Chapter 3: Riding Through the Streets

Riding through the streets on horseback wasn’t part of the original plan, but the Ministry of Rites and the palace staff had prepared everything just in case. Big red flowers, white horses, soldiers beating drums and gongs, palace attendants and soldiers clearing the way, everything was in place.

When Lin Lang, Fan Zhong, and Lu Ji mounted their horses, Lin Lang felt a bit reluctant to face the crowd. No matter what others thought, he genuinely found it a bit awkward. Sitting on a horse with a big red flower, being watched by a crowd of people, wasn’t it just like being a monkey on display?!

Yet, those young ladies and gentlemen were quite excited to see them, throwing sachets, flowers, handkerchiefs, and the like at them as if they were free. If it weren’t for the guards stopping them, Lin Lang thought the people above might throw anything they had, like silver or fruits, and the three of them would be in trouble.

Lin Lang sat on his horse with a cold face, expressionless, looking straight ahead, as if the lively parade had nothing to do with him. He thought to himself, this Wang Dahai really knows how to pick a way to make things difficult for him, like a punishment rather than a celebration.

Wang Gonggong didn’t realize that offending the emperor’s confidant could bring so much trouble with just a careless word—

But the cold face of the new top scholar didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the people. Many young ladies stood by the roadside or leaned on the railings of taverns and inns, covering their mouths with handkerchiefs and giggling, “This top scholar is so handsome! Even the top courtesan of Chuyun Pavilion can’t compare!”

An aunt nearby chimed in, “Of course! Just look at the status of this top scholar compared to the top courtesan of Chuyun Pavilion! His scholarly demeanor and grace are not something ordinary people can match!”

“It’s a pity I’m not twenty years younger. With the looks of this top scholar, how many young ladies will lose sleep tonight—”

An uncle next to her rolled his eyes and said, “Tsk tsk, even if you were twenty years younger, this top scholar wouldn’t look at you—”

The aunt nudged him with her elbow, her face blushing slightly, “Why are you speaking the truth? When you were chasing me back then, you didn’t say that—”

The uncle blushed a bit too, “Alright, alright, at our age, why talk about this? It’s just that I don’t mind you now—”

The two of them bantered back and forth, and it even seemed a bit flirtatious. The young ladies nearby were a bit stunned, finding it somewhat sweet.

Lin Lang found it hard to endure, and time seemed to pass slowly. It was almost noon, and they had only covered half the street.

He glanced at Fan Zhong and Lu Ji beside him. Fan Zhong was tall and burly, with a dark and rough appearance. Now, with a bit of red on his face due to the happy occasion, he looked steady, but with the big red flower and white horse, he didn’t seem handsome or dashing at all, more like a comical figure from the northeast.

Looking at Lu Ji, his features were somewhat delicate, but he was too chubby and fair. With his constant smile due to happiness, his eyes were almost squinting into slits, resembling a little Maitreya Buddha.

Both of them naturally had a bit of humor about them, making Lin Lang’s cold demeanor stand out even more.

He sighed inwardly: Why can’t this parade end faster—

The young emperor stood on the city wall of the palace, looking at the distant bustling crowd, as if he had returned to three years ago when Ning Mo became the top scholar. The excitement and noise of this parade seemed like a compensation for back then—

In the distance, someone rode a tall white horse, dressed in white. Even though he couldn’t see clearly, he could feel the elegance. Precisely because he couldn’t see clearly, he could deceive himself into thinking that the person being admired by the crowd, slowly approaching him, was his Zimo, just like in countless midnight dreams—

Unfortunately, the procession turned west at the south gate, heading to the Guozijian Dayan Pagoda three miles west of the palace.

Until the figures disappeared, Wang Gonggong quietly asked, “Your Majesty, would you like to visit the Dayan Pagoda as well? According to tradition, the top scholars of the second rank will write poems there, and the good ones will be engraved on the Dayan Pagoda stele. The poem written by Ning Shizi is still there—”

“Together with the dust for eighteen years, one must enjoy the moment of success. To fulfill one’s lifelong ambition in the court, not letting down the people even for a moment.” The emperor softly recited the poem Ning Mo had written back then.

Wang Gonggong exclaimed with joy, “Yes, yes, that’s the poem Ning Shizi wrote, not a word off! Your Majesty has such a good memory!”

