed and gave each of them a Christmas medal. Yu Tang took it and lowered his head to pin it to Song Xiao’s collar, then shoved his own medal into Song Xiao’s hands. Song Xiao conscientiously helped the emperor put it on.
“Who’s that? How can he be that handsome?!” Lilith pointed at Yu Tang and asked.
“I hear he’s the newest member of the Sunspot Club; he has a very good relationship with our little angel,” Emily explained as she munched on her cake.
There was an understated brilliance to Song Xiao’s handsomeness, and he was n.o.ble like an orchid, while Yu Tang’s handsomeness was the fierce sunlight, and imperious like the heavens. Standing together, they had entirely different styles, yet were unexpectedly compatible in particular.
Song Xiao originally hadn’t wanted to come, but this ball was compulsory for Sunspot Club members. Since Yu Tang had to come, naturally, Song Xiao had to accompany him. Yu Tang brought Song Xiao to the buffet and picked a lot of delicious food for him to obediently eat before he slowly walked towards where the Sunspot Club members had gathered.
When almost everyone had shown up, the dance floor lit up as the band began to play. Some boys who already couldn’t hold back any longer went to ask the young ladies they admired for a dance.
“Camellia, you’re not going to dance with Tang?” Blair elbowed Camellia with a naughty expression on his face.
Today, Camellia was dressed in a crimson, full-length gown which was studded with countless small diamonds. Coupled with her s.e.xy figure, she was stunning. It was just that given her ident.i.ty, no boy dared to invite her to dance.
As they spoke, Yu Tang walked over with a gla.s.s of wine, and clinked gla.s.ses with everyone.
Camellia held a gla.s.s of champagne and went to stand by Yu Tang’s side.
“Oh, Miss Camellia and that mysterious Asian aristocrat look like a very good match,” Lilith said to Emily.
Emily nodded in agreement, then pulled Lilith over to look for Song Xiao. “Hi, Song, let me introduce you; this is my good friend, Lilith.”
“h.e.l.lo.” Song Xiao was holding a plate, so he just smiled and nodded.
Lilith was incredibly moved. “Oh, you’re really too handsome. Can we dance together?”
Song Xiao shook his head and said that he couldn’t dance.
“Ai, what a pity.” Lilith shrugged, then started talking about other things with Song Xiao. “That good friend of yours, is he Camellia’s new boyfriend?”
Song Xiao frowned slightly. “No.”
“Could it be that the gossip I heard isn’t true?” Lilith pointed in Yu Tang’s direction, then quietly said in Song Xiao’s ear, “See, they’re so compatible.”
Song Xiao looked in the direction Lilith was pointing, and saw Camellia smile as she spoke to Yu Tang, while Yu Tang had inclined his head slightly to listen.
“I’ve heard all about the matters of the Yu family. Why don’t we pretend to be lovers outside? That way, you can protect your little lover.” Camellia smiled as she whispered into Yu Tang’s ear, but there was an implied threat in her words.
If she and Yu Tang became lovers, even if it was just on the surface, it would be very helpful for Camellia’s family; she also personally felt that this would be just as beneficial for Yu Tang.
Though he was listening to Camellia, Yu Tang’s eyes were fixed on Song Xiao. Seeing him chatting cheerfully with some girls, Yu Tang immediately pulled a face. Ditching Camellia, who was still yammering on, he walked towards Song Xiao with large strides.
Little Theater
Santa: Dear child, what present do you want?
Xiaoxiao: I want that old xiao to be restored to its original form
Santa: a…I’ll give you a bottle of glue to glue it together
Fish Tang: I want a stark naked empress
Santa: …I’ll give you a flip switch to flip
Didi: I want saozi to hold me like when I was young
Santa: …I’ll give you a candle to light
Didi: QAQ
Baobao Notes
Updated the character guide!