The Beacon of Kyushu

Wang Qinruo knelt down on his knees and presented the golden scales in his palm to Zhao Guangyi with both hands, "Your Majesty is wise! The golden scales in my palm are definitely not ordinary things, but dragon scales from a golden dragon! Ancient books say that only when a true dragon emperor appears in the world, the emperor's aura rising to the sky can attract the golden dragon in the sky. Now that the golden dragon has appeared in the world, it proves that your Majesty is the true emperor, and the destiny is upon you!"

Lü Mengzheng didn't take his words seriously, and Li Hang only sneered. However, Wang Dan was determined to get to the bottom of the matter, and asked in confusion, "Brother Wang Nian, what do you think this is? A golden dragon's scale! Could it be that there really are dragons in the world, and you have encountered one?"

Wang Qinruo said solemnly: "I dare not deceive you brothers, let alone the emperor. I really encountered a golden dragon on the way to the capital, and got these golden scales from it. Unfortunately, I was alone and weak, and I was unable to capture the dragon alive. It is really a regret for my whole life!"

Wang Dan looked at Wang Qinruo in disbelief, "Brother Wang Nian, even if there really are dragons in the world, with a body as refined as yours, how dare you capture a dragon and snatch so many dragon scales from a golden dragon? I'm afraid this is unlikely!"

Wang Qinruo shook his head and said, "No, no, haven't you heard that dragons can be big or small, can rise or hide. When they are big, they can create clouds and mist, and when they are small, they can hide their shapes. When they rise, they can fly in the universe, and when they hide, they can lurk in the waves. Don't say that the golden dragon I encountered is only the size of a carp, swimming in a small stream. For the sake of the government, even if the golden dragon is a hundred feet long and lives at the bottom of a cold pool in the blue sea, I dare to go through fire and water to capture the dragon!"

Wang Dan said doubtfully, "Brother Wang Nian, who would believe you if you have no evidence? If you want to gain the emperor's trust, you'd better show real evidence. Otherwise, even a fool like me would find it hard to believe, let alone the emperor who is very perceptive."

Wang Qinruo was questioned repeatedly, but he remained calm. "If you don't believe me, feel free to ask the brothers who came with me. They can all prove it for me."

Wang Dan was a little confused by his confident words, and subconsciously looked at Zhao Guangyi, hoping that he would order all the Jinshi to come in so that he could ask them thoroughly. Zhao Guangyi was very scheming, and he had long expected that Wang Qinruo must be playing tricks, so he was not in a hurry to summon the so-called witnesses. But he really couldn't understand why the seemingly cunning Wang Qinruo in front of him was so stupid as to risk his life to deceive the emperor.

But he thought again and suddenly understood Wang Qinruo's intention. He thought to himself, "Ever since I poisoned my second brother more than ten years ago, rumors have been circulating that I did not come to the throne legitimately and should give up the throne to Dezhao as soon as possible. Now that Zhao Dezhao has been assassinated by someone I sent, I'm sure those ignorant people will privately say that I should give up the throne to Defang or Tingmei. But once the golden dragon is confirmed, my throne will be a natural progression. Wang Qinruo's move is to offer dragon scales, but in fact it is an opportunity for me to prove my innocence. He is really scheming!"

It is true that Zhao Guangyi came to power by illegitimate means, so he hated people playing power games in front of him even more. However, Wang Qinruo gave him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he was unwilling to let it slip away from his hands, and he was very conflicted for a while.

Suddenly, Wang Jie'en ran in from outside the pavilion, panting and saying, "Your Majesty, there is a slovenly beggar outside the Qionglin Garden. He keeps saying that he is your savior and an old friend of all the Jinshi scholars. He insists on coming in to see the emperor. Many guards stepped forward to stop him, but they were all knocked to the ground by him in just a few moves. I hope your Majesty will make a judgment!"

Zhao Guangyi frowned slightly and said unhappily, "Ji'en, did this beggar say what his name is, or where he came from?"

Wang Jie'en thought for a long time before saying, "From what I heard from him, I felt that he was a disciple of the Huashan Master Chen Tuan, and his last name seemed to be Wan. But he kept calling me young hero, and I really don't know what his real name is."

"The surname is Wan..." Zhao Guangyi thought carefully for a long time, and then he remembered Wan Jianfeng who had saved him in Zhuozhou. He felt more and more puzzled, "Wan Jianfeng... this guy didn't come earlier or later, but at this time, and injured my imperial guards. What exactly is his intention?"

When Lü Mengzheng, Li Hang, and Wang Dan heard that Wan Jianfeng had arrived, their eyes lit up at the same time, and they said in unison: "Your Majesty, Wan Jianfeng is a humorous person, but he has always been sensible and considerate of the overall situation. There must be a deep meaning in his request to see the emperor today. I hope your Majesty will grant his wish!"

Zhao Guangyi was slightly shocked when he saw that the top three students in the undergraduate course were all old friends of Wan Jianfeng. "That day in Zhuozhou, Wan Jianfeng's martial arts and courage were already evident. I didn't expect that he has such a wide range of social connections. Even these top young scholars are his friends. When I appoint them to high positions in the future, won't the whole court be full of Wan Jianfeng's followers? I hope Wan Jianfeng won't interfere in military and political affairs. Otherwise, even if you have saved me a thousand or ten thousand times, I will have to kill you!"

