Admiring Flowers on the Eaves
The mighty power of the Seven Champion White Princes was public knowledge, and everyone knew Emperor Yuansheng wasn’t happy about it. Ever since Luo Ming reduced them to Six Champion White Princes, their fate hung in the balance.
Fiends’ Genesis’ rampage was but a verse in a song. While they did push the envelope, there weren’t many of them, and they didn’t achieve much. Although Jiang Chen wasn’t able to accomplish his goals in the end, he was the only person who managed to put the capital in a state of unrest. The combination of Qilin Guards arresting people affiliated with the martial world and guards patrolling strictly every single day had the people in a state of unease around the clock. Since there was already tension, the appearance of five armies showing up outside the city incited chaos inside the walls. Ever since dawn, there had been plenty of wealthy residents trying to flee north; when more residents attempted to flee, the once busy streets were blocked as tight as a can of sardines. Thankfully, Long Zaitian promptly shut the doors. Zha Pi yelled and then dragged off five wealthy former officials, whipped them and then dispersed the masses, earning Liu Shan Men a merit.
Due to the situation, Bai Yumo’s escape lost its flare. Her identity as Bronze Mask was unsurprisingly censored, but Emperor’s Entourage had dispatched agents to collect information. How much Emperor Yuansheng would learn was still unknown. Nonetheless, it didn’t require a genius to realise that it’d be an important case secretly submitted to His Majesty as it had the potential to become the impetus for him clashing with Valley of Yearning.
His Majesty refused to see anyone while he was on vacation, but the officials were aware that he privately met with high-ranking representatives of Emperor’s Entourage and Qilin Guards before he went on vacation. Therefore, they were sure he had a countermeasure in mind. While the Qilin Guards and Emperor’s Entourage were taking action, Shen Yiren was mad because Liu Shan Men was left out of the meeting.
Tang Ye and Su Xiao were still recovering at Liu Shan Men. Shen Yiren had her hands full with a case. In the end, she kicked Song Ou out and forced him to personally patrol the city. It was a waste of talent to waste his high-calibre skills on such a menial task, but, for the sake of never having any chance of appearing, he figured he’d have to start being seen working at the current rate things were going for him recently.
Song Ou appearing meant that he’d bring his right-and-left hand man with him – Zha Pi, the expert at bullying the weak. No citizen dared to attempt running from the capital for as long as Zha Pi was watching over them. As for Song Ou, he was annoyed over the fact that he was egged as soon as he stepped onto the street to complete his simple job. Why was he egged? Think about his family affiliation.
The White Princes’ descendants didn’t have it easy in the capital. There had been numerous negative rumours about them floating around since last month, so the recent event pushed the people’s despise for them to the peak. Song Chi and company were ordered to stay on Daren Academy’s grounds for their own safety. In reality, they were under house arrest.
Bai Yumo had fled. Jin Zhaoying acted alone. Ling Shaoxuan was still unconscious. Thus, there were only Song Chi and Xun Feng.
“You found out Bai Yumo is Bronze Mask?” Xun Feng sounded irritated as he bandaged his injured shoulder.
“Not too much.”
“What is that supposed to mean? That means you knew? Why did you not tell me, then?”
“She never tells me what she does the same way Sister Jin does not. Moreover, I only have a vague idea… Sister Bai… has hallucinations.”
“Hallucinations? You mean… she doesn’t have awareness of her actions?”
The condition was similar to sleep walking, except the victim could operate for longer. You could see it was akin to being in a nightmare as it there was rationality involved in some facet rather than random wandering. What they seen might’ve been fragmented, but you could identify the source.
Song Chi nodded. “Third Uncle Bai stressed multiple times that she has suffered from it since childhood. I never thought… it was so serious when it afflicted her. I noticed her gaze change completely every now and then; I’d describe her alter ego as a blade out of its sheath. Those must have been times she was victim to it.”
Xun Feng wasn’t fully convinced just yet. After all, he had never seen such a severe case. Plus, he didn’t see her behaving as if she was sleeping; her actions were methodical. He’d have been more convinced if he was told that she switched personalities. Nevertheless, it wasn’t time to be arguing with Song Chi.
Since Bai Yumo won the martial arts contest, their team won the idol competition. Although she did switch characters at the end, she was still technically Bai Yumo, right? The prizes would be handed out tomorrow night at the bonfire ceremony.
“Sister Bai can’t be used, then.”
Song Chi grouched, “You want to use her?”
“If she’s Bronze Mask, there’s no harm. Maybe she could even open a new path for us. Anything beats being under house arrest here.”
“Even if you don’t consider us allies, how does the thought of using a seventeen-year-old girl even cross your mind?! You are a monk!”
Xun Feng smirked. “Doesn’t change the fact that she’s Bronze Mask. For all we know, we might be next on her hit list. Her internal energy is impressive enough, and her broadswordplay is no joke. I always said she was inexperienced, or she’d be incredibly helpful. Little did I know she’s far better than I gave her credit for. You weren’t there, but I saw her knock Tang Ye away with a single wave of her hand. Not even He Kanyu and Lan Jiqiong together could hold her back. There’s a chance that neither of us could match her, either. Also, have you forgotten she killed your uncle?”
