Chapter 233: Encountering a Sunny Day Chapter 210: The Autumn Hunt Arrives

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Shaowei

Liu Qi

"You promised me early this morning that if you had leisure, you would come to the palace to discuss the Immortal Arts with me..." Seeing Jiang Fu, the Emperor opened with a cold laugh and complaint: "I waited left and right, and today I have finally waited for the Immortal Lord to have leisure."

Jiang Fu sighed: "These past days, Your Majesty and I have both been recuperating from illness, both of us half-dead; why should I need to come running back and forth to pour out my sickness to you, only to invite Your Majesty's annoyance?"

Even though Guo Shi had accompanied the imperial carriage for many years, these words "both of us half-dead" startled him, but although the Emperor still snorted with laughter, he showed no sign of anger; instead, he picked up that secret memorial, rose to his feet, and said while walking: "Today you have come at just the right time; I have a matter I wish to consult and ask you about... The Witch God and the Immortal Lord, come with me to the Neidian to speak."

Shaowei answered "Yes," and immediately heard the drunkard beside her chuckle and open his mouth: "I am precisely sensing what Your Majesty needs in his heart, which is why I have made this trip."

How could Guo Shi know what sort of character lay beneath this person's skin? Hearing this, he dared not be careless in the least, but as he helped the Emperor out from behind the Dragon Case, the Emperor slowly withdrew his arm, walked forward alone, and instructed: "I will speak alone with the Witch God and Immortal Lord; Guo Shi, you take people to stand guard outside."

"Yes."

After the curtain leading to the Neidian was raised and then fell again, Guo Shi immediately lowered his head and walked silently to the side of the curtain; appearing to stand guard, he actually pricked up his ears to catch a muffled voice from the Emperor as he walked: "The Immortal Lord is highly skilled in medicine; I wish to ask the Immortal Lord to examine my young son Liu Qi's leg illness... Is there still a thread of hope for healing...?"

Guo Shi's heart trembled, and he then heard that Immortal Lord's vague, broken reply: "I have met the Sixth Prince several times, and have indeed paid attention to that injured leg..."

"Speaking of bone injuries, Jiang Fu himself admits he is not much more skilled than the physicians in the Taiyi Shu... But by observing the Sixth Prince's Qi up close, I have a faint sense."

"The Sixth Prince's injury and illness may not lie in the tendons and bones, but in a knot in the heart, with Qi stagnation and blockage..."

"And a Prince is a Dragon Son; an individual's strength or weakness of Qi is also related to National Fortune and Heavenly Will..."

"If, in the days to come, he can release the knot in his heart, and with his heart opened, further nourished by the Qi of Heavenly Harmony and favored by Heavenly Will... there may be a possibility of healing without medicine."

"......"

Release the knot in the heart.

Favored by Heavenly Will...

The Emperor pondered silently, then looked toward the girl kneeling at the lower seat; the words "Heavenly Mechanism Returns, Zicheng Flourishes" suddenly flashed through his mind.

The words that followed, Guo Shi could no longer hear clearly, but his heart was already sufficiently stirred; Rui Ze claimed the Sixth Prince's leg illness was false, but he did not know whether this pair of master and disciple, by saying this today, were paving the way to fabricate some tale of Heavenly Will...

And what exactly was the content of that secret memorial the Emperor had brought in? Since he had brought it in, presumably he also wished to discuss it with that pair of master and disciple...

Even if that secret memorial was left outside, it would not allow him to easily spy on it; he could dismiss the attendants in this hall, but there were also the eyes of dark guards watching in the dark; and since the Emperor was no longer obsessed with longevity, the irreplaceable connection between him and the Emperor had broken, and estrangement slowly occurred; his splendor and life were fading and losing color...

Under such circumstances, seeing that the Emperor did not reject his adopted son Guo Yu, he pushed Guo Yu forward in turn, occupying the position, to serve as a fallback.

There were still matters of the Autumn Hunt in the Shao Fu that required his participation in the decision; before leaving the Shao Fu, Guo Shi secretly instructed his adopted son to find an opportunity to learn the content of that secret memorial.

On the road to the Shao Fu, Guo Shi was unsettled; the malicious teasing of that sinister little ghost frequently flashed before his eyes, the Divine-Demonic Mask worn on the face of that Heavenly Mechanism girl, and finally fixed before his eyes was the Emperor's stubbornly lingering sickly appearance...

