Wu Junzheng trailed at the very rear, sitting in his carriage and watching the father and son nestled together on the imperial carriage ahead.
Wu Junji stared with both pairs of wide eyes at the monsters running stalls on either side of the street.
Chang'an's street market had become the Chang'an Monster Market.
Some sold human-bone hammers, human-skull cups, and human skins; others sold pinecones, pheasants, cat tails, and wild boar meat.
Food, tools, toys, ornaments-they had everything.
Foxes, rats, catfish, cats, black bears...
Creatures of land, water, and sky were all represented, imitating humans as they traded, haggled, chatted, and played.
He even saw a weasel kissing a chicken, nearly shocking his dragon eyes out of their sockets.
Were you even the same species? And you were kissing?!
Right in the monsters' den, Emperor Zhou muttered disparagingly about them:
"Fur-covered beasts, with no sense of propriety or shame."
The monsters along the street glared furiously, baring their ferocity, only to see a pink Flood Dragon emerge from Emperor Zhou and soar into the air with an angry roar.
Those that ran on land, swam in water, or flew through the sky all knelt and begged for mercy. Across the entire street, scarcely any monsters remained standing.
Emperor Zhou pulled back the neck his son had stretched out of his shell and tapped his forehead, sealing his heavenly eye.
They were rutting in the nooks and crannies. It really would sully a child's eyes.
"Any member of the imperial family with Flood Dragon Fortune can open their heavenly eye and perceive the world. Among the common folk, those who awaken their fortune through scholarly learning, those who awaken it through martial prowess, those who enter official service through appointments or military honors, and those who cultivate Buddhism or Daoism and enter the mystic arts may all open their heavenly eyes."
Emperor Zhou traced the character for "monster" on his palm.
"Those with extraordinary powers must neither speak of them to others nor put them down on paper."
"Fortune can only be used against hostile beasts. It has no effect on ordinary people."
"If you fight a beast in front of ordinary people, they will think you have gone mad."
"Because they cannot see it, hear it, or sense it."
"In short, fortune arises in response to necessity. It cannot offer convenience or assistance in your everyday life. It is a responsibility bestowed by Heaven."
"The human race and the beast race fight a war every ten years. If humanity wins, the present balance can be maintained."
"If humanity loses, their fortune strengthens, breaking through the barriers of the rules. Ordinary people will be able to see, hear, and touch them, and the world will descend into chaos."
Wu Junji understood at once. In other words, the monsters currently could not come into contact with humans at all, much less harm them.
But if humanity lost the War Against the Monsters held once every ten years, these monsters, now confined to amusing themselves, would enter the human world.
"They have two kings who rule over them, just as humanity has its emperor."
"All beasts, whether of sea, land, or sky, bow to the Lord of Changbai Mountain."
"The ruler of the plants changes frequently. This generation's seems to be a peach tree."
"Mmm~" Wu Junji made a strange little sound and offered his assessment: "A rat race!"
Emperor Zhou more or less understood his meaning. "You could call it that."
"Although most fur-covered beasts cannot harm humans, a few encounter opportunities that allow them to assume human form and walk among mortals."
"To deal with such beasts, Great Zhou established Earthquake Survey Offices throughout the realm. They frequently recruit capable people under the pretext of surveying the earth dragon's stirrings, traveling among mortals."
"Chang'an City has the Armored Heavy Cavalry. Every night, from the third watch drum until the morning bell, they patrol the streets to maintain order in the beasts' markets."
Wu Junji now had a basic grasp of this new view of the world.
A deeper understanding would have to wait until he could encounter and explore it himself.
The imperial carriage moved steadily-so steadily that Wu Junji grew sleepy.
He flopped into Emperor Zhou's arms, preparing to sleep.
Emperor Zhou lifted his little face.
"I have not finished yet. Will you listen a little longer?"
Wu Junji reluctantly opened one eye.
"Spit it out."
Emperor Zhou vigorously ruffled the stubborn little tuft on his head.
"General Summoning is a blessing from Heaven. What it gives you is always what you need most."
Wu Junji did not understand. He opened both eyes.
