Chapter 73 – Robbed by a Horse

Heitan carried Mu Nanjin through the palace gates.

At the first gate, he made a proud circle before the guards; at the second, another showy turn; only after a third grand spin before the final set of guards did he stride straight toward the morning court hall.

Inside the hall, the assembled civil and military officials were idly chatting when the sharp sound of a horse’s snort broke the quiet. Everyone turned toward the entrance, only to be dazzled by a blinding golden light.

Heitan stood before them, striking one heroic pose after another.

Everyone, look at me! Aren’t I magnificent?

Yet, in the officials’ eyes, all they saw was a moving mass of radiant gold. Before anyone could discern what it was, the shining blur bolted out of the court hall at lightning speed.

The Minister of Personnel rubbed his aching eyes. “What in heaven’s name was that?”

The Minister of Revenue shook his head, eyes still closed. “Didn’t see clearly.”

The Minister of Rites, who had seen Mu Nanjin ride Heitan before, murmured, “Judging by the sound, that should be a horse. And in this world, only Mu Nanjin’s horse, that ‘king among horses,’ shines so brightly.”

The Minister of Works fumed. “How dare Mu Nanjin ride a horse into the palace?”

The Right Vice Minister of Rites replied mildly, “That horse is no ordinary steed. It was personally conferred by His Majesty as a First-Rank Horse King. Strictly speaking, its rank is higher than yours.”

The Minister of Works choked, unable to retort.

The Minister of Rites snorted. “Being higher-ranked than us is one thing, but every piece of its gear is engraved with four characters.”

He had seen Heitan up close before; he knew it clearly.

The Minister of Personnel asked curiously, “What characters?”

“Ru Zhen Qin Lin, ‘As if His Majesty Himself Were Present.’”

The hall fell silent.

They had served as officials for years, yet none of them had ever been granted such a plaque. And that horse, every piece of its armor bore those very words.

Back then, the Emperor had intended to engrave the phrase on only one piece of equipment. But since Heitan could not speak, and there were always “blind fools” who might accidentally offend him, His Majesty decided to have every single piece inscribed, so that even the blind could recognize it.

The Right Vice Minister of Rites muttered, “Then it can roam freely through the palace, even the inner harem?”

Indeed, it could.

At that very moment, Heitan was galloping straight toward the rear palace.

When stopped by guards, he merely lowered his head so they could see the words “As if His Majesty Himself Were Present” engraved on his faceplate. The guards dropped to their knees and hurriedly let him pass.

Heitan charged through the inner palace, snorting excitedly; his hoofbeats echoed loudly in the still morning air.

In the Empress’s palace, where the Emperor had spent the night, the sound of hooves woke him. His brows furrowed sharply. “Who dares to ride within the palace grounds?”

“Your servant will go and see.”

The Chief Eunuch hurried out, returning moments later. “Reporting to Your Majesty, it is the First-Rank Horse King galloping in the palace.”

“First-Rank Horse King? What First-Rank…”

Then the Emperor suddenly recalled something. “You mean Mu Nanjin’s horse?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Why in the world did Mu Nanjin bring it into the rear palace?”

“When your servant went to look, the Horse King had already run off. I could not inquire further.”

“Forget it.”

That horse was a title he had personally bestowed. He could not really criticize it now.

Later, when he was dressed and walked out of the Empress’s residence toward Tai Jin Hall, he spotted Heitan standing proudly on the plaza.

Though there were no lamps, beneath the pale gray sky, Heitan looked divine, like a celestial steed descended from heaven.

The Emperor’s gaze lingered on the flowing tail shimmering with streaks of light. “Mu Nanjin’s horse is truly beautiful, especially its tail. Remarkable.”

Heitan, who had been eavesdropping on the compliments, lifted his head proudly. At least His Majesty knows how to appreciate true beauty.

Then the Emperor remembered something. “Isn’t today Mu Nanjin’s duty day in the palace?”

The Chief Eunuch thought for a moment. “Not yet, Your Majesty. She’s due in a few days.”

“Then why…”

Before he could finish, Mu Nanjin’s aggrieved inner voice rang in his mind.

【So this is why he dragged me out of bed so early! No one else to show off to, so he came to the palace just to flaunt his golden gear!】

【My precious sleep…】

【Next time, I’ll strip every piece of that shiny armor right off him.】

The Emperor could not help but laugh.

The Emperor entered Tai Jin Hall, where all officials saluted.

His gaze immediately caught a figure beside the General Who Conquers the West, a woman in full armor. His eyes lit up. “General Sha!”

All turned to look at Sha Ping’ai.

She stepped forward from the military ranks, calm and dignified. “Your subject greets Your Majesty.”

The Emperor’s satisfaction deepened as he regarded her. “My beloved ministers, this is Vice General Sha Ping’ai, the second female official in Great Qian. I expect you all to treat her well and offer guidance where needed.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The response came mainly from the military officers.

At first, many of them had objected to women serving as officials. But after hearing about Sha Ping’ai’s exploits, their views had changed. Her courage and tactical brilliance had earned their full respect.

If their own armies had such a woman, it would be like wings on a tiger.

Now, they not only did not oppose her, they fully supported her.

The Emperor turned to the civil officials. “And you?”

