FIMA Ch119: The Talent Show

Jinling Temporary Palace.

Inside the Wanhe (Ten Thousand Ravines) Hall.

Wei Zhengping sat in a chair drinking tea, his voice light and thin: “The people are gone, and the building is empty?”

Wei Feng’s legs trembled slightly. He nodded: “Yes, Adoptive Father.”

Wei Zhengping raised his eyes, sweeping a glance over him. “A-Feng, your handling of matters recently has been quite improper. You didn’t find the assassin thieves who trespassed in the temporary palace last night, and this morning, when I told you to track down the murderer who killed Yanyan, you actually let them escape again. Ah…”

“Adoptive Father… Adoptive Father, forgive my sins.” Wei Feng’s face was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. His legs gave out, and he directly knelt to the ground. “Your son will definitely intensify the investigation and will not let those guys off.”

In the jianghu (martial underworld), he could be considered a proper first-rate master, looked up to by countless people. But at this moment, in front of Wei Zhengping, he was like a mere ant.

“Hmph, that is only natural. Killing the adopted daughter of I, Wei Zhengping—do they think they can escape just because they want to?” Wei Zhengping gently set down the porcelain cup in his hand, emitting a faint clinking sound.

In this extremely quiet palace hall, the sound was exceptionally jarring to the ears.

Wei Feng formulated his words for a moment before saying respectfully, “Actually, your son had originally tracked down the murderer who killed Yanyan, but the murderer was incredibly cunning. They actually crossed the river under the cover of night and headed in the direction of Mount Langya.”

“Mount Langya… did they go to the Bathing Fire Cult?” Wei Zhengping narrowed his eyes.

“Yes.” Under the eunuch’s imposing presence, Wei Feng simply couldn’t straighten his back and could only nod with difficulty.

“Hehe…” Wei Zhengping fell silent for a moment, then let out a few thin laughs. “Quite a smart person, aren’t they? The Nirvana Holy Canon of Song Wudi, the leader of the Bathing Fire Cult, is a great rival to my Sunflower Manual.”

Wei Feng hurriedly flattered, “Adoptive Father’s divine skills are unparalleled in the world. How could that Song Wudi possibly compare?”

Wei Zhengping shook his head. “How could a piece of trash like you understand Song Wudi’s prowess? Hmph. Speaking of which, the people of the Song Clan have been continuously submitting calling cards recently, requesting an audience with His Majesty. I figure today would be a good time to grant it.”

In the entire Jianghuai region, the Song Clan was the largest aristocratic family. And Song Wudi, the leader of the Bathing Fire Cult, was a distant relative of the Song Clan; the two factions had always cooperated and supported each other.

Qinzheng (Diligent Governance) Hall, Side Hall.

On the smooth floor lay a bright yellow futon. Gu Siyuan sat cross-legged upon it. His unpinned, cascading long hair moved without any wind, and faintly visible wisps of white steam rose from the top of his head. His face was entirely flushed red.

If anyone saw this, they would inevitably think he was in a state of zouhuo rumo (cultivation deviation).

An unknown amount of time passed before this strange phenomenon gradually faded. Gu Siyuan pushed both palms forward, and the teacups on the table directly in front of him violently rattled.

He opened his eyes, his gaze profound. This Innate Heaven and Earth Cultivation Arts truly deserved to be called a peerless tome of the current age; he had only practiced for half a day, yet it already produced such miraculous effects.

Xie Chenyun’s sword strike had helped him immensely.

He wondered, how was he doing now?

Just as he was thinking this, Gu Siyuan suddenly raised an eyebrow. He parted the nearby bed curtains, stepped down barefoot, and stood with his hands behind his back.

The next moment, a flash of black appeared at the window, and a figure knelt directly before him.

“Greeting Your Majesty.”

Gu Siyuan asked faintly, “Were there any accidents on the road?”

“The two Young Master Xies have successfully joined the Bathing Fire Cult,” Shadow One answered in a cold voice.

