At this time,
Feng Xin, who was kneeling behind Xie Lian, said in a low voice, "Your Highness indeed said it the day before yesterday."
Everyone looked at him.
Feng Xin said, "Recently, His Highness has been thinking hard about the Heaven Traversing Ceremony. Yesterday, he suddenly thought of jumping down from the city tower and descending with the posture of a celestial being. There is no need to change the other arrangements. But at that time, His Highness was still reviewing the process of the ceremony.
He couldn't get away.
Thus, he asked Mu Qing to pass the message to the Imperial Tutor.
Ask if this is feasible. "
He raised his head and his eyes were filled with anger.
"Mu Qing returned and told Your Highness that he had already informed the State Preceptor.
Therefore, Her Highness thought that the Imperial Tutor had given his permission and did so today. Who would have thought that the Imperial Tutor would not know anything about it?
You almost ruined it? "
The Daoists looked at each other. Imperial Advisor asked, "Has anyone heard of this?"
The other three Deputy State Preceptors shook their heads.
They all said no. The Imperial Advisor turned to him and his worried expression turned into sullen anger.
"Mu Qing, are you deliberately not reporting what you know?"
His words and expression.
It was obvious that he was certain that Mu Qing was behind this. Xie Lian glanced at the thin youth kneeling beside him without saying a word. He pondered for a moment.
He said, "State Preceptor.
I think there must be some misunderstanding. "
Hearing this, Mu Qing slowly looked at him.
His eyes were dark. Xie Lian said, "If someone deliberately concealed the truth and didn't report it, the moment they confronted each other afterwards, the ruse would be exposed. At that time, no one would be able to escape responsibility. Mu Qing was not a short-sighted fool and would not resort to such a method. Furthermore, with the absence of the Soul-pleasing Martial Artist, what good would it do to the Fiendish Demon Martial Artists on the same stage? I hope that the Imperial Tutor will listen to his explanation before making a conclusion. "
After that, he tilted his head and said, "Mu Qing, tell me, what's going on?"
Mu Qing lowered his eyelids and said softly, "I did say what Your Highness told me yesterday."
The Imperial Preceptor frowned and said, "How can we not know if you have said it or not? When did you say that? "
Mu Qing said, "Yesterday, an hour after the evening lesson, when the four Imperial Advisors were resting in Four Titans Palace, this disciple reported outside the window."
The national master turned around and asked the other three colleagues, "After the evening class yesterday? What were we doing then? "
As soon as he asked the question, he remembered, and his face involuntarily turned green with embarrassment. The three deputy state preceptors also coughed a few times and said vaguely, "Nothing much. It's just … rest, just rest. "
Seeing how the State Advisors were hesitating, everyone immediately understood.
In the Emperor Polarity Temple, everyone cultivated in silence. Basically, they were not allowed to play any games. There were only a few small things that they could do to entertain themselves. Among them, the most popular was the famous play.
In other words, playing cards. Moreover, he could only do it in secret. He couldn't let others see him. The few State Preceptors had been cooped up in the Emperor Polarity Temple for many years and were deeply poisoned. As long as they played cards, they would be completely oblivious, intoxicated, and hysterical. They wouldn't be able to hear any sounds from the outside world. If Mu Qing had coincidentally gone outside the window to report, how many words would he have heard?
A deputy state preceptor said, "Oh, then … maybe there were too many people and the voice was too soft, so I didn't hear it clearly. Oh, I didn't hear you clearly. "
The Imperial Tutor asked doubtfully, "Did you really go to Four Titans Palace yesterday?"
Mu Qing said, "It's true." To prove it, he described the clothes, appearance, and accent of the Daoist guard outside the door. The State Preceptor had no choice but to believe him. Then, he frowned and said, "Since you went to Four Titans Palace, you could have asked the Daoist child outside to report or go in to explain in detail. Why did you have to shout outside the window? Why didn't you ask if we heard you? "
Mu Qing said softly, "It's not that I didn't try. I asked the senior brother outside the door nicely but I don't know why, but that senior brother insisted on making things difficult for me. He didn't let me enter the palace to report, nor was he willing to help me send a message. He even … mocked me and chased me away. "
After a pause, he continued, "I had no other choice but to go to the other side of Four Titans Palace and report to the various State Preceptors outside the window. After I said that, I vaguely heard one of the State Preceptors shout 'I got it, leave, leave'. I thought that he agreed with His Highness's idea, so I left. "
The State Preceptors kept quiet.
