30: Chapter 30 Rewards
Sun Yi operated his communicator for a moment to report to his superiors, not delaying much.
He gestured to Zhen Lu, and the two of them, one on the left and one on the right, helped the Crown Prince up from the base of the wall.
The Crown Prince did not resist. When he stood up, his legs were a bit numb, and he swayed for a moment, but he quickly steadied himself.
He brushed the dust off his robes and straightened his collar, completely covering that glimpse of bright yellow lining.
"My apologies," Sun Yi said in a low voice.
The Crown Prince did not look at him, nor did he speak.
At this moment, a light rain began to fall from the sky; it was quite fitting for the mood.
The three of them exited the gatehouse and walked toward the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The corpses in the plaza had already been cleared, but the blood on the ground remained.
The light from the torches shone upon it, reflecting a dark red sheen.
Zhen Lu walked on the Crown Prince's right side. His hand was not on his saber, but he maintained a distance of half a step, just enough to ensure the Crown Prince could neither walk fast nor escape.
They passed several palace gates on the way, all guarded by Embroidered Uniform Guards.
The moment they saw the Crown Prince, everyone's expressions changed. Some lowered their heads, some were stunned, and others pretended not to see them.
No one spoke; the sound of footsteps was the only noise in the night. The sound of their own footsteps interlaced with those of the person in front, bouncing back and forth between the palace walls.
There were bloodstains on the steps, extending from the first step all the way to the platform in front of the hall. Someone had already wiped them, but they hadn't been cleaned thoroughly; the blood had seeped into the crevices of the white marble and was flowing down along the drainage channels.
The hall doors were wide open. Two Embroidered Uniform Guards stood at the entrance, their waists straight. When they saw the Crown Prince approaching, they did not yield; instead, they first tilted their heads to listen to something in their ears—likely a message from their communicators—before stepping aside to push the doors open.
The light inside the great hall was much brighter than outside. Dozens of candles were burning at once, illuminating the interior as if it were daytime.
Incense smoke rose from the burner, swirling between the pillars and beams. It did not smell like the heavy sandalwood usually present during court sessions, but rather a sharper, clearer scent; it was unclear what it was.
The person on the throne was dressed in the twelve-pattern imperial robe and wore a crown with dangling beads, which obscured most of his expression.
At this moment, he was no longer just a prince.
The eunuch beside the throne held the Imperial Jade Seal, and a row of court officials stood below, both old and young. Some still had expressions of panic that hadn't fully faded, while others had already plastered new loyalty onto their faces.
The Crown Prince was escorted to the center of the hall. A Centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard stepped forward, pressed down on his shoulders, and made him kneel.
The Crown Prince did not struggle; his posture as he knelt was natural, as if he had knelt countless times before.
But the moment his knees touched the ground, his spine remained straight, his neck remained stiff, and his eyes stared at the person on the throne.
The eunuch unfurled the imperial edict in his hands, his voice drawn out long.
"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees... We are of advanced age and lack the energy to personally manage state affairs... The Third Prince, Zhu Huan, is of noble character and deeply resembles Our own self... We hereby pass the throne to the Third Prince... Respect this."
The name "Zhu Huan" echoed in the empty hall before being swallowed by the crackling of the candles.
The Crown Prince knelt there, having heard the edict, and kept his head bowed, motionless for a long time.
Someone came up to help him stand. The Crown Prince's knees made a sound, a creak; it was unclear if they were numb from kneeling or if it was his bones clicking.
Zhen Lu retreated outside the hall doors. The night wind blew over from the plaza, making the candle flames sway erratically, but the people inside the hall stood very still.
He stood in the shadows outside the hall, released his grip on the saber hilt, and clenched his fist. His fingers were icy, and his palms were slick with sweat.
The light rain continued to drizzle.
The voices in the great hall gradually lowered. The edict had been read, and the new Emperor's bestowal of rewards continued, but Zhen Lu did not recognize a single one of the names or official titles.
Vice Minister of Rites, Director of the Bureau of Military Appointments, Governor of some province—they spilled from the eunuch's mouth one after another, flowing past his ears like water, leaving nothing behind.
He shifted half a step to the side and leaned against a pillar outside the hall entrance, the hilt of his saber pressing against the pillar, feeling cool.
The sky gradually began to brighten.
People began to exit the hall. In twos and threes, wearing court robes, they spoke in low voices.
When someone passed by him, they glanced at him, their gaze sweeping from the bloodstains on his face to the saber at his waist, then to the black and white cloth strip on his left arm, before quickly looking away.
No one spoke to him, and he had no intention of speaking to anyone.
The outline of the palace walls slowly emerged from the night, and the glazed tiles on the eaves began to reflect light—a cold, sharp light, not as warm as in the daytime.
The candles inside the hall hadn't been extinguished, but their light had faded, blending with the daylight, making it impossible to tell which was brighter.
Centurion Liu walked out from the corridor beside the hall. He had changed his clothes into the uniform of an Embroidered Uniform Guard Centurion—deep blue, with a silver belt at his waist. He had also changed his saber; the scabbard was inlaid with bronze ornaments.
His complexion was not great, and his eye sockets were bruised, but his spirit seemed fine, and his steps were steady. He glanced at Zhen Lu and Sun Yi, who were leaning against the pillar, said nothing, and walked toward the outside of the palace.
The two followed him.
The three of them crossed the plaza, the palace gates, and the long streets, returning to their base.