Emperor Zhou slowly revealed the imperial family's secret.
"A summoned general and his lord share fortune and misfortune. When you share your fortune with your summoned general, he will gain a supernatural ability."
"This ability will be what you need most and can rely upon most in the future."
"From the moment a summoned general comes into being, he never leaves his royal lord's side. His entire life exists to protect and assist."
Emperor Zhou gazed deeply at the son in his arms and said meaningfully:
"You must explore the secrets within for yourself. A summoned general is one of the greatest weapons-the deadliest weapons-of an imperial heir."
"Jier, I can tell you with certainty: if you wish to tread steadily and climb high, you must have a summoned general at your side."
"Otherwise, you may lose to your own younger brother."
Wu Junji grew serious.
For Emperor Zhou to make such a sweeping declaration, a summoned general could only be tremendously important.
But Wu Junji still needed to weigh it for himself. He asked:
"What ability does Father's summoned general have?"
The old geezer had said before the New Year that he would show him his summoned general, yet he had not seen so much as a shadow of him.
Emperor Zhou chuckled softly and whispered into his son's ear:
"Invisibility."
Wu Junji's pupils contracted. He was stunned.
He understood at once. General Summoning was Heaven opening a back door for the imperial family!
When you were about to receive a cheat, did it still matter who that cheat was?
To others, perhaps it no longer did.
To Wu Junji, it mattered!
Because this cheat had a prior record of betrayal.
Shared fortune and misfortune, life and death together, an Assistant Minister-Wu Junji believed none of it.
If only the cheat could be dead.
The tiny Crown Prince voiced an enormous question: "Does a summoned general have to be alive?"
Emperor Zhou: "..."
His son seemed to need a dead man more.
He sighed. "If you truly hate him, I will summon him into the palace. You may torment him however you please."
"Beat him, scold him, make him scrub chamber pots, cut off his hands or feet-can you not do whatever you like?"
"Perhaps his ability will turn out to be exactly what you wish for."
Wu Junji pondered for quite some time before a rooster's crow jolted him awake. What was Chen Yu, anyway? How could he possibly deserve so much of his mental energy?
He angrily bit the old geezer. This was the true culprit keeping him up late.
Wu Junji burrowed into Emperor Zhou's cloak, tilted his head, and went to sleep.
His body was weak, he needed to grow taller, and he absolutely would not stay up all night!
Looking at the little dog-tooth marks on his hand, Emperor Zhou gave the stubborn tuft atop the little Crown Prince's head a punitive tug.
Like a brooding hen, he tucked his little egg into his arms and closed his eyes to rest.
Only when the imperial carriage entered the palace did Emperor Zhou carry the little Crown Prince all the way into Taiji Palace. After he dismissed the servants, a richly dressed, beardless middle-aged man appeared out of thin air. With lowered eyes and a deferential manner, he removed Emperor Zhou's cloak.
Emperor Zhou gently patted the little thing on the bed, his breathing slow and deep.
"He sleeps so much, so why does he not put on any flesh?"
"It would be fine to feed him into a pig. Plump and blessed."
Had Wu Junji been awake, he would certainly have rolled his eyes and cursed the old geezer for not knowing how to speak.
Fat was fat, blessed was blessed. Did he have to use a pig to describe it?
The man softly advised him, "Too much worrying wears down the spirit. When I am absent, Your Majesty must take care of your health."
The man's voice was delicate and gentle. He was clearly a eunuch.
Emperor Zhou rose and patted his shoulder, his gaze warm. He clearly trusted him deeply.
"Li Gong, I have always kept the position of chief eunuch at my side open for you. I cannot let you remain hidden forever."
Eunuch Li Gong cupped his hands. "Your Majesty, this servant does so willingly. So long as I can ease Your Majesty's burdens, I would not shrink from ten thousand deaths."
"Besides, my ability can better serve Your Majesty only from the shadows."
Emperor Zhou shook his head. "Enough. It is time to bring you into the open. Before that, there is one last task you must perform."
Li Gong knelt to receive his command. "This servant awaits your orders."
"Investigate Chen Yu."
Before you continue