Chapter 90

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At the entrance of the Weiyang Palace, by the Sima Gate, Han Yan got off his carriage and quickly walked towards the palace gate. The guards, holding large halberds, saw him and hurriedly bowed in respect, their attitude very courteous.

Han Yan ignored them and walked past with his head held high. Just as he was about to step into the gate, he suddenly stopped, glanced at Dongfang Shuo from a distance, and smirked. "Dongfang Manqian, you seem to be in a good mood today."

Dongfang Shuo, leaning on his halberd, glanced sideways and puffed out his cheeks, making the tassels on his halberd dance wildly, but he ignored Han Yan. Han Yan laughed, tapping his palm with a golden horsewhip as he walked over and sized up Dongfang Shuo.

"New clothes, a new sword—did you strike it rich?"

Dongfang Shuo slowly turned his head and looked down at Han Yan. "You can use gold pellets to shoot birds, but I can't get rich?"

Han Yan stopped a few steps away from Dongfang Shuo, so he wouldn't have to tilt his head too much. "Where did you get the money? Did you rob a tomb?"

"Do I, Dongfang Shuo, need to rob tombs?" Dongfang Shuo snorted, turning his head away again and facing Han Yan with his nose. "I am full of knowledge. Just a little bit of it can ensure I live without worry. I don't need to resort to such underhanded methods."

Han Yan's face turned red, and he snorted, turning to enter the palace.

Emperor Liu Che was practicing archery in a side hall, with Li Danghu accompanying him. At the target a hundred paces away, two arrows were embedded, and a dozen or so others were scattered around.

Liu Che looked somewhat dejected. "Danghu, I started practicing archery at eight, learning from the best teachers of the time. Yet, I still miss more than half of my shots at eighty paces. Why can Liang Xiao, who has only practiced for a year, hit the target from a hundred paces away?"

Li Danghu replied calmly, "Although Your Majesty started young, your goal was not to shoot far or accurately, but to strictly adhere to the rites of archery. Liang Xiao's goals are different, so there's no need to compare. Besides, his success at a hundred paces is more of a coincidence. If he were to shoot again, he wouldn't be as confident."

"So, it's partly luck? But his luck is really too good."

"Indeed. According to Zheng Dangshi, although Liang Xiao is young, his luck is quite enviable. He was once ambushed, fell into a coma, and forgot many things, but he turned a disaster into a blessing, his mind greatly enlightened, and he was transformed. In a life-or-death duel with a famous master, he was severely injured and unconscious, but when his opponent shot an arrow from a few steps away, he remained unharmed."

"Ho!" Liu Che exclaimed. "He truly has great fortune. Surviving great dangers, he must have a bright future. Wangsun, what do you think? Hey, what's wrong with you?"

Han Yan came forward, bowed, took the bow from Liu Che's hands, and picked up an arrow. He pulled the bowstring taut, aimed carefully at the target a hundred paces away, and released the arrow. With a "snap," the arrow hit the target, but only on the edge. He scowled and shot two more arrows, one missing the target entirely and the other barely hitting the outer edge.

"I'm in a bad mood today. I won't shoot anymore." Han Yan, angry, threw the bow to the ground.

As soon as Han Yan entered, Li Danghu's expression turned sour. Seeing Han Yan ignore Liu Che's question and snatch the bow from the emperor, he could barely contain his anger. When Han Yan threw the bow to the ground, Li Danghu was furious and shouted, "Little slave, dare you be disrespectful before the emperor?"

Han Yan glanced at him. "What, are you going to insult me like Dongfang Shuo in front of the emperor?"

"Bold!" Li Danghu took two steps forward and slapped Han Yan across the face. The sound was crisp, and Han Yan's fair, tender face instantly turned red. Han Yan was shocked, covering his face and staring at Li Danghu in disbelief. "Li Danghu, you dare to hit me?"

