The most foolish in the world

Chapter 11

At this moment, the emperor, seemingly flushed with wine, was in high spirits.

"I have long heard that General Zhou has a son whose swordsmanship is superb. I wonder if I would have the honor of witnessing his skills?"

A single crystal fruit got stuck in her throat.

Author's Note: Arise, ye who refuse to be tyrants! Move your mouse to [Bookmark this article]!

Rolling around in frustration TAT Whether you add it to your favorites or leave a comment, please don't dampen my enthusiasm for daily updates...

8

8. A night filled with frights...

"Once there was a beautiful woman named Gongsun, whose sword dance moved all four directions..."

"You only realize how little you know when you need it." As Fan Qingbo watched Zhou Zice dancing with his sword on the stage, he almost immediately thought of Du Fu's poem "Watching Gongsun Da Niang's Disciple Perform Sword Dance." However, he couldn't remember the whole poem and could only recite the first two lines over and over again.

"Swift as Yi shooting down nine suns, graceful as emperors riding dragons. Coming like thunderbolts gathering their fury, departing like the calm light of rivers and seas."

Hearing Xie Dongfeng's admiring voice, Fan Qingbo looked at him in surprise, "You can actually recite Tang poems?"

Jie Dongfeng tilted his head, frowned, and said, "Tang poetry? Isn't that a collection of poems from overseas that came from the East?"

Yes, the Tang and Song poems in this timeline all belong to the Eastern Lands Poetry Collection, but that's not the point—"I thought all you knew was how to make money."

Xie Dongfeng was stunned and began to think about why he could recite the poem. After a long while, he suddenly realized, "I used to be a third-ranked scholar! Right, the third-ranked scholar of the late emperor's time! Tsk tsk, it turns out I'm already a veteran of three reigns."

Touching his still very young face, he seemed lost in memories. "Speaking of which, it seems that I was the only one still in the court among the top three that year. The second place was the former Duke of Zhenguo, who was your father's protégé. He stood on the wrong side at the Spring Banquet and was beheaded by the late emperor."

After waiting for a while without him continuing, Fan Qingbo asked, "What about the top scholar?"

“The top scholar had a very special name, so I still remember it very clearly even after many years.” He turned to look at her, his eyes becoming somewhat strange. “He was just like his name, with the surname Shu and the given name Sheng.”

Fan Qingbo stared wide-eyed, mouth agape, speechless with astonishment, his mind filled with only one thought.

—So, Heaven finally realized she was a time-traveling woman and began to grant her extraordinary encounters?

As if she hadn't been frightened enough, Xie Dongfeng continued, "Back then, Emperor Yanhe hosted a banquet for scholars in a brothel. Don't doubt it, you heard right, it was indeed a brothel. That night, the top scholar was very popular—well, undeniably, he was good-looking. He was quickly pulled into a room by a courtesan, but—"

Just as they were getting to the crucial point, a round of applause rang out, and Zhou Zice finished his sword dance.

Despite his burning curiosity, Fan Qingbo suppressed it and focused his attention back on the field.

The Emperor praised him and bestowed many rewards, then suddenly changed the subject and said with great interest, "I have heard that General Zhou's swordsmanship was famous throughout the land, but I wonder whether the general's sword or the captain's sword is more powerful? How about this, since there are so many people here today, you two go down and have a contest, so everyone can have a good look!"

Fan Qingbo nearly choked on her saliva. Although she didn't particularly like General Zhou, he was, after all, a family of loyal and meritorious officials who had served the country. His current behavior clearly made them look like performers. Weren't the men of Yun Caicai's family putting on a far too convincing act of being tyrannical rulers just to avoid becoming emperor?

For hundreds of years since its founding, the Feng Dynasty has been characterized by the alternation of wise and foolish rulers. Now, the Emperor is incompetent and foolish, while the eight-year-old Crown Prince already shows signs of becoming a virtuous ruler. In this situation, whether in the imperial court or in the wider world, who doesn't offer incense morning and night, wishing for the Emperor's untimely demise?

Yun Caicai's husband originally wanted to abdicate directly, but it was clear that his son didn't want to be emperor so soon either. Helpless, he could only continue being a tyrannical ruler, hoping that one day he could force the ministers to unite and force him to abdicate, so that he could abdicate legitimately.

"Your Majesty, this old minister's sword is for fighting on the battlefield!"

General Zhou was clearly furious, but he tried his best to suppress it due to the distinction between ruler and subject.

The atmosphere at the banquet suddenly became somewhat tense. Fan Qingbo had a vague sense of foreboding, because both Yun Caicai, who was in a high position, and Xie Dongfeng, who was so close by, seemed nonchalant, as if they had planned it all beforehand. Then, the Emperor's next words made her feel like she wanted to die.

"Huh? I didn't order you to kill my son, I was just having a little sparring. Besides, it's not like you haven't sparred before. Weren't you all having a good time yesterday at the East Street intersection shouting and yelling over a woman? I heard a lot of people saw it. No way, you have to do it again for me!"

An uproar erupted at the table.

General Zhou's face flushed red, then turned pale, then green, then white. His eyes were wide with rage, and he gritted his teeth as if about to explode, but someone blocked his way. Zhou Zice stepped forward and said loudly, "Your Majesty, what happened yesterday was just a minor argument between my father and me. My father was simply instructing me. It was a trivial family matter and not worth mentioning."

Good! If it weren't for the inappropriate occasion, Fan Qingbo would have applauded him. If this kid had even a fraction of his composure and calmness yesterday, things wouldn't have gotten so out of control.

Unfortunately, some people don't seem willing to let them off so easily.

"Family matters? What I've heard is that a woman is involved? Could she also be from General Zhou's family?"

This time, it was the Empress who spoke first.

What the hell are you guys doing?!

Fan Qingbo glared at Xie Dongfeng, who was closest to her. Xie Dongfeng's eyes darted away, avoiding her gaze. Zhou Zice, sitting opposite her, seemed to have made a decision, but he was interrupted as soon as he uttered "yes." The person who interrupted him was none other than Xie Dongfeng.

"Of course not." He stood up, bowed to the Emperor and Empress, and said, "Your Majesty and Your Majesty, that woman is a friend of my wife and has nothing to do with the General's Mansion. I am also very curious as to why the General's Mansion's family affairs involve an innocent woman, which is very troubling for my wife's friend."

Yun Caicai immediately chimed in, "Madam Jie's friend? Could it be Fan Qingbo, the maid? Your Majesty!" She suddenly grabbed Mingyue's hand, feigning surprise, and said, "She's the maid I took in when I was wandering the world!"

Damn! You told your husband that I hid you out? That's just making me a target of hatred!

"A girl?! This is outrageous!" Fan Qingbo was too embarrassed to watch any longer.

Listening to the Emperor and Empress's dramatic exchange, one exclaiming in surprise and the other in unison, giving no one a chance to interrupt, their central message was nothing more than "General Zhou's bullying of a mere maid is truly unacceptable," and their conclusion was nothing more than "General Zhou must make amends to heal the wounds inflicted on this 'maid'," she buried her head lower and lower in despair.

"Alright then!" The Emperor straightened his face, pondered for a long time, and solemnly said, "Minister Zhou, I want you to go to Huanxitian every day for the next ten days as compensation."

"His Majesty!"

Even without looking up, one could tell that it was General Zhou's mournful cry.

"This is an imperial edict!"

Who but a foolish ruler could utter such a domineering and arrogant voice?