Nightfall

“When the Second Floor is opened and all goes to silence, suddenly you get up with a smile and say, ‘I can…'”

Situ Yilan looked at him, shook her head while smiling, and said with a sigh, “That picture looks good and the story is wonderful also. But unfortunately, you and I are the poor people who can’t go for cultivation.”

“I can…” Ning Que thought that even if he had said so, the girl beside the bar would probably not have believed it. So, he gently smiled and turned his head to look at the lively place through the veil. He leisurely said, “If the Second Floor is only recruiting one person this time, then I don’t understand why they are still so happy.”

Situ Yilan smiled to say, “Because Master Xie is so much more popular than you. Even if some people envy him, they won’t show it on their faces but they’ll cheer for him like Zhong Dajun.”

After a moment of silence, Ning Que suddenly laughed and said, “Have all of you forgotten someone?”

Situ Yilan was stunned for a moment, and then immediately, she understood what he meant and could not help feeling shocked.

Including her, all of the students in the Academy had forgotten about Prince Long Qing from the Yan Kingdom. Probably in the minds of all the students, Prince Long Qing was the bigwig of the Judicial Department of the West-Hill Divine Palace and an uncommon cultivation genius in the world. So, they subconsciously put this man in a higher position, and never thought to compare him with themselves. Moreover, that prince, who attracted thousands of young girls when he entered Chang’an City, had been living a simple life in Peach Alley and had found an excuse not to participate in any of the palace banquets. He really kept an extremely low profile.

“Everyone knows that the purpose of this Prince Long Qing coming to Chang’an City is to take over the Crown Prince of the Yan as a hostage. But his identity as a prince and the inviolable dignity of the West-Hill Divine Palace require another reason to justify his presence here. So, the rumor that he wants to enter the Second Floor of the Academy… might be true.”

Ning Que looked at her and continued, “If the Second Floor of the Academy is really only recruiting one student now and Prince Long Qing also wants to enter it, then who do you think his opponent will be, Xie Chengyun or Linchuan Wangying?”

“Master Xie is outstanding indeed but can’t compete with Prince Long Qing. And Wangying is still young now…” Situ Yilan gradually digested the shock in her heart and suddenly thought of a possibility. She asked, “Maybe Prince Long Qing is not on the enrollment list?”

Ning Que shook his head and said, “If he is, what should these happy guys do?”

He smiled and seemed to comfort her. “But I think Xie Chengyun wouldn’t be discouraged if he knew that Prince Long Qing will compete for the only spot with him. On the contrary, he might be motivated to have a stronger fighting will.”

Situ Yilan shook her head and said, “Prince Long Qing is about to enter the Knowing Destiny State, but Master Xie has just entered the No Doubts State. The difference between their states is too great, so their will of fighting won’t play a big role.”

Looking at those classmates who were drinking happily on the terrace, she thought that Prince Long Qing decided to casually walk nearby just to make the Academy students ashamed the day after tomorrow when the Second Floor was opened. She said gloomily, “Although Master Xie is from the South Jin Kingdom and not the Tang Empire, he has been studying in the Academy for a year after all. If he can enter the Second Floor, our Tangs can accept it. But if it is… Prince Long Qing who is accepted over all the students to become the only one that enters the Second Floor, the elders in the Imperial Court will certainly become angry and disappointed with our Academy students.”

Prince Long Qing was from the Yan Kingdom, with an identity as a hostage. However, he was also the bigwig of the Judicial Department of the West-Hill Divine Palace, a rival of the Tang Empire. If such a person directly beat out the young Tang generation in Chang’an with his great strength, that would be a severe slap in the face of the Tang Empire.

“I don’t understand why the Academy follows this rule this time.” Situ Yilan frowned and looked at the anxiously swimming fish in the lake. She said, “Does it deliberately help feed Prince Long Qing’s flame?”

Ning Que laughed and comforted her. “It has not yet started. We don’t know how to enter the Second Floor of the Academy, either. How can you predict in advance that the only one who can enter the Second Floor is Prince Long Qing?”

“The West-Hill Divine Palace is the old enemy of the Tang Empire. Even from the position of an enemy, I must admit that Prince Long Qing is absolutely the best figure of the young generation in this world and can hardly find an opponent.”

Situ Yilan said with a gloomy mood, “It’s not shameful to recognize the enemy’s power. What really makes me feel distressed is that there is not a person in this generation who can actually contend with him even though there are a lot of talents in the Tang Empire.”

