Chapter 111
“That I cannot say. After all, Director Guo and Elder Gu personally requested the Second Young Master Su,” Eunuch Zhao said calmly. “Perhaps Lord Su has misjudged him?”
With a hint of mockery in his tone, Eunuch Zhao continued, “Exceptional horses are common, but people like Bole who can recognize them are rare. And not just anyone can be a Bole. Wouldn’t you agree, Lord Su?”
Su Zhongyue was embarrassed. “Well… Eunuch Zhao is right.”
“What exceptional horse is he…?” Su Wenhao muttered. “It must be a mistake. Elder Brother, let’s look at that decree in a moment and see whether there’s something wrong with it.”
Su Haichao gave him a cool glance, but did not stop him.
“Second Young Master Su, rise and receive the decree.” Eunuch Zhao took a careful look at Su Qinghe. The young man had now truly soared to great heights. Since he had inspired the Second Prince to run himself ragged on his behalf, one could only hope he would not disappoint His Highness’s expectations in the future.
Su Qinghe hurried to rise, still finding it a little hard to believe. “This commoner – no, this humble official… receives the decree.”
“Once you enter the Imperial Observatory, you will reside in the palace. Director Guo has prepared sleeping quarters for you in the tower. You need only pack your belongings and come into the palace,” Eunuch Zhao reminded him. “Oh, and there is no need to bring a manservant. It is not a place where one requires servants to wait on one.”
“Yes.” Su Qinghe nodded, clutching the imperial decree as though afraid it was an illusion, then turned and hurried toward his sleeping quarters.
Su Wenhao immediately followed. “Second Brother! Let me look at the decree!”
Without waiting for Su Qinghe to answer, he reached out and snatched it away. Opening it, he burst out laughing. “This name…”
Su Qinghe suddenly frowned, anger showing in his face. “How dare you! This is an imperial decree! How can you be so disrespectful?”
Seeing Su Qinghe lose his temper, Su Wenhao froze. Clearly, he had not expected someone usually so meek and spineless to grow angry. He shrank back a little, then stiffened his neck and blustered, “I think you’re just guilty! On this decree, your name is written in completely different handwriting from His Majesty’s. Did you bribe someone to forge an imperial decree?”
“What?!” Hearing Su Wenhao’s words, Su Zhongyue, who had been watching them all along, immediately strode over, snatched the decree, and unfolded it.
Sure enough, the three characters of “Su Qinghe” at the beginning of the decree were hideous, not His Majesty’s handwriting at all.
“You! How could you do something so foolish?!” Su Zhongyue felt his vision go black. Furious, he threw the decree to the ground. “This is a crime punishable by beheading! Do you want to drag the entire Su family to our deaths with you?!”
Su Qinghe froze. He had never bribed anyone to forge an imperial decree!
“Father -” He was just about to explain when a sharper, more drawn-out, terrified voice sounded before his could. “Oh, my heavens -”
Eunuch Zhao scurried over, picked up the decree in alarm, and patted off the dust. He glared at Su Zhongyue with round, furious eyes. “How dare you treat the Second Prince’s calligraphy like this! If His Majesty learns of it, even several dozen heads would not be enough for him to chop off!”
What -!
The Su family turned in astonishment.
The Second Prince had written those words?
Su Zhongyue was dumbfounded, his mind racing anxiously. Had the Second Prince secured Su Qinghe a place at the Imperial Observatory? But… even the Second Prince should not have such power! How could anyone simply place someone in an institution as important as the Imperial Observatory? Especially someone without much ability?
Su Qinghe was equally bewildered. He had thought His Highness was utterly disappointed in him, which was why he had not contacted him again since that day…
Who could have imagined…
“Oh, I’m furious!” Eunuch Zhao cradled the decree with pained concern. “His Majesty dotes on the Second Prince. What’s wrong with letting him write a few words on an imperial decree? But you lot didn’t even check whether the imperial seal was genuine before calling it a forgery…”
Eunuch Zhao turned angrily and asked the young eunuch beside him, “Xiao Dezi, tell them! What is the punishment for disrespecting an imperial decree?”
Xiao Dezi raised his head and answered loudly and solemnly, “Naturally, exile or execution.”
“Hmph! I shall return and report this to His Majesty exactly as it happened!” With that, Eunuch Zhao turned to leave.
“Eunuch Zhao! Please wait!” Su Zhongyue hastily stopped him and explained, “Eunuch Zhao, this official only feared some villain was up to mischief. I had absolutely no intention of disrespecting the decree! Please show mercy!”
He hastily signaled to Su Haichao with his eyes.