When Guo Shi returned to Jianzhang Palace in the afternoon, that pair of master and disciple, seemingly heralding an ominous change, had already left.

However, on the following day, the restless master and disciple came again; the disciple held a black umbrella, covering her master's snow-white robes, and in Guo Shi's eyes, they were living messengers of the Ghost Prison.

The master and disciple were kept for a meal and bestowed wine; the master said the disciple was still young, and blocked the wine for the disciple, asking the Emperor not to blame them, and she was willing to bear it in place of the disciple.

This person was comical and unrestrained; Guo Shi smiled on his face all the while, until he had seen them out of Jianzhang Palace.

Not long after the two left, the Emperor summoned Zhuang Yuanzhi.

Zhuang Yuanzhi had been back in the capital for some time, always left aside; this was the first time the Emperor had summoned him.

Also coming with him was his master, Yushi Daifu Tai Yan; the elderly Tai Yan had recently taken sick leave repeatedly, like a kind of urging to the Emperor.

In Guo Shi's view, since the Emperor had summoned Zhuang Yuanzhi today, it was recognition of this upright minister who had already mended his ways; the ruler and minister had let go of past grievances, and the day he would be heavily employed was not far off; the possibility of him succeeding to the position of Yushi Daifu had been formally considered by the Emperor.

And besides this, this summons today must also be related to that secret memorial he had submitted.

Again a pair of master and disciple, again a secret talk that could not be spied upon.

After the secret talk ended, this pair of master and disciple withdrew from the great hall, stepped down the stone steps, and Tai Yan in a low voice scolded his student: "I thought you had truly changed your nature... but in a moment of carelessness, you have fallen ill again! For no reason, you submit such a secret memorial proposal; I see that you fear the world is not chaotic enough..."

An attendant bowed and followed to see them off, walking with head bowed, completely without presence.

Zhuang Yuanzhi: "The replacement of all things is common reason; a moment of chaos is always better than long-term turmoil... Moreover, Your Majesty also has this intention... Your Majesty is a Heroic Lord; when has he lacked the courage and determination? As a subject, I only wish to help Your Majesty make a decision early; where exactly is the fault...?"

"Enough, shut your mouth!" Tai Yan interrupted his student's words.

That attendant sent the two out of Taodang Gong, then performed a salute and stopped, no longer following.

Zhuang Yuanzhi did not look back, silently stroking his beard with a smile; Tai Yan saw it in his eyes, only feeling that this student now had quite a cunning, fox-like appearance, and didn't know what bad water was stuffed in his bulging belly.

The teacher, who only wanted to extricate himself and retire to old age, could not help but speak to remind and teach: "You are no longer young; tomorrow your youngest son will also marry a new wife... and you should also accumulate some virtue."

After the teacher and student walked far away, the attendant who saw them off had already repeated their entire conversation to Guo Shi.

Guo Shi slowly walked to under the long corridor.

Replacement is common reason; a moment of chaos is better than long-term turmoil...

Heroic Lord Your Majesty also has this intention...

The words echoed in his ears, and his adopted son came before him to perform a salute.

"Has Your Majesty taken his medicine?" Guo Shi asked faintly, with still two parts of distraction in his eyes.

"Already taken."

"Did you see it?"

Guo Yu lowered his head, his voice very small: "This son has not had the opportunity to see the full appearance; only this morning did Your Majesty throw that bamboo slip into the fire basin; this son found an opportunity to examine it, and saw only a few bamboo slips with ink marks not yet burned away; among them, one slip was written with..."

Guo Yu's voice became even smaller, with a hint of trembling: "The four characters: 'Hidden and Seen... Change the Establishment of the Crown Prince...'"

The autumn wind poured into the corridor; Guo Shi looked outside the corridor, his face pale; the plantains were withered and yellow; gazing into the distance, all things were dying.

Guo Shi should have sighed, but this time the breath could not be sighed out for a long time, and finally turned into a life-hurting urgent curse, blown into Rui Ze's ear overnight.

In a house half-leaning against the window, Rui Ze paced back and forth.

That damnable Zhuang Yuanzhi; after returning to the capital, facing his attempts to win over and probe, he had always pretended to be deaf and dumb; it turned out he harbored the ambition to overturn heaven and earth!