Sun Yanyan was, after all, Wei Zhengping’s adopted daughter. With her and so many Purging Court martial artists dying for no apparent reason, Wei Zhengping definitely wouldn’t let the matter rest. And for Wei Zhengping to crush the Xie brothers to death would truly be no different from crushing an ant.

Naturally, they could no longer stay at the Xie Family Manor.

Therefore, last night, after Gu Siyuan left the manor, Xie Chenyun distributed silver to the few remaining servants and dispersed them. Then, before dawn broke, he and Xie Mingkong hastened their journey to seek refuge with the Bathing Fire Cult.

As the ancients said: Chuzhou is surrounded by mountains.

The headquarters of the Bathing Fire Cult lay within the continuous mountain ranges on the outskirts of Chuzhou. Chuzhou and Jinling were extremely close; the two great cities faced each other directly across the Yangtze River. Jinling was south of the river, while Chuzhou belonged to the north. Departing from Jinling City, taking a boat across the river, and traveling another hundred li… it would take no more than two shichen (four hours) to arrive.

In his previous life, after the incident with Xie Mingkong, Xie Chenyun had also gone to the nearby Bathing Fire Cult to learn martial arts, desiring to exact revenge. Although the four great aristocratic clans had secret disagreements among themselves, they were united in their opposition against Wei Zhengping, this ‘Jiuqiansui’.

Using the pretext of accidentally killing Wei Zhengping’s adopted daughter and joining to avoid disaster, the Bathing Fire Cult naturally wouldn’t refuse Xie Chenyun. Not to mention that both he and Xie Mingkong were considered top-tier saplings for practicing martial arts.

When Gu Siyuan came out of the side hall, his personal grand eunuch, Wang Tan, was waiting outside with a group of people. Upon seeing him, he hurriedly said, “Your Majesty, you’ve finally risen?”

Gu Siyuan asked, “What is the matter?”

Wang Tan said hastily, “Just now, Grand General Wei sent someone to say that after lunch, he will bring the Duke of Song to seek an audience with Your Majesty.”

Gu Siyuan walked over to a nearby chair and sat down, asking casually, “The Duke of Song… is that the head of the Song Clan, Song Tianyou?”

Wang Tan nodded. “Yes.”

There was naturally only one Duke of Song. For an emperor to ask such a question, yet have the people around him find it completely unsurprising, showed just how incredibly incompetent and ignorant the original owner usually was.

“Then we shall see him!” Gu Siyuan pondered for a moment, nodded, and waved his hand. “Serve the meal!”

“Yes.” Wang Tan nodded in compliance and gestured to the people behind him.

Before long, several palace maids filed in, each holding plates and dishes. Like butterflies threading through flowers, they gently arranged dozens of precious and exquisite dishes on the low table in front of Gu Siyuan.

Since waking up in the night, Gu Siyuan had made a trip out of the palace, and after returning, he had been practicing martial arts continuously. It could be said he hadn’t rested for a moment. At this time, his appetite was truly whetted.

He said coldly, “Step down. Zhen does not need to be served today.”

His usual temperament was erratic and unpredictable. The palace servants naturally didn’t dare show the slightest disobedience, and in the blink of an eye, the hall fell dead silent.

Only his grand eunuch, Wang Tan, still craned his neck, looking inside nervously.

Whether from the original plot or the original owner’s memories, Gu Siyuan could determine that although the fellow before him was a bit timid, he had grown up together with the original owner. He was a true companion and incredibly loyal. He would even constantly try to find various ways to persuade the emperor to care about state affairs.

Seeing his sneaky manner, Gu Siyuan picked up his chopsticks and asked, “What are you still doing here? Do you want to dine with Zhen?”

“This slave wouldn’t dare!” Wang Tan hurriedly snapped out of it. He looked at Gu Siyuan, hesitating to speak. After a long while, he finally shrank his neck and said, “Your Majesty, Grand General Wei and the Duke of Song will be coming over shortly. Should the beauty inside be sent out?”

