Chapter 107

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Somehow, Chu Xun’s interactions with his uncle are cute for me.

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Chapter 107 – The Unknown Past

Translated by HaruOngy at Geniusly Plain (If you can see this line, you must have read this in the aggregator site which illegally steal various works. Be shameful of yourself for not appreciating the translator’s hard work. Don’t think only you want to have it the easy way. Support the fanbase and translator!)

According to little Jing Yi’s testament, this Yue Family’s Casting Records was taken from her master[1].

Chu Xun was shocked, “You have a master?”

The little girl couldn’t help but to scorn Chu Xun. Why couldn’t she have a master? If there was no master, who taught her all these skills? Yet, her master was already dead. It was just recently. The Grand Princess’ previous fuma Bai was her master’s master. Bai Qiu Qu commanded him to carry out a mission and he died during that mission. It was also due to her master’s death that fuma Bai was not willing to train of these money and time consuming children and led to Jing Yi bringing her comrades along to roam around and reached the capital city to steal things.

Chu Xun rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes. Just recently, did that mean Bai Qiu Qu ordered their master to assassinate him……?

Chu Xun probed, “What mission your master was doing then? Did he tell or pass anything to you?”

Qing Yi didn’t know her master’s whereabouts. Only that before he left, he passed this book to Qing Yi and reminded her to take good care of it. In the future if they had no other way, she could try selling this book to get some money. Naturally Qing Yi asked that book’s origin to know why it sounded as if it was very valuable.

Her master told her, this book was stolen from a prestigious sword casting family. That time, he received an order to massacre the whole family. Bai Qiu Qu wanted them to find the sword casting secret technique. He found it but he didn’t hand it over. Her master had went through days of danger and blood for a long time. He wanted to keep the book so that in the future when he could retreat to jianghu he could still rely on that book to earn some fortunes.

Qing Yi held the book while watching her master’s leaving figure. She had already foresaw her master wouldn’t return anymore. To pass the most precious item to another person, it was clearly telling his will. Qing Yi’s small face was unhappy, “I want to know too why master died.”

Although Chu Xun felt there was nothing wrong of assassins being encircled and annihilated, the little girl before him was quite pitiful. He didn’t tell her how her master died and he wouldn’t say her master had killed whose relatives and snatched whose heirlooms. It was just the matter of different standing. Chu Xun pretended he knew nothing. By the time these children grew up, saw how complicated this world was and understood many things couldn’t be clearly divided into black and white, he would tell them of the past when he had the chance.

“Your master does so because he is worried you all are still too young and can’t live properly. Zhen will, according to your master’s wish, use this book in exchange for your peaceful growth. How about it?”

Qing Yi loosened up in her heart and silently criticised: Talking like I can say ‘no’. These adults are really hypocrites.

Master once said a wise man understands and submits to circumstances.

She obediently handed the Yue Family’s Casting Record over, “Can I add another request?”

The scheming Emperor raised his eyebrow. He was interested, “Say it.”

“My comrades and I have no home to return. Can Your Majesty bestow us a house at the suburbs? A house only exists when there is a building. It doesn’t have to be big as long as all of us can have a room each.”

Chu Xun was a bit shocked. He had a sudden premonition. Their Splendid Sound Sect had countless weirdoes, the lantern girl was the most obvious one among them. It couldn’t be this little girl had an abstruse secret too? “How old are you this year?”

Qing Yi replied, “Master said I’m **[2] this year. When I came to the world, I was sold to the female trafficker by my parents. They didn’t tell my Eight Characters.” She didn’t seem to be lying.

If she requested for real golds and silvers, Chu Xun would surely dodge with excuses to not give her. A small brat and couldn’t even manage finances, why would she want that much of money? But, what Qing Yi wanted was a ‘house’. If Chu Xun declined and it got out in the future, wouldn’t he be said as someone too stingy? After snatching the little friend’s master’s treasure and captured the little friend’s freedom in disguise to slavery yet not willing to give a house to them to shelter against wind and rain.

Chu Xun could read the ‘you shouldn’t bully children’ grievance from Qing Yi’s big, tear glistening eyes.

“Fine, fine, fine. Zhen promise you. Go and stay a while at your new master’s place first. Later, zhen will send someone to gift the land deed.”

Qing Yi satisfyingly smiled. The little girl when smiling had two dimples, very cute.

After Chu Xun sent away Qing Yi, he called Chu Xi Yan over. He punished him to copy a hundred times of Three Character Classic before sending him away too.

It was nightfall now. The night breeze slipped inside from the slightly ajar back window. It was a bit chilly.

