Song of Adolescence

Chapter 150 At the Top of the Imperial Court

Mingde Emperor slowly walked to Xiao Yu\'s side, took the feathered bow from his hand, and squeezed it lightly. "We heard that you were sick and came to see you. You’ve just recovered from a three-month illness, yet you’re able to draw this two-stone bow already?"

"Well, I missed the shot didn’t I?" Xiao Yu scratched his head.

"Oh?" Mingde Emperor put out his right hand, and Li Changqing immediately handed over a feathered arrow. Mingde Emperor took it, immediately drew the bow into a moon shape and took aim at Xiao Yu\'s forehead.

"Father…… Father, this son was wrong… During these three months, this son was not sick. It’s just since Father wasn’t around…" Xiao Yu hurriedly knelt down.

"We were not around, then?" Mingde Emperor remarked clearly.

"Father wasn’t around, so I didn’t bother to attend court," Xiao Yu replied with his head bowed.

Mingde Emperor turned around and released his fingers lightly. The feathered arrow pierced through the air, went through the center of the practice target, and nailed itself into one of the pillars of the house.

"Father, great shot!" Xiao Yu started applauding while he casually stood up.

"Kneel!" Mingde Emperor roared as he flung the bow aside.

Xiao Yu immediately knelt down again.

"Since you don\'t want to attend morning court, then you no longer need to attend morning court. From today, you will stay in the house. We’ve heard that our Red Prince has a rather good reputation among the gifted scholars of Heavenly Revelations City. Tomorrow, the Grand Academician from the Imperial Library Dragon Chart Pavilion will bring with him twelve scholars to the Red Prince Residence. You will not step out of this house until you finish repairing the 《Records of the Beili Dynasties》." Mingde Emperor inclined his head and looked at Xiao Yu who was kneeling on the ground.

The 《Records of the Beili Dynasties》was a history book about the Beili Dynasties, but it was mostly destroyed during a war about a hundred years ago. The Dragon Chart Pavilion had been repairing this book for decades. Now, Xiao Yu was being placed in charge of this, and he wasn’t allowed to leave the Prince’s Residence until he’s done? In other words, wouldn’t he have to grow old and die in the Prince’s Residence?

"Father… Mercy, ah!" Xiao Yu cried out in tears.

"Yueli, let\'s go." Mingde Emperor turned and left.

Xiao Yu looked at Lanyue Marquis, hurried forward and clamped onto Lanyue Marquis’ thigh. "Huang-shu, huang-shu, please plead for mercy on my behalf."

Lanyue Marquis drew the long sabre at his waist, and the blade was as bright as snow. He plunged the sabre right in front of Xiao Yu, scaring Xiao Yu who immediately withdrew his arms. Lanyue Marquis smiled slightly. "Little nephew, when I was the regent, you did not attend court even once. You really didn’t give me any face whatsoever. Now, you’re begging me to intercede, isn’t it a little late?"

"Huang-shu……" Xiao Yu looked at Lanyue Marquis desperately.

Lanyue Marquis sheathed his sabre and hurried his steps to follow.

"A disappointment of a son." Mingde Emperor frowned slightly.

"Yeah, he’s such a disappointment." Lanyue Marquis smiled meaningfully. "As his huang-shu, even I want to beat him up on behalf of huang-xiong."

The three of them soon walked out of the Red Prince Residence. As Mingde Emperor walked towards the carriage, he whispered, "Yueli, board the carriage with me. I have something to tell you."

"Huang-xiong, what troublesome matter are you giving me to do this time?" Lanyue Marquis smiled bitterly.

"Not a troublesome matter." Mingde Emperor waved his hand. "Come up and you’ll know."

Lanyue Marquis had no choice but to follow him into the carriage.

An incense was burning inside the carriage, and there was a sense of tranquility and peace. Mingde Emperor entered the carriage and sat down, his eyes closed as if resting, and did not rush to speak.

"Huang-xiong, are we going back to the palace now?" Lanyue Marquis asked.

"No, go to the Directorate of Astronomy to meet the State Preceptor," Mingde Emperor replied.

