Fang Jie stayed in the yurt until the morning of the next day, although his conversation with the emperor only lasted about half an hour. The gates of Changchun Garden were closed, and no one could open them without His Majesty's decree. Fang Jie was arranged to sleep in an unused room for the night, and the next morning he found that no one had come to pay him any attention.
His Majesty inquired about Fan Gu for the second time, but Fang Jie had his own excuse, and he had already rehearsed his lines with Zhuo Buyi. He knew what the Imperial Guards' answer to His Majesty would be, and he didn't yet have the courage to expose the lie. He had left before the Fan Gu massacre; he hadn't witnessed Li Yuanshan leading his army to slaughter the city. Zhuo Buyi hadn't lied to him and told him the truth, but he was currently powerless to avenge the people of Fan Gu.
If he had been more impulsive, perhaps he would have told the truth. But without a doubt, the first to die wouldn't have been Li Xiaozong or Li Yuanshan. It would have been him, because he had killed the imperial inspector sent to Fan Gu. No one could testify for him; he was framed by Li Yuanshan.
Given his current position, he had no way of influencing the Emperor's decision.
The court was about to wage war in the Northwest, the garrison of the Right Valiant Guard. In this battle, the first to charge would undoubtedly be Li Yuanshan's Right Valiant Guard! At this juncture, the Emperor faced a difficult choice: to slaughter a first-rate family for the sake of so-called justice, to avenge the two thousand civilians and eight hundred border soldiers of Fan Gu, or to pretend ignorance, encourage or even reward Li Yuanshan, allowing him to lead the army to achieve the greatest feat in the history of the Sui Dynasty!
For a moment, Fang Jie felt the truth was about to slip from his lips. But he bit his lip, forcing himself to swallow those words back.
Lying in bed in his room, Fang Jie even considered a possibility:
That His Majesty might have known from the beginning what had happened in Fan Gu, but precisely because of the impending war, for the supreme glory of the empire, and for the true grand ambition of the Sui Dynasty, the Emperor chose leniency. He tolerated Li Yuanshan, the Right General of the Valiant Guard who had deceived him, and forgave Li Xiaozong, the wicked border general of Fan Gu.
What he needed now was a general capable of winning battles, not a criminal who threatened the stability of the Sui Dynasty. Thinking of this, Fang Jie broke out in a cold sweat. If the truth was as he suspected, would the emperor kill him without hesitation if he revealed Fan Gu's deeds?
Fang Jie knew he had done things that pleased the emperor, such as presenting a method for calculating arithmetic characters, a method for annotating characters with pinyin, and that incongruous eighth set of broadcast gymnastics. But what did these amount to compared to the glory of the empire, to the stability of the court?
If Fang Jie were the emperor, he could easily make the same choice.
Relieved, Fang Jie even lost sleep.
The young man lying in bed murmured to himself, perhaps not even hearing what he said clearly.
The porridge tasted good; he couldn't just drink it once.
Porridge is just porridge, no matter how refined.
But the place where he ate it was unusual.
He got out of bed and frantically exercised in the cramped room. He practiced a few rounds of boxing, then reviewed a sword move the old cripple had taught him with bare hands. It wasn't until after midnight that Fang Jie finally collapsed onto the bed, exhausted. The fatigue allowed him to temporarily stop thinking, to stop thinking about his fellow villagers in Fan Gu.
When Fang Jie opened his eyes, it wasn't fully light yet. The east was just beginning to lighten; in summer, it always gets light early, already faintly bright before the sun rises. But in fact, Fang Jie estimated it was only around five in the morning.
He got up, tidied his clothes, and then found water in the room to wash his face. As he went out, he politely greeted the patrolling eunuchs in their robes, though no one responded. The eunuchs, maids, and guards watched the smiling young man leave, and none of them understood why he seemed so happy.
Was Fang Jie happy?
He left Changchun Garden with a smile on his face, a smile that lasted until his facial muscles stiffened and ached. He found his crimson horse, Ni Chang, at the gate and generously gave the stableman a hundred-tael silver note. Seeing the stableman's smile, Fang Jie smiled too.
He left with a smile, from beginning to end. His Majesty, who had also gotten up early to practice his martial arts, took the towel offered by Su Buwei, wiped the sweat from his brow, and asked, "Has Fang Jie left?"
"Your Majesty, he has left. Fang Jie went to bed very late last night, practicing his martial arts in his room. It seems he was preparing for today's martial arts examination. He didn't go to sleep until around midnight, but got up before dawn. After washing up, he found where he kept his prized Coldblood Steed, gave the groom a hundred taels of silver, and greeted everyone he met along the way with a smile. He seemed very happy, almost to the point of being flustered and slightly out of control. After leaving, he kept looking back, as if reluctant to leave."
After hearing Su Buwei's words, the Emperor paused slightly. He picked up the teacup on the stone table, took a sip to rinse his mouth, and then took a deep breath of the cool morning air. "He's a smart man. At least he knows what to say and what not to say, at least he knows what kind of act to play at what time, at least he knows to leave with a smile, even appearing slightly smug, while pretending to be reluctant to part. He wants everyone to see that he's proud and arrogant because I saw him."
The Emperor smiled and turned to walk towards the low wooden huts.
Su Buwei hummed in agreement, repeating the Emperor's words: "Indeed… he's a smart man."
The Emperor said as he walked, "I like smart people, and I like self-aware people even more. But to rely on practicing boxing for over an hour to exhaust himself and stop his overthinking, he clearly still needs to grow and learn a lot."
Su Buwei was silent for a moment before asking, "What about the martial arts exam at the Martial Arts Academy today?"
