Chapter 121: Puke

Fang Jie stayed in the building until the morning of the second day. Although his talk with the Emperor only lasted about half an hour, the gate of Smooth Spring Garden already closed at that time, and no one would open it without an edict from the Emperor.

Therefore, Fang Jie was given a room to sleep in.

The Emperor asked him about Fangu, but Fang Jie had corroborated with Zhuo Buyi and knew the version of the story that the Royal Guard gave to the Emperor.

Right now, he wasn’t strong and brave enough to tear this lie apart.

Fang Jie left Fangu before this horrifying incident took place, and he didn’t see Li Yuanshan wiping out the entire city.

Zhuo Buyi didn’t lie to Fang Jie and told him the truth, but Fang Jie didn’t have the power to avenge the residents of Fangu who he was close with.

If he was more impulsive, perhaps he could state the truth to the Emperor. However, Li Xiaozong and Li Yuanshan wouldn’t be the first to die; it would be him.

If Li Yuanshan said that Fang Jie killed the imperial commissioner who was sent to Fangu, no one in a high position could be Fang Jie’s witness and prove that he was framed.

At Fang Jie’s current position, he couldn’t sway the Emperor’s decisions at all.

Great Sui was about to launch a military operation in the northwest, and it was the territory of Right Valiant Guard.

Once the war was waged, Right Valiant Guard would charge forward first under Li Yuanshan’s command.

There were two options in front of the Emperor if Fang Jie voiced the truth. The Emperor could either wipe out a first-tier family to avenge those people who died in Fangu for so-called justice, or he could pretend nothing happened, encourage Li Yuanshan, and ask the latter to lead the soldiers and earn the most military merit in the history of Great Sui!

It wouldn’t be tough for the Emperor to make the decision.

When talking to the Emperor, Fang Jie felt like the truth was about to escape in between his teeth for a moment. However, he bit his lips and forced those words back into his mind.

Now lying on the bed in the room, Fang Jie suddenly thought of one possibility.

The Emperor probably knew what happened in Fangu, but he decided to tolerate it for the upcoming war, the supreme glory of Great Sui, and his huge ambition. He pardoned Great General Li Yuanshan of Right Valiant Guard who lied to him and Major Li Xiaozong of Fangu who created this atrocity.

The Emperor needed a great general who could bring him victories and not a criminal who could shake the foundation of Great Sui.

Upon thinking about this, Fang Jie sweated profusely out of fear. If his guess were correct, the Emperor would have killed him mercilessly once he mentioned what really happened in Fangu.

Fang Jie knew that the Emperor liked him after he contributed pinyin, basic math, and radio calisthenics. However, they were nothing compared to the honor and stability of Great Sui.

If Fang Jie were in the Emperor’s shoes, he would make a quick decision as well.

While feeling fortunate for not speaking the truth, Fang Jie could no longer sleep. He murmured while lying on the bed, and perhaps he didn’t even know what he was murmuring about.

The taste of the porridge in this place was good, but Fang Jie couldn’t only drink it once.

It wasn’t because the porridge was that special; the location where he drank it was.

Fang Jie got up from the bed and started to exercise like crazy in the small room.

He practiced a set of fist technique several times and then went onto One Saber Strike that the crippled old man taught him. After 1 AM, Fang Jie finally managed to throw him onto the bed and fall asleep; the fatigue made him temporarily unable to ponder and think about the residents of Fangu.

When Fang Jie opened his eyes, the sky wasn’t bright yet. A sliver of white could be seen on the horizon.

The day would start earlier in the summer, and a sliver of white could be seen on the horizon before the sun came up. Based on this, Fang Jie guessed that it was about 5 AM.

He got up, got dressed, and washed his face. When he left, he greeted the royal guards politely, even though they didn’t respond to him.

The eunuchs, imperial maids, and royal guards all watched this young man leave with a smile, even though they didn’t know why he was so happy.

Was Fang Jie truly happy?

Fang Jie left Smooth Spring Garden with a smile on his face, and his facial muscles started to get stiff.

He went to the door and got his red horse named Rainbow back from the groom who was looking after it.

He gave this groom a 100-silver-tael silver certificate, and he smiled again after seeing the smile on this groom’s face.

There was a smile on Fang Jie’s face at all times.

The Emperor who got up early as well practiced a set of body-tempering fist technique, and he took the towel that Su Buwei passed to him. He asked while wiping the sweat, “Is Fang Jie gone?”

“Your Majesty, he left already. Fang Jie slept quite late last night, and he was practicing a set of fist technique in his room, looking to be preparing for the martial tests today. He only slept at about 1 AM, but he got up before dawn. After washing up, he got back his red horse and gave the groom a 100-silver-tael silver certificate. He smiled and greeted everyone he saw, looking to be in a great mood. In fact, it seems like he is a little overjoyed. After he left, he repeatedly looked back longingly.”

Hearing this, the Emperor froze for a second before grabbing the teacup on the stone table to the side. Then, he took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air in the morning.

“He is a smart person; at least he knows what he should say and what he shouldn’t, what kind of a show he should put up, and how to leave here with a smile, letting everyone that he is proud that he got to meet me.”

