The weather this spring had been very good, with gentle breeze and timely rain, which was why people of the Great Wen all had smile on their faces. During these five years of Yuwen Tong’s reign, the yearly harvest had been growing steadily. Though there had been occasional natural disasters, the imperial court had carried out rescue and relief operations promptly and fruitfully. With a reliable government at their back, the people were now more confident about their future, and naturally their living conditions were improving. And Yuwen Tong’s prestige had been rising correspondingly year by year. During this year’s Spring Rite, the number of people attending the ceremony had hit a record high. Though it had been quite some time since the end of the ceremony, a lot of residents of the capital city were still talking about the pomp of it.
The people were in high spirits and kept feeling that they needed to find another way to vent the joy swelling in them. As a result, the ship-lantern show scheduled for the middle of this month became their target. Unlike previous years, this year’s ship-lantern show featured a segment where fleets of pleasure-boats would drive along the river circling more than half of the capital city. The riverbanks had been adorned with colorful lanterns. On the fifteenth day of this month, all those lanterns would be lit, and there would be a panorama of the sea of lanterns from the high palace ramparts.
In response to the people’s enthusiasm, Yuwen Tong decided to hold a kung fu contest at the palace gates on the fifteenth day of this month.
The announcement of the contest sent a ripple of thrill through the whole city, for according to the announcement, anybody having no criminal record was eligible to enter the contest, irrespective of status and family background, and those finishing in the top twenty in the contest would be rewarded handsomely. Given the large population of the capital city, it would be impossible to finish the contest in merely one day. Therefore, it was decided that an elevated fighting arena would be set up five days in advance for a qualifying competition in which the top a hundred contestants would earn their qualification for the contest scheduled for the fifteenth day of this month. The imperial couple would present themselves on the palace ramparts to spectate the event. In order to win the laurels, all residents having some acquaintance with martial arts entered for the contest.
Ever since Yuwen Jin had finished first in the Imperial Martial Arts Examination five years ago, he had been in the limelight all along. After he had joined the Western City Garrison Battalion with the intention to toughen himself and later had been promoted to assistant commander, many people pursuing a career in martial arts idolized him, because they could tell that Yuwen Jin had got the position as assistant commander utterly unaided, that he had never had any of his relatives in the imperial clan pull strings for him.
“Are you entering the contest to be held at the front gates of the palace, Assistant Commander?”
Ever since news of the kung fu contest had spread, all soldiers of the Western City Garrison Battalion had been looking forward to hearing Yuwen Jin’s decision to participate in it. He had lost count of the number of times he had been asked about it on his trip from the tent to the drill ground earlier this day. Even if Yuwen Jin were not inclined to get involved, the expectant eyes of his men would have rendered him powerless to say no, not to mention that Yuwen Tong had assigned him a task.
The very thought of what he would have to do in the contest gave Yuwen Jin headaches. Were his second cousin not the emperor, he would have directly left with a flick of his sleeve immediately after Yuwen Tong finished speaking that day. What kind of man did this to his second cousin?!
…
On the fifteenth day of the month.
A spacious, substantial, elevated fighting arena had been built near the entrance to the imperial palace five days ago. It was now heavily guarded. Colored flags positioned along the ramparts fluttered constantly in the spring breeze.
Residents of the capital city had gathered around the arena some time ago. All of them maintained order on their own account, expressing their enthusiasm only by discussing the event loudly. The whole place was in incessant hubbub and uproar.
The fighting arena was flanked by seats meant for qualifiers. The imperial couple and the courtiers would be spectating on the palace ramparts. At this moment most of the qualifiers had arrived, but there was nobody on the ramparts except for densely posted guards.
In the Infinite Fortune Palace.
