723 Education in the Academy (2/2)

Master Yan Se had passed the array eye pestle of the God-stunning Array to him.

Since he had received the inheritance from the two masters, he had to guard it well. As long as he could return to Chang'an and retrieve the array eye pestle, he could at least ensure that Chang'an would not fall.

The Queen and her entourage were stopped on a bridge near Liang Village, two hundred miles from Wu state after they had traveled for a day and a night. They were stopped by a group of Garrison Troops from Liang Mountain State led by a eunuch.

Mo Han, the Grand Secretary of the Yinghua Hall was from the Liang Mountain State.

The eunuch was called Chen Jinxian and was the chief eunuch of the judicial department and was ordered to work at Liang Mountain State before the war. Upon hearing the news of the Queen returning south, he led the Garrison Troops from Liang Mountain State to stop them, not having any time to ask for instructions from Chang'an.

Eunuch Chen stood in the middle of the stone bridge, looked at the carriage, then bowed down and said proudly, ”His Majesty has issued a decree. Chang'an is in danger. Please stop here, Your Majesty, and choose a place to seek shelter.”

Ning Que, who was riding a horse, did not say anything.

The voice of the Empress emerged from the horse carriage. She said calmly, ”Eunuch Chen, where is the decree? Let me see it.”

Eunuch Chen froze, and his voice hardened, ”The decree was spoken.”

”So it is.”

Ning Que said, ”What I mean is, that the pair of siblings inside the palace are not so dumb.”

When he heard that, Eunuch Chen's expression became thunderous and he bellowed, ”How dare you! How dare you disrespect the Emperor and Governing Princess!”

Then, he turned to look at the horse carriage and said coldly, ”Does the Empress Dowager wish to go against the edict?”

The Queen said, ”I am still their mother in name. Isn't this spoken edict too disrespectful? It goes against the laws of the Tang Empire as well, how can you ask me to follow the edict?”

Eunuch Chen frowned slightly and said, ”According to the laws of the Tang Empire, during wartime...”

Without waiting for him to complete his sentence, Ning Que frowned and looked at the horse carriage. He said, ”We have already wasted some time. I don't wish to waste our time on this useless matter.”

The Queen said softly, ”We have to obey the laws of the Tang Empire.”

Shaking his head, Ning Que said, ”Your Majesty, you can obey them. I don't have to.”

The Queen asked, ”Then, what do you plan to do?”

Ning Que said, ”If I kill the man who informs us of the edict, Your Majesty can naturally cross the bridge.”

After a moment of silence, the Queen said, ”That makes sense.”

Eunuch Chen was enraged when he heard that. He took up his whip and slapped it down on the bridge heavily. He yelled, ”Who are you?! How dare you insinuate that you are going to kill a messenger of the palace!”

The eunuch had become famous in the palace for having skills with the whip. The deceased Emperor had taken a fancy to that and had given him the opportunity to climb the ladder. The sound of the eunuch's whipping was crisp and clear.

Ning Que glanced to the side.

A northern army cavalry officer rode forward, reached out and slapped the eunuch forcefully on the face. The slap was unusually clear and loud, far exceeding the sound of the eunuch's whip.

Eunuch Chen was stunned.

The cavalry commander took the whip from his hand and threw it into the river under the stone bridge. Then, he pulled out the knife in his scabbard and pointed it at the Garrison Troops that numbered in the hundreds opposite the stone bridge. He said with a deadpanned expression, ”Charge.”

The sound of hooves clopping burst out, and five hundred Tang riders rode through the smoke and dust toward the other end of the bridge.

The Liang state garrison troops could not defend against the ferocious cavalry. There were startled shouts as flags fell and horses escaped. The troops were scattered in mere moments.

The eunuch on the stone bridge was already covered in blood when he was trampled on by disorderly hooves. He had fallen unconscious and it was unknown whether he was dead or alive.

Ning Que pulled on the reins lightly, and stopped by the carriage windows. He looked at the chaotic scene and said, ”At the Academy, I read a couple of history books when I had spare time. I always found it interesting when I read that those Lords and Generals who were humiliated by eunuchs or officials just because of the Emperor's edict and were cowed.”

The Queen pulled the curtains back and said, ”This is what the Headmaster cared most about. Without rule and order, the world would become a chaotic place, leading us to forever be in dark times where the strong will prey on the weak.”

Ning Que said, ”The first class I had in the Academy was etiquette. Professor Cao Zhifeng told us then, that the rules of the Academy were simple. Whoever was the strongest would have the final say. That, is etiquette.”