The Emperor smiled and walked toward the wooden building.

Su Buwei nodded and repeated what the Emperor said, “Yeah… he is indeed a smart person.”

While walking, the Emperor added, “I like smart people, especially those who know their place. However, since he still needed to move around for about two hours to exhaust himself and not to think, he clearly needs to mature and learn many things.”

After a moment of silence, Su Buwei asked, “Then, what about the martial tests today?”

The Emperor paused for a second before turning toward the direction of the Martial Arts Academy. He said something that Su Buwei who thought he knew the Emperor well didn’t understand. Although he didn’t understand anything, he wisely chose not to ask questions.

“I wonder if Principal Zhou will agree to it the second time.”

“What second time?” Su Buwei asked in his mind, but he didn’t dare to show curiosity on his face.

…

When Fang Jie got to the Martial Arts Academy, the sun was already above the high city wall of Chang’an. It was the early morning, yet it was already hot.

Compared to Chang’an where the four seasons were distinct, Fang Jie liked Fangu more. That little border city in the northwest seemed to only have two climates.

It was either cold or way too cold.

Chang’an and Fangu; which one was more beautiful?

Fang Jie knew that he couldn’t figure out the answer now. When he could figure out the answer, perhaps the question itself would become meaningless.

How far was Fangu away from him? What could be further than eternity?

After coming to the Martial Arts Academy, Fang Jie didn’t try to act arrogant. He stayed in the line and didn’t mind smiling at everyone. Now, he no longer needed to act high profile.

The Emperor already raised his status to an extremely high level; it was many times higher than what he could show.

Even if he hid in a group of people, others could still spot him easily.

When he walked through the gate, he saw that female professor with a pair of crystal white eyes, so he walked over to greet her politely.

“Greetings, Professor.” Fang Jie bowed slightly.

Qiu Yu looked up at him and smiled before pointing toward the direction of the field. “Today’s event will take place there. You can go and rest for a bit. If you haven’t eaten anything, you can find the breakfast booth to the left. The Martial Arts Academy has prepared plenty of breakfast for the participants.”

After thanking her, Fang Jie walked forward with Rainbow. He suddenly stopped after taking five steps. Then, he turned around before asking Qiu Yu with a smile, “Can you tell me what taste the best?”

Qiu Yu looked at him with interest. Then, she smiled and said, “Before I tell you what tastes good, should I first tell you that the breakfast here isn’t free. The tastier something is, the more expensive it will be. However, the crab porridge and small mushroom and egg steamed buns taste good and aren’t oily.”

She emphasized the word ‘oily’.

“Are they expensive?” Fang Jie asked.

“They are the cheapest,” Qiu Yu replied.

Fang Jie nodded and thanked her again.

When he disappeared into the academy, Professor Yan Ji who was welcoming guests at the gate yesterday walked over and whispered, “Does this count as you help him cheat?”

After saying that, Yan Ji shook his head and smiled helplessly. “Perhaps only he would be bored enough to ask you what taste good and is cheap.”

“Who knows.” Qiu Yu turned around and left with the registration booklet in her arms, looking agile and light.

…

When Fang Jie got to the location, many participants were already eating.

To show respect to the Martial Arts Academy, most of the participants didn’t eat outside. After yesterday’s written tests, the examiners told them that the Martial Arts Academy would prepare a great breakfast for them the next day.

Since the martial tests might take long and would be exhausting, it was recommended that they eat breakfast at the Martial Arts Academy. If they ate too early, they might not be able to last the whole day.

Not many people knew that this dictated the fate of many people.

When Fang Jie chatted with Qiu Yu by the gate, it seemed like it was out of boredom, but his fate did change because of it.

After the tests, people who knew about what happened all said that Fang Jie was lucky, but not many people thought through the situation. Was Fang Jie truly lucky?

Fang Jie saw the breakfast; there was indeed plenty of food. There was roasted lamb that was golden and crispy, stewed beef, steamed pork shoulders, roasted chicken, and many more.

The delicious smell of meat permeated the entire field.

On top of the meat, there was great liquor from Godly Spring Manor, tasty and powerful.

Fang Jie couldn’t even imagine how many people didn’t sleep last night to prepare all this.

Every dish was alluring, and every jar of liquor was tempting. However, Fang Jie chose only the cheapest crab porridge and small mushroom and egg steamed buns. He didn’t eat a ton; he only got to about 60 percent full.

When the examiners announced the first test, Fang Jie realized how correct his decision was. He recalled when Qiu Yu smiled and told him that the crab porridge tastes good; he found her little canine tooth that was exposed when she smiled quite cute.

The first test was running.

Everyone needed to dash out of the Martial Arts Academy as fast as they could and get to the training field 15 kilometers outside Chang’an. Then, they needed to run around the training field and reach the small city. The people who got there sooner would get the most points.

This test was designed to evaluate the participants’ stamina. How could the students of the Martial Arts Academy be physically weak?

However, this simple test made many people suffer.

Due to what the examiners said last night, almost everyone got full earlier.

It was easy to imagine how torturous it was to run for about 20 kilometers with a stomach full of food.

Puke; many people puked along the way.