Chapter 133: The Great Emperor’s Favor (Ten Thousand Words Unleashed! Please Vote!)

“You say you have never formally studied martial arts, nor learned military strategy,” the emperor said after a moment of thought.

“No.” Xia Ya answered frankly. “My martial skills amount to little more than the wild swings I used while hunting or chopping firewood. I merely rely on being tall and strong. As for fighting battles, I have only one tactic: fight as if my life depended on it.”

“Hmph. The willingness to risk your life is already rare.” The emperor suddenly sighed. “A fellow like you would actually be very well suited to the Rodria Cavalry Regiment.”

Xia Ya was instantly delighted. If he could remain with the Rodria Cavalry Regiment, he would be more than happy to do so.

“However… I have another arrangement for you.”

The emperor’s next words left Xia Ya disappointed.

Kantos lifted his cup and took another drink, pondering for a while.

Originally, Kantos had not thought much of this young man. He had merely taken advantage of the military administration’s recent scheme to find an excuse to strike at the warlord faction. As for this boy, since he had rendered meritorious service, the emperor’s reception of him would serve as a signal to the military: The emperor takes this affair seriously.

After that, Kantos had intended to offer a few words of encouragement. If the young man truly possessed some ability, he would be sent to serve in a unit commanded by one of the eagle faction generals loyal to the imperial family. If he were merely a useless country bumpkin who had stumbled into good fortune, then the emperor would simply hand him back to the military administration to vent their anger. The struggle would temporarily come to an end, and sacrificing the boy might also ease the strained relationship with the military.

But now…

This young man had managed to arouse the interest of Emperor Kantos.

A wild boy who had studied neither martial arts nor military strategy had somehow achieved extraordinary merit and performed brilliantly. Most remarkable of all was the honest, unfeigned simplicity Xia Ya displayed, combined with his courage and readiness to risk his life. That temperament suited the emperor perfectly.

And then there was the fact that he had thoroughly dealt with Bonfreit, the man who had plagued the emperor for years…

The original arrangement no longer seemed appropriate. This little fellow was a malleable talent, and most importantly, he had no background. With proper cultivation, he could easily become one of the emperor’s most loyal personal followers.

There was only one difficulty…

It seemed that his own useless son hated this little fellow to the bone.

At that thought, Kantos suddenly changed his mind. He deliberately gave a cold laugh and said, “Xia Ya, you killed Bonfreit. That man was the crown prince’s… well, his closest and most trusted subordinate. Aren’t you afraid that he will seek revenge?”

As he spoke, his eyes grew stern and fixed Xia Ya beneath their weight.

Xia Ya sneered inwardly.

Damn it! Does he really take me for some brainless hothead? When I was just telling him how I had dealt with that old pretty boy, he was grinning so broadly that his face nearly split in two. I may be a fool, but I am not blind. How could I fail to see that he was delighted by what I had done?

Having understood the situation, Xia Ya immediately shook his head and protested, “Your Majesty! I did not kill Bonfreit! You cannot put it that way. Bonfreit was clearly killed by Hasting. He coveted credit, and that made him a target for Hasting’s execution. What does that have to do with me? If the crown prince wants to hate someone, he ought to hate Hasting!”

“Hmph. But you did humiliate Bonfreit repeatedly before that, did you not? The crown prince has formed a very poor opinion of you. Do you not regret what you did?”

“Well…” Xia Ya hesitated. This time he did not bother pretending and answered frankly. “At the time, we were surrounded by the Odin army. Bonfreit was the commander left in charge, yet he panicked and lost his head, throwing the army into confusion! Hmph! That useless fool nearly ruined everything by himself! Once the army’s morale collapses, no one survives! I was not with the Rodria Cavalry Regiment for very long, but every one of my brothers there was a brave and worthy man! Looking at such a useless coward made my blood boil! I beat him, and even then I did not feel I had vented enough anger! Never mind that he is already dead—even if everything happened again and he came back to life, I would want to break both his legs and knock every tooth from his mouth! A useless commander who gets the whole army killed deserves to be beaten! He deserved to die!”

Emperor Kantos’s face broke into a broad smile.

Good! Very good!

