Huangxiu

Chapter 3 Illusion
None of the princes and crown princes are fools; they are all smart.

Don’t they know that the Jade Lock and Golden Gate Technique can attract the emperor’s attention and is a shortcut to winning his favor?
Why abandon this shortcut?

There are many martial arts geniuses among the princes and the crown princes. If they don't choose this path, it proves that this is a dead end and they can only give up.

But there is no need to say this to Bai Ningshuang who doesn't know martial arts, so just agree to it and read the secret method first.

Chu Zhiyuan said sternly, "Mom, no one is coming to visit just for the moment. Everyone is waiting and watching. We need to keep calm and steady, and not act rashly."

Bai Ningshuang snorted, "I want to be calm, but I can't stand the anger."

"Then go visit the Imperial Grandmother more often and learn from her."

"...Okay." Bai Ningshuang nodded helplessly: "Your royal grandmother is also deserted, pitiful. Now that we are unblocked, we can spend more time with her and have someone to talk to."

-

Before daybreak, everyone in Prince Qing's mansion was already busy.

Tingtao Courtyard is the prince's bedroom, and the blazing ox candles make it as bright as day.

There was a red sandalwood round table with dragon patterns in the outer room of the dormitory. Eight dishes and four soups on the table exuded an attractive luster and aroma under the candlelight.

Chu Zhiyuan stood in front of the table, stretched out his arms, and let two red-shirted maids help him get dressed.

Two other maids in white shirts served him dinner.

The four maids are all beautiful, graceful and elegant. When they walk outside, one would think they are the daughters of some rich family.

Two maids in red shirts were busy adjusting his bright yellow suit, and their slender hands were repeatedly fiddling with the position of the crane-shaped waist badge.

He had no other extra clothes on his body except for this silver waist badge in the shape of a crane.

Chu Zhiyuan said: "Okay."

The two maids in white put away their silver chopsticks and spoons, waved their jade hands, and directed a group of maids outside to come in and remove the food.

When Chu Zhiyuan put down his arms, he touched the pretty faces of the two maids in red, and left Tingtao Courtyard while they glanced at him coquettishly.

Zou Fang was wearing a blue robe, with a white jade whisk stuck on his waist. He was waiting outside the house with a lantern in his hand. When he saw him come out, he tiptoed in front of him to lead the way.

In the brightly lit front hall, Prince Qing Chu Minghou sat upright, Princess Bai Ningshuang walked around, and a beautiful and graceful girl sat by the table.

Chu Minghou was thin and frail, but he had a unique temperament and a sense of transcendence. He smiled and said, "Madam, don't worry too much. Yuan'er can handle it. Sit down and take a rest."

Bai Ningshuang stopped and glanced at him: "Master, Yuan'er has no experience in dealing with these guys!"

Yuan'er has been staying in the mansion for twenty years and has never seen outsiders. However, those princes and princes get together every day and have become wary of each other. Yuan'er going to Mingwu Palace is like a sheep among wolves. How can people not worry?
"It doesn't matter if you have no experience. Yuan'er is much smarter than ordinary people and won't suffer any loss."

"Ah..." Bai Ningshuang sighed worriedly and sat down next to him.

Chu Minghou smiled and shook his head.

Just at this moment, Chu Zhiyuan came in through the curtain, his bright yellow outfit lighting up the room.

The graceful girl walked forward with a smile and took his arm: "Brother!"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Finally, I can leave Wanqingyuan."

"Brother, you can finally enter the Mingwu Palace!" said the girl Chu Yi with a giggle.

She was not worried at all, only happy.

In her mind, her eldest brother is omnipotent and omniscient, and the people in Mingwu Palace are all young boys and are not worth mentioning.

"Yuan'er," Bai Ningshuang stepped forward to help him straighten his clothes, "When you go over there, don't be timid. Don't provoke them, but don't be afraid of them either!"

Chu Zhiyuan agreed with a smile.

His mood was the exact opposite of theirs, eager and fervent.

