Chapter 69 (2/2)
He didn’t know what the names of these guardian statues were, or for whom from where it was auspicious for. Staring outwards, he only felt his own chest become more and more tight, his heart thumping faster and faster as if it was about to break his ribs and jump out. And following the acceleration of his heartbeat, those distant guardian statues became more and more clear; the stone tiles weathered by wind and rain for an unknowable hundreds of years became more and more life-like, seeming as though in the next moment they would become living life forms.
He m.u.f.fled a groan, covered his chest, and couldn’t stop himself from remembering that rainy day he and Sang Sang first saw the image of ChangAn’s Vermillion Bird. Resolutely looking towards those guardian beasts of the Imperial palace, his face became paler and paler, but he refused to divert his gaze. …… ……
Earlier inside of the Imperial Study, a very intense argument broke out. Vice Commander of the Imperial Guards Xu ChongShan and the Interior Deputy Steward Old Sir Lin were like two statues guarding the outside of the Imperial Study – no matter what sounds they heard, they didn’t dare to leak the slightest expression, because inside the deepest depths of these two important figures sat a grandson; fear, dread, doubt, and shock had reached their apex. At the same time they felt that the person inside of the Imperial Study was truly too d.a.m.n brave.
The Tang Dynasty’s Sky Opening Emperor was already thirty-three, and no one had seen His Majesty the Emperor so enraged. Even after last night’s Spring Wind Pavilion Incident, His Majesty merely heavily smashed a few desks and cursed ‘morons’ more than thirty times. But today inside of the Imperial Study, His Majesty the Emperor smashed several tea cups, and cursed many dirty words that people absolutely shouldn’t hear.
“Chao XiaoShu! If you’re still so unappreciative of favors, don’t blame your father for disciplining you!”
“How do I deal with you? We…….We……..We……truly don’t f*cking know!”
“You foolish to the extreme fellow, why don’t you even understand a bit of reasoning of the world!”
“Alright alright alright. Today I’ll call you Chao Second Brother one last time. Will you stay or not!”
Inside the Imperial Study it suddenly became quiet. Xu ChongShan and Old Sir Lin beyond the door couldn’t help but to turn their heads and glance at each other, confirming the shock and admiration in the eyes of the other of someone not at all like the two of them. With extreme understanding they again turned their heads and wordlessly looked at the flowers and trees.
Inside it was silent for a long time, then echoed with Chao XiaoShu’s calm and mild but extremely firm voice.
“I’m not staying.”
There was an oppressive banging sound, that should be that Tang Dynasty His Majesty the Emperor throwing and shattering his most cherished Yellow Province deep-clay inkstone. Xu ChongShan and Old Sir Lin guarding beyond the door had no way of maintaining silence – especially Xu ChongShan who was absolutely worried that in a fit of rage His Majesty would make a decision that he would certainly regret, scrambling two steps forwards preparing to knock on the door and admonish him.
Just in this moment the doors to the Imperial Study were pushed open with a screech, and Chao XiaoShu in a set of blue robes calmly crossed the entrance and walked out. Waiting for the doors behind him to once again close, he then turned his body, lifting his long lapel, and with both knees kneeled on the ground. Extremely solemnly and seriously he kowtowed three times, performing the ritual of a minister that will no longer see his king.
Afterwards he got up, and with a slight smile he cupped his hands to Xu ChongShan and Old Sir Lin, and left the Imperial Study to go outside of the Palace. Beside him, no eunuchs or Palace maids led the way, and just like this he alone slowly walked just as though he was touring the gardens. Ten years ago he would come to this Imperial Palace many times, and felt very deeply that these past years he had come much less to the Imperial Palace; it was very nostalgic.
Walking nearly to the big lake called the Li Sea, Chao XiaoShu was pensive. After folding his hands behind his blue robes, he calmly looked at the lake, watching the golden carp happily swimming about. Suddenly the corners of his lips slightly rose, bursting with a fresh smile like sunlight penetrating the shade of the willows.
He gazed outwards keeping his calm smile – those golden carp happily swimming about suddenly froze, unexpectedly becoming completely still as though they were jade fish suspended in the sparkling clear green waves – with overflowing life but completely without a sign of life.
Chao XiaoShu mumbled aloud, “Long caged within, returning back to naturalness.”
Heaven and earth were a cage for man within, the body was a cage for the mind within; to break the cage of the mind, the cage of heaven and earth itself will also break. …… ……
Inside of the Imperial Study, the Golden Crown was carelessly tossed aside into a corner of discarded firewood. The Tang Dynasty’s Emperor angrily stared at the ‘Leaping Fish in the Current Seas‘ that he personally wrote in the early hours before dawn, his face full of aversion and regret.
He didn’t know that in a corner of the bookshelf, someone secretly continued the poem for him and wrote “Blossoms Open Transcendental Skies“.
In a sudden instant he looked up. Separated by the window he looked towards the Imperial gardens, his brow slowly creased up and then slowly eased open, finally becoming calm and relieved. Then lightly disparaging himself he said, “Maybe you’re really right.” …… ……
Somewhere within the Palace, a Daoist around forty years old was taking the pulse of the Empress Mother, then all of a sudden his brow violently jumped and his finger extremely rudely scratched a mark on the Empress Mother’s ample wrist, blankly turning his head and gazing behind him.
The Empress Mother slightly frowned and was wondering that the State Master was usually so calm, why would he lose his composure like this?
The Daoist stared at that place – suddenly very remorsefully he cried out, “I was wrong. I was truly wrong. Back then I should’ve persuaded His Majesty to let XiaoShu leave earlier, or simply let him enter the Academy……”
“With Master’s ability, with XiaoShu’s perception and mental state, in these years my Tang Dynasty would inevitably have had yet another exceptional power, such that maybe he could even fight against that South Jin fellow. A pity, a pity, a pity it had to be callously ten years late!” …… ……
In some alley in the laundry department, Ning Que sat inside of a carriage stubbornly staring at several statues of guardian statue beasts that seemed like they were going to come to life – his complexion became paler and paler, his heart beat faster and faster. Suddenly all sensations disappeared. …… ……
The Imperial Palace’s Vermillion Bird Gate.
A middle-aged man turned his head towards a corner of the eaves of the main hall at those stone beasts, erupting into laughter. The sound of his laughter was exceptionally natural, free and cheerful, without a trace of other thoughts or ideas. The guardian beasts seemed to have understood the intent his laughing conveyed, and once again calmness and serenity returned.
Amidst the calm and free laughter, his blue robes fluttered as he walked out of the Imperial City’s Main Gate.
After today, ChangAn City would be lacking that person called the leader, Spring Wind Pavilion’s Old Chao.
This world would gain a Guan HuYu, a power that entered the Fate-seeker Realm. …… ……
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