Chapter Twenty: The Palace of the Enlightened King

“Let me tell you the story. It is said that the current Emperor’s health has been declining year by year. Yet, the position of Crown Prince remains vacant to this day. Thus, the Emperor ordered the court officials to nominate candidates for the Crown Prince. After three months of careful deliberation, the ministers finally selected three princes from among many as the most qualified to inherit the throne. These three are Prince Ming, Prince Yu, and Prince Geng,” an elderly storyteller at a roadside stall began.

“But what does this have to do with the recruitment?” Lin Jiang asked in puzzlement.

“I haven’t finished yet. Why are you interrupting?” The storyteller shot Lin Jiang a glare.

“Where was I?” the storyteller asked, looking lost.

The crowd fell silent, all thinking the same thing: He always forgets his lines—no wonder no one listens to his tales!

“Oh yes, I remember now—the three princes. Wait, why am I telling you all this?” Suddenly, the storyteller stopped, as if recalling something important.

“Qiangzi, pay the man!” Tang Yi called out.

“Alright, here you go!” Zhang Qiang tossed a gold ingot onto the storyteller’s table. Right now, he was the wealthiest among them—at least in this world. Everything he’d been reluctant to part with before, he had left at the Hundred Flowers Inn, but this time he’d packed it all into his storage ring: gold and silver in abundance.

“That’s more like it,” the storyteller chuckled, biting the gold ingot before tucking it away. Only then did he continue, “Now, as I was saying, the three princes were chosen. These princes are matched in both talent and virtue, making it difficult for the Emperor and the ministers to decide. In the end, one minister came up with a plan that won the approval of the Emperor and the court, and an imperial decree was issued. The plan was this: each prince was to devise a method to increase the Song Dynasty’s tax revenue. Over three years, whoever could generate the highest increase would be named Crown Prince. So, the three princes set out to carry out the decree,” the storyteller said, shaking his head with theatrical flair.

“You’ve been talking for ages, but you still haven’t explained what this has to do with recruitment,” Lin Jiang pressed, earning another scornful look from the storyteller.

“I told you, I haven’t finished! Young men should curb their impatience,” the storyteller admonished Lin Jiang, who secretly scoffed, thinking, I’m probably older than you are. Young man? You’re the young one compared to me. Hmph!

“Let’s not argue, young men are just curious. Please, continue!” Tang Yi interjected diplomatically.

“That’s better. So, as soon as Prince Ming received the imperial decree, he convened his advisors. Three days later, he announced a nationwide recruitment for all kinds of talent—one thousand positions, to be filled as soon as possible. So far, more than eight hundred have already been recruited. If you’re interested, I’d advise you to hurry, or the quota will soon be filled,” the storyteller warned kindly.

“Could you tell us how to get to Prince Ming’s residence?” Liu Mingde asked, bowing politely.

“Just follow this street to the end and turn east—you’ll see it,” the storyteller directed.

“Thank you very much, sir!”

“Best of luck with your application!” the storyteller suddenly called out after Tang Yi and his companions as they walked away, leaving them slightly bewildered.

When they arrived at the street where Prince Ming’s residence was located, Tang Yi and the others were surprised to see an enormous crowd. Four long lines stretched from the main gate all the way to the street corner.

“Form a line, form a line! If you want to apply, get in line. Can’t you see everyone else is queuing?” a soldier who appeared to be the captain, sword at his waist, said, gesturing at Tang Yi’s group.

“Brother soldier, could you do us a favor?” Tang Yi signaled Hua Shaojie with his eyes to offer a bribe.

“Put that away, or I’ll have you arrested for bribery. Prince Ming despises such things the most,” the captain said sternly, warning Hua Shaojie.

“I didn’t expect you to be so upright, brother soldier. Thank you for your advice!” Hua Shaojie pocketed the gold and thanked him. The captain nodded and turned back to maintain order.

“Wait, brother soldier, would this make any difference?” Tang Yi finally fished out a medallion from his ring—a token given to him long ago by Zhao Mingsong—and handed it to the captain.

“A First-Class Guest Official’s Token?” The captain was surprised to see the gold-edged, silver-based token, engraved with the character ‘Ming’ on one side and ‘Guest’ on the other. First-class guest officials held special privileges—clearly, another friend of the prince from his travels. The captain dared not be negligent and immediately sent a soldier to report. He respectfully handed the token back to Tang Yi, who accepted it with a smile, thinking that he should have used it earlier.

Soon, the steward of Prince Ming’s residence, accompanied by the reporting soldier, pushed through the crowd to meet Tang Yi. Bowing respectfully, the steward said, “Sir, I welcome you! Please, all of you, follow me.” The soldiers parted the way, and Tang Yi’s group followed the steward straight into the residence. Along the short walk, they drew many curious stares and murmured comments. But Tang Yi ignored them—he would walk his own path, regardless of what others said. Well, perhaps not the most fitting idiom...

“Haha! So it’s Brother Tang! No wonder I heard magpies singing in the branches this morning,” Prince Ming exclaimed, stepping forward to greet them as Tang Yi and his companions entered the hall.

“You’re too kind, Brother Zhao. I’ve come to eat and drink at your expense, and I was worried I’d be alone, so I brought a crowd with me. I hope you don’t mind if we eat you out of house and home,” Tang Yi joked.

“Haha, a mere ten people—feeding you is nothing! Come, bring tea! Brother Tang, gentlemen, please join me in the hall for some refreshments.”

The household staff stared in astonishment. Who was this Brother Tang, to address the prince so familiarly? And the prince didn’t seem to mind at all—how odd!

Hua Shaojie, Zhang Qiang, and the others were unfazed—they belonged to a different world altogether. For Tang Yi to call Prince Ming ‘Brother’ was already giving him enough face. Only Hua Ruoxue showed a trace of surprise, but quickly regained her composure.

After several rounds of tea, Tang Yi introduced each of his companions to Prince Ming. The prince, with his discerning eye, immediately saw that they were all cultivators. This delighted him; with the aid of these extraordinary people, his chances in the coming contest would be greatly increased. The thought filled him with even more joy.

“Prepare ten guest chambers for our esteemed visitors, and arrange a first-class banquet for tonight. I want to properly welcome our honored guests,” Prince Ming instructed his attendants. Then, turning to Tang Yi, he said, “Brother Tang, gentlemen, please rest in your rooms for now. This evening, let us drink and make merry together!”

“Haha, after you, Brother Zhao!” Tang Yi said, rising with a laugh.