"Yes, big brother, don't be polite to them. Just take action when necessary and beat them all down until they cry for their parents!" Chu Yi clapped his hands in agreement.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed: "Little sister, don't always take care of those flowers and plants. Go out more often, see the outside world, and breathe in the human touch."

This younger sister of mine is lively in character, but she is a homebody. She is used to the life trapped in the palace. Even after she established her own mansion, she has never left the palace. She doesn't like to see people, but prefers to appreciate and fiddle with flowers and plants.

"I'm too lazy to go out. It's so boring and dirty." Chu Yi curled his lips.

Chu Minghou stroked his three strands of beard with his left hand and said slowly: "Yuan'er, you are also the grandson of the emperor, not inferior to them, just let it go!"

"Father, I don't need to worry about that." Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

He has great respect for his father, King Chu Minghou.

Although he was too weak to practice martial arts, he did not give up on himself after being confined to the mansion. He focused on calligraphy and painting, and his attainments were already very high, making him a master of calligraphy and painting.

Bai Ningshuang hurriedly said: "Yuan'er, don't be polite to the princes, but you still have to be respectful to the Thirteenth Uncle..."

"Mom, I understand. It's getting late. Let's go."

……

When Chu Zhiyuan stepped out of the gate of Prince Qing's Mansion, the morning light was just breaking.

Qingwang Street was shrouded in mist and cold air. The lanterns on both sides of the street swayed in the cold wind, casting mottled shadows.

Groups of five black-robed guards shuttled among the swaying shadows, looking very imposing.

Guo Chi and eight innate masters escorted him to the Nangong Gate a hundred meters away.

Nangong Gate is the first access control gate of the imperial palace.

A group of officials wearing red robes and official hats lined up in two teams ten meters long, one team with bird patches and the other with animal patches.

The twelve guards of the Forbidden Palace looked serious and checked everyone's badge without saying a word.

Chu Zhiyuan did not queue up at the back, but went directly to the front of the two lines. With the crane-shaped waist badge, he and Zou Fang entered the palace gate unimpeded.

Guo Chi and his eight guards could not get in and could only stay outside the palace gate.

After entering the Nangong Gate, there is an open square in front of you. Court officials in scarlet robes and official hats are already waiting to attend court. It is a sea of ​​black people, and the atmosphere is solemn and quiet.

Chu Zhiyuan was wearing a bright yellow suit, and it was obvious at first glance that he was a member of the royal family. The court officials all avoided him and looked at him.

Chu Zhiyuan ignored everyone and walked in calmly.

My mind was thinking back to the two stalkers.

Concealing his breath and dimming the light on his body was an extremely sophisticated technique of concealing his presence, but it still fooled Guo Chi and Zou Fang.

I just don't know if Feng Xi, who is lurking in the dark, can find them and find out their whereabouts.

Feng Xi, as the chief steward of the palace, practices the top mental skills of the eunuchs in the forbidden palace. He is gentle, silent and swift like a ghost, and is at the level of a master. There are two masters among the guards of Nangong Gate.

There were shadows three feet above the heads of both of them.

One is a flying crane, two feet long, standing on one leg in the air, with its neck bent and its head hidden under its wings.

One is a white tiger, three feet long, lying in the air, also resting.

There are nine levels of grandmasters, Guo Chi and Zou Fang are both at the third level, and Feng Xi is at the fifth level.

Only his super sense could see the phantom above their heads. After summarizing the rules, he found that the shadow was one foot away from one level of heaven.

He crossed the square and passed through a palace gate. After walking more than a hundred meters, he passed through another palace gate. Each palace gate was guarded by a master.

Finally they arrived at a spacious martial arts training ground.

He waved at Zou Fang.

Zou Fang bowed and said, "My Lord, I will wait outside."

"Ah."

Zou Fang exited the palace gate and waited outside.

……

Directly north of the martial arts training ground is a magnificent hall. On the plaque, three golden characters "Mingwu Hall" flicker in the morning light.

Together with the side halls on the east side, the three main halls are like three giant beasts lurking in the morning light, exuding an inexplicable sense of oppression.

