Chapter 99 |
Qu Dubian and Xi Zixing left the private room and stood upstairs, looking down.
"Sixth Brother?"
Downstairs, the Sixth Prince was confronting Agumudo.
A perfectly good table lay shattered on the floor.
The Sixth Prince was flanked by his guards, who stood protectively in front of him, the atmosphere tense and hostile.
Agumudo: "Say it again. Take back those words, or I won't be polite!"
Sixth Prince: "Which words? I said so many just now, I don't remember what I said."
Agumudo: "The words, 'People from the Northern Frontier aren't that impressive.'"
The Sixth Prince curled his lip. "You said that yourself. I didn't."
Enraged, Agumudo drew his sword. The sharp scimitar swung down through the air. A guard of the Sixth Prince blocked it with his own sword. Following the screech of clashing metal, cracks began to spiderweb across the guard's blade.
Qu Dubian thought to himself, This is bad.
Once blood is shed, it'll be hard to settle this peacefully.
In the instant before the guard's sword shattered completely, Qu Dubian snatched the 'Judge's Pen' from Xi Zixing's hand. Channeling his inner energy, he flicked his fingers and sent it flying.
Clang—!
Agumudo's hand went numb from the shock. Caught off guard, he nearly lost his grip on his sword.
He snapped his head up to look.
Leaning on the second-floor railing was a young man in red robes who waved at him. "Hey, brother, no need for such a hot temper."
The Sixth Prince's eyes lit up. "Little Seven!"
Qu Dubian didn't show off by jumping down directly. Instead, he properly took the stairs.
Xi Zixing followed him. Once on the first floor, he quietly picked up his pen, found a good spot, and focused intently on watching the Sixth and Seventh Princes.
Agumudo: "You know each other."
After quickly assessing the situation, Qu Dubian said, "He's my elder brother. If he said something improper, I apologize on his behalf."
He grasped Agumudo's wrist, intending to guide the sword back into its scabbard, and smiled.
"Brother, isn't it unpleasant to resort to swords and blades?"
Agumudo instinctively summoned his inner energy to resist the force. Qu Dubian countered with a surge of his own.
After a brief stalemate, Agumudo's sword, following Qu Dubian's lead, slowly slid back into its scabbard.
Qu Dubian let go and took a good look at Agumudo.
When Princess Axiang came to the capital, she brought people from the Northern Frontier. It was said the leader of the Northern Frontier guards was named Agumudo, nephew of the tribal chieftain and quite close to him.
The man before him was dressed differently from the average Northern Frontier person, so he must be Agumudo.
The age matched too.
Princess Axiang was still in the Great Zhou. If a fight broke out and blood was shed, it wouldn't be good for the diplomatic relations between Great Zhou and the current Northern Frontier tribe.
Agumudo glanced at his hand. His wrist was red all around, the bones nearly crushed, yet he wasn't angry. Instead, a competitive fire ignited within him.
He guessed that Qu Dubian and the other were nobles of high status. Nobility alone couldn't make him back down, but he respected warriors capable of defeating him.
Thus, his attitude actually improved somewhat.
"I won't accept an apology on his behalf. Fight me. If you win, I'll let it go."
"Why should we apologize to him?"
They spoke in unison. After a pause, the Sixth Prince fumed, "You dare not accept Little Seven's apology?!"
Qu Dubian directly covered the Sixth Prince's mouth.
"What shall we compete in?"
Agumudo: "Find a place. A direct fight."
Qu Dubian frowned. "That's not very good."
Agumudo sneered. "Afraid?"
Qu Dubian: "My clothes are newly made by my family. The fabric is thin and delicate, easily torn. A direct fight is too rough."
Agumudo's eyes widened. "We're both men. Just take your clothes off, won't that do?"
Qu Dubian: "Ah, I'm shy."
Agumudo: "......"
These Great Zhou people, really...
Having had his fun, Qu Dubian said, "Let's compete in archery. There's a grassy field west of the city outskirts."
Agumudo: "People of the Northern Frontier are all skilled in horseback riding and archery. Choosing this is like admitting defeat outright."
Qu Dubian: "So what if I lose? Let's compete first and then talk."
