Jin WangShu wandered around the palace, once again lost. The map he was holding was crumpled and slightly ripped at the sides. The man mumbled to himself meaningless directions as he walked around in circles. Jin WangShu sighed in annoyance.
Why is the palace so big? None of the people staying here are all that fat, they shouldn't need so much space. He thought to himself.
"Jin WangShu? Is that you?" A woman's voice resounded from behind the man.
Jin WangShu turned around and cupped his hands in respect. "Imperial Noble Consort Ming! It's so great seeing you here. Can you direct Jin WangShu to the outer court?"
Ming ZhiRuo smiled. Jin WangShu seemed totally clueless as to why he was being summoned to the outer court.
"Of course, and you don't need to address yourself in a formal manner. It is not needed when in front of me alone." Noble consort Ming said. "Please follow me, and I will lead you to the outer court."
Jin WangShu obediently followed the lady through the palace. While making their way there, they chatted a little.
"Ah-Shu, I heard you were injured in battle. Are you all right?"
"Of course! I'm all good now, see?" Jin WangShu spun around, although it really did not prove anything at all.
Ming ZhiRuo laughed softly. "Ah-Shu, don't move around so much. I don't want you to injure yourself again."
"I will not, Xiao jie! Ah-Shu is very careful."
"If you were very careful, you would not have stab wound on your shoulder." The imperial noble consort Ming scolded.
"Sorry, xiao jie!" Jin WangShu apologized for his carelessness.
Ming ZhiRuo patted Jin WangShu lightly on the arm. "We have arrived. I will see you again later."
"Wait, xiao jie! Where do I go now?" Jin WangShu stood awkwardly at the dead centre of the outer court.
Several court officials glared at the young man in disdain and whispered among themselves. Within those court officials, Jin LanGuang was evidently upset. His face was red and shiny with sweat. To call his own son a... he couldn't even bear to think of it. He refused to show respect to a bastard child.
At the dragon throne, Li FeiHong looked on with an amused expression on his face. He watched as Jin WangShu darted to one of the sides to join some court officials. It was quite clear that the man had no idea where he was supposed to be. After watching for another few minutes as Jin WangShu struggled to join the group without being immediately shunned, Li FeiHong took pity on the man.
"Jin WangShu, please step up."
Jin WangShu perked up at the mention of his name. The young man immediately made his way over to in front of the emperor. He kneeled then kowtowed.
"Rise." The emperor spoke. "Jin WangShu, you have worked hard in the past while training to become a soldier. During China's battle against the Tibetans, I have been told by various soldiers of your willingness to continue fighting. For your bravery and courage, I am now rewarding you with the title of general."
Jin WangShu was speechless. His sudden promotion shocked him, to say the least. But before he could properly thank the emperor, a cry broke out among the crowds.
"Your imperial majesty," Jin LanGuang bowed in front of the emperor. "Your imperial majesty, I do not believe that my son is worthy of the title 'general'. He is not only incompetent, but a son of a prostitute."
The emperor made a displeased expression. "And why does Jin LanGuang believe Jin WangShu is incapable of being general of an army?"
"Your imperial majesty, Jin WangShu is incapable of reading and writing. These are basic things that all esteemed men must know." Jin LanGuang replied.
"Your imperial majesty, may your humble servant speak?" Jin WangShu interrupted, an uncomfortable expression frozen on his face.
"You may speak." The emperor replied.
Jin WangShu turned to Jin LanGuang. "Jin WangShu is able to read and write. Over the past few months, Jin WangShu has practiced hard to learn both skills and would like to prove to this court official that he is capable of becoming general."
Li FeiHong hid a small smile behind his sleeve.
"And how would you like to prove that?"
"This humble servant challenges Jin LanGuang to a calligraphy and poetry contest. This humble servant proposes that the emperor be the judge."
