Chapter 37 The world of unparalleled beauty is never short of people with similar appearances…
Inside the private room, the young man in white was already getting impatient. He pressed down on his folding fan, and the plain-clothed guard beside him leaned close to his ear, "Your Highness, please don't be impatient. I just went to ask and came out soon."
“My uncle said there would be a surprise tonight, so I came up with a plan to come out.” Mu Lexiu raised her phoenix eyes in displeasure. “Well, now my uncle is nowhere to be seen. A surprise? I’m afraid it will turn into a fright.”
"Your Highness, please forgive my lateness." A middle-aged man in a crimson robe hurriedly entered the private room. This was Shen Ao, the head of the inner quarters. Shen Ao wiped the large beads of sweat from his forehead and hurriedly greeted, "My wife wouldn't let me out. I had to coax her for a while and bring up Your Highness before I could get away. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
“My aunt is like a shrew, we might as well divorce her.” Mu Lexiu chuckled and gestured for Chen Ao to sit down and talk.
"No, no, harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things." Shen Ao bowed repeatedly to Mu Lexiu. Although he and Mu Chenbi were both his nephews, there was a difference between ruler and subject. In particular, these two were each formidable in their own way. Although Shen Ao was his uncle, he dared not offend either of them.
"I've been waiting for half an hour, what surprise is there?" Mu Lexiu was already tired of the dancers' affected and pretentious dance moves on stage. He had really liked the clear and melodious singing of the last time, but after coming for more than ten days, he had grown tired of it. Mu Lexiu couldn't think of any special tricks that Shiyage could come up with that he had never seen before.
“This time, there will definitely be a surprise.” Shen Ao smiled meaningfully. “Has Your Highness heard that Xingguo Ward has arrived in Rongdu?”
"The whole of Rongdu is buzzing with the news that Cui Jin personally went to pick up the ship." Mu Lexiu toyed with the folding fan in his hand, his phoenix eyes glancing sideways at the platform. "What's wrong, Uncle, after controlling the military industry for over ten years, are you scared?"
“No, no, not at all.” Shen Ao waved his hand. “That’s Cui Jin’s intention, but whether it will go as he wishes is hard to say.”
"Oh?" Mu Lexiu stopped what he was doing, took a small sip of wine, and said, "I heard that Father and my brother are very supportive of the Imperial Advisor's proposal. Father is preparing to personally inscribe the three characters 'Yu Ren Fang' and bestow them upon the Pei family. The inner workshop is in dire straits, yet my uncle still has the interest to come to Shi Ya Ge?"
"A mere meteor sword, nothing special." Shen Ao looked disdainful. After the beautiful woman on stage finished her dance and retreated to the backstage, he pointed and said, "She's here, she's here."
Mu Lexiu lightly pressed his wine cup, lazily raising his eyebrows. He saw a beautiful young woman in a green dress standing on the platform. The young woman had dark black hair and an extraordinary appearance. She held a long sword and her figure was as graceful as a swallow. As the music of the zither began, the young woman drew her long sword. With a gentle twist of her wrist, the sword light merged into her graceful figure. Her supple waist swayed with the arc of the sword, the blade curving into a crescent moon before springing back up in an instant. The young woman leaped with her sword, the blade flashing like lightning, coiling around her body like a silver snake. Her black hair danced lightly with the sword, dazzling the eyes.
Mu Lexiu's gaze froze, momentarily stunned. He closed his eyes tightly as if in disbelief, then opened them sharply after a moment, meeting the eyes of the sword-dancing girl. The girl's eyes were like deep pools, and even that casual, cunning glance made Mu Lexiu's body tense, giving him a chilling feeling.
When she came to her senses, the girl had already stopped her attack. Her slender fingers brushed the blade as if she were holding a flower branch. She smiled at the whole scene as if nothing had happened. Her smile was pure and innocent, but her eyes also carried a hint of evil.
"What does Your Highness think?" Shen Ao's thick chin trembled slightly. "Your Highness? Your Highness?"
"Just swordplay." Mu Lexiu picked up the wine cup and brought it to his lips, only to find that the cup was empty when he looked up. He could only wipe his lips with the back of his finger and pretend to drink it. "The swordsmanship is not bad, but... it's not exactly surprising."
“Her name is Wushuang.” Shen Ao could see through her but couldn’t say it outright. “She’s a new swordswoman in Rongdu, and a remarkable female swordswoman at that. When the old lady of Shiyage found a treasure and learned that the inner quarters were short of swordswomen, she told me first, which is why she hurriedly invited His Highness out.”