One of the reasons Bai Yumo was able to successfully behead Song Chi’s third uncle and make him one of her stepping stones was thanks to her staying at Daren Academy.
Song Chi sighed. “Perhaps it no longer matters.”
“True. The imminent crash course is what’s most important at the moment.”
“Brother Feng, why must you provoke conflict? You know the five armies didn’t assemble to clash with the imperial court.”
“Tell me the reason, then.”
“I didn’t know at first myself, but I told my father that we can’t clash with the imperial court under any circumstances, and he promised he wouldn’t.”
“Brother Song, why do you always put people up and yourself down. Why are you always wavering and changing sides?”
Song Chi’s aura changed hostile. “I have only ever taken one side – Song Clan’s side. Everything I have, wear and think about comes from Song Clan. For Song Clan, I will not hesitate to sacrifice my life. Should anyone try to harm Song Clan, I’ll put my life on the line. If you want to humiliate me, why don’t you just fight me. Why wag your tongue?”
Notwithstanding getting along cordially when they first linked up and arrived, they had started to argue frequently more recently, and the tension had reached a new peak.
Xun Feng grinned. “For your clan? Have you forgotten the imperial court is trying to strip us?! If you’re trying to help your clan, why are you hesitating to take action? Are you just going to let them destroy our clans? I never intended to insult you; I’m saying this for your sake. You know better than me how hard it was for your clan to build itself into what it is today, so why would you hand it over to someone else? Your clan and Jin Clan started from zero. What did this dynasty’s progenitor tell your ancestors? Did he say they would take back their promise whenever they pleased? Who’d respect them if that happened?”
“This is something you ought to keep between only us. It’s treason if someone else hears that,” Song Chi asserted in a quiet voice.
“Tell that to someone who isn’t a monk who does as he pleases and is often disrespectful. All that’s missing is a pot of tea.” Xun Feng took out a pot of wine and cup from his sleeve, then poured himself a drink.
Song Chi couldn’t help but smile. “Brother Feng, you’re already quite drunk without even having had a drink.”
“Why else would I have said what I said? Drink with me.”
Song Chi forced himself to have one drink, while Xun Feng knocked back three.
“It’s good,” praised Song Chi.
“Brother, not being able to appreciate the wine is wasting my wine, isn’t it?”
Song Chi smiled, “To tell the truth, our divide has arrived.”
“Exactly.” Xun Feng had another three drinks. “You don’t seem to disagree with the fact that the imperial court is treating us unfairly.”
“It is unfair. Howbeit, who gets to say what is fair and unfair? He is the Emperor. That is already the most unfair thing in the world.”
Xun Feng spent a while digesting what he heard, then knocked on the table. “Well said! Were it not for what you said, I would’ve thought books had softened you. I’m a monk; I don’t care for mundane matters. All I want is fairness!”
Song Chi bitterly smiled. “You misunderstood.”
“Misunderstood?” Xun Feng hiked up a brow. “You’re speaking up for His Majesty now? You think it’s right to remove us from power? You, Song Clan and the rest of world thinks it’s reasonable?”
“That no longer has any importance. It’s written on the wall based on His Majesty’s tactics that he is not backing down.” Song Chi shook his head, paused, then continued, “You mentioned the rest of the world. Let’s put aside the reality that they may not even support us. His Majesty has an honest, generous and benevolent reputation to protect, so he won’t do the things you suggested. By extension, he won’t resort to violence as his first choice. Instead, he will take us down one at a time. Luo Sword Manor started since Luo Ming is tied to His Majesty. Didn’t we foresee it when he was in Huzhou? Brother Feng, this is an inevitable course.”
Xun Feng lowered his head.
“Moreover, the imperial court is sincere… I’m not arguing he’s trying to strip us of our power, but tell me what happened to Luo Sword Manor afterwards? You saw the decree this morning… What happened to Northern Wondrous Warrior Manor? Aren’t they still doing fine?”
The Six Champion White Princes discussed what their choice would be before the five of them were dispatched. Using Luo Sword Manor as an example, they managed to weaken the resolve of some. It went without saying that profit was always the priority. It was best to avoid being stripped of their title; who’d sacrifice their own family’s profits for peace? Plus, it’d be impossible for them to rise from the ashes if they handed over all their tools to rise. The decree sent this morning basically glossed over Northern Wondrous Warrior Manor’s crimes and praised them for massive contributions instead. The reward handed out to them would make one drool. That further diminished the will to fight amongst those wishing for a peaceful resolution, and among those was Song Chi.
“That’s why we White Princes have to come together, no?”
“That’s a wise decision and also the reason I am here,” responded Song Chi, “but what happens after?”
“What do you mean?”
“Irrespective of how united we are, we are still six different families at the end of the day. Ling Hanzhong used to command our families, only for the Qilin Guards to practically eat him from behind. Had he truly tried, there’d have been no peace in these last few years. Thankfully, he stopped before he crossed the line and passed the reins over to his son. Ling Yaoshi would never make such a foolish mistake.
