163 The Freshest Thing Is only A Bowl of Chicken Soup (1/2)

Chapter 163: The Freshest Thing Is only A Bowl of Chicken Soup

Translator: TransnEditor: Transn

The wooden door with flowers carvings gradually opened, revealing a young eunuch who lightly swept his long sleeves and quietly retreated himself.

Ning Que was taken aback as he saw the huge and tall door in front of him. He tidied up his appearance before entering through the doors with a serious look on his face. Seeing the precious stationaries that he had not seen for a long time and breathing in the smell of the ink that lingered in his memories, he could not help but shiver as he recalled the incident that happened last year.

Infront of the book shelves stood a middle-aged man, with his back facing the main door of the imperial study room. He was dressed in thin plain cotton top and a belt sewed with black and golden threads was placed at his waist, making him seem skinny. Though his face could not be seen, Ning Que had easily guessed the identity of the man.

Without any advice from the eunuch, he was not sure when he should kneel or bow with his hands infront to show respect to the man infront. By right, it should be the former, yet not many Tangs were willing to kneel down to people. For a moment, he felt lost and embarrassed.

The middle-aged man suddenly spoke. His gentle, warm tone and the content of his speech had managed to release Ning Que from his embarrassment in time, ”Don't you think of kneeling down. You ain't offering sacrifice to Heaven.”

Just a simple sentence from him, Ning Que started to become fond of this middle-aged man. He would have imagined that an emperor of Tang should appeared to be cold, strict and majestic, yet he was such a warm and friendly person.

”Understand that you're my secret guard?” The middle-aged man took a shabby-looking book from the shelves, as he flipped the pages and asked casually.

Ning Que bowed deeply and replied, ”Yes.”

”Isn't this secret guard a little too secretive? Even I myself don't know about it.” The middle-aged man laughed as he took out a bookmark from the side of the shelves and placed it inbetween the shabby-looking book to mark the pages. Suddenly, he asked, ”How did you get into this room last year?”

At this moment, Ning Que was wondering how he should address himself as. After hesitating between ”humble student” and ”low-rank officer”, he decided that ”low-rank officer” should certainly be eliminated. After listening to the man's question, he subconsciously replied, ”Student was ordered to enter palace for some task, and was asked to wait in this room.”

The middle-aged man made a soft ”ehh” sound, as though he was suspicious of something. He remained silent for a while before saying, ”Since you're here for some tasks, then why do you enter my imperial study room? No one saw you entering?”

At this point of their conversation, Ning Que was feeling less anxious, but more suspicious. On his way to the palace, he had tried to imagine the scene of him meeting his Majesty, and he thought that upon seeing him, his Majesty would definitely laughed happily and hurriedly stopped himself from kneeling infront of him. His Majesty would then gently stroked his own beard while admiring Ning Que's young and adorable face. His Majesty's face would be looking so pleased as he confessed to Ning Que that he had been searching high and low for him, and would definitely reward him with lands, women and any officier position he wanted in the palace...

However, the fact was that though Ning Que was not so pretty as Prince Long Qing, but under such exciting scenario, he would also tend to think pretty far-fetched about things.

Just as he was feeling slightly disappointed and confused, he heard his Majesty's last question, which made him understand something all of a sudden.

Last year, that young eunuch named Lu Ji brought him to the imperial study room. Since his Majesty had searched for him for about half a year, and that ”The Flower Blooms on the Shore Astride” calligraphy has made such a big wooha, that young eunuch Lu Ji and Commander Xu Congshan had no reason not to confess about this matter. His Majesty failed to find him all these while and this would meant one thing --- Neither Commander Xu Congshan nor the young eunuch Lu Ji had reported to his Majesty about the fact that he had entered imperial study room.

As for the reason behind their doings, there could be numerous reasons, such as they had forgottened about it, or they had gone crazy, or they worried that this matter would give them troubles instead, etc. At this moment, Ning Que was unclear of the reason, but he was clear that if his reply to his Majesty now did not match up with the answers given by Commander Xu and the young eunuch, it would bring great troubles to the both of them, or perhaps to himself as well.