"I hate swordplay the most, Uncle knows that." Mu Lexiu couldn't help but look at the swordsman in green again. The girl's red lips curled up, and she clasped her hands to thank the guests who cheered below the stage. It must be her first time on stage, but the grand scene in front of her did not make her feel uneasy. On the contrary, she felt very happy. Mu Lexiu couldn't help but stand up, and used his bone fan to lift the beaded curtain, wanting to see the girl more clearly.
The female swordswoman named Wushuang looked up and saw the white-clad youth in the private room giving her an ambiguous look, as if she had seen something dirty. The corners of her mouth curled up in disgust. Mu Lexiu had never been looked at like that before. His phoenix eyes were filled with surprise. He was about to lash out, but then he remembered that he was outside the palace and could not act rashly. The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. He took a step to leave, but when he saw Wushuang's contemptuous eyes, he could only suppress his dissatisfaction and sit down.
"You want to recruit her into the inner palace?" Mu Lexiu asked again, eyeing Wushuang.
Although Mu Lexiu disliked swords, he knew that the Jin Kingdom valued military industry. In the early days when the five workshops were in power, the workshop leaders were quite prestigious in the capital and even the entire Jin Kingdom. In particular, Lu Nian, the leader of the Tianhu workshop, could even enter and leave the palace to discuss swordsmanship with the emperor, and his status was not to be underestimated. After the collapse of the five workshops, the inner workshops rose to power, controlling the Jin Kingdom's military equipment for more than ten years, with an annual turnover of no less than one million taels of silver. The depth of the business was unimaginable. How could his uncle willingly hand over this lucrative business to those deserted islanders? Not to mention his uncle, Mu Lexiu hadn't even met him yet, but he could already smell the nauseating stench of rust.
"The weaponsmiths are the most respected in the weapon workshop, followed by the swordsmen. Although the swordsmen are second, without a capable swordsman, even the best weapon cannot unleash its full power. In other words, the same sword is a divine weapon in the hands of a master swordsman, but in my hands... it's just a lump of scrap iron." Shen Ao was talkative and never stopped talking. He didn't notice that Mu Lexiu was getting impatient and continued, "Canglang Island is a tiny place, and the living are almost all dead. Who in Xingguo Workshop can be a swordsman? Since there are no outstanding swordsmen, the inner workshop can still put up a fight."
The swordsmen of Xingguo Ward… Mu Lexiu’s brow twitched slightly. Before Wushuang stepped onto the stage, he seemed to have caught a glimpse of several sword-wielding youths peeking around… Rongdu no longer has wards, and without wards there are no swordsmen. Could they be…?
"It's really hard to say whether there are any swordsmen in Xingguo Ward." Mu Lexiu tapped the table with his bone fan. "Besides, Wushuang is a woman... are there any female swordsmen in this world?"
"Women are not to be underestimated." Shen Ao lowered his voice. "Who says there can't be female swordsmen? Skill level doesn't discriminate between men and women."
“Uncle has a lot of experience,” Mu Lexiu said with a sneer. “Aunt is not to be underestimated.”
"I can't talk about it, I can't talk about it." Chen Ao was like a frightened bird when he mentioned his wife, afraid that she would suddenly appear out of nowhere. She was the shrew from Hedong who dared to slap him in the face even at the emperor's family banquet.
"The inner quarters it is then, but this Wushuang seems to have quite a temper. Let's see if the inner quarters can handle her." Mu Lexiu waved his fan and stood up. Just as he was about to go downstairs, he encountered Wushuang again. Mu Lexiu stood high above, with Chen Ao and the guards following behind him like stars surrounding the moon. Mu Lexiu's eyes slanted, exuding a natural nobility, and his eyes were unruly as if he wanted to turn the tables on the time when he was disliked.
Wushuang held his head high, coldly glancing at Mu Lexiu. His brows and eyes were full of unrestrained grace, and his eyes were slightly narrowed, showing a fearlessness that he did not recognize the person in front of him.
Seeing Mu Lexiu's helpless expression as he looked at the girl before him, Shen Ao felt more certain about the future of the inner quarters.
Imperial Palace, Zetian Hall
Only today did Pei Yuan realize that his decades of seclusion and the forbearance of three generations of the Pei family were all for this moment of triumphant return.
He was summoned by the Emperor of Jin. In the main hall, Emperor Mu You sat on the dragon throne in the center, only a zhang away from him. All the civil and military officials stood on both sides of him, passing around the meteor sword forged by Xingguo Workshop, making sounds of amazement.
Mu You was not as imposing as Pei Yuan had imagined. He had a kind face and his eyes held the wisdom and affability of a wise ruler. He praised the Pei family for their endurance of loneliness and hardship. Mu You also said that once the Heavenly Furnace was rebuilt, he would personally visit the Imperial Blade Workshop and write a new plaque for the Pei family.
Upon hearing this, the court officials exchanged bewildered glances. Pei Yuan knelt down in fear to express his gratitude, while Cui Jin smiled calmly at the expressions of the officials in the hall.
