Should we change it?
When I received the bone whip made from bones the next day, I was overjoyed. I raised my hand and shook it; the weight was just right, and the length was just right. I then lashed the ground with all my might, sending dust flying and even causing a small crack to appear in the blue bricks. I could also see a faint trace of earthiness being carried out by the bone whip.
What a wonderful thing! I was extremely satisfied, constantly admiring the whip from side to side...
The supervisor was happy for me when he saw that I liked it: "It's good that Xiao Xuyi likes it, keep it safe."
The cultivator next to me saw me put the bone whip to my waist and then handed me the bone-forged dagger. Was this... meant for me to keep? I looked at the supervisor.
The supervisor chuckled twice: "This dagger is imbued with resentment, and the attic hasn't been repaired yet. It wouldn't be good to leave it with anyone else. You should keep it for now."
I looked at the dagger wrapped in talismanic cloth, and suddenly thought of Bai Er. I nodded and put the dagger into my pocket.
Just as I was about to sit back down in my recliner to rest, I heard a cultivator running up say, "Senior White Bone, someone is looking for you at the door."
Someone's looking for me? Could it be that Muli is back so soon? I nodded and followed the person outside.
As I stepped out of the courtyard gate, I saw that it was a maid from Chuanguang Hall. When the maid saw me, her eyes lit up, and she came over in a few steps to greet me: "Greetings, Your Excellency."
"What's up?"
"Yes," the maid nodded, "The princess is much better. These past few days she has been asking me every day when she can return to Chuanguang Hall, which is why I have come to bother you."
Oh, we haven't checked that sealed-off courtyard yet. I blinked. "We need to observe it for a few more days. We'll have someone notify you when it's better."
“Alright,” the maid nodded, “then I’ll trouble you, sir.” She then bowed and withdrew.
As soon as I reached the entrance of the Chuanguang Hall, I saw Ah Shi talking with a cultivator from the Wuyou Sect inside: "According to what Senior Brother said, this black thing should be a trace of resentment and shouldn't cause any problems?"
“Hmm,” the cultivator from the Five Nether Sect nodded, “The resentment has lingered for over ten years, so it will definitely leave traces. As long as it doesn’t flow away, it won’t have any impact…”
I listened to the two of them discuss for a few minutes with a smile, then turned and headed to the imperial kitchen. It had been several days; it was time to eat.
As soon as I arrived at the Imperial Kitchen, I saw Chef Deng. He greeted me with a smile, "Little Xu, come here quickly, the dishes are all ready, and I've made you some soup."
"Soup?" Making soup is much more complicated than stir-frying. I walked over quickly and followed him to his room. When I saw the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall soup on the table, I felt my mouth water... although I didn't actually drool much...
Chef Deng's Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was so delicious that I forgot how long I ate. As soon as I walked out of the Imperial Kitchen, I saw Mu Li waiting by the palace road.
He frowned slightly. Could it be that something was wrong with the Crown Prince? I quickly went over and asked, "What's wrong? Is it with the Crown Prince?"
“No,” he shook his head, and after a long pause, he spoke again, “It’s Chef Deng’s son…”
"What happened?"
"Sigh..." Mu Li sighed, "The battlefield is dangerous, and he was too eager to make a name for himself. He was ambushed by the enemy. By the time the deputy general managed to rescue him, he had just arrived at the camp and died before he could even receive medical treatment..."
"What?!" I had just been asked to do this by Chef Deng a few days ago, and today I heard the news of his son's death... My heart is filled with mixed emotions...
I turned to look at the gate of the imperial kitchen, really torn between telling Chef Deng...
"And what about the Crown Prince?"
"I have already sent a visiting card to the Crown Prince's residence, but I have not yet received a reply."
"Okay." I nodded, intending to go back and digest it first, so I quietly walked towards the Imperial Observatory. When I reached the entrance of the Imperial Observatory, I found that Mu Li had been quietly accompanying me all the way...
"Huh? You didn't leave?"
Muli nodded: "I'm leaving now." Then she turned and left decisively.
I sighed and lay back down on the chair under the eaves, asking the supervisor, "Supervisor, Chef Deng's son is dead, killed in battle. Should I tell him?"
"Hmm?" The supervisor turned his head, saw my worried face, and chuckled twice: "Hey, dying on the battlefield, isn't that the glory of generals and soldiers? What's there to worry about?"
"But that was his own son after all! To lose a loved one, and then to suffer the pain of a parent outliving their child..." At this point, I thought of the prime minister again, and unconsciously sighed once more...
"Hey, Xu Yi, you're overthinking things. Don't worry about it. If you want to tell him, just say it. If you don't want to, then don't. What's there to worry about?"
"It's not that simple." I thought of the prime minister again, so I simply rode out of the palace on horseback.
When I returned to the Prime Minister's gate, I felt uneasy again... Wouldn't it be hurtful to ask the Prime Minister whether to inform the elderly that they were sending off their children? Just as I was about to leave, I saw the gate open from the inside.
The prime minister's steward looked at me with a grin: "Why doesn't the distinguished guest come in?"
