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墨書 Inktalez
Liu Lao Jiu let out a satisfied burp and collapsed onto the ground, falling asleep without a care. Gu was unaware of the danger they had encountered with bandits.
The two of them were walking towards another road leading to Mo Ming Academy. They planned to pass through Tuan City, where Gu intended to change into a new outfit and gather information about Yi Dong's envoy to Mo Ming Academy. The news of Gu being appointed by the Emperor to escort talented youths for educational exchange had already spread. Officially, it was to escort promising individuals to the academy, but in reality, it was a mission of great importance, known only to the Emperor and his close Eunuch, as well as the Imperial Guard sent along. What Gu was tasked with escorting was a secret, even he did not know what was inside the box entrusted to him. The Emperor likely never imagined that Gu would open the box, take out the documents, and leave the box with the dog.
Gu had been very cautious; he understood that something sought after even by deities could be dangerous for an ordinary person like him. No amount of caution was too much.
Since that morning, they had not encountered any further crises and safely made their way into Tuan City. They found a clothing store where Gu insisted on dragging Stubbled Uncle inside to buy a new outfit. After some haggling, they managed to get something decent.
Next, they found a restaurant and ordered a few dishes along with a pot of wine. After spending over ten days in the mountains, they were tired of dry rations and finally enjoyed a proper meal.
"Hey, I’m not stingy!" Gu exclaimed. "Am I an official now? Why should I treat Liu Lao Jiu to just this? It should be delicacies like lobster and crab! Just two bowls of beef noodles won’t cut it!" Liu Lao Jiu replied with a smirk, "Don’t think you can get away with just that! Even if I’m enjoying my meal, I won’t forget to squeeze you for more."
Gu rarely joked around but found himself teasing Liu Lao Jiu. He suddenly remembered where he had gotten that flask of osmanthus wine from.
"What about my reward? I understand rewards well enough; without that flask of wine, I wouldn’t risk my life for you," Liu Lao Jiu said after finishing his bowl but still feeling unsatisfied. He ordered another bowl since someone else was footing the bill. "As the saying goes, why not take advantage when it’s cheap?" Liu Lao Jiu added with a grin, having learned much from their experiences together. "By the way, where are we headed next?"
Gu put down his chopsticks after finishing his bowl of beef noodles and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. After thinking for a moment, he decided they should buy two horses and head to Jinzhou City.
"Why go to Jinzhou City? That’s part of Liu Xia Dynasty’s territory! Isn’t that also the capital of Great Jin? Wouldn’t that just take us on a longer detour?"
"We're going to Great Jin to find someone." Gu urged Liu Lao Jiu as they spurred their horses towards Great Jin. The most dangerous times were yet to come!
In the Liu Xia Imperial Capital, an Eunuch hurriedly walked into the imperial garden where the Emperor Dong was admiring the flowers and bowed respectfully. "Your servant pays his respects to Your Majesty."
"What is it?" The Emperor did not turn his head as he hurried towards Dongyi to enjoy the flowers with the concubines.
Returning from Emperor Dong, the Old Prince's men had appeared in Nine Houses Village seven days ago, along with another group of unidentified individuals, who were likely trailing behind the horse convoy now. The Eunuch spoke in a casual tone about the matter, as if he were commenting on a fly that had been swatted dead in Yuchun Palace, lamenting, " Bu Fou " A fly had indeed been killed, yet there was surprise at how a fly could even be present in the palace.
"Where has the horse convoy reached?"
"It has already arrived in Qishan County."
"Has Xiao Liuzi sent back any news?"
"Yes, here it is." The Eunuch handed over a bamboo slip, which bore a dark red character for Liu on its back. That was the royal family’s surname; they were called the Liu Xia Dynasty. The Emperor before him was named Liu Qi—a rather common name—but during his more than ten years of reign, nothing significant had occurred in Liu Xia Dynasty until that incident.
The Emperor gazed at the characters on the bamboo slip, remaining silent and lost in thought.
The name Liu Qi was given by a previous emperor, while it was also assigned by the head of Mo Ming Academy during his tenure. Liu Qi had been sent to Mo Ming Academy at a young age by the old emperor and was only brought back when the old emperor felt he was nearing his end. Thus, Liu Qi always regarded himself as a disciple of Mo Ming Academy, which earned him considerable support from scholars.
In that instance, a county magistrate from a small town in the east claimed to have found a treasure that fell from the sky and presented it to him. He barely had time to examine what it was before receiving news that Mo Ming Academy was searching for a treasure that had fallen from the sky. Liu Qi thought it best not to look further and decided to send someone to deliver it; perhaps he could gain some benefits from it.
When the academy made their request, he figured he would likely have no part in it anyway, so he decided not to look into it further to avoid unnecessary worries. Reflecting on it again, he realized that whatever the academy sought would surely be something significant; thus, he needed to ensure it was delivered properly. Consequently, Liu Qi summoned the Second Place Scholar and used Mo Ming Academy as an excuse to pass Gu Hu along.
Liu Qi looked at Minghong; how many people could ever attain such divine writing? He had spent over ten years in Mo Ming Academy's Outer Court and had never encountered any deities. Bu Luo often mentioned several children who were said to possess extraordinary talents and were taken away—presumably to Outer Court.
But what did that have to do with him? As for Gu Na, that foolish boy believed he could gamble with his life for fortune. It wasn't as if he forced him; "I don't deny," he thought. What seemed like a sure profit in his eyes appeared to Gu Na as a gamble where one risked everything—lose and gain nothing, win and ascend to greatness. But was it truly as easy as Gu Na imagined? At present, it seemed far from that.
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