Chapter 102 - 90: Secrets of the Battle of Yin Wu

Chapter 102: Chapter 90: Secrets of the Battle of Yin Wu

"After receiving the definitive news, Bi Xuan led his troops away. Before leaving, he executed Duan Yuheng."

As the Crown Prince’s voice faded, the entire room fell into a dead silence.

Zeng Anmin let out a slow breath. For some reason, he thought of Hu Zi’s expectant gaze.

"How am I supposed to explain it to him when I get back?" he thought. "Should I tell him his father is a traitor to the sages?"

"I see. Thank you for clearing that up, Your Highness." Zeng Anmin slowly exhaled again, a faint smile touching his lips.

"You’re being too formal, Quan Fu. From now on, when we’re out and about, just call me Ju Xian." It was rare for the Little Fatty Crown Prince to see a smile on Zeng Anmin’s face; for a moment, he actually felt a bit flattered.

"Ju Xian... alright." Zeng Anmin patted the Crown Prince’s shoulder, his voice soft. "We’re friends from now on. Let’s go. We’ll eat together."

"Hehehe..." Hearing the word ’friends’, a silly grin spread across the Crown Prince’s face. It wasn’t until Zeng Anmin had walked quite a distance that he finally snapped back to reality. He quickly stood up and jogged after him. "Wait for me!"

After lunch, Zeng Anmin and the Crown Prince returned to the classroom.

"Quan Fu." Qin Wanyue had arrived early as usual. Sensing Zeng Anmin taking his seat, she smiled, placed her book on the desk, and looked up at him with sparkling eyes.

"Ms. Qin, you study so diligently. Are you planning to test for the top scholar position in the future?" Zeng Anmin joked. He was genuinely a bit puzzled by how hard she worked at her studies. In this world, women weren’t allowed to participate in the imperial examinations anyway.

"Hehe." Qin Wanyue naturally heard the teasing in his voice. Covering her mouth, she chuckled. "I can’t compare to your peerless talent, Quan Fu, so naturally, I have to be even more diligent and hardworking."

There was no flaw in her logic.

"If we’re comparing talent..." Zeng Anmin nodded seriously, "...then you really should put in a lot more effort."

Qin Wanyue was speechless.

The Little Fatty Crown Prince was equally speechless.

"I’m joking." Zeng Anmin rolled his eyes at their dumbstruck expressions. Ms. Qin was wonderful in every way, but sometimes she took his jokes far too seriously.

While the three of them were chatting, a sudden commotion erupted from the doorway. A student rushed in excitedly from outside, his voice pitched high, "Fellow classmates, have you heard? Zeng Liangjiang has a new work!!"

Following this announcement, the classroom fell silent for a brief second before an extremely enthusiastic clamor erupted.

"What new work?"

"Is it as good as the *Two Rivers Ode*?"

"Read it to us quickly, Shi!"

"Ah, the suspense is killing me!!"

The seated students’ interest was completely ignited.

Hearing their exchange, Zeng Anmin was taken aback, and then subconsciously twitched his mouth.

"I have clearly distanced myself from fame and wealth," he thought. "Why are people still out here flexing on my behalf?"

Even without turning his head, he knew Qin Wanyue and Wang Yuanzhen had to be suppressing their laughter!

"Don’t be hasty!" the student said, looking thoroughly mysterious as if he held some exclusive scoop. "The story behind this poem has to start from when Zeng Liangjiang entered the Illusion Array to participate in the Eastern Palace assessment."

"The Eastern Palace assessment? For the Crown Prince’s Tutor?"

"Oh? Hurry up and tell us!"

"Look at this, there’s always someone interrupting my studies. Speak quickly! I need to get back to reading!!"

"So, after Zeng Liangjiang entered the Illusion Array, his memories were shielded. He had just exchanged a few words with the Crown Prince inside the array when the sounds of slaughter rang out!

"The noise was full of rebels storming the Imperial Palace. The traitors were shouting, ’Whoever captures the Crown Prince, Wang Yuanzhen, will be rewarded with a million gold!!’

"The Eastern Palace’s Crown Prince was instantly sweating bullets in sheer panic.

"But Zeng Liangjiang wasn’t rushed or flustered. He hefted his sharp blade and looked at the Crown Prince..."

Before the student could finish his sentence, he was sharply interrupted.

"Hold on! Zeng Liangjiang’s memories were suppressed in the array. Did he reveal his true nature... and try to kill the Crown Prince for the bounty?!" someone shouted in sudden doubt.

"Yeah! Anyone suddenly facing a situation like that would probably put their own interests first!"

"I bet ten taels! Zeng Liangjiang’s blade definitely pierced the Crown Prince’s belly!"

