Volume 1: Dragon Gate Inn Chapter 23: The Empress Summons

  After Mei left, we also went back home. Ma Jing wanted to ask me something several times, but she didn't dare to speak up since mom was around. In fact, it wasn't just her, even explaining this issue clearly to mom took some effort.

  Old mother said: "It turns out that Su Mei's master is the Sword God, no wonder she's so capable. This tone of speech seems to have nothing to do with me, as if I'm not connected to the Sword God at all. But this is maternal love, in a mother's heart, regardless of her son's identity, he is first and foremost her own son, domineering yet reasonable."

  Just as we returned to the general's mansion and hadn't had a chance to rest, someone reported that an imperial edict from Her Majesty the Empress had arrived. My mother was just about to set up the incense table when the messenger said it wasn't necessary. Before long, a female official came in. Judging by her attire, she didn't seem to be of a high rank in the court. She wore a green robe and black boots, with a plain hat on her head, but around her waist were tied three yellow ribbons. My mother whispered to me, "This is someone close to the Emperor, similar to our ancient eunuchs."

  I couldn't help but wonder, how can a woman become an eunuch? Did she wear iron underwear inside?

  The newcomer beamed with joy and bowed repeatedly to Lao Ma, saying: "Congratulations, General, on achieving another great merit for the country."

  The old lady also cupped her hands and said: "Aunt Cao has worked hard, I don't know how to say this."

  Originally, the people beside the Emperor of the Women's Country were called Da Gu. Cao Da Gu said: "Huang Mei Dashi has already met with the Holy One, and the Sword God has arrived at the General's Mansion. Isn't this a great achievement? ", Old Mother said: "Does the Holy One want to summon the Sword God?"

  "Exactly."

  "Shall we set off then?" said Mom.

  Cao Da Gu waved her hand and smiled: "Don't be in a hurry, for the sake of grandeur, Your Majesty has prepared a hundred carriages and will arrive soon. I'm just here to give you advance notice, General."

  "An hundred chariots in attendance? Isn't that something only Your Majesty can use?"

  Cao Da Gu said: "Your Majesty has spoken, the arrival of the Sword God in our country is a national honor, and this hundred-ride ceremony is also well-deserved."

  Old mother solemnly said: "Comply with the imperial edict." Cao Da Gu's head turned back and forth, carefully saying: "I don't know where Mr. Sword God is now?" ... Old mother didn't know what to say, I've been standing beside her all along, but this Cao Da Gu actually ignored me.

  "I'm him."

  "Ah?" Cao Da Gu was startled, but as someone who had been by the emperor's side, it was basic for her to remain calm in the face of sudden events. Seeing me suddenly appear and claim to be the Sword God, she couldn't help but be surprised, but being a clever and adaptable person, she quickly observed the reactions of those present and saw that I wasn't joking. She immediately laughed and said: "Ah, such a young Sword God!"

  This sentence turned from unexpected to astonishing, cleverly flattering in one sentence, with a seamless transition, and the skill of flattery was indeed superb.

  I retorted, "Aren't you the same?" This Cao lady had delicate skin and bright eyes, looking no more than 30 years old. She was a far cry from the old eunuch with a face like a worn-out leather pouch that I had imagined.

  At this time, someone reported that the ceremony outside had arrived. Cao Dagu adjusted her expression and said: "Please, Mr. Sword God."

  I walked out first, with my mother following closely behind me, and Cao Da Gu falling half a step behind. As soon as I stepped out of the General's mansion, a loud cannon shot rang in my ear, and I was startled. My mother quickly pressed down on me, and the cannon sounded again. My mother whispered to me that only when the Emperor personally led the expedition could there be 12 shots.

  Outside the general's mansion, rows of troops stood upright, countless helmets and armor shining brightly as the Wu Lin army stood majestically beside their horses. A long line of carriages and horses stopped on the main road, stretching as far as the eye could see. Four horses pulled each carriage, with two soldiers standing on either side, holding long spears. They saw me come out and shouted in unison: "Pay respects to Sword God Sir!"

  I looked at my mother, and she nodded slightly to me. I got on the car and found that it was suddenly bright and cheerful inside. The carriage was filled with fragrance, and fresh flowers were scattered all over the embroidered cushion. I made room for myself to sit down, and someone outside shouted in a relaxed and clear voice: "Departure..."

