Le Jianghu de Feng Qingcheng et Mo Xibei

Chapitre 20

Good heavens! What special hobby does the Emperor have? Could it be... you know? Eunuch Fu was first startled by Leng Jie's words, then shivered at the Emperor's glance, realizing he'd only made things worse. He gave Leng Jie a resentful look, said "This old servant will go make tea," and hurriedly fled this troublesome place.

Leng Jie seemed immune to the cold air, still meeting Xuan Yuan Leng Li's gaze with a smile, letting him know with her eyes that she was just curious and had absolutely no ill intentions.

Xuanyuan was even more dumbfounded, and finally his face turned cold as he gritted his teeth and said:

"Nameless, do you even know what you're saying? Have I been too lenient with you? You're increasingly disregarding me. Do you know that even your senior brother has never been so disrespectful to me?"

Leng Jie finished the last bite of her steamed bun without changing her expression, stood up and said, "See! I knew the saying 'serving a ruler is like serving a tiger' was true. It's alright, you don't need to indulge me, and you don't need to feel wronged." Then she pointed to her neck and held it out in front of Xuan Yuan, saying, "This head is here, you can take it anytime you want. But could you tell me first, how far have things progressed between you and my senior brother? Let me satisfy my curiosity before I die!"

Seeing that Xuanyuan was so angry his face had turned pale, his tongue was tied in knots, and his hand holding the spoon was trembling, Leng Jie continued:

"But my senior brother is really something. You're so beautiful and so good to him, how could he still want to go out and make his way in the world?"

"Nameless! You, you, you are so despicable! If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have saved you yesterday!" Xuanyuan finally erupted before spitting out blood.

Seeing that the time was right, Leng Jie innocently said:

"See? I'm just not a likable person. Back in Tianmu Mountain, I often made my master cough up blood because of my anger, which is why he sent me to my senior brother's place. If I stay any longer, I don't know what kind of trouble I'll cause you. How about this, I'll leave my senior brother with you, and you can let me go out and make my own way in the world?"

What does it mean to leave his senior brother behind? What's going on in his head at such a young age? If he hadn't witnessed his unique insights and ingenious schemes, Xuanyuan might have banished him as far away as his master would, based solely on his quirky and witty banter. But now, Xuanyuan would rather endure his occasional barrage of verbal abuse than let such a rare talent slip away. Of course, it would be even better if Qingfeng could teach him to be more obedient.

Leng Jie noticed that Xuan Yuan's phoenix eyes, which had been wide open, were now narrowed into slits. She knew the plan had failed. However, she wasn't the type to back down when faced with trouble. If one plan failed, another would come up. During the morning court session, she had already devised several legitimate ways to leave the palace.

Without waiting for his reply, she got up and went to her workbench, spread out the Xuan paper, and picked up her brush to practice calligraphy. It's said that handwriting reflects a person's face and spirit. After being mistaken for illiterate once, she was determined to develop calligraphy skills as beautiful and flowing as her penmanship. Let's see who dares to laugh at her again.

Xuanyuan saw Wuming silently return to his seat and diligently practice calligraphy, as if the person who had asked the question had nothing to do with him. He was puzzled: What did he mean by this? He hadn't even agreed yet, so why was he acting like nothing had happened? Xuanyuan couldn't help but say:

"Now is the time when the Jinghe Dynasty needs capable people, and I will not let you leave. It doesn't matter what you say, I have already experienced your 'unlikability'. Moreover, you can rest assured that I will not let your glib tongue be separated from your neck."

"I know." Leng Jie didn't even look up, giving a faint reply, still concentrating on practicing her calligraphy.

Seeing Wuming's indifferent expression, Xuanyuan suddenly felt a strange unease. He couldn't help but ask himself, what's wrong with me? Is it because I've gotten so used to Wuming's uninhibited teasing and banter that I'm not used to him speaking to me so seriously now?

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Refusing Merit and Reward

At the end of September and the beginning of October, the Jinghe Dynasty celebrated its second joyous occasion of the year. Whether in the palace or among the common people, everywhere was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, filled with jubilation. The handsome and aloof Emperor was finally going to choose his consorts. This news stirred the hearts of countless young women who dreamed of rising in rank and becoming phoenixes, their romantic feelings blossoming.