Hence, he frowned his brows and thought carefully. He then shook his head and replied honestly, ”I doubt anyone knows about it.”

His Majesty heard his answer coming from his back and bursted out laughing loudly. He placed the shabby-looking book back onto the shelves and turned towards the young student, who was standing by the imperial study room main entrance. He said with emotions, ”What a person with good character. No wonder Brother Zhao likes you.”

Ning Que stared at the middle-aged man who stood infront of the book shelves, only to realize that he was just a simple-looking man with slight grey hair. He was not as majestic as he had imagined, neither did he had the vibe that was scarier than the Vermilion Bird. Moreover, seeing the man's expression and smile on the face, he knew that he had answered correctly, though he was unsure which part he did answer correctly.

His Majesty gazed at Ning Que. All of a sudden, he gestured for him as he smiled and said, ”Come over.”

Seeing the smile on his Majesty's face, Ning Que was slightly worried, but he quickly suppressed his feeling as he walked over nervously.

The Emperor pointed at the calligraphy on the table as he grinned and asked, ”Is this your work?”

Ning Que took a glance at the calligraphy. The large characters written on the yellow paper had instantly made him recall how joyful and proud he felt after writting these words on that day. He replied softly, ”This is indeed student's ridiculous work.”

”Not ridiculous at all.” His Majesty smiled and added, ”I like your writing.”

The process of praising one another had finally started, yet Ning Que suddenly realized that he was unsure how he should react. Perhaps his Majesty had expressed it in a tone that was too natural and casual. There was only admiration, without any agitation on the Emperor's part. It was just like commenting that Her Majesty had done a great job in peeling the garlic or had baked delicious cookies. Under such situation, how could one react or even thank the Emperor?

The Emperor obviously did not expect Ning Que to feel touched by his sentence. He gently stroked his beard and looked the words ”The Flower Blooms on the Shore Astride”. After admiring them for a while, he then said with emotion, ”Your Majesty had searched really hard for you.”

Before that, the emperor was using ”I” to address himself, yet when he suddenly switched to ”Your Majesty”, the atmosphere in the imperial study room changed instantly. Furthermore, this sentence had a strong hidden meaning, much stronger than the one before. It was the switch from pure to strong intense admiration. Ning Que was not used to the former and could not react, but when it was switched to the latter, he had trouble reacting to it as well.

The Emperor grinned at him and suddenly said, ”The Fish That Jumped Across The Sea, The Flower Blooms on the Shore Astride. You've only added one sentence, which seems pretty lacking. Now that you're here, why don't you complete it with two more sentences? Do you need your Majesty to prepare the ink for you?”

Letting Tang Emperor prepare ink and stationaries for you was the best luxury a scholar could have in his whole life. In fact, they did not even dare to think of having such luxury. It was a way better treatment than having all the ladies from House of Red Sleeves to help you prepare ink and serve you.

Upon hearing it, Ning Que was taken aback and he sincerely rejected the offer, ”How can I accept this? As for 'The Fish That Jumped Across The Sea' sentences were originated from his Majesty. Student was just copying. If I were to continue...and right infront of an expert like you, how will student dare to show one's incompetence?”

Since young, he had been drifting and wandering in the wild. Even in Tang Empire, he was struggling to survive. In fact, he did not have much experience hanging out with the nobles. That time he could get along with Tang princess Lee Yu while escorting her back to from the grassland was because Lee Yu acted as a maidservant. Though he already knew Lee Yu's real identity, he was determined to treat her as a maidservant so that he could be himself along the way. However, at this moment, he was facing the man who had the strongest authority in the world. How should he behave infront of him then?

