Jiangshan Fengwuzhi

Chapter 129 Talent
After arriving in Yongjing for a few days, Yin Yucheng finally took Gu Jingnian to meet the emperor.

From the moment he got on the carriage, he started sighing and finally asked Gu Jingnian a question.

"Brother, do you know what I am worried about?"

"What are you worried about?"

"A woman's heart is as elusive as a needle in the sea." Yin Yucheng sighed.

Apparently, things weren't going well between him and Feng Niang.

Gu Jingnian still found it hard to believe that a prince of Yong would be so obsessed with a woman and neglect his work. He wondered if there was another side to Yin Yucheng beneath his appearance.

Therefore, when Yin Yucheng was about to start talking again, he tried to guide the topic and asked, "Prince Xin is a peerless hero with great abilities, so why would he bother to guess what a woman is thinking?"

“That’s how thoughtful I am.”

The topic did not lead to "skills" as Gu Jingnian wished. Yin Yucheng described in detail how much he cared about Feng Niang. After a long time, Gu Jingnian found an opportunity to ask him why he could control the wind.

Yin Yucheng was about to speak when he suddenly realized what was going on after hearing this question. He said, "Brother, you asked me twice. I guess you're worried that I might refine an alien, right?"

Gu Jingnian's thoughts were exposed. He hesitated for a moment and answered bluntly, "Yes, I was repeatedly persecuted by the alchemists in Rui Country, so I can't help but worry too much. Please forgive me, Prince Xin."

"I understand." Yin Yucheng smiled and said, "Don't worry, my talent is definitely not from refining. I don't care about the tricks of the villains in Rui Country."

He still didn't tell Gu Jingnian how he got his supernatural powers, but he used the word "talent".

Gu Jingnian then asked, "Could it be that the royal family of Dayong is also an extraordinary person?"

"Haha, if you have the chance, you will know."

As they were talking, the carriage had arrived at the Yong State Palace.

Yongjing has no city walls, but the palace is very high. The walls are painted red, but from the occasional spots, you can tell that the wall under the red paint is black.

The palace is also built of black neodymium stone, which can curb the ability of aliens to fly, hide, and call the wind and rain.

This made Gu Jingnian begin to doubt his previous judgment.

If the royal family of Yong State were extraordinary people who could control the wind, why would they build such a palace wall that was disadvantageous to themselves?
He followed Yin Yucheng into the palace and waited outside the Qinzheng Hall where the emperor of Yong lived.

The two stood there for a while, and then a young man in his twenties walked slowly towards them.

Yin Yucheng looked back and whispered to Gu Jingnian, "That's the prince's son, Prince Zhao Yin Jinggeng."

This was a rare time when he was so excited to talk about something other than Feng Niang, and he continued, "The Crown Prince is my third brother. The reason why he was able to surpass my eldest and second brothers to enter the Eastern Palace was largely because my father liked Yin Jinggeng very much. When he appointed the Crown Prince, he personally told the eunuchs to 'choose a virtuous grandson.'"

Up to this point, Yin Yucheng did not reveal his attitude towards Yin Jinggeng in words, but his tone was indifferent, which showed that the friendship between the two was not deep.

Previously, he was ordered to tour the east and comfort the border. He once suspected that the father and son in the East Palace designed to send him away with ulterior motives.

Yin Jinggeng gradually approached.

To be fair, he was not handsome, but he was tall and strong, with a square face, regular features, a firm and calm gaze, a healthy wheat-colored skin, and not a trace of vulgarity or timidity about him. One could tell at a glance that he was trustworthy.

He was not dressed fancy and did not need any external objects to set off his appearance. He had an elegant and outstanding temperament.

When he arrived in front of Yin Yucheng, Yin Jinggeng bowed and called him "Eighth Uncle". They nodded to each other and walked away without any useless polite greetings. He only glanced at Gu Jingnian and nodded slightly when he turned around. He walked to the other side and stood there waiting to be summoned, his brows slightly frowned, showing some thoughtfulness.

The three of them waited in silence for a long time. Finally, a eunuch came out from the hall and called them in.

Yin Jinggeng raised his hand and asked Yin Yucheng to go first. Yin Yucheng declined politely, so Yin Jinggeng did not hesitate and entered the hall first.

Gu Jingnian walked at the end and looked around. He saw several people sitting in the hall, including Qu Jizhi. On the imperial couch at the top sat a white-haired old man, who was naturally the Emperor of Yong.

So many major events had happened in Rui State, and Gu Jingnian had never met the Emperor of Rui State. Unexpectedly, he would be able to see the Emperor easily in Yong State.

Emperor Yong was named Yin Kuo. He was seventy-nine years old at the time, but his hair looked gray and sparse, his face was covered with wrinkles and age spots, his eyes were cloudy, and he even looked sick.

This was very different from the impression Gu Jingnian had formed of Emperor Yong based on the war situation between the two countries. He originally thought that Emperor Yong was a tyrant with great talent and ambition, who was powerful, domineering, and self-righteous.

Gu Jingnian followed Yin Yucheng in paying his respects, and Yin Kuo's gaze fell on him.

Without false praise, the old Emperor of Yong asked directly: "Young man, what do you think of your father's surrender to Yong?" "Father, the Gu family abandoned the dark and surrendered..."

Yin Yucheng thought that this was an established matter and there was nothing to ask. He was worried that his father might lose his loyalty, so he opened his mouth to speak, but was immediately stopped by Yin Kuo who raised his hand.

Those old eyes were still cloudy, but when he waved his hand, there was an aura that could make the world quiet.

