Azure Heaven Saber
Chapter 977 - 977 6 Caught by the Short Hairs

Chapter 977: Chapter 6 Caught by the Short Hairs Chapter 977: Chapter 6 Caught by the Short Hairs Feng Yin glanced at Official Shi, then at the head of the guards who was still putting on a performance of utmost loyalty,

before turning his gaze to the wine table.

Jiang Changhai and the others were arranged at another table and were not here.

At this table, there were only three people: His Majesty the Emperor, Feng Yin, and Dong Xiaoyan.

Just the two of us youngsters.

You’ve left behind Official Shi, who can compete with the Nine Colors sovereign, and secretly, after being probed by the Illusory Silkworm, there are still four shadow guards.

You still have to put on a show.

Of course, Feng Yin also understood that this was His Majesty the Emperor showing a gesture of closeness to the two of them and not an intentional act.

It’s just that he couldn’t help but make a few sarcastic remarks in his mind—a common ailment among modern people.

Official Shi began to pour the wine.

His Majesty the Emperor laughed heartily and said, “Initially, Palace Master Dong and I drank and talked freely, as equals, but when it came to age, I was… almost two thousand years younger than Palace Master Dong… Ah, speaking of it, it really is marrying above one’s station… In this life of mine, with fate above my head, the nation’s fortune tied to my body, treading the universe underfoot, and holding the power of life and death over the whole world… yet I’m doomed to a short life, alas, alas.”

Dong Xiaoyan said, “Uncle Emperor is at the pinnacle of the human realm, lacking some of the fun that we idle people in the wild enjoy, but bearing more responsibilities. It’s truly the great hero who spares no effort for the well-being of the people under his rule.”

His Majesty the Emperor laughed loudly and said, “You girl do know how to talk.”

As he spoke, he personally picked up his chopsticks and placed a piece of spirit fish meat onto Dong Xiaoyan’s plate, saying, “This first piece of fish, is for our little niece.”

“Thank you, Uncle Emperor.”

His Majesty the Emperor sighed with emotion and said, “I ascended the throne in my youth, nineteen years ago. Your father came to Xianyang fifteen years ago; you must have been only three or four years old then?”

In the Emperor’s eyes, a faint mist seemed to flash by as he softly said, “In the blink of an eye, the offspring of old friends has grown up.”

Dong Xiaoyan replied, “Uncle Emperor is in his prime, with exceptional talents and grand strategies, swallowing the universe in his belly, and holding the cosmos in his stomach. That is something my father cannot compare to.”

The Emperor began to laugh. “Your father, hearing such words from you, would probably spank you. He simply doesn’t want to bother with such concerns, whereas your Uncle Emperor, born into the imperial family, dreams of being an idle crane amidst the clouds, a dream that’s hard to come by.”

“Yes, circumstances differ.”

Dong Xiaoyan acknowledged.

“Initially, when your father and I became confidants, he once said laughingly that his name was Dong Canglan. What does ‘Canglan’ mean? ‘Cang’ stands for rushing waves, which could also represent the vast ocean, and ‘lan’ means water, which could also mean deep waves; ‘Canglan Canglan,’ signifies the waves of the vast sea… the vast sea belongs to… the ends of the earth. Therefore, it’s destined to belong to a man from the wilds, who could be carefree in the world, but not someone who follows routines.”

Continuing, he laughed, “I got the meaning, your father wants the freedom to do as he pleases, unconstrained by the emperor’s laws and worldly fetters, to live carefree. Simply put, he was warning me: don’t mess with me…”

“Haha…”

Feng Yin and Dong Xiaoyan couldn’t help but laugh as well.

This Emperor really had a sense of humor.

And his interpretation, from the stance of an emperor, was apt.

Official Shi quietly filled the cups with wine, and His Majesty the Emperor raised his glass, “Let’s drink to your father’s personal interpretation. This is a treasure from my palace collection, personally saved by ancestor Qing Ming. Now, there’s not much left.”