The emperor gave him a cool glance.

Wang Dahai immediately pretended to slap himself, “Look at this foolish servant, how could there be anything about Ning Shizi that Your Majesty doesn’t remember clearly—”

“But to be fair, Ning Shizi’s poem is truly well-written. Even a servant like me, who hasn’t read much, can understand it. Doesn’t it just speak of how glorious it was for Ning Shizi to become the top scholar, hoping to contribute more to Your Majesty, to Cangxuan, and to the people—” It’s just a pity that heaven is jealous of talent, and he died young.

The emperor’s face showed a faint smile, nodding, “Zimo’s poem is indeed well-written, even a fool like you can understand it, but you only know part of it.”

“Zimo was introverted and never liked to argue with others. This poem was a rare expression of his emotions. His lifelong aspirations, besides me, who else could understand—”

Wang Dahai immediately said, “Of course, Your Majesty is the one who understands Ning Shizi the most.”

The emperor’s face turned grim again, “It’s a pity that the culprits who framed Zimo back then got off too easily!”

Wang Gonggong immediately broke into a cold sweat. After Ning Shizi’s incident, the court was in turmoil, and anyone connected to his death faced inhumane treatment. Even so, the dead couldn’t be brought back to life, and it couldn’t quell the emperor’s anger.

The emperor brushed his sleeve and said, “Let’s go, accompany me to the Dayan Pagoda, and see Zimo’s poem again.”

······

The parade turned onto West Street, which wasn’t as wide as the Imperial Street, making the crowd even more noisy and crowded. Fortunately, it was only about a mile to the Dayan Pagoda.

At the corner, Lin Lang heard a familiar childish voice piercing through the bustling crowd, “Daddy! Daddy! Little Chubby is here! Little Chubby is here!—”

Turning his head, he saw his Little Chubby Boy sitting on Uncle Lin’s shoulders, waving his chubby little hands at him.

He couldn’t help but smile, guiding his horse towards his son.

“Ahhhhh!” Many young ladies were already clutching their chests, squealing with excitement. Some loud aunts exclaimed, “Unbelievable! The top scholar is already handsome enough without smiling, but when he smiles, it’s deadly—”

Little Chubby Boy, seeing his daddy riding towards him, excitedly stretched out his arms, flapping his little body, “Daddy! Daddy! Little Chubby wants to ride the big horse too! Little Chubby wants to ride the big horse too!”

Lin Lang, having carried the little guy for ten months and now seeing him grow into a chubby little boy over two years old, knew the hardships without needing to elaborate. But aside from matters of principle, he was almost always indulgent to Little Chubby Boy. Others might call it spoiling, but he just saw it as normal.

In his past life, he was an orphan, with no parents or relatives, living alone. After graduating from college, he worked hard to earn money, only to die suddenly. Fortunately, no one would mourn for him, but the lonely and desolate feeling of having no attachments wasn’t something most people could understand.

In this world, he lost his mother at a young age, but he still had a father and a brother. He tried hard to be a good eldest son, respecting his elders and caring for his younger brother, thinking he had gained familial love. But he didn’t expect his half-brother Ning Bai to feel overshadowed by him, harboring jealousy and hatred, secretly drugging the emperor to try and send him to the dragon bed, only to accidentally succeed. When one plan failed, he tried another, pushing him off a cliff and causing his death.

What’s more infuriating is that his half-brother Ning Bai is the protagonist of this story, “The Rise of the Concubine’s Son,” and his father, who seemed to care for him, chose to protect Ning Bai for the sake of family honor after learning the truth.

The system told him that Ning Bai, as the protagonist of this book, was blessed by the world’s fortune, and he was just a cannon fodder in this world, unable to act rashly, or he would face the world’s punishment, ranging from bad luck to losing his life. However, he wasn’t without hope. If he could accumulate enough energy points, he could eventually act on behalf of the heavens, and the world’s rules wouldn’t be able to touch him.

Lin Lang was no longer alone. Even if he didn’t care about himself, he couldn’t ignore the little guy. Until he accumulated enough energy points, he would stay hidden. As for his father, he had already died once, repaying the debt of life, and they would have nothing to do with each other in the future. As for Ning Bai, he would one day reclaim what was owed to him.