"State Preceptor?" Lanyue Marquis was stunned for a moment, and didn’t continue. Instead, he changed the topic. "Huang-xiong was saying there’s something to tell me?"

"Yes." Mingde Emperor’s eyes remained closed and he drew his sleeves over his hands. He inhaled a few times, smelling the sandalwood scent, before he spoke in a slow manner, "On this trip to the Western Regions, I heard about something."

"Was it about the young master of the Demonic Cult returning home?" Lanyue Marquis said, after a brief thought.

"About this matter, Jin Xian had already reported it earlier, and I have also discussed it with the State Preceptor already. After all, there was a contract and if we kept him here by force, the Demonic Cult would be even more likely provoked. He’s merely a seventeen-year-old child. How big a disturbance can he cause? It’s fine to let him go. Besides……" Mingde Emperor did not continue.

"Huang-xiong, you don’t have to talk about that. Even if I heard about it, I will pretend I haven’t heard." Lanyue Marquis chuckled.

"But on this trip to the Western Regions, I also heard more details. Details that Jin Xian didn’t tell me," Mingde Emperor said again.

"Oh? Perhaps the Eunuch of Incense felt that they weren’t important," Lanyue Marquis remarked casually.

"No, it\'s very important." Mingde Emperor opened his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Together with that Demonic Cult young master were two other youths. One was dressed in red, called Lei Wujie."

"Someone from the Lei Clan Fort?" Lanyue Marquis was taken aback. "Does Lei Clan Fort have relations with the Demonic Cult?"

"It’s not really about relations, but this matter is definitely related to the entire martial world. It’s just that this name was very familiar to us." Mingde Emperor said slowly, "Lei Wujie."

"Lei Wujie?" Lanyue Marquis frowned, deep in thought, and after a while, he shook his head. "I’ve never heard of it."

"This name was given by us." Mingde Emperor looked ahead, as if recalling the past. "When the wise rule all under Heaven, there will be no blades in the world. When all are prosperous, there will be no more uncivilised people.

"When he was little, I even carried him."

Lanyue Marquis suddenly realised. "The son of General Lei and Guardian Li?"

"Yes." Mingde Emperor smiled. "He’s a smart child, but he was taken out of Heavenly Revelations by his parents when he was very young. I didn’t expect he would eventually return to Lei Clan."

"What about the other person?" Lanyue Marquis was suddenly very curious.

"The other person is named Xiao Se," Mingde Emperor murmured.

"Xiao Se? His surname is Xiao?" Lanyue Marquis thought long and hard again. "I’ve also never heard of this name."

"That was also the first time we heard it," Mingde Emperor said.

"Huh?" Lanyue Marquis suddenly felt that the atmosphere inside the carriage became very heavy.

"Go run an errand for us. Even though I’ve long given up, there\'s always that bit of hope left in our heart. Even if it’s only the slimmest of chance, it’s still worth a try." When Mingde Emperor said this, his tone was no longer full of majesty as before, but was rather despondent instead.

"This brother understands." Lanyue Marquis nodded.

"Go, then." Mingde Emperor closed his eyes again and waved his hand gently.

Lanyue Marquis got up and was about to leave, but Mingde Emperor once again called him, "Whether you see only Lei Wujie or the other person who may indeed be the one we hope to be, convey these words on our behalf.

“We have regrets.”

"Understood." Lanyue Marquis stepped out of the carriage and leaped onto his sturdy horse that had been slowly following the carriage. His golden clothes were dazzling under the sun, and he touched the long sabre at his waist with a smile. "Anyway, it’s been many years since I last entered the martial world."

He looked back and saw that the carriage had already reached the Directorate of Astronomy. A man in a white Daoist robe and holding a horsetail whisk, the State Preceptor Qi Tianchen, was standing at the door to welcome the arrival of the Emperor.

"He’s really an immortal. The speed he travelled at was as if he rode on the wind, travelling thousands of miles in a day. Unlike us who have to use fast horses and our whips." Lanyue Marquis shook his whip vigorously, and his golden robes went with the wind.