A Shameless Person

## Chapter 23: A Shameless Man

As the true qi surged through his body, Ning Chen's mouth continuously bled, but at that moment, he dared not be distracted for even a second. He forced himself to concentrate, attempting to reform the collapsing qi vortex.

"How could this be?"

The next moment, Qing Ling's expression changed again. She saw frost begin to form throughout the room, and the air temperature instantly plummeted to freezing. A massive amount of spiritual energy continuously poured into Ning Chen's dantian, and his entire Sea of Qi began to spin wildly, devouring the surrounding spiritual energy.

"Hmph!"

With a soft cry, Qing Ling channeled her cultivated energy throughout her body, pushing true qi continuously from her right finger into Ning Chen's body, helping him to stabilize the wildly out-of-control true qi vortex in his Sea of Qi.

About an hour and a half later, the painful expression on Ning Chen's face gradually faded. The Sea of Qi in his body returned to normal, a silver vortex slowly and peacefully rotating.

Only then did Qing Ling finally breathe a sigh of relief. She withdrew her right hand, her beautiful face filled with anger. This kid is too reckless. Luckily, she arrived in time, otherwise, he wouldn't even know how he died.

Ning Chen opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Qing Ling's furious expression. His heart sank, a mix of fear and a touch of gratitude.

"Stick out your hand and let me check your injuries."

Seeing the bloodstains at the corner of Ning Chen's mouth, Qing Ling was worried about his injuries. She suppressed her anger for now and said in a deep voice.

"Hehe, I'm fine, I'm fine."

How could Ning Chen agree? He chuckled foolishly, quickly trying to come up with a plan. He absolutely couldn't let Qing Ling check his pulse, otherwise, his secret as a fake eunuch wouldn't be kept.

He wasn't worried about what Qing Ling would do to him, but he was afraid that the Grandson would destroy him in a fit of rage.

After all, Qing Ling had already covered for him regarding Mu Chengxue. He could tell that as long as it didn't concern the Grandson, Qing Ling could tolerate anything and wouldn't take it to heart. Even if Mu Chengxue was the assassin of the Xia Emperor, she could pretend not to know.

However, once there was a possibility of involving the Grandson, this venerable lady wouldn't be so easy to deal with.

If word got out that a fake eunuch was serving beside the current Empress, it would become a massive joke.

He could guarantee that if the Grandson gave the order, Qing Ling would chop him into a million pieces.

So, he could only chuckle foolishly and dodge. If this venerable lady used force, he would have to resist to the death.

What's a little injury? Compared to his life, he'd endure it even if it were ten times worse.

Seeing Ning Chen's strange behavior, a hint of suspicion rose in Qing Ling's heart. She frowned and said coldly, "Are you hiding something from me?"

"Hehe, how could I? I wouldn't dare."

As Ning Chen spoke, his body kept inching towards the corner of the bed. In his heart, he couldn't help but worry, this venerable lady isn't really going to use force, is she?

He couldn't beat her!

Fortunately, Ning Chen's worries did not come to pass. Qing Ling just stared at him for a while, then turned and left.

"Then you should rest well. I'll come see you tomorrow."

"Sister Qing Ling, good night."

Ning Chen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly waved goodbye, but his entire body remained hidden in the corner of the bed, unwilling to move.

"Ugh."

As soon as Qing Ling left, Ning Chen finally couldn't suppress the internal bruising. With a pfft, he vomited a pool of bright red blood onto the floor.

Outside the door, Qing Ling's footsteps paused. She stood silently for a long time before quietly departing.

The bright moon moved westward, and dawn broke. Ning Chen still sat on the bed, circulating his Cultivation Technique over and over again. In his focus, he lost track of time.

When he awoke, the rising sun was already dazzling. Ning Chen's heart sank. Thinking of today's literary debate, he felt even more anxious. He pushed open the door, intending to rush to the Heavenly Edict Hall. However, before he could even leave Weiyang Palace, he was stopped by the eunuch guarding the gate.

"Her Majesty has ordered that you cannot step half a foot out of the palace gate."

The small eunuch guarding the gate was very polite, yet also unusually firm. Ning Chen was anxious, but no matter how much he explained the urgency, he couldn't get away. For a moment, he was at a loss.

Given the Grandson's cautious nature, if she encountered a difficult problem, she would definitely send someone to call him. The reason no one had come yet at this hour was either because the problem posed by the Zhenji Kingdom envoy had already been solved, or because Qing Ling had mentioned his injury.

