Nightfall

Translator: TransN Editor: TransN

It was quiet inside the peaceful house. Lee Yu straightly looked at the eyes of the Crown Prince of Yan. After a long time, she gently opened the lips and softly said, “One can’t succeed without a strong aid outside. Longqing has a hidden aid in West-Hill Divine Palace but doesn’t show it. If Brother Chongming you are willing, I believe my father won’t mind sending a letter to your father.”

In this world, only Tang Empire had the power to rival with West-Hill Divine Palace. However, after listening to these words, the Crown Prince did not have any reaction or show the ecstasy, but fell into silence for a long time.

“Although I don’t understand why West-Hill Divine Palace agreed that Prince Long Qing should replace you as the hostage in Chang’an City and I don’t want to think about the purpose of Prince Long Qing’s trying to get into the Second floor of the Academy. I only know that the current situation is extremely beneficial to you. Is it just your chance that he can’t control Capital Cheng remotely when he is in Chang’an?”

Lee Yu looked at the Crown Prince’s gently falling eyelashes and calmly said, “West-Hill Divine Palace is indeed a wonderful and holy place. The bigwigs of Judicial Department are really great to put such a character as a hostage. Perhaps a lot of people in South Jin Kingdom are laughing at the Tangs acting absurdly. But these people simply don’t know there is only one place in the world to look after the character II as a hostage. That place is the Academy.”

The Crown Prince finally broke the silence and looked up solemnly at Lee Yu’s eyes to say, “As far as I know, even the great Emperor of Tang has extremely limited influence on the Academy. If the president doesn’t want to limit Longqing’s personal freedom, but lets him into the Second floor to make further progress, what should I do?”

Lee Yu frowned slightly and whispered. “Academy, after all, is in Chang’an City. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“This has nothing to do with worry.” The Crown Prince quietly said, “I know better than anyone else. Long Qing is such a proud person. If a person like him is willing to give up his pride, agreeing to accept the examination to enter Second floor of the Academy, it shows that the Academy is a very important place for him. The thing that Longqing is best at is to turn all the people or things that he thinks important for him to his aids.”

“You’re worried that if Long Qing enters into Second floor of the Academy, the Academy people will support him?” Lee Yu firmly shook her head and said calmly, “The Academy never intervenes the internal affairs of the Tang Empire, not to mention the throne dispute of another country .”

The Crown Prince shook his head and said with a bitter smile, “Anyway, I always feel it’s bad to let him into Second floor of the Academy.”

“If it’s a purely bad thing for Longqing and West-Hill, they wouldn’t agree with the request of the Emperor a few months ago.” Lee Yu seemed to think of something and suddenly frowned to talk to herself, “If he can’t get into Second floor… ”

“I heard there was a great genius from South Jin Kingdom in Academy… ” The Crown Prince of Yan whispered.

They exchanged their eyes and shook their heads almost simultaneously. The Second floor of the Academy has claimed to only receive a person when opened this time. In fact, it was all because of this handover hidden behind the scene. That position has been meant for that Prince Long Qing. And even if they could arrange some competitors, no one would win him.

At this moment, there occurred the regular footstep sounds on the wood corridor outside the quiet house. The Crown Prince confusedly glanced at Lee Yu. She answered with a smile, “Hua Shanyue and his fellows.”

As soon as she finished the talking, Senior Captain of Gushan Commandery Hua Shanyue in a military uniform and several officers walked into the long hall. They first held a fist to bow to Lee Yu, and then greeted the Crown Prince of Yan.

Then the maidservants reset the wine table. Hua Shanyue and the others accepted the order to sit down, which made the house back to quietness.

Lee Yu calmly looked at the Crown Prince and said, “I’ve ordered Senior Captain Hua to hurry back to Chang’an so that you two can see each other before Brother Chongming you leave.”

“I’v stationed in Hebei Province for years and may be transferred from Gushan Commandery to Shanyin County next year.” Hua Shanyue added.

Shanyin County was in the southeast of Min Mountain, near the Yan territory. The government soldiers Tang Empire has stationed in the county might not be like the terrible border army led by General Xia Hou, but were the nearest armed forces in Capital Cheng of Yan Kingdom within the territory of Tang.

In earlier years, the Crown Prince has seen Hua Shanyue and knew he was the fanatical admirer of the fourth princess Lee Yu and also the key training target of the young generation in the Tang military. Naturally he could think Lee Yu called the man back to Chang’an in no time, not for seeing him off but for the deeper meaning.

