At this moment, Feng Xin, who was kneeling behind Xie Lian, said in a deep voice, "Your Highness did say that the day before yesterday."
Everyone looked at him. Feng Xin said, "Your Highness has been pondering the arrangements for the Heavenly Sacrifice Parade recently. Yesterday, a sudden idea struck him: to leap from the city wall, imitating the celestial form of a being. All other arrangements remained unchanged. However, Your Highness was still reviewing the ritual procedures and couldn't get away, so he asked Mu Qing to convey the message to the Imperial Master, asking if it was feasible."
He raised his head, his eyes gleaming with anger as he spoke, "Mu Qing came back and told Your Highness that he had informed the Imperial Preceptor, so Your Highness assumed the Imperial Preceptor had given his permission and proceeded to do so today. Who could have imagined that the Imperial Preceptor knew nothing about this and nearly ruined everything?"
The Taoists looked at each other in confusion. The Imperial Master asked, "Has anyone heard of this?"
The other three deputy imperial preceptors shook their heads repeatedly, saying no. The imperial preceptor turned to him, his face clouded with worry, then turned to anger. "Mu Qing, are you deliberately keeping this a secret?"
His words and expression clearly indicated he was convinced Mu Qing was behind this. Xie Lian glanced at the frail young man kneeling silently beside him. After a moment's reflection, he spoke, "Master, I think there must be some misunderstanding here."
Upon hearing this, Mu Qing glanced at him slowly, his eyes dark. Xie Lian said, "If he had deliberately concealed the truth, his scheme would have been exposed in a moment of confrontation. No one would have escaped responsibility. Mu Qing is by no means a short-sighted fool; he wouldn't resort to such a desperate measure. Besides, the absence of the Yueshen warrior would not benefit the demonic warriors on the same stage. I hope the Imperial Master will listen to his explanation before making a final judgment."
After saying that, he tilted his head and said, "Mu Qing, tell me, what's going on."
Mu Qing lowered his eyes and said softly, "I did tell you what Your Highness told me yesterday."
The Imperial Master frowned and said, "Don't we know whether you said that or not? When did you say that?"
Mu Qing said, "Yesterday, half an hour after finishing the evening class, when the four Imperial Masters were resting in the Four Symbols Palace, the disciple announced this from outside the window."
The Imperial Master turned to his three colleagues and asked, puzzled, "After the evening class yesterday? What were we doing then?"
As soon as he finished asking, he remembered something, and his face involuntarily turned a slightly greenish color of embarrassment. The three deputy imperial masters coughed a few times and mumbled, "Nothing much. Just... resting, that's all."
Seeing the imperial masters hesitating, everyone immediately understood what was going on.
In Huangji Temple, everyone practiced quiet meditation and had little room for games. There were only a few small amusements for entertainment, the most popular of which was the card game.
In other words, playing cards. Furthermore, they could only do so in secret, without anyone else seeing them. The Imperial Masters, suffocated by years of confinement in the Imperial Temple, had become deeply addicted. Whenever they played cards, they were completely absorbed, completely engrossed, hysterical, oblivious to any external noise. If Mu Qing happened to report through the window at that moment, how many words would he have heard?
A deputy imperial master said, "Oh, then... maybe there were too many people and the voices were too soft, so I didn't hear clearly. Hmm, I didn't hear clearly."
The Imperial Master asked doubtfully, "Did you really go to the Four Elephants Palace yesterday?"
Mu Qing said, "Absolutely true." To prove it, he described the Taoist guard's clothing, appearance, and accent exactly. The Imperial Master had no choice but to believe him. Then he frowned and said, "Since you went to the Four Symbols Palace, you could have asked the Taoist boy outside to announce it, or go in and explain in detail. Why did you have to shout outside the window? And didn't you even ask us to confirm whether we heard you?"
Mu Qing whispered, "It's not like I haven't tried. I begged the senior brother guarding the gate with kind words, but for some reason, he was determined to make things difficult for me. He wouldn't let me into the palace to report, nor would he help me pass on the message. He even... mocked me and drove me away."
After a pause, he continued, "I had no other choice but to go around to the other side of the Four Symbols Palace and report to the Imperial Masters outside the window. After I finished speaking, I faintly heard one of the Imperial Masters shout, 'Understood, withdraw,' and I assumed this meant they agreed with Your Highness's idea, so I returned."
