Bai Zhao was truly puzzled in his heart. He could not understand what His Majesty meant by summoning him into the palace for an audience at this time.
Could it be because of the matter at the city gate? Only half an hour had passed, and it had already reached His Majesty’s ears?
Or did Emperor Qian have some other purpose…
Bai Zhao glanced toward his mother, and Lu Xinrou returned a reassuring look. Then she lightly nodded at Bai Zhao and said calmly:
“Since His Majesty has summoned you, Zhao’er, go to the palace. You have not seen your uncle in a long time. It has been so many years, so go pay your respects.”
Bai Zhao understood. This was a play on family ties. Since it was a private summons, naturally he should draw closer to him.
Without further thought, Bai Zhao smiled and raised his hand toward Eunuch Yu in invitation. “In that case, let’s go, Grand Seal Eunuch Yu. Please.”
“Hehe, Heir Bai, please. Princess Consort, then this old servant will take the Heir into the palace first.”
Eunuch Yu chuckled, flicked the horsetail whisk in his hand, greeted Lu Xinrou, and then led Bai Zhao out of the Prince of Zhenbei’s estate.
Chuntao and Qiulan stood beside Lu Xinrou. After watching the two figures disappear from view, Chuntao said with a trace of worry:
“Madam, His Majesty summoned the Heir at this hour. It could not be because of the matter at the city gate, to punish the Heir, could it?”
Upon hearing this, Qiulan also looked at Lu Xinrou with worry in her eyes.
“No. My son is in the right on this matter. If His Majesty dares punish my son for this, I will go find him myself and vent my son’s anger!”
Lu Xinrou said indignantly.
Lu Xinrou had the right to say this. Back then, Bai Yuan and Emperor Qian had grown up together with a bond as deep as life itself. Lu Xinrou and Bai Yuan were childhood sweethearts, so she was also extremely familiar with Emperor Qian…
The Prince of Zhenbei’s estate was located in Taiping Ward of the Imperial City. Chang’an City had one hundred and eight wards, with two markets in the east and west.
Taiping Ward could be said to be right at the foot of the Imperial City. It was absolutely the first ring of Chang’an!
Bai Zhao and the old eunuch entered the Imperial City through the Vermilion Gate, then passed through Chengtian Avenue and crossed Chengtian Gate into the Palace City.
Along the way, Bai Zhao silently pondered the emperor’s intent. The old eunuch merely led the way quietly in front. He walked without making the slightest sound… clearly a master!
The two walked in silence until they entered the Palace City, when Eunuch Yu suddenly spoke softly.
“Heir Bai, I have observed that your steps are coordinated and powerful, and your breath is harmonious and natural. May I ask what cultivation technique you practice?”
Bai Zhao’s pupils contracted, and his heart tightened. This old eunuch has such keen eyes. Is he probing whether I know martial arts?
“Hey, Old Man Yu, what cultivation technique would I even practice?”
“If it were not for that snow lotus bestowed upon me by His Majesty back then, I would have been finished. But as for martial arts, I have no hope in this life.”
“Besides, martial arts is not all that great to practice. Why would I endure that hardship?”
“As for what you asked, that is just a health-preserving routine my father found for me. If I do not practice it, I cannot suppress the Red Lotus poison. As for the details, I have nothing to say.”
Bai Zhao pretended not to notice the old eunuch’s probing intent and replied in a careless tone.
Grand Seal Eunuch Yu’s dark, dead-fish eyes flickered with a thoughtful expression, and he gave a noncommittal smile.
“Heir Bai is still as unrestrained as he was when he was a child. Hehe, do not misunderstand. This old servant is merely curious. Naturally, I will not pry further.”
Damn it, you’re just saying I’m rude and ill-mannered, and then calling it unrestrained. This old thing really knows how to be sarcastic.
Bai Zhao pretended not to hear the implication and looked around at the empty surroundings.
