Chapter 180: Wearing Tight Shoes
Translator: Ninetales Editor: Fish_Creek
"A fox demon and a dragon head lion is creating havoc in Jade Dragon Lake? Not only did they bathe in the lake, they even beat you up?"
Gu Linuan had just returned from the palace and the Daoist who was guarding Jade Dragon Lake came forward to complain. Gu Linuan's heart couldn't help trembling violently as he cried out, "The fish king among the Red Dragon Carps was capture away by that dragon lion? Whose fox demon and dragon lion have such huge guts? I have assumed this position for just a month and such a thing happened, who is trying to make me wear tight shoes?"
Before he could digest this news, another person came to report, "Grand Chancellor, the fox raised by Academician Qin of Imperial College had chopped down Ambition Tree and used it to roast the fish. That fish seems to be the fish king of Jade Dragon Lake which got roasted and eaten! Imperial Academician Qin and Imperial Scholar Wei Yong are packing up the fish bones now, trying to get rid of the evidence."
Gu Linuan couldn't help being surprised and delighted, "This brat, I was worrying that I had no method to create difficulties for him. Now it can be said that he had delivered himself to my door. This matter is enough for him to be beheaded a hundred times. Now Ba Shan that idiot should be speechless?"
He went into high spirits and immediately stood up while saying, "Let's go, follow me to arrest them! We need both material evidence and witness testimony, just send them under escort to Temple of Justice to be interrogated by the official there, executing his whole family! We'll then send a memorial to the emperor, reporting to him about this matter!"
"What about the scholar called Wei Yong…"
"Arrest him as well and punish him together with Qin Mu!"
Gu Linuan smiled, "I was still saying who was making me wear tight shoes but now as I see it, this pair of shoes ain't tight but just right."
Gu Linuan and the rest barged into Scholar's Residence but they didn't find Qin Mu in his courtyard. There were only a fox and a dragon qilin who was snoring. Gu Linuan woke up this dragon qilin and asked, "Where the brat with the surname Qin?"
Dragon qilin raised his head and took a glance at them before replying slowly, "He was still here just now, people from the palace came to invite him over."
"Could it be that the emperor had already known about this matter, therefore, he had summoned him into the palace to behead him?"
Gu Linuan chuckled, "This brat still has my Junior Protector Sword, beheading him is also letting him off lightly. What are you guys spacing out for? Arrest the fox and the dragon qilin! I'll be entering the emperor's palace and personally see how this brat dies for myself." After he had finished saying that, he hurried away.
The few chancellors that came with him and the Daoist guarding Jade Dragon Lake immediately made use of a chain to chain up this dragon qilin. Hu Ling'er wanted to run away but she was also captured.
Gu Linuan rushed to the palace energetically and requested to meet the emperor. After a moment, a guard reported, "His Majesty is at Imperial Garden, may Lord Gu head over there."
Gu Linuan was astonished, "Beheading the Qin brat in Imperial Garden? His Majesty seems to be really angry."
When he came to Imperial Garden, he heard laughter coming over and Gu Linuan was bewildered. He walked over and saw Emperor Yanfeng help Empress Dowager by the arm while a few officials followed behind them. Qin Mu was behind Empress Dowager on the left, saying something which made Empress Dowager laugh.
Emperor Yanfeng saw him and waved his hand to summon him over. He then asked warmly, "Official, what are you here for?"
Gu Linuan hesitated for a moment and said, "Academician Qin let a dragon qilin jump in Jade Dragon Lake to catch the fish king before eating it. Jade Dragon Lake is the drinking ground of the royal family and Red Dragon Carp is an imperial cuisine of the royal family. For Academician Qin to be so impudent, this is a death crime. I don't dare to hide it, therefore, I'm here to report this to the emperor."
"Something like that actually happened?"
Emperor Yanfeng looked at Qin Mu and asked, "What does Official Qin have to say?"
"I'm a person outside the sphere of civilization and didn't know about the rules of the capital city, therefore I've been rude and impetuous."
Qin Mu said, "I didn't know that Jade Dragon Lake was the property of the royal family and didn't know that I couldn't eat the fish in the lake. I'm deeply guilty and may Your Highness deal with me."