Ling Zhang helped Yuwen Tong who had just returned from a court meeting change into a skintight outfit. After changing out of his solemn imperial robes, Yuwen Tong wearing close-fitting attire appeared taller and upright, his bearing brisker, his movements stamped with less regal dignity but more masculine charm. Ling Zhang walked once around him. Though he saw Yuwen Tong every day and was familiar with every part of his body, at this time, looking at Yuwen Tong, he still felt an involuntary surge of intense affection. He slightly blinked twice unawares, a faint flush spreading over his cheeks in spite of himself.
At the sight of him staring unblinkingly at him, Yuwen Tong was secretly self-satisfied. Though there were a large number of young men gathered outside the palace, he was the one appealing to Brother Zhang the most.
When Ling Zhang slightly colored while considering Yuwen Tong, the look in the Yuwen Tong’s eyes gradually became heavy with longing as Yuwen Tong scrutinized him. Ling Zhang had also changed into a skintight outfit some time ago and was waiting for him, his clothes setting off the slimness of his waist, the straightness of his back and the slenderness of his figure. Though he was not as strong as Yuwen Tong, his elegant mien coupled with his graceful figure also made a uniquely enjoyable sight. The five years’ imperial life had rid him of the aura of unsophistication he had been giving off during the first few years of his adulthood, and it had also lent an air of charming grace to his each and every move. Of course, this was the impression that most outsiders got when they clapped eyes on Ling Zhang. Yuwen Tong saw far more than the elegance of Ling Zhang’s bearing and was fully aware of when the time that Ling Zhang was the most charming, most seductive and most irresistible was. The very thought of it made Yuwen Tong feel as though a fire were burning in his heart, a fire so fierce that he couldn’t wait to scoop up Ling Zhang right away, carry him to the bed and do something to make Ling Zhang’s charm swell beneath his body.
Slap. Yuwen Tong felt a hard slap on his arm.
He jerked out of his trance and saw Ling Zhang scowling at him. “Time to go. What are you thinking about?” Ling Zhang reminded him in an admonitory tone.
It turned out that after Ling Zhang wrenched his mind out of his fascination for Yuwen Tong’s glamor, he had found that there was something out of the ordinary with the look in Yuwen Tong’s eyes, that Yuwen Tong had put an arm around his waist, his hand kneading the side of his waist with varied strength, sending a numb sensation crawling from the small of his waist to the back side of his head. Knowing that they would soon end up in bed if he didn’t do something about it, Ling Zhang had heavily slapped Yuwen Tong’s hand off immediately and warned him.
Yuwen Tong gave a little cough, took his hand and drew him towards the doors. “Let’s go.”
They had just walked through the gates of the imperial bedchamber when they heard three voices chorus, “Good morning, Father, Dad (a female voice used ‘Daddy’).”
It was Yuwen Qi, Yuwen Lin and Yuwen Yue who was hand in hand with her brothers that had arrived. The two brothers had also changed into close-fitting clothes which set their upright figures off to advantage, making them look soldierly and particularly energetic. Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong both appeared quite pleased at the sight of them. Yuwen Yue had also changed clothes, wearing a set of princess’s attire that was relatively light, her hair tied into a ponytail at the back which cutely swayed from side to side as she moved, eager anticipation and excitement written all over her delicate-skinned and fair-complexioned little cheeks. No sooner had she clapped eyes on Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong than she slackened her grip on her brothers’ hands and trotted towards her two fathers.
Yuwen Tong immediately stooped down and scooped up his daughter as she got within his reach. “Crescent is so pretty today.”
Yuwen Yue, who couldn’t be more familiar with Yuwen Tong’s embrace, put her arms around Yuwen Tong’s neck immediately after being scooped up. On hearing the compliment, she proudly jerked up her chin and snorted endearingly, “I’m prettier than my big brothers.”
“Yeah, you’re prettier than your brothers.” Yuwen Tong seconded his daughter’s words without any hesitation.
Ling Zhang slightly shook his head, beckoned Yuwen Qi and Yuwen Lin over, scrutinized them and remarked, “Good. You two look sharper now.”
