The mountain tit chirping incessantly outside the window woke Li Er from deep sleep. Opening his eyes, he saw a snow-white ceiling—very unfamiliar. After recalling for a long while, he finally remembered that last night he had lodged in Yang Fei’s exquisitely maddening little building.
Dawn was just breaking. Through the snow-white gauze curtains, the green trees outside the window swayed gracefully. A small cool breeze playfully kept lifting the gauze curtains. Rubbing his aching waist, Li Er looked at Yang Fei still in spring slumber beside his pillow and couldn’t help chuckling. Last night’s frenzy had left him thoroughly satisfied. How long had it been since he’d felt such youthful impulse?
Yang Fei had actually fallen asleep sucking her finger. He had shared a bed with her all these years, yet this was the first time he discovered she looked like an infant when sleeping. The blanket had been kicked aside, revealing her graceful figure that nearly drove him mad. He very much wanted to hold Yang Fei in his arms once more and ravish her wantonly, but there was movement outside the door. He covered Yang Fei with the blanket—he didn’t want others to see her, not even Wu She the eunuch.
He coughed lightly, and immediately palace maids entered in a line, kneeling on the ground ready to serve. Yet there wasn’t the usual abundance of fragrant soups. Just as he was about to ask, a warm, smooth body embraced his back from behind.
“You’re awake. I saw you sleeping sweetly and didn’t want to disturb you. Now it’s time for my daily martial practice. If you’re tired, sleep a while longer. This isn’t the palace—let those formalities go to hell.”
“They don’t know how to serve you. Let me do it instead. Everything here is novel—they don’t know how to use it.” Yang Fei’s body was already clothed in a gauze robe. Rising gracefully, she pulled the emperor who wore nothing but short pants toward the washroom.
The bath took a bit longer. Li Er emerged from the washroom carrying the naked Yang Fei and sent her to the bed, laughing heartily as he pushed open the door, extremely refreshed in spirit.
Wu She’s body was damp all over. The morning mountain dew was cold and wet—one look told that he had guarded downstairs all night. Li Er very much liked people who followed rules, especially those around him who knew the emperor’s rules were best not challenged. So far, among those who challenged the emperor’s rules and could live well in this world while living quite contentedly, only Yun Ye qualified.
If it were other ministers, they should be waiting downstairs at this time awaiting the emperor’s instructions. Yet Yun Ye had shown no trace until now, as if his own affairs were more important than the emperor’s.
Receiving the longsword Wu She handed up, he flourished a sword flower, preparing to begin the day’s morning practice. A rumbling of footsteps came. Wu She looked up at the sentry post on the mountain—no alarm signal was found, but he still went to the roadside, preparing to see what was happening.
Sharp whistle sounds came, along with strange slogans: “One-two-one, one-two-one, one-two-three-four!” Immediately a large group responded in unison: “One-two-three-four.” What kind of strange slogan was this? Wu She became even more curious.
A long line came around from the foot of the mountain. It turned out to be academy students—they were also doing morning exercises. Liu Xian, bare-chested, ran at the front of the formation, his robust muscles seemingly gleaming with luster.
Li Tai was also bare-chested, as was Li Ke. The two brothers each dragged an equally bare-chested younger brother running behind them, followed by a large group also bare-backed, running until sweat poured down their bodies.
Li Er stood inside the fence holding his sword, curiously watching this formation. He was still satisfied with his sons’ performance, especially seeing the two older ones knew to drag the younger ones along, fulfilling their responsibilities as elder brothers. Li Er was cruel to his own brothers, but he absolutely didn’t want his sons to learn from him. Brotherly friendship and fraternal respect were the situation in his dreams. Now seeing it with his own eyes, he was naturally extremely gratified.
Seeing His Majesty the Emperor standing roadside, how could Liu Xian dare continue running? With one command, the formation stopped. He himself quickly ran before Li Er, knelt on one knee, and had an audience with the emperor. He didn’t speak, knowing the emperor didn’t wish to reveal his identity, but he dared not lack in etiquette.
“Very good. Rising at cockcrow to practice martial arts—this was Zu Ti’s old practice. The academy can persist with this—very good. You may continue.” Li Er waved his hand. Liu Xian was about to rejoin the formation to continue running, but unexpectedly Li An and Li You, running until out of breath, burst from the formation, knelt on the ground, and loudly cried for help.
Li Er’s good mood was instantly completely destroyed. Listening to Li You’s breathless account of how disrespectful Yun Ye had been to them, Li An’s solemn oath describing how Yun Ye had split open Li You’s abdomen, dug out his heart, and replaced it with a sheep’s heart—truly speaking with grief, moving listeners to tears. Li Er’s face grew darker and darker. What Yun Ye had done, he naturally knew—he had agreed to it. Now he only hated that despite his lifetime of brilliance, why had he produced such two wastes?
Li Ke and Li Tai, after requesting Liu Xian’s permission, stepped forward. Li Ke slapped Li An’s face and rebuked in a low voice: “Shut up. If you dare say one more sentence, I’ll beat you to death.”
Li An greatly feared his powerful elder brother and obediently closed his mouth. Li You was still preparing to speak when Li Tai kicked him in the rear. Seeing Li Tai’s fierce appearance, Li You also obediently shut his mouth.
