Chapter Thirty: The Famous Sword Dragon Spring

  "Imperial son, what brings you here this time?" Li Shimin glanced at Cheng Yaojin who was making faces beside him, then calmly asked Li Yunfei.

  "Your Majesty, I actually miss you so much since leaving the palace, that's why I came to see you today. Also, it's about the 200 Imperial Guards quota you granted me!" Li Yunfei hastily stood up and respectfully said to Li Shimin.

  "Hmm! This matter is not urgent! Cheng, my brother, what brings you to see me so early again?" Li Shimin turned his gaze towards this man who always brought trouble upon himself. To be honest, Li Shimin had mixed feelings about him - he loved him for the several times he saved him from danger, especially since many things were accomplished through his efforts; yet he hated him for putting him in danger several times, and every time it was most critical, he would abandon his lord and leave. However, after each incident, it could be seen that Cheng Yaojin was right, which made Li Shimin feel unwell in his heart!

  "Ah! Ha! I, your humble servant, have also come this time for the sake of His Majesty the King of Qin. Your Majesty is aware that I, old Cheng, am a kind-hearted person and always want to lend a helping hand when others are in trouble! This time, the King of Qin wants to request something from Your Majesty regarding the 200 Imperial Guards. Originally, this small matter could have been handled by me for the King of Qin, but after listening to the King's plan, I think it's feasible and I'm also very interested. That's why I've come to give the King some encouragement!" Cheng Yaojin spoke for a long time, causing Li Yunfei to roll his eyes in exasperation. This was not what he wanted; he would rather have this Lord of Lu be less enthusiastic!

  "This old Cheng is really thick-skinned!" Li Shimin and Cheng Yaojin had been friends for so many years, how could he not understand Cheng Yaojin's thoughts? Everything before was fake, it's likely that only the last part was true. Li Shimin also helplessly rolled his eyes, this Cheng Yaojin was indeed helpless.

  "This is really a father-son pair, even their reactions are so alike!" Cheng Yaojin blinked his tiger eyes, looking at Li Yunfei and Li Shimin's reaction, feeling a wave of emotion in his heart. Then he kept making eye contact with Li Yunfei, letting him explain the situation, for a martial artist like him, he was indeed concerned about the arena.

  "Your Majesty, it's like this!" Li Yunfei had no choice but to stand up and explain the whole thing along with his own thoughts. As soon as he finished speaking, Li Shimin's eyes lit up. He was also a man who didn't like to be idle, or else he wouldn't have frequently gone on military campaigns himself. He fully supported Li Yunfei's idea and immediately issued an imperial edict with a flourish of his brush.

  Li Yunfei and Cheng Yaojin looked at each other in surprise, their eyes wide with astonishment. Neither of them had expected things to be so simple. It wasn't until half a day later that Li Yunfei finally came back to his senses, then bowed and said: "Your son thanks Your Majesty!"

  "Alright! Haha! Actually, the Emperor hasn't attended such a grand occasion for a long time. This time, thanks to you, I can also have some fun! I'm asking you, Brother Cheng, what do you think of my decision?" Li Shimin looked at Cheng Yaojin with a hint of teasing, thinking that he wanted his son to owe him a favor, but it's not going to happen! Haha! The Emperor wants to see if this thick-skinned person has any more tricks up his sleeve!

  "Your Majesty is wise, I deeply admire!" Cheng Yaojin saw Li Shimin's appearance and also knew that his little thoughts had been seen through. This was also the reason why Cheng Yaojin didn't like to deal with scholars, they were all like foxes!

  "Imperial son! Since this matter was initiated by you, and I, the emperor, have been so supportive of you, are you going to compose a poem for this occasion? This will also add to the atmosphere. Moreover, you must promise me that tomorrow you will report to school and begin studying Confucianism. I know you are not limited to one style, but Confucianism has its own advantages, so I still hope you can learn from it!" Li Shimin said with some emotion to Li Yunfei. However, when Li Shimin was saying this, Cheng Yaojin's two big eyes kept darting back and forth, as if thinking about something!

  "It's Father Emperor, I'll go tomorrow! But I don't know if you can grant me a request!" Li Yunfei saw that Li Shimin was in a good mood now, so he quickly took the opportunity to ask, and at this time Li Yunfei really wanted to learn some martial arts!

  "Oh? Alright, imperial son! As long as I can do it, I'll try to satisfy you!" Li Shimin had always thought that Li Yunfei was content with his simple life, but he didn't expect him to have requests too. Li Shimin's interest was piqued!

  "It's like this! Your Majesty, I've always wanted to learn martial arts. I heard about the heroic deeds of the previous dukes and I'm full of admiration. So, I want to ask you to grant me a precious sword...". Li Yunfei said to Li Shimin with a bit of trepidation in his heart. After all, although it's an era that values both literature and martial arts, as a ruler, they still tend to favor learning literature. Learning martial arts is usually the business of founding emperors!

  "Haha! The prince rarely has this kind of heart, well, I will grant you my sword! Hope you don't bury it!" Li Shimin was first surprised by Li Yunfei's request for a sword, and then he strongly supported him. He also considered himself a military general, otherwise he wouldn't have been in armor when he ascended to the throne. So Li Yunfei's request made him very pleased!

  Li Shimin turned around and took down a magnificently long sword from the wall not far away, "This sword is called Longquan, also known as Longyuan! It was unintentionally obtained by me, accompanied me to kill enemies and establish achievements, today it will be bestowed upon the imperial son, I hope the imperial son will not bury its reputation!" Li Shimin held the sword in his hand, then with a "swoosh" sound, he drew out the Longquan sword, instantly Li Yunfei and Cheng Yaojin felt a burst of light scattered, and then returned to calmness, only to see a sheet of Xuan paper had been neatly torn in half.

  Li Yunfei was shocked, he didn't think that Li Shimin was also a master of swordsmanship, especially when it came to the sharpness of the Longquan Sword. However, Li Yunfei did not know that this Longquan Sword was one of the famous swords of ancient times, known as the Dragon Spring Sword.

  According to legend, during the Spring and Autumn period, the King of Chu ordered Ou Yezi and Gan Jiang to forge iron swords. Ou Yezi and Gan Jiang created three iron swords: one named Longyuan, one named Taia, and one named Gongbu, which they presented to the King of Chu. The king was overjoyed and asked, "What do you mean by Longyuan, Taia, and Gongbu?" They replied, "To know Longyuan, look at its shape, like climbing a high mountain and looking into a deep abyss; to know Taia, look at its pattern, majestic and powerful, like the waves of flowing water; to know Gongbu, look at its pattern, from the tip to the spine, like pearls that cannot be exhausted, with patterns like flowing water that never ends." (See "The Outer Chapter of the Book of Yue: Records of Precious Swords")

  The "(纹)" refers to the fragmented brocade-like patterns on the blade. During the Tang Dynasty, people avoided using the character "渊" due to the taboo of Li Yuan's name, and changed it to "泉", thus calling it "Longquan". Another legend states that during the Jin Dynasty, Zhang Hua saw a purple aura between the stars Dou and Niu, and later had someone dig up two swords in the Fengcheng prison, one called Longquan and one called Taia (see "The Book of Jin: Biography of Zhang Hua").

  Cheng Yaojin was very calm, this sword he wasn't seeing for the first time, but he was also envious, as a military general, not being envious of famous weapons is fake, so although Cheng Yaojin appeared calm on the surface, in his heart he was actually envying Li Yunfei for getting this precious sword.

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