Since Separation. Numerous Disciples.
“… Wh-what are you suggesting? Who are you suspecting is trying to harm my son? Blue Prince? Green Prince? Their mother?”
“You’re even suspecting Secretary Leng? Also, why in the world would Prime Minister Li want to harm your son?”
“I don’t care. Anyone who I know can be a suspect.”
“Wow, every suspect is someone you’re familiar with. Just how despised are you? You been making a lot of enemies in the imperial palace these years?”
Feng Huang bashfully avoided the question. “Don’t give me that. You’re still as cryptic as you were back then. Do you already know something? Just tell me outright.”
“You still refuse to listen to people.” At the same time Ming Feizhen gave the same reaction as back then, he also flipped his hands over in the same fashion. “If you still haven’t gotten used to people trying to harm a Prince, you’re being neglectful if you don’t assign a hundred bodyguards to Zizi. There’s no way anyone can keep count of the number of contests between his brothers growing up. If anything, the six of them who grew up together only hate each other’s guts more with each passing year. Haven’t you learnt anything from history?”
Feng Huang slammed the table the same way she did back in the day. “Great minds think alike. I’ve been wanting to assign a thousand bodyguards for Zizi. It would be best to have three thousand elites staying by his side at all times. I even wrote a request to His Majesty.”
Even though he knew the suggestion was rejected, Ming Feizhen still asked, “He agreed?”
Feng Huang pouted. “He told me I was being ridiculous.”
Ming Feizhen patted his chest. “Thank heavens we have a wise ruler.”
“What are you talking about? He’s so stingy. It’s just bodyguards.”
Ming Feizhen was sure he chewed out the stupid sentiment before, but he couldn’t resist chiding, “You think the military is an inn? ‘Hey, I need a waiter,’ and a waiter comes? Besides, would you be able to feed three thousand elites?”
“If it is their wish, I can provide three times what they can eat.”
Ming Feizhen rolled his eyes.
Feng Huang cleared her throat. “Get on topic. I know I’m supposed to select some skilled bodyguards, but there aren’t many trustworthy people these days. All of my clan’s adepts are assigned to family business tasks, while I can’t search for adepts since I’m stuck in the imperial palace.”
Feng Huang stole a quick glance in Ming Feizhen’s direction, then continued, “I did consider you, but back then you… Long-story short, you became so notorious that no one dared to mention your name, and people I sent in search of you couldn’t find you.”
Ming Feizhen was comforted to hear that he wasn’t forgotten. It happened at a time when Zizi was still a kid walking with a wobble, so it was unlikely Feng Huang sent someone to search for him at that point in time. It was more likely that she sent scouts because she heard her old friend ran into some trouble and wanted to help him. She didn’t send many scouts, but she used her and their network to search for him. Alas, they were unsuccessful. After that, Ming Feizhen vanished from the martial world for a while, so…
“Hey, since you’re here, are you interested in the commission?”
Okay, maybe she was keen on asking him to bodyguard her son…
“Am I so easy? Money treats me as garbage. I treat money as life.”
“An annual salary of fifty thousand taels, 1/6 of an acre of farming outside the capital, two hundred premium horses, and two mansions in the capital. On the day of the shifu-disciple ceremony, I will gift you an extra ten thousand gold taels.”
“I can start today. Where is the g-, ahem, don’t go off track. Do you want to know who wants to harm Zizi or not?”
Ming Feizhen bit the bait until he recalled he had Gongsun Chu’s collection, although he was still living off Ling Jialan… To be fair, leeching off other people didn’t make you poor.
“Who wants to harm him?”
“I had Zizi fight the people after him, and he floored them all.”
“Wait. Who fought them?”
“Zizi.”
“… Ming Feizhen! You let Zizi fight?!”
“Don’t just exclude the last half! He was the one who laid them out!”
“It sounds to me like you’re the one who wants to be laid out! You let people pick on Zizi when you know he’s my son? What are you plotting?”
The two of them went back for an hour on the same topic before Ming Feizhen was forced to change his testimony.
“We fought alongside each other.”
Only after hearing that the mighty Ming Feizhen assisted her son did Feng Huang feel relieved. She knew he was full of nonsense most of the time, but she was aware of the nightmare he was to his opponents, so Zizi should’ve been safe. Of course, he left out the part about Zizi getting hurt.
“The attackers didn’t have any organisation and were average as fighters; you could’ve made a case for them being a tad superior or a tad inferior to Zizi. Either way, they were a threat once there were many of them.”
“They… were sent by the Princes?”
“No. Those thugs were like a band of gangsters trying their luck. If you really meant to assassinate someone, you’d strike without hesitation. They were like fodder offering themselves up and leaving a plethora of traces after their attempts. If that was the way the Princes operated, you have nothing to worry about.”
