"Ming Feizhen, where in the world have you gone?!" exclaimed Hongzhuang, in her mind.
Worry and frustration plagued Princess Hongzhuang. In her moments of frustration, she abruptly recalled that today… was the day Miss Juese's bid was going to be held.
"Could he have gone to…" suspected Princess Hongzhuang. She suddenly felt disappointed. She bit down on her lip. "Why did you come to participate in the first round if you were going to run to her…? What exactly are you thinking?"
"Ming Feizhen has just left without rhyme or reason? What's his deal? Am I nobody to him?" fumed the Emperor, with a huff and a glare. He slammed the table and rose to his feet. "Where is Liu Shan Men?"
Tang Ye looked left and right. Virtually all of the audience members were relatives or direct family members of the royal family. The only reason he was allowed to be attend was thanks to his new rank as one of the Seventeen Hidden Dragons. The only members in attendance, who were from Liu Shan Men, were himself and Ming Feizhen. Hongjiu, who suddenly rocked up in a guard's disguise, wasn't counted. Left with no choice, he stepped forth. "Your Majesty, your subject is present."
"Constable Tang, where has Ming Feizhen gone?"
"Your subject does not know; he did not inform your subject."
"What insolence! Where is your office's leader?"
"Absent," replied Tang Ye, hands in a cupped fist position. "Both our captain and vice-captain are not in the capital. The only person with authority is the fuma candidate who left just now."
The Emperor fumed, "Shuntian Prefecture?"
As he didn't see any blame to shoulder, the best blame taker in the entire world, Shuntian Prefecture's Sir Bao, sat in his seat and enjoyed the view with a perfect cup of wine. Life was bliss until the Emperor shouted at him. He nearly fell out of his chair.
Old Bao hurriedly crawled over and sobbed, "Your Majesty, th-that has nothing to do with me. The fuma candidate's disappearance…. I… I am not familiar with him."
"When did I say it was your fault?" asked the Emperor, with a frown. "Go and bring him back."
Sir Bao groaned to himself. "How come I'm still unlucky when the fuma selection has nothing to do with me?"
Nevertheless, Sir Bao left to call men, as he didn't dare to defy the Emperor.
Noticing the Emperor's face turn pale, he spoke up despite his hesitation. "Your Majesty, while Ming Feizhen did not leave behind a message, he has left the second round's present in your subject's hands. Your subject can take his place. That will save everyone from the hassle of waiting. Ming Feizhen said that the item he had in mind was rare and wished to show everyone present. If you could spare it some praise, then it prove that it is truly valuable."
Still, the Emperor couldn't help but shake his head. "Hmph. This has nothing to do with an items value; the problem is Ming Feizhen. My aim is not just to test the two fuma candidates' martial and literacy skills, but also their character. If profound martial arts skills and an illustrious background were adequate, I might as well seek out someone from the Demon Sect, the League of Assassins or Heavenly Cloud Palace. None of those groups lack talented men. The issue is that they aren't upright characters. What would I want them for?'
Loving what he heard, Jin Wangsun chuckled. He tried his best to milk the topic. "Your Majesty, that uncouth Ming Feizhen thinks so highly of himself due to his identity as a disciple of Mount Daluo, that he would disregard the royal family. In addition, he mocked your subject many times during Shining Edges, carrying himself disgracefully. A barbarian from the mountains cannot comprehend so many formalities and etiquette practices. You would forgive him, as you are tolerant and magnanimous. However, he has taken advantage of that to behave insolently repetitively. He cannot be pardoned for that."
Jin Wangsun's speech served to slander Ming Feizhen whilst helping himself. Unfortunately, his statements led to Elder Statesman recalling the scene of him snatching the pork shoulder. Thus, he couldn't withhold his laughter. Nevertheless, Jin Wangsun showed amazing control. He didn't react to the laughter; instead, he took a step back with a faint smile after he finished speaking.
The concerned Princess Jingan said, "Father, there is no need to be irate. Given that Constable Ming will not be returning, you can put an end to it by declaring it his loss. There is no need to waste your time and energy. Your well-being is the top priority."
Realising the dire plight, Princess Hongzhuang swiftly jumped in. "Father, Constable Ming told me that he was not feeling too well today. I think he might have suffered an internal injury during Shining Edges, and therefore found himself a location to recuperate."
Upon hearing Princess Hongzhuang's explanation, the Emperor's anger was slightly appeased. He rambled, "Well, that I can understand… Constable Ming's skills are far inferior to Wangsun's. While he won the last round thanks to a fluke, I can understand that he suffered an internal injury as a consequence of being caught in the wind blast generated by the sabre. You're right; we're in the inner section of the imperial palace. Where can he go on his own? There would be no other way to explain his disappearance. I can understand him seeking someplace quiet to recuperate."
Then, the Emperor turned his attention to Tang Ye. "Constable Tang, did you say that Ming Feizhen has already passed the item on to you?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Perfect, then. Although Ming Feizhen isn't here, I shall pardon his misconduct and insolence out of consideration of his previous merits for the imperial court and his great grandmaster. I won't wait for him to commence the second round. We'll being now. He won the first contest; therefore, if you win this next contest, he shall be crowned fuma. Should you lose, we will proceed to the third contest. Should Ming Feizhen not return in time for the third contest, Jin Wangsun will be declared the victor."
Jin Wangsun wasn't pleased to see Ming Feizhen get off without any punishment, but as he was absent, he figured there was no reason to delay the second contest. If Ming Feizhen still wasn't back for the third contest, he would win by default.
Jin Wangsun was full of confidence for the second round. With a cupped fist salute, he said, "Wangsun has no objections."
"Good!"
"Honoured guests, the second contest in tonight's fuma selection is called Thousand Miles. It, too, was one of the historical methods monarchs used to select a fuma. The forefather of Shining Edges was our Founding Emperor; Thousand Miles was Emperor Taizong's creation. Our Founding Emperor was without equal throughout the lands, making him one of the few phenomenal masters during our dynasty. He fought his way to establish our dynasty, was a dominating man and possessed skills that still shocks today's generation, but alas, literacy was not a field of expertise. On the other hand, Emperor Taizong was a genius at national administration. During his reign, our dynasty was stable and saw no wars. Under his wise rule, the world prospered more than any other reign."
Emperor Taizong was the Founding Emperor's son. He lacked the martial aptitude his father had, and therefore failed to ever reach his father's level despite being under his direct tutelage. However, he was a wise and calm individual with a high degree of self-awareness, not to mention that he possessed an abundance of knowledge. He took over and ruled after his father brought the curtain down on the tumultuous era. After the nation recuperated from the tumultuous era, the nation grew strong and wealthy. We had everything we could ask for, while the people enjoyed peaceful and prosperous lives. Those accomplishments should be attributed to Emperor Taizong's astute leadership.
The Emperor stroked his beard. "Thousand Miles first appeared during the era of peace. At the time, Emperor Taizong wanted to marry off his daughter. Meanwhile, many fuma candidates who excelled in literacy and martial arts asked for her hand in marriage. That was when Emperor Taizong came up with the idea to put their skills to the test.
Thousand Miles will test our two fuma candidates' body and mind in unison. They are to bring the Princess a valuable item thousands of miles away. The rarer the item is, the more valuable it will be considered. In saying that, value alone will not suffice. The further it is located, the more weight it will hold. Now, then, two fuma candidates, please commence!"
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