“There is,” Ning laughed and said.

Situ Yilan looked at him with a smile and said, “It’s not convincing if you want to talk about yourself.”

“Well,” Ning Que sighed, spread his arms, and said, “you don’t have to worry about these things. It’s all about reputation. Even if Prince Long Qing moves his body, making the men shameful and the women dizzy, the Yan Kingdom still has to pay tribute to the Tangs, and the West-Hill Divine Palace still doesn’t dare to provoke us. So there will be no essential changes.”

“It’s about honor and dignity, not reputation. Since you’re from the border army, why don’t you look like a soldier at all?”

“What should a Tang soldier look like? Just like Hua Shanyue, who looked steadily forward with a hilt in his hands and walked like a fierce wind? I don’t think so. The soldiers guard the homeland and open up new territory. They don’t rely on working style but on something else.”

“What else?”

“Discipline, courage, and trust.”

“Well, you should know Hua Shanyue, shouldn’t you?” Situ Yilan curiously looked at him.

Ning Que thought of the previous eye contact with that Senior Captain of the Gushan Commandery. After a moment of silence, he replied with a smile, “He’s the leader of the young generation of the Tang military, but I’m just an ordinary person. We don’t know each other, but just met once one year ago. And I remember that he disliked me at that time.”

Situ Yilan did not know those things that had happened on the grassland journey. She said with a smile, “I find that there seems to be few people who like you in Chang’an City.”

Ning Que shook his head and refuted that. “You obviously don’t know me very well. You can go to ask my neighbors on Lin 47th Street. Everyone likes me except for the wife of Wu Er next door. Last time, I also took you to the House of Red Sleeves, didn’t you see that those girls like me?”

“Forget it.” Situ Yilan looked at the quiet yard in the deep Victory House and said, “Are you going to follow us or go in alone?”

“What for?” Ning Que followed her gaze and shook his head, saying, “I don’t want to eat with Her Highness, and she might not even invite us in.”

“You really guessed correctly that the princess is here.” Situ Yilan smiled and said, “Her Highness usually does not call us in on weekdays, but since all the Academy students are gathered here and the guest that His Highness invited is definitely not an ordinary character, then she’ll invite us in for sure.”

Ning Que thought for a moment and then understood the hidden meaning of her words like Hua Shanyue. He could not help satirically laughing and silently thought in his heart, “Li Yu, you eventually could not help developing your power among the young generation of the Tang Empire, enhancing your influence and showing your strength to the guests at the same time…”

“It’s impossible for more than 100 people to go in.” He laughed and said, “They need to pick out some guys with good grades and morality to go in to greet Her Highness. But I’m not one of them.”

Situ Yilan remembered encountering his little handmaiden, Sangsang, one day in the princess’ mansion. She was annoyed and said, “You’re an old friend of Her Highness. And you two are familiar with each other. If I take you in, who would dare to object to it?”

…

…

The boss of the Victory House must have had a good background to buy the former censor’s mansion to open the restaurant in Southern City. But managing this restaurant for a living, the boss had to be a powerful figure who could deal with all kinds of people. He did not earn much money when the Academy students booked the lakeside terrace. But on the weekdays, he would definitely think of ways to get close to them for his convenience in the future. Today, however, he did not have any contact with those students at all. Instead, he respectfully stood outside like a manservant.

With dishes of food in their hands, dozens of maidservants walked among the quiet houses. After having been trained, they did not make the slightest sound. There was only the whistling of the wind blowing through the treetops that could be heard in the house. The boss of the Victory House stared at everyone’s movements with his sharp eyes. When he confirmed that there were no problems, he became a little bit relaxed and raised his arm to wipe away the sweat from his forehead.

The host and the guest, who could book the most quiet and the most expensive backyard in the Victory House and made the boss serve everyone like a manservant, had to be the distinguished ones in today’s backyard feast. Today, the banquet host was Lee Yu, the Fourth Princess of the Tang Dynasty. Her guest was really an honored character. And if it went as expected, the guest would have no chance to return to Chang’an City for the rest of his life after leaving.

At the end of the shiny ebony floor were two short tables sitting beside each other. A young-looking man sat beside the table on the left-hand side. He wore a plain gown and had a jade hairpin in his hair bun. He had straight brows and bright eyes, appearing to be extremely calm and gentle. Only a few faintly visible silver hairs inadvertently revealed his depression from these years.

