Chapter 136: Teacher? (1/2)
After being away from the capital for a long time, Wang Chong suddenly felt that there was something foreign about it. The atmosphere of the capital had turned a little bizarre. To describe it, it seemed like it had turned slightly ‘poetic’.
Even though there were people who recited poems here and there in the past, the art had never attained such a level of popularity before.
“Does gongzi not know? A poem praising Consort Taizhen to be the world’s number one beauty has leaked from the royal palace, and the poem is said to be extremely beautiful. Gongzi, do you see those plaques? Places like ‘Springwind Pavilion’, ‘Jade Pavilion’, ‘Fairy Pavilion’, and ‘Beauty Pavilion’ have been sprouting up all around the capital, as though bamboo shoots after a rain.”
“Most of them are old pavilions who have changed their name to go along with the trend. In fact, some of them even hung the poem at their entrance, using it as a couplet for their door!”
Amidst the raging crowd, a guard of the Wang Family Residence explained excitedly.
Wang Chong hadn’t paid much attention to his surroundings upon entering the capital. Upon hearing his words, he took a closer look and saw an extremely familiar sight.
On the left: Clouds, one thinks of her clothes; flowers, one thinks of her countenance.
On the right: The spring wind sweeps dew from her balustrade, splendid and dense.
And in the center: Springwind Pavilion.
Another different couplet was hung on the pavilion at the direct opposite of the Springwind Pavilion.
On the left: If not seen at the peak of the Jade Mountain.
On the right: Then she will be encountered under the moon on the gemstone terrace.
And in the center: Beauty Pavilion.
Huge plaques like this were hung before the entrances of the taverns and teahouses.
“Beauty wine! Beauty wine! Heroes deserve to drink the wine of a beauty! …”
“Fairy tea! Come, come, come. Have a cup to revitalize yourself!”
…
Shoutings could be heard from the taverns and teahouses from the both sides of the street.
Hearing those shoutings, Wang Chong’s expression suddenly turned extremely bizarre.
Not many people knew that he had helped King Song on the Consort Taizhen incident, as well as the poem that he wrote.
At the very least, the Wang Clan didn’t know of it.
He was completely caught off guard by the sudden change in the capital. At this moment, he had no idea how he should react to the sight before him. But soon, Wang Chong caught the scent of something.
“It’s impossible for ordinary folks to know about the happenings in the palace. Most probably, it’s that person from the Yuzhen Palace who leaked the news out. At the very least, it’s done under her approval.”
Wang Chong thought.
While cultivating at the spirit vein for more than a month, he didn’t pay much attention to the affairs in the royal court. However, the fact that Consort Taizhen was willing to propagate this poem meant that she had accepted their goodwill.
In the other words, even though King Song and Consort Taizhen couldn’t be considered to be friends yet, under Wang Chong’s hard work, the impact of the Consort Taizhen incident had been reduced to the bare minimum.
This gesture of hers most probably meant that she didn’t intend to pursue King Song for the Consort Taizhen incident. At the same time, the fact that one could hear these ‘palace news’ in the market meant that the ‘Consort Taizhen incident’ storm had started to die down in the royal court.
If nothing goes wrong, this matter could be considered to be over.
“This Song of Purity and Peace sure is formidable!”
With a light smile, Wang Chong continued walking toward the Wang Family Residence.
…
Upon returning back to the residence, Wang Chong went straight to look for Tuoba Guiyuan first.
“Gongzi, I’m already done forging the saber you wanted!”
In Wang Chong’s room, with deep and complex emotions rippling in his eyes, Tuoba Guiyuan stared at the seven chi long slender-blade thick-blunt saber he held with both of his hands. It seemed like he had spent a great deal of effort forging it during this period of time.
(233.3cm)
“Heavy!”
Grabbing over the saber, the first thing Wang Chong noticed was its weight. If one didn’t possess exceptional strength, it would be impossible for one to maneuver it around.
At the least, it was impossible for anyone beneath Origin Energy Tier 7 to wield this saber.
“Indeed, there’s a huge difference when an additional jun of Hyderabad ore is added into it!”
(a jun -> 12.5 to 13kg)
Wang Chong thought.
Tuoba Guiyuan had forged this slender-blade thick-blunt Wootz steel saber according to the blueprint Wang Chong drew. In fact, he even went on to refine several aspects of it.
Just from the color, brightness, balance, and sensation of the blade itself, Wang Chong could sense that the quality of this sword was far beyond the four Wootz steel sword he had crafted previously.
“As expected of the number one swordsmith in the future!”
Wang Chong complimented the other party in his mind.
The previous four Wootz steel swords were crafted by the professional blacksmiths of the Wei Residence with Little Sister Wang Xiao Yao contributing her strength to it.
However, this ‘collaboration’ was still insufficient to match up to the skills of the future number one swordsmith, Tuoba Guiyuan. Tuoba Guiyuan pursued perfection in every aspect of his work, even for the seemingly minor and insignificant details.
“Not bad! You’ve worked hard!”
Facing Tuoba Guiyuan, Wang Chong nodded.
“As long as gongzi is satisfied.”