There were already pedestrians on the street. Early-rising vegetable vendors carrying baskets emerged from the alleyways, and upon seeing people in Embroidered Uniform Guard uniforms walking from the direction of the Imperial City, they quickly lowered their heads and moved to the side of the road. No one dared to stop them.
The courtyard of their base remained the same. In the corner of the courtyard were piled the weapon racks from last night, scabbards, several discarded night-patrol garments, and an overturned wooden bucket lying across the ground, with no one to upright it.
Some people had already returned. Some sat under the veranda, their sabers resting by their legs, their heads tilted back with their eyes closed.
Some were squatting by the well, drawing water to wash their faces, the sound of water splashing loudly.
Some were speaking in low voices; the volume was not high, but the courtyard was too empty, so the echoes carried far.
Sun Yi sat down directly, leaning against a veranda pillar. The wound on his arm had split open, and blood had soaked through his sleeve, but he did not treat it, just sat there leaning back.
Centurion Liu walked onto the steps and stood still. The people in the courtyard quieted down one by one, looking toward him.
"This matter this time," Centurion Liu said, "was very well done."
His voice was not loud, but it could be heard very clearly in the quiet courtyard.
"The Emperor's meaning is that everyone has worked hard. What is owed will not be shorted. Each person will receive a basic reward of ten thousand credit points, which will arrive before tonight. Additionally, everyone will get an extra five thousand as a bonus. This is for everyone."
Someone in the crowd let out a breath; it wasn't loud, but it could be heard.
Centurion Liu paused, his gaze sweeping across the crowd before stopping on Zhen Lu.
"Zhen Lu."
Zhen Lu looked up.
"The person you caught is the Crown Prince. The Emperor told me that if it weren't for you stopping him, once the Crown Prince had slipped out of the palace and the people waiting to receive him arrived, we would have been in a passive position."
He pulled a piece of paper from his bosom, unfolded it, and there were several lines of text written on it.
"When others learn martial arts, they only know the names of a few techniques and then choose directly. Yours is different." Centurion Liu handed him the paper. "This is a one-time temporary scroll exchange voucher. From the martial arts currently in the Emperor's armory, pick a few more. Use the temporary scrolls to try them out first, and then choose which ones you want. Don't rush; try them out slowly."
The courtyard was silent for a moment.
Zhen Lu took the paper, folded it, and tucked it into his bosom.
Centurion Liu didn't say anything more and waved his hand. "Dismissed."
The atmosphere in the courtyard relaxed. Some went to the canteen to get porridge, some washed clothes by the well, and some leaned against pillars to doze off with their eyes closed.
Zhen Lu did not return to his room. He took the paper and went to the main room; Centurion Liu had told him to pick directly from the book there.
"Inside this are more practical martial arts; you can use them even when you go out, with no flashy nonsense. But you can select at most seven types to try out, as the temporary scrolls are limited."
The book was not thick, the paper was yellowing, and the corners were curled, as if it had been flipped through many times.
It had lines of text written on it, categorized: Protective, Unarmed Combat, Weapons, and Lightness Skills. Each name was followed by a short description.
Protective Category: Golden Bell Shield, internal protective qi, absorbs and buffers force when activated; Iron Shirt, external hard qigong, muscles tighten like iron; Hard Qigong, using qi to control force, resists fists, kicks, and clubs; Thirteen Guardians Horizontal Training, increases bone density, resists fractures.
Unarmed Combat Category: Great Stele-Breaking Hand, palm force is fierce and powerful, can split stones and break steles; Entangling Silk Hand, grappling technique, locks joints and disarms weapons; Springing Legs, fierce leg technique, concealed and fast; Eight Extremities Fist, close-quarters fist technique, explosive impact and assault.
Weapons Category: Six Harmonies Saber Technique, military saber technique, simple and direct; Wandering Dragon Sword Technique, agile sword technique, moves in arcs; Eight Blade-Breaking Slashes, two-handed saber technique, powerful chopping and hacking; Pear Blossom Spear, spear technique, stabbing, lifting, parrying, and entangling.
Lightness Skills Category: Snow-Treading Trace, vertical leaping technique, lands lightly; Eight-Step Cicada Chase, running type, fast short-distance sprinting; Gecko Wall-Climbing, climbing type, ascends walls.
Zhen Lu flipped through it twice. For the Protective category, he chose Iron Shirt and Thirteen Guardians Horizontal Training, one external and one internal, which did not conflict. For Unarmed Combat, he chose Great Stele-Breaking Hand and Eight Extremities Fist. For Weapons, he chose Six Harmonies Saber Technique and Pear Blossom Spear, which were compatible with his existing Basic Saber Technique and Basic Spear Technique. For Lightness Skills, he chose Eight-Step Cicada Chase. A total of seven techniques.
He handed the marked-up book to Centurion Liu.
Centurion Liu took a look, nodded, and shouted toward the door.
A low-ranking officer ran over, and Centurion Liu whispered a few words in his ear. The officer nodded and ran out.
Less than a quarter of an hour later, the officer returned. Behind him followed two people, each holding a wooden tray. Piled on the trays were scrolls—yellow, white, blue, big and small—tied with red string.
"These are the temporary scrolls," Centurion Liu said. "Try them out first, then decide. The Emperor said that while others choose one to learn directly here, you can choose two permanent martial arts scrolls to take away; that is a special reward."
Zhen Lu unwrapped them one by one. Then, he patted one against his body, and he learned a temporary martial art.