  The Imperial Guard cavalry led the way, followed by 64 parasols with eight trigrams, then 2000 infantrymen, and only then came the carriage procession. However, among the carriages were countless yellow silk parasols mixed in with the people. The procession stretched for several miles, and this was just the formal ceremony. Ahead of time, advance troops had cleaned the streets with yellow earth, and every ten steps along the road there were soldiers standing guard. This time I truly experienced the majesty of an emperor.

  This time, the ceremonial procession didn't display the "avoidance" sign, so the common people all surged to the side of the street to watch. Before long, the news that the Transmigrated Sword God had arrived in the country spread like wildfire. People looked at my carriage with eyes full of envy, and some whispered: "Tsk, tsk, this Transmigrated Sword God is probably no match for our own Su gentleman."

  This is my third time entering the capital of the Women's Country, thinking back to my previous two experiences, it feels like a different world... I sighed for a while and clenched my legs tightly. From this morning until now, I haven't gone to the restroom yet. Originally, I just got back and was about to go, but then Cao Da Jie came, facing the emperor's messenger, you can't say "I'll pee first and then follow you", right? Just a moment ago, there was still some freshness holding on, now my urine is proudly announcing its presence, I'm really getting unbearable. I secretly opened a gap in the pearl curtain to take a peek, seeing that the front team was still slowly moving forward on the main street, endless and boundless, who knows when we'll arrive at the imperial palace? The wooden wheel cart was grinding back and forth on the ground, shaking me so much my teeth were about to ache. I felt like there was a lake in my crotch, wave after wave surging up, I really couldn't hold it anymore. I opened the car door a palm's width and asked the golden armor warrior on the left side of the carriage: "Sister, when are we going to arrive?"

  I had to drill back and immediately put my head out of the door and said: "Tell me how many more miles?"

  The female soldier couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time, saying in a low voice: "It's just about 7 or 8 li away."

  I roughly calculated that at this speed, it will take at least another half an hour. My teeth are chattering in waves, and my whole body is slightly cold. If I continue to shake like this for another half an hour, by the time I arrive, I'll be able to directly replace Cao Dagu's position...

  I crouched down and searched around the carriage, hoping to find something like a toilet, although I also thought it was unlikely. This is just an imperial carriage used for ceremonial purposes when the emperor goes out of the palace, a toilet would never be placed here, even if there was one normally, there wouldn't be one today, Sword God had just arrived in the country of women, putting a toilet in the carriage would be ridiculous.

  My hopes were shattered, the team was still walking in an orderly manner, I had no cover, and all of this didn't seem so beautiful anymore...

  Fortunately, after the convoy got on the main road, it gradually sped up, and in about ten or twenty minutes, the vanguard suddenly stopped and rearranged itself. I quietly took a look outside and saw that my carriage had just stopped in front of a huge palace gate. Before I could take a closer look, the yellow-robed official shouted loudly: "Sword God has arrived, all officials line up to welcome him."

  The palace gate was wide open, and all the officials were dressed in their court attire, standing in two long rows, east for civil officials and west for military officials, walking out one by one with dignified and solemn expressions.

  Cao Da hurried over to my car and smiled: "Mr. Jian Shen, please get in."

  I walked down from the carriage amidst the gaze of all officials, and only heard a loud voice from the opposite side: "Welcome, Mr. Sword God!"

  At this moment, I don't know what to say either. I didn't expect my status to be so high. It seems that this is equivalent to the Meridian Gate of the Forbidden City. The empress actually wants all officials to line up at her own gate to welcome her. I can only wave my hand towards them, but a group of civil and military officials are hanging their heads, lowering their eyebrows, and not responding.

  "Uh......my hand awkwardly stopped in mid-air."

  "Please follow me, Your Majesty is waiting for you outside the Golden Temple," said Cao Da Gu with a smile. She walked ahead of me to lead the way, and all the officials automatically made way for us on both sides. I walked through them, constantly turning my head back, hoping to get some hint from Old Madam, but she had also returned to the crowd of officials. Fortunately, she was the first one in the Wu class, not too far away from me.

  After passing the palace gate, in front of the Golden Hall is also a large square, the terrain is not at all cramped compared to the General's Mansion, but it has less solemnity and more dignity. This is the political center and power peak of the Daughter State, and the architectural style perfectly reflects the characteristics of the Daughter State. Every corridor, pillar, step, and ladder is intricately carved, and although it may be less majestic and more delicate than the ancient imperial palaces I've seen on TV and in books, it's no less grand and solemn.

  From a distance, I saw that at the gate of the Golden Temple, there was a small group of people waiting, among whom one person wore a sky-blue long gown with golden dragons embroidered on it, and a purple gold gauze crown on his head, with a night pearl inlaid on top of the crown. Due to the distance being too far, I couldn't see his face clearly, but this person was standing at the very front, like a crane standing out from a flock of chickens.