"Haha, I bet thirty taels!!"

For a moment, the entire scene grew incredibly chaotic. They didn’t look like followers of the Confucian Dao at all; instead, they resembled a gang of street ruffians.

Sitting in her seat, Qin Wanyue no longer had any mood to read. She simply pricked up her ears. Her lips were pressed tightly together, and beneath her sleeves, her fair hands were clenched into tight little fists.

"Haha! Who do you think Zeng Liangjiang is? He raised the blade to cut off the Crown Prince’s hair!

"And then he shouted at the terrified and bewildered Crown Prince: ’Take off your clothes! Change quickly! Hurry and flee, Your Highness!’"

Following this statement, the whole classroom plunged into silence.

"The Crown Prince slumped to the ground, completely guided by Zeng Liangjiang. Once the two had swapped clothes, Zeng Liangjiang charged toward the rebel army all by himself, valiantly marching to his death!!"

Once he finished speaking, everyone fell silent. They all knew that inside the Profound Array Department’s Illusion Array, the examinee’s memories were suppressed. Everything experienced within the Illusion Array was a reflection of their truest instincts.

"However, after the rebels captured Zeng Liangjiang, they also caught the fleeing Crown Prince.

"When the Crown Prince was dragged back in front of Zeng Liangjiang, the rebel leader tried to humiliate Zeng Liangjiang. Take a guess—what did Zeng Liangjiang say at that moment?" the student asked, wearing a mysterious expression.

"If you keep keeping us in suspense, we’ll cut ties with you!"

"Exactly!"

"Damn riddler!"

Hearing the crowd’s outrage, the storyteller slowly raised his head, his voice filled with absolute conviction.

"Zeng Liangjiang faced the Crown Prince, his voice passionately roaring: ’My Lord is in the south! How can I die facing the north?!’

"After exiting the array, Zeng Liangjiang was immediately moved with emotion and loudly recited an ode:

"’Black clouds bear down on the city, threatening to crush it! Armor gleams toward the sun, golden scales unfurling!

"’To repay the Sovereign’s favor on the Golden Terrace, I wield my Jade Dragon sword and die for my Lord!!’"

Silence. A deathly silence.

The lips of all the students began to tremble. Some even had tears welling in their eyes, profoundly moved by Zeng Liangjiang’s selfless sacrifice!

BANG!!!

Someone suddenly stood on a desk and shouted, "Zeng Liangjiang has an iron will!! He’d rather break than bend! A true man of blood and courage! He is truly a role model for our generation!!"

"I yearn to meet him! In this life, I must lay eyes on Zeng Liangjiang myself!!"

"If I don’t meet Zeng Liangjiang in this life, I will have no face to return to my hometown!"

Zeng Anmin wished he could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.

"Zeng Liangjiang really is a man of iron, isn’t he?" The Crown Prince’s teasing voice rang in Zeng Anmin’s ear.

Zeng Anmin shot him a death glare.

"Hehe." This successfully made Qin Wanyue laugh. After hearing the story of the Illusion Array, the way she looked at Zeng Anmin now held an extra trace of gentle tenderness. "To think that you... actually possess such character, Quan Fu," Qin Wanyue said, her eyes glistening, her voice laced with genuine admiration.

"Hehe." Zeng Anmin twitched the corner of his mouth, offering a very speechless smile.

"It’s just that the Crown Prince’s temperament was far too weak," Qin Wanyue frowned, offering her critique. "I hope he can use this Illusion Array experience as a wake-up call to improve himself."

"Pfft—" Zeng Anmin really couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.

In the seat behind him, the little fatty’s smile froze stiff.

Time always passed quickly. Classes at the Imperial College ended quite early. It was roughly around four in the afternoon in his past life’s time.

The sun was just beginning to tilt slightly to the west. Zeng Anmin mounted his beloved little roan horse and headed home. It wasn’t long before he arrived at the gates of the Minister’s Mansion. Just as he got home, he saw his old man stepping out of a carriage.

"Dad! How come you’re so free today?" Zeng Anmin hopped off his horse and looked at Zeng Shilin curiously.

"I finished my official duties at the Government Office today." Seeing his son, his father gave a slight nod. As they walked shoulder-to-shoulder, Zeng Shilin asked mildly, "How did you feel about these past two days at the Imperial College?"

"It’s only been two days. I’m not familiar with my classmates at all. They don’t even know my name..." Zeng Anmin thought back to them discussing him between classes. His heart didn’t feel the slightest ripple of emotion.

Actually, it was pretty hilarious.

*If I don’t meet Zeng Liangjiang in this life, I will have no face to return to my hometown...*

"The kid even made it rhyme," he thought. "Are you trying to test into grad school or something?!"