Chapter 4: The Failed Attempt at Arrogance
In the backstreet of Daye District, Gongsun Ming, the Capital Garrison Commander, rushed to the Fu Man Restaurant with dozens of Imperial Guards. Seeing his son being slapped repeatedly, he was filled with rage.
However, as he began to speak, he noticed that the young man in white standing in the street looked familiar.
Such a handsome man would be hard to forget.
As the Capital Garrison Commander, Gongsun Ming had seen Xu Buling from afar when the latter had entered the capital after being ambushed the previous year. After a brief observation, he recognized him.
Gongsun Ming knew that this young prince kept a low profile and rarely ventured out, making him a relatively unknown figure in the capital.
However, his low profile didn’t mean he could be easily offended.
What was the status of Prince Su, Xu You, who governed the western regions? He was the only heteronymous prince with real power in the Great [Dynasty], responsible for defending the border. During his time studying in the capital, he had even been on brotherly terms with the current Emperor. As the legitimate son of Prince Su, Xu Buling might not dare to commit any acts of treason, but killing a couple of commoners in the capital wouldn’t have any significant repercussions. Did the saying “the Emperor is subject to the same laws as the common people” actually apply in practice?
Seeing his son being beaten, Gongsun Ming sensed trouble. He hurried forward and bowed deeply:
“Your subordinate, Gongsun Ming, greets Your Highness!”
Due to the murder, most of the onlookers in the backstreet had dispersed, leaving only a group of Imperial Guards and Wolf Guards.
Hearing Gongsun Ming’s words, the Imperial Guards immediately reacted, sheathing their swords and bowing in unison.
Although they didn’t know which prince it was, only the legitimate eldest sons of princes could be addressed as “Your Highness.” There were only seven in the Great [Dynasty], six with the surname Song and one with the surname Xu. In any case, it wasn’t someone they could afford to offend.
The resentment in Gongsun Lu’s eyes vanished as he swallowed his grievances and the blood in his mouth. He scrambled to his feet and bowed:
“This lowly one has failed to recognize Your Highness…”
Slap!
Gongsun Ming slapped his son, sending him sprawling to the ground. He snatched a saber from an Imperial Guard and roared:
“You unfilial son! How dare you offend Prince Xu! Today, I shall discipline you myself…”
Xu Buling watched coldly, making no attempt to intervene.
Gongsun Ming held the saber aloft, but he naturally wouldn’t actually strike his own son. Seeing that Xu Buling didn’t even bother with a polite remark, he felt a pang of awkwardness.
Fortunately, the Wolf Guards and Imperial Guards weren’t blind. They quickly stepped forward and restrained Gongsun Ming:
“Calm yourself, Commander Gongsun! This is all a misunderstanding…”
Gongsun Ming allowed them to “disarm” him, glaring at Gongsun Lu with a look of disappointment. He said in a sorrowful tone:
“My son has failed to recognize Your Highness. I implore you to forgive his transgression…” He then glanced at the two corpses lying nearby:
“I heard that Your Highness was poisoned and your martial arts skills were severely diminished. This…”
Hearing this, everyone remembered the incident.
Xu Buling had been poisoned with the Dragon Locking Gu during the ambush at the Wei River last year. Normally, this poison would cause the victim’s Qi and blood to stagnate, leaving them weak and feeble, unable to exert even a tenth of their strength. Even walking would be difficult, rendering them practically disabled.
However, Xu Buling had just displayed no signs of weakness while killing those men.
Faced with everyone’s questioning gazes, Xu Buling frowned:
“I used to be able to fight a thousand men alone. Now I can only fight a hundred. What’s the problem?”
“…?”
Silence fell over the crowd.
There was no problem with his explanation. While it was true that “a skinny camel is bigger than a horse,” this particular camel was simply too large!