The three of them raised their glasses and downed the drinks in one go.

Feng Yin and Dong Xiaoyan both felt a warm sensation within their bodies, and even their cultivation seemed to have improved.

They couldn’t help but praise, “Good wine.”

His Majesty the Emperor gave them an odd look and said indifferently, “It has the effect of enhancing one’s cultivation, right?”

“Indeed.”

“But it’s of no use to me.”

His Majesty laughed and shook his head, “Drinking this wine, for me, is purely for physical nourishment, but it cannot enhance my cultivation.”

“Why is that?”

Dong Xiaoyan asked.

“Because… it is limited by fate. When I was the Crown Prince, drinking this kind of wine, I could clearly feel my cultivation growing, but since ascending to the throne, that enhancement is gone.”

Dong Xiaoyan shook her head, puzzled.

Clearly, she didn’t understand.

The Emperor sighed and continued, “Your father also interpreted my name.”

“Oh?”

“At that time, your father said, ‘Your surname is Ying, from the Great Qin royal family, and your name is Zheng. Ying Zheng, therefore, your birth and name, have destined that you cannot follow the same path of an idle crane amidst the clouds like me.’

Ying Zheng?

Feng Yin suddenly froze.

Was the Emperor of Great Qin actually named Ying Zheng?

He couldn’t help but be swept up in his thoughts, recalling his previous life.

That supreme sovereign.

And then he thought of the present Yan, Zhao, Qi, Han, Qin…

His mind wandered in a daze.

Could this be… not transmigration, but an alternate history setting?

The Emperor continued, “… Therefore, your father means that my name signifies living a life that’s grand and upright. ‘Ying’ implies winning because of righteousness.”

He smiled slightly, “His words resonated deeply with me. Thus, we became confidants and called each other brothers.”

Dong Xiaoyan smiled with curved eyes, “Uncle is right, and so is my father.”

Feng Yin and Dong Xiaoyan felt the same way; this Emperor of Great Qin didn’t put on airs. Talking to him felt truly like chatting with a friendly uncle next door.

Quite personable.

And also very good at boasting.

Little did they know, His Majesty the Emperor was also helpless.

The two were like blockheads; if he didn’t steer the conversation, how could he manage?

Dong Xiaoyan was a bit better, occasionally speaking a few words, acting almost like a complimentary comic partner.

But that Dong Pingchuan, had been silent from beginning to end.

Like a mute.

The biggest reaction was to occasionally look up and smile—a reaction that made even the Emperor himself feel like he wasn’t indulging in such grandeur.

Or maybe it was just shyness by nature?

Afterwards, His Majesty opened up the conversation, talking about the situation in various countries, the current state of Great Qin, the court officials, the battlefield, the soldiers… and then… Yuezhou.

The topics flowed endlessly.

During the conversation, he drank seven or eight cups of wine, and then Official Shi, quite worriedly, brought more honey water for the Emperor.

To soothe the throat.

Which was rather surprising.

When had His Majesty become so talkative?

Dong Xiaoyan was giving cues throughout, sometimes laughing, sometimes interjecting a few words, sometimes nodding seriously, and sometimes…

In any case, the cooperation was excellent.

On the other hand, Dong Pingchuan… he toasted when it was time to drink, ate when it was time to eat, and raised his head to smile slightly whenever there was a funny or enjoyable topic.

But he just didn’t speak.

Even Official Shi was getting anxious for His Majesty.

Facing such a character was like a tiger trying to bite the sky—nowhere to start.

Speaking of Yuezhou, naturally, the God-Doctor came up in the conversation.

As Dong Xiaoyan was someone who had interacted with the God-Doctor, His Majesty was clearly very interested and asked many questions.

Dong Xiaoyan answered fluently.

“…Truly, a God-Doctor.”