After Hua Shanyue himself admitted that next year he would be transferred to Shanyin county, the Crown Prince instantly understood the meaning of Lee Yu. He looked at the wine bottles and fell into thinking for a long time. Although there was no facial expression on his face, the struggle and the conflict in his heart have reached to an extreme point. After a long time, he said with a hoarse and low voice, “If it doesn’t develop to the last phase, I’ll never use your chessman.”

Lee Yu calmly replied, “If you don’t have to go to the last step, it’ll naturally be a happy ending. But if you really need me one day, I hope Brother Chongming you have the courage to use the chessman. I want you to understand that this is not only for the benefit of Tang Empire, but also for my hope that you can get what has belonged to you.”

The so-called farewell was only a final endorsement of certain transactions and promises. Although they had a ten-year friendship, it was hard for the banquet back to the originally relaxing one when it came to the state affairs and tore off the external friendship. Therefore, the scene looked a bit embarrassing for the time being.

Hua Shanyue remembered what he has previously seen outside the house and said with a smile, “Some people booked the terrace on the lakeside of Victory House. It’s pretty noisy, but much livelier than here.”

“Oh?” Lee Yu slightly furrowed the brows and curiously asked, “Who’s so generous?”

When saying this, she totally did not feel herself to be the most generous for having booked the most quiet and expensive backyard in Victory House. After all, she was the most beloved Princess of Tang Empire. Who could compete with her?

“They’re the Academy students this year, including Situ Yilan and Wucai. I met Situ just now and she said she would later go to toast and greet. I thought today Her Highness specially saw off Chongming Crown Prince and didn’t know whether it was convenient. So I didn’t accept it at that time.”

“All the Academy students are actually the pillars of Tang Empire or the whole world. Why not see them?” Princess Lee Yu, who was known for her virtue and cherishing talents, naturally would not miss this opportunity of gathering young talents. She smiled and looked at the Crown Prince to say, “I believe Brother Chongming you also want to see the new Academy students, right?”

“Of course.” The Crown Prince quietly nodded.

…

…

The Academy students, who were drinking and enjoying on the lakeside terrace, did not completely forget the previous Hua Shanyue’s reprimand. But he was the Senior Captain of Tang military and also the Academy’s predecessor. Besides, what he has said was sharply merciless but pointed at the truth. Therefore, there was no reason for them to refute. They could only act dumb and comforted themselves in the name of Brothers.

After meeting the noble who held a banquet in the backyard of Victory House, all the students discovered that the so-called pride of their own was indeed not suitable in Chang’an. In this magical city, when one casually urinated in the side alley, he might meet the high-ranking noble who also drank too much. When one boasted in a tea shop, he might meet a Prince from Yuelun Kingdom. They just wanted to have fun together this time, but never expected to meet the Tang Princess who was seeing off the Crown Prince of Yan…

Victory House occupied a very wide area, whose backyard was the ancestral legacy of an old censor in the year of Shenfeng and could accommodate two or three hundred people. But after all, it was the princess who called them to go inside. There was no possibility to let all Academy students line up to greet so as to turn the quiet yard into a market. Only some students with good grades and reputation were chose as the representatives, naturally including Xie Chengyun and the other five people in the course of magic skills, well-known talents like Zhong Dajun, the Chang’an noble like Situ Yilan and Chu Zhongtian, and someone.

When all the Academy students entered the quiet yard, Lee Yu was whispering to the Crown Prince of Yan. Suddenly she slightly furrowed the brows and consciously looked towards them. As expected, she saw that familiar but repulsive face in the crowd.

For most of the year, she often summoned Sangsang to the Princess Mansion to speak with her. She had never seen Ning Que. But she still knew what Ning Que has done in the Academy through various ways.

She knew that semester exam gamble and he was later isolated by the other Academy classmates. However, she has never spoken up. They just met each other on the road, so an Academy student’s experience was not qualified to attract her attention. Even if she was willing, she could not show it in many circumstances.

“Her Highness.”

“Crown Prince Chongming.”

The students including Xie Chengyun, Zhong Dajun and Linchuan Wangying stood in front of the courtyard’s veranda and successively greeted to the two honorable nobles on the table. After several times of answering questions, they performed well, especially Xie Chengyun and Linchuan Wangying. Lee Yu felt rather satisfied, but felt pitiful that Master Xie was from South Jin Kingdom instead of Tang Empire.

