Chapter 70

C70 – A Fantasy

Ping Shun stifled a laugh, his cheeks twitching, struggling to suppress it. His father, too, couldn’t hold back and poured himself a glass of wine, tossing it back with an open hand.

“Cough, cough…” Ping Shun choked on his food, his almond-shaped eyes welling up with tears, instantly melting State Duke Heng’s heart.

His son’s eyes brought memories of his late wife flooding back. The longing he’d carried for years prevented him from being stern with his son.

He patted Ping Shun’s back gently and sighed, “Son, you’re quite… impractical. How can I bear to be called your father when I meet your mother again?”

Ping Shun coughed once more, wiping his lips with his sleeve, feeling as if he were invisible, wanting to escape everyone’s attention.

His son had lost face, and his father had lost even more in someone else’s house. The two State Dukes wore uncomfortable expressions. They exchanged apologies and directed them toward Wang Zizhao. Only then did they let the matter rest.

Wang Zizhao paid it no mind. He ordered more dishes for the two young masters. Despite their youth, no one treated him like an immature child.

In this light, compared to him, the two young masters who had almost fought over a piece of meat earlier seemed even more juvenile.

Tang Yue wiped the sweat from his brow. He had almost witnessed a potential brawl over a piece of meat. He needed to devise a plan to subtly encourage the Noble Heir of State Duke Heng to shed some weight.

Extreme situations could lead to reversals. He worried that the more they restricted the other party’s meat consumption, the stronger their desire for it would become.

“Your Highness, last night, Qinyang City reported the presence of a group of several hundred bandits in the vicinity. They’ve been targeting passing merchants, committing numerous crimes. This official requests Golden Roc’s leadership to eliminate these bandits,” State Duke Ann reported, casting a proud glance at his son.

Both State Duke Heng and State Protector wore stern expressions, glaring at State Duke Ann, who appeared rather shameless. He had a knack for pouring salt on others’ wounds when he played his part.

Wang Zizhao had no reason to oppose. While Hu Jinpeng served as his deputy general, he wasn’t exclusively under Prince Zhao’s Mansion’s command. After returning from the border, he needed opportunities to gain experience.

State Protector rolled his eyes. “My eldest son is twenty this year. He’s trained well with the halberd. I wonder if our young ones can train together?”

“Hmm… Duke Zhao, isn’t your eldest son currently serving in the Imperial Army?” State Duke Heng slyly rolled his eyes, sensing the shameless attempt to put his eldest son forward to save face.

“It’s merely an informal assignment. It’s beneficial for him to venture out and gain worldly experience.”

State Duke Heng couldn’t argue with that. He acknowledged his own responsibility for the lack of battlefield experience among his sons.

While he was feeling despondent, he overheard Tang Yue, the son of the Tang family across from him, remark, “Your Highness, may I suggest that Yue accompanies you? The Third Prince’s idea is sound, but Yue isn’t well-versed in military matters. He wishes to use this opportunity to acquaint himself with the battlefield, preparing for future reinforcement efforts.”

“…” Another individual looking to seize the chance to earn recognition! That was everyone’s initial thought.

Eliminating bandits was considered a commendable task. Typically, bandits posed little challenge to a regular army and were relatively easy to deal with. Consequently, noble families were willing to allow their offspring to participate in bandit eradication to earn some merit.

“Coincidentally, the Heir to the State Duke Heng has been diligently honing his archery skills of late. Shall we join them?” Tang Yue gave Ping Shun a meaningful look.

Ping Shun, taken aback and flustered, suddenly raised his head to gaze at Tang Yue. His lips twitched, but he ultimately remained silent.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

In contrast, his father, State Duke Heng, proved much shrewder. He promptly concurred, “Your proposal is sound. A man who doesn’t experience the battlefield lacks something essential. Allowing him to explore the world is indeed a good idea.”

Privately, everyone wondered, “Your son can barely walk, and he wants to accompany the army? Isn’t this overly fanciful?”

With someone like him tagging along, was he going to eliminate bandits or take a leisurely stroll?

Wang Zizhao clearly disagreed. He spoke sternly, “The military is no place for amusement!” He cast a meaningful glance at Tang Yue, issuing a clear warning.

Tang Yue touched his nose but persevered, “Of course, it’s not for fun. I’ll serve as a field medic with the army, and Noble Heir will be a soldier. How does that sound?”

Ping Shun naturally voiced his objections. Nonetheless, his father was pleased, nodding in his stead.

Wang Zizhao reiterated, “The military doesn’t accept those without purpose.”

Tang Yue retorted, “People have their uses. We just need to find the right roles for them.”

“Soldiers, you see, have a singular purpose: to charge headlong into the enemy ranks and eliminate the enemy! That’s their primary function.”

“Well, um, this whole ‘eliminating the enemy’ thing… Noble Heir can do it too,” Tang Yue admitted with a hint of uncertainty.

“Oh?” Wang Zizhao wasn’t the only one taken aback. Others joined in with their skepticism. Wang Zixian chimed in, “Sounds like a fanciful notion!”

Even Noble Heir himself couldn’t help but let out an awkward chuckle and lowered his head, while State Duke Heng clenched his fists, coughing discreetly to feign ignorance.

