Chapter 137 Father and Son He is no longer the only one
"That mouth..." Guan Ye sighed inwardly, "She's so eloquent." Unlike herself, who was clumsy with words and always worried about saying something thoughtless and offending someone, ending up dead without even knowing why. Guan Ye thought back to the last time she praised someone's eloquence, it was when she was eavesdropping on a conversation between Pei Chu and Jiang Muyun on Canglang Island. Thinking of Pei Chu, Guan Ye couldn't help but sigh. Now that everyone had the opportunity to meet the Emperor, if Pei Chu hadn't been crippled and heartbroken, the Emperor would have been extremely impressed. Young Master Pei was full of knowledge and wisdom; he would surely achieve great things in Rongdu and wouldn't have been overshadowed by Wushuang.
"Listen to this." Mu You smiled at everyone. "Chen Ao, how did you end up with such a treasure? You must cherish it and not let others take it away."
Shen Ao chuckled, his eyes brimming with undisguised smugness.
Mu You glanced at Cui Jin, who understood and said, "We have gained a lot from presenting the sword today. Now we will do as His Majesty wishes. It is getting late, you may all leave."
"A-Jiu," Mu You called out, "you stay."
"A-Jiu, stay?" Everyone was taken aback. Guan Ye tilted her head and saw that A-Jiu's eyes were calm. She nodded slightly to him and was about to turn and leave when Mu You saw through the boy's thoughts and said in a hoarse voice, "Guan Ye, you stay too."
Guan Ye was dumbfounded and at a loss. Mu Chenbi walked closer with his hands behind his back and leaned down to say, "His Majesty has decreed that you should also stay in the palace."
Guan Ye snapped out of her daze, clasped her hands in a fist and bowed to Mu You, "Your Majesty, the brothel owner seems to have caught a cold. Can we do it another day?"
Pei Yuan, on his deathbed, sat up in shock. This girl actually dared to defy the imperial decree? Today, he was not only seeing a ghost, but he was probably really seeing a ghost.
“Alright, then let’s do it another day.” Mu You was amused by her straightforward words, and his tone was also pleased. “You and Ajiu will come to the New Year’s Eve palace banquet together.”
"Guan Ye obeys the decree." Guan Ye readily agreed, but then she was puzzled. A palace banquet? What is a palace banquet?
Guan Ye turned and walked towards Pei Yuan and the others. Pei Yuan forced his eyes open, staring blankly at Guan Ye's ignorant and fearless face. He held back for a long while before letting out a heavy sigh. Ji Fang kept turning back to ask, "Why did A-Jiu stay? Did we lose? Will the Emperor punish him?"
"Silly." Xiao Ma helped Pei Yuan into the carriage. "Even if something happens, it's a good thing. It's a blessing for us that Ajiu has gained the Emperor's favor."
Lou Cangyu felt resentful. Even Ji Fang had gained the Emperor's favor, with the Emperor not only calling him "Little Ji Fang" but also offering him some words of encouragement. Why couldn't he receive the same special treatment? What did he lack compared to Ji Fang? As he climbed into the carriage, Lou Cangyu looked back at the main hall with lingering eyes, wondering if the Emperor even remembered his name.
The inner carriage turned around, and Wushuang leisurely lifted the curtain to observe the group in Xingguo Ward. Ji Fang suddenly saw her and stumbled, grabbing Feng Shisan's back for support. Feng Shisan turned around, about to curse, but upon seeing Wushuang, he was also quite frightened. "Wow... that's terrifying..." Feng Shisan gasped for breath. "How did this person grow up? Is it really not Jiang Muyun who has come back to life?"
"Stop talking." Ji Fang almost bit his tongue. "There's no shortage of people who look alike in this world. A-Jiu... doesn't she look almost the same as the Crown Prince? What's the panic...?"
"One is like a nobleman, the other is a skeleton... How can they be the same?" Feng Shisan braced himself against the edge of the carriage, and it took him several attempts to finally climb up. Embarrassed, he ducked into the carriage. He had no choice; he was so scared that his bones went limp.
Xiao Ma glanced coldly at the silent Lou Cangyu. Cangyu avoided his gaze and couldn't help but turn his head to look at Wushuang not far away. Their eyes met, and Wushuang lowered the carriage curtain. Lou Cangyu leaned forward and then backward, looking sullen, and closed his eyes.
