Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 826 The Crown Prince's Belt, the Imperial Decree of the Southern Court

The remaining hour of the afternoon was reserved for the martial arts competition among the other six participants.

Indeed, no one challenged the two above, and Qin Shang ultimately won third place.

Although the martial arts competition was also very intense and exciting, it seemed rather bland and uninteresting, perhaps because it was held on the same venue.

Every stone slab of the Winter Sword Platform seemed to bear the shadow of those who had just left. People lingered around the platform. The martial arts examination had ended, and dusk was approaching, yet the area beneath the imperial city remained packed with people.

Until the hour of You (5-7 PM), after the Winter Sword Platform had been empty for a long time, a gradual quiet began to permeate the air.

Six long processions ascended the sword platform in succession.

A brocade carpet was laid out, and a crown was erected. From the south end, a young man carrying his sword walked up. Then, a figure descended from the north; she was not wearing the crown prince's robes, but a long dress.

Unexpectedly, it was this woman who stepped down, the eldest daughter of the Tang Dynasty emperor, who had never appeared in public since ascending to the throne.

Last time she wore a crown and imperial robes, looking sacred and majestic; today she has changed into a dress, and is still the most beautiful princess.

Pei Ye had changed into a clean black martial arts uniform and stood with his hand on his sword. Li Xizhou came over with a jade ribbon in his hand and stood in front of the young man.

The master of ceremonies was reciting something, but no one paid any attention; their eyes were fixed on the two people in the very center.

Li Xizhou looked up at him for a while, then stepped forward, almost touching the boy, wrapped his arms around him, and carefully tied the jade belt around his neck.

Then she took a step back and said softly, "Let's award medals to the warriors of our Great Tang Dynasty."

The official in charge of ceremonies announced loudly: "Respectfully announcing to the world: Pei Ye, from Fenghuai County, Bowang Prefecture, who was the top scholar in the imperial examination of the Renwu year and the top military scholar in the Tang Dynasty!"

The surging crowds seemed to engulf the entire capital city.

……

Night falls, and the stars twinkle.

Pei Ye sat in the carriage by the building. Outside, there was a bustling noise, and his name could be heard from time to time, near and far.

None of his friends came to see him, and Pei Ye really needed this quiet. He leaned against the car wall, holding his sword and the kitten in his arms.

After a while, the moonlight shifted from the left to the right of the window, the car door opened, and Li Xizhou got in.

“Look,” she said.

Pei Ye opened his hand, and the eye lay quietly in his palm. It was not as ugly as he had imagined. It had been folded back into a ball, its texture similar to stone or jade, with fine lines on the outer shell and a faintly translucent center.

The blood on it had already been washed off.

"We must ask Li Jian to take a look."

"Hmm." Pei Ye withdrew his hand.

Li Xizhou looked at him for a while: "It seems the injury is better than I thought. I had prepared Qu Xin, thinking that after fighting two matches, you would be on the verge of death, holding your sword on the stage. But Yong Ji didn't even manage to stab you a few times."

“He was afraid of my sword, so he targeted Grandpa Yue’s eyes,” Pei Ye said. “Then I wasn’t afraid of him anymore.”

“Relying on the fighting spirit of the Zhen beast only shows that he himself lacks fighting spirit.” Li Xizhou looked out the window. “The Southern Bureau has already gone to Ci’en Temple to collect the evidence.”

"Hmm." Pei Ye didn't seem to care too much.

"Everyone's talking about you," the woman said. "I saw quite a few people surrounding Di Jiu, asking him about him."

"They must be concerned about the conflict between us and the Prince of Yan."

“They’re also chatting at the banquet on the west side.” Li Xizhou turned around. “I noticed that Changsun and the others really want to see you, but they’ve been holding back from coming to see you. Why don’t you go and sit at the Sword Cultivation Academy?”

"I don't want to go."

Li Xizhou rested his chin on his hand and looked at him, pointing to the jade belt at his waist: "Do you know how this belt came to be?"

"I was just thinking, back in Bowang they had silver and swords, how come now a high-ranking military officer is only given a sash? Did the emperor weave it himself?"

"His Majesty may not have gone far at this time."

Pei Ye shut up.

