Nest Carts! Stone Throwers! Ram Carts! Shield Carts!
From the moment Li Yuangui was escorted from Kang Su-mi's residence in Buzheng Ward into the eastern sector of the forbidden garden near Eternal Peace Palace, his feet rooted to the spot at the sight of the towering siege engines below. He had seen diagrams of these war machines in military treatises and heard generals explain their functions, but this was his first encounter with the real things. His excitement was beyond words.
Had it not been for the Eunuch leading the way repeatedly urging, "Prince Wu, please hurry—we're already running late," he would have dashed down to climb atop the Nest Cart and try his hand at operating the Stone Thrower for sheer thrill. Yang Xinzhi, following behind, noticed his lord's restless eagerness and advised, "Fourteenth Young Master, let us first attend the imperial audience. After meeting the Son of Heaven, you can return to play... er, study."
Thus, Li Yuangui was reluctantly herded up the long steps by his escorts. At the grand tent on the platform, he removed his waist saber in preparation for the audience. When the attendant at the entrance mentioned, "His Majesty is currently receiving a young maiden—please wait a moment, Your Highness," he exchanged amused glances with Yang Xinzhi, silently mocking his elder brother's notorious philandering. But as fragmented snippets of a woman's voice drifted through the tent flaps, his amusement turned to unease.
Suddenly, a summons echoed from inside. Several attendants hurried in response, but Li Yuangui grabbed the last one:
"Who exactly is this young maiden meeting the Emperor?"
The servant paused before answering, "I believe she's the daughter of Chancellor... Wei Xuancheng?"
Then, piercing screams and sobs erupted from the tent. Li Yuangui recognized Wei Shufen's voice instantly. Blood rushed to his head. He released the servant and charged forward, only to be seized by a pair of iron-strong arms from behind:
"Fourteenth Young Master, wait! The situation inside is unclear—you cannot barge in recklessly before the Emperor—"
"Let go!" What did clarity matter now? All he wanted was to storm in, draw his blade, and hack the lustful, tyrannical ruler to pieces.
A sharp elbow strike to Yang Xinzhi's abdomen forced the burly guard to double over in pain, loosening his grip. Breaking free, Li Yuangui sprang forward into the tent—just in time to see four or five men dragging a disheveled Wei Shufen toward the exit.
"Stop!"
Though the scene didn't match his imagined scenario of "a depraved monarch assaulting a maiden," the sight of Wei Shufen's torn hair, screams, and frantic kicks left no room for rational thought. He shoved the guards aside like a madman, wrapped an arm around his beloved, and retreated while shouting at the figure behind the central imperial desk:
"If Your Majesty wishes to harm her, you must kill Yuangui first!"
"Your Majesty, forgive this offense!" Yang Xinzhi's deep voice rang out urgently from behind. "The midday heat has addled the Fourteenth Young Master's senses. His transgression warrants death, and we shall atone with our lives—"
The towering guard knelt in apology while steadying both Li Yuangui and Wei Shufen with firm hands. The frightened girl sobbed into her lover's embrace, covering her face with a handkerchief. Li Yuangui gasped for breath, sinking to his knees on the carpet as he glared up at his imperial elder brother.
The Son of Heaven leaned an elbow on the desk, frowning at the commotion below. Once the trio had somewhat settled, he waved for the guards and eunuchs to exit.
"Your subject has disgraced himself before the throne and deserves execution," Li Yuangui forced out between breaths, falling back on formal rhetoric. "But why is Miss Wei here? I beg Your Majesty, for her father's sake, to pardon and release her!"
The Emperor snorted in amusement."You ask me? Who should I ask? Why is this little girl here? Let her speak for herself! Truly a marvel under heaven—in all my years, your brother has never encountered someone daring enough to come before me demanding payment! Thirty thousand bolts, fifty thousand bolts, haggling like a petty merchant in the marketplace. Wei Zheng prides himself on his moral teachings, yet this is the character of the daughter he’s raised?"
Thirty thousand bolts? Fifty thousand bolts?
Li Yuangui was shocked. He looked down at Wei Shufen in his arms and saw that the girl had already wiped the tears from her face. Her eyes were red as she turned away, struggling slightly to free herself from his embrace. She knelt, raised her head, and retorted defiantly:
"The thirty thousand bolts were originally the reward His Majesty promised my father for solving the case! I am not seeking undeserved rewards or shamelessly extorting anything! In the case of Princess Linfen, Prince Wu and the High Truth Master were also commissioned by Your Majesty to investigate. I was fortunate to be involved and contributed some modest effort. Now that my family has fallen into hardship and I have nowhere to turn, I came to beg for the reward from the benevolent ruler. Whether it is granted or not, whether mercy is shown, lies entirely in Your Majesty’s momentary kindness. Why must—"
"A Fen!" Li Yuangui had only heard a few words before breaking into a cold sweat. He quickly embraced her again to stop her, whispering in her ear, "Don’t say any more. Leave it to me. Don’t speak anymore."
Wei Shufen had no experience in courtly discourse and little understanding of protocol. Her lack of basic etiquette would only make things worse the more she resisted. The fact that the Emperor hadn’t ordered her immediate execution was likely due to respect for her father and reluctance to take a naive young girl too seriously.
Yang Xinzhi also knelt behind them, trembling as he pleaded, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The Wei girl is young and ignorant, bold and reckless. She has offended the sacred ruler. Consider her father’s contributions to the state..."
The Emperor behind the imperial desk laughed again, his eyes fixed with amusement on the young couple kneeling and embracing before him, and the burly guard desperately trying to mediate behind them. He stroked his chin:
"What a pair of lovebirds... Fourteenth Brother, I never would have guessed. I thought you were solely devoted to learning and martial arts, yet here you are, quite the charmer in matters of the heart, aren’t you?"
Li Yuangui’s face flushed, and he instinctively released his hold on Wei Shufen. The girl turned to look at him, and for a moment, their eyes met before they reached out and clasped hands.
"Hahaha..."
The Emperor leaned back against the couch, resting on the armrest. His earlier anger seemed to have dissipated entirely, leaving only amusement and mockery. "Your little affair—the Empress told me about it as a joke. It’s hardly a big deal. The Emperor’s brother and the Prime Minister’s daughter—a perfectly matched union, as far as status goes. As long as your future father-in-law, Wei Xuancheng, doesn’t object, why should we play the villains? Ah, but what a pity... What a pity for you young lovers..."
Li Yuangui’s heart swelled with both sweetness and sorrow as he gazed down at the delicate, lovely face of his beloved. For a moment, he felt as though he might melt into the depths of her shimmering eyes.
If only time could freeze, the world stand still—how perfect that would be. He pushed aside thoughts of the treacherous road ahead, the fickle twists of fate, the desert winds of the Western Regions, the unfamiliar bride from a foreign land, the scheming Hu merchants who traveled with him. Here and now, there was only the girl he adored, her warm presence and wise eyes filling his heart and mind. He would gladly trade all his past experiences and future hopes for this priceless moment, to drown in it forever, until the seas ran dry and the wheel of reincarnation ceased to turn.
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