"Hmm?" Does the Prime Minister's residence have people watching the view through the door? "How did you know I was outside?"
"Oh, I was just about to close the door and lock it when I saw you through the crack. I was going to wait for you to knock, but when I saw you were about to leave, I opened the door ahead of time."
He's really shrewd... I asked him, "Where's the prime minister?"
"Oh, the master is probably enjoying the moonlit view from the waterside pavilion. I'll take the distinguished guest there..."
As if possessed, I followed the steward to the Prime Minister's main courtyard. I immediately saw the Prime Minister drinking alone in the waterside pavilion. Although there were many servants around him, they were all very quiet, as quiet as the wooden stakes in the pavilion... which only made the Prime Minister seem more lonely...
The steward led me to the waterside pavilion and bowed, announcing, "Master, Miss Xu has arrived."
"Xu Yi?" The prime minister's hazy eyes revealed a hint of drunkenness and confusion as he looked at me and asked, "Why are you here?"
"I... was just taking a walk..."
"Just taking a stroll?" The prime minister scoffed. "You wouldn't just wander into my residence for no reason. Speak."
He straightened up after speaking, and a moment later the shrewd prime minister returned. Although his face was flushed with the effects of alcohol, his eyes were very clear, and even his gray hair made him seem much more experienced...
I pursed my lips, but still sat down opposite him, and said slowly, "Did you know that Chef Deng has a son?"
"Yes, I understand now."
"He just asked me a few days ago to find someone to look after his son, and today I heard that his son has died on the battlefield..."
"Oh," the prime minister hummed in agreement, "We are both parents who have to bury our children, so you thought of me?"
I didn't deny it, and the prime minister scoffed, "Xu Yi, you really don't hold back when it comes to using people, do you?"
"I...I really don't know whether I should tell him or not, and I don't know who else to ask. I feel...I feel you should know, so I...I came to ask you..."
The prime minister's cold eyes swept me up and down. Perhaps seeing my sincere attitude, he took another sip of wine and said leisurely, "What? You don't understand these social niceties?"
“Yes,” I nodded, “I just don’t understand, that’s why I thought of asking you.”
"Forget it, why bother arguing with someone as spineless as you?"
He took another sip of wine before speaking: "It's naturally painful for a parent to bury their child. Perhaps at some point, I also hoped she had simply gone far away and wouldn't be coming back anytime soon..." He glanced at me as he said this: "Chef Deng already knew his son was far away and unlikely to return home, so he could naturally delay it. However, this delay had to be controlled before the soldiers returned home... If everyone else had returned home before he learned that his son had died on the battlefield, he wouldn't be able to accept it..."
I instantly understood what the prime minister meant: since there was still a long time before returning home, I could keep it a secret from Chef Deng and let him cook for me in the imperial kitchen. I could then find an opportunity to tell him before we were closer to returning home...
"Actually... Chef Deng is getting old, and he might not be able to accept his son's passing. It would be better to keep it from him, and then you can send him off when the time comes. He will be grateful for your kindness for the rest of his life..."
This is even crueler, but it's undoubtedly the solution that maximizes profits... Chef Deng will probably spend his remaining years in the palace, since he can't see his son from behind the palace walls anyway...
"If you feel it's too much to bear, you can have Muli deliver his letters home regularly. After all, there's no way to verify the authenticity of words, so it'll naturally make him happy even in the palace..."
This is tantamount to artificially weaving a beautiful dream for Chef Deng in the palace, with General Mu Li delivering a letter from home. The letter's credibility is beyond doubt, so he will happily cook for me, be grateful for my kindness, and be happy until his death...
"If it were you, what would you choose?"
“Me?” The prime minister pointed to himself: “I will tell him that his son performed well on the battlefield, occasionally give him a few false minor military achievements, and give him some benefits to reassure him. Anyway, even if his son returns home, he won’t be able to see him through the palace walls, so whatever I say is naturally up to me. Occasionally, I will also report some injuries to him to make him worry, and then tell him that I have cured his son for him, so that he will be willing to cook more for me.”
Let him willingly squeeze out all his abilities to give to me...
I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine. Is this what a prime minister is like?
Seeing my expression, the prime minister scoffed, "What, do you think you shouldn't have come to ask me?"
“No,” I shook my head, “I just didn’t expect that the differences between worldly and spiritual practices would be so vast…”
"The way of man is to take from those who have little to give to those who have more. You should have heard of this."
“I’ve heard of it,” I nodded, “but I didn’t remember it that well, and I didn’t understand it deeply enough…”
“Hmm,” the prime minister nodded, then took another sip of wine: “I know you are not following the path of humanity.”
"Yes," I said, "the way I went was indeed inhumane."
"But Xu Yi, have you ever thought about this? You should follow the path of humanity in the mortal world. Although there are countless paths to enlightenment, none of them are superior or inferior. But you are in the human realm yet you act against the principles of humanity in every way. Shouldn't you change that?"
"Should this... be changed?"
"People say 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.' Now that you've entered this mortal world, you should naturally follow the customs of the people, shouldn't you?"
That makes so much sense! I suddenly feel a little dazed...
Should I change it?
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