As a hostage in Chang’an for nearly a decade, the Crown Prince of the Yan calmly looked at Tang Princess Lee Yu and held a wineglass in his hand. He slowly and firmly drank it up and then said with lament, “In the fourth year of the Tianqi era, I traveled to Chang’an and re-entered it as a hostage for six years. So, I’ve actually known Her Highness for 10 years. Although you went to the grassland for two years during that period, we also grew up with each other’s company. Now this time, I don’t know when we’ll meet again, so I feel kind of sad about it.”

“Brother Chongming, we both know that if you still want to see me in Chang’an City, it must be for two reasons. Because of that, we’d better not meet each other. Or if I have a chance, I’ll go to Capital Cheng to visit you.”

Lee Yu smiled slightly and held a small glass that she had played with for a long time between her fingers. Then, she gently sipped it. In fact, during the banquet, both of them knew that after the crown prince returned this time, he would certainly succeed the throne after the death of the Yan Emperor. If the emperor wanted to enter the Tang capital, Chang’an, there were only two possibilities: One was that the Yan Kingdom had been exterminated by the Tang Empire and he, as the emperor, had been taken to Chang’an as a sacrifice to heaven. The second was that he had led the Yan armies to attack Chang’an City.

For these two possibilities, the former was too bleak and the latter was kind of impossible. So, Lee Yu said that they had better not meet each other.

“It’s better not to meet.” The crown prince smiled and said, “As you said, if you have the chance in the future, just go to Capital Cheng to see me. And then, I’ll be the host and treat you to something special.”

“I’m not a kid any longer. Delicious food can’t allure me.” Lee Yu smiled and said, “But Brother Chongming, you’ll be the emperor in the future. If I ask you for something, it’s also very convenient.”

One was an orthodox heir to the throne of the Yan Kingdom. The other was the Tang Princess with the highest status. It seemed that they only talked about their childhood friendship before their separation. In fact, a future dispute might be hidden in any sentence.

After a short moment of silence, the crown prince showed a bitter smile on his slim cheeks. He made a toast and whispered in a low voice, “The emperor of a country… is something that is hard to be. I have lived in Chang’an city for nearly a decade and have long been accustomed to the climate and customs here. In fact, I really don’t want to go back.”

“Brother, you are wrong. Your father is very old now and in poor health…” Lee Yu gently shook her head.

“What is wrong? My father didn’t like me then, so he let me come to Chang’an as a hostage. He didn’t feel hurt or sorry at all. For the entire eight years, I lived a low-key and painful life in Chang’an city. Have I received a comfort letter from Capital Cheng? In fact, the entire Yan Kingdom… has it long forgotten me?”

The Crown Prince of the Yan raised his wineglass to drink, with a touch of pain flashing in his eyes.

“I spent two years on the grassland. I was also very worried that Chang’an City would forget me, but it turns out that as long as you’re still alive and you return, the memories from long ago will be rekindled.”

Lee Yu looked firmly at the crown prince and said, “In those years, Brother Chongming, you suggested that I should go to the grassland so that I could keep out of the affair. I’ve benefited from that a lot. And now you’re about to return. Of course, I have to send you several gifts. I know you probably don’t want them. But you have to remember one thing: No matter how bad the situation is in Capital Cheng, you’re directly the crown prince after all. So no one can take your throne away!”

Prince Yan quietly looked at her and could not help feeling a sense of sympathy after thinking what she had done for his younger brother over the years. He laughed at himself and said, “Now the problem is not that someone wants to snatch my throne, but this throne does not yet belong to me. In the eyes of all the Yans, my wise and enterprising brother is better suited to have that throne than the cowardly crown prince who has lived in Chang’an for many years.”

He paused for a moment and then continued to softly say, “Although I have been gone from Capital Cheng for many years, I still remember some things from when I was a kid. It seemed that Long Qing was born a genius. From riding or shooting to poetry, books, or even cultivation, there seemed to be nothing that he couldn’t do. Compared with him, a crown prince like me doesn’t have the slightest peculiarities. So, it becomes a very natural thing that the emperor likes and dotes on him, and the ministers trust and rely on him.

“Moreover, he is now the bigwig of the Judicial Department in the West-Hill Divine Palace.”

The crown prince looked at Lee Yu and said, “Since he entered the Revelation Institute in West-Hill, Long Qing’s mother has begun to expand their power in Capital Cheng. By now, that momentum is so strong that it can’t be suppressed by manpower, for he has strong support outside. Besides, the strong support… is from West-Hill.”