Your Highness, Please Love Me Tender

142. The Runaway Emperor (1)

Translator: Flying Lines

In the spring, State Yanling held its first imperial examination. Su Jie selected nearly 50 men of great talents and competence.

Among them the most impressive one was a young man dressed in cyan robe. His attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, and he was well-educated, well-informed and had a good manner of speaking and behaving, but in Su Jie’s opinion, the young man was very rigid and stubborn.

In fact, Su Jie was not very good at literature. He couldn’t even think of the topic of the test, let alone reviewing the article written by the young man. It was Zhou Zaiyue who had prepared the questions in advance and asked Su Jie to examine them.

“Jiang…Wanshu?” Su Jie pondered for a while before calling out the name of the talented young man dressed in cyan robe.

“Yes, your majesty.” Jiang Wanshu lifted the helm of his robe and knelt down, his face turning red out of excitement. Despite his super talents, he still got nervous before the fame, official position and riches within reach.

Jiang Wanshu’s features were nicely crafted, forming a handsome face, and with the refined aura of a scholar, he was really a man of appearance and talents.

Su Jie sitting on the throne frowned slightly. Obviously, the Number One Scholar was not composed, all his emotions directly displayed on his face. But with some moulding, he would make an excellent official.

But the words of a young master should be a good official.

Su Jie nodded, then silently remembered which of the 50 or so people had a steady and serious performance, and which were more careless. Only after knowing all the performances of the candidates did he announce the ranking and reward for the examination.

After rewarding the scholars, it was approaching noon. Su Jie then simply threw a feast to let these scholars communicate with each other while he himself returned to the Golden Dragon Palace for a moment of rest.

During this period of time, without Xiao Shengnian’s company, Su Jie felt empty and lonely. Every night when he was lying alone on the large bed, he would always remember that gentle man who had travelled a thousand miles and crossed two countries to find him, and accompanied him through fierce battles.

“Xiao Shengnian, I really fell in love with you…”

With a long sigh, Su Jie lay on the bed, his four limbs spread recklessly heedless of his image, his eyes without focus.

It had been a while since he was crowned emperor. Every day, he was dealing with all kinds of government affairs, reviewing all sorts of memorials to the throne. And in his scanty free time, he had to learn more to expand his knowledge. His life was so busy that sometimes made his head spin, not as easy as he used to be Man of Sacrifice.

Su Jie was still a young man yearning for freedom. Although his experience had molded his unique personality and way of handling matters, these days indeed put him in much suffer.

Su Jie was used to living a carefree life of no restraint, now bounded by all the rituals and responsibilities, he felt bored.

“I miss the life as the border. Is Yue Wanzhi still there?”

Su Jie suddenly remembered Yue Wanzhi, whom he had forgotten these days.

“He called me master shifu, yet I haven’t taught him anything. How about I go to the border to check on him?”

After saying that, Su Jie sat up from the bed with a bright smile on his face.

“Come over here. I’ve got something to say.” Su Jie said to the two eunuchs smilingly.

The two eunuchs walked to emperor still in the imperial robe. However, what they did not expect was that the emperor wearing an innocent smile raised his eyebrows and knocked them straight out.

“Elder Zhou, don’t blame me for running out. Sharp Sword the Man of Sacrifice has been to all places yet lost his freedom after ascending the throne. Maybe I am the most irresponsible emperor of State Yanling?” Su Jie put on disguise, changed into the robe of the eunuch and walked out of his palace with great ease.

Su Jie passed all the security checks without any hindrance with the token he had specially taken, but then he met a head eunuch.

“You, come here to help me. Move this pot of flowers into the room.” The eunuch didn’t know he was ordering the current emperor, and Su Jie also helped him obediently. He carried the flowerpot, followed the head eunuch into a place called Ronghua courtyard and placed the flowers in his room.

There were still a few eunuchs busy in the yard sowing seeds of flowers, which made Su Jie feel strange. He leaned over to the head eunuch and asked, “Palace steward, is someone going to live here?”

“Of course.” The head eunuch chuckled.

Su Jie went silent. He remembered that he didn’t arrange this yard for anyone to live in. Then what was this for? Who was this person?

At this time, the palace steward immediately said, “This place is going to welcome the first imperial concubine of his majesty. Now be quick-witted and move more pots of flowers into the room.”

“Imperial concubine?” Why didn’t he know anything about that?

“It’s a beauty offered by State Xi. She’s on her way to the imperial city, but will be arriving anytime soon.” The head eunuch ordered Su Jie to move the pots of flowers again after a perfunctory explanation.

Su Jie answered yet didn’t want to come back again. He went straight out of the Palace.

And the head eunuch was still wondering why it took him such a long time to move a pot of flower. He sent someone else to do it and quickly left the matter behind.

*

After leaving the palace, Su Jie first bought an ordinary outfit from a shop, hired a carriage, and then left the imperial city.

In order to prevent being caught up by people from the Palace, Su Jie didn’t even have time to eat dinner. He hurriedly bought a few meat buns and bought the horses of the carter with three times the money before the sun set, galloping all the way to City of Divine Light.