The carriage wheels rolled over the palace's bluestone path. Guan Ye and Xiao Ma leaned against the carriage's edge, their bodies rising and falling with the swaying of the stones. Xiao Ma glanced sideways into the carriage. "Lou Cangyu knew all along... and he actually kept it a secret until now. On Canglang Island, has he forgotten who captured Jiang Muyun?" Xiao Ma snorted lightly, deliberately raising his voice. "No wonder he broke his sword at Lingbo Terrace. As shrewd as Cangyu is, how could he let his sword be tampered with right under his nose? I just don't know if he was stunned by that face or if it ignited a fire in his heart. Lou Cangyu, indeed, has great ambitions."
Xiao Ma's voice was loud and clear, and everyone in the carriage could hear it clearly. Feng Shisan and Ji Fang looked at each other, and then saw that Lou Cangyu had his eyes closed as if he hadn't heard. Ji Fang crouched down, lifted the carriage curtain, and put his index finger to his lips to signal Xiao Ma to stop talking.
"His sword broke before the Emperor, a humiliating defeat that nearly cost him his life." Xiao Ma insisted on continuing, "Ji Fang, does your hand still hurt from holding the sword today? Lou Cangyu clearly saw Wushuang long ago, yet he hasn't mentioned it once all this time? Today he just watched us see a ghost before the Emperor. Disrespecting the Emperor is a serious offense, and you could lose your head at any moment. Lou Cangyu, do you think we're incredibly lucky? Or do you believe that if Xingguo Ward suffers disaster, the Inner Ward will definitely protect you? It's truly... laughable."
Feng Shisan stared at Lou Cangyu's closed eyes, which were just slits open, shooting a terrifyingly cold light at the lifted carriage curtain. Feng Shisan unconsciously gripped the hilt of his sword. For a moment, he was really afraid that Lou Cangyu would rush out and start fighting with Xiao Ma.
But Lou Cangyu wasn't there. When Feng Shisan looked again, his eyes were tightly closed, and he was resting his chin on his hand as if he were fast asleep. Gazing at Lou Cangyu's face, which had been with everyone day and night for so many years, Feng Shisan suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity, as if today was the first time he had truly come to know this person.
"Even if you talk until you're hoarse, he won't listen to you." Guan Ye crossed her arms and leaned on her knees. "It's better not to say anything."
Xiao Ma spat indignantly, "He's not deaf, and what I said really hurt him."
Guan Ye recalled the evening she and A Jiu went to the inner quarters to find Lou Cangyu. She vaguely saw Lou Cangyu and a woman standing under an umbrella in the rain. The woman was startled by the noise outside the door and suddenly turned away, leaving Guan Ye with only a familiar profile. The woman was slender and graceful, as if she had seen her somewhere before, but the rain blurred her vision and she couldn't see clearly. Afterwards, when she asked Lou Cangyu, he insisted that no one was with him. Guan Ye wasn't blind, so of course she knew that Lou Cangyu was lying...
Lou Cangyu stormed off to the inner quarters to demand an explanation, his face contorted with rage as he went. But when he emerged, he was refreshed and walked with a lighter step, repeatedly saying, "Wushuang is just a woman…why bother with her…"
Guan Ye hadn't thought much of it then, but now, pondering it, Lou's proud little stone had been tricked, his sword broken, and he'd lost face—a humiliating disgrace, all because of that one sentence, "Why hold onto it?" And then there was the way he looked at Wushuang today…
After receiving no response for a while, Xiao Ma got up to check if Guan Ye had fallen asleep. Seeing Guan Ye blinking her big eyes as if in a daze, Xiao Ma waved his hand in front of her eyes. "Even you're ignoring me?"
Guan Ye suddenly turned around and looked into the car. She saw Lou Cangyu's handsome face half-reclined, as if everything outside was irrelevant to him. Guan Ye lowered the curtain and did not speak.
Xiao Ma, of course, wouldn't let it go, and shouted again: "I'm afraid the ward owner is raising a tiger that will become a menace. Sooner or later, his adopted son will recognize the thief as his father, which would be a waste of the Pei family of Xingguo Ward."
Ji Fang's face paled instantly; those words were too harsh. A sharp crack echoed as Lou Cangyu gripped his sword hilt, the knuckles creaking as he prepared to unleash his power. Feng Shisan pressed down hard on Lou Cangyu's hand, his grip so tight that Lou Cangyu couldn't pull it out. Lou Cangyu's eyes snapped open, his pupils blazing with fury. Feng Shisan shook his head deeply: "Brothers use words, not fists. If you draw your sword, it means we've turned against each other. You're both my brothers; don't put me in a difficult position. As for today's events… Xiao Ma's mouth may be foul, but some of what he said made sense. Lou Cangyu, you'd better watch yourself."