Agumudo: "If you're not afraid, I'll keep you company."
As he was about to leave, Qu Dubian said, "Wait a moment. Who broke the table? Pay for it."
Ruyi Pavilion had his uncle's shares. Never mind outsiders, even his own brother had to pay for damaged property!
After Agumudo paid for the table, the group headed straight for the field.
Xu Cheng wanted to join the conversation but couldn't find an opening. Scratching his head and ears in frustration, he followed along.
Xi Zixing called out to him: "Hey, if you don't want to look too bad later, you'd better not follow Little Seven."
After years of friendship, he could tell that Little Seven never liked the second branch of the Xu family to begin with, and now he was genuinely angry at the one who had egged on the Sixth Prince.
If Xu Cheng followed, who knows what might happen.
Xu Cheng frowned. "What's it to you?"
With that, he hurried to catch up.
Xi Zixing shook his head. Good advice is wasted on those doomed to suffer.
He opened the booklet marked [Six] and deducted another two points.
The Sixth Prince instantly fell below the passing line.
-
The grassy field in the western outskirts was a place specifically for noble families to play polo or practice riding and archery.
There was an archery range and even martial arts instructors hired specifically to teach archery.
Of course, the overall facilities here certainly couldn't compare to the training grounds within the palace reserved for the princes.
Agumudo selected a bow that felt good in his hand and gave it a strong pull.
Once satisfied, he looked over at Qu Dubian's side. "Ready yet?"
Sixth Prince: "What's the rush?!"
He was busy wrapping cloth around Qu Dubian's palms to prevent the bowstring from chafing them. After finishing, he went to inspect the bow and arrows.
"This bow isn't good. There are splinters on it. Getting one stuck in your hand is troublesome. Get another one."
Agumudo's mouth twitched. "Is that necessary? Do you know his grip strength is strong enough to crush the bones in my wrist?"
Sixth Prince: "That's because he practices martial arts well."
Agumudo: "Right. He's a martial artist. Does he need to be this meticulous?"
Martial artists were generally rougher around the edges. Even if the Great Zhou people were more refined, surely it wasn't to this exaggerated extent.
The Sixth Prince rolled his eyes.
Being skilled in martial arts didn't mean one was physically strong. The number of times all his brothers had gotten sick combined, even doubled, didn't match the number of times Little Seven alone had fallen ill.
If Little Seven got even a scratch during this competition, he could forget about peace and quiet for the foreseeable future! The Fourth Prince's glare alone could kill him, and the Eldest Prince would surely lecture him.
Xi Zixing also joined the inspection brigade.
Qu Dubian: "Isn't this a bit much? Sixth Brother is one thing, but have you been infected too?"
Xi Zixing thought of the special illness log he kept for Qu Dubian. "Last time you practiced archery, you got cut by an arrowhead and developed a high fever. I suspect it was because the arrowhead was dirty."
Qu Dubian: "......"
That was an accident. Martial arts practice and a simulation exercise happened to coincide.
Xi Zixing meticulously wiped clean the arrowheads Qu Dubian would later use, arranging them neatly in a row. Then he checked the cloth wrapped around Qu Dubian's palms. "Make it a bit tighter. It's not quite symmetrical."
Agumudo could bear it no longer. "Hey!"
Are we competing or not?!
Qu Dubian pushed these two endlessly fussy fellows aside and took up his bow, stepping onto the field.
Xi Zixing retreated to the side. Xu Cheng, who had somehow ended up next to him, gave him a strange look.
Xi Zixing: "What is it?"
Xu Cheng: "Now I finally understand why you told me not to come."
Xi Zixing: "What?"
Xu Cheng: "Turns out you're better at bootlicking than I am."
Wiping arrowheads, binding bandages, and acting so naturally about it... he could never learn that.
The term "licking dog" became popular at some unknown time. It is used to mock those infatuated men and women in the storybooks who, despite being ignored, spurned, and humiliated in every possible way, still greet others with smiling faces.
Xi Zixing took a while to associate with this term. Then his ears flushed red, and he gritted his teeth and said, "That's not flattery and sycophancy!"