Before Xia Ya had opened his mouth, the emperor had already decided that if the boy said something like, “I serve my country and Your Majesty, and would never allow personal feelings to interfere with public duty…”—some polished, empty nonsense of that sort—then he would send the boy away at once.

But Xia Ya’s words filled Emperor Kantos with genuine admiration.

Most of the emperor’s youth had been spent in the military. The name “Emperor of the Lance” had been earned through decades of campaigning and slaughter on the battlefield. In his heart, the emperor had always preferred the frank and heroic warriors of the army.

And Xia Ya’s words happened to suit the emperor’s temperament perfectly.

At that moment, the country bumpkin gained another virtue in the emperor’s eyes:

Straightforwardness!

(Dodoro Ruel continues pounding the wall…)

The emperor studied Xia Ya from head to toe for quite some time. Xia Ya only felt the man’s gaze growing increasingly heated, and he began to feel distinctly uneasy.

Damn it! His son likes men. Surely the old man does not share that kind of taste too?!

If he dares entertain such thoughts about me, I will risk my life and beat this old pervert to death!

At last, the Emperor of the Lance smiled faintly and withdrew his gaze. The expression on his face returned to one of calm authority.

“That will do. You may leave.”

“...What?” Xia Ya froze.

That was it? He was leaving?

Where was his reward? Where was the reward he deserved? And what about his appointment? The emperor had not mentioned any of it!

He had traveled all the way to Yanjing just to tell the emperor a story, make him laugh, and then leave it at that?!

Xia Ya did not show much on his face. He merely looked slightly surprised, then nodded. He did not kneel, but instead gave a military salute by striking his fist against his chest. He turned and was about to leave when—

“Wait.”

The emperor suddenly spoke again. Xia Ya turned around and saw Kantos smiling as he seized the enormous golden candlestick from the table and threw it toward him.

“I told you that this reward was yours. Go buy yourself some new clothes! Ha ha! Of all the people I have received, you are dressed the most miserably. Boy, are you poor?”

Xia Ya spread his arms and caught the candlestick, clutching it awkwardly against his chest. The instant it landed in his arms, joy surged through him.

It was heavy! His earlier estimate had been wrong. This thing must weigh nearly ten pounds!

When he stepped out of the dining hall, the court messenger waiting outside saw that Xia Ya had actually carried the golden candlestick from the emperor’s dining table. His mouth fell open, and he pointed at Xia Ya.

“You—you—you…”

Xia Ya bared his teeth in a grin.

“The emperor gave it to me.”

The messenger swallowed audibly. His eyes darted about, and the arrogance vanished from his expression. It was replaced by an ingratiating smile, with a hint of flattery in his gaze.

“I see! General Xia Ya, it seems His Majesty holds you in very high regard! With your future promotion and success, your prospects are boundless…”

So he had thought this was merely a country boy who had stumbled into good fortune. Who would have imagined that he had won the emperor’s favor? This fellow would likely achieve great things in the future. He might even become a powerful general with real authority within the army.

The messenger’s earlier attitude had been far too poor. He had better find some way to make amends.

General Xia Ya?

The country bumpkin was delighted when he heard the title.

As he escorted Xia Ya out, the court messenger took the initiative to strike up a conversation. After circling around the subject for a while, he finally asked, “General Xia Ya, may I ask what appointment and reward His Majesty has granted you? I have served in the palace for many years, but I have never seen His Majesty bestow a personal reward like this. Have you been transferred directly into the military administration?”

Xia Ya did not conceal the truth.

“No. His Majesty asked me a few questions, and I answered them. Then he gave me this. As for an appointment or formal reward, he did not mention anything.”

The messenger turned this over in his mind, and his expression became even more respectful.

He had served in the palace for many years and was familiar with the Emperor of the Lance’s temperament. If the emperor was willing to grant someone such a reward, he clearly held that person in the highest esteem. The fact that he had not yet mentioned an appointment or formal reward probably meant that he valued the young man even more and needed time to consider the matter carefully before making a decision.

And once that decision was made, the reward would certainly be extraordinary.