“Then who was it?”
“Who do you think?” Ming Feizhen stared straight into Feng Huang’s eyes.
Though Ming Feizhen’s stare was intimidating, his question fossilised Feng Huang.
“Every single one of them move accordingly to Emperor’s Entourage’s intel, but there’s no end to them, and none of the people we fight off are punished. Instead, they receive payment.” Ming Feizhen shrugged. “Figured it out yet?”
“… His Majesty?”
Seeing Feng Huang tremble, Ming Feizhen was about to comfort her when she slammed the table as if it owed her money.
“I can’t believe it!” Feng Huang threw the teapot, making Ming Feizhen feel sorry for Ling Jialan. “I married him at fourteen years old. He promised me heaven and earth for me to give birth, promising to take care of us forever, yet this is how he treats us after only some years? Hiring people to bully my son, are we? You’re finished when I return to the palace.”
“Uh… Maybe His Majesty is doing it for the greater good, for his son to be strong-”
“Don’t defend him! He has seven sons, but I only have one. I gave him such an adorable and handsome son, yet he is abusing his son.”
“That’s not quite a fair statement. The other Princes were pretty decent looking when they were little, too.”
Maybe except for Green Prince?
“Enough. He refuses to add some extra green onions to his noodles in the name of being frugal, but he has no problem hiring people to assault his son. I’m going to pull every strand of his beard out of his face!”
Ming Feizhen did feel apologetic to His Majesty; however, it was better His Majesty than himself, so what could he have done besides saying a prayer?
“Um, in any case, His Majesty did it for Zizi’s sake. Zizi needs to be able to protect himself if he’s to survive the treacherous path.”
Comforted somewhat, Feng Huang questioned, “So you really did teach Zizi some stuff?”
“Zizi is a rare talent to come by. Not only has he inherited Li Clan’s military genes, but he’s also fit and sharp. Then there’s also the fact that you doused him with supplements for over ten years, plus my unknown pills.”
“What’s ‘unknown pills’?”
“Uh… Very unknown pills.”
“Oh…” Feng Huang didn’t understand, but since it was typical to not be able to comprehend Ming Feizhen, she disregarded it and continued listening.
“Plus, I trained him enough to protect himself. He just has to watch out for traps and peacefully get through this year.”
Feng Huang could’ve assigned as many bodyguards to her son after he passed the one-year test, but he needed to survive the year first.
“In short, I only have one piece of advice for you during this year: follow Shen Yiren.”
“Shen Yiren? I’m quite fond of her… but why her?”
“She’s about to be dispatched out of the capital, which is the best opportunity for Zizi. Additionally…” Ming Feizhen touched his nose. “Following her is the same as following me.”
Feng Huang cracked a grin and pointed at Ming Feizhen. “I was wondering why Liu Shan Men was the talk of the capital. Now I get it.”
“I think you’ve got it wrong.”
“Take a look at yourself in the mirror. Maybe back then, but you’re hideous now. Would she have the hots for you?”
“And didn’t you fall for your husband?”
“What’s wrong with my husband? He’s the monarch of a country. Plus, he’s cool.”
The two of them went back and forth for a while on the topic until Ming Feizhen reeled it back in. “I won’t take Zizi as my disciple. If you want to protect him, have him stick to Shen Yiren. See you.”
“Hey, hey, you’re kicking me out just like that?”
“What? You still have something else to say?”
Ming Feizhen’s expression resembled the one he usually wore back then. Back then, Feng Huang would want to take cover whenever he glared at her. It had taken her years to build the courage to not avert her gaze.
“Don’t be so aggressive, okay? I just want to ask you…”
“What’s the matter, Miss?”
His hair was now black instead of white, and his facial features had changed, but the tonality and form of address made him appear as the white-haired youth from back then.
“It’s not something for you to concern yourself with.” Ming Feizhen lowered his head, hiding his eyes behind his black curtain of hair. “You worry about your son. I’ll worry about myself.”
“But…”
“Hmm?” Ming Feizhen glared at Feng Huang again.
Already hiding behind a stool and turning her head away, Feng Huang exclaimed with shut eyes, “Y-you don’t scare me. Do you know who my husband is? D-d-don’t come closer!”
By the time she recomposed herself somewhat, Feng Huang had retreated to the door, prompting Ming Feizhen to sigh.
“I’m still busy today, so leave me alone. See you.”
Able to distinguish when Ming Feizhen was serious and when he was being a goof, she nodded, stood up and returned the stool to the floor. “Okay. I usually can’t leave the palace; I sneaked out today. If I need to communicate with you again, I’ll send someone.”