On one side of Chu Xun was the memorandum asking for an addition to the Empress’ selection list while the other side was the tattered superb sword casting skill book. His inner heart was riding that breeze, stirring his emotions. He didn’t believe much of the mysterious power and divinity stories yet he believed in the unseen, mystical world and the existence of divine will.

Seeing that there was still some times before dinner, Chu Xun sat foolishly before the imperial table while pondering of several questions. For example, for the Empress’ selection, adding a name was easy but how to make this addition perfectly justified and not getting criticised by others? Also, another thing he had to worry about was how to let the female protagonist of this issue accept this willingly?

Chu Xun thought further. What if he just followed the initial plan, first make use of Princess Xiang Xiang to make Mei Qian Deng jealous, then just like the spring drawing the lantern girl left for him and push her down? But the most critical aspect was did Mei Qian Deng have the so called ‘jealousy’ in the first place?

In his brain, each of the strands was weaving together wrongly. It was painful.

He put the memorandum at the furthest down of the other stack. This memorandum had been checked but it still needed to be set aside first.

Next, his sight turned to the Yue Family’s Casting Record. It was this thin book that incur the unfortunate massacre of the Yue family family from Lu Ming Mountain? Listening to Little Qing Yi’s explanation earlier, her master served Bai Qiu Qu. Then, his Imperial Uncle that got framed annihilating the Yue family that year was wrongly accused……

Chu Xun clicked his tongue. Imperial Uncle who had a naturally eternal scapegoat dark fate was really a tragedy. He must had done something that incurred the wrath of heaven and anger of men in his last life to have the gods turned him like this in this life.

However, Bai Qiu Qu had yet to divorce with Imperial Sister back then. He could still live a lifetime of glory and wealth. Why would he need the Yue family’s heirloom for? If he had gotten his hands on the secret book, casted an excellent sword, would he be planning to dominate the martial arts circles?

While amazed, he flipped the book and reviewed it.

Inside it was a story for each sword while containing the explanations including what sort of materials needed, how long to burn, how many times of forging needed and when to add certain materials. Sword casting, some swords were thin and flexible yet tough, some words were heavy and scary, capable of creating hole when falling to the ground while some swords were for decoration. However, all excellent swords were similar at the base, which was capable of cutting through iron as if it were mud and indestructible.

In jianghu, there were lots of remarkable and excellent famous swords. Instead, how to make a simple sword into a godly one and using the minimum amount of cast to create the best sword were probably the highest skill level in sword casting.

Chu Xun flipped to the last few pages of the book. Those pages were much newer than the early ones. They should be added by the patriarch of Yue family whenever he made a new sword. It was rumoured that Patriarch Yue got obsessed in sword casting. He even thought of sacrificing a living spirit into the sword and threw his own child into the stove and obtained an exceptional sword.

However, the actual proof was the rumours shouldn’t be believed easily. The Yue family orphan was living healthily and almost got smacked at his bottom just now.

The last sword was a nameless sword. The sword’s body was very simple, like the swords used by the imperial armies in charge of the palace gates. Yet, when Chu Xun read the descriptions of this sword at the back, he frowned.

The door of the Imperial Study soon was pushed open. Zhu Li asked, “Your Majesty, are you returning to the Ming Jue Palace?”

“Zhen is going to visit the Cold Palace.”

Prince Chen was having dinner alone. A stir-fried vegetable dish, a braised eggplant slices dish and a bowl of bean curd soup. There was no meat at all. When he saw Chu Xun barged inside, he put down the chopsticks and smiled, “Does Imperial Nephew get chased so much by the group of young ladies inside the palace that you hide at Imperial Uncle’s place now?”

Chu Xun was not in the mood to bicker with him. He just threw the book in his hand to Prince’s Chen’s bowl.

Prince Chen was puzzled. The cover of that book, after being tore off by Qing Yi had yet to be put back. Prince Chen took it up and flipped a few pages before realising what book was it.

Chu Xun stoned his handsome face and said, “Turn to the last section.”

Prince Chen obeyed. He flipped it to the nameless sword segment, the last one. Reading it quickly, he made a wry smile, “I never thought I will ever see this sword again.”

“That year, Patriarch Yue searched materials for sword casting in vain. You sent him a bowl of water that later costed the whole Yue family lives.”

Prince Chen spread out his hands, he felt nothing about it, “Don’t think just because this Prince is used to being wronged this Prince is someone with no temper. The Yue family wanted to increase their resources with that sword. Only then it brought the unfortunate massacre. Yet again, this Prince was blamed for it.”

“……”

Prince Chen’s mood was well today so he slowly explained the story to Chu Xun.