  Cao Tai hurriedly walked forward, seemingly in a rush despite not walking quickly. This made me inexplicably tense as well. As she walked, Cao Tai muttered under her breath: "His Majesty has instructed that you needn't attend the ceremony at the Ministry of Rites, this is an unusually great honor, I hope you will be careful and cautious later."

  "Oh." I responded, continuing to walk forward. The outlines of a row of people in front of the palace gradually became visible as we approached the center of the square. Just then, the person wearing the crown walked towards us, and Cao Da Gu turned pale, saying: "Your Majesty not only waited for us at the entrance of the Diligent Government Hall, but also personally took steps to welcome us."

  As I walked closer, I finally saw the person's face clearly. She had a pair of slender eyebrows, a long and thin nose, and thin lips with upturned corners. Judging from her appearance, she seemed to be around 35 years old. Her eyes were gentle, and she smiled as she approached me.

  The officials behind me saw the emperor's arrival and knelt down, saying: "Long live Your Majesty!" I turned around to see that no one was standing, and I felt a bit awkward, not knowing what courtesy to use. Kneeling and bowing was something I wouldn't do, shaking hands seemed too unconventional, saluting wasn't suitable for me as I'm not a soldier, and making a fist with the thumb inside didn't seem quite right either...

  The empress seemed to have noticed my unease and smiled calmly, saying: "Mr. Sword God doesn't need to be polite." Then she turned to the officials behind me and said, "Everyone, please relax, let's talk inside the palace." Her voice was always gentle and soft, this emperor of millions of people, was as warm and gentle as a young lady from a good family.

  The officials all shouted "Long live the Emperor" and only then did they rise to their feet. The Empress came over to my side and walked alongside me, saying softly: "Please, sir."

  Behind her were four or five elderly ministers, all of whom were elegantly dressed old ladies who should have been senior officials. Among them was Su Mei. Those old ladies all looked at me with a curious expression, seemingly puzzled by the young Sword God, but no one dared to speak out loud. They followed behind me and the Empress, entering the palace together.

  It seems that the Diligent Governance Hall is where the female emperor holds court and discusses state affairs during peacetime. The hall is nearly a hundred meters deep, with fragrant smoke wafting about. At the very front, facing south and backing north, are placed the dragon throne and dragon chair. On the steps below the dragon throne, there is also a taishi chair. In the empty and spacious great hall, apart from the dragon throne, it is this chair that stands out. The empress led me straight to the taishi chair and said: "Sir, please take a seat." It turned out that this was prepared for me. Since the emperor had given an edict, I didn't plan on being polite either. Turning my head to look at my old mother, I saw her slightly nodding her head at me. Fortunately, I was still quick-witted and hastily said: "Let's have Your Majesty take a seat first."

  The queen said: "You're too polite, sir." I chuckled and replied: "No need to be polite, the guest follows the host's convenience."

  The empress smiled, ascended the steps and sat down. As soon as she did, I saw four women in the same attire as Cao's wife rush out from behind the hall, each carrying a small stool. They quickly placed them behind the elderly ladies who had been waiting with the empress at the entrance of the hall, and then swiftly disappeared.

  The old ladies all curtsied to the empress and then sat down. It turned out that except for Su Mei, only three of the grand elders were qualified to sit in the Diligent Government Hall. This was an unprecedented honor in the past, but it's different today... The three old ladies looked at my throne chair and then at their own small stools, giving me a straight white eye.

  I'm actually very uncomfortable myself, apart from these three old men, there are also many elderly ladies among the ministers, and these few sitting here make me think of the "senior citizen, disabled person" special seat. As a big man sitting among them, I feel a lot of pressure... If some angry youth sees this scene and takes a photo to send online, I'll be cyberbullied to death!

  "The Empress's sleeves fluttered as she said: 'All of you, my dear officials, I have received good news early this morning. The reincarnation of the Sword God has been found by Su Jing, Duke of Loyalty and Righteousness, and has arrived in our country. Master Ku Mei has already verified this, and everyone has seen the prosperous spirit of our nation.'"

  I just found out that Su Jing originally had a title of Zhongjie Gong, no wonder the common people called her Lord Su.

  All the officials didn't dare to look closely just now, but this time they took advantage of the empress's words and looked me up and down with a left and right glance, as if to see what shape the Sword God was.