This person had previously been on bad terms with the Ling Family; but now it seemed that perhaps he had already acknowledged that brat as his lord in the South; this return to the capital was not with good intentions; putting on a show of being obedient and law-abiding was merely to deceive the eyes and ears!

What dogshit integrity—using a pretty boy to curry favor with the Qu family, most likely just paving the way for that dead brat.

The Emperor wants this man to take the post of Yushi Daifu, and Yan Mian, though upright and unbending, is still an old dog wagging his tail at the hem of the Lu Hou Fu's young lady; even if he refuses to take sides, as long as he won't lean toward the heir apparent, it's a deadly tilt!

Not to mention that sorcerer keeps entering the palace, manipulating the Emperor's heart...

Speaking of the Emperor's heart...

Rui Ze once again saw that day when the Emperor overturned the table, the flash of hatred and killing intent in his eyes.

Rui Ze felt the wound on his back aching faintly again; the wound healed quickly, but a greater wound was being torn open—the little ghosts and little witches colluding in evil, their sharp, greedy claws...

Withered yellow autumn leaves fell outside the window, so thickly they seemed to bury the mansion he was in, turning it into a grave.

Rui Ze strode out toward the study, hastily grinding ink and lifting his brush to write a night letter of utmost importance.

The autumn wind and leaves kept beating down, and Chang'an City was covered overnight with golden armor like fish scales.

The wedding procession blew and played, fallen leaves danced all the way in celebration, escorting the bride to her new home.

Rows of bronze bells and jade chimes were struck, accompanied by the music of sheng and se, as the newlyweds in red-edged sashes and dark robes bowed to each other in the twilight.

When night fell and the guests left in high spirits, the drunk bride in the bridal chamber was asserting her dominance over the new groom:

"... I know you covet my power and wealth, and approached me deliberately, but my great mother said this was originally my advantage, just like appearance and virtue follow one like a shadow, and I also covet your beauty and temperament—we are kindred spirits, owing nothing to each other!"

"But if you dare anger me in the future, I will surely tell my great mother, Mother, Father, three elder brothers, four elder sisters..."

"Why invite so many heroes?" Zhuang Mei sighed, helping his drunk wife: "I'm afraid even one person isn't enough for you... but if you hit, hit only me, I beg you not to implicate my father, mother, elder sister, elder brother."

The maid covered her mouth and laughed, stepping forward to remove the drunk bride's makeup and loosen her clothes.

Zhuang Yuanzhi, equally reeking of wine, was also undressing, but taking off his new robe and jade belt, changing into a dark long shirt and cloak for going out.

Lady Yao, already lying on the bed, propped her head up, watching her husband who had been causing trouble behind the scenes ever since returning to the capital.

Noticing the lady's gaze, Zhuang Yuanzhi smiled and said softly: "My lady, once I accomplish this, I will surely have you return to the golden jade branch and become a noble lady of the highest rank again."

Lady Yao scoffed: "Just don't become a highest-ranking wronged ghost."

"That absolutely cannot happen!" Zhuang Yuanzhi smiled and promised: "My lady, rest assured, I have made arrangements; if things fail, I will surely send you and the children out of the capital safely..."

Lady Yao immediately raised her hand to hit him, sitting up with a serious face: "Don't speak of ill omens."

Zhuang Yuanzhi did not argue or talk back, but poured a cup of tea for his lady to sober up.

Lady Yao took it, but first asked: "Those few nights ago, what secret memorial did you write exactly..."

"That's a big matter." Zhuang Yuanzhi answered mysteriously: "I incited His Majesty to send troops to conquer the states of Nan Yue."

Lady Yao was surprised: "I thought it was..."

"What it is doesn't matter." Zhuang Yuanzhi stroked his beard: "What matters is what they think it is."

Even if this plan fails, there are countless schemes of suspicion, deliberate calculations, and the general trend—how can those with knives at their necks be allowed to harbor侥幸?

Zhuang Yuanzhi left through the back door, went to a separate courtyard, and entered a study.

In the room Liu Qi sat in stillness, and another girl was browsing the bookshelf; hearing him push the door open, she turned and looked.

The girl with dark bright eyes wore a dark robe, narrow sleeves bound at the waist, making her figure and bearing especially upright and spirited, like a night-walking civet—light, neat, and clear in aim.

As they locked eyes, Zhuang Yuanzhi made a decision in an instant; his master had not yet gained a title, and this was a critical moment—he absolutely could not pretend to be high-minded while actually causing trouble at such a time.