Most of the names of cities in the State Yanling included the word “god” “immortal” or “divine due to its legend and the faith of the citizens.

The door of the City of Divine Light was closed. Su Jie released the horse, took several leaps by stepping on the wall and went straight into the city.

“Ah!” A scream came from the corner of the wall.

Su Jie looked at the source of the voice and saw a man wearing a shabby robe shrunk in a corner, holding his knees with his hands, looking at Su Jie with his pair of watery big eyes. He was probably dumbfounded by Su Jie’s sneaking into the city, thus screamed and looked at Su Jie in terror.

“Hush.” Su Jie made a signal to him and then went forward to give him a tale of silver.

“Wait, don’t leave.” The man’s eyes rolled and suddenly lit up. He was afraid that Su Jie was a villain. After all, Su Jie was in the disguise of an ordinary looking face, sort of terrifying when he was not smiling. But now seeing Su Jie give him a silver, he took Su Jie as a good man.

“What’s the matter?” Su Jie, who had left the palace, was in a good mood and stopped to ask.

“Young hero, you have great martial skills. Since you can come in from outside, can you do me a favor and send me out?” He stood up. Even though he was dressed in dirty and shabby clothes, Su Jie was impressed when seeing his face. The young man in front of him was very handsome, a stunning beauty at first glance.

“Miss, although I am capable of martial arts, the wall is so high that I can only cross alone.” Su Jie looked away after a quick glance. He didn’t want to stare at her in the evening.

“Who is a girl? I am a man!” Glaring at Su Jie, Tuoba Qingheng stressed.

Su Jie was shocked, and then after a careful glance, found his Adam’s apple. He couldn’t help marveling at the young man’s appearance, his beauty blurred his gender.

“Young hero, please save me. I’m being hunted by someone.” Thinking of his situation, Tuoba Qingheng immediately implored with sincerity.

“Being hunted?” Although Su Jie was not afraid of trouble, he didn’t like to get in trouble. Besides, the young man looked beautiful and charming, and there was this ancient saying, beauty always comes with trouble. Su Jie wasn’t planning to help.

“Young hero, you can’t fold your hands and watch me die.” Seeing Su Jie’s indifferent attitude, Tuoba Qingheng had sinking feeling. Now he was driven desperate, he would be doomed if he was captured by those people.

“Young hero, I was abducted. They forced me and planned to sell me to someone as a concubine. I’ve fought hard to find a chance to escape on the way, but the city gate is closed. If they take me back, I will definitely be finished.” Tuoba Qingheng hated others saying he looked like a woman the most, but now he had to use his beauty to gain sympathy. His handsome face along with his weak and anxious look were easy to elicit sympathy from others.

“How do I know if you’re telling the truth?” Su Jie didn’t like to have connection with people of unknow origin. And with Tuoba Qingheng’s eyes moving around, Su Jie felt he was plotting something and had a bad impression of him.

Tuoba Qingheng was a little anxious. He didn’t expect this mediocre man in front of him to be so unapproachable and so heartless, but he had to rely on this man with strong martial skills, or he would be captured again.

“Young hero, this is the pendant I’ve been wearing since young. I come from a noble family, but now I was forcibly kidnapped by them and I’m begging you to save me. I’ll promise to give you high reward after this.” Tuoba Qingheng gritted his teeth and fished out a delicate pendant, forcing a rather bitter smile.

Perhaps a little annoyed by his pestering, Su Jie did not take the pendant. Instead, he waved his hand and said, “All right. I’m in a good mood today. I’ll help you. But let’s make it clear, don’t try to follow me after your crisis is solved.”

“Of course. My name is Qingheng. May I know your name?” Tuoba Qingheng cursed in his heart that Su Jie was narcissistic. He, Tuoba Qingheng, was a perfect beauty. Once he escaped the pursuit of those people, he would run far away, how could he follow Su Jie?

“My name is Wen Nianxuan,” Su Jie smiled and said, “Let’s go and buy you an outfit, then I’ll take you to the Inn.”

“No need. Let’s look for a place to stay first while it’s still dark. Or they’ll find me soon.” Tuoba Qingheng was frightened, fearing that all those strangers on the road would suddenly turn into people who wanted to catch him and then take him back.

“Fine, then.”

Su Jie nodded, took Tuoba Qingheng into the Welcome Inn and asked for two rooms.

“Young hero, please come in.”

Tuoba Qingheng said to Su Jie after slight hesitation.

“What do you want? I don’t want to sleep with you.” Su Jie said coldly with a frown.

Tuoba Qingheng was so exasperate that he almost shout abuse. He was so beautiful, how could he sleep with a heartless and mediocre man like him? Despite his extreme fury, he forced a stiff smile and said, “Young hero, I just have something to discuss with you.”

“Then come to my room. That is not the right attitude to ask for help.” Su Jie ignored Tuoba Qingheng’s twisted face and walked into his own room.