Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 54: There’s a Secret I’m Wondering if I Should Reveal to You

Calling this a “prearranged blind date” was a joke; however, it was not that far from the truth.

What Xia Chichi said about the importance of his identity as the “crown prince” and how other people would treat him was, from start to finish, just her own wishful thinking. First Seat Tang had her own way of thinking, her own choices, and her own plans. And all these would change with how circumstances changed. She did not necessarily have to plant a fake crown prince, and even if she chose to do so, this fake crown prince did not necessarily have to be Zhao Changhe.

Moreover, till now, Zhao Changhe had no way of knowing what Xia Longyuan was thinking. Even if what Xia Chichi said made sense, she also completely lacked information about the current situation. It was extremely unlikely for everything to go according to what she thought.

However, there was still a chance that Zhao Changhe was the real crown prince. That was why the arrest order was still up. First Seat Tang did not rescind it for fear of arousing the suspicions of others, and neither did she dare to carry out the arrest, afraid that something might go wrong.

Fate had brought things to this point. With the status of the Cui family, they definitely knew a thing or two about what was going on, and so First Seat Tang wanted them to see if Zhao Changhe was “qualified.” It was also to allow him to properly make contact with an influential family. To the rest of the world, they simply thought the Cui Clan had accepted the mission to capture him and thought nothing more of it.

As for why she had chosen such an unpredictable way of doing things, the answer was probably that she never once had the intention of controlling how things went. What Zhao Changhe could do with this new path was something she wanted to observe as well. She wanted to know what he was like as a person and what sort of changes would be stirred up after he met with someone from a powerful family.

It just so happened that a little princess of the Cui Clan was also involved in all of this. Zhao Changhe was unmarried. Did the Cui Clan have other ideas? What if they were actually compatible?

Wouldn’t that be a match made in heaven? Half of the Great Xia would be pacified in an instant!

Cui Yuanyong said two things at the start. “Are you interested in her?” and “Why do I feel like that’s the case with you as well? Regardless of whether it’s with Xia Chichi, or Yue Hongling.”

Putting two and two together, the implication is abundantly clear.

The two men looked each other in the eye. Both of them could make out the friendliness and amusement hidden in each of their gazes. This matter was not something they could talk about openly. Both of them could only hint at it.

Cui Yuanyong finally sipped his wine and leisurely said, “There’s a secret I’m wondering if I should reveal to you. If I tell you, I’m afraid you might think I have a big mouth and will be afraid I can’t keep Yue Hongling’s secret under wraps...”

Zhao Changhe coughed dryly. “Everyone has some double standards. Please keep quiet about the matter surrounding Yue Hongling. What is this secret? Can you tell me?”

Cui Yuanyong chuckled. “You...”

“Hurry up and tell me. I’ve already treated you to a meal.”

“The imperial concubine died of an illness. Afterward, First Seat Tang discussed the possibility of marriage with the crown prince, but before they could be engaged, he passed away. Those with an understanding of politics all know the meaning of this marriage proposal. The Tang family is interested in marriage with the crown prince and cares not for whom the crown prince actually is. Since they’ve started aiming for this, if there is a new crown prince, they might be able to restart discussions of marriage.

“Pfft!!” Zhao Changhe almost spat out his wine all over the table.

That’s why you want to know what kind of relationship I have with her?!

“Tang Wanzhuang probably has complicated thoughts about the matter.” Cui Yuanyong leisurely leaned against his seat and sighed. “Perhaps her move was also to gain more freedom for herself? She’ll be able to gain a few explanations out of this. Haha...hahaha...”

“Hey, you’re ruining your public image with how you’re laughing right now.” Zhao Changhe was amused and in a good mood. “You must really love to gossip. With that said...now I’m really worried about the matter regarding Yue Hongling.”

“Tsk. Weren’t you the one who asked me to tell you?” Cui Yuanyong wiped away his smile and lowered his voice. “It’s understandable that First Seat Tang has her own plans, but my Cui Clan is not a puppet for her to control. Don’t have any thoughts about my little sister. At the very least, it’s impossible right now.”

Zhao Changhe was speechless. “Let me repeat. I’m not interested in idiots. Let me remind you that, until now, I have not even asked for her name. I’m. Not. Interested.”

“Heh...” Cui Yuanyong once again leaned back on his seat. “Her name is not a secret. My generation of the Cui Clan is denoted by the character “yuan.”[1] Her formal name is Yuanyang. Her childhood name is Yangyang.”

“Hey. It’s enough for you to tell me her formal name. Why are you telling me what you called her when she was a kid?”