~~~~
It was the very first day of spring. The bitter cold had begun to disappear, and flower buds began to grow. It would have been a serene and beautiful scenery if a sudden loud sneeze had not interrupted the moment.
The sneeze came from none other than Jin WangShu.
"Stop sneezing." The emperor said.
"I can't! I have very powerful allergies during the spring. All this pollen is too much!" Jin WangShu whined.
Not a moment later, Jin WangShu felt a hard smack on his leg that came from none other than Su Chen.
"Ouch!"
"Mind your manners when in front of his imperial majesty!" Su Chen scolded. "And if it weren't for your big mouth, you would have already become general. You wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble just to prove that you're good at calligraphy and poetry!"
"I just wanted to prove Jin LanGuang wrong..." Jin WangShu pouted.
"Stop pouting." The emperor sighed. "It's unbecoming of you."
WangShu shamelessly threw himself at the emperor. "Li-gege, you understand where I'm coming from... right?"
Su Chen looked on, a horrified expression on his face. Not many had the nerve to throw themselves at the emperor and whine.
"Focus on practicing." Li FeiHong stated calmly.
"How about you show me how to write?" Jin WangShu fluttered his eyelashes at the emperor, not truly expecting the emperor to comply.
The emperor shifted Jin WangShu onto his thigh and took ahold of the brush. He gracefully dipped said brush into the ink and began to write with one arm around the younger male.
Jin WangShu was momentarily speechless as he observed the beauty before him. The emperor's lashes were long and thick, his eyes slanted up just very slightly giving him a divine appearance. Li FeiHong's hair was long and dark, it was currently left in a very simple but elegant style. Without Jin WangShu even realizing, the emperor's golden brown irises had shifted over to him. He stared on blankly as the emperor opened his mouth.
"Like this."
"...ah...huh?"
Su Chen meanwhile clamped his mouth shut to prevent vomiting.
Jin WangShu continued to watch as Li FeiHong's lips mouthed several words that he was unable to comprehend.
"...ready." Li FeiHong's voice revealed itself slowly into existence.
"Huh?"
The emperor sighed exasperatedly. "I said, you should be ready for the exam."
Jin WangShu reluctantly slid off Li FeiHong's thigh and nodded.
Su Chen sighed from his bed of cushions. Unable to kneel properly due to his healing leg, he cupped his hands in respect at the emperor instead.
"Your humble servant thanks his imperial majesty for taking care of his incompetent brother." He said.
The emperor rose. "There is nothing to thank me for."
Not even a minute later, FeiHong had already left the quiet room.
~~~~
Father and son sat on opposite sides of the hall. An empty scroll, a brush, and a tiny bottle of ink in front of them both.
They were both told to write a poem in the best calligraphy they could produce. The instructions did not specify whether the poem had to exist already or not. Jin WangShu refused to show it, but he was nervous. It took every ounce of strength to refrain his hands from trembling.
Jin LanGuang quietly began to write, confident that he would win. He had been taught to read and write since he was less than five years old, after all.
Jin WangShu took a deep breath, ignoring the judgmental stares of the other court officials. He took up his brush, dipped it in ink, and began to write.
All alone in a foreign land (獨在異鄉為異客)
Jin WangShu thought of his arrival to Daming Palace. The unfamiliar faces that were so unwelcome upon realizing that he was his father's illegitimate son.
I am twice as homesick on this day (每逢佳節倍思親)
When brothers carry dogwood up the mountain (遙知兄弟登高處)
The young man had no brothers by blood that he knew of, but he did not forget the hard work and labour he had long endured before reaching the palace. The thought of family caused him to lament of his mother's passing.
Each of them a branch-and my branch missing. (遍插茱萸少一人)
Although Jin WangShu was unable to make up a poem on the spot, he was able to memorize a poem that he found important to him. It wasn't long until the time allotted was all up. Jin LanGuang shot Jin WangShu an arrogant smirk, not realizing that his son had already perfected the art of calligraphy.
