Chapter Thirteen: Losing Face

  Zhao Chui carefully observed Meng Tao's every move, listening to his explanation, and secretly admired him. From his stance, it was clear that Meng Tao's skills were not superficial. Zhao Chui imitated his posture, and Meng Tao slightly adjusted his pose, saying: "Second Master, when first standing, the legs and feet often feel sore and aching, but after a while, they become loose and weak. This is due to the shift in energy. One must progress gradually until one can stand for an hour still feeling relaxed and natural."

  Zhao Chu knew that Meng Tao was right, but his body didn't cooperate. He stood for a while, and first his legs started trembling, then his buttocks drooped, followed by stomach cramps, and finally his whole body began to shake like it had been electrocuted. His posture also became hunched and awkward, causing the onlookers to burst out laughing!

  "Second master, hold on tight. Avoid having your feet flat on the ground with your knees bent, as this will make your body unstable and your heart unsteady. Avoid standing with a curved back, as this will prevent your energy from flowing downwards. Avoid getting up immediately after sitting down, for if your legs are unable to bear the pain, you will not be able to achieve anything. Also avoid shrugging your shoulders, tilting your head, stiffening your neck, gazing wildly, bending your knees past your toes, and sticking out your buttocks."

  Before Meng Tao could finish speaking, Zhao Che's butt had already hit the ground. Xi Ji was startled and quickly rushed forward to pick him up, anxiously asking: "Second Master, are you okay?"

  "It's nothing!" Zhao Yan felt his buttocks burning red, and he struggled free from Xian's hand, saying: "Master Meng, sorry about that, I'll keep practicing!" After finishing speaking, he re-tied his horse stance and persisted for less than half a stick of incense before falling down again. It wasn't that he didn't want to persist, but his body really couldn't take it. In just this short period of time, the clothes clinging to his body were already soaked through.

  "Master Meng, I'll come again!" Zhao Chu said with a blush, his legs trembling as he got up.

  Meng Tao didn't expect Zhao Che's body to be so weak, and he sighed, saying: "Second Master, practicing martial arts isn't something that can be accomplished overnight. It must be done gradually, step by step. From now on, Second Master, just practice in your own courtyard according to what I've told you. When you can stand for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, I'll continue teaching you!"

  "Master Meng, it's alright. I'll go back and practice diligently!" Zhao Yan said with a bow, his face red and his neck thick as he spoke, then limped away under Xian Xi's support.

  "Lao Meng, how did Er Ye leave?" At this time, Yang Feng rushed over and asked.

  "He's too weak in the body, can't even steady a horse step, no way to teach" Meng Tao said shaking his head.

  "Lao Meng, you're really something! Kids just want to have fun, what do you expect him to become? Just teach him a few good moves and humor him, right?" Yang Feng said with a hint of complaint.

  "Practicing martial arts without practicing internal strength will be a waste of time when you're old. Learning a few fancy moves like 'flower fist' and 'whirlwind kick' will only harm him in the future!" Meng Tao turned around and left after saying that.

  "Alas!" Yang Feng let out a long sigh, he had already guessed Zhao Che's identity earlier. In the capital, each prince's mansion had an official position, and he could have used teaching him martial arts to get closer to their relationship, which would have helped him gain a foothold in the future. But this good opportunity was missed due to Meng Tao's lack of human feelings, and he pinched his temples, regretting that he had drunk too much the night before.

  The sky was already bright, and Zhao suddenly found that there were big red lanterns hanging everywhere. A group of people were busy on the stage, and a colorful shed was set up at the door, filled with various silk flowers. "What's going on?" he asked in confusion.

  "Father, how could you forget? October 10th is the Tianning Festival, the emperor's birthday, it's just around the corner!" Xi exclaimed in surprise.

  "Oh, it's almost Father Emperor's birthday." Zhao Yi said with a dazed expression, but in his heart he didn't think so. This was just like the leader of a certain country in his previous life, where everyone in the country had to make a fuss on his birthday, not to mention the waste of money and labor, and if they forgot, they would be charged with the crime of disrespect.

  "If it were in the capital, preparations would have started last month. The congratulatory gifts from local officials have arrived, and all the prefectures are celebrating. Tomorrow, the imperial concubines will go to Xiangguo Temple and Lingxiao Palace to pray for blessings for the emperor. In the following days, the palace will also host a grand banquet for guests, it's going to be very lively!" Ji Xi said with a joyful face full of anticipation.

  "Then I'll return to the capital tomorrow to celebrate Father Emperor's birthday, let's prepare for our next trip to the capital."

  "Second Master, it can't be done! There's no imperial decree, we can't just enter the capital as we please. Let's just present a congratulatory memorial instead!" Xixi was startled and broke out in a cold sweat; if this master were to cause trouble, he'd also end up suffering along with him.

  Fortunately, Zhao didn't mention it again and thought for a moment before asking: "What will the other brothers in the capital do?"

  "This seems to be going everywhere to burn incense, fasting for a few days, and praying for blessings from the emperor." Xianji had never seen it before, but only heard old people mention it in passing, and couldn't make up his mind for the time being.

  "Are there any temples or Taoist monasteries around here?" Zhao asked. No matter in ancient or modern times, Chinese people have always emphasized filial piety. If he didn't show any respect and it got back to his father's ears, he would definitely be in trouble.

  "Ying Tian Fu is indeed available, but it's still a hundred miles away from us. There are only some rural temples around, which are not as good as the Taoist temple in our own mansion."