When they were playing mahjong in full swing, why would they listen to what others were saying outside??? They would casually shout 'I got it' when they heard something. In reality, they probably didn't even know where the sound came from!
Xie Lian frowned and said, "There's actually such a thing? Which Daoist child is so rampant? To be so rude to the people I sent, they sure have guts. "
Although Xie Lian usually got along well with the Daoist children of the Extreme Emperor and almost never put on airs, he was still the descendant of the Son of Heaven and a respected prince. Although he was kneeling in front of the statue, he didn't have the slightest bit of humility. In that instant, he was serious and dignified. Everyone kept quiet out of fear. Meanwhile, the expressions of the State Preceptors changed slightly.
Xie Lian said, "Why didn't you tell me about this when you came back yesterday?"
Mu Qing turned around and bowed to him. In a calm voice, he said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, please don't pursue this matter with that senior brother. When I came back yesterday, I didn't mention this matter to you because I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. Originally, it wasn't a big deal. If you were to stand up for me, it would instead hurt the harmony between fellow disciples. "
Xie Lian didn't agree and blushed with shame. "What kind of harmony is this? Bullying fellow disciples and using it to vent your anger? "
Hearing this, the expressions of the State Preceptors at the side became even more subtle.
In the end, this kind of thing happened because the State Preceptors didn't like Mu Qing.
They didn't like it, and the Daoist children serving beside them naturally understood their intentions. In addition, Mu Qing himself wasn't very likable. Thus, it was normal for his fellow disciples to not give him any convenience and make things difficult for him. Of course, this precious disciple wasn't deliberately mocking them, but he really did stab them.
Mu Qing kept retreating as he spoke, but Feng Xin couldn't bear to listen anymore. He suddenly said, "Originally, it really wasn't a big deal, but you made it so complicated. If you had directly told the Daoist child that you were here to pass on a message from His Highness the Crown Prince, would he have the guts to not report it? Also, before we set off today, the State Preceptor asked you where His Highness the Crown Prince went. Why did you deliberately answer ambiguously? Couldn't you have directly said that His Highness was waiting on the city gate tower for the troops to set off? "
Mu Qing immediately and calmly retorted, "I originally thought that the State Preceptor already knew about this matter. I didn't expect that the State Preceptor would suddenly ask about it, so I was momentarily stunned. But afterwards, I clearly explained to the State Preceptor that His Highness the Crown Prince had already told me not to worry and that everything could be carried out as per normal. His Highness would immediately arrive. His Highness wasn't present at that time, but many people heard it. How was it intentional? How could it be so ambiguous? "
Feng Xin glared at him. But thinking about it carefully, at that time, Mu Qing really did say that. It was just that the State Preceptor was burning with impatience and didn't dare to rashly set off. If he really had to pick, he couldn't pick out a big mistake that could prove he had ulterior motives. At this time, Xie Lian said, "Alright, alright. A freak accident, a misunderstanding. Just consider it bad luck. Let's all stop arguing. "
Feng Xin's expression was extremely unhappy, but due to his status, he didn't dare to make a ruckus in Divine Martial Palace and didn't say anything else. The State Preceptor also didn't want to be entangled on this issue anymore. After all, if they really thought about it, wouldn't their playing cards also cause problems? Thus, he waved his hand and said, "Ai, let's talk about it later! Let's talk about it and later think of a way to remedy this. The three of you can leave. Take off your clothes and do whatever you need to do. "
Xie Lian slightly bowed and immediately stood up. Feng Xin and Mu Qing, on the other hand, respectfully kowtowed once more. Only then did they stand up and follow behind Xie Lian, preparing to leave. Xie Lian stepped out of the doorway and heard the State Preceptor call out from behind him, "Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Xie Lian turned around. The State Preceptor said, "Today, His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Empress asked you many questions. If you have time these next few days, go back and take a look. "
Xie Lian smiled and said, "This disciple understands."
After exiting Divine Martial Palace, the three of them passed through a large expanse of mountain peaks and returned to Xian Le Palace, a Daoist room specially built for His Highness the Crown Prince. Only then did Xie Lian begin to remove his ceremonial clothes.
As mentioned earlier, during the Upper Yuan Sacrifice to the Heavens, the martial artists who performed the Pleasing Spirit Ceremony had a strict style of clothing. Almost everything they wore on their body had a symbolic meaning, and not a single one of them could be messed up. For example, the outer clothing was white, symbolizing "pure holiness"; the inner clothing was red, symbolizing "orthodox"; the golden crown tied up the hair, symbolizing "royal authority" and "wealth"; the white feather hidden in one's chest, symbolizing "wings reaching the heavens"; the streamers at the sleeves, symbolizing "carrying all living beings". All sorts of things.