"This is a death crime."
Emperor Yanfeng looked at him and said, "Even though I recognize your worth, the law is law. How do you want me to deal with you?"
Gu Linuan smiled, "Your Highness, according to the law, you will have to execute his whole family…"
Empress Dowager smiled, "Emperor, I also think the little divine physician should be beheaded."
Emperor Yanfeng was slightly stunned and smiled, "Why does mother say such a thing?"
Empress Dowager walked forward calmly and said leisurely, "Of course he should be beheaded. If you don't execute little divine physician, how would the world know that the emperor value a fish more than a human? If you don't execute Academician Qin, how would the world know the emperor value water more than a human? Only when you execute him, would the talents in the world know that the emperor would execute a reputable divine physician that has cured me just for a mouthful of water and a fish. Only then would they know the emperor is an incapable ruler."
Emperor Yanfeng laughed out loud and waved, "Lord Gu, you shouldn't bother me for such trifles. Retreat."
Gu Linuan was bewildered, "This…"
"Retreat, retreat."
Emperor Yanfeng waved his hand and said, "You didn't guard the Jade Dragon Lake properly but I won't punish you for your crime. After all, you are new in Imperial College. What you have done today has already made my head ache. You actually fought with Chancellor Ba Shan and brought shame on me. If you had won, it's still fine, but you didn't. A grand chancellor can't beat a chancellor, I lost face all because of you. You better return to reflect on yourself."
"Acknowledged."
Gu Linuan felt grieved and was about to leave when Qin Mu said, "Lord Gu, my fox and that dragon qilin, please don't make things difficult for them."
Gu Linuan's heart leaped and heard Empress Dowager laughing, "I presume he won't even dare to. That's right emperor, you haven't rewarded little divine physician for curing me."
"Mother, he's already an imperial academician, a sixth ranking official. I can't raise him anymore. He is still young after all. We'll talk about it after a few years, in case the officials of the imperial court say I favor him."
"Little divine physician, tell me more about the interesting stuff when you were little…"
Gu Linuan walked further away and went out of the palace to return to Imperial College. He had a belly full of anger yet nowhere to vent. The Daoist that was guarding Jade Dragon Lake immediately went forward and asked, "Grand Chancellor, have the thief been executed?"
"It's all your fault for meddling. All you have to do is to look after the lake yet you created such a ruckus, making me humiliated!"
Gu Linuan stared at him and shouted, "Release that fox and dragon qilin!"
The Daoist guarding the lake felt extremely wrong. He didn't know what he had done wrong and why Gu Linuan got so angry at him, and could only release Hu Ling'er and the dragon qilin, "Grand Chancellor, we had already sent men to capture Wei Yong but Wei Yong was following Chancellor Ba Shan and he didn't let us take him away. How do you think…"
"What's Wei Yong's background?"
"He's from Duke Wei's family…"
"Don't look for trouble when there's none!"
…
In the Imperial Garden, Empress Dowager chatted with Qin Mu for a while more. Qin Mu then checked her pulse and wrote down a few prescriptions and said, "Empress Dowager, you're recovering well, there's no hidden danger left behind."
"Good."
Empress Dowager smiled, "Thanks for the trouble, little divine physician."
Qin Mu stood up to make his leave. Emperor Yanfeng smiled, "Dear minister, hold your step, there's something I want to talk to you about."
Qin Mu stopped and Emperor Yanfeng walked to him while waving his hands to let the eunuch and palace maids fall back. He walked out of Imperial Garden while smiling. "My imperial academician, cult master of Heavenly Devil Cult, abandoned person of Great Ruins, disciple of Jade Face Poison King, Minister Qin sure has a lot of identities."
Qin Mu was slightly stunned and his footsteps subconsciously slowed down. If Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor could know he was the new cult master of Heavenly Devil Cult, Emperor Yanfeng naturally had his ways to know as well.
Emperor Yanfeng had already walked far away and he turned his head back to ask, "Dear minister, why are you not catching up?"
Qin Mu hurried to catch up and smiled, "Your Majesty has a flood of good fortune that fills the heavens."