Gu Siyuan picked up a piece of stir-fried chicken with mushrooms and popped it into his mouth. “What beauty?”

Wang Tan’s face flushed red, and he said anxiously, “The beauty who was on the dragon bed last night when Wei Feng entered the hall.”

He merely assumed Gu Siyuan was preparing to act foolishly again, wanting to engage in debauchery with a beauty while receiving foreign ministers. In the few days since arriving at the temporary palace, he had already heard from the local serving staff that the Duke of Song was an incredibly upright and strict person. If he were to get into an argument with His Majesty, it would be disastrous…

Gu Siyuan furrowed his brow slightly, only then realizing what the man was talking about.

Heh… that Beauty Xie flew out of the palace ages ago.

He said faintly, “Last night, Zhen already personally escorted the person away.”

“Your Majesty is wise.” Wang Tan immediately laughed out loud. After thinking for a moment, he added, “Your Majesty, this slave does not know which palace the beauty belongs to. This slave will arrange for someone to send over some tonic medicine…”

In the palace, “tonic medicine” was actually a euphemism, generally referring to contraceptives. Especially since the original owner’s behavior was extremely absurd; if not curbed, dragon sons and phoenix grandsons would be running around everywhere.

Gu Siyuan shook his head. “No need.”

Tonic medicine? Xie Chenyun had previously been struck by a poisonous palm; he might actually need tonic medicine. But now… was he supposed to chase him across the river to deliver it?

Hearing this, Wang Tan was stunned. It took a long time before he slowly replied, “Understood.”

Following that, he retreated outside with an extremely complicated expression. This expression was truly too complicated, to the point that even though Gu Siyuan was an oblivious, straight-laced emperor, he noticed something was amiss.

Had this person misunderstood something?

But soon, he calmed down again and continued to focus intently on his meal. Although Xie Chenyun was a beauty, he wasn’t a beauty on his bed. It was a completely fabricated matter to begin with; what serious consequences could possibly arise from a misunderstanding?

After Wang Tan closed the main doors to the bedchamber, a young eunuch waiting nearby immediately leaned in. “Master, why did you come out alone?”

Wang Tan looked at his naive expression and let out a long sigh. Ignorance truly is bliss.

The young eunuch was panicked by his sigh, his lips trembling slightly. “Master? Wh… what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” Wang Tan flicked the horsetail whisk in his hand and slowly went to stand under a nearby pillar.

He thought to himself: Am I supposed to tell you that we are very likely about to have two more masters soon? Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has never allowed anyone in the inner palace to bear an heir. But this time, not only did he keep that beauty hidden away, appreciating them all to himself, he even granted them permission to leave behind his bloodline. It is clear how exceptional the imperial favor is!

After lunch, Gu Siyuan sat in his chair and dozed for a little while before hearing a high-pitched announcement from outside.

Wei Zhengping and the Duke of Song had arrived.

Gu Siyuan opened his eyes: “Declare them in!”

Two figures entered the main hall almost side-by-side. On the right, Wei Zhengping wore a dark green official uniform. His face was pale and beardless. Although his skin had shallow wrinkles, he did not appear old; looking at him, he seemed to be a man in his fifties.

But Gu Siyuan knew that this old eunuch was already over eighty years old. He had entered the palace during the previous dynasty. After the previous dynasty was destroyed by the Great Zhou, he luckily managed to keep his life and remained in the palace. Later, he was fortunate enough to serve the late emperor, gradually seizing power. By now, after the original owner ascended the throne, this old eunuch had truly achieved the status of being under one person and above ten thousand.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Song on the left wore light armor. The Song family hailed from a lineage of military generals who had originally conquered the world alongside the late emperor. Although he was now over seventy years old, his profound internal energy meant he remained hale and hearty in his old age.

The Song Clan was also the only one among the four great clans that retained some measure of loyalty to the imperial family. Of course, in the original plot, over two years from now, due to the world gradually falling into chaos and uprisings occurring everywhere, the Song family would be forced by the general trend to rebel as well.

