The Heavens of Film and Television: From Serving as a Soldier

Chapter 198 Fairy Tale
Mei Changsu looked at Zhang Yang and said, "Your Highness, this is likely to bring trouble upon yourself."

Zhang Yang held up the teacup and said, "Sir, now the Princess knows about this love affair, the Empress Dowager knows, the Queen knows, Concubine Yue knows, you and I know, do you think His Majesty will know?"

Before Mei Changsu could speak, Zhang Yang continued, "Let me tell you, our emperor is the most suspicious and has secret guards at his disposal."

"Secret guard?"

Zhang Yang nodded and said, "Yes, Xuan Jingsi is the knife in his hand, but this knife is out of control immediately. What do you think will be the result of this knife?"

"Abandoned." Mei Changsu said, "Just like the Red Flame Army."

Zhang Yang drank his tea and said, "Because loyalty is not absolute, it is absolutely disloyalty. Our Majesty will not allow anyone to threaten his authority."

Mei Changsu looked at Zhang Yang and said, "Where do you want to sit?"

Zhang Yang nodded and shook his head, "I don't want to sit in that position, it's too tiring. But seeing the poor people selling their children and working hard for a year to feed themselves, and only being able to eat a bite of meat during the New Year and other festivals, while the children of the aristocratic families have to eat several sheep for a meal, it's not fair, I can't stand it."

Mei Changsu smiled and said, "I didn't expect that His Highness had such a fairy tale in his mind."

Zhang Yang looked at Mei Changsu and said, "Do you want to hear my philosophy?"

He continued to talk to himself: "I don't care if everyone is as good as a dragon, as long as everyone can afford to eat and go to school, it's that simple."

Mei Changsu could tell that Zhang Yang had something else to say.

Zhang Yang knew that what he said was as ridiculous as a fairy tale in this era, but he had to give it a try.

……

late at night.

Hanging Mirror Division.

Xia Qiu looked at the secret report in his hand and said to Xia Dong: "I didn't expect that the prince's subordinates still have such power. All the spies in Prince Yu and the Eighteenth Prince's mansion were eliminated overnight."

Xia Dong looked at the secret report and said, "The prince still has some strength, but do you want to report it to His Majesty?"

Xia Qiu said, "Let's send a pigeon to Master first."

……

Zhang Yang returned to the mansion.

He looked at Jing Wuming and said, "What happened?"

“All done.”

Zhang Yang nodded and said, "Then let's have some fun."

After saying this, Jing Wuming stabbed Zhang Yang's confidant with a sword.

"Here comes an assassin."

……

the next day.

Because he slept late at night, Mei Changsu felt a little groggy in the morning and just slept. Fei Liu stood guard at the door and refused to let anyone in to call him. Everyone was anxious because they were almost late for the palace to see the emperor. In the end, Yan Yujin came up with a solution and shouted across the courtyard wall, "Brother Su, get up!" This made Fei Liu furious and he chased after him. As soon as he ran away, Xiao Jingrui took the opportunity to sneak into the Snow House. Unexpectedly, Fei Liu was quick-witted and flashed back to block the door in an instant. But on the other side, Yan Yujin screamed fearlessly, and the gloomy young man punched and kicked Xiao Jingrui. The eldest son Xiao said aggrievedly while parrying, "Why are you hitting me... I'm not the one shouting..."

Xie Bi hid far away and analyzed: "Fei Liu wanted to knock you out before chasing Yu Jin..."

Yan Yujin shuddered, and while shouting "Brother Su" loudly, he encouraged his friend, "Hold on a little longer!"

In an instant, there was chaos outside the snow hut, and even a sleeping Buddha inside would have been woken up.

After opening the door and telling Fei Liu to release the people, the servants quickly brought in hot water and breakfast. Yan Yujin wanted to speak as soon as he entered the door, but was forcibly stopped by Xiao Jingrui. He waited until Mei Changsu finished his porridge and put down his bowl and chopsticks before he waved his hand to let him go.

"Brother Su, the palace issued an order early this morning saying that the written test has been postponed to tomorrow." Yan Yujin reported the news impatiently.

"Oh why?"

"Because you are going to deal with Bailiqi today!" Yan Yujin opened the fan in a casual manner, and just shook it when he saw Xiao Jingrui glaring at him. He was stunned for a moment before realizing that it was because of the cold wind that made Mei Changsu dodge. He hurriedly put away the fan, but still hit the palm of his other hand handsomely. People who didn't know would think that he was the one who was going to deal with Bailiqi today.

Seeing that Master Yan was too busy playing it cool and had no intention of continuing, Xie Bi quickly took over the conversation and explained, "It's like this. His Royal Highness Prince Yu submitted a petition saying that even if Brother Su defeated Baili Qi with his child today, his candidacy would remain unchanged and he would still have to take the written test. But if he loses, it will certainly greatly disturb his mood, which is a bit unfair. Anyway, the matter of selecting a son-in-law is not urgent in one or two days, so why not postpone the written test for one day, so that the people of Northern Yan won't find an excuse to make irresponsible remarks."

