Chapter 55: Emperor Yuanwu

Hearing this question, Fu Qiwen shook his head slightly and spoke ambiguously

"I believe this may be an error in the records of the dossier, or perhaps an error in my own investigation."

He paused, then continued

"However, before I met with Your Majesty, Eunuch Sun Changyu, who manages the affairs of the Aurora Pavilion, did mention something to me."

Without any concealment, Fu Qiwen proceeded to recount everything Sun Changyu had told him: the encounter with five Great Grandmaster martial arts experts on the road, and the subsequent fact that those five experts were instantly slain.

After listening to his words, Emperor Yuanwu's originally calm and waveless emotions stirred slightly. He mused

"A single strike with power approaching the Heavenly Realm to slay two swordsmen, and silently suppressing and killing three Great Grandmasters with finger strength from a distance..."

Emperor Yuanwu spoke softly, but offered no further evaluation of the matter.

"I believe His Highness may not be as simple as he appears on the surface."

Fu Qiwen recalled for a moment and said

"When facing me, His Highness showed no sign of restraint or formality in his actions or speech. On the contrary, whether dealing with others in the Tianjin Guard or with me, his words were quite casual. In fact, I even had a faint feeling..."

At this point, Fu Qiwen's expressionless face paused slightly, and his deeply wrinkled forehead furrowed as if he were weighing his words.

Seeing this, the figure behind the bamboo curtain seemed to take an interest and proactively asked

"Tell me, what kind of feeling? One that causes you such hesitation."

Upon hearing this, Fu Qiwen fell silent for a moment before speaking

"I am not certain, but it feels as though His Highness... looks down on me. From beginning to end, he does not take me seriously at all."

As soon as these words were uttered, the figure behind the bamboo curtain was visibly stunned. After a moment, a cold voice spoke

"He is actually so arrogant and contemptuous?"

Fu Qiwen thought for a moment, then shook his head and said

"It is not that His Highness is arrogant or overbearing. I have never felt this way about anyone else. His Highness's conduct in social interactions is not abnormal; it is just that, in his very bones, there seems to be an instinct to disdain everything."

The hall fell into silence for a moment after his words.

The figure behind the bamboo curtain remained silent in contemplation. Fu Qiwen seemed to realize he had spoken too harshly and immediately cupped his hands

"Your Majesty need not mind. This may just be my illusion. His Highness has lived in a small city for so many years; he may have had some opportunities, but perhaps his experience is shallow, having not yet seen a broader world. Such a situation would be reasonable."

Hearing this, Emperor Yuanwu nodded slightly, appearing to accept Fu Qiwen's explanation.

His gaze shifted toward the jade box in the old eunuch's hands nearby. With a solemn look, he said

"Originally, I only thought he was an apprentice of a small martial arts school. I intended to let him be a leisure prince, granting him endless wealth and honor to make up for his twenty years of lonely suffering."

"But based on what Qiwen has described, he may not easily be content with that."

As he spoke, his gaze pierced through the bamboo curtain toward Fu Qiwen

"How do you think I should deal with him?"

Fu Qiwen's eyes flickered for a moment before he shook his head gently

"I dare not speak recklessly."

Emperor Yuanwu did not press further. Instead, his gaze turned to the three bright yellow scrolls laid out on the small table before him.

After a moment of thought, his gaze settled on the middle scroll. Seeing this, the old eunuch waiting nearby immediately stepped forward to pick it up.

"Give this to Qiwen. Regarding the matter of the Eighth Prince, I shall leave it entirely in your hands."

Emperor Yuanwu watched the old eunuch hand the scroll to Fu Qiwen and said slowly

"I will need to enter seclusion for a period of time and will be unable to handle this matter. These are the temporary arrangements I have listed for the Eighth Prince. I hope you will devote much attention to this, Qiwen."

At this moment, holding the scroll, Fu Qiwen's expression showed clear surprise as he asked

"Why does Your Majesty refer to him as the Eighth Prince?"

The figure behind the bamboo curtain seemed to have anticipated his question and explained calmly

"The truth regarding the switching of the princes has not yet been definitively concluded. My years of affection for Zhi'er cannot be judged solely by bloodline."

"Furthermore, twenty years ago, Zhi'er was merely an infant; the matter of the prince swap had nothing to do with him. Over the years, Zhi'er has rendered many services to the imperial court. If I were to vent my anger on him because of this, it would make me appear petty and ungrateful."

"Therefore, I must consider this matter further. For now, I can only temporarily wrong Consort Jing's son."

Hearing this, Fu Qiwen fell into thought, his expression returning to normal. He bowed and said

"Your Majesty is benevolent and kind; such considerations are only natural. It was I who failed to think thoroughly."

Emperor Yuanwu glanced at him through the bamboo curtain and said

"Qiwen, you are the person I trust most. There is no need for such formality between us."

"I am honored by Your Majesty's favor, but there is a distinction between sovereign and subject. I dare not overstep."

Fu Qiwen bowed slightly, then, after a moment's thought, asked

"Does Your Majesty have any other instructions regarding the Eighth Prince?"

Emperor Yuanwu pondered for a moment and said

"According to what you just said, I fear his temperament needs to be tempered first. If you have any troublesome tasks under your command, you may give them to him to try."

"Observe his performance first. Other matters will be discussed after I emerge from seclusion."

...

Tianjin Guard Headquarters.

Li Musheng was sipping the tea brewed by the Pacifying Envoy, Yu Jin, while leaning back in a grand armchair.

He had not yet begun studying the martial arts of the Life-Death Talisman; instead, he was thinking about how to utilize his new identity as a prince to serve his goal of seeking the realm of martial transcendence.

He had previously attempted to find news regarding martial transcendence through people and events in the martial world.

However, topics concerning the Heavenly Realm of martial arts were extremely high-level. Almost no one wandering the martial world discussed them, let alone martial transcendence.

After all, many people could not even reach the Xiantian Realm. Even some Xiantian martial artists were obsessed with becoming Grandmasters or Great Grandmasters; their discussions were limited to that level.

As for those Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters, they certainly wouldn't be idle enough to wander around the martial world chatting aimlessly.

Moreover, at their level, the Heavenly Realm was like a massive chasm that many struggled for decades to cross; they had no interest in thinking about the ethereal things beyond the Heavenly Realm.

Thus, it was highly likely that the concept of martial transcendence was a problem only Li Musheng was contemplating.

In fact, he sometimes felt that this concept might just be something he had imagined.

The so-called martial transcendence from a thousand years ago might very well be different from what he envisioned.

"Regardless, I must keep trying. Now that I have the status of a prince, things will be much more convenient."

Li Musheng wore a thoughtful expression. Of course, if being a prince involved too much trouble, he would certainly make a run for it.

(End of Chapter)