Jin LanGuang presented his scroll to the emperor first. The man read out the poetry he had created proudly, unaware of his son's unimpressed facial expression. Jin LanGuang had written some sort of meaningless poetry regarding spring flowers blooming and birds chirping.
Well Jin LanGuang, people can talk too. Why not write about that? Or does it not seem poetic and artistic enough for poetry? Jin WangShu thought. His voice is bland too, I can't believe such a boring man helped produce a bright and animated son like me.
When it was Jin WangShu's turn, the young man brought up his scroll. While the other men nearby were not paying attention, he shot the emperor a flirtatious wink. Li FeiHong sighed quietly, closing his eyes for a brief moment almost as if he was meditating.
"Your imperial majesty, please allow your humble servant to present his calligraphy and poetry." Jin WangShu made sure to stress the 'your humble servant' once again, only to annoy the emperor.
The young man majestically unfurled his scroll, revealing his beautifully painted characters. Jin LanGuang clenched his fists, crumpling the edges of his own scroll. His son shot look toward him, further aggravating the older man.
Jin WangShu began to read the famous poem in a smooth voice, successfully capturing the attention of many in the room. And although his voice was smooth, it held emotion within. Some sort of grief and unknown desire that the court officials were unable to decipher. When he had finished, Jin WangShu placed his scroll in front of the emperor.
"Thank you, I will evaluate both poems and will announce the results within the next kè." Li FeiHong said.
The hour passed by very quickly, and the emperor sure enough, had made a decision. FeiHong looked up at the two participants, looking at them both with indifferent expressions.
"The promotion ceremony will proceed, I deem Jin WangShu worthy of the title 'general'." Li FeiHong declared.
Jin LanGuang rose up in disbelief, he opened his mouth to protest, but closed it after realizing he would be going against the emperor's wishes. So he resorted to clenching his fists and gnashing his teeth together.
"This humble servant thanks his imperial majesty for his benevolence." Jin WangShu replied, truthfully not at all surprised at his victory.
"Jin WangShu shall take over former general Mu LongWei's troops. He has proven himself during the military examination and during the battle with Tibet." The emperor spoke. "Su Chen, who is not here today due to his injuries will be assisting general Jin as second in command."
Jin WangShu widened his eyes, having been unaware of Su Chen's promotion. He almost threw himself at the emperor in order to hug the man, and he would have if there was no audience.
I'll do that later... I'll take any excuse to embrace the emperor. Jin WangShu began dreaming of the emperor's defined muscles and abs. He could just imagine rubbing his cheeks against his hard body. "God, I could just lick them..."
"...Pardon?" Li FeiHong blinked in confusion.
Jin WangShu flushed a bright shade of red. Fortunately, he had not said it too loudly for everyone else in the room to hear.
"Your humble servant did not say a word, your imperial majesty."
Li FeiHong shot Jin WangShu an unconvinced stare.
"Court is dismissed."
~~~~
Jin WangShu stared at his troops. Because he had not joined the army for very long, he had not gotten to know many of his former fellow soldiers. Hence, the lack of respect he received from those he did not know.
He sensed many glares directed his way. Many thought it unfair that he was already general despite having joined the army not that long ago. They were angry at the fact that he was able to skip so many ranks in one promotion as well.
Hmph, what arrogant men. It's not my fault you men are neither persistent nor skilled enough to be general. Despite his inner grumbling, Jin WangShu put on a bright smile for his troops.
"Good morning, my name is Jin WangShu. Due to general Mu LongWei's unfortunate passing, I have been assigned to be general in his place." The young man scanned across the training field. "Su Chen will be my second in command, he is not present as he is currently recovering from his injuries."
Just then, Jin WangShu felt a hard smack on his head. He turned around dazed, only to see Su Chen hobbling over to stand beside him. Without saying a word, Su Chen thrust a sword into Jin WangShu's hold.