To him this was not a matter of love between children but of the greater situation and great affairs, so he immediately knelt, bent forward and raised his hand, performing the deep bow of great ceremony to that girl.

This was an extremely heavy courtesy; Shaowei was startled and nearly jumped for real; she looked at Liu Qi, and Liu Qi smiled at her.

Shaowei stood with hands behind her back for a moment, putting on a calm air, walked over with large strides, bent down, and helped him up.

Not long after, several more people arrived; Shaowei silently distinguished them, noticing one among them had martial officer qi, surely a martial officer; he actively clasped his hands and saluted: "I am Xue Yang, I pay my respects to the Ling Shu Hou."

The people conferred in secret in the chamber; outside, drifting clouds passed over the night sky.

The same grey clouds, at night they looked shallow and thin, but by dawn they had become heavy dark clouds.

The sky had not been clear for days; this day was foggy and dim; in the Ling Shu Hou Fu, Shaowei cleared the martial arts field she had just expanded.

Though she cleared out the useless people, there remained one fish, two small birds one real and one fake, a grey-clad household slave and a white-clad Head of Household as a pair, two civets, and one foreign vicious bird.

When it was Shaowei's day off, Liu Qi squeezed out time to come visit his niece.

Jiang Fu and the household slave boiled tea in the pavilion, three bowls set out, one of them belonging to Zhan Zhan; otherwise it would surely bury its head in Jiang Fu's bowl to peck and drink.

Jiang Fu held his tea bowl, gazing at the movement of celestial phenomena; the household slave noticed that lately there were no stars at night, and she observed the heavens frequently during the day.

Mo Li crouched before the weapon rack taking apart a bow and crossbow; the sparrow learned with rapt attention, her teacher only knew how to explain nothing but disassemble and reassemble, how much she learned depended entirely on her own ability; fortunately her ability in this was extraordinary.

Xiao Yu was learning to draw a bow; Liu Qi, trying to ingratiate himself, attempted to instruct his niece.

Xiao Yu was on high guard: first, she feared the other side would force her to collude with the enemy; second, her bow-drawing posture had been taught by the Young Master, and she was determined to become a mighty existence like a sky-reaching great dog, afraid that this bloodline, if instructed by a second person, would become impure.

Liu Qi continued tirelessly to sell himself: "I have great talent in archery and horsemanship, and can be called an archer who never misses."

Xiao Yu refused outright: "No need, I only learn from the Young Master; the Young Master's archery is also very good!"

Shaowei, wiping a great blade at the weapon rack, looked over at the words: what did "also very good" mean?

Noticing her gaze, Liu Qi then said softly to Xiao Yu: "My archery has met no rival."

Shaowei had already put the great blade back and took down a slightly larger long bow.

Liu Qi said again to Xiao Yu: "Even blindfolded, I can hit the arrow target."

Shaowei decided to give this lunatic trying to poach her student a taste of his own medicine; she glanced at where the arrow target was, then slung the bow over her shoulder, bit a feather arrow in her mouth, casually pulled off the pale blue silk ribbon used to bind her hair behind her head, covered her eyes, and tied it neatly behind her head.

Today Shaowei's hair bun had been combed by Jiang Fu, with two thin sideburns left at her temples; at this moment, along with the blue ribbon tied behind her head, they were brushed by the wind, and her wide sleeves also danced.

Liu Qi watched without blinking; only to see Shaowei listen to the wind and discern the air currents, draw the great bow like a full moon, her arms braced steady as a rock, holding without releasing for a moment, the arrow suddenly left the string, breaking through the autumn wind and murky fog, striking the red target center dead on.

She turned her head, still covering her eyes, and slightly raised her chin in his direction, showing off.

The next moment, she reached out, and her sparrow handed her another arrow.

Shaowei drew her bow again; this arrow released with a humming string sound, air currents surged, the arrow rushed urgently, urging flying light to pass swiftly, the autumn hunt arrived.

The Emperor, who had been convalescing in Jianzhang Palace for many days, moved his carriage to Shanglin Park; the Emperor's procession was like a dark dragon, Princes and Officials followed the carriage, thus opening the seven-day autumn hunt grand ceremony.

?? Good night.

? (What follows is a major Plot; See You Everyone can Accumulate chapters for a few days and read them together for better continuity.)