“Brother Feng, you know as well as I do that this status quo can’t be managed for long. At most, we can only keep this up for a year and a half. We’ll go back to governing ourselves afterwards, while His Majesty will continue to press the attack. There’s no avoiding the pain of choosing between war and peace.”
“War.”
“Why not peace? It’s not us who are dishonouring the promise back then.”
“Why did Li Clan’s ancestors promise when they started the nation? As long as they were in power, we seven would remain Princes. Oh, so they forgot because it’s been a century? When have we ever held back at all when it came to protecting the capital? I lost over forty senior brothers in the campaign at Lawless Cliff six years ago. Did Cold Mountain Temple ever complain? Did our abbot complain about leading an army of monks into the war to help? Look at how we’re being treated now! You’ve read all those books in vain!”
“I don’t trust them, and I don’t believe I did any wrongs, either.”
“Why are you being such a coward? You’re a man with big ambitions. You led us into the capital and knew Bai Yumo’s secret; how can someone like that be without a desire? Why are you suddenly cowering? What are you fearful of?!”
Song Chi held back from arguing several times. In the end, he replied, “Because our odds of winning aren’t great.”
“… You’re surrendering before the battle has even started!”
“Let’s do some simple calculations: what are our odds of winning against the imperial court in a war?”
“If Dark Robe Brotherhood joins us, 60%,” Xun Feng got to his feet to assert.
The two of them had the most reliable evaluation of the status quo; His Majesty would more than likely agree with them.
“They won’t.”
“You think so? Have you heard some rumour or something?”
Judging from Xun Feng’s bright smile, it was obvious that Dark Robe Brotherhood was divided internally, but Song Chi still didn’t see anything to celebrate about it. Based on his own knowledge, he didn’t raise their odds of winning by much even if some of them did support the war.
“Even if I haven’t heard anything, there are three words that guarantee they won’t join us.”
“Which three words?”
“Wang Muren.”
Both of them went silent as if he could hear them despite knowing he wasn’t within earshot.
“He’s a mad dog His Majesty raised. He’ll bite anyone who dares to even think of harming His Majesty even if they’re his own kin. If Wang and Xie Clans dare to revolt, he won’t hesitate to slaughter every single one of them. What difference would it make even if Dark Robe Brotherhood revolted? Could you confidently say that either of us knows Dark Robe Brotherhood better than Wang Muren?” Since Xun Feng spent a long time musing, Song Chi urged, “I came to the realisation a long time ago that whether or not the White Princes can stand the test of time doesn’t depend on the imperial court but ourselves. No matter what contributions we have made, the moment we shake up His Majesty’s rule, we won’t be pardoned.”
“Hahaha, what a joke. If it’s on us, why is it that we’re in this predicament in this era after five Emperors?”
“Heed my advice, Brother Feng. Give up on war. It won’t yield the result you desire.”
“Even Bai Yumo is more courageous than you!” Xun Feng was so furious that he started pointing at Song Chi as he went on. “Even Bai Yumo can send ripples through the capital. You’re a scion of Song Clan, yet you’re being a coward. Are you okay with giving your ancestors’ blood, sweat and tears to someone else?”
Song Chi stood up. “I am a scion of Song Clan. I will give my all for Song Clan. I’m not a tool to do someone’s bidding, help someone gain wealth and fulfil their ambitions at the cost of my clan’s wellbeing. What’s there to complain about when we have a healthy family? You’re telling me to gamble on a 60% chance, not for the people, but for someone else? Is that how you truly evaluate this situation? Really?”
They stared at each other for a long time before Xun Feng sighed and sat back down.
“What’s the point of this argument, even? It’s all on tomorrow.”
***
The White Princes had lost several hundred troops by the next day. When they sent envoys to inquire what the cause was, they were just told, “A demon’s wind.”
In just one day, twenty-eight thousand elites had gathered under Secretary Lie’s banner, and the number was still rising.
The Qilin Guards and Liu Shan Men had increased their patrols in case of unforeseen security issues, as well as handed out firework signals to officials so that they could notify guards and the three offices in emergencies. Forty-five minutes before nightfall, the first firework ascended into the ether from the direction of a street nobles lived on.
Guards rushed to the street, only to see a second firework signal in the opposite direction. Consequently, the constables and guards had to rush over right after. After that, a trail of fire streaked through the air from a direction that no firework should’ve been spotted in. The fatigued constables and guards were unsure how to respond to the emergency. The worst part of it all was that the biggest flame exploded above a terrible place.
“That’s the Prime Minister’s estate!” The Qilin Guards sped over.
There were unconscious servants strewn across Prime Minister Li’s estate. The intruder scared all the servants who tried to stop him without even having to lift a finger. Just after the Emperor’s Entourage agents and Qilin Guards assigned to the estate dropped at the man’s feet, Bai Ju yawned and lazily questioned, “Prime Minister Li live here?”
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