Chapter 180: Giving Him Tight Shoes
"A fox spirit and a dragon-headed lion are causing havoc in Jade Dragon Lake? Not only did they bathe in the lake, but they also beat you up?"
Gu Linuan had just returned from the imperial palace when the Daoist guarding Jade Dragon Lake came to lodge a complaint. Gu Linuan's heart shook violently, and he blurted out, "The fish king among the Red Dragon Carp was also captured by that dragon lion? Which fox spirit and dragon lion are so audacious? I've only been in office for a little over a month, and this happens. Who is giving me tight shoes to wear?"
Before he could even digest this news, another person came to report, "Grand Sacrificial Officer, the fox spirit raised by Tai Academy Doctor Qin Mu in the Scholar's Residence chopped down the Advancement Tree to grill fish. That fish looks like the fish king from Jade Dragon Lake—it's been grilled and eaten! Tai Academy Doctor Qin Mu and Tai Academy Scholar Wei Yong are currently cleaning up the fish bones, trying to destroy the evidence."
Gu Linuan was both shocked and delighted, and he laughed, "That kid—I was just worrying about not having a way to get a handle on him, and now he's practically delivered himself to me. This matter is enough to get him beheaded a hundred times. Now that brute Ba Shan should have nothing to say, right?"
He perked up, immediately stood, and said, "Let's go! Come with me to arrest him immediately! We need both physical evidence and witnesses. Send him straight to the Grand Court, let the Grand Court Minister interrogate him, and sentence him to execution of his entire clan! Then send a memorial into the palace to report this matter!"
"That scholar named Wei Yong..."
"Arrest him too! Charge him together!"
Gu Linuan laughed, "I was just saying who was giving me tight shoes, but now it seems these shoes aren't small—they fit perfectly."
Gu Linuan and his men burst into the Scholar's Residence, only to find Qin Mu wasn't in the courtyard. There was only a fox and a dozing Dragon Qilin. Gu Linuan woke the Dragon Qilin and said, "Where has that kid surnamed Qin gone?"
The Dragon Qilin raised its head, glanced at them, and said slowly, "He was here just now. Someone from the palace came and invited him away."
"Could the emperor already know about this and have summoned him to the palace for execution?"
Gu Linuan chuckled, "That kid still has my Junior Guardian Sword on him. Execution would be too good for him. What are you all standing around for? Arrest the fox and the Dragon Qilin! I'm going to the palace to see the emperor and watch how that kid dies." With that, he hurried off.
The several Sacrificial Officers who came with him and the Daoist guarding Jade Dragon Lake quickly activated a chain to lock up the Dragon Qilin. Fox Ling'er tried to run but was also caught.
Gu Linuan rushed to the palace in a flurry and requested an audience with the emperor. After a moment, a guard announced, "His Majesty is in the Imperial Garden. Please go there, Lord Gu."
Gu Linuan was surprised: "Executing that Qin kid in the Imperial Garden? His Majesty must be truly furious."
He arrived at the Imperial Garden and heard laughter. Gu Linuan was puzzled and uneasy. When he approached, he saw Emperor Yanfeng supporting the Empress Dowager, with several officials behind them. Qin Mu was to the left and rear of the Empress Dowager, and he had just said something that made her laugh.
Emperor Yanfeng noticed him, waved him over, and said warmly, "What brings you here, my lord?"
Gu Linuan hesitated for a moment, then said, "Doctor Qin allowed a Dragon Qilin to jump into Jade Dragon Lake, catch the fish king, and eat it. Jade Dragon Lake is the imperial water source, and the Red Dragon Carp is imperial cuisine. Doctor Qin's audacity is a capital offense. I dare not conceal this, so I have come to report it to Your Majesty."
"Is that so?"
Emperor Yanfeng looked at Qin Mu beside him and said, "What do you have to say, Qin Ai Qing?"
"I am a man from beyond the borders and did not know the capital's rules, so I acted rashly."
Qin Mu said, "I did not know that Jade Dragon Lake belonged to the imperial family, nor that the fish in the lake could not be eaten. I deeply feel my guilt is grave, and I ask Your Majesty to punish me."
