Chen Kingdom is located in Jiangnan, where culture flourishes. Even the woodcutters by the roadside and passersby can recite a couplet of poetry. The current emperor is exceptionally skilled in both calligraphy and painting, particularly adept at landscapes, and has considerable accomplishments in poetry and prose.
As the saying goes, "the upper influences the lower," most people in the palace understand poetry and can discern the charm of these couplets.
They do not focus on the brushstrokes on their faces but emphasize the meaning, which is particularly implicit.
Especially this young girl, who is already beautiful, sings with a clear and ethereal voice, using the soft dialect of Wu. As she sings, one cannot tell whether the lines "cloud wants clothing, flower wants beauty" are about the noble consort or the girl reciting poetry. Xue Shuangtao softly finishes the next two lines.
"If not seen atop the Mountain of Jade."
"Will meet under the moon at the Yao Terrace."
After reciting, no one spoke for a long time. The emperor murmured the poem to himself, shaking his head and sighing, "I heard the poem he wrote about swordsmen before. At that time, I thought it was sharp in thought but always carried a hint of hostility. Today, showing it to you, who has grievances?"
"Has my realm not been stable?"
"Is Jiangnan not peaceful enough?"
"Whom do you intend to show your sharpened sword? Whose grievances do you wish to address?"
"This poem today, however, is beautifully crafted and truly resonates with me."
In the eyes of the noble consort, there is a gentle elegance, and with a smile, she says, "That child is only in his teens. I heard he has been training at my home, practicing martial arts for ten years, yet has been suppressed by his father, unable to showcase his talents. This resentment clearly shows his desire to achieve fame."
"Showing it to you today, is it not a wish to take up the sword and uphold the state?"
"The emperor should not be displeased by the youthful vigor of a talented boy; rather, he should appreciate it."
This passage subtly modifies the meaning of the boy's poetry to align more with the emperor's thoughts, while also crafting an image of the boy training for ten years, eager to realize his ambitions. The emperor's affection for talent rises, dispelling his aversion to the aristocracy and military achievements.
The noble consort smiles and says, "I quite like this poem; what do you think, Your Majesty?"
Privately, she does not refer to herself as a subject.
Having been married to the emperor for twenty years, their feelings are deep, and now she is finally pregnant. The emperor cherishes her, patting her hand and saying, "If you say you like it, then it is indeed likable."
"He is a good child."
The noble consort softly says, "I have heard that recently the Prime Minister and General Qi Jun Song have had some criticisms of this child. After all, he is a member of the Xue family. Even without meeting him, he has faced their relentless suppression. Who they dislike and suppress, is it that child or the one in my womb?"
The chief eunuch beside them stiffens, cold sweat breaking out.
Yet the emperor merely smiles as usual and says, "They simply have not managed their own children well, getting involved in Yue Qianfeng's matters and venting their anger on your Xue family's guest. Do not overthink it; I am still waiting for you to give me a good child."
"As for Li Guanyi, as you said, he is indeed a good talent."
"Jing talent?"
The chief eunuch bows and replies, "I am here."
The emperor lifts his tea cup and casually says, "Draft an edict."
"Today, I have heard that Li Guanyi has presented poetry, which is very beautiful and resonates deeply with me. He comes from a good family and bears no hostility. Bestow him one hundred taels of silver and a pair of precious jade, and inform Dan Tai Xianming and the others that in the court's struggles, they must not involve the innocent, regarding past matters."
The past matters refer to the deaths of those martial achievement heirs.
The emperor casually sets down his tea and says, "Let’s not mention it again."
Yuan Jingcai bows, "Yes."
Yet he sighs inwardly, lamenting Dan Tai Xianming and the various aristocratic families, who, using Qi Jun Song's son as a breakthrough, are about to stir up trouble among the aristocracy, officials, relatives, military generals, and civil officials. With a single light remark from the emperor, this not-so-small conflict is suppressed.
Fighting is still necessary, but they can no longer use Li Guanyi as a topic.
Those martial achievement heirs have died in vain.
【词甚华美，深得朕心】.
These eight words have solidified Li Guanyi's status as a good family child.
Ordinary martial achievement heirs would not dare to use past matters to trouble him again. He glanced at Xue Shuangtao standing over there, unsure if this little girl knows that she has just pushed a small conflict and provided a backing for the yet-to-arrive Zhenwei Cavalry Commander.
He saw the girl slightly relax, her hands tightly gripping her clothing.
Her eyes were seriously fixed ahead.
She was more earnest than those answering scholars.
He knew she was a bit nervous reciting poetry in front of the emperor.
Yuan Jingcai shook his head.
Indeed, she is still a little girl; how could she not be nervous?
He was just curious about what abilities that boy possessed to make her so invested.
After finishing his tea, the noble consort personally adjusted the music score and sang the poem. The emperor kept time, and from outside came a voice singing in agreement. The emperor helplessly said, "I must go to the Grand Sacrifice. These past few days, I have been burning incense and praying daily. Coming here gives me a moment of peace."