Xu Cheng is the real "licking dog"!
He just cared about the people on the list of candidates for the lord.
If the Seventh Prince was unqualified, he, Xi Zixing, would definitely not care whether there were burrs on the bow and arrow in the Seventh Prince's hand.
Xu Cheng said, "You're afraid I'll compete with you."
Xi Zixing suppressed his annoyance and said, "A dirty - minded person sees everyone as dirty."
At this time, Qu Dubian said, "Let's change the game and play something more exciting, how about it?"
Agumudo asked, "What?"
Qu Dubian replied, "We'll each put a strawberry on our heads and shoot arrows at each other. The one who hits the strawberry wins. Of course, if neither of us hits or both of us hit, there will be an extra round."
"Ah! No way, no way!!"
Before Agumudo could say anything, there were two screams from Qu Dubian's side.
Xi Zixing and the Sixth Prince.
Their hearts started pounding like crazy.
Qu Dubian pressed down their heads, raised his eyebrows and said, "Life and death are not a concern. Dare to play?"
Agumudo gritted his teeth, and a fierce look flashed in his eyes. "Let's play!"
True to his word, the two even signed a deed stating that life and death were not a concern on the spot.
Qu Dubian took a strawberry from the fruit plate in the pavilion on the grassland, put it on his head, and walked backwards for fifty meters.
As he walked, he snapped his fingers and said, "Six is a lucky number."
It seemed like a blessing to Agumudo, but in fact, it was a secret signal between him and Yi Shier.
It meant for Yi Shier to act according to the situation. If this guy really couldn't handle it, Yi Shier would stop the arrow in time.
It was fun to play around, but he wasn't going to risk his life.
As he walked farther away, the hearts of the Sixth Prince and Xi Zixing gradually rose.
The Sixth Prince was on the verge of tears. "It's over. If something happens, I'm doomed..."
Xi Zixing said, "It's too risky. It's really too risky!"
A gentleman doesn't stand under a dangerous wall. If one had a lord who actively put himself in a dangerous situation, wouldn't he have to be like an actor in a theater, constantly practicing his voice like just now.
"Come on!"
Qu Dubian waved and said, "Don't break my hair, okay!"
Agumudo pulled the bowstring, squinted his eyes.
The cold arrow tip was aimed at the red strawberry on Qu Dubian's head.
After a moment, he suddenly let go, and the feathered arrow flew out!
The Sixth Prince covered his eyes and shouted, "Seventh Prince, aaaaaah!"
Whoosh -
Qu Dubian felt a lightness on his head. The arrow tip, with the strawberry on it, was firmly shot into the target behind, and a splash of red fruit juice spread out.
He gave a thumbs - up and shouted, "Great shot!"
Agumudo smiled and said, "Naturally! It's your turn."
He put down the bow and was about to change positions with Qu Dubian.
"Hey, don't be in a hurry. Wait a minute. I need to practice!"
"..." Agumudo hesitated. "Practice?"
Qu Dubian ran back quickly. "Yes, yes. This is my first time shooting arrows on the grassland seriously."
The Sixth Prince testified for him. "It's his first time shooting on the grassland. Usually, he shoots in the special shooting range in the palace."
Well, he didn't finish the whole sentence, so it couldn't really be called a lie.
Agumudo couldn't believe it. "You can't shoot arrows, but you still come to the grassland to compete with me? Isn't this a sure - loss situation?"
Qu Dubian looked at him strangely. "Didn't I say when I came that it's okay to lose? If I lose, I'll apologize to you together with my brother."
Agumudo was stunned for a moment and remembered the deed about life and death not being a concern that he had signed just now.
"You... you want to shoot me with an arrow openly. You want to take revenge on me for your brother. How insidious you are!"
Qu Dubian aimed at the human - shaped target fifty meters away, pulled the bowstring, and shot an arrow, which hit right between the legs of the target. "Oops, I shot wide."
Agumudo shivered involuntarily, and a chill ran down his back.
Qu Dubian said regretfully, "Sure enough, the pressure is greater when facing a real person. With greater pressure, one is more likely to perform well. I'm so kind."
