Less than a month until the Martial Arts Academy exams, the weather had turned from warm to a sweltering heat. Perhaps for this reason, His Majesty the Emperor moved out of the East Warm Pavilion early this year and into Changchun Garden, twenty miles away from Taiji Palace.
Changchun Garden was shaded by lush trees, and the Emperor would move there every summer. This was nothing unusual, but this year, the Emperor moved a full month earlier than usual, which was somewhat intriguing. His ministers inevitably discussed this matter in their spare time, but no one could figure out what had caused His Majesty's restlessness even before summer arrived, forcing him to move to Changchun Garden for peace and quiet.
The Emperor did indeed need peace and quiet, because he found his mind increasingly unsettled.
He knew the reason for this, but perhaps only on the day it happened would he truly find peace. After eleven years on the throne, this ambitious emperor was finally going to wield his sword.
"Su Buwei."
Leaning against the wall of the earthen bed, the emperor pointed to the teacup on the table in front of him and said, "You've been getting lazier lately. Refill my tea."
Su Buwei didn't dare remind him; it was His Majesty who had just said he didn't need any more tea. He quickly went over, poured out the tea, and brewed fresh tea.
"Is Your Majesty tired?"
He asked cautiously. The Emperor, eyes closed, rubbed his furrowed brow and hummed in agreement. After a moment of silence, he said, "Go and fetch Consort Cen. Her massage skills are unmatched. I don't know if it's because I caught a chill last night, or if I came too early and haven't adjusted to the coolness of Changchun Garden, but my shoulders and back hurt."
"This servant will go right away."
Su Buwei quickly turned to leave, but the Emperor shook his head slightly and said, "From now on, let your subordinates handle such matters. You, a mere eunuch in the Imperial Study, are always running errands. Aren't you afraid people will say you're incompetent and unable to manage your subordinates? Just order your subordinates to do it. I have something to ask you."
"Yes, sir."
Su Buwei went out to instruct a young eunuch to fetch Consort Cen, then hurriedly returned to the room and stood respectfully with her head bowed. The Emperor, rubbing his temples, asked, "Has any news come from the martial arts arena outside the city? I instructed them to report back as soon as there's a result."
Su Buwei quickly replied, "No news has come in yet. The final competition to determine the top three in the martial arts academy has a three-day time limit, and today is only the first day. It shouldn't be that quick to get the results."
The Emperor glanced at the sky outside the window and nodded, saying, "It's almost dark. I reckon the fight won't happen today. Those three are all shrewd; none of them will rush to attack. However, Dean Zhou's idea this time is good; I like it. The Great Sui has never..." "We have no shortage of capable generals, but few who can truly see the big picture. Some say Xu Xiaogong was promoted to Grand General by me because of his seniority and family background; those who say this are merely driven by jealousy. Those who cannot see Xu Xiaogong's talent are mediocre."
"In my view, among the sixteen Grand Generals of the Sui Dynasty, besides Xu Xiaogong, only Luo Yao truly understands the big picture. As for the others, some are brave, some are resourceful, but their vision is inevitably limited; they only see a single line, not the whole picture."
Su Buwei dared not respond to such a topic. The Emperor smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Let's not talk about that. I'm tired of reading memorials today. Tell me a joke, and if it's good, I'll reward you."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Su Buwei responded, pondered for a moment, and said, "It's difficult for this servant to think of a joke to amuse Your Majesty in a short time; I don't have many jokes to begin with. Let me tell you something from my childhood… I remember when I was only seven or eight years old, it was the height of summer, and I was idly digging for cicada nymphs under a tree. I met an old man who told me that cicada nymphs need to hibernate underground for at least three years before they can transform into cicadas and sing. I didn't believe it at the time, but later I learned it was true. This inconspicuous little thing has to endure three years underground to sing loudly; it's really not easy."
He finished speaking with a smile, then looked up at the Emperor, only to find that the Emperor's face had turned cold and gloomy. Startled, he immediately knelt down. "This servant is bad at telling jokes, Your Majesty, please forgive me."
"If you can't say that, who taught you?"