Within the Palace City, its solemn magnificence needed no further description. Under the night sky, the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the distance crouched like a towering behemoth upon the earth, ancient and imposing. In the rising candlelight, it shimmered with splendid grandeur.
Occasionally, a group of eunuchs and palace maids would pass through the Palace City. The entire procession was silent, and the severe, icy atmosphere of the deep palace was on full display.
“Tsk, tsk. This imperial palace is nothing special. It has no real human warmth! The halls and pavilions look luxurious, but living here must be cold and desolate, right?”
Bai Zhao clicked his tongue.
“Aiya, Heir, be careful with your words. That kind of talk is treasonous. How can we subjects privately discuss the imperial family?”
Eunuch Yu widened his dead-fish eyes, turned back to look at Bai Zhao, and quietly admonished him.
“What is there to fear? I would dare say this even in front of Emperor Uncle!”
Bai Zhao curled his lip and spoke dismissively.
Eunuch Yu was speechless. He took a deep look at Bai Zhao and said no more.
“Boring. They will not even let me speak the truth.”
Bai Zhao muttered behind him.
After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Eunuch Yu led Bai Zhao to a brightly lit hall.
“Heir Bai, we have arrived. His Majesty is waiting for you inside. Please.”
Eunuch Yu stopped, turned around to face Bai Zhao, and gestured toward the hall.
“His Majesty! Heir Bai has arrived.”
Eunuch Yu reported loudly.
“Come in.”
A dignified voice sounded from inside the hall.
Bai Zhao looked up. Above the hall were three large characters: “Imperial Study.” Steeling himself, Bai Zhao stepped inside.
Once inside, the first thing he saw was books. The surrounding walls and the imperial desk above were all filled with all kinds of scrolls and bamboo slips.
Behind the imperial desk stood a figure.
He wore a bright yellow silk dragon robe with peacock feathers, embroidered with fine gold-threaded coiled dragon patterns, glittering in the candlelight. He stood about six feet two inches tall, his crown proper and his bearing imposing.
He appeared about forty, with sharp eyes and a high forehead. He exuded dominance, and authority came naturally to him. His black hair was loose over his shoulders, yet it did not look disordered; instead, it added a refined elegance.
“Damn it, this emperor has gotten even more handsome after a few years. He is definitely an uncle-circuit heartthrob!”
Bai Zhao muttered quietly to himself, but outwardly he bowed respectfully and called out loudly, “Emperor Uncle, your nephew has missed you so much!”
Emperor Qian watched Bai Zhao as the boy entered the hall and bowed, his gaze roaming everywhere. Now he was trying to build rapport as well.
A smile could not help but appear on his face as he laughed and scolded, “You brat! You are already this old and still have no sense of decorum! What do you mean, Emperor Uncle? It sounds neither fish nor fowl. Just call me Uncle!”
“If you missed me, why did you not come to pay your respects after returning from the Northern Border? I had to summon you myself!”
Hearing this, Bai Zhao grumbled inwardly.
I still had a lot to say to my mother. Who has time to see you, this uncle!
Besides, I had just returned to the manor and had not even eaten yet. I was still hungry, and you called me over.
“Uncle, I still had to clean up and bathe at home before coming to pay my respects to you, right? I came back covered in dust after all that travel. If I did not clean up first, would that not be disrespectful to you, Uncle? Hehe.”
Bai Zhao walked forward with a flattering smile and massaged Emperor Qian’s shoulders like a loyal underling.
Bai Zhao had played the role of a child for so many years that his mindset had grown younger, as though he had truly integrated into this age. Actions befitting a younger generation came naturally to him now.
Sometimes he truly wondered whether he had really had a past life. Had he really been an agent? Only the cold depths of his heart reminded him that it was all real.
Bai Zhao and Emperor Qian had actually gotten along quite well since childhood. Whether this emperor uncle was acting or sincere, he had always treated Bai Zhao very well and was quite close to him.
When Bai Zhao was young and studying in the palace, he had been mischievous in every possible way… beating up ministers’ sons and bullying princesses.
