"Since you insist that Princess Sheng An truly hid the final line of that poem within this shabby little courtyard, why not wager on it with me?"
Though Xianting was jointly owned by His Majesty and Princess Sheng An, and while Ji Yongxing and the others were bold enough to gossip behind Yun Shu's back, they dared not make a public scene in a place so closely tied to the imperial family.
A bet, however, was another matter entirely. In matters of wagers, one must concede to the terms. Even if the Emperor himself were present, it would be improper to interfere.
Ji Yongxing gave a cold chuckle and deliberately raised his voice so the surrounding crowd could hear clearly.
"If you can find the final line of that poem here today, I will publicly apologize to you.
But if you fail, you must kneel before me and kowtow in apology, and loudly proclaim three times that you are nothing but a foolish dog who knows only how to fawn over Princess Sheng An!"
…
Li Dehai, who had accompanied Emperor Xuanwu to Xianting in disguise, was now so mortified he wished he could bury his head in his own stomach.
To demand that His Majesty kneel, kowtow, and call himself a dog—
What kind of blasphemous nonsense was this?
After so many years serving the Emperor, Li Dehai had never witnessed such absurdity. At this moment, he wanted nothing more than to crack open Ji Yongxing's skull and examine just what manner of idiocy filled that inflated head of his.
While Li Dehai dared not even breathe too loudly, the other sons of noble houses who had accompanied Ji Yongxing continued to fan the flames, oblivious to the danger.
"Why so silent? Could it be you're afraid?"
"Weren't you speaking with such certainty just a moment ago, swearing Princess Sheng An had hidden the final clue here? What now? Are you too afraid to kneel and apologize? Or are you too ashamed to admit you're the Princess's lapdog?"
"Afraid? Hardly."
Emperor Xuanwu, incensed, let out a low, dangerous laugh.
"I merely find this wager somewhat lacking in fairness.
Let us revise it, then. If I lose, I shall abide by your conditions.
But if I win, you shall all kneel before me and apologize, and loudly proclaim three times that you are ignorant fools, driven by envy of Princess Sheng An's brilliance and thus chose to slander her out of spite."
"You dare—"
The sons of noble houses, so used to lording over others, could hardly believe their ears. The very idea that a lowborn scholar would speak to them so audaciously sent two of them into a rage. They stepped forward, ready to lash out.
But Ji Yongxing held them back just in time.
"He clearly assumes we would never agree to such a ludicrous condition, and means to use that as an excuse to escape the wager. All the more reason we must accept."
"Precisely."
The other noble youths quickly caught on and nodded in agreement.
"We agree. Everyone here bears witness!"
Yun Shu, who was coincidentally present, blinked.
Yun Chuhuan, also there, stared wordlessly.
"Fifth Sister!"
Slipping past Ji Yongtian, who was still gleefully watching the spectacle, Yun Chuhuan tugged at Yun Shu's cloak and whispered in a low, urgent voice. "Why do I feel like that man might be Father Emperor?"
Yun Shu's lips twitched.
If even Yun Chuhuan could recognize the resemblance, then there was no doubt—those men had just challenged Emperor Xuanwu himself.
And Ji Yongxing, that fool of a brother Ji Yongtian so admired, had truly reached new heights of recklessness.
The Marquis Xuanping's judgment was, as always, catastrophically poor.
Yun Shu clicked her tongue softly and began quickly considering how she might discreetly steer the outcome without drawing attention.
If Ji Yongxing and his ilk actually won this wager…
The consequences would be far too disastrous to contemplate.
Perhaps Yun Chuhuan or Ji Yongtian could—
No. Neither of them could be counted on.
Best to observe for now. If the opportunity arose, she could have one of the Xianting attendants play along.
While Yun Shu plotted in silence, Emperor Xuanwu's gaze fell upon the colorful lanterns hanging across the courtyard.
"Do not tell me you think the clue is hidden among these lanterns."
Given that everyone was masked and cloaked, it would be easy to vanish into the crowd unnoticed. Ji Yongxing and his companions feared the supposed old scholar might use the opportunity to flee, so they stayed close, throwing jeers at every step.
"You think this will be easy?"
Emperor Xuanwu ignored them. He reached out and gently turned the nearest lantern, which bore the image of a small dog. Beneath it was a simple line of poetry:
Smoke disperses, the sun rises, and not a soul is seen.
The answer was "fire." An easy riddle, but one that offered little insight into the missing line of the poem.
"So? Have you solved it?"
Young Master Li, standing beside Ji Yongxing, sneered.
"Do you need this young master to tell you the answer?
It's simple. Just call me 'Daddy' and I shall oblige."
"Da… Daddy?"
Yun Chuhuan gaped in shock.
"He's lost his mind."
"That is rather excessive."
Ji Yongtian nodded in agreement. Then, after a pause, looked puzzled.
"But what does it have to do with ascending to the heavens?"
"You big oaf, what do you know?"
Yun Chuhuan, not one to forgive easily, took the opportunity to return a jab. He had not forgotten when Ji Yongtian called him a clueless brat earlier.
He jabbed Yun Shu with an elbow.
"He… he won't lose, right?"
"He cannot."
The only question was whether Imperial Father would win through his own wits, or whether she would have to intervene.
Yun Shu gave a quick blink, reluctant to say more with Ji Yongtian still around. Fortunately, Yun Chuhuan, who knew her identity, understood. Her words were all the reassurance he needed.
"Good. If he loses, that would be too embarrassing for me."
Yun Shu blinked.
Ji Yongtian was equally puzzled.
"You two know him?"
Ji Yongtian now wore the expression of someone who had stumbled upon a juicy secret.
"He is not your eldest brother or something, is he?"
"No…"
"Yes, yes!"
It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to claim brotherhood with the Emperor. Yun Chuhuan nodded with such enthusiasm it looked like his neck might snap.
He feared if he hesitated, Yun Shu might deny it.
Yun Shu said nothing.
Well, it was not as though Yun Chuhuan had only just started causing chaos.
As he and Ji Yongtian began chatting excitedly about their so-called "eldest brother," Yun Shu turned her attention back to Emperor Xuanwu.
Unlike Yun Chuhuan's barely contained excitement, Emperor Xuanwu did not spare a glance for Young Master Li's absurd demand.
Instead, he calmly turned toward another lantern, this one painted with a galloping steed.
Again, a single line of poetry was written beneath. The answer: "person."
The riddles on the remaining lanterns varied in difficulty. The paintings were diverse: house cats, foxes, tigers, wolves, sheep, oxen, even dragons, phoenixes, qilins, and the royal crest of the Tian Sheng Imperial House. Some bore strange, indecipherable designs.
As for the answers—most of them bore no apparent connection to one another. They certainly did not form a coherent sentence, much less a poetic line.