Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 2(86)
Seeing how the State Preceptors stammered, everyone understood immediately.
The Royal Holy Temple was a place of quiet meditation and training, and there was very little entertainment save for small games that could serve as amusement. One of them, the most popular one, was playing cards.
Cards could only be played in secret, seen by no one. The State Preceptors had long been bored out of their minds residing at the Royal Holy Temple, so they were heavily addicted. When they started playing, they would forget everything and everyone and fall into a state akin to hysterical obsession or drunkenness. Nothing from the outside world could be heard. If Mu Qing had told them anything at that time, how could they possibly hear?
One of the Deputy State Preceptors said, “Oh, um…maybe there were too many people, your voice was too quiet, and we didn’t hear clearly. Yeah, we didn’t hear clearly.”
The State Preceptor, on the other hand, was doubtful. “Did you actually go to Sixiang Palace yesterday?”
“I absolutely did,” Mu Qing said, and as proof, he relayed without fault the dress, look, and accent of the guard standing at the door.
The State Preceptor had to believe him, but still he frowned. “If you had gone to Sixiang Palace, you could’ve just passed on the message to the trainee outside the door or entered the chamber and spoken to us in detail. Why speak outside by the window? You didn’t even confirm whether we heard?”
Mu Qing responded softly, “This disciple tried. This disciple spoke politely to the shixiong guarding the door, but for some reason that shixiong had to make things difficult and wouldn’t let me into the chamber or pass on word for me. He mocked me and drove me away.”
After a pause, he continued, “This disciple had no other choice, so I went around to the other side of Sixiang Palace and tried to pass on the message through the window. After I spoke, I heard one of the State Preceptors say ‘I get it, now leave,’ so this disciple took that as consent to His Highness’s plans and returned.”
The State Preceptors pursed their lips and didn’t speak.
At the height of a round of cards, who would pay attention to whatever was said outside? If they heard anything, of course they’d respond offhandedly with “I get it, I get it.” But they probably didn’t even know where the voice came from!
Xie Lian knitted his brows. “That such a thing would happen! Which trainee was that impudent? He’s got guts to be so disrespectful to one of my messengers.”
Although Xie Lian was usually friendly and rarely put on airs when interacting with others at the Royal Holy Temple, he was still nonetheless the esteemed son of the king, the prominent crown prince. Even as he knelt before the statue of a god, he had not shown any humility. So with this sudden turn to sternness, he was authoritative without needing fury. Everyone fell quiet, and the State Preceptors wore unreadable expressions on their faces.
“Why didn’t you report this to me when you returned yesterday?” Xie Lian asked.
Mu Qing turned around while still kneeling, and prostrated, his voice quiet. “Your Highness, there’s no need to look further into the matter with that shixiong. I didn’t say anything after returning yesterday simply because I don’t want to make this into a big deal. In any case, it’s nothing major. If Your Highness was to defend me openly, it would hurt the camaraderie between everyone.”
Xie Lian disagreed, sounding upset. “What ‘camaraderie’ are you talking about? The kind of camaraderie that’s used to abuse others?”
Hearing this, the State Preceptors sitting on the side looked even more agitated. At the end of the day, something like this happened because the State Preceptors disliked Mu Qing. When they were displeased, the trainee attendants naturally followed their lead—not to mention that Mu Qing himself simply wasn’t very likable. So, not only did fellow trainees avoid helping him, they went out of their way to make things difficult for him at every turn.
Of course, their high and mighty disciple wasn’t trying to ridicule them on purpose, but he certainly did take a jab.
Mu Qing was continuously making concessions in his story, but Feng Xin couldn’t listen for another minute and suddenly interjected.
“It really was nothing major, but you had to go and make it complicated. If you had told the trainee at the door that you came to deliver a message at His Highness’s command, would he still have the gall to block your way? Also, right before we departed today, the State Preceptor asked you where His Highness went. Why did you answer so vaguely? Could you not have said clearly that His Highness was on top of the tower waiting for the procession to start?”
Mu Qing immediately argued back, calm and steady, “I thought the State Preceptor already knew and didn’t expect to be asked that question, so I was confused. But right after, I told the State Preceptor that His Highness had already said not to worry, that the procession could start without delay as planned, and that His Highness would be back promptly. His Highness might not have been there at the time, but there were many at the scene who heard me, so how can you say I did this intentionally? Or that I was being vague?”
Feng Xin stared at him angrily. But if he thought about it carefully, Mu Qing did in fact say all that—the problem was that the State Preceptor was too anxious and didn’t want to make hasty decisions. If he was going to pick at faults, there really wasn’t enough evidence to prove anything.