Song Tianyou looked at Gu Siyuan, who was sitting without proper posture, lazily leaning against the dragon throne. He even had his eyelids half-closed, looking as if he were about to fall into a deep sleep at any moment.

Instantly, he felt quite emotional in his heart.

How wise and charismatic the late emperor had been, unifying the Central Plains in one fell swoop and ending hundreds of years of chaos. He never expected that just a few short years after his passing, the imperial court would be tossed about into such a state by his son. If things continued like this, the world was bound to fall into great turmoil again. Just a few days ago, secret spies sent word that the Wu family over in Xiangchu was already growing restless.

Many thoughts spun in his mind. Outwardly, however, Song Tianyou bowed respectfully in greeting: “This humble minister greets Your Majesty.”

Seeing this, Wei Zhengping also paid a slight obeisance: “Greeting Your Majesty.”

Gu Siyuan opened his eyes and looked at Song Tianyou. “Zhen heard from my companion that Jiangdu seems to be very close to Jinling. Why has the Duke of Song only come to see Zhen today?”

The moment these words came out, both Wei Zhengping and the Duke of Song narrowed their eyes.

Was this intentional or unintentional?

Wei Zhengping hurriedly smiled and explained, “Your Majesty, have you forgotten? The day before yesterday, this slave reported to you that the Duke of Song sought an audience. You were busy at the time, so you pushed the meeting to a later date.”

“Is that so?” Gu Siyuan said casually. Then, he glared at Wei Zhengping and said, “It must have been because you old thing spoke too softly, and Zhen didn’t hear clearly. Otherwise, no matter which beauty’s palace Zhen was in, I definitely would have come to see the Duke of Song.”

The Duke of Song’s expression shifted, momentarily not knowing whether to be glad or worried. His Majesty’s side was truly completely controlled by the old thief Wei Zhengping.

Seeing that Gu Siyuan still maintained his foolish and incompetent demeanor, Wei Zhengping relaxed slightly and immediately chimed in, “Yes, it is all this slave’s fault. Your Majesty attends to myriad state affairs daily and is extremely busy. But as the saying goes, a good meal is never too late. Your Majesty seeing the Duke of Song now is just the same.”

Gu Siyuan nodded. “Makes sense.”

Wei Zhengping’s face was full of smiles.

The Duke of Song, however, absolutely couldn’t bear to listen anymore. As the monarch, Gu Siyuan had arrived at such a crucial location as the Southern Metropolitan Area nearly ten days ago, yet he only cared about seeking pleasure in the temporary palace. He hadn’t met with local officials to inquire about the common people’s livelihoods; nor had he met with military families like the Song Clan to question them on defense matters. It was practically a joke.

He cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, it is not just this humble minister; the officials of Jinling, Yangzhou, and various other places are all waiting to seek an audience with Your Majesty!”

Gu Siyuan pulled a slightly bitter face. “Do I have to see so many people?”

The Duke of Song furrowed his brow sharply. “Your Majesty, meeting with courtiers is naturally the duty a monarch must fulfill.”

“Fine, then let’s see them!” Gu Siyuan immediately changed his attitude.

Wei Zhengping was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected it to be this easy, and he furrowed his brow. The Duke of Song, however, was delighted, thinking to himself that this little emperor wasn’t foolish to the absolute core after all.

The various officials under the jurisdiction of the Southern Metropolitan Area had long been waiting outside the temporary palace. The moment Gu Siyuan relented, the Duke of Song immediately had someone call them all in.

Among these officials, the vast majority were seeing Gu Siyuan for the first time. Although they had heard much of his reputation for incompetence, they were still incredibly sincere when kneeling and paying their respects.

Gu Siyuan raised his hand, allowing everyone to rise. “If you have matters to report, present your memorials; if not, step down. Keep a long story short.”

The officials immediately stepped forward in order, one by one reporting on numerous matters. Some were trivial, but others were major issues concerning life and death.