He shot a few more arrows casually, hitting the center of the target's eyebrows, shoulders, and stomach respectively.
"Okay! Go over there. I'm ready to start."
He urged Agumudo.
Agumudo fell silent.
Qu Dubian said, "Don't you want to win?"
Agumudo: "………"
He looked at Qu Dubian's face and seemed to see the devil in the rumors of the various tribes in the Northern Border, who would take out people's hearts and livers with a smile.
"No, I - " I admit defeat.
Qu Dubian squinted slightly, instantly drew the bow and set the arrow, aimed at Agumudo's head, and suddenly released the string. The arrow tip passed through the strawberry at an extremely tricky angle and sharply pierced the bull's - eye behind!
Thud -
The tail feather trembled.
Agumudo's pupils suddenly dilated.
Qu Dubian came up with a smile, stood on tiptoe and put his arm around his shoulder. "Hey, I just got itchy fingers. But you still win. After all, the distance between us was only two or three meters."
"I still want to apologize. The Great Zhou and the Northern Border Wangting have a good relationship because of Princess Axiang. If we are rude to each other, it will surely damage the face of both sides."
He resolved the situation with both soft and hard words, and his words were sincere.
Agumudo was not the kind of person who was persistent and narrow - minded. He stared at Qu Dubian for a moment and said, "I started practicing martial arts at the age of six. I can tell that you have a strong foundation. I'll have a chance to fight with you and see who is better."
The Sixth Prince commented, "It must be the Seventh Prince. He started practicing martial arts at the age of two and a half. Isn't it natural for him to be strong..."
Agumudo asked, "How old?"
The Sixth Prince replied, "Two and a half. Oh, don't misunderstand. Our family didn't abuse children. The Seventh Prince often got sick, so he practiced martial arts to strengthen his body. While we were still playing with mud, he was already drinking medicine and punching. But it didn't work very well. He still has a rather poor health."
Agumudo was silent again.
Poor health?
He couldn't see it at all.
Are these people blind?
He held back a bunch of words in his chest and finally just said, "Let's have a match some other time."
Qu Dubian said, "Maybe we'll meet again soon."
It was the Princess Mansion of Aunt Axiang, which wasn't far from the palace.
After Agumudo left, Qu Dubian clapped his hands, untied the bandage on his palm, and looked at Xu Cheng. "Agumudo doesn't know our identities, but you do."
"Can you bear the blame for provoking a dispute between the Great Zhou and the Northern Border?"
Xu Cheng said, "Cousin, you're overreacting. Where would I... "
Qu Dubian said with a smile, "You know what you've said. Also, don't call me cousin. I really don't want to see you."
The Sixth Prince watched for a long time and finally understood. "Seventh Prince, you don't have a good relationship with him. Aren't you relatives? When he came to see me, he said you had a good relationship."
Qu Dubian said, "I really hate him. Three years ago, when the Duke of Lu caused trouble in the Chunfeng Tower, he even scolded me."
The Sixth Prince looked up. "Xu Cheng, you lied to me."
Xu Cheng's smile froze.
Qu Dubian put his arm around the Sixth Prince's shoulder. "I still have something to do. I'm leaving first. Go back and tell your old man at home that if he still wants to keep his position as the Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, he'd better behave himself in the capital."
The mess of designing Xu Yueqing to fall in love with the emperor, which was the beginning of all the tragedies of the original owner's mother, had already been settled by the maternal grandfather. As a junior, he was not good at interfering anymore.
But the second branch of the Xu family kept causing trouble again and again. If such minor matters were left unchecked, they would inevitably become a source of disaster. He didn't mind helping his grandfather clean house.
Having said that, Qu Dubian pulled the Sixth Prince away.
After the practice field was mostly empty, Yi Shier appeared beside the stone table in the pavilion. He picked up the "life-or-death contract" on the table, folded it neatly, and tucked it into his robe.
Having watched the whole spectacle, Xi Zixing bid farewell to Qu Dubian and returned home to prepare the gate-blocking challenges meant to give Yuan Jie's prospective groom a hard time.
"Take your guards and return to the palace yourself. Don't tell anyone about today's events. If you do, and your backside gets whipped raw, no one will be able to save you."
