Chapter 1 (1/2)
Chapter 1: The Frivolous Ninth Prince
“My name is Hong Xiaobao. I am an extremely superior and awesome spendthrift rich kid, but on one dark and windy night where I could not even see my own fingers, I was mysteriously kicked to another place by my old man….”
“The moment I pa.s.sed into another a dimension, I recalled the countless things I learned in school—I can’t do any of them….”
……
Tianyun Continent, in the Chiyun Empire’s imperial palace, Emperor Hong Wenqing’s study in the Xuan Qing Pavilion.
“Your Majesty,” a guard hurriedly came over to report: “Preceptor Yun has come back from his twelve years of traveling. Right now, he is awaiting Your Majesty in Xuan Yang Hall.”
“Oh? The Preceptor has returned?” Hearing the guard’s words, Emperor Hong Wenqing went blank, then put down the report in his hands and got up with a smile: “Inform him that We are coming.”
Hong Wenqing was forty-eight years old and Chiyun Empire’s eighteenth emperor. His face was handsome and his appearance stately. Furthermore, he loved the common people as much as his own children, thus receiving their love and respect in return. He could be considered to be one of the rulers who governed his country the right way.
“Yes.” The guard received the command and was just about to depart when he suddenly halted his steps and continued: “Oh, right. Your Majesty, besides Lord Preceptor and his daughter Yun Caixiao, there is another youth. Your subordinate did a secret investigation; it is said that he is Ye Jinning, the son of Thunder Sound Pavilion’s Second Elder Ye Feihong.”
“The son of Thunder Sound Pavilion’s Second Elder?” Hong Wenqing furrowed his eyebrows, then lightly waved his hand: “You may go ahead first.”
“Yes.”
After the guard departed, Hong Wenqing sank into thought. Instead of dressing in imperial attire, he specifically put on casual wear, then rubbed the stubble on his chin and murmured: “Preceptor Yun has traveled for twelve years now. Could it be that his return is related to the engagement? En, based on the age, it is probably so. However, why is it that the son of Thunder Sound Pavilion’s Second Elder has come too?”
……
Within the Xuan Yang main hall.
“Haha, after not seeing you for twelve years, Preceptor’s bearing has become even more outstanding than in the past. I’m sure you’ve progressed in your martial studies as well. Worthy to be praised *ah.” The moment Emperor Hong Wenqing entered into the main conference hall, he caught sight of a man wearing a cyan robe who hastily took two steps forward to grasp hands with him. Letting out hearty laughter, Hong Wenqing said: “Separating for twelve years is truly trying to kill me!”
(*TL: sentence particle indicating affirmation)
The middle-aged man looked to be around fifty years old. He held a goose-feather fan in his hand and had two cyan head coverings on his head. Three locks of facial hair hung below his jaw, giving him the appearance of an immortal being and bringing about a lofty air.
To be able to make Emperor Hong Wenqing treat him in such a manner, he was precisely Chiyun Empire’s national protector and martial deity, acclaimed as Preceptor and an 8-star martial artist, Yun Shengxuan!
“Your Majesty is too courteous.” As national protector and martial deity, the relations.h.i.+p between Yun Shengxuan and Hong Wenqing was exceedingly good. To act on equal footing was not out of one’s expectations either, so Yun Shengxuan said with a faint smile: “The reason why *Yun has returned is actually for my daughter Caixiao’s marriage affair.”
(*TL: refers to himself as 云某. 云 = his surname, and 某 simply refers to himself)
As expected!
Hearing Yun Shengxuan’s words, Hong Wenqing immediately looked toward the young lady standing not far away from Yun Shengxuan.
The young lady was dressed in a light green cheongsam, and seemed to be at the flowering age of sixteen. Her eyes seemed watery, bright and limpid, while her skin was like congealed fat, snowy white and suffused with hint of pink, seeming as though one could squeeze water out of it. She had a pair of jade hands with ten long, slender fingers that seemed bonelessly soft, and they lightly grasped onto a dark green jade pipe. A head of fine black hair extending to her waist danced along with the wind, and her appearance was as marvelous and pure as a celestial being.
“Yun Caixiao greets His Majesty.” Seeing Hong Wenqing look in her direction, the young lady greeted him at once.
A person of absolutely beauty and optimal background.
This was no other than the apple of national protector and martial deity Yun Shengxuan’s eye, his beloved daughter Yun Caixiao!
“Aiyah, in the twelve years we haven’t seen each other, Caixiao has actually grown to become this beautiful!” Hong Wenqing had already noticed this outstanding young lady a while ago, but now that he had received confirmation of her ident.i.ty, the more appreciative he was as he spoke with a laugh: “We are not outsiders, so how about you call me Uncle. This way, it makes us seem closer.”
Yun Caixiao answered with a soft “En” as her response.
After the two of them exchanged pleasantries, Hong Wenqing finally took a look at the youth whom the guard spoke of and asked with a faint smile: “This young gallant is….”
Hearing Hong Wenqing’s inquiry, the youth immediately cupped his hand in greeting: “Ye Jinning, son of the Second Elder of one of the Six Great Orthodoxies, Thunder Sound Pavilion, greets His Majesty.” This Ye Jinning’s appearance was quite majestic. He had sword-like eyebrows, s.h.i.+ning eyes, and was dressed in clothing as white as snow, giving him good image. However, although he was greeting Hong Wenqing, his eyes occasionally flitted surrept.i.tiously towards Yun Caixiao, which made for weird behavior.
“En, a valiant youth. Not bad, not bad.” Ye Jinning’s expression was immediately noticed by Hong Wenqing, so Hong Wenqing understood what was going on at once. His eyebrows knitted together slightly, but eased up very soon. Giving a slight nod of his head, he spoke to himself inwardly: “Because Caixiao possessed outstanding talent when she was young, she was sent to Thunder Sound Pavilion of the Six Great Orthodoxies to cultivate. She has returned now, but is accompanied by such a person. It seems today’s matters will not be so simple.”
“Haha, Your Majesty,” Yun Shengxuan gently waved his fan after the introductions and gave a soft reminder: “According to the marriage agreement that year, I do not know if Ninth Prince is still well?”
For the Chiyun Empire, every emperor and their respective generation’s protective martial deity had to set up a marriage agreement to strengthen the friends.h.i.+p between the two sides.
If the protective martial deity chose a male, the emperor’s side would choose a princess to marry off; if the protective martial deity’s side was a female, the emperor’s side would choose a prince to take her as a wife.
This generation’s protective martial deity Yun Shengxuan only had one daughter, so Hong Wenqing chose a prince to set up the marriage agreement, and this chosen prince was precisely the one whose age was the same as Yun Caixiao. He was the beloved Ninth Prince who received the most favor from Hong Wenqing, Hong Xiaobao!
The reason why he was called Hong Xiaobao was because when he was born, the Ninth Prince’s condition was quite weak. Furthermore, he was the youngest of the children, so his name turned out to be Xiaobao. Its meaning conveyed the hope that he would be as strong as a family treasure—now that this was mentioned, it should be said that this name was actually personally chosen by Yun Shengxuan himself.
(TL: Xiaobao = 小宝 – little treasure)
“Ai, my family’s Xiaobao, this child.” Reminded of the ninth child who he loved the most yet also suffered the most headaches for, Hong Wenqing was a bit depressed: “His days are actually spent quite happily. It’s just that he is a bit frivolous and causes people’s head to hurt.”