Li Xizhou raised his hand and tapped the jade inlay on it: "This is the first time this year that the champion of the Shenjing Martial Arts Examination has won the top spot in the Feather Scale Trial. This belt was indeed not woven by him personally, but the gold thread in it was taken from the armor belt he wore when he conquered the Northern Wilderness and woven into it. It is impervious to swords and spears, and water and fire."

"That's quite impressive," Pei Ye smiled. "He can strangle someone even when they're unarmed."

“Not bad, it can also be used to tie people up when necessary. Pei Hejian, keep it.”

"Shall we go back to the hotel?" Pei Ye said. "I want to take a nap."

"Does my sleep include me, or does it not include me?"

Pei Ye smiled: "Aren't you tired?"

"You don't have to be tired."

"I'm going to sleep for two days straight." Pei Ye stretched. "I'll grant you permission to serve me for one night."

"Who were the ones for the remaining two days and one night?"

Pei Ye smiled and leaned against her shoulder, lazily closing his eyes.

"You debauched ruler... How many days will it take to resolve the matter of Yong Ji?"

Two days is enough.

"it is good."

……

……

I do not know how long it has been.

In a hazy state, he felt as if he had entered a strange body.

Narrow, heavy, and sluggish, uncomfortable everywhere, with limited senses, the patient’s excruciating pain was hard to suppress, he felt weak, and his heartbeat and breathing were labored.

Then he began to smell, a damp, foul odor. He slowly opened his eyes, but all he could see was still darkness. After a moment, a faint light shone in.

Several thick, cold iron pillars.

The movement of his hands and feet produced a heavy, metallic sound.

He was silent for a moment, then moved his body and struggled to sit up, leaning against the wall.

"You can't even hold your fingers properly, you don't look like you're very good with a sword." A rough male voice suddenly came from the cell next to him.

Yong Ji turned his head and saw a strong man in the next cell, wearing shackles and an iron ring around his neck.

“This cell hasn’t been inhabited for more than half a year,” the man said, looking at him. “The last person came and stayed for a day… less than twelve hours.”

Yong Ji didn't want to speak, but after a quarter of an hour, with only endless silence in the darkness, he asked, "What was that person doing?"

"That was a big deal," the man said, raising his voice. "An assassination attempt on the governor."

Yong Ji's body tensed.

The man asked, "And you?"

Yong Ji remained silent for another quarter of an hour: "Assassinate the Crown Prince."

"..." The man remained silent for a long time, then said, "Huh."

"So, you're waiting to be executed?"

Yong Ji remained silent.

"You don't need to be tried for a crime like this, do you? When did the Tang Dynasty become so particular?"

Yong Ji remained silent.

After being taken over by the Southern Bureau, he was given drugs and fell into a coma. When he woke up, he was already here.

But he actually knew what had happened.

Pei Ye won, and the monks at Ci'en Temple presented the charges against the Crown Prince. The case was handled in great secrecy and could not be made public. He should now be in a prison under the jurisdiction of the Southern Court.

The Prince of Yan's mansion would certainly not give up on him. Even if there were witnesses, the sentencing process would still have to proceed. Yongbei was in the capital, and he would still try his best to exert influence on this matter.

Although execution may seem like an imminent outcome, there are still countless steps that can be taken before it actually arrives.

Yong Ji leaned against the wall. This was his first time in such a place. He ignored the man's question and closed his eyes again, channeling the faint power in his meridians.

The true energy has all dissipated, but the blood of mountains and seas cannot be extracted immediately, nor is there a suitable method to suppress it. The methods to deal with this blood are all in the north. Shenjing probably has never even seen the blood of "Zheng".

He tried little by little; his fingers could move, but his wrists were firmly locked in place by heavy iron. He also felt a heaviness in his feet, but much lighter; he could move his shins, lift them, and even walk within a certain range until the iron chains tightened—they were attached to the wall.

Being able to move means being able to do many things.

Straighten an iron ring, cause a bone spur to grow... He can make many preparations before news from the outside arrives.

The silent darkness lasted for an unknown amount of time, with only scattered, indistinct rustling sounds coming from different directions within the prison.

Yong Ji opened his eyes when a heavy, distinct troop of footsteps suddenly approached.

From top to bottom, from far to near.

