novelraw Chapter 336: Disaster
Chapter 336: Disaster
So he just smiled and didn’t say a word.The Herald Officer gave the command, and the martial arts competition began, with the two contestants exchanging blows.
In the first round, Sixth Master was knocked to the ground as soon as he entered the fray. He clearly lacked skill, so it was no surprise that he lost.
The audience below sighed incessantly.
Sixth Master felt as if he had lost face.
He gritted his teeth and stood up.
"You... you dare?"
The young man looked down on him with contempt and said spiritedly, "What, we only talk about victory or defeat on the martial stage, did you expect me to let you win? You might as well go home and play house!"
After speaking, the corners of his mouth tilted up in a mocking sneer.
At this time, another wave of mocking laughter came from below, and some even began to whisper.
"What status does this boy have, daring to clash with Young Master Yang, the legitimate eldest son of the Yang Family!"
"Who doesn’t know that Young Master Yang is the eldest son of Minister of War High Official Yang He’s family, trained in martial arts since childhood, with first-rate skills!"
"Exactly, that wet-behind-the-ears brat actually being arrogant in front of Young Master Yang, truly blind to Mt. Tai!"
"HAHAHA... Don’t laugh, don’t laugh, just watch how he’ll suffer in a moment!"
On the stage, Sixth Master listened to these heart-stabbing jibes.
Rage churned within him like roaring waves.
Hmph! Since childhood, he had never been subjected to such mocking and humiliation. Only his good-for-nothing Fifth Master disregarded others’ opinions and acted as if it was nothing, just stepping down after being humiliated. This matter, he definitely could not let pass.
Thinking this, a trace of malice flashed in Sixth Master’s eyes.
He lay on the ground, enduring the mockery while fumbling for two Thunderbolt Grenades inside his sleeve. Suddenly, he gritted his teeth.
Taking advantage of his opponent’s distraction, he pulled the pins from the Thunderbolt Grenades and threw them.
He had thought that the grenades would explode, killing that so-called Young Master Yang. After all, he was of the Royal Family, and the other was just a minister’s son; even if he died, it wouldn’t matter.
Unexpectedly, Young Master Yang seemed to have anticipated his action. As soon as Sixth Master threw the Thunderbolt Grenades, he dodged, his whole body flying to the other side of the Martial Stage.
The Thunderbolt Grenades hit the ground and bounced back a bit.
Sixth Master didn’t have time to dodge before a loud explosion sounded nearby.
"BOOM!"
Then, he knew no more.
Even Young Master Yang, who had managed to escape to the other side of the Martial Stage, was tossed a good distance by the blast wave of the grenade explosion. Fortunately, the people below broke his fall, and he rolled several times on the ground before coming to a stop. Apart from some superficial wounds, he wasn’t seriously hurt.
However, Sixth Master on the Martial Stage... he fared much worse.
When he was carried down, he was covered in blood.
Fifth Master was terrified, trembling all over and not daring to move closer. Someone had already gone to report to the Emperor.
Zhao Junyao frowned, his complexion dark, and he was silent for a while before saying, "Send for the Imperial Physician! In addition, tell the Ministry of War to reiterate that this is the martial examination, not a battlefield; I don’t want to see anything like this happen again!"
"Yes!"
Li Shengan retreated with a grave expression on his face.
Seeing the chaos below, Zhao Junyao felt pained and even more disappointed. He even felt at a loss as to what to say to his imperial father. After all, Little Sixth was the Emperor’s sixth son, his brother, born to nobility. He should have been the recipient of great expectations. In the future, he would either go to his fief to become a prince and benefit the local people, or stay in the Capital City, leave the palace to establish his residence, and take a position in The Six Ministries to serve the country. Even if he were mediocre, given his birthright, as his imperial brother, he would never have treated him poorly. Ensuring a life of peace and wealth for him would not have been a problem. But now, he seemed not only to be mediocre but also full of malice, with a wicked heart and extreme selfishness. Not to mention Young Master Yang, even if it were just an ordinary person, without any reason, did he deserve to die? Human life is of paramount importance, yet he didn’t understand! Furthermore, even if all those people were strangers, they couldn’t evoke any goodwill in him. But what about Little Seventh? He was his younger brother after all. Though they were not born of the same mother, the three brothers were of similar age, grew up together, and studied side by side every day. Why should Little Seventh deserve to have his family line end?
The more Zhao Junyao thought about it, the graver his expression became.
Suddenly, a pair of slightly cool hands reached out and grasped his.
Zhao Junyao turned his head abruptly and saw Xia Ruqing looking at him. Her gaze carried a hint of warmth, like the comforting sunlight breaking through the fog on a winter day.
"Qingqing..."
Xia Ruqing forced a smile. "Emperor? What’s wrong?"
Zhao Junyao held her hand, frowning deeply. "Why are your hands so cold?"
Thinking this, he glanced down at the arena and suddenly remembered something, quickly covering her eyes with his hands. "Don’t look, it might scare you!" he said, taking off his dark cloak embroidered with dragon patterns and wrapping her up snugly.
Then, ignoring everyone’s gaze, he carried her and strode away.
The first round of the martial examination was almost over, and the second round would be in five days. If this accident hadn’t happened, it probably would have already ended by now.
In the carriage on the way back to the palace, Xia Ruqing was a bit upset. "Emperor, I’ve held you up!"
The Emperor should have stayed until the end, but for her, he had left early.
Moreover, Xia Ruqing said uneasily, "Emperor, about Sixth Prince..."
Zhao Junyao pinched her bottom. "As long as you take good care of yourself, you are helping me!"
Xia Ruqing winced in pain and immediately shut her mouth.
Well, she had wanted to try being an understanding beauty with gentle and kind words, but it seemed he didn’t need it. So, forget it. Who got hurt and who didn’t was none of her business. She couldn’t be bothered anymore.
Xia Ruqing found a comfortable position and went to sleep obediently.
Because he was taking care of her, the carriage traveled very slowly. By the time they returned to the palace, it was already midnight.
Xia Ruqing didn’t return to Qingya Residence and instead rested straight away in Zhaochen Palace. She slept until almost noon the next day.
Having seen blood during the day, she didn’t sleep well at night. Nightmares plagued her one after another. She was so frightened, tossing and turning, that Zhao Junyao held her tightly, daring not to move for fear of hurting the child.
Finally, with gentle coaxing, he waited until she fell deep asleep before he dared to close his eyes for a light doze.
But though his eyes were closed, he couldn’t fall asleep.
His mind was filled with thoughts of his child, and then there was... Little Seventh’s red-rimmed eyes when he mentioned his mother. No matter what, children are always innocent. But... But how could he still find it so... intolerable, the child of Lady Shih! To reject him? He might grow up to be another Little Seventh. To accept him? He just couldn’t bring himself to love a child conceived under such circumstances. He’d thought about it for most of the night but hadn’t come up with any solutions; instead, his annoyance with the Empress Dowager only grew. Yet, the Empress Dowager was his mother. Even if he were the worst kind of scoundrel, he couldn’t bring himself to act against her.
After pondering back and forth, Zhao Junyao directed his anger toward Grand Tutor Shih.
After the court session, Zhao Junyao first found several memorials from the censors and annotated them with red comments, subtly hinting at his thoughts. The next day, the censors were completely fired up.