If today was an inexperienced young man facing the emperor, the imperial study room would be in a great mess. Ning Que was still Ning Que. He was still the kid who could survive under the harshest circumstances. Besides having the chopper tied to his waist and his courage to kill humans, he must also be a sweet talker and had the skill to act innocent whenever necessary, in order to handle such situation.

In regards to cheering the top and bootlicking the nobles, as long as he was willing to do it, he could do better than anyone. In the past as a young soldier from other lands in the City of Wei , he could pleased every soldier in the city. To be able to let every general in the City of Wei adore him like their own nephew, his ability of bootlicking must be great. If he were to use such ability to bootlick the emperor now, it would be an easy job for him.

Upon listening to words that depicted how a skillful person had obtained suddenly inspiration and was just showing off in the presence of an expert, the Emperor was stunned and could not help but raise his head to look at Ning Que's face. He then broke into a chuckle as he reprimanded, ”Aren't you over-flattering me? Everyone knows that your Majesty is bad in calligraphy, so how can you refer me as an expert? Moreover it's infront of you.”

Ning Que chuckled. He was well-known for having a thick skinned personality, hence he was not affected by those words at all. Furthermore, he had seen before his Majesty's work, which was indeed...bad, but so what? No matter how fake it is, one still has to flatter the Emperor. Even if his Majesty know himself that his own calligraphy is bad, he will still be happy to hear people flattering him. Moreover, that person who flatters him is me?

Watching Ning Que's unaffected expression, the Emperor was indeed glad about it. He thought, though the calligrapher I adored is much younger than expected, but he has a good taste. The remark he gave was definitely just to bootlick me, but since he sounded sincere, perhaps my calligraphy skill did improve a little, at least to the extent that it's quite remarkable?

”Enough of casual talks. Since your Majesty had found you, it's time for you to perform tonight. Write some words and let your Majesty admire them.”

”Your Majesty, student had exhausted most of the energy at the Academy last night, and my body felt weak as well. Not that student is unwilling to abide to your request, but it will be quite impossible for student to write any good calligraphy now. Afterall, calligraphy talks about being energized and focus...”

The expression on the Emperor's face suddenly turned awful, but on the thought that what he said made sense, and understanding that the Second floor of the Academy examination was very tough yet this lad infront of him was able to defeat Prince Long Qing to enter Second floor of the Academy, this lad was definitely a great man in future. However, he was also worried that this lad would be ambitious and if he only treated him as a calligrapher, it might make the other party feel ashamed too.

Ning Que felt embarrassed as he confessed, and was secretly observing the Emperor's expression at the same time. All of a sudden, like magic, Ning Que took out some pieces of calligraphy from his sleeves and placed them neatly on the table.

”Your Majesty, these are some of the recent student's work which student has handpicked. Would appreciate if your Majesty could give some advice.”

When the Emperor heard him saying such words, and seeing the pieces of calligraphy on his table, his eyes brightened. He instantly bent over and unrolled the calligraphy, before he started admiring the words as he kept silent for a long time.

After god-knows-how-long, a gasp of admiration broke the silence in the imperial study room.

The Emperor shook his head and exclaimed in admiration, ”Great work! Truly great work!”

He turned around and looked at Ning Que with spark in his eyes as he said, ”Brother Ning, I heard that you've a shop at the Eastern City of Chang'an. I believe there are more great works being written over these years in the shop. Hurry and bring them all over. Let your Majesty admire all of them.”

Ning Que was taken aback. Looking at the Emperor's hungry-for-calligraphy expression, he awkwardly replied, ”Your Majesty, student's calligraphy, such as this, and that, are basically sold for money.”

...

...

Not far away from the huge and majestic city wall, there was a serene Taoist temple hidden within the woods. That was where South School of Haotian Taoism was located.

Deep inside the South School of Haotian Taoism, the Divine Talisman Master Yan Se, who were previously filled with heroism and busily arguing with Second Brother, had instantly became a child who admitted his mistake. He folded his laps and sat on the dark wooden floor. He stroked his dry and frizzy beard as he innocently stared at the floor infront of him. His eyes were no longer shabby-looking and he dared not look at the other party. Even so, the wrinkles on his face were all cramped together and filled with guilt, as he looked as though he wished to beg for forgiveness.