“Since Tang Xiaolang is so confident, I’ll grant him an opportunity. If he can take down three adversaries, I’ll commend his valor!”

“Three adversaries?” Wang Yao questioned. “There are plenty of them. Isn’t that a rather demanding requirement? We’re dealing with hundreds of bandits, and there must be at least a few hundred soldiers in the expedition, right? Going by the odds, isn’t three eliminations excessive?”

A collective sigh of disbelief swept through the gathering. Fortunately, the young master from the Tang Family had the courage to challenge Wang Zizhao’s statements multiple times.

Wang Zizhao took a sip of his tea and nodded thoughtfully. “Very well, then. One adversary will suffice. On the condition that no one assists you.”

Tang Yue recognized that Wang Zizhao had already shown him considerable favor, so he refrained from making unreasonable demands. His mind was preoccupied with how to transform Ping Shun, someone who wouldn’t harm a chicken, into a soldier capable of taking lives in a short span.

This mission seemed like a distant fantasy.

“Uh, can I… also participate?” A timid voice emerged from the background, barely audible amidst the crowd.

“Sanlang, what are you doing here?” State Protector wondered with a hint of exasperation. Hadn’t he been embarrassed enough?

Zhao Sanlang stood tall, stifling his emotions. “If Ping Shun can join, why can’t I?”

He shot a resentful look at Tang Yue. They had only recently met, yet this kid seemed eager to abandon him and cozy up to that annoying fatty.

Since Wang Zizhao had consented to one of them, he had no qualms about agreeing to the other. However, the condition remained the same: “If both of you return empty-handed, you’ll spend a month as coachmen at the Tai Fu Temple.”

“Affirmative,” Zhao Sanlang responded in unison.

Tang Yue glanced at Wang Zizhao with gratitude, but Wang Zizhao ignored him and continued conversing with State Duke.

The banquet concluded after two hours. Tang Yue knocked his numb legs and rose to depart.

“Not too shabby, but…” Wang Zixian regarded him as if he were gazing upon a lifeless figure.

Tang Yue was accustomed to his grim countenance. He glanced at him from the corner of his eye and chuckled, “The Third Prince’s swordsmanship could use some refinement.”

In any case, the two were already at an impasse. Tang Yue couldn’t care less about his feelings. His words dripped with sarcasm, “No wonder the Third Prince remains confined to Ye City, while Wang Zizhao leads troops into battle. That’s the disparity!”

“You’re tempting fate!” Wang Zixian’s gaze turned icy. He reached out to grab Tang Yue’s neck, but another hand intercepted his.

“Brother Third King, still quick to anger, I see. Didn’t Royal Father instruct you that certain individuals can take a life but not others?” If Wang Zixian killed a servant of Prince Zhao’s Mansion, Prince Zhao wouldn’t demand Wang Zixian’s life in return, but Tang Yue was different.

Wang Zixian shook off his hand and smirked, “Did Royal Father also tell you that once a person falls, rising again is a formidable feat?”

Wang Zizhao wiped his hands and remarked indifferently, “Some are born at the summit, while others are ants. Even if they climb step by step, they’ll never reach the pinnacle.”

“Is that so? Then let’s await the outcome!” Wang Zixian was over five years older than Wang Zizhao. He exceeded Wang Zizhao in both stature and size, but he had relinquished much in terms of composure.

Watching their exchange, Tang Yue thought to himself that Wang Zixian had clearly lost. Someone who couldn’t master their emotions would struggle to accomplish anything significant.

After bidding farewell to Wang Zixian, Tang Yue could finally breathe easy. With such a time bomb in his vicinity, the atmosphere felt stifling.

“Are you afraid of him?” Wang Zizhao inquired from behind him.

“Not afraid, just repulsed! Don’t you find such individuals troublesome? They can stab you in the back without hesitation, making it impossible to guard against!” Tang Yue retorted.

“Li Xian is a genuine villain. It’s best to be cautious around such people. The real challenge lies with those hypocritical deceivers,” Wang Zizhao countered.

Tang Yue comprehended his point and teased with a smile, “Someone like you?”

“I’m not a gentleman, nor am I a hypocrite,” Wang Zizhao clarified.

“But you’re not a villain either,” Tang Yue pondered and found it challenging to categorize Wang Zizhao. He was forthright and candid, yet possessed the cunning of Wang Zixian. He professed to be wicked yet harbored a magnanimous heart.

“Why the need to decipher my character? Regardless, I won’t harm you.”

“Really?”

“Do you want to establish a word as proof?”

“That’s great.”

“You’re truly… If This King were to renege on his word, that written proof of yours would render resistance futile.”

Tang Yue felt exasperated. Wouldn’t securing a surgery agreement be meaningless then? He had forgotten that in this era with an incomplete legal system, it wasn’t in vogue to challenge the decisions of higher-ups. No one dared to defy the choices of the privileged.

“Have you ever signed such an amusing contract before?” Tang Yue’s self-esteem took a considerable hit.

“Oh, I was merely curious about a contract like this. It wasn’t difficult to sign, after all. Why not fulfill your request?” Tang Yue queried. In essence, he had casually affixed his seal to it. As for the notion of legal accountability, it held no weight.