The Glory After Rebirth

On arriving at the hunting ground, they found it heavily guarded, palace guards checking ID plate of everyone going in or out of the place.

Standing behind those guards on duty flicking stern looks at those entering was someone familiar to Ling Zhang – Zhao Pingchuan.

As his eyes fell on Ling Zhang, Zhao Pingchuan did a double take and then gave a slight nod of acknowledgement. “Childe Ling.”

“Commander Zhao.” Ling Zhang returned his salutation.

The two of them didn’t really have much acquaintance with each other. They just had once been travel companions during the journey from Tanyang to the capital city, and two members of the Palace Guards had attempted to assassinate Ling Zhang. Although Zhao Pingchuan had nothing to do with this matter, he could hardly be absolved from dereliction of duty.

Anyway, Zhao Pingchuan had a fairly mixed countenance as he laid eyes on Ling Zhang, and Ling Zhang’s attitude towards him was rather bland.

Zhao Jiusi and the others got the impression that Ling Zhang and Zhao Pingchuan clearly knew each other but were not well acquainted – seemingly on bad terms, to some extent.

They didn’t ask about it immediately. After they went through the security check of palace guards and entered the hunting ground, Ji Feng couldn’t help but inquire, “You and Commander Zhao know each other?”

Zhao Pingchuan was a commander of the Palace Guards, and there were immediate superiors he had to answer to, but even so, since he was responsible for protecting the emperor and imperial palaces, his identity was somewhat special. Most people, if acquainted with him, would try to strengthen their relations.

“We journeyed to the capital city from Tanyang together,” said Ling Zhang.

Ji Feng remembered, and naturally also recalled two palace guards’ failed attempt to assassinate Ling Zhang, which had given rise to wild rumors and heated discussion in the whole capital city. He let out a soft cough and said, “I forgot that.”

What with the previous incident, it wasn’t surprising that the two of them were not on friendly terms.

The others also didn’t ask any further questions about it and dismissed this unexpected encounter from their minds, which was quite sensitive of them.

Apart from students of the Imperial College, many of students of the Oriental Rite Academy had also arrived. Ling Zhang was trying to find someone in the racetrack when a familiar voice called him. “Brother Zhang!”

Ling Zhang looked in the direction of the sound source and spotted Tao Yi happily walking towards him from a large group of students of the Oriental Rite Academy.

“That’s Tao Yi?” Yuwen Jin asked Ji Feng and the others.

Ji Feng and the others bobbed their heads. Previously, they had had a good time talking with Tao Yi in that manor and also got a very good impression of him.

Many of Tao Yi’s schoolmates also looked in this direction. Their eyes appraised all six of them and eventually rested on Ling Zhang.

Naturally, Ling Zhang noticed the appraising gaze those people were giving him. He looked back at them one by one. Those people didn’t feel embarrassed. They just nodded in acknowledgement. Ling Zhang also inclined his head and then took his eyes off them.

Tao Yi had walked over. “When did you arrive?”

“A brief moment ago. I was looking for you just now,” said Ling Zhang.

“I arrived just a moment ago and was looking for you as well. Your horse is so obtrusive. It caught my eye the moment you came here,” said Tao Yi excitedly. He even walked around Snowflake, scrutinizing it and exclaiming in astonishment.

“This horse is so good.”

“Its name is Snowflake.”

Ling Zhang stroked Snowflake’s head. It rubbed its head against him and gave a snort. During the past few days, Ling Zhang had been with Snowflake all along and had established a necessary degree of rapport with it.

Just as Tao Yi had said, Ling Zhang’s white horse was attracting much attention. A lot of eyes were looking in this direction.

Tao Yi, after walking around Snowflake, made the acquaintance of Yuwen Jin and then said to Ling Zhang, “Given such a good horse you’ve brought here, you must be aiming at a place near the top, I suppose?”

Ling Zhang replied in neither the affirmative nor the negative, “I believe as a participant, all I need to do is try my best.”

Tao Yi said, “All people in my academy are discussing how to win the top three prizes.”

“Wow, top three prizes? That’s quite some ambition!” Yuwen Jin sniffed.

Ji Feng standing beside Yuwen Jin also goggled at Tao Yi.

“Brother Tao, your schoolmates are way too conceited. The top three prizes are ours,” Xie Qing also said.

Tao Yi giggled, “It’s not that I want to demoralize you, but there are several consummate riders in our academy.”

“So what? Our college has more than several superb riders,” said Ji Feng.

Quiet as Ling Zhang was, the gaze he fixed Tao Yi with was expressing, for all intents and purposes, the same meaning, and he even gently patted his horse, as if telling Tao Yi he shared his classmates’ opinion.

Tao Yi raised his eyebrows and said, “How about we have a competition, Brother Zhang?”

“Sure. Let’s see who’ll rank higher on the list.” Of course Ling Zhang wouldn’t shrink from accepting the challenge.

“Okay. What do you say we have a private talk later and decide what the loser shall give the winner?” suggested Tao Yi.

“Sounds like a plan,” replied Ling Zhang.

“Oh, one moment, we want in as well,” Ji Feng said, raising his hand.

Yuwen Jin, Zhao Jiusi and two others also stated their willingness to participate. Only Xun Huo looked at them with a wry smile.

Tao Yi’s eyes rested on Xun Huo. “What about you, Brother Xun?”

Ling Zhang briefly explained to Tao Yi the special circumstances Xun Huo was in. Tao Yi nodded. “Okay, then. Leaving Brother Xun aside, there are six of you in this, but I’m the only one on my side, so I’ll go and get five school friends over here. What do you say?”

Ji Feng and the others exchanged glances and then chorused a response, “Bring it on!”

Tao Yi immediately ran away and soon brought back five students. Faces of all five of them were full of excitement. Clearly they were more than willing to be part of this bet.