"Any dog who disrespects the emperor can be beaten by anyone." Li Danghu shouted, rolling up his sleeves and rushing over. Seeing the situation turn bad, Han Yan's confidence waned, and he turned to run. Li Danghu took large strides to catch up, and in two steps, he punched Han Yan to the ground.

Seeing this, Liu Che quickly intervened. Li Danghu, still angry, shouted, "Your Majesty, how can such a disrespectful and treacherous minister remain by your side? Please allow me to strike him down. Even if it means my death, I will accept it."

Liu Che, not daring to let this happen, ordered the attendants to pull Han Yan away but did not blame Li Danghu. He continued to ask about archery and Liang Xiao. After a while, Li Danghu took his leave, and Liu Che approached Han Yan, scolding him, "Wangsun, what's wrong with you today?"

Han Yan, having been hit by Li Danghu, had a swollen face. Hearing Liu Che's words, he felt even more wronged. He got off the couch, knelt before Liu Che, and hugged his legs, sobbing loudly.

"Your Majesty, as the descendant of a traitor, I have been fortunate to befriend you. I wanted to serve you with my humble self, but I have brought shame upon you. Today, I was first humiliated by Dongfang Shuo and then beaten by Li Danghu. I have no face to live. Please, Your Majesty, grant me death to preserve your honor and allow me to serve you one last time..."

Hearing Han Yan's sorrow, Liu Che felt even more pity. He pulled Han Yan up by the hand, and they sat side by side on the couch. Liu Che wiped away Han Yan's tears with his sleeve. "What did Dongfang Shuo do?"

Hearing this, Han Yan, who had just calmed down, burst into tears again, lying on Liu Che's lap and crying as he recounted the incident at the Sima Gate where Dongfang Shuo had mocked him. With Li Danghu not present, he could act more freely in front of Liu Che, exaggerating the story and almost accusing Dongfang Shuo of robbing an imperial tomb.

Although Liu Che didn't fully believe Han Yan, he was curious and immediately ordered someone to summon Dongfang Shuo.

Soon, Dongfang Shuo strode in, head held high, and stood before Liu Che. Liu Che looked him over, noting his new clothes and a higher-quality sword at his waist, and asked sternly, "Dongfang Shuo, have you been doing anything illegal recently?"

Dongfang Shuo looked bewildered. "Your Majesty, I read the books of sages and follow their teachings, never overstepping the bounds. How could I do anything illegal? Which scoundrel is falsely accusing me? Please, Your Majesty, punish them with the same crime to set an example."

"If you haven't done anything illegal, where did you get the new clothes and new sword?"

"Ah, this?" Dongfang Shuo proudly patted his clothes and gripped his sword hilt, chest puffed out. "I got them from Liang Xiao."

"Liang Xiao? From what I know, he is quite stingy. Why would he give you these things for free?"

"When you have no money, you must be frugal. Now that he has money, he is more generous."

"Has money?" Liu Che's eyes narrowed, his expression turning unhappy. "A gift from the Princess of Huainan?"

"Before, it was just a gift. Now, it's a business deal." Dongfang Shuo's face lit up as he recounted how Liang Xiao was being extorted by the Gaihou Mansion for brocade, and to avoid his mother's hardship, Liang Xiao wanted to transfer the double-sided brocade technique. "Liang Xiao is not good at business and only asked for a hundred gold pieces. I intervened and raised the price to five hundred gold pieces. If successful, I can make a profit of fifty gold pieces..."

Seeing Dongfang Shuo's smug expression, Liu Che remained silent. He pondered for a moment. "Is the double-sided brocade technique worth five hundred gold pieces?"

Dongfang Shuo replied without hesitation. "Of course not, it's not even worth a hundred gold pieces."

"Then why do you think you can still make a deal at five hundred gold pieces?"

"Your Majesty, whether I ask for five hundred gold pieces or Liang Xiao asks for a hundred, it's because we don't want to sell." Dongfang Shuo was smug. "But I have more courage than he does."

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