"This is a good idea. Your Majesty, do you agree?"

"That's right."

"Oh." Mei Changsu nodded, "Thank you for telling me. It's getting late, I have to get up and say goodbye to everyone first."

"What are you saying goodbye to?" Xiao Jingrui handed over his coat in a daze, "We can go together."

Mei Changsu glanced at them and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Come and see how you beat Bailiqi!"

Mei Changsu couldn't help but smile, and said, "The Wuying Palace is the imperial palace, not the Qingyuefang you often visit. The last time you went there was because the emperor summoned you; you originally planned to go with me today because there was a literary test after the competition; now that the literary test has been cancelled, what reason do you have to enter the Wuying Palace without permission? Even if you are noble sons, you should at least ask for permission first, right?"

"Ah——" Yan Yujin jumped up with a scream, "Forget about this! What a waste of time. I have to go and submit a petition for an audience first. I would like to see this excitement even if I die!" Xie Bi didn't care. He hadn't thought about going in the first place. But Xiao Jingrui was a little busy. He stood up in a panic and wanted to follow his friend out. He stopped and looked back at Mei Changsu. He looked nervous on both ends.

"Don't be embarrassed," Mei Changsu smiled and pushed him, "Xie Bi will help me arrange the carriage and horses, you go and ask for permission, don't you want to watch this excitement?"

Xiao Jingrui smiled and said "Yeah!" and ran out. Xie Bi shrugged and looked at his back, sighing, "He looks more and more like Yu Jin. He didn't like to watch the fun so much before..."

After Jing Rui watched the others walk away, he said to Mei Changsu, "The eighteenth prince was assassinated and injured last night."

Mei Changsu looked at Jing Rui and said nothing.

Mei Changsu did not want to explain to Xie Bi, who was not familiar with martial arts, what was so interesting about this competition. He tied his snow-white cloak on his own, whispered some instructions to Fei Liu, and walked out of the yard with the three children who had been waiting there.

The carriages and guards of the Marquis' Mansion had already stopped outside the gate. Xie Bi looked left and right and joked, "Princess Nihuang didn't send a carriage today. Brother Su, are you a little disappointed?"

Mei Changsu smiled without answering. He lowered the curtain of the carriage, and the coachman cracked his whip with a long, crisp sound as they drove straight towards the palace.

Today, there were fewer people gathered in Wuying Hall than last time. Except for Baili Qi, the other nine candidates were nowhere to be seen, and only the chief and deputy envoys of the Dayu delegation came. Although Prince Jing arrived early because of Tingsheng, the Crown Prince and Prince Yu were nowhere to be seen. It was said that they entered the palace early in the morning, probably to accompany the emperor. The two siblings of Prince Mu's mansion also arrived late, so when Mei Changsu stood in the hall with his three children, except for Prince Jing nodding from a distance, no one came to talk, which was very different from the liveliness of the previous few days.

However, Mei Changsu liked this kind of quiet atmosphere. He led the three apprentices to a corner of the hall, held their hands one by one, smiled softly and encouraged them, and soon, those eyes that were rolling around and full of fear calmed down, and they nodded seriously, saying that they would work hard and seize the opportunity to get rid of their status as criminal slaves.

About half a minute later, Princess Nihuang and Mu Qing walked in with high spirits. Mei Changsu greeted them with a smile, secretly marveling at how the two siblings looked so energetic at all times, which was so different from the lazy and elegant posture of the nobles in the capital. Only Prince Jing had some of the same temperament.

"Looking at Mr. Su's expression, he seems to be confident?" It was Mu Qing who spoke first. He strode closer, bent down slightly and asked the three children, "Tell me, what did Mr. Su teach you?"

Mei Changsu thought it would be a good idea to let the children get familiar with the appearance of the people in the palace first, so he ignored him and signaled Princess Nihuang to take a few steps to the side.

"What? Do you have something to tell me?" The female commander of the Southern Territory joked.

"The Eighteenth Prince was assassinated last night."

Just as Mu Nihuang was about to say something else, footsteps were heard outside. Yan Yujin rushed in dragging Xiao Jingrui, laughing and saying, "We caught up, we caught up. Brother Su, it hasn't started yet, right?"

Mu Qing interrupted with an unhappy look on his face, frowning and saying, "It hasn't started yet, Mr. Su is talking to my sister, don't disturb them!"

With his strong protection, even Princess Nihuang couldn't talk to Mei Changsu in private. After all, she was an unmarried daughter of the royal family, and before choosing a husband, it was not a good thing to go against etiquette.

Fortunately, the embarrassing situation passed in an instant because the Holy Emperor had already arrived at this time.