"This is a capital offense."
Emperor Yanfeng glanced at him and said, "I appreciate you greatly, but the law is the law. How do you expect me to punish you?"
Gu Linuan smiled ingratiatingly, "Your Majesty, according to the law, his entire clan should be executed..."
The Empress Dowager laughed, "Emperor, I also think the Little Divine Healer should be executed."
Emperor Yanfeng was taken aback and laughed, "Mother, why do you say that?"
The Empress Dowager walked forward unhurriedly and said leisurely, "Of course he should be executed. If we don't execute the Little Divine Healer, how will the world know that the emperor values fish more than people? If we don't execute the Tai Academy Doctor, how will the world know that the emperor values water more than people? Execute him, and the world will know that the emperor killed a renowned divine healer who cured the Empress Dowager over a mouthful of water and a fish—then they will know the emperor is a tyrant."
Emperor Yanfeng laughed heartily and waved his hand, saying, "Lord Gu, this is a trivial matter. Don't bother me with it. Withdraw."
Gu Linuan was stunned: "But..."
"Go, go."
Emperor Yanfeng waved his hand and said, "You failed to guard Jade Dragon Lake properly, but I won't punish you for it, since you've only just arrived at the Tai Academy. What you did today has already given me enough of a headache. Not only did you fight with Sacrificial Officer Ba Shan, but you also made me lose face. If you had won, it would have been one thing, but you didn't even manage that. The Grand Sacrificial Officer can't even beat a Sacrificial Officer—you've completely disgraced me. Go back and reflect on your actions."
"Your will be done."
Gu Linuan felt deeply wronged and was about to leave when Qin Mu said, "Lord Gu, please don't make things difficult for my fox and that Dragon Qilin."
Gu Linuan's heart jumped, and he heard the Empress Dowager laugh, "He wouldn't dare. By the way, Emperor, you haven't rewarded the Little Divine Healer for curing me yet."
"Mother, he is already a Tai Academy Doctor, a sixth-rank official. I cannot promote him further. He is still young. Let's wait a few years, lest the court officials say I am showing favoritism."
"Little Divine Healer, tell me more about the interesting stories from your childhood..."
Gu Linuan walked away, left the palace, and returned to the Tai Academy, his pent-up anger having nowhere to go. The Daoist guarding Jade Dragon Lake hurried over and asked, "Grand Sacrificial Officer, has the criminal been executed?"
"It's all your fault! Just watch your lake properly! You stirred up this mess and got me covered in filth!"
Gu Linuan glared at him and shouted, "Release that fox and the Dragon Qilin!"
The lake-guarding Daoist felt deeply wronged, not knowing what he had done to provoke him, but he had no choice but to release Fox Ling'er and the Dragon Qilin. He said, "Grand Sacrificial Officer, we have already sent people to arrest Wei Yong, but Wei Yong is with Sacrificial Officer Ba Shan, and Ba Shan won't let us take him. What do you think..."
"What is Wei Yong's background?"
"He's from the Duke Wei's household..."
"Don't go looking for trouble!"
...
In the Imperial Garden, the Empress Dowager chatted with Qin Mu for a while. Qin Mu took her pulse again and prescribed a few more medicines, saying, "The Empress Dowager is recovering very well. There are no lingering issues."
"Good."
The Empress Dowager smiled, "Thank you for your trouble, Little Divine Healer."
Qin Mu stood up to take his leave, and Emperor Yanfeng laughed, "Ai Qing, walk slowly. I have something to say to you."
Qin Mu stopped. Emperor Yanfeng walked over to him, waved for the eunuchs, guards, and palace maids to withdraw, and walked out of the Imperial Garden, laughing, "My Tai Academy Doctor, the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect, the abandoned son of the Great Wasteland, the disciple of the Jade-Faced Poison King—Ai Qing, you have quite a few identities."
Qin Mu was startled and unconsciously slowed his pace. If Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor could know he was the new Sect Leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect, then Emperor Yanfeng naturally had means to know as well.
Emperor Yanfeng had already walked far ahead. He turned back and laughed, "Ai Qing, why aren't you keeping up?"