Upon hearing that “any serious injury, any severe illness, any terminal disease” could be instantly healed in the hands of the God-Doctor, and see a significant improvement, His Majesty couldn’t help but sigh, “It’s just a pity that the God-Doctor did not come to the Capital City, otherwise, I would have treated him as a national treasure.”

Dong Xiaoyan smiled and said, “Perhaps the God-Doctor is afraid of the deep waters of the Capital City and dare not come.”

“Ha ha, there’s truth to that.”

The Emperor said with a bittersweet smile, “It is right for the God-Doctor to have such concerns. To put myself down, even if the God-Doctor really did come to Xianyang, I’m afraid that I, too, really wouldn’t be able to protect him.”

Dong Xiaoyan said, “Oh? Even Emperor Uncle can’t protect him? Isn’t that a bit too modest?”

The Emperor said, “Royal relatives, court ministers, my mother’s family, the families of the consorts, the military and political factions… all the powers are intricately intertwined, each with their own thoughts and calculations, every family has their elderly ancestors who have rendered great service, are advanced in years, and suffer from many illnesses… Ai…”

“The Emperor reigns over the land, but the human heart is the hardest to govern.”

His Majesty also felt disheartened when talking about this matter.

“Come, join me, for the hearts of the people of the world, let’s drink a cup.”

His Majesty drained the cup.

“The human heart…”

Feng Yin sighed as well.

This statement from His Majesty resonated with Feng Yin, who softly said, “Indeed, the world is easy to obtain, but human hearts are unpredictable.”

This was the first formal statement Feng Yin made since he sat down at the banquet.

The Emperor’s eyes lit up.

Eh, the boy is talking.

All these topics considered, even talking about the God-Doctor at length, hadn’t prompted this fellow to speak.

Unexpectedly, it was this topic that made him open his mouth.

A bit surprising, really.

But the statement, it seemed a bit grand, “the world is easy to obtain, but human hearts are unpredictable”?

Was the world that easy to obtain?

The Emperor laughed heartily, “Pingchuan, do you have any profound insights? The words ‘the world is easy to obtain’… they’re not that simple, you know. In our land of Anping, for many years, there have been so many rulers of great ability and strategy, but none have managed to unify the world.”

Feng Yin coughed and said, “My apologies, it was an overstatement on my part.”

And then he didn’t want to speak anymore.

But how could His Majesty let that pass?

This fellow had finally spoken up, if I didn’t discuss it with him, wouldn’t this trip be a waste?

So, rolling his eyes, he took on an elder’s stance, “Pingchuan, this isn’t like you, treating your uncle as an outsider. Tell me, we’re family here today, sitting together drinking—is there anything we can’t talk about? There’s no such thing as mispeaking in this setting. You’re not being honest, you must be punished with a drink, a punishment drink.”

Both affectionate and authoritative, again taking the role of the elder.

Directly suppressing Feng Yin—or Dong Pingchuan’s—identity firmly.

The Emperor gave a succession of orders, “Yan Yan, you be the judge for me, isn’t Pingchuan being too much of a stranger? Is this how you should treat your own uncle?”

Dong Xiaoyan hurriedly laughed, “Yes, yes… um…”

The Emperor puffed up his beard and glared, “Pour the drinks quickly, give him three cups in a row. Not a drop less, fill them to the brim. I will penalize him three cups!”

Dong Xiaoyan, with his naturally simple character, said, “Then I’ll pour the three cups and penalize him on behalf of Uncle!”

Everyone knew that no matter how strong the wine was, for someone with Feng Yin’s cultivation level, it wasn’t an issue—even three hundred jin would be no problem at all.

So the so-called punishment drink was nothing more than a harmless joke, one that could bring people closer.

So Dong Xiaoyan filled three cups to the brim.

And placed them in front of Feng Yin.

Feng Yin wore a bewildered expression.

He never imagined that having said just this one sentence from the beginning to the end, he would be caught by the scruff.

…

[See you comrades the day after tomorrow. No updates tomorrow, please understand.]