Chapter 117: Painting

　　It was a painting of mountains and rivers. In the center was the main peak, with peaks of different heights to its left and right. The mountainsides were dotted with white clouds, layer upon layer, which seemed to be moving slowly. There were also two waterfalls, one on the left and the other right, pouring down through rocks. The painter was extremely skillful. And at the blank space above and below the painting, there were two poems.

　　“Lord Gu Feiyang is indeed an extraordinary genius,” Yuan Hao exclaimed. “Not only had he reached the peak of martial arts, invented various alchemy techniques, but he also had high accomplishments in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Judging from the workmanship alone, this painting is already a masterpiece.”

　　Wang Chen nodded repeatedly. Then, he looked at Yunxiao in surprise and asked curiously, “Young Master Yun, what are you doing? Do you know the meaning of this painting?”

　　Everyone’s heart skipped a beat as they turned to look at Yunxiao. If he knew the meaning of the painting, he could ask Yang Di to do anything for him, which was a tremendous favor. It was for this reason that Qin Zheng had always carried it with him and studied it whenever he was free, but for decades, he found nothing.

　　Yunxiao tried hard not to laugh, but he could not stop. In the end, he had to point at several acupoints on his body, only then did he slowly stop laughing. “So… haha… so… haha… sorry… hahaha… I forget myself… hahaha…”

　　With a wry smile, Yuan Hao asked, “Is this painting really so funny, Young Master Yun?” He had studied it for some time, but he could not find anything that seemed to be funny.

　　After laughing wildly for a few more moments, only then did Yunxiao point at the poems and said, “Read them carefully a few times. Haha! Yang Di is really not ashamed of himself. Haha!”

　　Wang Chen’s face flickered, and there was a hint of anger in his eyes as he cried out, “Don’t you insult my Master, Young Master Yun!”

　　Meanwhile, Yuan Hao looked at the poems carefully and read them in a soft voice,

　　“The green willow branches drop down almost to the ground,

　　the plaintive sound of the flute is accompanied by the willows and late return clouds.

　　The beacons on the battlefield throwing their beams in answer to the moon,

　　the golden bells ring as the hats spin and the dancers jump.”

　　When he had finished, he thought for a while, but found nothing to laugh about. So he turned his eyes to the poem below.

　　“So now people have endowed Chang Yang,

　　and the angry Xirong returned to Beidi.

　　Where is native land beyond the setting sun,

　　there are golden pearls in the waves.”

　　“What’s wrong with the poems?”

　　Many of the courtiers present were also pondering, trying to find out the secret hiding in the poems, but soon all looked confused. Luo Yunshang recited the poems under her breath as well, but she, too, could not understand the meaning. Yunxiao, on the other hand, squinted at the crowd and did not say a word.

　　“Fu*k! What exactly is the meaning of the poems? Tell us quickly!” Li Chunyang could no longer stand it. “If you don’t tell us now, I’ll chop you to death!”

　　With a smile, Yunxiao asked, “In what mood do you think Gu Feiyang wrote these two poems?”

　　It was only after a moment of silence that Wang Chen said, “He should be in a bad mood, because his disciple was a slow learner.”

　　Yunxiao clapped his hands and laughed. “Not only was he in a bad mood, but he was about to scold someone! However, Gu Feiyang is too good a writer to swear like a shrew. Look at the first word of each sentence in the first poem and the last word of each sentence in the second poem.”[1] 1

　　The crowd quickly turned to look at the poems again, while Wang Chen read it out lightly, “Yang… Di… a… fool? Yang… Di… a… pig?”

　　“Haha!”

　　Yunxiao roared with laughter. “That’s correct, Master Wang! The true meaning of the two poems is ‘Yang Di is a fool’ and ‘Yang Di is a pig’! Haha!”

　　Everyone was frozen to the spot.

　　Even then, Wang Chen’s face fell. He was about to reproach when he recalled that it was he who read out the two sentences first. Hurriedly, he covered his mouth with both hands.

　　“Ah?!” Qin Zheng was completely stunned as well. He had studied the painting for years and came out with all kinds of ideas, but he never thought the true meaning would be that simple.

　　There was an odd look on Yuan Hao’s face as he laughed embarrassingly. Although the answer was revealed, nobody dared to read it out. “So that is the answer… Ha… haha…”

　　Wang Chen was at a loss. “This… this… we don’t know whether the answer is right or wrong. I’ll inform my Master about it, and if Young Master Yun is right, my Master will naturally do anything within his ability for you.”

　　In fact, he was sure that the answer was correct, but he could not admit it in front of so many people. Therefore, he could only say it in such a tactful way.

　　That shocked the crowd, and everyone was looking at Yunxiao in envy. It was a great fortune to be able to ask Yang Di to do anything for him!

　　Qin Yang’s face fell in that instant. Rolling his eyes inwardly, he stepped forward and said with a big smile, “You are truly the pride of Tianshui, Young Master Yun! If one day I’m lucky enough to become the monarch of this state, I’ll surely marry my sister, Ruxue, to you, and make you a king of the state!”

　　It was plain to everyone that he was soliciting Yunxiao, and the terms offered were shockingly attractive.