“Father Emperor, it’s all your son’s fault for being lax in disciplining his younger brother, letting him speak such absurd words. Please punish your son, Father Emperor.”
Li Ke knelt on the ground pleading for his younger brother. Li Tai had never liked Li You, but seeing Li Ke like this, he could only beg for punishment as well.
“Yun Ye did well! Why didn’t he replace hearts of stone into you two? If he had done so, I would richly reward him. Li You, Li An—everything Yun Ye did was permitted by me. As long as it’s reasonable for your education, I permit him to do anything. Forget replacing hearts—even replacing heads, I permit it.”
The emperor was enraged, yet someone in the formation fell to the ground with a thud—Li Pengcheng! Liu Xian was very puzzled. Though this fellow was thin and weak, his body was strong as an ox. Today they’d only run four li—there was no reason he’d faint from exhaustion.
Li Er also looked worriedly at the student, thinking too much running had exhausted him into fainting. These people were all his disciples now, to be used in the future—losing them would be bad.
Li Tai glanced at Li Pengcheng who was foaming at the mouth and burst out laughing, but was glared at fiercely by Li Er. Li Tai quickly said: “Father Emperor, do you still remember yesterday at the academy someone kicked the ball to you?”
Li Er also laughed, pointing at Li Pengcheng and saying: “Is it this fellow?”
Li Tai nodded with his mouth open, laughing. Having the guts to give my father emperor the middle finger, yet not having the guts to accept the truth—there’d be material to mock Li Pengcheng with in the future.
Li Er waved his hand and departed with great laughter, not giving another glance to Li You and Li An kneeling on the ground.
Xinyue now required Yun Ye to examine every day whether her belly showed a trend toward enlargement. The reason was the old grandmother, aunts, and in-laws who, upon seeing her each day, first looked not at her face but at her belly. The day before yesterday her monthly cycle should have come but showed no sign. This made her overjoyed, believing she finally had conceived. Standing before the bronze mirror looking left and right, she couldn’t wait to stick out a big belly right now.
The Yun family had only one single sprout—this was absolutely unique among the capital’s prestigious families. So her pressure was very great. Not considering at all the fact that she’d only been married one month, she fantasized she was already a great meritorious subject of the Yun family. But indeed, as long as she conceived, her position in the Yun family would rise above everyone—a true supreme emperor. Probably even rolling around the house, no one would gossip.
“Husband, why won’t this belly hurry up and get bigger? This wife can’t wait any longer.” Having said this, she even scratched at it a few times, as if doing so would scratch the belly bigger.
“What’s the rush? We’re still young. We’ve only been married one month. This time isn’t necessarily it either. With your monkey temperament, even if there’s a child, they’d be scared away. Quickly get my change of underwear. The emperor is still waiting on the mountain.”
Whenever these matters were mentioned, Xinyue would forget about her pregnancy. How capable must her husband be to make the emperor wait? Among the younger generation’s wives, she had the most face. Going to any family’s women’s reception, she was the central figure. This one passing word asking her to mention to the family whether her younger brother could be squeezed into the academy. That one complimenting her complexion a few sentences, then beating around the bush saying she wanted a bottle of the newly released orchid-scented perfume. Another bringing out a plate of food, asking her, the wife of Chang’an’s most famous gourmet, to taste whether it was presentable.
Even those old grandmothers who didn’t go out often summoned her into the inner hall to impart to her some miraculous conception methods. Last night Yun Ye had been frightened by her strange movements. To bend a stiff waist to that degree—Yun Ye worried for her waist, quickly flipping her over. He’d already heard the sound of bones grinding, yet she persisted as before, even saying this way the chance of conception would be much greater.
This woman had gone mad—she’d gone crazy thinking about children.
Taking a basket of Yun family food—otherwise there’d be no excuse for being late when meeting Li Er—he rode fast all the way like lightning. Looking up, the sun was already about two poles high.
He hadn’t ridden a horse in a long while, and his waist ached terribly. Of course, there was also credit from last night’s strange movements. Rubbing his waist, he went up the small building. Li Er had been holding the teapot drinking tea since early morning, constantly thumping his lower back. This old lecher—one look told he’d done no good deeds last night.
As he was about to step forward, Wu She, that ever-present ghost, appeared before him, snatched away the food basket with pincer-like hands, arranged the food one by one on the table, tested each with a silver needle, and finally personally broke off a piece of each food item and tasted it himself. Only then did he prepare to invite the emperor to eat. Speaking of which, this morning when the emperor saw Yun Ye hadn’t come, he said there’d be good food to eat. From early morning until now, he’d only drunk one bowl of lotus seed soup.
Li Er sat down, picked up a bun, took a bite, and nodded—seemed quite satisfied. Yun Ye took a cooked egg from the basket, asked Wu She for the silver needle, ate the egg white clean, pierced the yolk with the silver needle, and after withdrawing it, the entire silver needle became grayish. Wu She looked at the emperor who had just eaten an egg—the expression in his eyes became extremely fearful. With trembling hand, he pointed at Yun Ye, only to see him swallow in one gulp the yolk that had blackened the silver needle, even winking at him.
“Can you please stop teasing Wu She?” Li Er, whose eyes observed six directions and ears heard eight directions, said angrily to Yun Ye.