“Back then, this Prince only had some exchanges with the Yue family. This Prince discussed with that Old Brother Yue to use the water this Prince gifted to sprinkle it to cold down the sword blade when forging. If he can make an excellent sword with it, that sword will belong to this Prince. When the sword was out of the furnace, it was indeed a good sword. Yet, he went back on his words. He wanted this Prince become the middleman to buy the purest water from Chun Yang Spring from Mei family and manufacture this nameless sword in large quantity. Who knew the news was leaked. This Prince’s subordinate who heard it wanted to earn a sum too. Both parties couldn’t reach a consensus so that subordinate of this Prince killed them to snatch the treasure. As for who that subordinate of this Prince, Your Majesty should be able to guess it too. If this Prince didn’t warn Yue family not to reveal the secret of that sword, you nephew’s beloved one’s whole family would have been in an unexpected disaster too at that time. Human’s heart is really the hardest thing to fathom.”

To be able to use just low grade materials to create high grade weapons, no matter selling them to the people in jianghu or imperial armies, the profit alone was enough to make people murder out of jealousy.

“This Prince actually think the fire five years ago was a good one, eliminating the Chun Yang Spring at Mei Zi River Islet which will let no one able to manipulate it. People like Imperial Uncle who plans to revolt, if they make these weapons first and sell them to other countries to fund the soldiers and horses and each soldier uses them to advance to your imperial army, even if they can’t fight one against a hundred, one against three is not a problem.”

Chu Xun’s expression was terrible. Prince Chen however was calm as if he was just drinking the bean curd soup.

Of course, anyway he had already tried revolting before. What else he had to be afraid of.

Prince Chen grinned and teased, “Now that we mention this, the legend in which for many years Mei family only had male children and never female child, it’s probably really related to the fact they always drink this water. This Prince heard that spring water can burn like a wood before turning into a layer of extremely cold substance. It’s maybe the truth. Oh, this Prince remembers another one, Her Majesty Empress Dowager that year with the Madam of Supreme General Di went to Mei Zi River Islet too and drank that Chun Yang Spring water to ask for a son.”

Chu Xun slammed the dining table with a ‘bang’. How foolish was he to come to Prince Chen to find a suffering. This Imperial Uncle of his was locked inside the Cold Palace day and night, he had no entertainment. He could only wish Chu Xun to come over and make him unhappy with various methods. Only when Chu Xun was unhappy that Prince Chen could find small bits of happiness in these dull days.

Seeing that Chu Xun was about to leave, Prince Chen was unwilling to let him.

“Nephew, please don’t leave. Imperial Uncle has yet to finish talking.”

Zhen don’t want to listen, don’t want to listen!!!

“Since you already know this matter, Imperial Uncle has an idea to make that little Young Miss Mei to have the qualification to be selected as the Empress.”

Although zhen don’t want to listen truthfully, but the body has honestly stopped. To cover that desire, Chu Xun tried to avoid the topic, “Imperial Uncle is in the Cold Palace yet knows lots of news. Imperial Uncle at first planned to bring the secret of the Chun Yang Spring into your coffin, there is no need to bring it up for exploitation. After all, when Imperial Uncle dies, zhen don’t prepare any funerary items for you. By then, having a secret is better than being all alone.”

“Oh, fine then if you don’t want to listen.”

“……” Chu Xun really wished to slap himself. “Imperial Uncle, don’t be afraid. Although zhen don’t plan to prepare funerary items for you, zhen’s empress will surely can’t just stand by and watch how petty zhen is. She will help gain justice for Imperial Uncle!”

Prince Chen hooked his finger at Chu Xun, signalling him to lend his ear to listen.

The two of them whispered for a while. Chu Xun’s face was full of doubts. He kept feeling Prince Chen was tricking him with this.

Chu Xun, “What if it fails?”

Prince Chen, “How can you know if you don’t try? Do you have any better idea?”

“……no.”

At the same time, Zhu Li came and reported. Mei gonggong was waiting at the entrance of the Cold Palace. The instant Chu Xun heard, he immediately pushed aside all these assumptions and rushed outside as if his butt was on fire.

The horizon was already been adorned with the stars with only the western sky still split open by dark red sunset.

Mei Qian Deng stood at the area where the day and night was changing, peacefully and calmly.

“Why are you coming here?”

“Your Majesty didn’t return. The servants don’t dare to have meal and are awfully hungry. So, I come here to call Your Majesty to return to the palace to eat.”

“The servants? It should be you who is hungry, aren’t you.”

“No, all are hungry but I’m the one hungriest.”

“……”

[1] Teacher master, not owner master.

[2] The raw is like that.

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