Tang's Master of Nation Li Qingshan looked at his Senior Brother, his eyes looked like the ladies in the palace who were filled with hatred. All his respect for his Senior Brother had instantly become disappointment and anger.

”Ning Que could not enter South School of Haotian Taoism. This means that even if he's your student, after your death, our South School of Haotian Taoism will never have our own Divine Talisman Master. This also means that after our deaths, there is no one to take care of the South School.”

Master Yan Se lifted his head and laughed foolishly towards his junior brother. He then comforted him and said, ”It's not that serious. Afterall, Ning Que is still my student. Once he become a Divine Talisman Master in future, there is no reason for him to see South School fall. Furthermore, though I am almost near the end of my life, but you are still young. By the time you passed away, Ning Que might long be dead. If that's the case, what use will he have?”

Li Qingshan stared at his Senior Brother without any expression. He kept silent for a long while before he sighed, shook his head and said, ”Senior Brother, do you seriously not know the difference between the two? If Ning Que were to enter South School, I can hand over the authority to him and he would be my Tang Master of Nation. By then, it would be tough for South School to fall. However, if he's only your student, he will at most be a visiting professor at South School, and what's the use of having a visiting professor? Liu Bai at South Jin Kingdom is the visiting professor for West-Hill Divine Palace, but when did you ever see Liu Bai putting in effort for the Divine Hall?”

Yan Se agreed to the request stated by Second Brother from the Academy, to take in Ning Que as a Talisman Taoism student under his name in exchange for letting Ning Que to enter South School of Haotian Taoism. He was ashamed of his own choice, and was unreluctant to face Li Qingshan upon returning. Now that Li Qingshan had explained the seriousness of his choice, he felt worst and could not even look into the eyes of the other party. Instead, he walked away embarrassingly.

As he passed by the corridor of trees, the disciples of South School of Haotian Taoism politely bowed at him and made way for him. However, Master Yan Se was in no mood to present his pleasant side today. He hurriedly dashed through the corridor with a black face, headed straight for the side door instead of the main door, and walked into the side alley. He then stretched out his hand to flick the leaves on his shoulder, which made him felt slightly better.

Though he indeed let down his sect, but he had finally found his successor. Yan Se was feeling guilty, but he could not hide his happiness either. Just now at the South School, infront of Master of Nation Li Qingshan, the feeling of embarrassment and guilt had overtook his happiness, but now that he was in the side alley, he could finally revealed his happiness.

Just then, a horse carriage stopped at the alley. Looking at the mark on the shaft, he was stunned.

A man, who looked like a steward, alighted from the horse carriage. He took a glance at Master Yan Se from head to toe and looked confused at the appearance of this taoist. It was after a long while before he recalled what his owner had instructed him, as he humbly smiled and said sincerely, ”Good day, Master Yan Se. I am the steward from Anle Duke's mansion. Under the command of my master, I was tasked to look for you. Heard that you have some writings...”

Master Yan Se gazed at the steward's face coldly. Without thinking much of the steward's intention, he answered directly, ”Get lost.”

After which, he pushed the steward out of his way and arrogantly marched his way towards the head of the alley.

The steward's face turned black, but at the thought of Yan Se's Divine Talisman Master identity and the high social ranking this master was in, he dared not grumble. Instead, he followed closely behind Yan Se as he cried, ”Master, please allow me to finish my sentence.”

Suddenly, the voice of an old man echoed in the alley and said, ”Think about Master Yan Se's status and your status. No matter what request Anle Duke has for Master Yan Se, he should either formally invite him to his residence or respectfully pay the master a visit. This is the most basic respect a junior should have for the elderly. Yet he sent a steward over instead? What an impetuous act.”