The Emperor asked coldly. Su Buwei trembled slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then answered truthfully, "It was Minister Huai Qiugong of the Ministry of Rites who taught me. He said His Majesty was feeling restless and irritable, and after hearing this, he felt less anxious. I don't know anything about such things; I just felt that he meant well, so I repeated it exactly as I had."
After a moment of silence, the Emperor let out a long sigh and said, "Get up. I don't blame you… That old fellow didn't dare come to me himself, so he made you take the blame… I'm not a cicada; I've been holding back for more than three years, eleven years, to make a name for myself. If the time hadn't come, I could have held back for another eleven years… Go back and tell Huai Qiugong that I'm going to punish him for disrespect, and make him crawl over and explain himself."
Seeing the Emperor's tone soften, Su Buwei felt a little more at ease. However, his admiration for Huai Qiugong only grew stronger. The old master once said that His Majesty was a wise ruler, quick to understand, and would never blame his subordinates for such a matter.
"Go and prepare. Tomorrow morning after the court session, I will personally go to the martial arts arena to take a look. No need to make a fuss; just have Luo Weiran and Hou Wenji accompany you. Yu Xiao, son of Yu Manlou, the Left General of the Martial Guard; Luo Wen, son of Luo Yao, the Left General of the Vanguard; and Li Fubo, nephew of Li Yuanshan, the Right General of the Valiant Guard—all three are rare talents, and they happen to arrive at this crucial juncture… I want to see if they are truly capable."
…
…
On the second day of the martial arts arena's top three competition, only four or five people remained on the viewing platform. The officials from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel, who had come to watch the first day, had to attend court and had many other matters to attend to, so they did not come to the martial arts arena. After all, the capital, Chang'an, was too large; it would take at least half a day to travel from the Changchun Garden to the martial arts arena after returning from court.
The officials were too busy to spend three days here.
On the first day, it was a necessity.
Prince Yi hadn't returned to Chang'an last night; instead, he stayed at the martial arts training ground. Although the courtyard there wasn't as spacious and comfortable as his princely residence, having four beautiful women by his side offered a different kind of excitement and intrigue. Moreover, staying in this wooden courtyard, compared to the grand and imposing palace, provided a sense of connection to everyday life.
After breakfast, Prince Yi, Yang Yin, went to the viewing platform with his entourage. Sitting there for half a day inevitably caused some back and waist pain.
He stood up and stretched, glancing at Dean Zhou who was resting with his eyes closed, and complained, "Old man, you should have decided the outcome in one day. Why take three days? Even though I have nothing better to do, do you know how many fun things I've missed by wasting three days of my time? The girls by the Xinshui River… uh, I mean, Elder Huai even invited me fishing there."
Dean Zhou's lips twitched slightly, but he remained silent.
General Xu Xiaogong of the Right Guard couldn't help but laugh out loud, then quickly lowered his head, feeling embarrassed.
Yang Yin rolled his eyes at him and simply stretched his limbs by practicing some boxing on the viewing platform. While the fatigue from sitting wasn't as great as the fatigue from labor, it was still a real ordeal for this restless prince. If the emperor hadn't ordered him to come and watch the battle, he wouldn't have bothered; he would have long since retreated to some secluded paradise to indulge in a life of pleasure.
Dean Zhou squinted at Prince Yi, Yang Yin, as he practiced his boxing, and couldn't help but praise, "Your Highness's boxing style is very disciplined, but it seems to have too many techniques. The Long-Armed Tongquan of the Bai family of Lingnan, the Iron Three Hammers of the Liu family of Hexi, the Half-Step Jinquan of the Wu family of Qinling, and a few other techniques whose origins I can't discern—they seem mixed, but Your Highness executes them with remarkable mastery and understanding."
Yang Yin finished his stance, took a breath, and said, "The manor employs several skilled martial artists for guarding the house. In my spare time, I sometimes learn a few moves from them. It's difficult to truly master them, but they do have some effect on strengthening my body."
Zhou Banchuan hummed in agreement, a strange glint in his eyes for some reason.
Yang Yin's expression also changed slightly as he lowered his head to finish his stance, but he quickly regained his composure.
Xu Xiaogong's expression remained calm, but his heart skipped a beat.