It wasn't that he was guaranteed to solve the Zhenji Kingdom envoy's problem, nor would the Grandson think so. However, the Grandson was inherently cautious and would certainly not miss any possibility. Moreover, in the Grandson's impression, she probably thought of him first whenever she encountered any strange or unusual problem.

Ning Chen had never disliked someone so much in his life. Today, he encountered one. The eunuch in front of him was impervious to persuasion, unyielding, and impenetrable. No matter what he said, he simply wouldn't let him out.

Why are there so many strange people in the Grandson's palace!

Ning Chen was furious, experiencing the urge to punch someone for the first time.

Of course, he acted on it!

"Oh, Empress Dowager!"

Ning Chen suddenly gasped in surprise. The moment the small eunuch subconsciously turned his head, a fist the size of a casserole slammed into his back. And then, there was no "then."

"You little punk, you're too green to fight with me!"

Ning Chen swaggered over the small eunuch's body, then desperately ran towards the Heavenly Edict Hall. As he ran, he despised himself. Normally, when the Grandson looked for him, he would hide faster than anyone. Now that the Grandson wasn't looking for him, he was perversely worrying about this and that.

Behind the Heavenly Edict Hall, Ning Chen ran, panting. Seeing the Imperial Guards one by one, he was stumped again. How was he supposed to get in?

"Eunuch Ning Chen?" Just then, the closest Imperial Guard general recognized Ning Chen and greeted him.

A flicker of doubt crossed Ning Chen's eyes. He didn't have many acquaintances in the palace, did he?

"Does Eunuch not remember? I am Ling Xiao, the one who escorted Eunuch out of the palace that day?" the Imperial Guard general reminded him.

Ning Chen looked carefully and finally recognized him. He had almost forgotten that he really did have such an acquaintance. At the time, to get out of the palace, he had quite thoroughly fooled this guy. He never expected to run into him again today.

"General Ling, is that you? Your armor has changed, I almost didn't recognize you. Congratulations, General!" Ning Chen saw that General Ling's position had changed and quickly offered his congratulations.

General Ling was in high spirits and laughed, "This is all thanks to Eunuch Ning. Eunuch Ning, are you here to see the Empress Dowager? Would you like me to inform her?"

Upon hearing this, Ning Chen nodded vigorously. He was just wondering how to get in.

"Please wait a moment, Eunuch Ning."

General Ling chuckled heartily, then turned and walked towards the hall.

While waiting, Ning Chen was bored. He looked around and couldn't help but click his tongue. The palace decorations were too extravagant. The Xia Emperor and Grandson really went all out.

"Eunuch Ning, Her Majesty wants you to come in."

Soon after, General Ling returned and whispered, "Eunuch Ning, please be careful with your words later. The Empress Dowager doesn't seem to be in a very good mood."

Ning Chen nodded, throwing him a look. "You're a good man, brother."

General Ling understood perfectly, subtly returning a look that said, "It's nothing."

Ning Chen quietly entered the hall from behind the Heavenly Edict Hall and immediately spotted Grandson's location. However, upon seeing Grandson's expression, his heart sank. This wasn't just "not very good"; it was clearly awful.

Yet, having come all this way, there was no turning back. He could only steel himself and sneak behind Grandson, carefully giving Qing Ling a look to ask what was going on.

Qing Ling gently shook her head, indicating that it wasn't a good idea to ask too much.

Receiving the hint, Ning Chen quietly looked up at the Xia Emperor on the dragon throne, then at the assembled officials, and then at the annoying, arrogant, smug face of the Zhenji Kingdom envoy. He roughly understood what was happening.

Great Xia had suffered a loss, was about to lose, and couldn't save face.

"Does any minister have the answer?"

The Xia Emperor asked again, his face grim.

Ning Chen lowered his head, looking at the black characters on the white paper on Grandson's desk. While surprised, he also felt a hint of other emotions.

It seemed that Great Xia's Confucian ministers still had many tricks up their sleeves. All the content recorded on the white paper, whether poetry, songs, music, or chess, had been answered one by one by Great Xia's Confucian ministers.

The only remaining unanswered questions were three couplets among the five that initially didn't seem difficult, but upon closer inspection, left one temporarily stumped.

It wasn't that they were impossible to match, but that the person who set the couplets had an inherent advantage. Under a time limit, it naturally became even more difficult.

On the white paper, the only three remaining questions were:

First couplet: An inch of earth makes a temple; by the temple, poetry is spoken; the poem says: Tomorrow, the monk returns to the ancient temple.

Second couplet: Qian trigrams, Kun trigrams, sixty-four trigrams, all trigrams with Qian and Kun determined.