Su Haichao stepped forward and gestured. “Eunuch Zhao, may we speak privately?”
Eunuch Zhao snorted, placed the decree back in Su Qinghe’s hand, and followed Su Haichao to a side hall.
After a while, Eunuch Zhao returned with his clothes stuffed full of banknotes and said languidly, “The death sentence may be spared, but punishment cannot be escaped. Since the Su family did not act deliberately, attendants, give everyone who questioned the decree’s authenticity just now ten blows with a staff!”
Then he took Su Qinghe by the arm. “Second Young Master Su need not pack. Come straight into the palace with me.”
Eunuch Zhao pulled Su Qinghe out of the Su Residence. Before boarding the carriage, Su Qinghe could not help looking back.
Su Zhongyue’s and Su Wenhao’s screams reached his ears. Clearly, the blows were being delivered with considerable force.
Su Qinghe closed his eyes briefly, then turned and resolutely entered the carriage.
“Second Young Master Su, once you enter the palace, everything you do will reflect on the Second Prince. Do not disappoint him after all his painstaking efforts.” Eunuch Zhao took half the banknotes he had just received from Su Haichao out of his sleeve and placed them in Su Qinghe’s hand. “You may not need these at the Imperial Observatory, but they could be useful at the Ministry of Works.”
“How could I accept these?” Su Qinghe hastily refused. But when Eunuch Zhao said this was the Second Prince’s wish, he could only obediently take them.
Clutching the banknotes, Su Qinghe still felt he was dreaming. He gently unfolded the decree as though handling a treasure. Looking at those crooked, conspicuous three characters of “Su Qinghe,” he could not help smiling, his eyes reddening and growing moist.
His Highness’s handwriting really was ugly.
Yet why… did he find it so beautiful?
As though it were the most beautiful handwriting in the world.
–
The moment Su Qinghe entered the Ministry of Works, he felt countless burning gazes settle on him.
Hearing he had arrived, Elder Gu came out of the workshop to meet him. His sharp, imposing gaze swept over Su Qinghe, then he frowned.
At this, Su Qinghe could not help feeling uneasy.
After all, he had entered the Ministry of Works and Imperial Observatory thanks to the Second Prince’s favor. In truth, he had no skills to offer. It was only reasonable for the ministry’s people to look down on him.
He only feared embarrassing His Highness.
Sure enough, Elder Gu shook his head, seemingly most dissatisfied.
“Elder Gu, I…” Su Qinghe had meant to say that although he knew little of the Ministry of Works, he would certainly study diligently. But then Elder Gu turned to an official and ordered, “Old Li, this boy is too thin. He probably can’t even carry a piece of iron! Go! Get him into shape! When he can carry enough water to fill three vats without getting out of breath, bring him to me!”
Su Qinghe: ???
Su Qinghe: Carry how much water???
After noon, Guo Tianheng came to the Ministry of Works to collect him and discovered Su Qinghe was exhausted, limp as a dead fish.
Furious, Guo Tianheng stood at the ministry’s gates and shouted, “Gu Yun! Are you doing this deliberately? How can my Imperial Observatory use him when you’ve worn him out like this?!”
Standing inside the ministry, Elder Gu snorted back, “He belongs to our Ministry of Works in the first place. Lending him to you for half the day is already an act of great generosity! Take him or leave him! If you don’t want him, give him back!”
“Pah!” Guo Tianheng said through gritted teeth. “He clearly belongs to our Imperial Observatory! If you weren’t such a disgrace to your years, why would we have had to give half his time to you?!”
They hurled abuse at each other across the Ministry of Works’ gates. In the end, concerned for the dignity of his position as Director of the Imperial Observatory, Guo Tianheng snorted and ended the shouting match, taking Su Qinghe back to the Observatory.
Once inside, Guo Tianheng pointed to books piled high as a mountain. “Read these first. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask the seniors here. Don’t be ashamed to speak up.”
Then he hurried away.
Seeing so many books, Su Qinghe felt overwhelmed. He had never been good at studying as a child, and had grown worse later. Having to read and thoroughly understand a roomful of books was like death by a thousand cuts to him.
But…
Who knew how much effort the Second Prince had expended to get him into the Imperial Observatory? How could he lose heart now and let all that painstaking concern go to waste?
Taking a deep breath, Su Qinghe picked up one of the books as though facing certain death and began to read.
Yet when he next looked up, the moon was bright, the stars sparse, and the night pitch-black.
At some unknown point, all the weariness in his body had vanished. His hearing and sight were clear… as though he had been reborn.