Zhou Banchuan rubbed his nose, got up, apologized, and said he needed to use the restroom. Xu Xiaogong stood up and said, "I'll go with you," then asked Yang Yin if he wanted to come too. Yang Yin waved his hand and said, "You two, both from military backgrounds, how come you're not as healthy as me? You can't hold your urine after just one pot of tea. Should I introduce you to a famous doctor to help you?" After he said this, all three of them burst into laughter.
Zhou Banchuan and Xu Xiaogong left the viewing platform. After they left, Yang Yin immediately turned back and whispered a few words to a beautiful maid beside him. The maid nodded and quickly left.
In the outhouse, Xu Xiaogong sighed and muttered, "Having many friends isn't a bad thing, but if you befriend too many martial arts figures... I'm afraid someone will use it against you."
Zhou Banchuan unzipped his pants, let out a long, drawn-out stream of yellowish-brown urine, groaned comfortably, and said, "I was just keeping it as a pet because I was really bored. That should be Hou Wenji's problem, not yours. Did you eat too much salt or too little for breakfast?"
Xu Xiaogong chuckled. He was scolded, but not at all unhappy.
"Ten years ago, Prince Yi wasn't like this at all."
He said, pulling up his trousers. "Back then, he was sharp and ruthless, as quick as a dagger."
"A blade that's too sharp will either hurt others or yourself."
Zhou Banchuan straightened his clothes and stepped outside. "Want to make a bet?"
"What?"
"Are any people missing?"
"Of course there are. Four beauties, and you'll only have three left when you get back."
Zhou Banchuan glared at Xu Xiaogong. "Boring. Will you die of boredom pretending to be stupid?" Xu Xiaogong said earnestly, "I wouldn't dare play dumb...playing dumb will only lead to losing money."
Just then, a soldier rushed over from the viewing platform, urgently saying, "My lord, the General...His Majesty has arrived!"
...
...
On the official road leading directly to the southern city of Chang'an, a dozen miles from the training ground, in the farewell pavilion thirty miles outside the city, Wu Yidao, the richest man in the Sui Dynasty, dressed in a sapphire blue brocade robe, seemed leisurely sipping tea, but a hint of barely concealed urgency flickered in his eyes.
"When did Miss say she would arrive?"
He asked a very fat middle-aged man beside him. This man was even fatter and shorter than Xiang Qingniu; if he walked down the street, from a distance he would look like a rolling ball of flesh. Because he was so fat, finding his eyes was not easy.
In this kind of weather, such a fat man would naturally be very uncomfortable.
Despite being ridiculously fat and excessively short, this fellow was still wearing a stylish, moon-white scholar's robe. This expensive garment looked awful on him, a disgrace to the tailor. The moon-white robe was already soaked with sweat, the back turning a yellowish-brown.
"Master, we received definite news this morning that Miss is less than sixty li from Chang'an. Logically… logically she should be arriving soon."
"I spent a fortune to get her into the Yiqi Temple on Qingle Mountain, and she just stomped her foot and ran back. How long would it take me to earn that much money? It's already been given away; am I supposed to go back to that old Taoist priest and ask for it back? This deal was a huge loss."
Wu Yidao said with a face full of frustration.
The fat steward, whose name was Jiusecai , corrected him in a low voice: "It's gold."
Jiusecai, meaning "no anger".
He seemed to be a mild-mannered fat man who would never get angry. "She's here! She's here!"
The fat man pointed excitedly at the official road, "Miss is back!"
Wu Yidao quickly stood up and strode over to greet her, muttering fiercely as he went, "She's such a handful! Watch how I teach her a lesson!"
"Master is mighty!"
The fat steward didn't forget to flatter him.
But when he saw the fine beads of sweat on his only daughter Wu Yinyu's forehead and nose, the richest man in the Sui Dynasty immediately pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her: "Are you hot? There's some chilled plum juice in the pavilion. Would you like some to soothe your throat?"
Wu Yinyu wiped the sweat from her forehead, glanced at the pavilion, and snorted coldly, "Do you expect me to go get it myself?"
"I'll go, I'll go, of course I'll go."
Wu Yidao quickly turned around and ran off to get the plum juice.
"Miss is truly mighty!"
The fat man immediately puffed out his chest and praised, "Truly mighty!"