After escorting Xia Ya out of the palace and reaching the main castle gate, Xia Ya mounted his horse. The court messenger warmly invited him to ride in the carriage, but Xia Ya merely smiled and said calmly, “Thank you for your kindness. However, I am a soldier. The Empire’s famous General, Duke Minas, once said: A soldier does not ride in a carriage.”

A trace of respect appeared in the messenger’s eyes.

Xia Ya rode all the way back. When the court messenger returned to the palace, the emperor summoned him again and carefully asked what the young man had said before leaving.

The messenger did not understand the emperor’s intention, so he reported Xia Ya’s words exactly:

“A soldier does not ride in a carriage.”

After hearing this, Emperor Kantos fell silent. A moment later, he suddenly smiled and waved for the messenger to leave.

A soldier does not ride in a carriage?

What a boy. He has a certain spirit.

Hmph… Soldiers ought to endure hardship and temper themselves. Those warlord nobles call themselves soldiers, but are nobles in truth. Where is the iron backbone of a real soldier in them? Their days of lavish feasts, wine, flesh, perfume, and beautiful women have probably soaked their bones soft!

This young man…

He was genuinely interesting.

And best of all, he had no background and would not easily be won over by the Senate.

The emperor thought of all the effort he had invested in establishing the Military Academy and training a new generation of imperial soldiers. He had formed a faction of eagle generals loyal to the imperial family, yet some of those men had apparently studied themselves stupid. Recently, he had heard that several of them had begun associating with those people in the Senate who spent their days talking about “democracy” and “limiting imperial authority.”

The thought infuriated him.

This young man had never studied. He knew nothing of the Senate’s schemes.

Perfect.

At that thought, Emperor Kantos suddenly turned his head and glanced behind him. In the corner stood the middle-aged man who seemed to be no more than a shadow, still standing silently in the darkness.

“What do you think of this young man?”

The emperor received no answer. The middle-aged man merely shook his head in silence and pointed toward his own mouth.

“Ah… I was being foolish. These are matters I should not ask you about.” Kantos smiled, looking entirely at ease.

He pondered for a while longer. Then he suddenly laughed, and a decisive light appeared in his eyes.

“Hmph. I have hesitated for so many years, and now matters have reached this point. What is there left to hesitate over? Kavisil was right. If one cannot act decisively, it is better not to act at all!”

With that, the emperor picked up the paper and pen on the table and quickly wrote a line. He then took up the ink jar and dripped a blot of ink onto the paper before pressing a bronze seal into it.

“Come!”

* * *

When Xia Ya returned to his lodgings, Ruel was already waiting for him. The fat rabbit general had arrived about an hour earlier. The moment Xia Ya entered, Ruel anxiously dragged him into the room. Without waiting for him to sit down, he glared and asked, “The emperor summoned you for an audience? How did it go? What did he say to you?”

Xia Ya gave a sly laugh, placed the cloth-wrapped bundle in his hand on the table, and opened it.

Ruel’s expression changed when he saw what was inside.

“Huh? Why does this golden candlestick look so familiar?”

After taking another look, the fat man turned pale and cried out, “Good heavens! That is the one from His Majesty’s dining table! I have seen it several times!”

As though he had seen a ghost, the fat man stared at Xia Ya.

“You… you audacious bastard! You actually went all the way to the imperial palace to steal something?!”

Xia Ya flew into a rage.

“Utter nonsense! Who said I stole it? The old emperor gave it to me.”

Ruel froze, his mouth falling open.

Generally speaking, it was not unusual for a monarch to reward a subordinate with an object from his own possession. But such gestures were reserved for trusted and favored officials.

But this country bumpkin…

What was he supposed to be?

Xia Ya laughed heartily, thoroughly enjoying Ruel’s astonishment. Only then did he slowly recount the audience with the emperor.

The more Ruel heard, the more shocked he became.

This boy had actually won the admiration of the Emperor of the Lance?

“That is how it went. But there was no other reward or appointment…” Xia Ya sounded somewhat depressed when he mentioned it. “Damn it, did I really travel all the way to Yanjing just to tell the old emperor a story? After hearing it, he gave me a golden candlestick and considered the matter settled?”

He snorted twice.

“Still, if I melt this thing down and exchange it for money, it will be enough to cover the cost of the trip.”

