Chapter 105: Seven Qi-Points

The person who slapped Wang Ding wasn’t Mo Xidao but Hou Wenji. Others didn’t even see how Hou Wenji appeared before Wang Ding and slapped him, sending the latter flying like a cannonball.

While everyone was in shock, a loud announcement stunned everyone to their cores.

“His Majesty has arrived!”

For the people inside Guest-Prosper Dwell, their minds that had gradually calmed down was struck once more.

Many border soldiers and customers had lost balance and fell onto the ground earlier, and they heard this announcement before they could get up. Without question, this was more shocking than thunder.

Since Heaven-Bless Emperor Yang Yi inherited the throne, he had never been so close to the residents of Chang’an. Compared to his father, Yang Yi was extremely lowkey. His father loved touring Great Sui in disguise, and he also inspected different areas of Chang’an with many officials. He would frequently appear in the city in high-profile.

However, Yang Yi rarely left the Royal Palace in the last 11 years.

There wasn’t a huge team of people as the Emperor appeared abruptly; there were only a few dozens of guards. The appearances of some influential figures were grander than this. Yang Yi was called the most low-key and mildest emperor of Great Sui; there was a reason for it.

Among the people around the Emperor, only three of them were close to him. However, the Emperor was well-protected from all angles.

On the left, there was Luo Weiran who was in a flying-fish robe. On the right, there was a red-robbed daoist. Behind the Emperor, there was Eunuch Su Buwei.

These three people were like three walls.

These three were the ones who others could see. On the roof of Golden Guest House across the street from Guest-Prosper Dwell, there was a senior in a sapphire fancy robe. He stood there and glanced at the street coldly.

After slapping away Wang Ding, Hou Wenji turned into a shadow and appeared outside the building. At the same time, Zhuo Buyi dashed out of Guest-Prosper Dwell from the second floor.

They stood on the two sides of the gate and bowed at the same time. “Greetings, Your Majesty.”

Heaven-Bless Emperor Yang Yi slowly walked to Guest-Prosper Dwell and waved his hand, signaling Hou Wenji and Zhuo Buyi to stand up. Then, he looked up at the signboard of the building and said with a smile, “Father Emperor had told me that the crab meatball at Guest-Prosper Dwell is even better than what the Royal Kitchen could make. I always wanted to come here to have a taste, but I have been very busy and never got the chance.”

[TL Note: Father emperor is a term for the current emperor to politely address his father.]

The owner of Guest-Prosper Dwell who was kneeling in front of the gate was thrilled to hear this, but he didn’t dare to raise his head.

“Greetings, Your Majesty. I, Li An, wish you live for 10,000 years!” The owner kowtowed repeatedly.

The Emperor walked to Li An and helped him get up. He said, “I came abruptly and made you all nervous. Please get up. If I disturb the lives of the residents in the area, I would feel anxious.”

Then, he looked at Hou Wenji and Zhuo Buyi.

“Hou Wenji, how come no one told me that you are here as well?” the Emperor asked calmly, but Hou Wenji’s heart lurched. Luo Weiran and others didn’t know that he was having a secret meeting with Luo Wen. The only person who knew was Godly Eye Liu Duxiu, but Liu Duxiu didn’t know why Zhuo Buyi suddenly appeared here. When Liu Duxiu summoned these 300 royal guards, he didn’t inform anyone; it was within his power.

However, Zhuo Buyi came here as if he knew that something was going to happen at Guest-Prosper Dwell.

“I was drinking with Junior General Luo,” Hou Wenji replied with his head lowered.

The Emperor nodded and didn’t ask further questions. While walking into the grand hall, he asked Zhuo Buyi beside him, “Buyi, when I was close, I heard Luo Weiran say that you used your famous technique of creating a prison by drawing on the ground?”

Zhuo Buyi nodded and replied, “Your Majesty, I did use it.”

“What a pity,” the Emperor sighed, “I was a bit late. I always wanted to see this technique.”

The Emperor shook his head while he said that; it looked like he was truly disappointed not seeing Zhuo Buyi show his ability.

Before the Emperor entered the building, everyone inside already knelt on the ground.

Seeing the messy scene and the border soldiers who were kneeling on the first floor, the Emperor looked displeased as his eyes landed on Wang Ding who had fainted after Hou Wenji’s slap.

“Who is this person?” the Emperor asked.

Godly Eye Liu Duxiu who was standing on the side with his back bent quickly replied, “Your Majesty, he is Wang Ding of Yangtze-South Wang Family, and he is a participant in this year’s entrance exam. His father is Wang Yishan who had been a rank 4 deputy governor. This young man is Wang Yishan’s close elder son, and he has been famous in Yangtze-South since he was little.”

The Emperor nodded, walked to the center of the building, and raised both of his hands. “Please stand up. You guys are all great heroes who had bled for Great Sui. After you all arrived at Chang’an, I was planning to get the Ministry of War to invite you all to Smooth Spring Garden, and I wanted to thank all of you for your service with great liquor. Since I’m here, I will borrow the great liquor in Guest-Prosper Dwell and thank you now!”

The Emperor didn’t ask about what happened and only wanted to treat the border soldiers. His intention was clear.

Luo Weiran smiled and thought, “His Majesty is showing his attitude. Since Great Sui is about to wage war in the northwest, His Majesty wouldn’t reprimand soldiers.”