In the dim light, three candles were pushed in. Several tall figures of constables, carrying swords, and a few other officials in different attire, stopped outside the door.

But none of them came towards him; they all turned their backs. A barefoot, gray-clad, tightly restrained figure was pushed into the cell diagonally opposite. As he entered, everyone gripped their waist knives tightly.

But he simply sat down without saying a word, his disheveled hair obscuring his face.

Two constables went in and fastened twelve almost taut iron chains to him. Outside the prison gate, five or six officials were vaguely divided into two groups. One group was led by a man in red robes with a sword and a hat, while the other group consisted of only one person, dressed as a clerk, holding a case file in his hand.

Watching the prisoner enter the cell, the man withdrew his gaze and said in a dignified voice, "Minister Li, you seem to have forgotten something. It began on the thirteenth day of the tenth month of the Xin Si year when your yamen requested the release of the criminal and sent documents to our yamen. By the fourteenth day of the fourth month of the Ren Wu year, there were a total of seven documents, and just the other day, the Left Prime Minister also sent a personal letter. Because the case was not yet closed, we have been sending replies to keep the criminal for seven months until today. Now that the case has been initially closed, we are transferring this serious criminal to your yamen. What crime should he be punished by the authorities?"

The man in red bowed his head and examined the official documents. After a long while, he nodded and said, "Yes, that is true."

The clerk said in a calm tone: "With this matter settled, there is no need for further friction between the two departments."

"The Chief Secretary personally came to see you off."

“I personally follow every case I handle from beginning to end. I’ve heard that Li Shaoqing is no exception,” the clerk said, pointing lightly. “However, once this person leaves the Immortal Platform Demon Prison, he may become difficult to control. Please deal with him as soon as possible.”

"This case is closed, and he will be executed tomorrow."

The clerk nodded and gave a farewell bow: "That's your business then. I'll be going now."

The man in red returned the greeting: "Seeing off the Chief Secretary."

Then the two men and a group of officials left, and the darkness pushed the candlelight out.

Yong Ji glanced at the person diagonally opposite him. The gray-clad man was like a wooden figure, head bowed and motionless—or perhaps he could only be like a wooden figure, because it was hard to see what part of him could move under those countless iron locks and braces.

The rustling sounds from before had ceased, and silence returned to the depths of the earth.

Yong Ji suddenly felt a sense of fear.

The man showed no signs of distress, but he suddenly felt that the shackles on his hands and feet were incredibly heavy, and the chains were so strong and unsettling.

He had just been relieved that it wasn't locked up properly, but now the unease of being bound hand and foot had reached its peak.

He subconsciously tugged at it twice—of course, it was a futile effort.

After glancing at that person again, Yong Ji stopped mobilizing his muscles and bones.

The face lifted up, revealing an extremely handsome and dashing appearance, but now it looked as if it had been buried underground for years, pale and expressionless.

She looked at him indifferently.

Yong Ji's heart sank coldly, little by little.

A primal sense of danger made his hair stand on end, stemming from his keen intuition and the instinct for survival.

Everything told him to escape immediately, but the night was still and silent. His weak and heavy body was cut off from the outside world by the iron gate.

Yong Ji suppressed the primal dread and the urge to leap out of his skin, pursing his lips as he stared at the cell.

There was no attempt to break free.

At first glance, the person was in that cell; at second glance, he had vanished.

Hundreds of sophisticated instruments used for confinement clattered and fell to the ground, their clear, pleasant sounds drawing astonished glances from everyone in the prison.

A cold hand slowly moved up to his neck and gripped his throat.

Meng Li lowered her eyes and quietly examined the face, then said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Yong Ji, is it? Best wishes for our first meeting, and may your journey be smooth."

……

Pei Ye woke up on the rooftop of the small building; it was already dark.

There was no sound of people, the curtains fluttered slightly, and it seemed as if a light rain was falling outside.

He lay on his pillow in a daze for a while. He hadn't slept so soundly in months. It felt like he was still waking up in the Fenghuai courtyard, dizzy and drowsy, surrounded by silence.

Pei Ye lifted the covers, walked naked to the balcony, pulled back the soft curtains, and felt a cool rain breeze on his face, making him shiver.

The flowers and willows in the back garden were bathed in rain, and not a single person could be seen.