  The Empress continued: "The arrival of the Sword God is a great honor for our country, I intend to reduce taxes by three months and grant amnesty to celebrate, what do you think, my ministers?"

  This small matter, the emperor has already made a decision, what dissent can the officials still have, and with one voice sing praises of his virtues.

  I muttered in a low voice: "If you had discovered me a few days earlier, Geng Ling and the others wouldn't have had to rebel."

  The empress saw me muttering and turned her head, saying: "Does Mr. Sword God have something to say?"

  I scratched my head and said, "Your Majesty, there's one more thing I don't know if Su Mei Shifu has told you clearly. Although I am the reincarnation of the Sword God that you are looking for, I currently do not have any sword energy at all. If I want to recover my skills, I still need to go back."

  "I already knew that." The empress smiled slightly and said, "Since ancient times, which hero has not gone through hardships to achieve something? Your experience just proves this saying, sir. You are following the will of heaven, these small twists and turns are nothing."

  I couldn't help but feel a little moved, although she was just saying some empty polite words, this kind of egalitarian attitude still caught me off guard. After all, I'm a fallen hero at the moment, a sword god without any sword aura, not even comparable to a young apprentice, yet they're treating me with unprecedented heavy courtesy, sending their own car to pick me up, having ministers waiting at the door, and finally she herself ran out of the living room to greet me, it's all quite impressive.

  The Empress said: "I'll take care of sending Mr. back." He turned to the officials and asked, "Who is in charge of the Magic Department?"

  Right at the front of Wen Chen's row, next to the three senior officials' seats, someone responded with a single word: "Me." This person answered the emperor's question using only two simple words, without any flowery language or embellishments. Clearly, apart from her extremely high status, she was also deeply favored. As she replied to the empress's words, her eyes sparkled with amusement as she gazed at me. I only glanced at her once, but was so shocked that I almost fell off my chair, involuntarily exclaiming: "You?"

  This person wore a purple imperial robe and a crown of bright pearls, standing out from the crowd of officials behind him. He was none other than the beautiful woman I met when I first arrived in the Country of Women!

  The empress didn't seem to mind, on the contrary, she smiled helplessly at this beautiful woman, just like looking at a mischievous younger brother or sister. Indeed, the empress smiled and said to me: "This is my younger sister, who has a somewhat unruly temperament, sir, please don't blame her." The empress never put herself in a high position from start to finish, speaking with a very homey tone, suddenly surprised: "How, could it be that Mr. Sword God has seen her before?"

  "Uh, no...". You tell me what to say? If I agree and they ask again, won't it be exposed? The great Sword God running off to do that, almost becoming a pampered guest of the current king. At that time, not only will I lose face, but the imperial court of the Female Kingdom will also be humiliated. It's likely that the Female Emperor will have me, this famous but useless Sword God, executed.

  The empress looked at us with a strange expression and said: "Yunquan, how many more days will it take to restart the magic array?"

  The beautiful woman was still smiling at me, her hands raised upwards and said: "Tell the Empress, within three days we can set off. If I hurry, two days will be no problem."

  The empress scolded: "What a ridiculous thing to say! What do you mean by 'hurry up'?"

  The beautiful woman chuckled and said: "Alright, alright, two days."

  The queen smiled and said: "Two days later, I want you to send the gentleman back accurately without any mistake. If there is a slight error, I will ask you for an explanation."

  The beautiful woman suddenly put away her smile and said seriously: "It's just that, sister, sending the Sword God back is easy, but there's one problem I don't know how to solve."

  "Say"

  The beautiful woman said: "Using the magic array requires a very rare magical stone, our country has exhausted all its manpower to find it, but only enough for one round trip. When Su Jing went, the magical stone had already been used half, and when the array was opened again, it was the second half that was prepared for her return. In this way, I'm afraid Sword God will have no return, and if we want to gather the magical stones again, who knows how many years and months it will take."

  The queen thought for a moment and said, "That's indeed a problem."

  I was born in fear of unexpected events, and hastily raised my arm, saying: "I have a way!"

  The queen said: "Oh, sir, please speak."

  I said, "We have something called Golden Jade Clothes, probably similar to the magical stone you mentioned. I was able to come to the Daughter Country because I accidentally touched it once. Since I've been here once, if you just send me back, I can come again a second time."

  The beautiful woman raised an eyebrow in doubt: "Is there really such a thing?"

  Before I could speak, Su Mei's expression turned wooden and she said, "Can my master's words be taken as a joke?"

  The empress smiled and said: "That's for the best, then it's settled!"