Lou Cangyu struggled to smooth his hands, his veins bulging, and took a few deep breaths before curling himself up in the corner of the car and refusing to move.
Outside the Zetian Hall, Mu You scrutinized the imposing figure of Ajiu. "Watching others test their swords, are you itching to try it yourself?"
Ajiu laughed and said, "I'm just afraid of losing the sword and making the Emperor laugh at me."
"You'll lose too?" Mu Chenbi suddenly spoke up.
The two faces overlapped, seemingly forming one. Mu Lexiu scanned their faces with interest, glancing at Mu You out of the corner of his eye. When he looked at Ajiu, his father's eyes were filled with pity. His elder brother suddenly spoke, and a flash of displeasure crossed his father's pale eyes, as if... Mu Lexiu half-closed his eyes, as if someone had interrupted the scene he had carefully created, a scene in which only he and Ajiu existed.
Ajiu raised an eyebrow at Mu Chenbi, the exposed scar on his brow bone adding a touch of fierceness to his handsome face. Mu Lexiu couldn't help but scrutinize the scar more closely. He had heard the saying about broken eyebrows—a broken eyebrow at the back signifies brothers turning against each other. Swordsman Ajiu… even his father wouldn't let him test his swordsmanship… who would this Ajiu draw his sword against one day?
"Even if you're confident in your sword, who can be sure they'll never lose in their lifetime?" Ajiu glanced at the sword at Mu Chenbi's waist. "I've heard that Your Highness is also a skilled swordsman. Is this sword new to Your Highness? I don't think I've seen it before."
Mu Chenbi placed his palm on the sword hilt. "Father admires you greatly and hopes that one day we can also compete in the arena."
Ajiu's eyes remained fixed on the sword. "Your subordinate is filled with trepidation. Swords have no eyes, and I fear that His Majesty will not be willing to let Your Highness take such a risk."
As they exchanged words, Mu You turned his back without making a sound and said, "The foreign countries have recently sent some gifts. You few, come with me to the Imperial Study to pick out some of your favorites."
"Father, I will not go." Mu Chenbi did not move. "Father, have you forgotten that you have already selected some good ones and sent them to my palace?"
"Oh." Mu You flicked his sleeve. "Suit yourself."
Mu Lexiu smiled slightly and respectfully said to Mu You's back, "Your subject will not go either. Your subject's portion can be chosen by Ajiu."
Cui Jin smiled, "Your Highness is becoming more and more sensible." Mu Lexiu raised his neck, his face full of pride.
Watching his father and Ajiu leave, Mu Lexiu clicked his tongue and approached his elder brother, "Father told you to come along, why did you stubbornly refuse? Of course I know that Your Majesty has no shortage of good things in the palace, but the bond between father and son cannot be lacking in the slightest."
"Why don't you go then?" Mu Chenbi retorted. "If you care about the bond between father and son, then go."
Mu Lexiu's unparalleled skill before the emperor astonished everyone. In a great mood, he was too lazy to waste words with Mu Chenbi. "I value the bond between father and son, and I also cherish the bond between brothers. If I go with you, wouldn't that put you in a difficult position, brother? After all..." Mu Lexiu smiled meaningfully and turned to leave, "We are the true brothers."
"Your Highness, Your Highness?" Luo Yichen called out several times. "They... they've all left." Below the white marble steps, both guards had already left the palace. In front of the Zetian Hall, his father and brothers had also gone their separate ways. Only Mu Chenbi remained outside the vast hall. Luo Yichen wanted to say something several times, but he forced himself to swallow it down. He had joined the Black Eagle Guard in his teens and followed the Crown Prince for many years. Luo Yichen understood Mu Chenbi's personality all too well. Mu Chenbi had been showered with love and affection since childhood. In his twenty years, he had only ever been able to command the wind and rain. He didn't even know how to write the word "disappointment." Ajiu was like a stone that had fallen into a pond, causing ripples. Although they were just ripples, were there perhaps hidden waves and turbulent waters?
Luo Yichen had originally thought this swordsman was just an insignificant passerby, but today's events overturned his understanding. He knew that the prince he served also thought the same way. His innate nobility made him disdain fighting with Ajiu, but what if... he was no longer the only one...? Luo Yichen did not want to think about it, nor dared to think about it.
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