The emperor never punished him too severely; at most, he scolded him a few times.
So sometimes, his relationship with the emperor felt more like father and son than the relationship between the emperor and his princes.
But truth be told, back when he was poisoned, he had once suspected this emperor uncle.
For no other reason than this: at the time, within the Imperial City, the emperor’s men and his own father’s men had searched the entire city, yet they still could not find the culprit?
How could that black-clad person have hidden in the Chang’an City, a place full of hidden talents, and escaped the searches of the two men who stood at the very peak of power in the Great Qian empire?
He found it hard not to suspect that Emperor Qian had either been involved in the matter or had protected the person who planned the assassination.
Emperor Qian looked at Bai Zhao, who was smiling flatteringly before him, and only felt that time really did fly. In the blink of an eye, that troublemaker from back then had grown so big.
“How is your father doing in the Northern Border? In a flash, eight years have passed. I had responsibility for what happened back then and failed to catch the murderer. But your father, that fellow, has not sent me a single letter apart from the annual duty reports. That is truly too much.”
Bai Zhao listened to Emperor Qian complain about his father and rolled his eyes inwardly, but on the surface he smiled and soothed him:
“Uh, Uncle, I do not think this can be blamed on you. You did your best, right? My father is just being unreasonable. Do not take it to heart!”
“My father was just feeling sorry for me and was sulking with you. But later, after some time passed, he came around. He felt that sulking with you was a bit too much, and then he was too embarrassed to send you letters!”
“Also, my father’s health is very good. He eats well and sleeps well!”
Emperor Qian laughed heartily upon hearing this and pointed at Bai Zhao with one finger, shaking it.
“You boy, you have been clever since you were little!”
“Chang’an’s number one wastrel! Hmm, back then I even wondered if you had gone astray. Now that you are grown, you cannot act like you did when you were a child anymore. In the future, you will inherit your father’s throne!”
Bai Zhao was slightly stunned inwardly, unsure whether Emperor Qian was testing him, but his expression remained calm.
“Uncle, how could I be that bad? Those are all rumors spread by others!”
“Me, a seven- or eight-year-old child, and they spread rumors that I was molesting respectable women? Is that not complete nonsense?”
Emperor Qian’s smiling face froze for a moment. “Nonsense? What does that mean?”
“Ah, it is not important. It just means talking nonsense. You see my point, right? I was a child back then. What bad intentions could a child possibly have?”
Bai Zhao retorted with a face full of grievance.
“You have the nerve to say that? When you were little, if you were not a wastrel, you were at least an ignorant and unlearned fool.”
“Back then, you offended Bai Songtao, the Chancellor of the Directorate of Education, tore up his books, and made that old fellow spit blood from anger. He cursed you as ignorant and unlearned, rotten wood that cannot be carved, and you even burned his beard.”
“Back then, you beat the grandson of Duke Dingguo, as well as my eldest prince and fourth prince, until they were spitting out teeth, and you bullied my two daughters!”
“My eldest daughter, Jiang Wushuang, was bullied to tears by you only once from childhood to adulthood! My youngest daughter, Jiang Mingzhu, even shouted that she wanted to tear you apart limb by limb!”
“And you still have the nerve to feel wronged! If anyone else had bullied my children like that, I would have had his head chopped off long ago!”
Listening to Emperor Qian list his own black history one incident after another, Bai Zhao’s jade-like cheeks turned a little red with embarrassment.
That could not be blamed on him!
Who told that old thing Bai Songtao to deliberately bully this Heir? A few words from me shattered his defenses. He was both useless and loved to make trouble!
And then there were those two little brats, the eldest prince and the fourth prince.
Back then, there was a little girl who always followed him around. She was exquisitely delicate and especially lovable.
The eldest prince and the fourth prince both liked that little girl. It had to be said that those two little brats matured quite early!
But that little girl only liked following behind Bai Zhao!
So the eldest prince and the fourth prince often went against Bai Zhao, and that brat from Duke Dingguo’s family was their lackey.