Emperor Yanfeng laughed, "Heavenly Devil Cult as the number one sect of the devil path, the number one sacred ground, for their cult master to be the student of the Son of Heaven, I indeed have a flood of good fortune that fills the heavens. However, it can be a fortune or it can be a calamity. Dear Minister Qin, do you think it's a fortune or it's a calamity?"
Qin Mu smiled, "Your Majesty, if Dao Master of Dao Sect yields to Your Majesty, what position would Your Majesty confer on him?"
Emperor Yanfeng said solemnly, "Dao Master of Dao Sect, the head of the righteous path in this world, I will confer him as upper first-ranking, allowing him to be called king, inheriting the title generation after generation!"
Qin Mu then asked, "If Rulai of Great Thunderclap Monastery yields to Your Majesty, what position would Your Majesty confer on him?"
Emperor Yanfeng said, "Rulai is best in the Buddhist path and if he is willing to become an official of the imperial court, I will confer him as upper first ranking, allowing him to be called primogenitor!"
Qin Mu said, "The three sacred grounds of Eternal Peace, the emperor will confer the sect masters of Dao Sect and Great Thunderclap Monastery as upper first-ranking, calling king and becoming primogenitor. Heavenly Saint Cult is also a sacred ground and the cult master of Heavenly Saint Cult had taken the initiative to yield yet Your Majesty only confer an unpresentable sixth-ranking and still ask if it is a fortune or calamity, aren't you making the faithful officials and loyalists bitterly disappointed?"
Emperor Yanfeng was slightly stunned and nodded his head, "What you said is reasonable. However, I can't promote you immediately, you're still too young after all. If I promote you directly, people would gossip and they would be able to guess your identity."
Qin Mu agreed.
Emperor Yanfeng remained silent for a moment, "I know there are some grudges between you and Gu Linuan and also know you took his Junior Protector Sword away. You're the cult master of Heavenly Devil Cult, you need to be more magnanimous and don't always make him wear tight shoes. He is placed in Imperial College by me and if you make him too embarrassed, it won't look good on me as well."
Qin Mu felt a little wronged, "Your Majesty, how would I dare to make him wear tight shoes?"
Emperor Yanfeng seemed to be smiling yet not smiling, "Didn't you just make him wear tight shoes today, putting him on the spot? You can be at ease, no one would dare to say they surpass Imperial Preceptor in being extremely daring. If I dare to use him, I will also dare to use you. There's no need for any suspicions in your heart. Alright, you can fall back."
Qin Mu walked out of the palace and felt refreshed. He let out a murky breath and completely relaxed.
Since Eternal Peace Imperial Preceptor had known his identity, he would be slightly worried if Emperor Yanfeng didn't. Now that the emperor and Imperial Preceptor both knew his identity, he would instead be safe and wouldn't be worried that this two big shots would lay their hands on him.
Over ten days later, Qin Mu's west house was piled up with great abundance coins exchanged using the dragon's saliva. Before Chancellor Ba Shan brought Wei Yong and Prince Minyue out for experience, he went to his west house to carry away a few bags of coins. Qin Mu didn't mind at all since he was rich.
During these few days, he would refine Scarlet Fire Spirit Pills as well as another spirit pill that could replenish spirit whenever he was free. When he refined this kind of spirit pill, he would use the hand technique of Buddhism, therefore, the refined spirit pills would give off Buddha voice, which was why Qin Mu called these spirit pills as Spirit Buddha Pills.
He went to the warehouse to buy herbs these few days and almost bought all the dozens of herbs he needed. There was going to be a large-scale training in Imperial College recently and scholars were chosen to go to the front lines. Directorates of each hall were to bring scholars to the front lines to quell the rebellion.
Qin Mu was also picked by Gu Linuan who said he must definitely go to the front lines because Qin Mu was a sixth-ranking Imperial Academician and had almost the same treatment as the directorates, therefore Gu Linuan also gave Qin Mu a few scholars to let him lead.
These scholars were all scholars of the Five Elements Realm from Scholar's Residence who didn't have much battle prowess. Their cultivations were way inferior to the divine arts practitioners in Divine Arts Residence.