The imperial masters remained silent.
In the heat of the game, who would listen to what others were saying outside? They would just casually shout "I know," even though they probably didn't even know where the words came from!
Xie Lian frowned and said, "How could such a thing actually happen? Which Taoist child is so arrogant? He's so rude to the people I sent. He's quite bold."
Although Xie Lian usually treated the Imperial Court with amicable camaraderie, rarely putting on airs, he was, after all, the son of the Emperor, a prince of high rank. Even kneeling before the statue, he showed no sign of humility. For a moment, he was solemn, a commanding presence without anger. Everyone fell silent, and the Imperial Preceptors' expressions became somewhat subtle.
Xie Lian asked, “Why didn’t you tell me about this when you came back yesterday?”
Mu Qing knelt, turned around, and bowed to him, saying calmly, "Your Highness, please don't pursue that senior brother. I didn't mention this matter to you when I came back yesterday because I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. It wasn't a big deal in the first place, and if you intervened on my behalf, it would only damage the harmony among our fellow disciples."
Xie Lian disagreed, angrily saying, "What kind of harmony is this? Bullying a fellow disciple and venting your anger?"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the imperial masters beside them became even more subtle.
The reason why such things happened was actually because the imperial masters did not like love.
They were unhappy, and the Daoist children who served them naturally understood their feelings. Furthermore, Mu Qing himself was not very likable, so it was normal for his fellow disciples to refuse him any favors and to make things difficult for him and criticize him. This precious disciple certainly didn't mean to mock them, but he did prick them.
Mu Qing kept retreating from his words, but Feng Xin couldn't bear to listen any longer and suddenly said, "It really wasn't a big deal in the first place, but you made it so complicated. If you had just told the gatekeeper that you were here on the orders of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, would he have the guts to not inform him? Also, before we set out today, the Imperial Preceptor asked you where His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had been. Why did you deliberately give an ambiguous answer? Couldn't you have just said His Royal Highness was waiting on the city wall for the troops to set out?"
Mu Qing immediately retorted clearly and steadily, "I originally thought the Imperial Preceptor was already aware of this matter, but I didn't expect him to ask so suddenly, which is why I was stunned for a moment. But then I told him that His Royal Highness had already told us not to worry, and that all procedures could proceed as usual, and that His Royal Highness would be here shortly. His Royal Highness wasn't there at the time, but many people heard it. How could it be intentional? And how could it be ambiguous?"
Feng Xin glared at him. But thinking about it, Mu Qing had indeed said that at the time. It was just that the Imperial Master was so anxious that he didn't dare to set off rashly. If he really had to find fault, he couldn't find any major mistakes that would prove his ulterior motives. At this point, Xie Lian said, "Alright, alright. It was all a fluke, a misunderstanding. It's just bad luck. Let's not argue about it."
Feng Xin looked extremely unhappy, but due to his status, he didn't dare to make a noise in the Shenwu Hall and remained silent. The Imperial Master didn't want to dwell on this issue any further. After all, if you really counted them, wouldn't their card game have delayed things? So he waved his hand and said, "Well, let's talk about it later! Let's discuss it and figure out a way to remedy the situation. All three of you go down, take off your clothes, and do what you need to do."
Xie Lian bowed slightly and stood up immediately. Feng Xin and Mu Qing bowed politely again before rising and following Xie Lian to leave. As Xie Lian stepped out of the door, he heard the Imperial Master say from behind, "Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Xie Lian turned back. The Imperial Preceptor said, "The King and the Empress have asked you many questions today. If you have some free time these days, go back and take a look."
Xie Lian smiled and said, "Disciple, I understand."
After leaving the Shenwu Hall, the three of them crossed a large mountain range and returned to the Taoist Xianle Palace, which was built specifically for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Only then did Xie Lian begin to remove the gorgeous clothes used for the ceremony.
As mentioned earlier, during the Lantern Festival, the attire and headgear worn by the spirit-pleasing warriors is strictly regulated. Almost every item worn has a symbolic meaning, and no one should mess up. For example, outer garments are white, symbolizing "purity and holiness"; inner garments are red, symbolizing "orthodoxy"; a golden crown tying the hair symbolizes "royal power" and "wealth"; white feathers hidden in the bosom symbolize "wings reaching the sky"; and streamers on the sleeves symbolize "carrying all living beings." And so on.
