142 Two Men From the Yan Kingdom (1/2)
Chapter 142: Two Men From the Yan Kingdom
Translator: TransnEditor: Transn
”When the Second Floor is opened and all goes to silence, suddenly you get up with a smile and say, 'I can...'”
Situ Yilan looked at him, shook her head while smiling, and said with a sigh, ”That picture looks good and the story is wonderful also. But unfortunately, you and I are the poor people who can't go for cultivation.”
”I can...” Ning Que thought that even if he had said so, the girl beside the bar would probably not have believed it. So, he gently smiled and turned his head to look at the lively place through the veil. He leisurely said, ”If the Second Floor is only recruiting one person this time, then I don't understand why they are still so happy.”
Situ Yilan smiled to say, ”Because Master Xie is so much more popular than you. Even if some people envy him, they won't show it on their faces but they'll cheer for him like Zhong Dajun.”
After a moment of silence, Ning Que suddenly laughed and said, ”Have all of you forgotten someone?”
Situ Yilan was stunned for a moment, and then immediately, she understood what he meant and could not help feeling shocked.
Including her, all of the students in the Academy had forgotten about Prince Long Qing from the Yan Kingdom. Probably in the minds of all the students, Prince Long Qing was the bigwig of the Judicial Department of the West-Hill Divine Palace and an uncommon cultivation genius in the world. So, they subconsciously put this man in a higher position, and never thought to compare him with themselves. Moreover, that prince, who attracted thousands of young girls when he entered Chang'an City, had been living a simple life in Peach Alley and had found an excuse not to participate in any of the palace banquets. He really kept an extremely low profile.
”Everyone knows that the purpose of this Prince Long Qing coming to Chang'an City is to take over the Crown Prince of the Yan as a hostage. But his identity as a prince and the inviolable dignity of the West-Hill Divine Palace require another reason to justify his presence here. So, the rumor that he wants to enter the Second Floor of the Academy... might be true.”
Ning Que looked at her and continued, ”If the Second Floor of the Academy is really only recruiting one student now and Prince Long Qing also wants to enter it, then who do you think his opponent will be, Xie Chengyun or Linchuan Wangying?”
”Master Xie is outstanding indeed but can't compete with Prince Long Qing. And Wangying is still young now...” Situ Yilan gradually digested the shock in her heart and suddenly thought of a possibility. She asked, ”Maybe Prince Long Qing is not on the enrollment list?”
Ning Que shook his head and said, ”If he is, what should these happy guys do?”
He smiled and seemed to comfort her. ”But I think Xie Chengyun wouldn't be discouraged if he knew that Prince Long Qing will compete for the only spot with him. On the contrary, he might be motivated to have a stronger fighting will.”
itu Yilan shook her head and said, ”Prince Long Qing is about to enter the Knowing Destiny State, but Master Xie has just entered the No Doubts State. The difference between their states is too great, so their will of fighting won't play a big role.”
Looking at those classmates who were drinking happily on the terrace, she thought that Prince Long Qing decided to casually walk nearby just to make the Academy students ashamed the day after tomorrow when the Second Floor was opened. She said gloomily, ”Although Master Xie is from the South Jin Kingdom and not the Tang Empire, he has been studying in the Academy for a year after all. If he can enter the Second Floor, our Tangs can accept it. But if it is... Prince Long Qing who is accepted over all the students to become the only one that enters the Second Floor, the elders in the Imperial Court will certainly become angry and disappointed with our Academy students.”
Prince Long Qing was from the Yan Kingdom, with an identity as a hostage. However, he was also the bigwig of the Judicial Department of the West-Hill Divine Palace, a rival of the Tang Empire. If such a person directly beat out the young Tang generation in Chang'an with his great strength, that would be a severe slap in the face of the Tang Empire.
”I don't understand why the Academy follows this rule this time.” Situ Yilan frowned and looked at the anxiously swimming fish in the lake. She said, ”Does it deliberately help feed Prince Long Qing's flame?”
Ning Que laughed and comforted her. ”It has not yet started. We don't know how to enter the Second Floor of the Academy, either. How can you predict in advance that the only one who can enter the Second Floor is Prince Long Qing?”
”The West-Hill Divine Palace is the old enemy of the Tang Empire. Even from the position of an enemy, I must admit that Prince Long Qing is absolutely the best figure of the young generation in this world and can hardly find an opponent.”
Situ Yilan said with a gloomy mood, ”It's not shameful to recognize the enemy's power. What really makes me feel distressed is that there is not a person in this generation who can actually contend with him even though there are a lot of talents in the Tang Empire.”
”There is,” Ning laughed and said.
Situ Yilan looked at him with a smile and said, ”It's not convincing if you want to talk about yourself.”
”Well,” Ning Que sighed, spread his arms, and said, ”you don't have to worry about these things. It's all about reputation. Even if Prince Long Qing moves his body, making the men shameful and the women dizzy, the Yan Kingdom still has to pay tribute to the Tangs, and the West-Hill Divine Palace still doesn't dare to provoke us. So there will be no essential changes.”
”It's about honor and dignity, not reputation. Since you're from the border army, why don't you look like a soldier at all?”
”What should a Tang soldier look like? Just like Hua Shanyue, who looked steadily forward with a hilt in his hands and walked like a fierce wind? I don't think so. The soldiers guard the homeland and open up new territory. They don't rely on working style but on something else.”
”What else?”
”Discipline, courage, and trust.”
”Well, you should know Hua Shanyue, shouldn't you?” Situ Yilan curiously looked at him.
Ning Que thought of the previous eye contact with that Senior Captain of the Gushan Commandery. After a moment of silence, he replied with a smile, ”He's the leader of the young generation of the Tang military, but I'm just an ordinary person. We don't know each other, but just met once one year ago. And I remember that he disliked me at that time.”
Situ Yilan did not know those things that had happened on the grassland journey. She said with a smile, ”I find that there seems to be few people who like you in Chang'an City.”