Chapter 9 A Fateful Encounter That Shocked the Mountain and Stirred Up the Monkeys

  Light rain falls, flowers and grasses are faintly fragrant, on Huangshi Slope there isn't a single insect chirping or bird singing.

  Min An used a machete to clear the path, and the deep grass that reached his waist rustled loudly. Suddenly, a small golden-haired monkey jumped out from somewhere, hung on a tree branch, and snatched away his hat. Min An broke off a branch to poke at the little monkey, but it mimicked him, using its own branch to poke back, scattering his hair everywhere. Without his hat, Min An's black hair flowed down like a dark cloud. He walked up to the top of Huangshi Slope, laboriously climbed onto a tree root, and stretched out his machete to cut off a branch of plum blossoms from the Purple Beauty Tree, grasping the only one in his hand.

  Suddenly, a yellowish shadow flashed beside him, like a ball swaying in front of Min An's eyes, still wearing his hat. Min An was startled and grabbed the axe to chop at the incoming object, but suddenly remembered it was the little monkey from earlier and immediately stopped. His stance was already unstable, and being startled again made him lose his footing, and he slid down involuntarily. Luckily, he let go of the axe and grabbed a dead tree root, avoiding further sliding. The little monkey, wearing the hat, clapped its hands and chattered excitedly, while Min An hung on the slope, unable to laugh or cry. The monkey looked down at him, and its hat was blown off; it chased after the hat and jumped down, landing right on his arm. The tree root couldn't bear the weight, and it came loose, causing Min An and the little monkey to roll down together. The little monkey, not yet fully grown, couldn't find any branches to grab onto on the rocky cliff face and was frightened, chattering anxiously. Min An couldn't bear to see this and protected the monkey in his arms, then heavily fell to the ground with it.

  Min An took a deep breath, and his back felt a sharp pain, much more severe than Master's stick beating. He propped himself up, moved to the side of the stone, and made a face at the little monkey standing still beside him. The little monkey ran off to pick up Min An's hat, put it on its head, suddenly chattered loudly, jumped behind Min An, only revealing a bit of blue face from his shoulder, gazing into the distance.

  Min An looked up and saw a luxurious horse-drawn carriage approaching from the mountain road, with a golden dragon flag embroidered with silk and jade fluttering in the wind. The carriage's curtains and body were all exquisitely made, and the attendants wore uniforms of the same color, with white jade belts around their waists, sitting upright on the horses, not daring to glance sideways. The leading guard was particularly majestic, with a black brocade sword box on his back, adorned with a gold lacquer seal, showing that this sharp weapon was extraordinary. Min An couldn't see the person inside the carriage, but he had been wandering outside for many years and had developed some discerning eyesight, so he immediately recognized that although the horse team's formation wasn't large, the majestic royal aura was unique.

  Min An considered it again and again, but the pain in his back was too much, forcing him to seek help from such a majestic team. "Gentlemen guards, can I borrow a horse? I still have to go to the Huangshi County government office for official business." He took out the copper-plated wooden card from his pocket and held it high above his head to show that what he said was true.

  The entire cavalry team didn't even glance at him, treating him like a roadside weed, except for the lead guard. The man hesitated for a moment, and the troops behind him slowed down slightly, but their horses' hooves remained steady, a testament to their strict daily training. A cold voice came from inside the carriage: "Don't stop." The cavalry team marched straight past Min An's face.

  The little monkey ran out from behind Min An, looked at the mountain pass where the horse carriage disappeared, and then turned back to look at Min An who was in pain with a frown. Min An nodded towards it: "Go that way and pick up a stick for me, can you understand?"

  Min An grabbed a thin branch next to him and hit the little monkey, who also picked up sticks and branches and threw them back. After hitting each other for a moment, Min An's long shirt and cloak were splattered with mud, and some green grass clippings even ran onto his head. Finally, the little monkey had thrown all the objects around it and turned its head to find the black wooden trunk that Min An wanted, dragged it over with both hands, and was about to hit him with great force.

  A sudden, unhurried and unrelenting sound of horse hooves came, interrupting the little monkey's movements. The little monkey, wearing a hat, jumped onto a tree, thought for a moment, then ran to hide behind Min An. Min An had just managed to reach that black wooden trunk, propping himself up with it. He took two difficult steps, and the trunk snapped, sending him tumbling heavily into the roadside puddle, splashing mud all over his body, and smearing some dirty water stains on his pale face. The little monkey saw that he was almost the same "yellow" color as itself, clapped its hands and chirped with glee.

  Just now, one of the horse-drawn carriages came back, and it was the leader of the guards. He dismounted his horse, bowed to Min An who was sitting on the ground, and said: "I am Li Qun, I dare to ask, is what you are holding in your hand the Purple Beauty Flower?"

  Min An lowered his head and only then discovered that after going through so many twists and turns, his left hand was still tightly clenched around the purple beauty flower branch. It was the chip he used to persuade Non Yi to come out of retirement, something he treasured more than his own life.

  The eunuch Li Qun said: "I will exchange this white horse for a flower from under your skirt. Are you willing?"

  Min An hastily shook his head: "There's only this one left, I won't exchange it with you. As for the white horse, I can do without it; anyway, by nightfall, someone will come to fetch me back."

  Li Qun hesitated for a moment, then turned over and mounted his horse, galloping back the way he came. Min An tried to move his legs, but couldn't get up, so he had to coax the little monkey to hit him with an even thicker tree trunk. Just as he and the little monkey were expertly hitting each other, the majestic carriage that had just passed by slowly returned, standing out solemnly in the misty rain. At the same time, the people inside the carriage took in the sight of Min An's disheveled body and the blue-faced monkey hitting him with abandon, looking like a fool.