　　Qin Yue was taken aback. He did not expect Qin Yang to pull that trick out of the blue. Now, all the courtiers knew that Yunxiao could decide who would be the crown prince with just a word, because not only had he won the favor and friendship of three fourth-tier alchemists, a chance to ask Yang Di to do anything for him, but also the support of the eight hundred thousand soldiers beneath the platform. All these were enough to smash every trump card both the princes had prepared.

　　Fuming, Qin Yue was about to come out with his offer when he suddenly froze. Making Yunxiao a king of the state was already the highest reward, there was nothing better than that. And marrying Ruxue to him was an act to tie him with the imperial family, which was a method second to none.

　　Qin Ruxue’s eyes were wide and her face red with shame as she said angrily, “Qin Yang, you have no right to arrange my marriage!”

　　Qin Yang laughed. “Ruxue, you can’t find any man who is better than Young Master Yun in the whole Tianshui. Do you really want to give up such an excellent husband?”

　　Qin Yue was so anxious that his palms were sweating. He was really afraid that Yunxiao would give in to the temptation and suddenly go over to his elder brother. “Young Master Yun, if I become the emperor, I will give you more than what he promised!” However, he could not think of how he would give more to Yunxiao, so he just looked pleadingly at him.

　　Smiling, Yunxiao asked, “In your opinion, Ruxue, which of your brothers is suitable to be the emperor?”

　　Ruxue said angrily, “None of them!”

　　Yunxiao frowned. “This is difficult. Do you have any other brothers?”

　　Upon hearing that, both princes cried out anxiously, “Ruxue!”

　　That gave Ruxue a pause. Looking at Yunxiao’s troubled expression, she felt her heart began to drum. ‘Is he really asking for my opinion over such an important matter? Could it be… could it be…’ She dared not to think further, and her face blushed.

　　Qin Yang said hurriedly, “Ruxue, when I ascend the throne, I’ll immediately confer you the title of the Princess of Peace 1, a great title that second only to the emperor!”

　　Qin Ruxue’s eyes turned cold. Subconsciously, she stuck out her chest and growled, “Confer yourself the Princess of Peace, I don’t want it! Although Qin Yue is a jerk also, at least he is better than you!”

　　Laughing, Yunxiao walked in front of Qin Zheng and said, “Your Majesty, no one in this world can reign forever. Please abdicate and pass the throne to Prince Qin Yue.”

　　Qin Yang’s face turned ashen instantly, while Qin Yue beamed with joy and kept rubbing his palms in excitement.

　　Qin Zheng’s cloudy eyes began to clear. Looking at Yunxiao, he nodded slightly, and in that instant his face glowed with health, as if the problem in his heart was suddenly solved. He said to Yunxiao, “With you by Qin Yue’s side, I can now safely hand over Tianshui to him. But you must promise me one thing.”

　　“Please tell me, Your Majesty.”

　　Qin Zheng glanced at Qin Yang, who was standing behind him with a livid face, and sighed. “No matter what, you must keep Yang’er alive. I fear that as soon as I died, you all will make him follow me.”

　　He himself had experienced the cruelty of the imperial family. The reason why he did not ask Qin Yue was that he understood that those who were born in the imperial family never kept their words, and power was the only thing in their eyes. And through a brief contact, his intuition told him that Yunxiao was a reliable person.

　　Qin Yang trembled slightly, and he stared at Qin Zheng in disbelief. A sudden feeling of guilt welled up in his heart.

　　Yunxiao nodded and said, “I understand. I promise you.”

　　Qin Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, and then he said in a solemn voice, “I hereby officially declare that…”

　　A perfect silence fell across the platform and beneath it. Everyone was holding their breath, waiting for the announcement.

　　Rumble!

　　Suddenly a rumbling sound came from the distant horizon. Everyone frowned, turned and saw three small black dots in the sky, growing bigger as they flew over.

　　Yuan Hao narrowed his eyes and said suspiciously, “That is…”

　　Even then, Qin Yang jumped and laughed wildly. “Haha! They are finally here! You will never be my match, Qin Yue!” The trump card he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

　　Qin Yue’s eyelids twitched violently. He had a bad feeling.

　　The courtiers felt their heads reel. Was the succession to the throne really so difficult? They had already gone through a series of twists and turns, and they did not expect that there was more to come. Qin Zheng’s face grew dark as well, and he stared coldly at the three approaching dots.

　　When they had come close enough, the crowd saw they were actually three flying chariots!

　　A huge character of ‘Zhou’ was painted on each of the chariots, wrapped on both sides by two ears of grain, which seemed to be an emblem of some family.

　　“Sure enough!” Yuan Hao cried out in a low voice.

　　Flying chariots were the high-end war machines of the Firecrow Empire. Only fourth-tier alchemists could craft such machines, and they were extremely expensive. Only some important courtiers and nobles of the empire were eligible to own them. But now, three of them were here, and each was painted with the emblem of some family. That took all the courtiers present aback. “Why are they here?”

　　Qin Yue’s heart sunk, and his face grew serious. The repeated experience of great joy and sorrow had made him weary and on the verge of mental breakdown.

　　The chariots slowly came to the side of the platform before stopping, hovering in midair. A huge bronze deck gradually stretched out from one of them and fell on the platform with a rumble.