However, unlike the one in early September, this time the entire palace was decorated with a festive atmosphere.

From the Empress Dowager down to the lowest palace maids and eunuchs, not a single face showed the slightest joy. Of course, there were two exceptions: the imperial physician Qingfeng and the simple-minded Empress Lengjie.

The most desolate palace was no longer the East Palace, but the West Palace. The East Palace remained cold and desolate, but because its foolish mistress didn't care if anyone tried to steal her husband, the palace servants continued to live carefree, neglected lives. It seemed that happy events in the palace had absolutely nothing to do with the East Palace.

The situation in the West Palace was different. Having only gained the Emperor's favor for less than a month and barely even seen him a few times, she was already expected to share her beloved man with her many sisters. Just thinking about it made Shui Rong'er tremble with anger. She would frequently go to her aunt, the Empress Dowager (because she dared not approach the Emperor), to cause a scene. No matter how the Empress Dowager tried to persuade her, it was to no avail. Finally, the Empress Dowager could only issue an edict confining Consort Shui to the West Palace.

The Empress Dowager finally had some peace and quiet, but the servants in the Western Palace suffered terribly. A scolding was the least of their worries; they were frequently subjected to torture. In short, either others were screaming in agony, or the Empress herself was constantly complaining. Ever since the Emperor announced the selection of concubines, the servants of the Western Palace had been struggling in misery. Those palace servants who had schemed their way from the Eastern Palace to enjoy their newfound privilege were now filled with regret.

Some palace maids were gossiping that the West Palace was now just like the Qingfeng Pharmacy two years ago. It had become a living hell. Leng Jie overheard this as she passed by. She was very curious as to why the palace maids compared the West Palace to the Qingfeng Pharmacy two years ago. What she had always wondered was why all the palace maids, including Eunuch Fu, seemed to be afraid of Qingfeng. She used to think it was because the Emperor protected Qingfeng. Now, after hearing this, it seemed there must be another reason.

Go back and ask Qingfeng for clarification.

Helpless, Qingfeng could only recount from the beginning how, upon entering the palace, the emperor had bestowed upon him a residence and a medicine hut, and how he had engaged in a magical duel with the Empress Dowager, including how the servants sent by the Empress Dowager were used as medicine figures. He finished speaking and looked at her with concern, expecting her to blame him for being cruel. Unexpectedly, she didn't even blink, grabbing his hand and flying towards the West Palace. She said she wanted to see what it was like there. Qingfeng didn't understand what was happening before he was dragged to the West Palace.

On the wall of the West Palace, two people stood side by side, watching with great interest the unfolding drama that was taking place one after another.

Leng Jie pointed to the palace slaves below who were being whipped by Consort Shui and asked, "Are the people who are your medicine slaves as unlucky as them?"

Qingfeng shook his head and replied, "It's different. I never hit anyone. They have to endure the effects of medicine, not physical force. But as long as they get through it, their bodies will be stronger than before. The palace servants in Qingfeng Residence now were all sent by the Empress Dowager back then."

No wonder Eunuch Fu was so afraid of him. Look at all those palace servants in Qingfeng Residence—some were mute, some deaf, and some were pockmarked and blind. It's no wonder they were afraid! Leng Jie rolled her eyes inwardly. It seems appearances can be deceiving! Even a cute boy like Qingfeng has such a cold side, let alone this narrow-minded Shui Rong'er. Leng Jie then pointed at Shui Rong'er, who was hysterically whipping a palace maid, and said:

"Sigh! You see, this is the tragedy of placing your hopes on a man! I think she'll be driven crazy by herself before those rivals even appear."

Aren't women supposed to rely on men? Qingfeng was stunned for a moment before replying, "Men have always had three wives and four concubines, let alone the emperor. This Shui Rong'er is too jealous. She wants to rely on the Shui family's power to monopolize the emperor. How is that possible? Not to mention that the emperor never liked her in the first place, even the extraordinary relationship between the late empress and the late emperor didn't last long. The late emperor still expanded his harem."

"Hmph!" Leng Jie snorted, glared at Qingfeng, and said coldly, "No man is a good person. A woman is jealous because she is in love. There are only two kinds of women who watch their husbands find new lovers without being jealous or making a fuss."