Bai Zhao reached his limit and gave the three of them a thorough beating! From then on, the three of them behaved much better.
As for Jiang Wushuang and Jiang Mingzhu, ahem, bullying little daughters really was not honorable!
Wait a moment! That little girl back then seemed to be called Chen Shuyi, right? Could she be his fiancée?
Bai Zhao felt a wave of panic in his heart.
He remembered that back then, he had found that little girl annoying because she always followed him around, so he had deliberately acted lecherous and scared her away. It seemed he had even scared her to tears…
It could not be that such a coincidence had happened, could it? Was his fiancée really her?
But on second thought, that was not bad either. If it really was her, then in a few days I could scare her again, and perhaps she would agree to break off the engagement!
Emperor Qian watched with great interest as Bai Zhao stood there in a daze, his expression shifting back and forth, and wondered what was going through this boy’s head.
“Ahem, kid, I will not bring up how you were when you were little. Let’s talk about today!”
“How is it that I heard you broke the legs of that little brat from Duke Dingguo’s family at the city gate, knocked out his teeth, and now his face is swollen like a pig’s head?”
Bai Zhao was pulled out of his memories by Emperor Qian’s light cough. Hearing this, he widened his eyes slightly and looked at Emperor Qian pitifully.
“Uncle, this really is not my fault! That brat molested my maidservant and even said he would slash my face!”
“Think about it, Uncle. I have not been back in Chang’an for eight years, and before I even entered the city gate, someone treated your nephew like that. How could your nephew possibly endure it?”
“Besides, although Chuntao is only my maidservant, she grew up with me! We have deep feelings for each other. How could I let her suffer such humiliation?”
Emperor Qian watched Bai Zhao feigning grievance in front of him, snorted coldly, and then said slowly:
“Hmph! You are still feeling wronged? After all, that was Duke Dingguo’s grandson. Although that boy’s character really is not good and he was spoiled rotten, you were a little too ruthless!”
“And you must understand that your Bai family holds overwhelming power in our Great Qian!”
“Although your father and I trust each other, in the eyes of others, your Bai family has made great merits that overshadow the ruler!”
“Bai Zhancang and Bai Yuan are both loyal subjects who love their country and disdain forming cliques for personal gain.”
“But you must understand, kid, that this court is filled with all kinds of monsters and demons. If you do not go along with them and instead touch their interests, you will be ostracized!”
“Alas, even I sometimes have to compromise on certain matters!”
“Your matter just gave them an excuse to attack your Bai family. Just wait for tomorrow’s morning court. Those people will definitely not miss this opportunity.”
After hearing Emperor Qian’s words, Bai Zhao’s slightly elongated peach blossom eyes narrowed thoughtfully, and he fell silent.
Seeing Bai Zhao lost in thought, Emperor Qian spoke leisurely.
“I cannot openly side with you in this matter. So after tomorrow’s morning court, I will most likely punish you.”
“Because that is what I should do! Although that brat insulted you first, you were not actually hurt. That boy’s legs, however, are broken.”
“Oh, I heard you spent two years in the martial world? Little one, have you been tired from pretending to be a pig all these years?”
As Emperor Qian spoke, he suddenly changed the subject and brought up Bai Zhao’s entry into the martial world!
Bai Zhao’s heart trembled, and he abruptly raised his head to look at Emperor Qian!
“Do not be so surprised! I know it was your father’s and mother’s idea to hide your talents, all so that you could grow up safely.”
“The matter of the Red Lotus Burning Heart poison back then dealt them a heavy blow. So your father used that incident to take you to the Northern Border and protect you.”
“Even the petty tricks of those in court to tarnish your reputation, and your father’s behind-the-scenes maneuvering, I know them all. Your father and I merely have an unspoken understanding.”
“I know your father must have suspected me back then, but I had no choice either. This matter is my fault toward your Bai family. Do not blame me.”
Hearing Emperor Qian’s self-revealing words, Bai Zhao’s heart surged with monstrous waves!