"You forgot to bring your sword!" Su Chen yelled. "Use your brain!"
"Aww... thanks brother Su! You're so kind to bring me my sword."
Su Chen pushed away Jin WangShu as the latter attempted to hug him.
"Go away, I will watch for today." Having said that, Su Chen hobbled his way over to a nearby bench and sat down.
"Jin WangShu, don't be so arrogant just because you are now a general. We have been in the army for far longer than you have." A soldier called out.
Jin WangShu turned his head over to the annoying man. He made his way over with slow and steady steps, effectively intimidating the other man.
His lips curled into a smile. "Care to repeat that?"
"I-I said... D-don't be so arrogant j-just because you are now a gen-general." The same man said.
"What is your name?"
The other man stood up straight and spoke proudly. "My name is Zhou Lei!"
"Zhou Lei, care to have a practice match with me? If you win, I will agree to step down from my position as general and if I win, I get to keep the title of general and go out drinking with everyone here except you." Jin WangShu offered.
"V-very well!" Zhou Lei replied, in what he thought was in a confident manner.
"Form a large circle around us." Jin WangShu said to the troops then turned to Zhou Lei. "Unsheathe your sword."
Without warning, Zhou Lei lunged forward thrusting his sword toward the other man. Fortunately, Jin WangShu deflected effortlessly.
"Zhou Lei, Zhou Lei... since when has the match started? Trying to injure me before the match even begins... what an underhanded method."
Zhou Lei gritted his teeth and backed into a defensive stance. For the next few minutes, Zhou Lei was constantly on offensive, attacking only for his sword to be deflected.
Not a single trace of exhaustion showed on Jin WangShu's face, Zhou Lei however was evidently tired. His face was flushed pink, and his forehead had a sheen of sweat on top of it.
"Let me tell you one thing, Zhou Lei." Jin WangShu began attacking. "How long you have been here doesn't matter, because you're still terrible at swordplay." With one more swipe of his sword, Jin WangShu successfully disarmed Zhou Lei.
~~~~
"Who said I would buy you all drinks? I haven't even been paid yet!" Jin WangShu exclaimed. "I said we would all go out drinking, not that I would buy you all alcohol!"
Yang GuiRen puffed his cheeks out and pouted. "But brother Jin... I mean general Jin, I was cheering you on during the match!"
"Ha! So? I would have won without your support!" Jin WangShu replied.
"Bro—General Jin..."
"Go buy your own alcohol, I'm not wealthy enough to pay for your drinks as well."
Disappointed murmurs spread through the soldiers. The wine shop was quite crowded due to the troops all being inside. They had already selected one of the biggest wine shops in Chang'an to visit.
"Boss! Go get me two jugs of grape wine." Jin WangShu grabbed his money pouch and slapped down several coins.
Upon obtaining his wine, Jin WangShu chugged the first jar in one go. The soldiers watched in unison as their general began chugging the second jar. Many of the other men had only begun drinking.
"General Jin... Are you going to be drunk?" Yang GuiRen asked.
"Of course not!" Jin WangShu laughed, ignoring the dizzy feeling slowly overtaking his senses.
"I... don't care about... you men! But I'm going to go... to go back and see the emperor!"
"Jin WangShu, what?!" Su Chen shrieked. He had been nearly silent the entire time up until this point.
"Bye bye!"
The sober men looked on helplessly as their general walked out of the wine shop and toward an impending death.
~~~~
金望舒： 皇上！我給你做了一杯茶。
李飛鴻： 多謝。
金望舒： 怎麼樣？好味道嗎？
李飛鴻： 什麼味道？這杯不是茶，是水。
金望舒： 啥？我已經放了茶葉在水裡。。。（他看到地上的茶葉）
李飛鴻： 茶葉。。。在桌子下面。
金望舒： 。。。
~~~~
Please vote and comment! Sorry for the late update, I got home late last night.
Updates every Friday.