The last question, which looked the simplest but was actually the hardest, contained only seven numbers: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

Although the Confucian ministers in the court were highly learned and talented, couplets were a niche art, popular among folk literati, talented scholars, and beautiful women, but rarely dabbled in by great Confucian scholars. It was already remarkable that they had neatly matched two of the five couplets within such a short time.

Ning Chen looked at the Zhenji Kingdom envoy with contempt. This fellow was utterly shameless. To give Great Xia's great Confucian scholars problems they'd prepared for half a lifetime and expect them to solve them within the time it takes an incense stick to burn… truly, those without shame are invincible.

"Xia Emperor, it seems your ministers cannot answer."

The Zhenji Kingdom envoy laughed heartily, not bothering to hide his arrogance. "A thousand years ago, The Master was born in my Zhenji Kingdom. Afterwards, he taught and passed down the Confucian tradition. Only in his later years did he come to Great Xia, yet the world mistakenly believes The Master was a person of the Xia Dynasty. Thinking back on it now, it's truly laughable."

"Damn it!"

Ning Chen couldn't help but curse. When did The Master become a person of the Zhenji Kingdom? Why don't you just say Great Xia was yours a thousand years ago?

Hearing the Zhenji Kingdom envoy's shameless words, Great Xia's Confucian ministers turned red with anger, a chorus of curses erupting. The Master was the faith of Confucianism; how could they allow him to be disparaged?

"Such an insult to scholarship!"

The Zhenji Kingdom envoy laughed arrogantly, finally getting revenge for yesterday's humiliation. It felt incredibly satisfying.

"Your Majesty!"

Ning Chen couldn't take it anymore and whispered, "I'll do it."

This time, it was Grandson's turn to be surprised. Looking at Ning Chen's serious face, a hint of hesitation flickered in her beautiful eyes.

However, seeing that the incense stick was about to burn out, Grandson no longer hesitated. She rose and looked at the Xia Emperor on the dragon throne, bowing slightly and respectfully saying:

"Your Majesty, your humble servant recommends someone."

"Granted!" The Xia Emperor narrowed his eyes and spoke.

"Ning Chen," Grandson turned back to look at Ning Chen, her expression more serious than ever. She said sternly, "Do not disgrace the dignity of Great Xia."

To vouch for him before the Xia Emperor and all the ministers, even as Empress, she would bear immense pressure. If Ning Chen failed, it wouldn't just be a simple loss in a competition.

Ning Chen knew the gravity of the situation and understood the pressure Grandson was under.

He wasn't acting impulsively; it was just that time no longer allowed for further arrangements. For him to answer was the quickest option.

More importantly, Grandson had shown him kindness, and he could not be ungrateful.

Stepping forward calmly, Ning Chen no longer held back his sharpness. He stood tall in the center of the main hall. An elegant palace maid immediately brought brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone, placing them on the already prepared writing desk in the hall.

Grandson gestured, and Qing Ling stepped forward to grind the ink. In the Heavenly Edict Hall, with red sleeves adding fragrance, there was a momentary air of elegance.

Ning Chen picked up the brush and began to write. With a flourish, the first couplet instantly appeared on the paper.

An inch of earth makes a temple; by the temple, poetry is spoken; the poem says: Tomorrow, the monk returns to the ancient temple.

Two trees make a forest; below the forest, a prohibition is shown; the prohibition says: Axes enter the forest in due season.

"Good!"

Several Confucian officials in the imperial court slapped the table, their faces alight with excitement, praising him profusely.

The couplet was perfectly matched, and its imagery was extraordinary. This young eunuch had astonished them once again.

Not far away, an envoy from the Zhenji Kingdom stirred his sleeve and frowned.

Despite the momentary shock, Ning Chen's brush didn't stop. The second couplet once again appeared before everyone's eyes.

Qian trigram, Kun trigram, eight times eight make sixty-four trigrams, each trigram determines the universe.

Luan bird nine calls, phoenix nine calls, nine times nine make eighty-one calls, each call a harmony of luan and phoenix.

"Heh."

This time, the great scholars smiled. This couplet wasn't astounding, but it was certainly clever, and it subtly flattered both Grandson and the Xia Emperor. Both the luan and phoenix are auspicious symbols, representing good fortune, making this an excellent couplet.

A smile touched the Xia Emperor's lips. Although an emperor is a true dragon blessed by heaven, being likened to a luan and phoenix was slightly inappropriate. However, for such a fine couplet, he wouldn't mind lowering himself a half-grade; it was worth it.

(PS: One chapter delivered, back to writing. Before I go, I'll shout to the heavens: please collect, give red tickets, and tip!!!)

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