“Tang Wanzhuang has complicated thoughts about the matter. Why can’t I also have some complicated thoughts about it?” Cui Yuanyong finally stood up. “I’ve lost interest in this. We’ve spoken more or less about everything that needs to be discussed. What I want to see is you, Zhao Changhe, challenging the world under heaven with your saber. I don’t want to see you being tangled up by these meaningless affairs. You can continue your travels. I’ve already gotten someone to hide your tracks. At the very least, you can feel safe eating your next meal.”

Zhao Changhe also stood up and cupped his fists. “Many thanks.”

“There’s no need to thank me. This is something I should do.” Cui Yuanyong sighed. “I’m actually very curious what your next move will be, but it’d be a bit strange for me to follow you.”

“You sure like gossip, don’t you? You’re not willing to let your little sister follow me either.”

“In your dreams.” Cui Yuanyong snorted. “Alright, for the time being, I’ll wait for the next time the Tome of Troubled Times shines in the sky with your name. Work hard, man that Tang Wanzhuang will never obtain, hahahaha...”

“What are you laughing at! Who’s the one that said they’re not good at making jokes just now?”

Both of them, even until now, did not speak about Zhao Changhe’s identity. They only briefly mentioned whether Luo Zhenwu was the crown prince and about Tang Wanzhuang’s marriage arrangements.

However, with that, everything that needed to be discussed was discussed. Cui Yuanyong got his confirmation, and whether Zhao Changhe was the real thing or not was unimportant to him.

On the other side, Zhao Changhe managed to obtain a lot of unknown information regarding how everyone thought about the matter.

The Cui family indeed had an interest in Zhao Changhe but they would not directly admit it. They needed Zhao Changhe to show more of himself. If he died in the jianghu, they would simply shrug and that was that.

*

Long after Cui Yuanyong left, Zhao Changhe suddenly gulped down his wine and laughed as he coughed.

“Fuck, I forgot to ask him about the histories of the powerful families and the significance of the eras. Fuck! As expected, when women are thrown into the equation, things get messed up!”

Zhao Changhe grabbed the saber he had put on the table and left.

First Seat Tang? The Cui Clan of Qinghe? One is superior, the other is faking it. Do you think I’ll let you people observe and test me? In your dreams! If it wasn’t because the position card was entangled with all these shitty matters regarding the crown prince, why would I engage in all this? If I offend too many people for no reason, I won’t be able to travel freely.

What’s my next move? What’s there to be curious about? Obviously it’s to further my training and cultivation! One day when I make it out of the Ranking of Hidden Dragons into the Ranking of Heaven, I’ll pay you a visit to test you a little, just like you’re testing me now. Let’s see what you think then.”

Amidst the rain, a youth draped a straw raincoat over himself and strode away from the small village, carrying a saber on his back.

After he left Beimang, the lands he traveled through got more and more prosperous by the day. There was a city ahead which contained many sects, schools and martial arts families. All manner of strong people gathered there.

The evening sky got darker as the rain continued to pour.

In front of a martial arts school came a travel-worn man, braving the rain.

The gatekeeper raised his hand and gestured for him to halt. “Night has fallen. Little brother, if you wish to join us, please return in the morning.

The traveler grinned and spoke openly. “I’ve heard your honored school’s Roaming Dragon Eight Trigrams Saber Art is incredibly strong and that its footwork is masterful. I’ve specially come to see it for myself. Will your honored school’s master be so kind as to enlighten me?”

“You’ve come to challenge us?” The gatekeeper sized him up. “You’re still young. Don’t court death. Our master is at the third layer of the Profound Gate.”

“What a coincidence, so am I.” The traveler had a beaming smile on his face. “Could I trouble you to inform him, good sir?”

“...Tell me your name first.”

“Zhao Changhe from Beimang.”

Bang!

The gatekeeper could sit around no longer and ran into the school. “Master, master! A bandit has come to loot our school!”

Zhao Changhe: “?”

If Cui Yongyuan found out that his efforts to help Zhao Changhe hide his tracks were ruined by the man himself, Zhao Changhe did not know how he would feel.

*

While Zhao Changhe issued his challenges, Cui Yuanyong traveled over land and water back to his home. After traveling for a little under half a month, he arrived home and was confronted by a senior. “Why did you come back alone? Where’s your sister?”

Cui Yuanyong was stupefied. “She isn’t back yet? Didn’t I send someone to bring her back?”

“She ran away along the way home. I sent someone to inform you. Didn’t you receive this information?”

“...”

Cui Yuanyong had used his movement art to take every shortcut available on the way home, so how could meeting with him be so simple? After listening to the elder, he retraced his steps in his head and knew where his little sister had run off to.

He stood where he was with a huge headache.

He knew the direction his sister ran off to; however, he had been on the road for so long. Only heaven knew where his little sister had run off to meet with her “god.”

1. A pretty common character in names, 元, which is usually translated as “origin,” “primordial” etc. and also the Chinese currency. ☜