The young Emperor wiped his face with his hand, "Sister Dou Kou and the others say that his route to the palace never changes, not even the footprints... This guy is too cautious, Mr. Zhao, I... How can I kill him!"
Indeed, Zhao Rong nodded but did not utter a word, nor did he give him an answer.
At this moment, the young boy’s face was covered in tears, mingling with the blood from the severed hand, blurring together and staining his small face.
He spoke in a disheartened tone, "Mother said that we are but orphans and widows, each step fraught with danger, and the consecration ceremony is our biggest opportunity, but now I can hardly even protect myself..."
Zhao Rong remained silent still.
In the face of the young Emperor’s heartfelt and candid revelations, he merely listened attentively and nodded.
With eyes cast downward, he calmly filled the grave for the buried hand, his hands coated with soil.
The flowers here should bloom even more gloriously next year... thought the young Confucian Scholar as he glanced at the blossoms nearby, pondering out of the blue.
The young Emperor stared blankly at the reaction of the Confucian Scholar before him, his hopeful gaze gradually dimming.
That was right, Mr. Zhao was here only temporarily for the Great Li consecration and was not his teacher or subject, who could, like Teacher Zhang, offer him advice or counsel in private deliberations...
The young boy felt no resentment, his right sleeve, which had been rolled up, had come loose, yet he made no move to roll it back up again.
With bowed head, alongside the young Confucian Scholar, the boy grabbed soil, burying the pair of severed hands.
Between the young and the lesser young, silence fell.
And as they buried...
The youth cried once more.
The young Confucian Scholar seemed not to hear.
After the burial was complete, he raised his head to look at the brilliant sunlight, stood up, and with hands covered in dirty mud, gently rubbed the buried head of the young boy, saying softly,
"To hold her hand, you can only rely on yourself."
The young Confucian Scholar left.
The crying of the young Emperor ceased, and he lifted his head to gaze at the strange Teacher’s retreating figure, silently stunned.
"Rely... rely on myself, huh..."
Before long, the murmur rose among the blossoms.
Zhao Rong returned outside the palace, joining little Qian’er.
In the afternoon, he made a trip to the Ritual Department, dealing with an afternoon’s worth of matters...
In the middle of the night, Zhao Rong took out the diary of the Martial Artist.
His gaze intensified.
Tonight is the night!
Because from a young age, the education the young Emperor received dictated: within the Great Li Territory, there was no one equal to him, except for his ancestral spirits and Teacher ghosts, and there was nothing else worthy of his reverence, even humility and patience were mere facades concealing his pride.
Zhao Rong said with a laugh, "You want to kill him."
The bowed head of the young Emperor concealed his expression.
While placing the food box, which also served as a coffin, into the pit, his teeth chattered with a grinding noise, "The audacious Li Mingyi, I... I want to... to execute..."
But just as he uttered the word ’execute’, the young boy suddenly stumbled backward, supporting himself with his hands on the ground, pale-faced as he looked at Zhao Rong.
"But Mr. Zhao, Li Mingyi, he... he’s too strong, with cultivation, military power, and the hearts of soldiers and civilians... he has it all!"
As he placed the food box from the funeral casket into the pit, his teeth clenched with a gritting sound, "Audacious Li Mingyi, I... I want to... to execute..."
But just as he was uttering the word ’execute’, the young man suddenly staggered backward, supporting himself on the ground with both hands, his complexion pale as he looked at Zhao Rong.
"But, Teacher Zhao, Li Mingyi is... he’s too powerful, his cultivation, military power, the hearts of the army and the people... he has it all!"
The young Emperor raised his hand to wipe his face, "According to Sister Dou Kou, even the route he takes entering the palace is unchanging, his footsteps never vary... This man is too cautious, Teacher Zhao, how... how can I kill him!"
Indeed, Zhao Rong nodded, but he remained silent, not giving an answer.
At this moment, the young man’s face was full of tears, blurring with the bloodstains from his severed hand, smearing his little face.
His tone was despondent, "Mother said, we are orphans with a widow for a mother, every step is treacherous. The enthronement is the biggest opportunity, and here I am, barely able to protect myself..."
Zhao Rong still said nothing.
Facing the young Emperor who laid out his heart without reservation, it was only because the boy had been educated from birth that within the Great Li Territory, no one was his equal, except for the ancestral ghosts and Confucian Teachers; there was nothing worthy of his awe, not even humility or forbearance, as these still harbored pride.
Zhao Rong said with a smile, "You want to kill him."
The bowed head of the young Emperor, his expression unseen.
As he placed the food box from the funeral casket into the pit, his teeth clenched with a gritting sound, "Audacious Li Mingyi, I... I want to... to execute..."
But just as he was uttering the word ’execute’, the young man suddenly staggered backward, supporting himself on the ground with both hands, his complexion pale as he looked at Zhao Rong.
"But, Teacher Zhao, Li Mingyi is... he’s too powerful, his cultivation, military power, the hearts of the army and the people... he has it all!"
The young Emperor raised his hand to wipe his face, "According to Sister Dou Kou, even the route he takes entering the palace is unchanging, his footsteps never vary... This man is too cautious, Teacher Zhao, how... how can I kill him!"
Indeed, Zhao Rong nodded, but he remained silent, not giving an answer.
At this moment, the young man’s face was full of tears, blurring with the bloodstains from his severed hand, smearing his little face.
His tone was despondent, "Mother said, we are orphans with a widow for a mother, every step is treacherous. The enthronement is the biggest opportunity, and here I am, barely able to protect myself..."
Zhao Rong still said nothing.
Facing the young Emperor who laid out his heart without reservation, it was only because the boy had been educated from birth that within the Great Li Territory, no one was his equal, except for the ancestral ghosts and Confucian Teachers; there was nothing worthy of his awe, not even humility or forbearance, as these still harbored pride.
Zhao Rong said with a smile, "You want to kill him."
The bowed head of the young Emperor, his expression unseen.
As he placed the food box from the funeral casket into the pit, his teeth clenched with a gritting sound, "Audacious Li Mingyi, I... I want to... to execute..."
But just as he was uttering the word ’execute’, the young man suddenly staggered backward, supporting himself on the ground with both hands, his complexion pale as he looked at Zhao Rong.
"But, Teacher Zhao, Li Mingyi is... he’s too powerful, his cultivation, military power, the hearts of the army and the people... he has it all!"
The young Emperor raised his hand to wipe his face, "According to Sister Dou Kou, even the route he takes entering the palace is unchanging, his footsteps never vary... This man is too cautious, Teacher Zhao, how... how can I kill him!"
Indeed, Zhao Rong nodded, but he remained silent, not giving an answer.
At this moment, the young man’s face was full of tears, blurring with the bloodstains from his severed hand, smearing his little face.
His tone was despondent, "Mother said, we are orphans with a widow for a mother, every step is treacherous. The enthronement is the biggest opportunity, and here I am, barely able to protect myself..."
Zhao Rong still said nothing.
Facing the young Emperor who laid out his heart without reservation, only