He held the noble consort's hand, spoke many intimate words, and then rose to leave.
After the emperor walked far away, the noble consort called Xue Shuangtao over. Xue Shuangtao helped her aunt, who was several months pregnant, settle down. The noble consort gently touched Xue Shuangtao's forehead, pretending to be angry, and said, "Little girl, you have such great courage."
Xue Shuangtao shook her aunt's arm and acted cute, saying, "I didn’t just come to deliver poetry to you, Auntie. I didn’t expect the emperor to be here too! Auntie, please don’t be angry!"
The noble consort already liked this younger generation, Xue Shuangtao.
Seeing her act cute, her delicate features were so adorable that one wanted to hug her and ruffle her hair.
Not to mention she was not angry; even if she were, it would have dissipated by three points, her face already smiling, saying, "Only you know how to speak."
Xue Shuangtao asked, "Does Auntie not like this poem?"
The noble consort replied, "How could I not like such a good poem? Such poetry, 'cloud wants clothing, flower wants beauty,' is beautifully written. I just wonder, is this poem written for me or for you?"
She teased, and Xue Shuangtao replied, "Naturally, it is written for you, Auntie."
The noble consort teased, "Then did he not write a poem for you?"
"Of course he did!"
Xue Shuangtao instinctively answered, but since that poem contained her name, she could not help but stammer, "Then, I will show it to you next time!" The noble consort smiled and nodded, patting her hand, saying, "Since you protect him like this, your father also thinks highly of him."
"Then when he enters the capital, I will have a private banquet; you should invite him too."
Xue Shuangtao was overjoyed.
She could also see that this represented Li Guanyi having backing in the capital. She felt that the boy's talent, when he arrives in the capital, would not seek trouble but would have many matters come to him. Having someone willing to support him is always better.
That day, when she returned to write a letter, the girl prepared a box of candied plums.
She said the noble consort liked poetry and asked if she could write another poem for her on this spring day.
After a pause, she scratched that sentence out.
After thinking for a moment, she wrote only eight words.
The noble consort snatched her letter paper to read. The girl anxiously tried to take it back, but her aunt, relying on her pregnancy, made Xue Shuangtao hesitate to touch it. Xue Shuangtao reached out to grab the letter, nearly crying out, saying, "Auntie, please don’t read my letter! I, I can’t write poetry like him."
"Oh? Can’t write? Then I must take a good look."
The noble consort opened it proudly, only to see the girl had written eight words.
【春日花开，静候君来】
The noble consort stood still in the spring breeze for a long time.
She sighed, returned the letter to Xue Shuangtao, ruffled the girl's hair, and smiled, saying, "Where are you not as good as him?"
"These two sentences are just not enough."
"But writing it like this is already not inferior to his poetry."
【春日花开，静候君来】
What does this mean?
The flowers of spring have already bloomed; I am here waiting for you to come.
……………………
In the secret realm.
Li Guanyi raised his battle spear, pointing at the Xue Shuangtao, his breath still somewhat hurried. After unleashing three ultimate techniques in succession and using his Dharma form, his internal energy was severely depleted, and his body had reached its limit. The defeated Xue Shuangtao, however, remained calm, smiling as he said:
"Not bad, it’s rare for me to lose to you half a move."
"The qualification to dismantle this secret realm is now yours."
He casually tossed an object to Li Guanyi, which was a piece of jade. When it landed on Li Guanyi, it transformed into starlight and vanished. This was the qualification to reconstruct the secret realm, or rather, this was the foundation of the secret realm.
As long as Li Guanyi and Yao Guang gathered, they could find a suitable place to reconstruct the secret realm.
With the item in hand, Li Guanyi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As he relaxed, the energy that had been sustaining his body suddenly dissipated. The battle spear in his hand felt incredibly heavy, crashing to the ground. Li Guanyi leaned on the spear, gasping for breath, his hair standing on end as sweat poured out. He had to control his muscles and meridians to seal the sweat pores to prevent further depletion of his energy.
Yet he found that apart from fatigue, his body had nothing else.
He was in good health.
Incredibly strong.
Xue Shuangtao said, "Golden skin and jade bones, dragon tendons and tiger marrow. Since ancient times, the greatest pain for generals has been the continuous brutal battles. In chaotic times, famous generals who conquer the world face battles of scale and frequency far beyond those of the heroes in the martial world."
"Excessive battles and killings can injure martial artists. If the injuries are healed, they do not damage the foundation of their essence. However, if battles are too frequent, often the injuries from one fight have not healed before the next arises. A general at their peak can face opponents, but after countless battles, hidden injuries accumulate, making it difficult to end well."
"But your foundation and physique need not worry about this."
"Your recovery speed is fast, and your defenses are strong, like the transformation of dragons and tigers."
"Golden skin and jade bones, difficult to harm with blades; this is the qualification of a peerless general."
Only then did Li Guanyi realize the strength of this foundation.
It was not just about defense but also sustainability.
It was a terrifying recovery ability, allowing one to engage in close combat without hesitation, exchanging injuries with opponents. He clenched his fist, feeling the rapid surge of blood, and curiously asked, "You just mentioned, Dharma form combined strike?"