  "Ah, then let's do it at the Taoist temple in the mansion. I'll go there to fast and pray for blessings for Father Emperor for three days!" Zhao Che said. He didn't understand this era very well, but he knew that filial piety was a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation. He didn't have much feeling for this 'dad' of his, but he was still his dad. If he didn't make some gesture on this occasion, he would definitely be criticized by those with ulterior motives.

  "Second Master, our sect is empty now. Since the incident, Mingyue was beaten to death and Qingyun, that coward, fearing implication, sneaked away with the remaining few disciples!" Jian Xi said with a bitter face.

  "This won't do, that won't do, I might as well return to the capital tomorrow and still make it in time to wish Father Emperor a happy birthday!" Zhao Che had not been to the Taoist temple for some time now. It turned out that he, like his unlucky teacher, had also been scared away. Only he had run off without settling what he needed, which made him very annoyed.

  "Second Master, don't get angry, let me discuss with the official!" Seeing Wang Ye was about to blow up, Xi quickly sent Wang Ye into the courtyard and hurriedly went to ask for instructions from Huang Jingchen.

  After finishing breakfast, Zhao Xiang quietly left the door. At this time, a group of wild geese flew over in an orderly line, calling out loudly, "The northern geese return south, they still have a home, where is my home?" He sighed longingly towards the sky. Although Zhao Xiang had been in this world for a year, he didn't have any sense of belonging. He always felt that he was just acting out a dream, and when he woke up, he would return to his original noisy world.

  At this time, a lone goose flew in with a mournful cry, trying to catch up with the flock, but their distance grew farther and farther away, leaving it far behind. Zhao Ke looked up at the solitary figure slowly disappearing on the horizon, "I am that lonely goose, no relatives, no friends, became the unlucky egg thrown into this strange world by God!"

  "Second Master, the vegetable seeds we planted have all sprouted! The scallions are growing the fastest and are already an inch tall!" Zhao Che led him to the greenhouse again, where Zhao Xin excitedly said this. The others also nodded with excitement, they didn't expect that in early winter, the seeds could still sprout, which broke their previous understanding.

  "Oh, great!" Zhao Zhe woke up from his daze and was swept away by everyone's excitement, temporarily forgetting his worries. Under the escort of several people, he entered the warm room, where the sun had already risen, and the grass curtain used for warmth had been rolled up, filling every corner with sunlight. Zhao Ren was leading a few others to water, they all took off their cotton-padded jackets, only wearing a thin layer of clothing, still sweating profusely.

  "It's warm in the greenhouse and cool outside. Everyone must dress warmly when going out, don't catch a cold!" Zhao Ye said to several water-spraying servants.

  "Second Master, don't worry, we're all right!" Zhao Ren said with a smile.

  Zhao Xiao smiled and squatted down, the small green shoots one by one pushed out of the ground, the tender leaves still had a few dew drops hanging on them, stubbornly growing, the unhappiness in her heart suddenly disappeared without a trace.

  "Zhao Ren, this leek doesn't need to be watered anymore, if we water it again, the roots will rot!" Zhao Che grabbed a handful of soil and clenched his fist as he said, "When loosening the soil for the cucumbers over there, be careful not to knock off the leaves or damage the roots. The eggplants are getting bigger, so they need to be transplanted soon. At noon when the temperature is high, we need to open the doors for ventilation." He pointed out several things that the young servants needed to pay attention to. Unfortunately, in this era, the varieties of vegetables were limited. He had tried planting all the available ones like cilantro and celery. As for future generations' chili peppers, tomatoes, or even potatoes, they didn't exist yet, and people would have to wait a few hundred years to eat them.

  "Second Master, this calabaza (some people say it's the same as the tender calabaza we have now, others say it's not, but rather another type of calabaza, let's just call it calabaza for now) when it first hits the market in early summer can sell for over ten guan per pair. If we were to grow them in winter, who knows how much they could sell for!"

  "What?! Zhao Zhe was somewhat surprised, a pair of shoes could be worth so much money. "Alright, let's plant that land with calabazas, if we have a good harvest, we'll eat meat every day!" He thought for a moment and made a new decision.

  "Second Master's words must be counted!" Zhao Xin said.

  "A promise is a promise, once spoken it cannot be taken back!"

  "We're making a deal, no backing out!" Zhao Xin said, sticking out his little finger, and the others also chimed in to tease.

  "Alright!" Zhao Shu couldn't help but stretch out his hand and hook his fingers together, "Make a wish, one hundred years no changing!"

  "Second Master, have you ever farmed before? Today Old Li came in and said that it's impossible for someone who hasn't been farming for ten years to produce land like this. I told him it was done according to your instructions, but he didn't quite believe me!" Zhao Yi asked curiously.

  "This is a secret for now, I'll tell you later!" He said with an air of mystery, as the matter was really hard to explain.

  Just as everyone was chatting and laughing, the young servants suddenly closed their mouths and stood up straight. Zhao Yi turned his head to see that Jian Xi had come in. They were not afraid of Zhao Yi, but they were very wary of Jian Xi, their "direct superior".

  "Second Master, the official has agreed, I've already sent them to collect it!" Xǐ Māo whispered into his ear.

  "Uh, tell them not to mess with the things inside!" Zhao Yan nodded and reminded, there might still be things he could use in there, he was afraid of letting Xiao Huangmen ruin them.

  "I've already told you!" Jian Xi said in a low voice, he was still very sharp-eyed, every time the king went out, he would bring something back, now that Qing Yun and the others had run away, it just so happened that they all belonged to him.