  The coachman stopped the horses, opened the ebony carriage door, put down the footrest, and stepped back to one side, never once raising his eyes.

  A purple robe appeared before Min An's eyes, followed by a scattered Luo silk veil. The person who got out of the car had an extremely handsome face, with eyes as black as ink and lips as red as purple satin. He glanced at Min An once, causing him to hold his breath, not even daring to breathe.

  Min An knew he was a mess, so he hastily grabbed the weeds and dirt on his head, struggled to lie down beside the puddle, and no matter how he adjusted his arms, he formed a crawling-on-the-ground posture that ants should have.

  The young master in purple robes stood before Min An, his face as cold and unfeeling as ice and snow. Seeing that Min An was no longer moving, he took out a handkerchief to separate their hands, slightly bowed his waist, and reached out towards Min An. Min An smelled the faint scent of incense and a hint of fragrance wafting down, thinking that he was going to help him up, and couldn't help but be stunned for a moment. The young master merely took away the purple flower from Min An's hand, carefully wrapping it in the handkerchief to avoid getting his palm dirty. He didn't even glance at Min An's astonished expression, directly got into the carriage, and ordered the coachman to continue on their way.

  Min An saw that his only flower branch had been taken away and couldn't help but shout: "Since the young master has taken my flower, he should give me a horse in compensation!"

  "Someone in the carriage asked: 'Do you know who I am?'"

  Min An Gong said, "The brocade qinglong flag is the royal emblem of the Chu Nan Wang Fu, and except for the Crown Prince's outings, no other king or minister can use the same style. In this remote wilderness, let us villagers have the good fortune to see the Crown Prince's noble face, it is indeed a fortunate event in three lifetimes."

  "In the carriage, Li Peinan asked again: 'Since you know who I am, why did you dare to refuse my request earlier?'"

  Min An bowed his head and said, "The villagers are momentarily dull-witted and have forgotten that every blade of grass and tree in Chu State is the property of the young master's family. I had the audacity to push aside the request of the imperial guard, and I hope the young master will forgive me."

  Li Peinan didn't say another word and knocked on the carriage door. The coachman immediately cracked his whip, urging the horses forward.

  Li Qun let out the horse and handed it over to Min An, stretched out his hand and pulled him, saying in a low voice: "No one has ever seen the young master being so rude, your body is really dirty." Min An's face turned red with embarrassment, thanked him, and stood by the mountain path waiting for the horse carriage team to leave. He put the clean side of his long shirt on the horse's back, got on the white horse and returned to the county government office. The little monkey jumped out from the grass and followed behind, wearing a hat and chirping.

  Bi Zhen waited at the gate, saw a disheveled Min An return, didn't ask about his injuries, but worriedly said that Li Pei Nan's visit this time was probably not simple, and Huang Shi Jun didn't have a decent mansion to entertain him.

  Min Anpa, gritting his teeth in pain on horseback, said: "Sir, do not worry, I saw the young master's dragon flag heading east from the top of the mountain, it can be seen that the troops have already left Huangshi County and will not set foot here."

  Bi Xi's face lit up with joy, and he thought for a moment before asking: "What was the intention of the Crown Prince when he passed through each state and county in Chu State?"

  Min An thought for a moment, connecting the strengthened county and state governance decrees issued by King of Chusouthern over the past three years. He said: "The crown prince is not someone who loves to travel and hunt, but now he's traveling to various states and counties, possibly related to the king's political decisions. Or perhaps the king is planning a major move in politics and has sent out the crown prince to test the reactions of each region."

  Bi's eyes widened: "If the prince makes another move, that would be usurpation—" He saw Fei Yi walking over and suddenly remembered there was a third person present, hastily swallowing the words "imperial power".

  Min An originally wanted to smile slightly in response to Bi Si's inference, but the pain from his injury made him wince, and it wasn't until Fei Yi walked up to him in his brocade robes that he spoke up and asked: "Fei Yi, do you think Sir and I are correct in our inference?"

  "Cannot rashly discuss state affairs."

  "As a high-ranking official in the imperial court, with responsibility for the welfare of the people, how can one not make inferences about state policy decisions and make beneficial choices on behalf of one's own citizens?"

  Fei Yi looked at Min An, who was covered in a lump of yellow mud with only his bright eyes visible, and said in a steady voice: "I've said it before, you're a clever person, often doing things beyond people's expectations." After finishing speaking, he raised his hand to bid farewell to Bi Xi, then slowly walked out of the county government gate, going out to pick some late-blooming flowers.

  Bi's forehead wrinkled in thought, and he hesitated before asking: "Young Master, what does 'non-clothing' mean?"

  Min An didn't hesitate and directly reminded his superior: "Not answering in person doesn't mean it's not a good answer, which means that your previous inference is correct. Don't worry, just follow the wind direction of the superiors at all levels, even if the sky changes, the responsibility won't fall on you. Also, you must treat Non-Yi Gongzi with courtesy, according to Bao'er Miss's revelation, Non-Yi Gongzi's background is not simple, he is equivalent to Chu Nan Wang here, if I'm not mistaken, he is the second prince of Chu Nan Wang. Shh, don't be surprised, absolutely cannot show any unusual expression, since Non-Yi Gongzi doesn't want people to find out his origin, there must be a reason for it, you and I will follow along and won't make any mistakes."

  Bi Zong savored Min An's words for a long time, and after a while, he said: "The young master really sees things clearly." In his heart, he couldn't help but sigh in admiration. If it weren't for this young master, would he be able to handle the task assigned by his superior, Wang Huai Li, without making any mistakes?

  Bi Shi shook his head and walked away with a steady gait, while Min An yelled from the horseback: "Sir, can you at least get someone to carry me back home?!"