Wang Jie'en saw that Zhao Guangyi did not respond for a long time, and thought that he was drunk, so he hurriedly repeated it. Zhao Guangyi came to his senses and ordered: "Jie'en, I did meet him once, and it is also a happy event to meet him again in Tokyo today. Don't stop him, let him in." "Yes!" Wang Jie'en responded and hurriedly passed on the order.

Wang Qinruo was a little depressed when he saw that he had finally attracted everyone's interest, but was ruined by a beggar. But he was helpless, because the emperor and the top scholar seemed to know this beggar, and he had no influence, so what could he do except watch him steal his limelight?

After a moment, Wan Jianfeng walked into the Qionglin Pavilion with a dignified manner, and smiled as he clasped his fists to gesture to everyone in the pavilion. There was not a single bit of respect in his behavior that should be shown when meeting an emperor. In fact, he looked more relaxed and comfortable than going to the market.

Just now, Wang Qinruo saw how enthusiastic everyone was towards Wan Jianfeng, and thought he was a great hero. But now, seeing that he was really not tall or good-looking, and that his pinching was not enough to fill a bowl, and his pressing was not enough to fill a plate, and his demeanor and movements were many times more ruffian than those of the street thugs, he became more and more dissatisfied.

Wan Jianfeng glanced at Wang Qinruo and said with a smile: "My dear brother, everyone else is sitting, but you are standing. It seems that you are just like me, just here to fill the numbers. However, fish can be divided into good fish and bad fish. Good fish can make a pot of soup fresh, but bad fish can spoil the soup. I wonder if this dear brother is a good fish or a bad fish?"

Wang Qinruo had never seen Wan Jianfeng, nor had he heard of him, so he had no idea that he had a habit of making jokes. He thought that the golden scales he presented to Zhao Guangyi were not dragon scales, but golden carp scales, so he made fun of him. His expression became even uglier, "Young Master Wan, I dare not say that this is a good fish, but it is definitely not a stinky fish. I hope you can understand."

Wan Jianfeng saw that he looked really bad, and his face was so bad that fifteen people would see him for half a month. He thought he would curse at him, but he didn't expect that he could speak so calmly. If it were any other day, Wan Jianfeng would have talked to this guy more. However, he was now on an important mission and couldn't waste time on such an insignificant person. He ignored Wang Qinruo and stepped forward to Zhao Guangyi and said, "Sir, I have something to ask you. This matter is of great importance. You'd better ask these scholars to leave now. Otherwise, if the secret is leaked, I will have a hundred heads!"

Zhao Guangyi frowned and said in a deep voice, "Young Master Wan, this banquet is specially arranged for the newly-appointed scholars. It is a great violation of precedent for me to allow a layman like you to enter the Qionglin Pavilion. You actually want me to ask these scholars to leave? You are so pretentious. What do you want to report to me?"

Wan Jianfeng said calmly, "Sir, are you confused? The most important thing for the Song Dynasty right now is not how you compete with these poor people in drinking, but the war between the Song Dynasty and Quyue. If you really don't care about the war between Quyue, I will turn around and leave, and I will never come to Tokyo in this life."

"War..." Zhao Guangyi repeated softly, his brows furrowed even tighter than before. "Just now I was just feeling lucky that this beggar didn't interfere in military affairs, but now he has news of the war in the south to report. He has such a long hand! If I allow him to expand his power and collude with his followers, if he intends to harm my country one day, it will be extremely troublesome!"

Zhao Guangyi thought about it, and his right fist clenched involuntarily, intending to summon the guards to arrest Wan Jianfeng on the spot. Immediately, Zhao Guangyi slowly loosened his hand and thought to himself, "Wan Jianfeng may be harmful to me, but he has not committed any crimes so far, and his friends have become the best in the university. In addition, he is now risking his life to come to Qiongling Pavilion to report military intelligence in person, which means that he must have wings in the army. If I act rashly now, he will definitely rebel, and the consequences will be disastrous!"

Wan Jianfeng seemed to be completely unaware of the change in Zhao Guangyi's expression. He just smiled and looked at the pieces of golden fish on the table in front of him. "Haha, I always thought that the skills of the imperial chefs must be the best in the world. I didn't expect that they didn't even know to scrape the scales when cooking fish. Your Majesty, why don't you pull out and chop off this kind of imperial chef who knows nothing? Why spend money to support him? Could it be that your Majesty is tired of eating delicacies from mountains and seas, but has never eaten fish scales, so the imperial chef came up with this unique dish of boiled fish scales that is rarely seen in a thousand years?"

When Wang Dan heard Wan Jianfeng say that the golden scales on the table were fish scales, he hurriedly said, "Master Wan, these golden scales were not eaten by the emperor from the dishes, but were presented to the emperor by Brother Wang Nian. Brother Wang Nian kept saying that these were dragon scales, not the fish scales that Master Wan mentioned. I guess Master Wan was wrong, right?"

Wan Jianfeng picked up a piece of golden scale and said with a smile: "Brother Wang, I don't have any other skills, but my skill in grilling fish is the best in the world! I know what fish scales look like better than anyone else, so please don't joke with me about a few fish scales."

Wang Qinruo saw that Wan Jianfeng saw through the mystery at a glance, and his heart trembled suddenly. He was guilty as a thief, and was afraid that the officials would not know the deep meaning behind it and judge him as disrespectful. He hurriedly left the Qionglin Pavilion while no one was paying attention. But even though he left, the grudge he had with Wan Jianfeng would never be resolved with his departure. Instead, it became deeper and deeper, deeply rooted in his heart. As long as the time is right, he will make Wan Jianfeng pay the price with blood for what happened today! (End of this chapter)