I knew that if I didn't speak up right now, Mother would surely die. After all, no man wants his woman to be involved with someone else.
The Empress’s implication was that Mother and I were useless.
So, I twisted the logic and shouted at the top of my lungs, "Father, the world requires civil and military officials to help you govern. Does your inner harem also need the ministers of the world to help share the burden?"
Hearing such a stinging remark, what man could take it? Especially since he was a King. He was already deeply troubled by the fact that the military power was in someone else’s hands; the thought of being cuckolded was something no man could endure. He flicked his sleeves in fury and declared, "Let this matter end here! Do not speak of it again."
I knew I had dodged this bullet. Without even stopping to eat, I hurried home. Once there, I asked Mother, "How did you end up over there?"
She told me that Xiaorou had said I was looking for her, so she went. When she arrived, she didn't see anyone, but ran into a drunkard who tried to tear off her clothes.
I told her, "I understand now. Don't trust others anymore, and stop hanging out with Xiaorou. They are bad people."
Mother nodded repeatedly. It seemed she had been terrified. She shouldn't go anywhere. Finally, I came up with a good plan. I gave her a secret code. I said, "If I ever send someone to notify you, you say, 'The Heavenly King covers the earth's tigers,' and if that person replies, 'The pagoda suppresses the river sprite,' then you can trust them." She nodded eagerly.
I thought the matter was over, but to my surprise, someone came early the next morning to summon me to court. A five-year-old brat like me being summoned to court—I knew there had to be more trouble brewing. But misfortune is unavoidable when it comes, so I told Mother not to wander off, and then I left.
When I arrived at the magnificent, gold-adorned palace for the second time, I saw the same man from the last court session. Only, compared to before, he lacked that overbearing arrogance, and the civil and military officials were no longer fawning over him.
I realized my backer was gone—or rather, no longer reliable—so something was bound to happen today. I steeled myself internally: I would shoulder what I could, and if I couldn't, I would leave it to fate. After a tedious process, I finally saw the legendary General Zhao. This was my first time seeing the old man; he appeared to be in his seventies or eighties.
Yet, he was full of vigor and looked imposing—a true General indeed; he carried himself differently. If I had tried to stab this guy with a sword back then, I probably wouldn't have been able to kill him.
I heard my nominal father bestow honors upon him, though I didn't recognize most of the items or titles. Having spent my life wandering around the courtyard, I hadn't seen much of the world. I thought I was in the clear, but then a formally dressed young prince stepped out. He bowed to my nominal father and said, "General Zhao has recaptured twenty-eight cities for us. We should compose a poem to express the vastness of our Kingdom’s territory."
He then added, "While we're at it, we should test the academic progress of the younger siblings and let them showcase their talents."
I knew this was aimed directly at me. Everyone knew I never attended classes and no one had ever taught me how to write essays or poetry. Dammit, this was purely meant to make things difficult for me! While I was still stunned, I was suddenly shoved forward, stumbling as I walked out.
The young prince then said, "18th Brother, are you so impatient to recite a poem?"
Only then did I realize I was the 18th in line. That woman certainly knew how to give birth. This guy seemed to be something like a Crown Prince; the fact that he was targeting me so specifically left me wondering if it was his own idea or my nominal father’s. Honestly, I could never figure out why, being his son, he was so intent on killing me.
I had no time to ponder. Seeing that I remained silent, the guy was ready to charge me with a crime: "Could it be that 18th Brother intends to mock Father and all the officials?" To be slapped with such a heavy accusation would mean losing a layer of skin, if not my life! But who am I? I might not be good at other things, but if it’s writing poetry, can't I just plagiarize? I have countless poems from my past life; I could just pluck two from the internet and they’d be timeless masterpieces.
So, I opened my mouth and let it flow: "My heart is the heart of Heaven; my will is the will of Heaven. Within the universe, the life and death of all living things rest within my single thought."
This was the aftermath of reading too many novels. But since I’d already said it, there was no taking it back.
The guy disagreed, claiming I was being too flamboyant and that a mere mortal shouldn't be disrespectful to Heaven. As he spoke, he even knelt and kowtowed to the sky in a show of piety.
I sneered inwardly. In my past life, I’d said plenty of things like that and never saw anyone get struck by lightning! However, what I didn't know was that in this world, Heaven truly existed. The moment I finished that sentence, the ancestors of the Three Great Sacred Lands and the Immortal Realm were struck by lightning until they were charred black.
At the same time, this startled the masters of the three forbidden zones: the Demon Sword Abyss, the Ten Thousand Demons Forest, and the Endless River. As the masters of these zones calculated the signs, they realized a great change was coming to the world and that their opportunity had arrived—though the time was not yet ripe.
They searched for the source of this change. The location where the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Clan was sealed was a top-tier secret to the lower and middle classes, but to old monsters of their level, it was no secret at all.
After some calculations, they found the world where the seal was located. It was difficult to break the seal, but opening a small crack to send a projection inside was no problem. As all three prepared to open a path, they independently found the same weak point. Although they had never met, as masters of the forbidden zones, they knew of each other. They discussed it and agreed that each would seek their own fortune without double-crossing the others. Given their level of power, there wasn’t much that could entice them anyway, so they quickly reached an agreement.
They were about to charge me with the crime of disrespecting Heaven, but I wasn’t someone who would give in so easily. I had to struggle. I said, "I am young and ignorant."
My backer also chimed in, "It is understandable for a child to be ignorant. Let him compose another poem."
They wanted to see what kind of poem I could come up with, as the one I’d just recited had genuinely rattled them. They looked at me with curiosity, and my nominal father also wanted to see what I could do, telling me to make up for my offense.
I didn't hesitate and immediately recited: "Wherever the sun and moon shine, all is my territory. Across the reaches of the earth, all are my subjects. As long as the mountains and rivers exist, the Kingdom shall endure forever."
As soon as the poem was out, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence. My father, however, broke out in a cold sweat.
If this were to spread, wouldn't all the kingdoms under heaven rise up to attack us? He hurriedly told me to change it, to change it, stammering, "The child is ignorant, the child is ignorant."
I had to be "ignorant"! If I actually meant what that poem said, all the vassal states and kingdoms would have to surrender. Not to mention anything else, the Three Great Imperial Dynasties would have to kill me for sure. Even though my Jin Kingdom boasted of being the "First Kingdom," it couldn't compare to the Three Great Imperial Dynasties. Plus, there were over a hundred other kingdoms—this was a recipe for suicide! My father was truly terrified, rambling as he urged me to switch to a different one immediately.
I thought that poem might have been a bit too bold, so I composed another on the spot. Taking small steps, hands behind my back, head held high, and looking every bit like an otherworldly expert, I recited slowly: "I have a sword, and its name is Justice. I have three armies, and their might suppresses the world. To draw my sword is to invoke justice; if any refuse to submit, my armies shall annihilate them. The heavens and the earth are mine to roam."
Upon hearing this poem, the civil and military officials were all wiping their brows. Damn, this was a surefire path to destruction.
My father finally regained his senses and dared not let me compose any more poetry. He hurriedly told me to go back. As he watched me leave, he heaved a massive sigh of relief.