Qin Mu quickened his pace to catch up and smiled, "Your Majesty's blessings are boundless."
Emperor Yanfeng laughed heartily, "The Heavenly Demon Sect is the number one sect of the demonic path, a holy land. Its Sect Leader has become a student of the Son of Heaven. Indeed, my blessings are boundless. But it could also be a hidden threat. Ai Qing, do you think it is a blessing or a hidden threat?"
Qin Mu smiled slightly, "Your Majesty, if the Daoist Sect's Sect Leader were to pledge allegiance to Your Majesty, what rank would you grant him?"
Emperor Yanfeng said solemnly, "The Daoist Sect's Sect Leader leads the world's righteous path. I would grant him the rank of first-rank, make him a prince, and let the title be hereditary for generations!"
Qin Mu continued, "And if the Tathagata of the Great Thunderclap Monastery were to pledge allegiance to Your Majesty, what rank would you grant him?"
Emperor Yanfeng said, "The Tathagata is the head of the Buddhist path. If he were willing to enter the court as an official, I would grant him the rank of first-rank and make him an ancestor!"
Qin Mu said, "The three holy lands of Yan Kang—the Daoist Sect and the Great Thunderclap Monastery—their leaders are granted first-rank by the emperor, made princes and ancestors. The Heavenly Sage Sect is also a holy land, yet its Sect Leader has voluntarily pledged allegiance to Your Majesty, but Your Majesty only granted him a meager sixth-rank position. And now you ask whether it is a blessing or a hidden threat—does this not chill the hearts of loyal ministers and righteous men?"
Emperor Yanfeng was taken aback, then nodded, "You have a point. However, I cannot immediately promote you. You are too young. A direct promotion would invite criticism, and many might guess your identity."
Qin Mu agreed.
Emperor Yanfeng was silent for a moment, then said, "I know you have a grudge against Gu Linuan, and I know you took his Junior Guardian Sword. You are the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect. You should be magnanimous and not always give him tight shoes to wear. He is someone I placed in the Tai Academy. If you make things too difficult for him, it reflects poorly on me."
Qin Mu looked aggrieved, "Your Majesty, how would I dare give him tight shoes?"
Emperor Yanfeng gave a knowing smile, "Didn't you give him a pair of tight shoes today, making him lose face? You can rest assured. No one can claim to be more audacious than the Imperial Preceptor, and I dare to use him. I also dare to use you. Don't have any doubts in your mind. Alright, you may go."
Qin Mu walked out of the palace, feeling refreshed. He let out a breath of turbid air and completely relaxed.
Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor knew his true identity. If Emperor Yanfeng didn't know, he would have been worried. Now that both the emperor and the Imperial Preceptor knew, he was actually safer—no need to fear these two giants making a move against him.
More than ten days later, Qin Mu's western room was piled high with Da Feng coins exchanged for dragon saliva. Sacrificial Officer Ba Shan took Wei Yong and Prince Min Yue out for training. They came to his western room, grabbed a few bags of coins, and left. Qin Mu didn't mind, as he was now wealthy.
During these days, whenever he had free time, he refined Crimson Fire Spirit Pills and another type of spirit pill for replenishing mental energy. Because he used Buddhist techniques when refining these pills, a Buddhist chant would sound when the pills were completed, so Qin Mu called them Buddha Spirit Pills.
These days, he had been going to the treasury to buy medicinal herbs, nearly buying out dozens of types. Recently, the Tai Academy was organizing a large-scale training expedition, selecting scholars to go to the front lines. The Imperial Academy supervisors from each hall would lead the scholars to the front to quell rebellions.
Qin Mu was also singled out by Gu Linuan, who insisted on sending him to the front lines. And because Qin Mu was a sixth-rank Tai Academy Doctor, his treatment was almost equal to that of an Imperial Academy supervisor. So Gu Linuan also assigned Qin Mu a few scholars to lead.
These scholars were all at the Five Luminaries realm in the Scholar's Residence, with little combat power. Their cultivation and strength were far inferior to those in the Divine Ability Residence.