When Feng Huang turned to pull open the door, she heard Ming Feizhen call, “Wait.” She looked over her shoulder to see an amiable expression.
“… I’m glad I got to see you again today.”
Feng Huang managed to stop her tears before they broke out of their dams and then smiled. “I’m glad… to know you’re still alive.”
***
It was lunch time not long after Feng Huang left. Lunch was a meal that Ming Feizhen never compromised on in any shape or form. Though the chef at the inn was good, as someone with power and money, he ordered the waiter to go buy two fried dough sticks to top off lunch.
Feng Huang’s visit and what she said had Ming Feizhen second guessing if it was all a dream; even the sadness he felt after she left was unexpected. From the moment he met her until now, she was an accident in every form.
Ming Feizhen seldom had the chance to reminiscence on the time with Feng Huang back then, but he combed through every detail this time to the point that he didn’t realise he had a guest at his door until they were at his door. It wasn’t the waiter’s footsteps, but he smelled fried dough sticks. He understood why his guest didn’t knock, but his guest was the last person he wanted to see at the moment. After all, you’d feel bad if you just finished screwing someone over, and then they visited you with a big smile, right?
His Majesty, beaming, welcomed himself onto the stool Feng Huang sat on prior. “Hohoho, Duke Ming, never expected me to be the one to deliver your fried dough sticks, did you?”
“Hohoho, never, never, your subject never expected it.”
When His Majesty set the fried dough sticks onto the table, he noticed a teacup. “Hoho, so you had a guest already in the morning. Who did you see?”
Ming Feizhen wiped his forehead. “Nobody. Your subject was merely trying to kill some time.”
“Hahaha, you are man who understands elegance. However, you have been having fun around the capital recently, have you not?”
Ming Feizhen froze, while His Majesty knocked back two cups of tea.
“I woke up early today and sneaked out to visit a friend while Brilliant Consort was not around. I heard you were here, so I had to pay you a visit.”
While inwardly complaining that His Majesty could’ve chosen to sneak out when someone who wasn’t Brilliant Consort wasn’t around, Ming Feizhen showed gratitude. “Your magnanimity for your subject is as high as heaven, as wide as rivers, and as deep as the ocean.”
“Hohoho.” His Majesty set his teacup down. “You… have befriended Feng Jiutian, haven’t you? Ling Clan’s Ling Jialan is also friendly with you now.”
It wasn’t surprising His Majesty knew about it. It just came off as strange that he deliberately brought the topic up whilst sounding as if they were things Ming Feizhen should’ve classified as taboos.
“If your subject is lacking in any capacity, please enlighten him.”
“It is not that serious. Although Feng Jiutian is a relative of the imperial family, it is fine for you two to be friends considering you both took the imperial exam. Mount Lu Sword Sanctuary is a White Prince, but they are part of the martial world just as Mount Daluo is, so it is normal to be acquainted. Would you agree? Mm, if there is something troubling, it would be you privately employing criminals and adding them to Liu Shan Men’s ranks, having Mountain Monster develop a private intelligence network in the capital, and having a Prince brawl with people in the pugilistic world. Would you agree?”
His Majesty tone made it sound as vague as if a big mistake was committed, but it also sounded as if it was a minor offence. The only certain thing was that His Majesty didn’t visit Ming Feizhen for anything Ming Feizhen would’ve liked. If it was somebody else instead of Ming Feizhen, they’d likely have been pleading for mercy on their knees already.
Even though His Majesty wasn’t on the guest list today, Ming Feizhen knew His Majesty would eventually seek him out to speak about something. It was fine for His Majesty to visit today; it just meant that the individual Ming Feizhen was waiting for was likely going to go into hiding for the meantime.
Ming Feizhen remained indifferent to His Majesty’s intention to frame him whilst interrogating him.
“Your enigmatic and wise aura right now reminds your subject of a famous individual in history.”
“A monarch?”
“A matchless monarch.”
“A person of talent?”
“Talent not seen in millenniums.”
“A person who commands respect, excels in delegating wisely, and is adept in martial arts and literacy?”
“At the time, unequalled in all aforementioned fields.”
His Majesty rubbed his hands and, with the smile of a triumphant general, asked, “Who?”
Ming Feizhen solemnly answered, “Wu Zetian.”
“Hoho, Wu Z-, isn’t that a woman? Ming Feizhen, can’t you respect me for a change?”
Ming Feizhen pouted. “The art of monarchy is demanding. However, you and your subject got to know each other rather out of circumstances, so he is used to speaking his mind. What exactly are you here for? Just be frank.”
Since his ruse had been ruined, His Majesty decided to just wrap it up. “You taught Zizi martial arts, correct?”