Xue Shuangtao replied, "Yes, rather, it is a qi mechanism combined strike."
"In our era, roughly at the Fourth Layer, one can access the Dharma form. At the Fifth Layer, one can command an army of thousands, using the qi mechanism to compensate for the power of their Dharma form..."
"You know, the Dharma form is a gathering of essence, qi, and spirit. If one can use formations to channel the strength of thousands into the bonfire of this Dharma form, it can create terrifying power. This is also why military formations are something all martial masters in the martial world must avoid."
"A standard army of ten thousand requires thirty to fifty thousand support personnel. If there are cavalry, even more are needed, usually totaling around fifty to sixty thousand. Among them, there are two thousand entry-level martial artists, at least two hundred second-layer martial artists, ten third-layer vice generals, five fourth-layer assistant generals, and among them, the reserve troops are also martial artists."
"With so many people's essence, qi, and spirit gathered into a martial arts powerhouse's body."
"How strong do you think the Dharma form unleashed in that moment would be?"
"This is the battle spirit of military formations. Only those who can command tens of thousands can be considered famous generals. When the Dharma form that gathers the essence of ten thousand spirits is unleashed, what martial heroes or martial masters in the martial world would be like ants?"
"And if there are two famous generals, the techniques they cultivate can ultimately combine their Dharma forms."
"For example, the combined strike of dragons and tigers."
"Or the five elements, or yin and yang, can often unleash even greater power."
"For instance, if there are two divine generals, one with a Dharma form like wind and the other with raging flames, if they join forces, it can create a scene of burning the heavens, allowing the weak to overcome the strong. This method, broadly speaking, is the cooperation of military formations; narrowly speaking, it is the combined strike of Dharma forms."
"It requires countless tempering and mutual trust, thus it is difficult."
"But once used, it can often change the situation on the battlefield."
"And you, bearing multiple Dharma forms, as long as you possess the power to command an army of over ten thousand, you can become a famous general, executing various combinations of Dharma forms, allowing the weak to overcome the strong is merely commonplace."
Xue Shuangtao suddenly sighed, "What a pity."
Li Guanyi was puzzled, "What?"
Xue Shuangtao softly said, "It is a pity you cannot be born in your era. In this chaotic world, I truly wish to fight and kill with you when you grow up."
Li Guanyi took half a step back and said, "It is you who will kill me."
"Old man, do not ramble here."
Xue Shuangtao laughed heartily.
Li Guanyi hesitated for a moment, sitting cross-legged and curiously asked:
"What level are the top ten famous generals in the world?"
Xue Shuangtao raised an eyebrow and said, "What? Have you made enemies with them?"
Li Guanyi replied, "No, I’m just asking."
Xue Shuangtao thought for a moment and said, "I do not know if the famous generals of your era have changed, but in chaotic times, culture declines, and martial prowess only grows stronger. In my era, the qualification for the top ten has a standard."
He raised a finger: "One hundred thousand."
"A general commanding one hundred thousand, personally leading an army, igniting a large-scale battle involving over a million warriors, where the army remains orderly and commands are followed, can break the enemy and win, can be considered a 【神将】."
"Initiating a battle of over a million..."
Li Guanyi's pupils constricted, murmuring.
A million martial artists, over two hundred thousand entry-level martial artists.
Drawing swords to fight.
The Dharma forms roar in the sky, famous generals gallop across the battlefield, the sounds of their roars and the clashing of swords are enough to overshadow the Central Plains. A single rage can shock the world; this is the peak power of chaotic times. His enemy, the true White Tiger Sect, is capable of leading an army of ten thousand, plus reserves and support personnel, that is the pinnacle commander of hundreds of thousands.
Li Guanyi felt the future was distant.
Xue Shuangtao waved his hand and said, "Speaking of which, where are you going?"
Li Guanyi briefly mentioned his plans to go to Jiangzhou City.
Xue Shuangtao said, "Oh, Jiangzhou City, that is the descendant of Chen Xingyuan."
Xue Shuangtao stroked his chin, looking at the boy who was struggling to sit up, dipping a pen in ink, his eyes wide open, unabashedly sizing him up, and smiled, leisurely saying, "How about a trade? If you don’t write a proper character on my forehead, I will tell you a secret."
Li Guanyi grinned, his gaze intense.
That was the flame of revenge.
"Not negotiable!"
"This time, I must write it!"
"Old man!"
"You enjoyed winning so much before, right?"
Xue Shuangtao leisurely said, "It was Chen Xingyuan, the founding ancestor of Chen Kingdom."
"Back then, buried in Jiangzhou City were good things."
"I think you must be interested."
Xue Shuangtao's lips curled into a smile, slightly spreading his hands, "Back then, both he and I were feared by the emperor of Zhongzhou. I was lazy by nature and left such means behind. How could his character not have hidden something?"
Li Guanyi's movements suddenly paused, and Xue Shuangtao leisurely said:
"That is a mount."
"A qilin."
(本章完)