Gongsun Ming was skeptical, but he couldn’t examine Xu Buling’s body to confirm his condition. He could only change the subject:
“Um… May I ask how the conflict with the Imperial Guard arose, Your Highness? Killing an Imperial Guard in broad daylight at the foot of the Emperor might be difficult to explain to His Majesty…”
Xu Buling spread his arms and raised his eyebrows: “If you find it difficult, Commander Gongsun, you can arrest me and execute me in the autumn according to the law.”
Gongsun Ming’s face stiffened. He wouldn’t dare! Without the Emperor’s explicit order, if he detained the only son of Prince Su, what if the border troops revolted? What if Prince Su used this as an excuse to rebel?
Gongsun Ming glanced around, stepped forward, and bowed:
“Your Highness, please don’t make things difficult for your subordinate. Just give me an explanation for killing the Imperial Guard, and I can report it to my superiors.”
Xu Buling finally lowered his arms and said calmly:
“I was out for a stroll after having a few drinks. I saw this Imperial Guard bullying a young woman, so I killed him.”
The two Imperial Guards who had accompanied the deceased captain stepped forward and corroborated Xu Buling’s account. It was indeed the captain who had assaulted the Wolf Guard in public, and Xu Buling had intervened, leading to the conflict.
After hearing the whole story, Gongsun Ming’s expression darkened. He thought for a moment:
“Your Highness, if you had just revealed your identity, that young captain wouldn’t have dared to draw his weapon and offend you…”
Xu Buling frowned: “Are you saying that if I weren’t the son of Prince Su, he would have been justified in killing me?”
Gongsun Ming’s face stiffened. The Great [Dynasty] had strict laws, and “using martial arts to disrupt the established order” was a serious crime. Many people had been killed by the Imperial Guard for causing trouble. Based on the situation, if Xu Buling had been an ordinary wandering swordsman obstructing law enforcement, he would have likely been killed.
However, even if the Imperial Guard was at fault, it didn’t justify Xu Buling using his status to kill someone!
Of course, Gongsun Ming wasn’t foolish enough to argue with the son of a prince. He nodded:
“Your Highness is right. I will report this matter truthfully, and His Majesty will surely investigate thoroughly and make a just decision.”
Xu Buling nodded and turned to leave the backstreet, adding:
“I saw a warehouse full of smuggled salt behind this restaurant. Consider it a reward for your efforts.”
What could Gongsun Ming say? The Wolf Guards from the Investigation Bureau were present, and there was no way to cover up the evidence. He could only raise his hand in farewell:
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
The Fu Man Restaurant was in ruins, debris scattered everywhere.
Constable Zhu Manzhi watched everything unfold with disbelief.
She had just arrived in the capital and had been keeping watch outside the Fu Man Restaurant for the past few days, listening to the bawdy stories of the storyteller and learning about the infamous “Xu Buling.”
She had heard tales of him “bullying men and women,” “forcing women into marriage,” and “having affairs with married women.”
In her mind, Xu Buling was a lecherous and wicked scoundrel.
She never expected to encounter him so soon, and in such a manner.
Although he was arrogant and ruthless, in her eyes, he had killed those men with justification.
He possessed exceptional martial arts skills, a captivating appearance, a strong sense of justice, and a taciturn demeanor…
Standing at the entrance of the Fu Man Restaurant, sixteen-year-old Zhu Manzhi gazed at the receding figure with the wine gourd in hand. This encounter would likely be etched in her memory forever…
…
“Young Master, that young lady will definitely remember you. After your confinement is over, I’ll arrange a chance encounter. Just say a few sweet words, and you’ll be halfway there…”
Old Xiao walked beside Xu Buling on the main street, discussing their next steps.
Xu Buling had exerted himself earlier, and the cold poison in his body was acting up. He kept drinking to suppress the agonizing pain, but it was a small price to pay compared to the results.
He had killed people in broad daylight, and by tomorrow morning, a flurry of impeachment memorials would be on the Emperor’s desk.
The Emperor wouldn’t punish him severely for such a minor offense, but a verbal reprimand and another half-month of confinement were inevitable.