The Sixth Prince swore, "Don't worry, I won't."
Qu Dubian couldn't help but give him a light smack. "Sixth Brother, the friends you make don't have the best reputations. You should try to avoid hanging out with them from now on."
The Sixth Prince said, "They're all just trying to curry favor with me. I know what's what."
Qu Dubian: "..."
He waved his hand. "You should just go back."
"You're not coming?"
"We're already at the outskirts of the capital. I'm going up the mountain to visit Dahei. If you see Steward Ye at the palace, tell him I'll be back late."
"Oh... alright, got it."
Only after the prince had left did Qu Dubian turn and head towards the unnamed mountain.
"Liu Liu, come out."
Yi Shier appeared and walked beside him.
The two climbed the mountain together. Qu Dubian chatted with him idly, casually picking quite a few wildflowers along the way.
He had learned how to weave flower crowns from Zhiyi.
By the time they reached the small grave mound of Dahei, he had already fashioned a beautiful flower crown in his hands.
He placed the crown on the ground.
"No snacks today. Elder Sister is busy. I made you some little flowers instead."
Yi Shier sat with him there for a while. They didn't head back to the city until the sky began to darken.
This stretch of streets was sparsely populated after nightfall.
The two of them walked along the road at a leisurely pace.
"Liu Liu, you mustn't tell Steward Ye about today's matter, understand?"
Yi Shier: "Mhm, won't tell."
But if the "life-or-death contract" in his robe happened to accidentally fall at Ye Xiaoyuan's feet later, that couldn't be blamed on him, and his monthly allowance shouldn't be docked.
He would never tattle over trivial matters, but today's affair was no trivial matter. No matter how much His Highness trusted him, he shouldn't gamble with his own life.
What if he had failed to intercept it in time?
Qu Dubian stretched lazily. "One of the few perks of living in the Princes' Quarters is being able to return late without having to rush for the inner palace curfew."
Yi Shier suddenly halted his steps. "Wait."
He frowned slightly, looking towards the alley across the street. The faint clang of clashing blades could be heard from that direction.
Qu Dubian, whose internal energy wasn't as profound, hadn't sensed it. "Is there a sound?"
Yi Shier: "People are fighting."
Qu Dubian: "Let's go take a look. Sneak a peek."
Yi Shier grabbed him. "I'll go first."
Qu Dubian followed behind him, holding his breath and moving lightly towards the source of the fight.
The closer they got, the clearer the sounds became.
Leaping onto the top of a wall and looking down into the alley, the scent of blood, previously blocked by the wall, rushed into his nostrils. Qu Dubian's face paled, and he almost vomited on the spot.
He hurriedly held his breath and covered his mouth and nose.
Only then did he have the presence of mind to look into the alley.
The one fighting was actually Agumudo.
He was facing six black-clad assailants. The two Northern Border guards who had been accompanying Agumudo were already dead in the alley.
Outnumbered and fighting alone, Agumudo was struggling to hold his own and had already sustained several wounds.
Someone actually wanted to kill him here in the capital??
At this critical juncture with Auntie Axiang returning to the palace, Great Zhou would absolutely not make a move against Northern Border visitors in the capital. Agumudo was the nephew of the tribal chieftain. If he died here, his cheap father and Auntie Axiang would have no way to explain it to the pro-Zhou faction of the Northern Border court.
Yi Shier glanced at Qu Dubian, fumbled in his robe, and pulled out a sour tangerine candy.
He unwrapped it and held it to Qu Dubian's lips.
Qu Dubian opened his mouth and took it. The feeling of nausea was suppressed by the sourness.
He pointed at Agumudo below, then at the six assassins nearby.
Meaning: I'll pull him away in a moment, you provide cover.
Yi Shier nodded.
They both looked down again.
Agumudo grabbed the blade of a killer slashing towards him and roared, "Who sent you!"
"Are you from Great Zhou?"
Qu Dubian called down, "Don't go splashing dirty water on us, alright?"
Agumudo jerked his head up. "What are you doing here?"
The assassins below looked up, made a hand signal, and immediately two of them broke off to charge towards the wall!