After one official finished presenting his case while weeping bitterly, Gu Siyuan nodded and said, “Zhen knows of this. The history books Zhen has read state that since a disaster has struck, there must be disaster relief, right? Grand General Wei, give them the silver.”

That official blinked, both happy and worried.

Wei Zhengping hurriedly smiled and said, “Your Majesty, the Jiangnan region is prosperous, arguably the crown jewel of the Central Plains, famously known as the land of fish and rice. Why would they need disaster relief? Moreover, didn’t this slave already report that we are to continue building a temporary palace in Yangzhou next? This requires spending silver.”

Hearing these words, the official fell directly to his knees and wept bitterly: “Your Majesty, in the Wannan region, in order to divert the floods from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, tens of thousands of mu of fertile farmland have been submerged. So many commoners have been displaced, left without a single grain of rice for their pots, forced to the point where everyone fights to eat Guanyin clay…”

Gu Siyuan blinked and raised a hand to interrupt, asking curiously: “Fighting to eat Guanyin clay? Is Guanyin clay some kind of delicious delicacy? The common people are actually fighting to eat it. Since that is the case, my beloved official, present a few hundred catties of it, and Zhen shall enjoy it together with Grand General Wei and the Duke of Song.”

“…” The official’s crying abruptly stopped.

He didn’t know if this little emperor was truly stupid, or just playing the fool. Wei Zhengping’s brow also twitched.

An unknown amount of time passed. Looking at the several loads of dirt placed before him, Gu Siyuan was furious beyond control. He kicked it over directly with one foot: “This stuff looks terrible to eat; Zhen won’t eat it.”

The Duke of Song sighed: “This is the suffering of the common people. Your Majesty, the commoners in Wannan are in extreme hardship. This humble minister implores Your Majesty to order disaster relief!”

Gu Siyuan walked back to the dragon throne and sat down, looking at Wei Zhengping: “Grand General Wei, hand over the silver. Just give them the silver meant for building the Yangzhou temporary palace. Zhen doesn’t want to go to Yangzhou anytime soon anyway. There are many beauties in Jinling; Zhen wants to stay here a little longer.”

His eyes unconsciously lit up.

Wei Zhengping furrowed his brow deeply, his voice turning somewhat cold: “Your Majesty’s words are made of gold and jade. How can an order issued in the morning be changed by evening…”

However, before he was even halfway through his sentence, the Duke of Song immediately interrupted: “Grand General Wei, His Majesty has already declared disaster relief. Are you going to force His Majesty to disregard the common people?”

Wei Zhengping lowered his eyes, his expression dark. By having the Duke of Song see Gu Siyuan today, he originally wanted to take the opportunity to make the Duke look bad. Who could have expected this little emperor to act on whatever whim popped into his head, resulting in Wei Zhengping dropping a rock on his own foot?

At this time, the Duke of Song softened his tone a few notches, coaxing Gu Siyuan: “Your Majesty, since ancient times, the Qinhuai River has been home to many beauties. If you stay in Jinling for a few more days, this humble minister will organize a draft for you among the populace, gathering all the beauties of Jiangnan.”

Hearing this, Gu Siyuan immediately stood up in excitement: “This is a wonderful move! Duke of Song, you are truly a top-tier loyal subject of the Great Zhou. Zhen will hand the disaster relief silver over to you to manage. If there isn’t enough silver for the beauty draft, you can misappropriate a little from there.”

“…” The Duke of Song was speechless. You truly are incompetent to the core!

However, he still replied with utmost devotion, “This minister obeys the decree.”

After everyone had retreated from the main hall, Gu Siyuan let out a breath and stood coldly by the window.

Acting was more tiring than practicing martial arts.

However, more than a month later, when the disaster relief in Wannan had concluded, the beauty draft the Duke of Song organized for him had also reached its final stage.

During the final round of the palace selection, Gu Siyuan saw a “Beauty Xie” disguised as a woman.

From then on, Gu Siyuan finally deeply understood what it meant to be mentally exhausted.

Why is the brain circuitry of everyone around Zhen completely different from mine?

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