"Which two?" Qingfeng asked, then added, "Are there women like that in the world? Even a legendary heroine like the late Empress, a phoenix among men, couldn't escape this common fate. However, she didn't make a fuss or cry; instead, she chose to imprison her own heart."

"Of course there are! One type is like the foolish Empress Donggong now; she doesn't understand love, so she doesn't care how many concubines the emperor has. The other type is like the foolish empress in front of you; she doesn't love, so she also doesn't care how many women the emperor has." After a pause, Leng Jie continued, "As for the late empress, it's because she loved the late emperor too much that she was willing to break her own wings and confine herself to this magnificent cage. When she saw the late emperor embracing another woman, her heart naturally died. As the saying goes, 'Nothing is more sorrowful than a dead heart!' Alas, you wouldn't understand even if I told you all this."

Qingfeng didn't hear what she said after that, only that she said: "This foolish empress before him doesn't care how many women the emperor has because she doesn't love him. She doesn't love Xuanyuan!" Qingfeng suddenly felt a surge of excitement flow from his heart to every limb. His bright eyes stared intently into her clear, autumn-water-like pupils. He wanted to see something in them, but what was he looking for? He didn't understand himself.

Why was he looking at her like that? She had only analyzed the feelings of the late empress he admired. Even if she had touched on something that resonated with him, was there any need for him to get so excited? Leng Jie was baffled by Qingfeng's sudden excitement. In particular, his burning gaze sent a chill down her spine.

"Senior brother, are your eyes alright?"

"You really don't love the Emperor?"

The two simultaneously asked two completely unrelated questions. Then they were both stunned by the other's questions.

A moment later, they both realized what was happening. Qingfeng answered first, "My eyes are fine!"

Leng Jie looked at Qingfeng with suspicion for a moment, then hesitated for a long time before asking, "Senior brother, you're not worried that I'll fall in love with the Emperor, are you?"

Whether he was worried or not, Qingfeng didn't know. But when she asked, his face flushed red from his forehead to his ears, and he stammered, his eyes darting around, "I, I wasn't worried at all. It was you who didn't make it clear when you were talking."

Leng Jie's lips twitched slightly, revealing a forced smile as she said:

"Really? But you shouldn't be worried about me; you should be worried about the group of young women entering the palace in three days. They are your formidable rivals!"

Qingfeng asked, completely bewildered, "I don't know them, so why should I care about them?"

Suddenly, he remembered overhearing two palace maids discussing his ambiguous relationship with the Emperor a couple of days ago. He had immediately given them a silencing pill, rendering them permanently mute. Could she have overheard that too? His face darkened, and he angrily said:

"What do you mean by that? Did you hear some gossip? How could you believe their nonsense?"

"Hehe, it's nothing, just kidding. Let's hurry to the Imperial Study! That Purple Shadow should be here by now." If Qingfeng knew she was the one who started that rumor, he'd probably kill her! Leng Jie chuckled, naturally changing the subject, and used her lightness skill to fly towards the Imperial Study.

Leng Jie's efforts these past few days have not been in vain. She can now use the true energy she acquired for free. She has also mastered seven or eight levels of lightness skills. Qingfeng's movement technique is better than hers, but his internal strength is not as profound. In fact, their lightness skills are about equal.

Is this a joke? Qingfeng didn't have time to think it through and darted after them... Eunuch Fu, who had been craning his neck to wait at the entrance of the Imperial Study, saw two figures, one white and one black, rushing towards them and immediately turned back to report to the people inside: "His Majesty and the others have arrived."

Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan immediately stood up and went out to greet him.

As soon as Leng Jie and Qing Feng landed, they saw the emperor, dressed in a yellow robe, standing with a smile on his face at the entrance of the imperial study. The two exchanged a glance, then looked at the emperor together.

Qingfeng couldn't help but tease:

"Is His Majesty not here specifically to greet us?"

Xuanyuan smiled but remained silent, walking past Qingfeng to stop in front of Leng Jie. "I am here to welcome our nameless little Yingya!" he said with a beaming smile, gesturing for her to come in, "Little hero, please come in!"

Leng Jie glanced at the strange emperor, then pulled Qingfeng along and walked ahead of him into the imperial study without ceremony. Eunuch Fu discreetly closed the door from the outside.