At this moment, he suddenly realized why His Majesty had issued an edict to select the most talented soldiers from the military to enroll in the Martial Arts Academy a long time ago. Now, it seemed like His Majesty was already planning for this military operation then.

Hou Wenji looked at Luo Weiran in confusion, but Luo Weiran only smiled and didn’t say anything.

The royal guards quickly cleaned Guest-Prosper Dwell and reorganized the tables. The owner went to the kitchen to supervise everything, and all the stoves were ignited. The chefs didn’t dare to be sloppy, and they focused on making the dishes.

The border soldiers all sat around the tables, looking anxious.

The Emperor sat at a table close to the center and beckoned at Zhang Kuang and Mo Xidao, asking them to sit with him. These two lieutenants who weren’t afraid of death shivered when sitting beside the Emperor, especially Mo Xidao. He almost killed someone under rage after falling into the trap, and now he was sitting with the Emperor; the huge turn of events made him unable to adapt.

“I know your name is Mo Xidao,” the Emperor said with a smile, “I know that incident in Eastern Chu. The central government couldn’t give you many rewards, so I always felt guilty. Last winter, I already ordered the Ministry of War to write your name on the list of people who will participate in the entrance exam of the Martial Arts Academy this year regardless of how many counts of military merit you have. Also, I already talked to Principal Zhou; you can directly enter the academy without going through the entrance exam.”

Mo Xidao was stunned. Then, he quickly stood up, took two steps back, and knelt before saying, “Thank you, Your Majesty!”

The Emperor smiled and replied, “No, I need to thank you. You guys are the people who are protecting Great Sui. You all fight foreign enemies, kill bandits, and eliminate rebels. Earlier, I discussed with the top-tier officials and wanted to double the salary of border soldiers. The Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue are looking into it, and the announcement should be made public soon.”

Then, the Emperor asked someone to help Mo Xidao get up and said, “I know that you guys probably hold some grudges. Some of the things that the central government did seem unfair. But trust me; I will slowly restore justice and remove the tumors that Great Sui has!”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” All the border soldiers knelt again to thank the Emperor.

The Emperor smiled, signaled everyone to stand up, and said, “Some people are arrogant just because they come from big families. There are hundreds of millions of citizens of Great Sui, and only a small percentage of them are from big families. They are arrogant because they think that they have strong support, but things will be different from now on.”

The Emperor stood up and glanced at all the border soldiers before saying, “Remember that their backgrounds are nothing! They are only acting tough! You guys also have support, and your support is the strongest and firmest! It is me! I want to see which family is stronger than the Royal Family!”

The Emperor’s voice echoed in the building.

As a result, these border soldiers felt like their blood was boiling, and they wanted to cheer!

…

Hou Wenji nodded and got close to Luo Weiran before saying with a frown, “His Majesty’s words seem to be a bit over the top. If it gets out, some people will be displeased.”

Luo Weiran said with his lips pursed, “When His Majesty got on the throne, everyone felt like he has the mildest temper among all the emperors, so big families grew more arrogant. However, after Yangtze-Metro Qiu Family’s case, who dares to think this way? Most people don’t know that His Majesty is going to launch a military operation, so they are this arrogant even though their families are on the decline. At this moment, how can His Majesty not speak for the military?”

Hou Wenji shook his head and said, “I still feel like His Majesty is treating the border soldiers with too much importance. After all, the central government needs to rely on big families.”

Luo Weiran rolled his eyes and didn’t respond.

Hou Wenji smiled helplessly and said, “You know that I’m not trying to look down on people with no background…”

“Who could guess His Majesty’s mind? His Majesty killed more people than the last three emperors combined, yet people still feel like His Majesty has the mildest temper. Who could do this?” Luo Weiran shook his head and didn’t want to stay on this topic.

Hou Wenji nodded and looked at the border soldiers who were touched by the Emperor’s words. He murmured, “Perhaps I really can’t understand His Majesty’s mind. However, Qiu’s Rebellion Case has passed for a few years, and some forgetful people already lost track. Yangtze-South Wang Family? Hehe.”

He sneered coldly, but the implication was even colder. Before the Emperor got here, he was planning to watch. The conflict between border soldiers and people from big families wasn’t a bad thing for him; the Royal Guard would only have things to do if there were situations.

Since His Majesty came here, he instantly slapped Wang Ding away.

Hou Wenji was well-trusted by the Emperor since he knew how to make quick decisions in critical moments.

“How much strength did you use to break free from Buyi’s technique?” Luo Weiran couldn’t help but ask in a low voice after a moment of silence.

Hou Wenji smiled and said calmly, “Buyi didn’t use his full strength, and I didn’t use mine as well. However, perhaps Buyi is also guessing how much strength I used.”

Luo Weiran nodded and pondered.

While these two chitchatted, Zhuo Buyi ordered two royal guards to carry Fang Jie who had fainted out of Guest-Prosper Dwell.

After Fang Jie was brought onto his horse-drawn carriage, Zhuo Buyi sat down and grabbed Fang Jie’s wrist. After a while, his expression changed.

Right now, this young man’s body was burning as if he was on fire, and his skin was strangely red as if a ton of blood was circulating under his skin.

Fang Jie’s body was as tough as iron, and his skin didn’t even move when Zhuo Buyi pressed on it.

Zhuo Buyi grabbed Fang Jie’s wrist and carefully sensed the changes in his body.

“Seven qi-points?” Zhuo Buyi murmured, “What is going on?”