Just like this, six students of the Imperial College, Ling Zhang included, secretly made a bet with six students of the Oriental Rite Academy. The losers were to stand the winners a meal in the Taibai Tavern.

“Then it’s a deal. We’re going back to make some preparations,” said Tao Yi.

Ling Zhang inclined his head and temporarily parted from Tao Yi and his schoolmates.

Yuwen Jin cracked his knuckles and claimed, “I’ll have them admit defeat with tears in their sorry eyes.”

Ling Zhang said, “Don’t take them lightly. As far as I could tell, those school friends of Brother Tao’s seem very confident. I think all of them are pretty adept at riding.”

“You may rest assured that our horsemanship is superb as well,” said Ji Feng.

Xun Huo looked at them and gave another mirthless smile. On this occasion, he was unable to pitch in with it.

As time slowly passed, almost all students had arrived. Students of the Imperial College and those of the Oriental Rite Academy were standing on opposite sides with a considerable distance in between.

Before long, noises came from outside the hunting ground, marking the arrival of the emperor, who was accompanied by a lot of high-ranking courtiers, Yuwen Tong among them.

Ling Zhang looked in that direction and, after the imperial guard of honor entered the hunting ground, spotted Yuwen Tong at a glance, and his eyes involuntarily lit up.

On the other side, Yuwen Tong also saw him at a glance. Their eye contact lasted quite a while before Yuwen Tong withdrew his gaze.

Yuwen Tong was a marshal. Leaving the emperor aside, Jiang Changfeng was the only one among all officials present whose powers compared with his.

Ling Zhang, along with all other students, bowed to the emperor with their hands folded in front to pay their respects and didn’t straighten themselves until the emperor uttered aloud “You may rise.” When Ling Zhang raised his head and looked in that direction, the emperor had settled himself in his exclusive chair, with Yuwen Tong sitting in the first seat to his right, and Jiang Changfeng the first seat to his left. There were also several other high-ranking courtiers, including Yuwen Zhi and his son Yuwen Feng.

Yuwen Zhi didn’t even glance at people sitting down there. Yuwen Feng, however, made eye contact with Ling Zhang and gave a nod of acknowledgement with a smile.

Though his relations with Yuwen family had soured due to Yuwen Qi, Ling Zhang still bobbed his head at Yuwen Feng in response, for as the saying goes, ‘A smiling face never gets slapped.’

Apart from these people, the King Duan, the King Hui as well as the Fifth Prince, also known as the King Yu, were present as well. All princes that had reached adulthood had arrived, except the Crown Prince, who was rumored to be ill and still receiving medical treatment in the Eastern Palace. Among all those bearing king’s titles, the King Yu was also among the few whom Ling Zhang laid eyes on for the first time. Unlike the King Duan and the King Hui, the King Yu seemed to resemble his mother more, and his features were relatively feminine.

The emperor looked somewhat different from he had appeared on the day of the welcome banquet in the imperial palace. He seemed much more vigorous. Maybe it was because that welcome banquet had been held at night and this was daytime.

Since the emperor had specially come here, he definitely had prepared a pep talk to arouse students’ enthusiasm.

Ling Zhang quietly listened, and he himself was the only one knowing how much of the speech he’d heard; after all, in the stands, Yuwen Tong had been gazing at him all along, having no scruple about it whatsoever, as if everybody was aware of the relations between the two of them. All those who had noticed where Yuwen Tong was staring at shot occasional glances in Ling Zhang’s direction; even Jiang Yu’s grandfather Jiang Changfeng, whom Ling Zhang had only heard of from rumors, looked at him sizing him up. Naturally, the emperor had also observed this, and Yuwen Tong’s behavior seemed to strike him as rather rare, he fixed Ling Zhang with a curious gaze several times, as if trying to find out what was so special about Ling Zhang that had attracted Yuwen Tong to him.

Ling Zhang, “...”

What could he possibly do? He could only stand there, keeping his composure, not moving an inch no matter who was appraising him. In a small window of opportunity, he darted Yuwen Tong a dark look.

However, this dark look was misinterpreted as an affectionate one by those who noticed it, and the expression in their eyes grew even weirder.

Yuwen Jin unnoticeably nudged Ling Zhang and reminded Ling Zhang under his breath, “You and my cousin need to keep a lower profile. I’m being blinded by you two people.”

Ling Zhang moved only his lips, saying, “He’s too far away. I cannot stop him.”

Yuwen Jin silently rubbed his nose, feeling that this was an outpouring display of public affection in disguised form, jealousy bubbling inside him, regretting having turned down his parents’ offer to arrange a marriage for him.

Probably having sensed Ling Zhang’s displeasure, Yuwen Tong finally tore his eyes off him, but after that, he stared emptily into space, as if nobody else apart from Ling Zhang could arouse his interest, as if all other people in this place were as commonplace and unattractive as cheap cosmetics.

Others were secretly shocked by this bizarre analogy they drew, goosebumps all over them.

Of course, in this situation, there were also some people who were relatively special. When they looked at Ling Zhang, in their eyes was not curiosity or envy but a mixture of well concealed jealousy and resentment, but when they looked at Yuwen Tong sitting up in the stands, all their eyes were gleaming with infatuation. Since these people were among crowds of students, hardly anybody noticed them.

After quite a while, the emperor’s pep talk was finally over. A master of ceremonies hosting this horse race made his appearance. The principal of the Imperial College and the president of the Oriental Rite Academy stepped in front of their respective arrays of students with whom they looked at the master of ceremonies listening as he stated the rules of the horse race as well as the prizes.

When all this was over, the horse race finally came to an official start. Given the large number of participants, there would be multiple rounds, and naturally the two opposing sides were students of the Imperial College and those of the Oriental Rite Academy.