Mu You gestured for Pei Yuan not to be too reserved, "Pei Yuan, what method did you use to melt the meteorite?"
“This humble subject…” Pei Yuan looked troubled.
"I understand," Mu You said with a smile. "Each family's secret techniques are never passed on to outsiders. Even if I ordered you to tell me, you certainly wouldn't, would you?"
"I am guilty," Pei Yuan said, his voice trembling.
“You are innocent, and you have even rendered meritorious service.” Mu You sheathed his sword. “The Crown Prince is fond of weapons, especially swords. He is also very interested in the forging techniques of various schools and has long been looking forward to Xingguo Workshop returning to the capital. Today the Crown Prince was not in the palace, but he has been thinking about the mystery of the meteorite for a long time. He will definitely come to your house to show off his skills. You’d better keep them well hidden.”
Mu You's words caused the court officials to laugh, and the atmosphere in the hall immediately eased. The ministers whispered among themselves, thinking how great the Pei family's reputation was. The emperor was usually so dignified, but he was actually laughing and joking during the morning court session. It seemed that the Pei family was going to take the main road back to the capital.
"I am overwhelmed by the favor shown to me by His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince." Pei Yuan searched for Cui Jin. The honor had come too quickly and too much, and even someone as strong as him was finding it hard to cope. In particular, the unpredictable gazes of the officials made Pei Yuan feel as if he were in a maze, dizzy and unsure of how to deal with it.
After the morning court session ended, the officials flattered Pei Yuan and then left. Pei Yuan wiped the beads of sweat that kept seeping from his forehead. The island was lonely and social interactions were scarce. He had met more people today than he had met in the first half of his life combined. Apart from remembering Mu You's imperial appearance, he didn't remember any of the others.
"The last person to greet you was the Emperor's brother-in-law, Shen Ao, the head of the Inner Palace." Cui Jin noticed Pei Yuan's anxiety. "The Inner Palace has controlled the military industry of the Great Jin for over ten years. Head Shen must see you as a thorn in his side."
“This…” Pei Yuan recalled Shen Ao’s face, his expression filled with fear.
“What are you afraid of? You need to remember more than just this person.” Cui Jin’s eyes were meaningful. “The big pie that the inner workshop is making is about to be taken away by your family. In the future, there will be many more people who hate your Pei family.”
Pei Yuan clasped his hands in a fist and raised them to the sky, saying, "The Pei family's loyalty to the emperor is as clear as the sun and moon; there is nothing to fear."
“I didn’t misjudge you.” Cui Jin smiled with satisfaction. “Go back to the post station and rest early. If you need anything or anything that is difficult to obtain in Rongdu, just tell me.”
"Thank you, Imperial Preceptor." Pei Yuan bowed deeply. When he looked up, he vaguely saw a figure walking down the steps. The figure was dressed in a black robe embroidered with dragons, with a golden crown and jade belt. The figure had the air of an emperor, making people dare not look directly at him. Pei Yuan paused, his gaze fixed on the figure. The person's profile seemed familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
"Who is that...?"
“Crown Prince Chen Bi,” Cui Jin uttered softly.
"Your Highness... Crown Prince." Pei Yuan stared with his large, round eyes, trying to get a better look at the person's face.
Mu Chenbi looked remarkably like someone. If Pei Yuan hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that there could be two people in the world who looked so alike. His sharply defined profile seemed to have been sculpted from A Jiu's features. However, there were still differences between him and A Jiu. Mu Chenbi was imposing and radiant, while A Jiu had endured hardships and had a cold and slightly weathered face. Even from several feet away, Mu Chenbi's royal majesty still deeply moved Pei Yuan. The imperial aura in his eyes was even stronger than that of his father. With each step, it seemed as if a vast army was following behind him.
“I remember,” Cui Jincheng said firmly, “The boy who presented the Meteor Sword on the day we landed on the island to retrieve it was named Ajiu.”
"The Imperial Advisor has a good memory." Pei Yuan couldn't take his eyes off Mu Chenbi as he walked away.
Cui Jin spoke lightly, “People are shallow. In fact, there is no shortage of people who look alike. It just so happens that Ajiu looks like the Crown Prince. If he has the opportunity to meet the Emperor one day, the Emperor and the Crown Prince will only find it amusing. Master Pei, you don’t need to take it to heart.”
“Yes…yes…” Pei Yuan withdrew his gaze, “It really is…very similar.”
Looking back, Mu Chenbi had already disappeared around the corner of the palace road. Cui Jin was right; there was no shortage of people with similar appearances in the world. Even if Ajiu had a face similar to the Crown Prince, he was still just a swordsman who had risen from slavery.
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