"Judging from the Emperor's expression, things must be going very smoothly, right?" Leng Jie asked as soon as she entered the room.

"Where's Ying?" Qingfeng continued.

"Shadow will be here soon."

After they finished answering, Xuanyuan stepped forward and pulled them, one in each hand, to the chairs that had been prepared beforehand at the dragon table, gesturing for them to sit down. Once they were seated, he immediately handed each of them a folded document, and said, unable to hide his excitement:

"All the problems have been solved. The brilliant plans that Wuming came up with this time were all incredibly accurate and effective. One plan, luring the bandits out of their hole and capturing their leader, brought all the bandits in Chongzhou under control. Another plan, using a bait-and-switch tactic, successfully transported medicine to Qizhou, thus bringing the plague in Qizhou under control. A decree granting a three-year tax exemption and opening the granaries to distribute grain also quelled the civil unrest in Yingzhou. In the process, we also uncovered so much evidence of corruption and abuse of power by officials."

When the topic of corrupt officials came up, Xuanyuan's face suddenly turned cold, and he said in a chilling tone with resentment:

"I never dreamed that my ministers could be so wicked and depraved. They eat the grain grown by the common people, wear the clothes woven by the common people, and receive the court's salary, yet they collude with bandits and prey on the people. What infuriates me most is that they actually dared to openly send people to intercept the imperial envoy and medical team going to Qizhou. More than a hundred people in the group were all killed. They even burned all the medicinal herbs. If it weren't for Wuming's foresight in bringing them only expired and substandard medicine, and having the people from Longmen personally deliver the real medicine to Qizhou, then we would have been forced to watch helplessly as the two hundred thousand people in Qizhou City lost their precious lives to the merciless plague without any cure. Just imagine what a scene of utter devastation that would have been!" Xuanyuan's expression turned to one of deep anguish as he spoke.

Qingfeng and Lengjie both paused, looking up at the Emperor. She had helped devise the plan, and it was her idea to send those young officials on that risky mission. The outcome was also within her expectations. But hearing that two of them had truly achieved glory for it still shocked her. She also felt sorrow for them.

"Are all the more than one hundred people who went to Qizhou dead?" Leng Jie asked unwillingly.

“Yes, when the people from Longmen arrived, all that was left was a sea of fire, and even the corpses were burned.” After saying that, Xuanyuan added, “I have issued an edict to posthumously confer titles upon them. In this way, their families will have someone to rely on.”

Seeing that Wuming and Qingfeng remained silent, Xuanyuan continued, "This whole affair was thanks to Wuming's strategy. Wuming has made a great contribution! I need to think carefully about how to thank you."

Leng Jie saw through the emperor's intentions at a glance. He simply wanted to add more merit to her record so he could use that opportunity to appoint her to a high-ranking official position and keep her working for him. Leng Jie quickly refused:

“Nameless dares not claim this credit. Although Nameless may be dull-witted, he is not stupid. There’s no reason why you could immediately deploy all the personnel just because I suggested a plan, right? It seems we haven’t established that kind of tacit understanding yet, have we? In fact, you had everything planned out. Even without Nameless’s appearance, today’s outcome would still be the same, wouldn’t it? I just happened to be there and gave your plan a few nicer names.” Seeing that Xuanyuan’s mouth was moving again, she continued, “If we really want to reward merit, then it should be those Longmen soldiers who fought on the front lines.”

"Haha...haha! I've seen plenty of people vying for credit and pushing things away. But this is the first time I've seen someone pushing credit like this. Interesting, very interesting!"

A purple-clad figure, dressed as an ordinary guard, suddenly appeared out of nowhere behind Leng Jie and laughed loudly.

Leng Jie was startled by the sudden sound behind her, her heart skipping a beat. If she hadn't been so mentally strong, she would have screamed "Ghost!"

Qingfeng and Xuanyuan were already used to his elusive way of appearing and disappearing. They simply nodded to Ziying as a habitual greeting. Xuanyuan pointed to the empty seat opposite Leng Jie, indicating that Ziying should sit down.