“Thank you, Father.” Yuwen Qi and Yuwen Lin threw out their chests further after hearing their father’s words.
“Let’s go. People are waiting for us,” said Ling Zhang. They needed to go to the great hall to rendezvous with the courtiers first and then ascend the ramparts. It would take quite some time.
Yuwen Tong inclined his head and made towards the front gates of the palace with his daughter in his arms. Yuwen Qi and Yuwen Lin naturally walked on Ling Zhang’s left and right respectively. The family of five progressing together was a harmonious and sweet sight. The eunuchs and palace ladies, all of whom had long since become inured to it, respectfully followed in the wake of the ruling house.
When Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang entered the hall with their children, the courtiers were all waiting for them. Like the members of the imperial family, the courtiers had also changed into light clothes. They were wearing informal court dress. None of them was surprised to see Yuwen Tong carrying the little princess. Ever since the little princess had been brought into the palace shortly after her birth, the emperor had become a doting father who never stopped talking about his daughter, and who brought his daughter to court meetings on a frequent basis. The courtiers had long since become accustomed to it. It was the two princes whom they were more interested in. At the sight of the two princes who bore a striking similarity to Yuwen Tong, the courtiers couldn’t help but feel astonished at the fact that the two princes and the emperor were so alike, though the emperor was not their birth father. What the courtiers found quite bewildering was that not only did the two princes resemble the emperor in appearance, but their straight backs, gait, decisive way of speaking, bright and penetrating eyes all bore a strong likeness to Yuwen Tong’s. What kind of twist of fate did it require for such uncanny resemblance to exist?
Yuwen Qian and Yuwen Feng had also inwardly asked themselves this question numerous times. If it weren’t for their awareness of the marital bonding between Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang, and the marital bonding between them and their wives, they would have begun to suspect that there was something behind this matter, something that had been concealed from them!
However, though both the two princes looked very much like the emperor, there were some differences. Yuwen Qi’s demeanor was more similar to Yuwen Tong’s, while Yuwen Lin’s demeanor bore some resemblance to Ling Zhang’s.
“It’s an honor to kneel before you, Your Majesty, Your Highnesses.” The courtiers’ inward mutter didn’t hinder them from paying their respects to the imperial family.
“You may rise,” said Yuwen Tong. “There’s no need to make any more remarks. Let’s go to the ramparts right away.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Yuwen Tong and Ling Zhang, along with their children, walked out first, followed by the courtiers. The large group of people got into their respective horse-drawn carriages and headed for the front gates of the imperial palace. This palace had been built in the previous dynasty, and the average distance between buildings in the rear of it was rather short, but the front of it was vast, and the front gates were fairly far away from the great hall.
When they arrived at the entrance of the palace, they felt the enthusiasm of the residents outside before getting close to them. At the sight of the emperor’s carriage coming, the crowd got on its knees to welcome the ruling house to successive torrents of deafening sound.
“Hail to the emperor! Hail to the empress!”
Holding his daughter in his arms, Yuwen Tong got out of the carriage, followed by Ling Zhang, who then helped his two sons disembark. Behind them, the courtiers also got out of their carriages one after another.
“Let’s ascend the ramparts.” Yuwen Tong, who didn’t like making long-winded speeches or wasting time, directly led the courtiers towards the flight of stairs at the foot of the palace ramparts and climbed to the top along it.
At the top of the ramparts, chairs and tables had been prepared some time ago. There were also flights of stairs leading to the top of the gate tower. Seats for the imperial couple were placed under the eaves of the gate tower, from which they could get a panoramic view over the whole venue.
“You may rise, everybody,” said Yuwen Tong on the ramparts, holding Yuwen Yue. “Today is about the kung fu contest, and everything else is secondary, so just stick to the plan, dispense with the formalities and do what needs to be done. Now, if the contestants are ready, let the fight commence.”
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