As everyone had guessed, the Crown Prince and Prince Yu appeared, one on each side, supporting the old emperor, followed by Princess Jingning, and Meng Zhi escorted him. After the emperor took his seat in the middle, the two princes walked down the jade steps together, led everyone in the state ceremony, and took their seats after the imperial edict was issued.

"Su Qing," Emperor Liang said with a calm smile, "how are your results?"

"It is pointless for me to say more. Your Majesty, please just take a closer look for a while." Mei Changsu waved his hand and called the three children out, lined them up and knelt on the ground.

Emperor Liang looked at the three small figures, then at the muscular Baili Qi standing beside him. He felt a little unsure and couldn't help but look back at Meng Zhi.

"Your Majesty, shall we start now?" Meng Zhi took the opportunity to bow and ask for your permission.

The arrow has been strung and must be shot. Emperor Liang concealed the worry in his eyes and nodded.

The three children received the order and stood up. Each of them held a sword and stood in a V-shape. Their expressions were extremely firm. Their solemnity was completely different from their timid attitude two days ago, which immediately lifted the spirits of the onlookers.

Bailiqi came out empty-handed, glanced at his opponent with great disdain, and casually assumed a starting stance.

"Start!" Meng Zhi gave the order, and a breeze suddenly blew up in the field. The three children spun like tops, their steps intertwined like flowers. The originally clear figures suddenly became blurred and those with less martial arts skills felt dizzy.

Chai Ming, the golden eagle of Dayu Kingdom, immediately became interested. He sat up straight and was about to take a closer look when he suddenly felt a strong murderous aura coming from the side. His heart was startled and he looked back intently. He saw Lord Meng Zhi, the number one master of Daliang and the commander of the Jinling Royal Guards, staring at him fiercely. The fierce anger in his eyes was as if there was a hatred between the two of them for killing their father and stealing their wife. Chai Ming couldn't help but shiver. While calming his mind, he thought carefully about how he had offended him.

Princess Nihuang's martial arts were also known for their splendor. As soon as she saw the elusive figure, she was attracted. As she was leaning forward to observe it carefully, she suddenly heard Mei Changsu's exclamation "Oh!" beside her. She couldn't help but be distracted and turned to look. She saw that he had overturned the tea bowl on the table and was hurriedly moving aside to avoid the tea dripping from the edge of the table. His clumsy look was completely different from his usual calm and elegance, which made the princess smile.

Just when the two masters were distracted at the same time, a few muffled groans were heard on the field, followed by a thud, and the three children retracted their swords and leaped back. The light and shadow disappeared, and when everyone looked again, Bailiqi was half-kneeling on the ground, supporting his body with his arms, his face full of anger and unwillingness.

"Won!"

"Won!"

Yan Yujin cheered. Although Emperor Liang had an imperial demeanor, he also smiled at this time.

Chai Ming, who was concentrating his mind to fight against Meng Zhi's anger, suddenly felt his whole body relax. Commander Meng, who had just looked irreconcilable, suddenly changed his expression and showed him a sincere and friendly smile. At that moment, he almost felt like he was dreaming.

"Warrior Baili, how are you?" The Northern Yan envoy rushed out angrily and anxiously.

"Don't worry, envoy. We won't harm our guests." Mei Changsu said with a smile, and gestured to the three children, "Why don't you thank His Majesty for his grace?"

The three little swordsmen immediately bowed their heads. Emperor Liang was very pleased and said, "You have performed meritorious services. I will not break my promise. I will remove your status as criminal slaves and allow you to be settled by the officials or to seek refuge with your relatives and friends."

The prince was overjoyed and immediately said, "Father is truly kind and benevolent."

Emperor Liang glanced at the Crown Prince and suddenly had an idea: "Crown Prince, do you really like these children so much? Since they have such sword skills, why not purify themselves and come to serve you? For you, they will be better than ordinary guards, and for them, they will have no worries about food and clothing, and they can also have a comfortable home..."

As soon as these words were spoken, Mei Changsu and Prince Jing were both shocked, especially Prince Jing, who almost jumped up immediately, but was stopped by Mei Changsu with a strong look.

"Your Majesty, what you said is inappropriate." It was Xiao Jingrui who spoke out against it. He stood up and saluted, saying loudly, "Your Majesty has issued an order to release them from the Yeyou Court, which means they are allowed to be free in the future. How can you take it back? Besides, they are unfamiliar with the rules of the inner palace, so it is useless to take them back. Serving the prince, they cannot carry weapons with them, so this sword formation is completely useless. Jingrui feels that even the prince himself may not want them to enter the inner palace."

Emperor Liang had always been very protective of Xiao Jingrui, and was not angry at his frankness. He waved his hand and told him to sit down, and then ignored the matter. Mei Changsu had already broken out in a cold sweat.

(End of this chapter)