Gu Jingnian thought for a moment and thought it was pointless to lie to Yin Kuo, so he answered honestly: "Your Majesty, I didn't think anything at first. I just felt that my father didn't care about our family and was really heartless."

Hearing this, everyone in the hall looked at him.

Yin Yucheng didn't expect him to answer like this. He was surprised and wanted to explain again.

"What an honest young man." Yin Kuo nodded and praised him, saying, "You are brave enough to answer my questions frankly. If so, why are you looking for your father?"

"I dare not hide it from your Majesty, because I can no longer stay in Ruiguo."

"I praise you for being honest, but you are a little too honest."

Yin Kuo said this half-tapping and half-jokingly, completing the test of Gu Jingnian.

As an emperor who was busy with all kinds of affairs, this level of concern for a hostage was enough. He then began to grant official positions and rewards. In order to show his importance to the Gu family, he directly appointed Gu Jingnian as the sixth-rank Prince's Guard. Although it was a casual position without real power, it was enough of a favor. He also conferred the honorary title of Zhaowu Wei on Gu Jingnian and gave him an additional salary.

In addition, he was granted a four-courtyard mansion in a good location in the capital, and dozens of servants and guards to take care of Gu Jingnian's daily life and monitor the hostage of the Gu family.

As Gu Jingnian was preparing to bow and accept the order to express his gratitude, he glanced at the man sitting at the top of the right row and judged that it was Prince Yin Yuhe of Yong.

Feng Niang said that Luoxia found out that the mysterious person who took Yingyao away might be related to the prince. Today, she met that person, but she didn't know how to approach him so she could investigate him carefully.

As he was thinking about these things, the decree to reward him was not yet complete, and it was followed by a sentence that surprised him a little.

"Granted the same status of a Jinshi, he was admitted to study at the Yuewei Academy."

Gu Jingnian was slightly surprised. He didn't expect that he would have to go to school even though he became an official. He came here to find Ying Yao and had no intention of going to school, but he still thanked her and accepted the offer on the surface.

On the contrary, Yin Yucheng felt that the reward was too little. He had promised Gu Jingnian that he would help him get a title, so he said, "Father, Gu Jingnian saved my life twice at the border, he should be rewarded heavily..."

"Father." Crown Prince Yin Yuhe stepped out and interrupted Yin Yucheng, saying, "I have found out that the people who attacked my eighth brother are probably the remnants of the Ji people traitor Mi Sheng, led by Mi Sheng's son-in-law Guan Tianze. Although it is a minor disease, it must be eliminated. Please allow me to ask my eighth brother and Gu Jingnian a few questions."

Yin Kuo nodded and waved his hand slightly, indicating that he agreed.

Yin Yuhe asked a few questions about Guan Tianze and others in front of the emperor. Yin Yucheng's answers were a bit perfunctory, probably because he didn't like the third prince.

Gu Jingnian still remembered that he had promised Guan Tianze to rescue Mi Sheng. He also wanted to take the opportunity to contact the East Palace and find out the whereabouts of Ying Yao. Therefore, he answered very carefully, and even when faced with certain questions, he took the initiative to say that he could draw a picture after returning.

Such a sincere and meticulous attitude towards work finally made Yin Jinggeng turn around and look at him. This imperial grandson had been standing there without saying a word since entering the palace, and this was the first time he took a move.

After saying this, a eunuch came over with the imperial edict and handed it to Gu Jingnian, signaling him to leave.

Some officials could no longer hold back and stepped forward to impeach Yin Yucheng, shouting, "Prince Xin was obsessed with the daughter of the Rui people all day long and was almost abducted by the traitors."

"Watch your words. What do you mean by a Swiss girl? My Great Yong royal family never considers family background when marrying people. It doesn't matter whether you are from a different family or noble. It's not your turn to point fingers at me!"

Gu Jingnian stepped back and listened, feeling somewhat puzzled about the custom of the Yong Kingdom. He thought to himself, if this was the case, how could the royal family maintain its dignity and win over the powerful people in the country?
"That's enough. Stop arguing about these meaningless things!"

It was Yin Jinggeng who spoke out to stop the dispute in the hall.

He stepped out of the line, bowed to Yin Kuo, and said, "Your Majesty, the fourteen states in the southwest have been suffering from drought for half a year. Previously, the court transferred all the foreigners to the east because of the eastward advance. Now the drought has lasted for nearly half a year. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to lead people to bring rain..."

Gu Jingnian deliberately slowed down his pace, and before leaving the hall, he heard Yin Jinggeng say "rain" instead of "disaster relief."

In other words, this grandson of the emperor was actually confident that he could make it rain in the fourteen states. Of course, judging from his words, this would require the whole country of Yong to accomplish.

Gu Jingnian had seen the magical power of rain-making in Rui Country before, but it was usually just a cloud covering a small area, which was many times different from the range that Yin Jinggeng described.

All the way out of the palace, Gu Jingnian was thinking about what he had seen and heard today, recalling some details over and over again.

The supernatural powers of the Yong royal family did not come from refining, but were innate. Yin Jinggeng wanted to bring rain himself, and perhaps he also had the ability to control the wind like Yin Yucheng. In addition, the Yong royal family married regardless of their family background or status.

When these clues were connected in his mind, Gu Jingnian suddenly thought of a possibility.

Could it be that Yin Yucheng's so-called "talent" was inherited from the Yin family who had married and had children with strangers for generations? If so, was he sincere to Feng Niang, or did he see through Feng Niang's "talent"?
(End of this chapter)