The ground of the martial arts training ground is a dark green soil that is soft yet tough to step on, similar to the plastic track in the previous life.

Twelve young men in bright yellow tights were standing motionless in strange postures in the morning light. He could tell at a glance that they were practicing the Little Purple Yang Technique.

The twelve people heard footsteps and turned their heads to look over.

He could clearly feel everyone's emotion: curiosity.

He felt it twice more and confirmed that everyone's emotion was indeed curiosity.

He felt strange.

I originally thought that I would be greeted with indifference or even disdain, or even worse, sarcasm, but I didn't expect that there was no malice at all, only curiosity.

Will the children of the prince and the emperor have good natures?
This is impossible.

They are so friendly to me, probably because of the influence of their parents. It seems that my father has a good reputation among the princes.

Just think about it, because he can’t practice martial arts, has a gentle and open-minded temperament, and values ​​friendship and loyalty, who wouldn’t like such a brother?

He came to the side of the field in front of the thin and short old man, clasped his fists and bowed: "Junior Chu Zhiyuan greets the Thirteenth Great Uncle."

The hairs on his back stood up, reminding him to stay away.

The old man in front of him had white hair and a youthful face, and was thin and short, as if he could be knocked away with one punch.

His super sense expanded and his vision suddenly became blurry.

In a trance, I seemed to be on the top of a mountain among the vast peaks.

Under the layers of dark clouds, the towering peaks are divided into two, and a wide river in the middle meanders into the distance.

At the end of the river, the sun had just risen, emitting brilliant golden light, but it was half covered by layers of dark clouds.

The golden light of half of the rising sun turned the dark clouds into purple, turned the river into a golden dragon, and turned the peaks on both sides into golden mountains.

He suddenly woke up, restrained his super senses, and immediately returned to normal.

It's as if everything is an illusion.

The person in front of me is still that thin and short old man who could be blown away by a gust of wind.

This is the Grand Master!

There is a layer of innate brilliance, the master’s mind and external manifestations are revealed, what is this for the grand master?
"Chu Zhiyuan, the son of the third son Minghou?"

There was no trace of age in the thin and short old man's eyes; instead, his eyes were bright and sparkling.

"It's my nephew," Chu Zhiyuan said, looking pale. He tried his best to suppress the slight trembling in his body and smiled reluctantly, "My father asked my nephew to bring greetings to my thirteenth great uncle."

"Where's Minghou?"

"Father said that he didn't want to cause trouble for others or the mansion, so it would be better for everyone to stay in the mansion."

“…This child—”

Chu Qingfeng was silent for a moment, shook his head and sighed.

He then reached out and grasped Chu Zhiyuan's wrist, and a subtle breath instantly passed through the meridians in his body.

Chu Zhiyuan was pinched and unable to move before he could react.

Chu Qingfeng released his wrist and nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad,... not bad!"

The princes and princes became more and more curious and couldn't wait to come over.

As the master of these princes, Chu Qingfeng has always been strict. He often scolds and ridicules them, and rarely says nice things.

Is this loving the house and loving the dog?

A round-faced, burly young man asked loudly, "Uncle Thirteen, what realm is the Fourth Master at?"

Chu Zhiyuan ranks fourth among the princes of this generation.

"Practice your Kung Fu!... You have already completed it in the future, and you are much better than your eighteenth uncle!"

The round-faced burly young man grinned: "It's nothing to be perfect the day after tomorrow. The ninth and tenth elders will also be perfect the day after tomorrow."

"Old Eighteen, you are the uncle, but your cultivation is not as good as your nephew's. How dare you say that?" Chu Qingfeng glanced at him and said, "Shut your mouth!"

The eighteenth prince Chu Mingxuan snorted angrily, shut his mouth and stopped talking. He even closed his eyes and pretended to concentrate on practicing.

Otherwise, what follows will be even more unpleasant words.

"Come and talk."

"Yes."

The two left the training ground and came to the main hall.

(End of this chapter)