Completely unaware of the fright he had caused, Zi Ying sat down as instructed by Xuan Yuan. The moment he sat down, he felt two sharp gazes fixed upon him. Highly alert, he immediately met their gazes with equal intensity. When he realized those gazes came from the nameless youth who dared to pluck the dragon's whiskers, he was startled. Such sharp eyes! This kid is no ordinary person! Does he really not know martial arts? Zi Ying was an impatient person, and he wanted to know the answer to any question immediately. So, he suddenly attacked, aiming straight for the nameless youth's eyes.

Xuanyuan and Qingfeng, completely bewildered, saw Ying suddenly attack Wuming, but it was too late to block. They both exclaimed in unison, "No!"

"careful!"

Just when they thought Nameless was doomed, they were surprised to find that Shadow's finger, which was reaching for Nameless, suddenly stopped.

It finally stopped! Xuanyuan and Qingfeng both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Shadow, don't make jokes like that next time. Wuming doesn't know martial arts and can't be scared by you." After saying this to Shadow, Xuanyuan looked at Wuming apologetically, about to comfort him. But he saw Wuming glaring angrily and sarcastically at the astonished Purple Shadow.

What's going on? Why is it Shadow who's startled? And what about Nameless, who should be startled? And what's with the mockery in their eyes? Xuanyuan looked at Qingfeng, puzzled, and Qingfeng was equally confused. They looked at Purple Shadow and then at Nameless together.

Qingfeng reached out to pull Ying's hand away, only to find it stiff. He then realized that Ying had been subdued by Wuming, not that she had stopped on her own. But how had Wuming subdued Ying? He hadn't even seen her make a move! Moreover, there were very few people in the world who could dodge Zi Ying's golden hook finger. Someone who could both dodge and subdue her was probably someone who had never appeared before.

Xuanyuan, who was standing to the side, also saw through the situation and asked eagerly:

"Nameless, how did you do that? Qingfeng and I could only dodge Ying's attacks; we could never subdue him. You actually managed to subdue him in one move! It's unbelievable! Didn't you just start learning martial arts?"

"That's just a conditioned reflex for self-protection, a natural reaction, and there's no special technique involved."

Seeing that he was about to attack me, of course I resisted. As for how I managed to do it, I can't say for sure.

The reason was really far-fetched, but Leng Jie didn't care whether they believed her or not. She would never tell anyone about the life-saving weapon that she had worked so hard to make. If they found out, she wasn't sure she could protect her eyes if another sudden attack like this happened.

After giving a rambling explanation, Leng Jie pointed at Zi Ying and said:

"Shouldn't you be asking him why he scared me from behind first, and then suddenly attacked me? I didn't provoke him."

"I didn't mean to scare you, nor did I really intend to ambush you. I just wanted to test whether you actually have any martial arts skills."

"If you don't resist, I won't really hurt you." Zi Ying answered proactively without needing anyone else to ask.

Leng Jie sneered, "Hmph, manslaughter is still murder. I don't care if you had a heart or not, you scared me anyway. And what do you mean by 'if you don't resist, you won't hurt me'? Have you ever seen a normal person who doesn't fight back when attacked?"

Leng Jie was never one to hold grudges; it was just that Zi Ying happened to walk in and became her shield against the emperor's attempt to bestow a title upon her. In her heart, she thought: "Zi Ying, I'm sorry. Since you've shattered my dream of continuing as a special forces soldier, you're responsible for helping me regain my freedom."

Zi Ying thought about Leng Jie's words and realized they made sense. Who in this world wouldn't fight back when attacked? Unless that person is a coward. But how could the person he had his eye on be a coward? So, she sincerely said to Wuming:

"It was my oversight that frightened the young hero. I sincerely apologize. I have decided to pass on my lightness skill to you as compensation. What do you think?"

These words immediately stunned everyone present! The three people sitting in the chairs were almost struck dumb by the shock.

Leng Jie wondered if this person had been driven mad by her needles. Had she shot the wrong acupoint? Then, without realizing it, she turned the ring on her middle finger.

Indeed, her mechanism lay within this seemingly ordinary silver ring. In this era without advanced weaponry, she could only rely on her memory to create this rudimentary concealed weapon for self-defense. The ring was limited in size, and she lacked sophisticated tools and equipment. It could only hold three hair-thin silver needles, and only one could be launched at a time. However, each needle was coated with an anesthetic.