“Brother Chongming, what do you think of our Tang’s young talents?” Lee Yu asked the Crown Prince with a smile.

The Crown Prince smiled and said, “Tang Empire is powerful in the world and the Academy is also an eternally sacred place. Of course, they’re extraordinary.”

At this moment, suddenly some noisy sounds came from the quiet backyard of Victory House, including sounds of blocking and scold. It seemed that some people were marching straightly towards this side. Lee Yu looked at the channel outside the corridor behind the bamboo trees and held a small wineglass with her fingers. She did not speak, but slightly furrowed the brows. Hua Shanyue sitting on the four-point-six-meter chair behind her looked serious and reprimanded. “Who is so bold to dare enter Her Highness’s feast!”

The noises outside the yard quickly turned into some still messy but completely different sounds. The instrument sounds behind the corridor in the bamboo grove suddenly became out of tune, mixed with faintly surprised crying of girls and the sound of the shocked messenger’s knocking over the table. Then all of those sounds disappeared in the next moment.

In the quiet courtyard, under the rain-covering corridor, and next to the bamboo wall, there was no sound but silence that led to palpitation, except those footsteps that fell in the stone path and seemed to fall on the hearts.

The slow footsteps coming from outside the house did not belong to one person, for they were not regular. But all the courtyard people seemed to hear only the footsteps of one of them. His footsteps were so stable as to release the taste of pride only by audition. It seemed that his each step was on the road to the Firmament.

…

…

The Victory House boss looked painful and helpless and bent his body to walk in front like a pitiful manservant. Although it was undoubtedly the fastest way towards death for him to lead the outsiders to enter the fourth Princess’ feast, these guests behind him were also very distinguished. What was more important was that the other party offered the reason he could not refute at all.

The person walking on the stone path was Grand Secretary of Tang Imperial Library Zeng Jing. This man, an official trusted by his Majesty and Empress, had a faint smile on the face and did not reveal his real emotions.

In the right-hand side of Grand Secretary Zeng Jing was a middle-aged man who dressed in black robes, wearing Haotian divine sword on the waist. He was the vice president of Revelation Institute in West-Hill Divine Palace and Priest Moli who visited the capital Chang’an this time.

Although the relationship between the Empress and the Princess was ordinary, they were in a naturally hostility position because of a major event about the throne in a certain year in the future. Now the major chancellor of the Empress was about to enter the Princess’ feast, followed by bigwigs from West-Hill Divine Kingdom. Who would like to put himself in this terrifying turbulence? Besides, in the crowd there was…

Grand Secretary Zeng Jing and Priest Moli came here hand in hand. Surely they were about to attract the attention of all the people in the yard. But in fact, at this time everyone paid attention to the young man behind them.

There was a kind of person who had a natural charm in the world. Even though he was a muddy lad in thousands of people or an ordinary girl among numberless devout believers, no matter how low-key and silent he was when walking in the crowd or how many glamorous bigwigs around him, you would definitely see him at the first glance and never were able to move away the eyes when he was in the picture.

The young man in the crowd was such a person. He was about twenty years old, wearing a lifeless service uniform of Judicial Department in West-Hill Divine Palace and a shank-style ordinary sword on his waist. His footsteps were gentle and steady and followed Grand Secretary Zeng Jing and Priest Moli into the courtyard. Instantly he won all the people’s attention.

His handsome facial features were as impeccable as a legendary look, reflecting the faint sky light from the treetops and shaking the threadlike willow catkins. As a result, Prince Long Qing appeared in the people’s vision, just like the child of God.

His face did not reveal the slightest negative emotions but only calmness. However, just like the clear but rigid footsteps, everyone present could feel the pride that was hidden in his body but he disdained to show.

It became temporarily quiet. The people in the quiet courtyard subconsciously stood up to greet him. The Academy students instantly guessed this man’s identity, revealing a touch of helplessness on the faces. They looked slightly disturbed, with the extremely complicated moods.

Lee Yu sitting on top of the seat slightly lowered her eyes, with a cold vigilant surprised look fleeting by. The Crown Prince sitting in front of her looked more complicated, mixed with sigh and sadness. Then he slowly stood up and said with a gentle smile, “Long Qing… I haven’t seen you for years.”

At this time, Ning Que, who has been sitting in the most remote corner of the courtyard and kept complaining that the etiquette was not in line with ergonomics, finally noticed these uninvited guests and surprisedly looked at that distinguished Prince Long Qing in the crowd. He said with praise, “Ta-da, the hero finally debuts.”