“Uh, did Zizi tell you that?”
“Hmph, do I need to wait for him to tell me? Did you know that all those people were sent by me?” Because Ming Feizhen looked at His Majesty with pity as if there was a surprise waiting for him back at the imperial palace, His Majesty said, “If it weren’t on account of Zizi’s enormous improvement and you successfully teaching him, I would have you severely punished for your audacity.”
“So, you have pardoned your subject?”
“Don’t be a smart aleck. Duke Ming, I have never had any intention of forcing you to do anything; however, you must understand that a vassal has a duty to assist his ruler.”
Ming Feizhen took out the scroll. “Is your subject not carrying that out right now? Relax.”
“Except that you are taking a bit too long.” His Majesty adopted a serious demeanour, one of a ruler. “I am looking to select a preceptor of state. Every Prince has a mentor. Every mentor must possess true skills, have the ability to teach them virtues and earn their respect. You are one of said mentors, Duke Ming.”
Ming Feizhen held his hands up in salute. “You flatter your subject. Your subject does not possess any of those qualities.”
“I can judge that. Deciding whether something is of worthy value or not is not the task of a vassal. Let me ask you: do… you intend to take Zizi as your disciple?”
Ming Feizhen went silent.
“I knew it!” His Majesty hammered the table. “You have no intention of taking him as a disciple as I suspected. Were all your promises just to entertain me?”
“No, but…”
“Duke Ming, I didn’t give you the letter for you to flaunt it wherever you go. If you cannot complete the task, you are letting down a monarch’s grace. Consider the consequences carefully. I can tolerate your unorthodox methods, but you must honour your promise to mentor a Prince. I cannot compromise when this concerns the Crown Prince seat.”
It was obvious that His Majesty dispatched people to challenge Zizi for the sake of bringing Ming Feizhen and Zizi closer. Everything he did was to provide his son with a good mentor.
“I visited you since I came out to visit a friend.” His Majesty stood up and turned his back to Ming Feizhen. “I demand an answer by the end of tomorrow. Else, you will have to suffer.”
As soon as His Majesty opened the door and stepped out, a subordinate of his crept over and whispered in his hear. After hearing how Brilliant Consort was searching for him on the streets whilst questioning, “Who did he ask to assault my son?” His Majesty’s cheeks twitched uncontrollably before he narrowed his eyes and uttered, “I will have to suffer…” and then raced off.
Ming Feizhen gazed at the ceiling as he ruminated. He could’ve made an exception and accepted Li Zizi as his disciple. All things considered, he didn’t see it as a bad thing. In saying that, taking Li Zizi on as a disciple meant that Ming Feizhen had to teach him more than martial arts. In other words, he would’ve been welcoming himself into the midst of the battlefield. Taking Li Zizi as his disciple meant that Mount Daluo and Night Fortress were lending their support to Li Zizi. Accordingly, whether he successfully ascended the throne or ended up miserable, Mount Daluo and Night Fortress’ fates would also be impacted. It was a path of no return.
Ming Feizhen had run scenarios through his head multiple times, and no journey or outcome earned a thumbs up. One day, he’d have to hand-hold Li Zizi and teach the boy how to fight his brothers for sovereignty, which was something that Li Zizi was unlikely going to be willing to do. The art of monarchy was offering an olive branch before telling them you were offering them a blade.
Ming Feizhen took a bite of a fried dough stick, upset over the fact that he couldn’t enjoy it in a good mood, though his sour mood didn’t last long for new visitors distracted him. “This is unexpected.”
The two visitors arrived right after His Majesty arrived as if they were timing their arrival.
“Brother Lian, Elder Fu, how coincidental to run into you two here.”
The duo showed up in the room without shutting the doors behind them, then briskly walked over to Ming Feizhen with big smiles.
“So you were here, Brother Ming.”
“You sure made us search high and low for you.”
“We are here to invite you. We do apologise for not notifying you ahead of time.”
“Please take a seat. Whatever it is you two wish to speak about, it is fine to take your time.”
Once seated, Lian Hua said, “We are inviting you with sincerity. Would you be willing to honour us?”
Fu Dalong added, “Unless you feel we are nefarious in our doings, there is nothing we cannot negotiate.”
“I would never, haha. Labelling Beggars Sect’s eighth pouch elder and Shaolin’s Arhat as outlaws would be a terrible joke.”
Glossary
Wu Zetian – This is a very, very, very brief summary. She’s an interesting figure if you want to do more reading on her. In short, she is the first and only female Emperor in Chinese history, founding and ruling as Emperor of the Wu Zhou dynasty of China. She was exceptional as a politician, was said to be an excellent judge of men, and was attractive.
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