It could be imagined that this outfit, whether it was wearing it or taking it off, would definitely be incomparably complicated. However, Xie Lian was the noble Crown Prince, so naturally, he didn't need to do everything himself. He only needed to open his arms amidst the refreshing fragrance of the room and talk to Feng Xin while waiting for Mu Qing, who was his personal attendant, to help him take off the layers and layers of Pleasing Spirit Dress.
The white clothing of the Pleasing Spirit Dress was of excellent quality. The grain was exquisite, and the edges were embroidered with extremely exquisite dark golden patterns. It was gorgeous, but not extravagant. Compared to the black martial arts clothing worn by the yaomo, it could be said to be the difference between heaven and earth. Mu Qing's own black martial arts clothing had yet to be removed. His hand held onto the Pleasing Spirit Dress that Xie Lian had taken off. His fingers twitched as he stroked the white clothing a few times.
To the side, Xie Lian took off the golden crown that tied up his hair and let his long hair loose. Sitting on the sandalwood bed, he kicked his feet a few times and threw off his snow-white boots, waiting for someone to put new clothes on him. After waiting for a while, he saw that Mu Qing didn't move. He tilted his head and asked, "What's wrong?"
Mu Qing quickly regained his senses and said, "Your Highness, this Pleasing Spirit Dress seems to be dirty in some places."
Xie Lian made an "ah" sound and said, "Bring it over for me to see?"
Sure enough, on the snow-white martial arts clothing, there were impressively two small black handprints. Xie Lian glanced at them and said, "Was it done by that child who fell from the sky? I remember that he was grabbing onto my clothes, not willing to let go. That child's face was still wrapped in bandages. I don't know if he fell or something. Feng Xin, did you help him take a look? "
Feng Xin was currently wrapping up the treasured sword and horse-slaying knife used during the Pleasing Spirit Dress. He gloomily said, "I didn't. I brought him out of the palace to help him take a look at his face like you said. In the end, he kicked my knee. Damn, it really hurt. "
Xie Lian laughed as he collapsed onto the bed. Pointing at him, he said, "It must be because you were fierce to him. Otherwise, why did he kick you instead of me? "
Feng Xin said, "No! That little rotten child seemed to have been possessed by a ghost. In a short while, he ran away. Otherwise, I would have carried him upside down and swung him around, scaring him into crying. "
Mu Qing flipped the Pleasing Spirit Dress and said, "That child better not be a beggar. His body is too dirty. Just a scratch and he's already so black. Your Highness, the Pleasing Spirit Dress can't be dirtied. I heard that the omen isn't good either. "
Xie Lian lied down on the sandalwood bed. He casually took a book from the bedside table and covered the lower half of his face with it. He said, "Circling the city three times and going down in history, the omen is already very good. If it's dirty, then it's dirty. I'll just wash it. "
Pausing for a moment, Mu Qing indifferently said, "En, when I wash it, I'll try my best to be a bit more careful."
Xie Lian flipped through the book and coincidentally flipped to a page with a knife technique. Recalling the intense exchange of moves on the Hua Tai today, he smiled and said, "Mu Qing, today on the stage, you fought pretty well."
Mu Qing's shoulders slightly stiffened.
Xie Lian then said, "Only today did I discover that when you use this knife, it's much better than when you use a sword."
Only then did Mu Qing's expression relax. Turning around, his face unexpectedly revealed a bit of a smile as he said, "Really?"
Xie Lian said, "En! However, I'm afraid you're a bit anxious. Using a knife and using a sword are two completely different things. You see … … "
When it came to martial arts, Xie Lian's interest soared. He was even more oblivious than the State Masters when they were playing cards. Without even putting on his shoes, he jumped off the bed and used his hand as a knife to demonstrate on the spot. At first, Mu Qing's expression was a bit complicated. After Xie Lian demonstrated for a while, he began to seriously watch. On the other hand, Feng Xin brandished the wrapped Zhanmadao and chased Xie Lian onto the bed. He shouted, "If you want to fight, then wear your shoes and fight properly! You're the Crown Prince, your hair is disheveled and your feet are bare. What kind of appearance is that! "
Xie Lian was just about to excitedly demonstrate when he was chased back onto the bed like a duck on a perch. Resentfully, he said, "I know!" As he spoke, he gathered his long hair with both hands, preparing to tie it up before explaining in detail to Mu Qing. Suddenly, he frowned and said, "Strange."