The Emperor paused slightly, then turned to look in the direction of the Martial Arts Academy. He said something intriguing, but Su Buwei, who thought he understood the Emperor, didn't understand a word. Not understanding a single word, he wisely chose not to ask.
"I wonder if Dean Zhou will agree to a second time."
A second time what?
Su Buwei was very curious, but dared not show it on his face.
...
...
When Fang Jie arrived at the Martial Arts Academy, the sun had already climbed over the towering walls of the capital, Chang'an. It was only morning, but the heat was already somewhat unbearable. Compared to Chang'an's distinct four seasons, Fang Jie felt he preferred Fan Gu. That remote little border town in the northwest seemed to have only two climates throughout the year.
Very cold, and even colder than very cold.
Are the four seasons of Chang'an more beautiful? Or is the coldness of Fan Gu more beautiful?
Fang Jie knew he couldn't find the answer yet, and when he did, perhaps the question would be meaningless. How far away would Fan Gu be from him then?
Would it be forever?
Leading his crimson horse through the gates of the Martial Arts Academy, Fang Jie didn't try to be high-profile. He queued according to the rules, even showing a kind and slightly shy smile to everyone who looked at him. By this point, there was no need for him to feign arrogance anymore. The emperor had bestowed upon him a position far exceeding any attempt at self-promotion.
Even if he were to hide in a crowd now, people would easily find him.
Upon entering, Fang Jie saw the female professor with the striking white eyes again, so he went over and greeted her politely.
"Greetings, sir."
Fang Jie bowed slightly in greeting.
Qiu Yu looked up at him, smiled, and nodded slightly. Pointing towards the training ground, she said, "The four martial arts exams will begin over there soon. You can go and rest for a while. If you haven't eaten yet, you can find the breakfast provided by the Martial Arts Academy for the examinees on the left side of the training ground. It's very plentiful; feel free to choose whatever you like."
Fang Jie thanked her and, holding Ni Chang's hand, slowly walked towards the training ground. After walking four or five steps, he stopped, turned back, and asked Qiu Yu with a smile, "Could you recommend something good to eat?"
Qiu Yu looked at him with interest, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Before telling you what's good, shouldn't I first tell you that the breakfast provided by the Martial Arts Academy isn't free? The better the food, the more expensive it is. However… the crab roe congee and the xiaolongbao with mushroom and egg filling are both quite good, not too greasy."
She emphasized the word "greasy" slightly.
"Expensive?" Fang Jie asked.
"The cheapest."
Qiu Yu replied.
Fang Jie hummed in agreement and thanked her again. After Fang Jie disappeared into the garden, Professor Yan Qing, who had greeted guests at the gate yesterday, walked to Qiu Yu's side and, looking in the direction Fang Jie had gone, asked in a low voice, "Wouldn't that count as helping him cheat?"
Qiu Yu stood up, snapped the roster shut, and smiled, "As a professor at the Martial Arts Academy, I have always upheld fairness and impartiality, and would never do anything wrong because of personal preference. Any examinee who asked me this question would have given me the same answer. But unfortunately, so far, only he has asked me. Tell me, wouldn't that count as cheating?"
Yan Qing couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head in resignation.
"Perhaps only someone as bored as him would ask what's good and cheapest for breakfast," Yan Qing said.
"Who knows?"
Qiu Yu turned gracefully, carrying the roster, and left. His steps were light, his silhouette elegant.
...
...
When Fang Jie reached the left side of the training ground, many examinees were already eating there. In fact, to show respect for the Martial Arts Academy, most students didn't eat breakfast outside. The proctors had specifically mentioned after yesterday's liberal arts exams that the academy would prepare a lavish breakfast the next morning. Since it was a martial arts exam, which might be longer and more tiring, they suggested everyone eat breakfast after arriving at the academy; eating too early might prevent them from finishing the exam.
No one knew that this single sentence would determine the fate of many.
Fang Jie, having exchanged a few seemingly trivial words with Qiu Yu upon entering, faced a different fate than many others. After the exams, those who knew said Fang Jie was lucky, but almost no one considered whether it was truly just luck.
Fang Jie looked at the food; it was indeed so abundant it was breathtaking. A dazzling array of dishes, including a whole lamb roasted golden brown and crispy on a wooden rack, its aroma irresistible. Braised beef, braised pig's trotters, crystal pork knuckle, roast goose, and roast chicken were piled high on large platters, their aroma filling the entire training ground. Besides the aroma of meat, there was also the fragrance of wine. It was wine brewed by Shenquan Manor, rich and robust.
To prepare this food, Fang Jie couldn't imagine how many people had stayed up all night.
Every dish was tempting, and the wine was tempting too. But Fang Jie only chose the cheapest crab roe porridge and steamed buns with mushroom and egg filling. And he didn't eat much, only about six-tenths full.
When the examiners arrived and announced the first test, Fang Jie knew how correct his choice had been. Recalling the female professor named Qiu Yu smiling and saying the crab roe porridge was good, he realized how adorable her little tiger tooth was.
The first test: running.
Everyone had to rush out of the martial arts academy as fast as possible, rush out of the south gate of Chang'an, and then rush to the training ground thirty miles away. After running one lap around the huge training ground, the finish line was the earthen city. Whoever arrived first received the highest score. The purpose of this test was to assess the candidates' physical fitness; how could a soldier not be in good physical condition? A very simple rule, yet it caused immense suffering for most people.
Because of a remark made by the examiner yesterday, almost everyone ate a very large meal. One can imagine how painful it is to run over forty miles with a full stomach.
Ugh!
Ugh!
People were vomiting all along the way.