"Good evening, everyone. No need for such enthusiasm."
Qu Dubian jumped down from the wall, landed on an assassin's shoulder, and used the momentum to leap again. He grabbed the back of Agumudo's collar—unintentionally snagging a few of his small braids in the process—and yanked him upward!
"Go!"
Agumudo's face contorted in pain, tears nearly spurting from his eyes.
He clenched his jaw, barely suppressing a scream, and used the pull to follow Qu Dubian as they burst out of the alley.
Qu Dubian shouted over his shoulder, "Don't get hurt! Just hold them off! We're getting help!" Then, as an afterthought, he added sternly, "If you get injured, I'll dock your pay, ban milk tea, and confiscate your storybooks!"
Yi Shier's figure stiffened almost imperceptibly. His close-quarters fighting style, which often traded minor wounds for kills, immediately became much more restrained.
He switched to a longer-range weapon, drawing the soft sword from his waist. Leaping back, he positioned himself between the six assassins and the fleeing pair.
After giving his instructions, Qu Dubian dragged Agumudo and sprinted away.
Agumudo was covered in wounds, the smell of blood wafting from him in waves that assaulted Qu Dubian's nose. His small face was pale. The more he tried to endure it, the tighter his grip became.
Agumudo felt like his scalp was going numb from the pain. "Could you let go? I can run on my own..."
Qu Dubian said, "Changing positions wastes time. Every second wasted increases the chance Liu Liu gets hurt. Just bear with the discomfort."
Agumudo asked, "Where are we going for help?"
Qu Dubian replied, "The nearest place from here is the Southern Ning hostage prince's residence."
"The Southern Ning hostage prince?"
"There are definitely Great Zhou sentinels posted outside his residence. Once we get there, the news will spread quickly, and then we won't have to worry." Qu Dubian sped up. "We can also see his reaction, check if he was the one who tried to have you killed."
He remembered Liu Liu telling him that Yu Ruo had two people guarding him: one named Gu Xin, his public bodyguard, and another hidden in the shadows, whose stealth skills were no worse than Liu Liu's.
Yu Ruo had both the capability and a motive to make a move.
Stirring up conflict between the Northern Border and Great Zhou would benefit his Southern Ning, wouldn't it?
Qu Dubian leaped onto the walls of Yu Ruo's residence, stood on the top, and shouted, "Is anyone there! Anyone! Yu Ruo! Yu Ruo!!"
Yu Ruo, draped in an outer robe, emerged from his bedroom. Looking up at the wall, he said in astonishment, "Seventh Prince??"
Agumudo exclaimed, "You're a prince??"
Qu Dubian jumped down, still dragging him. "Hurry, help! There are assassins chasing us!"
A question mark seemed to pop above Yu Ruo's head. "You led assassins to my place? Wait, is someone from Great Zhou trying to kill you?"
"He's the target," Qu Dubian said, finally releasing Agumudo. "My man is holding them off back there."
"Your Highness, you've always avoided me whenever possible before," Yu Ruo said, raising an eyebrow. "If I help you this time, will you still avoid me?"
Qu Dubian: "If you don't help, the dirty water might just get splashed on you. Killing him and stirring up trouble between the Northern Frontier and Great Zhou offers plenty of benefits for your Nanning. Having you take action is to clear your name. I'm helping you here."
Yu Ruo: "Suspicion is still just suspicion. It doesn't constitute a conviction."
Qu Dubian: "I owe you a meal."
"Deal!"
Yu Ruo smiled and called out, "Gu Xin."
The guard behind him cupped his hands in salute and vaulted over the courtyard wall.
Seeing the matter settled, Qu Dubian finally let out a sigh of relief. He immediately put five paces between himself and Agumudo and sat down on a stone stool in the courtyard.
Yu Ruo asked, puzzled, "Why do you look so terrible? Are you hurt?"
Qu Dubian: "I'm not..." A glance from the corner of his eye caught the hand he had used to grab Agumudo—it was stained with blood.
He: "..."
Holding his breath, he sprang up, rushed to the water vat, and began scrubbing his hands frantically.
Yu Ruo: "...?"