As you can imagine, this outfit, whether donning or removing it, would be incredibly cumbersome and complicated. However, as the crown prince, Xie Lian naturally didn't need to do everything himself. He simply opened his arms in the cool, fragrant air that filled the room, chatting with Feng Xin while waiting for Mu Qing, his attendant, to help him remove the layers of his pleasing clothing. That was all he needed to do.
The white garment of the Spirit-Pleasant Clothes was of exceptional quality, with a delicate texture and intricate light gold embroidery along the edges. It was ornate without being extravagant, a world of difference compared to the demon's black martial uniform. Mu Qing, still in his own murky black martial uniform, held the Spirit-Pleasant Clothes Xie Lian had taken off. His knuckles twitched as he stroked the white garment a few times, barely perceptible.
Off to the side, Xie Lian removed the golden crown that bound his hair, let his long hair down, and sat down on the edge of the sandalwood bed. He kicked his feet twice, threw off his snow-white boots, and waited for someone to put on new clothes for him. After waiting for a while, he saw that Mu Qing didn't move. He tilted his head and asked, "What's wrong?"
Mu Qing quickly came to his senses and said, "Your Highness, this Yueshenfu seems to be dirty somewhere."
Xie Lian exclaimed, “Ah!” and said, “Bring it here so I can see it?”
Sure enough, two tiny black handprints were strikingly imprinted on the snow-white uniform. Xie Lian took a look and said, "That was left by that kid who fell from the sky that day, right? I remember him grabbing onto my clothes and refusing to let go. The kid's face was bandaged; I wonder if he fell or something. Feng Xin, have you taken a look at him?"
Feng Xin was wrapping up the sword and saber he used to please the gods, and he said depressedly, "I didn't see it. I took him out of the palace and helped him see his face like you asked, but he kicked me in the knee. Damn, it hurt."
Xie Lian fell onto the bed, laughing, and pointed at him, saying, "It must be because you were mean to him. Otherwise, why would he kick you instead of me?"
Feng Xin said, "No! This little brat is like he's possessed by a ghost and will be gone in a moment. Otherwise, I would pick him up and swing him upside down to scare him until he cries."
Mu Qing flipped through the yueshenfu and said, "That child must be a beggar. He's too dirty. He got so black after scratching it. Your Highness, the yueshenfu must not be soiled. I heard it's a bad omen."
Xie Lian lay down on the sandalwood bed, casually picked up a book from the bedside, and covered the lower half of his face. He said, "Walking around the city three times and having your name recorded in history is a very good omen. It's dirty, so what? Just wash it off."
After a pause, Mu Qing said calmly: "Well, I will try to be more careful when I wash it."
Xie Lian flipped through the book and happened to come across a page with illustrations of sword techniques. Thinking back to the intense exchange on the Huatai stage today, he smiled and said, “Mu Qing, you fought quite well on the stage today.”
Mu Qing's shoulders stiffened slightly.
Xie Lian added, “I just realized today that you wield this knife much better than you do a sword.”
Mu Qing's expression relaxed, and he turned around, a smile showing on his face, and said, "Really?"
Xie Lian said, “Yes! But, I’m afraid you’re a little impatient. Using a knife and a sword are completely different. You see…”
When discussing martial arts, Xie Lian became incredibly excited, even more absorbed than the imperial masters playing cards. He leaped out of bed, shoes off, and, using his hands as swords, demonstrated on the spot. At first, Mu Qing's expression was somewhat complicated, but after Xie Lian demonstrated for a while, he began to watch intently. Feng Xin, however, brandished his wrapped saber and forced Xie Lian onto the bed, shouting, "Put your shoes on if you want a fight! You're the Crown Prince, and you're barefoot with your hair disheveled—what a sight!"
Xie Lian was just enjoying his performance when he was forced back to bed by him. He said angrily, "I know!" Then he gathered his long hair with both hands, preparing to tie it up and explain it to Mu Qing in detail. Suddenly, his brows furrowed and he said, "Strange."
Feng Xin said: "What's wrong?"
The author has something to say: This article is fictional! All the customs and etiquette, royal ecology, are all products of the author's imagination, please do not verify them (
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