Thinking about the peace and quiet he would enjoy for a while, Xu Buling sighed in relief and took a swig from his wine gourd:
“Let’s take things slow with Zhu Manzhi. We’ve caused enough trouble for today. We need to keep a low profile for a while, or Aunt Lu will urge me to go out and cause more mischief… Hmm… Let’s hire a bunch of storytellers to spread the news of my actions today, twisting the facts and exaggerating the details. For example:
Shocking! The Prince of Su commits a heinous act in broad daylight…
Men are silent, women weep. What has become of Chang’an City…
Screams heard from brothels in the dead of night. The truth about His Highness is revealed…”
The purpose of hiding his abilities and feigning incompetence was to ruin his reputation, to present himself as a shallow and frivolous individual. This wasn’t difficult. The real challenge was to make people believe it, especially the Emperor.
Old Xiao listened to Xu Buling’s elaborate explanation, nodding repeatedly and giving him a thumbs-up:
“Your Highness is truly meticulous. Once these fabricated stories spread, they will surely incite public outrage, and Madam Lu will be pleased.”
“Naturally…”
Master and servant continued their journey, their figures gradually disappearing into the distance.
Meanwhile, in a room at a medical clinic in Daye District, Gongsun Lu lay on a bed, his face swollen like a pig’s head. He spoke with difficulty:
“Father, what should we do about today’s incident?”
Gongsun Ming paced back and forth with a grim expression:
“The Fu Man Restaurant belongs to Zhu Manlong of Tiger Terrace Street. He has always been respectful towards me and offered me gifts. I should have protected him. However, two of his disciples were killed today, and his establishment was raided. It was just bad luck that he ran into Prince Xu. It’s not our fault.”
Gongsun Lu nodded slightly:
“The matter of the smuggled salt is a serious one. The Wolf Guards from the Investigation Bureau were present today. If we try to suppress it, we’ll be bitten by those mad dogs. How should we explain this?”
“We’ll have to sacrifice a pawn to save the king.”
Gongsun Ming stopped pacing and sighed softly:
“Send a message to Zhu Manlong, telling him to offer up a few scapegoats. We’ll arrest them tomorrow, and the matter will be settled.”
Gongsun Lu nodded, then snorted:
“If we hadn’t run into Xu Buling, we would have been able to suppress it… A prince, blatantly disregarding the law and killing people in broad daylight, especially an Imperial Guard acting in accordance with the law. If you don’t take this opportunity to impeach him, Father, I won’t be able to quell my hatred…”
Gongsun Ming frowned:
“What good is your hatred? Can it harm Xu Buling? As officials in the capital, we’ve all been subjected to the whims of those pampered princes. If we all acted on our hatred, we’d be killed in the streets sooner or later.”
Hearing this, Gongsun Lu realized that he had suffered those slaps in vain. He felt frustrated:
“Xu Buling happened to encounter the Wolf Guards during their investigation. It’s understandable that he intervened, but he also concealed his identity and used the opportunity to kill someone. Reporting this truthfully would be enough to get him in trouble. Are we really going to cover for him?”
Gongsun Ming paced back and forth, pondering for a moment:
“As officials, we can’t be preoccupied with immediate gains and losses. If I report this truthfully, it will only result in Xu Buling being confined for a few days, but it will also create animosity between us… Xu Buling is the only son of Prince Su and will inherit the title in the future. Having a shred of goodwill with him might prove useful someday…”
“What do you mean, Father?”
“Hmm… Let’s say that Prince Xu stumbled upon the Fu Man Restaurant’s smuggling operation while strolling and provided the information to the Investigation Bureau. He didn’t intend to intervene, but the Wolf Guards were being obstructed, so he had no choice but to step in and help them…”
“What?! This… This way, all the credit for cracking the smuggling case will go to Xu Buling. What if he doesn’t admit it…”
Gongsun Ming frowned, his expression filled with disappointment:
“Of course he won’t admit it. It’s called modesty. He’ll remember my favor in his heart…
… As officials in the capital, we need to be discerning…”
And so…
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