Ruel thought for a moment. Then the fat man suddenly burst into laughter and walked over to give Xia Ya a hard smack.

“Little fellow, congratulations! You have truly stumbled into extraordinary luck this time! His Majesty did not reward you immediately. Judging from what I know of him, he must have decided on your arrangements before meeting you and would ordinarily have told you in person. But after seeing you, he suddenly changed his mind and came up with another plan. He needs to weigh the matter carefully before making his final decision. And from what you have told me, His Majesty seems to like you very much. That means whatever he has decided after changing his mind must be far better than his original plan.”

At this point, Ruel shook his head vigorously.

“I truly cannot understand what is so good about you.”

He glanced at the golden candlestick on the table and gave an evil grin.

“Tell me honestly. You really did not steal this thing? If you did, you had better pack your belongings and flee immediately!”

“Nonsense!” Xia Ya laughed loudly and glared at the fat man. “You rabbit general! You actually call it ‘stumbling into extraordinary luck’ that His Majesty took a liking to me! If I am the luck, then who exactly are you calling the dung? Be careful, or I will report you and have the emperor send you to the palace to become a eunuch!”

The two men laughed and joked for a while. Now that Ruel knew Xia Ya had won the emperor’s favor, his greatest concern had disappeared, and he smiled.

“I went to the Military Academy this morning to see General Green, that mad dog. He has been there so long he is nearly rusting. I arranged to drink with him tonight. Come along with me.”

As he spoke, the fat man deliberately looked Xia Ya up and down twice before giving him a strange smile.

“You look like you are still a virgin, boy! Tonight, this general will take you to experience the pleasures of Os Kyrgia after dark. Ha ha ha ha!”

Xia Ya immediately flushed scarlet.

Being a virgin had always been a painful subject for the country bumpkin. On any other matter, he could at least trade a few barbs with the fat man. On this subject, however, he could only endure the teasing.

They joked for a while longer. As the sky darkened and they were about to leave, a voice suddenly came from outside the door.

“General Xia Ya! General Xia Ya, please come out and receive your decree!”

The two men stepped outside. Xia Ya was stunned when he saw who had come. It was the same court messenger who had escorted him to the palace earlier that day. He had only just returned from the imperial palace. Why had this man come again?

The messenger’s face was radiant with a smile. So much powder had been applied to it that flakes shook loose with every movement. The instant he saw Xia Ya, he hurried forward, bowed, and said with a grin, “General Xia Ya, I have brought His Majesty the emperor’s handwritten decree of reward. Please accept it.”

He handed Xia Ya a finely crafted paper scroll. Xia Ya had only just taken it when Ruel cried out beside him.

“So soon?!”

The fat man snatched the scroll away, then shoved Xia Ya aside. Xia Ya stood there dumbfounded, while Ruel sighed and pulled a small gold ingot from inside his robe. He pressed it into the messenger’s hand and smiled.

“There. Thank you for making the trip.”

The messenger clearly knew Ruel. He quickly bowed with a smile and accepted the gold before departing.

Only after he had left did he think:

Damn it. So this country bumpkin is one of Ruel’s people. Could he also be one of Duke Minas’s direct followers? It seems I was right to treat him more courteously. With Duke Minas as his patron, how could he fail to rise to prominence?

After the messenger had gone, Xia Ya frowned at Ruel.

“Why did you snatch the decree? Give it back so I can read it.”

The fat man glared at him, then sneered.

“Can you read it? You ignorant boy, imperial decrees are not written in ordinary Byzantine script. They are written in an ancient floral form of Byzantine, whose grammar and writing style differ considerably from modern script. Only nobles can read it. If I hand it to you, will you understand a single word? I might as well read it aloud for you!”

The fat man opened the scroll.

Although he had already been mentally prepared and had guessed that the emperor’s reward would be anything but modest, once he clearly saw the words written upon it, even Ruel could not help drawing a deep breath.

He cried out, then raised his head and stared at Xia Ya with an indescribably strange expression.

“You… boy, I am beginning to wonder whether you are secretly the emperor’s illegitimate son.”

To be continued.

Thirty-Seven Chinese Novel Network. Its romanized name is simple and easy to remember.