After quite a while, footsteps came from behind as someone entered the room. Pei Ye pulled the curtain aside for a moment, then turned around and saw that it was neither Peng Lai nor Li Xianfang, but His Highness the Crown Prince himself. He then let go of the curtain.

"Who are you trying to seduce with that ass sticking out?" Li Xizhou smiled, picked up the robe from the bedside and draped it over his back.

"How is it?" Pei Ye turned around.

Li Xizhou also leaned on the railing and handed him a small box: "There's no problem, return it to its rightful owner."

Pei Ye took it and opened it; inside lay that jade-like eye.

He watched quietly as Li Xizhou said, "Last night, a serious criminal from the Southern Court escaped from his cell and killed a fellow inmate before leaving."

"……Oh."

"The Prince of Yan will soon set off to return north," Li Xizhou said. "The capital is safe now."

"Are you alright?"

"It's alright. Pei Ye, Shenjing is ours now."

Pei Ye remained silent, gazing quietly into the garden.

There were still many places in Shenjing that he hadn't been to, or rather, most of them, and there were many things he didn't know, but at this point, they no longer seemed mysterious to him.

He can go to those places whenever he wants, and he can learn about those things whenever he wants.

The Xiuwen Hall is not tall, but it is just tall enough to see the entire capital city at eye level. Above that is the Zichen Hall, which connects to the sky.

"What do you plan to do with this eye?" Li Xizhou asked him.

Pei Ye didn't hesitate: "Give it to me."

"Left eye?"

"Left eye."

Li Xizhou nodded: "I thought so too. Taishan Medicine House is in the capital. I've already made an appointment with Qu Xin and the two senior members of the Medicine House. How about tomorrow?"

"Okay, can it be done in one day?"

“Qu Xin said an hour would be enough, but the two seniors said it would take three days.” Li Xizhou smiled. “They said they need to ensure and monitor many things—you know, the eyes are very close to the brain. If it’s really as miraculous as they say, it will most likely penetrate deep into the brain.”

"it is good."

Li Xizhou shook his hand.

Pei Ye didn't go anywhere; the three people from the medicine shop carried several boxes up to the small brothel.

The transplant lasted three days. Pei Ye watched as his left eye was removed and replaced with that cool, smooth bead, watching the fine red lines scatter into swaying tendrils, and then feeling it slowly and eerily penetrate his face and skull, until he gained new vision.

Li Xizhou sat outside waiting. Three days later, when Pei Ye came out, his face was pale and he squinted, extremely uncomfortable with the outside light.

Pei Ye sat down in front of the mirror, and he had three feelings.

Firstly, he seemed to suddenly be able to see through many things, such as the flow of true energy within Qu Xin's body and the strict rules and regulations of the True Mystery under the World Law.

Secondly, it seemed as if a flood of new, untapped ideas rushed into his mind in an instant, and before he could even touch them, some vague syllables had already begun to resonate within them.

Thirdly, this eye really looks like his.

"how?"

"Good."

After bidding farewell to the people at the medicine hut, the sky grew dark and the small building was deserted. Li Xizhou sat beside him.

Pei Ye sat in the capital, gazing at the distant west and the distant north, as if he could see those theatrical masks and ghostly flames.

"Let's have some drinks," Pei Ye said expressionlessly.

"Row."

After a night of heavy drinking, I woke up to find it was already the height of summer's storms.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

It is said that:

Look into your eyes in the mirror.

Looking at the left eye, the eyebrows are frosty and the pupils are snowy, while the right eye is somewhat similar.

The dust, lacquer, and bronze patina cannot be removed; I've long grown tired of the northern landscape.

I should miss the clear waves and ochre bamboo.

I often dream of the bluebird on my pillow; but in the human world, where can one go and stay?

Willows and poplars dance in the green.

……

The new wine made with apricots is sweet with a hint of bitterness.

Having just experienced this kind of emotion, I am truly prone to making mistakes.

Iron-colored clouds paint the sky for thirty thousand feet, where immortals hide and dragons lie in wait.

Who can explain the affairs of men?

Of all the people in the world, only I know you; relying on my own strength, I embark on a path of no return.

Body and life, like dew on the grass.

(End of Volume 3)
(End of this chapter)