They exchanged hesitant glances. Some wanted to voice support, but with others silent, they dared not be the first.

Then, the Minister of Justice, father to ten daughters, stepped forward. “We shall fully support General Sha.”

His subordinates echoed him, and soon others followed. Yet most civil officials remained neutral or quietly opposed.

The General Who Guards the East snorted. “Didn’t you all agree to the establishment of women’s academies and the Imperial Examinations for women during the last court session? Why oppose the Emperor’s appointment of a female general now? Do you question His Majesty’s decision?”

The Minister of Works countered, “Not so! We object not to the Emperor’s wisdom, but to the practical issue. How are we men supposed to interact properly with a female general? Have we not all heard, ‘men and women should maintain decorum’? What if idle gossip arises? Besides, we are civil officials. How could we possibly instruct a military general like her? What say you, General of the East?”

“You!”

The General Who Guards the East was momentarily speechless.

The Emperor watched with a cold expression, curious how long they would bicker.

【Bicker, bicker, bicker. What’s the point? Can the military ever outargue the civil court?】

【Few of the military even study properly. The scholars could silence them with a single sentence.】

【Argue all you want, you’ll still lose.】

The civil officials puffed up with pride, for in Tai Jin Hall, they always had the upper hand.

The generals, though angry, could not deny she was right, though they bristled that Mu Nanjin seemed to side with the scholars.

【But the civil types only have sharp tongues. Their fists are useless.】

【If you can’t outtalk them, use your fists.】

【Remember who opposed you today. After court, sack them and give them a good beating.】

【If they’re in sacks, they can’t see your faces. They can’t report you. Heh, heh.】

【Words are cheap. Fists make reason. Heh, heh.】

The civil officials: “…”

The military officers all grinned wickedly at them.

Startled, the civil officials quickly averted their eyes.

The Left and Right Chancellors hurried forward. “We will, of course, cooperate with General Sha.”

Then, turning to her, they added, “If you ever need advice, General Sha, you are welcome to consult us at any time. We’ll share all we know.”

The rest of the civil officials quickly nodded. “Yes, yes, we’ll work harmoniously with General Sha.”

“Excellent!” The Emperor laughed heartily. “As of today, the Women’s Academy is officially established. Next year, women will be permitted to sit for the Imperial Examinations. Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, you must oversee this matter carefully.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The court then turned to other state affairs.

Mu Nanjin, fighting drowsiness, nearly dozed off.

When the long session finally ended, she rushed out, only to find Heitan missing.

As Sha Ping’ai left Tai Jin Hall beside the General Who Conquers the West, she smiled. “Guard Mu is quite an amusing young lady.”

The General nodded. “Amusing indeed, though when she blurts out your secrets, you’ll find her quite annoying.”

Sha Ping’ai could not help but laugh softly.

Suddenly,

【Where’s my horse?!】

【Did someone steal him because he looked too rich?!】

【Who’s the bastard who stole him?!】

【No way. Heitan never leaves with strangers!】

Mu Nanjin searched all the way to the palace gate, but Heitan was nowhere to be found.

A commander approached her. “Guard Mu, your horse was taken by the Seventh Prince.”

“The Seventh Prince?”

Mu Nanjin frowned thoughtfully.

【If I remember right, doesn’t the Seventh Prince like eating horse meat?】

【So he’s planning to eat Heitan?】

【But Heitan’s a First-Rank Horse King! Can he even be eaten? Forget it, whatever.】

The commander recalled seeing the Horse King leave with the Seventh Prince, without its golden armor. Perhaps the prince did not realize it was the same horse.

Should he report this to His Majesty?

But the Emperor was busy, and Guard Mu did not seem concerned.

He decided to stay out of it.

Meanwhile, at the Seventh Prince’s residence,

The prince tugged Heitan’s reins. “Take it to the kitchen. I’ll have a horse feast tonight.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Two guards went to pull the horse, but Heitan would not budge.

“More men!”

Two more came. They strained together, still unmoving.

“Pfft.”

Heitan flicked them away and strutted into the main hall. Spotting a multi-shelved treasure cabinet, he trotted straight toward it.

The Seventh Prince panicked. “Stop it! Don’t let it go near the shelf!”

The guards rushed over, but too late. Heitan clamped his jaws around a half-foot-tall golden Buddha and swallowed it whole. Then a bronze cauldron, then a golden vase. Anything gold or yellow vanished down his throat.

Even objects larger than his mouth somehow fit.

“My Buddha! My gold cauldron!” the Seventh Prince shrieked. “Beast! I’ll cut you open and take them back!”

Two guards grabbed the reins and pulled hard.

This time, Heitan followed, but not before giving a powerful kick behind him.

Crash! Crash!

The treasure shelves toppled; dozens of priceless antiques shattered to dust.

“My porcelain! It’s all broken! Gone! Tens of thousands of taels, gone!”

Panicking, the guards dragged Heitan outside.

The horse docilely followed, until they smacked his rump.

With one mighty kick, Heitan sent both men flying, unconscious before they hit the ground.

Then he went from courtyard to courtyard, devouring every golden object he found. Finally, he discovered the treasury.

Ten guards stood watch, eyeing the black horse warily.

One stepped forward to drive it off.

Heitan ignored him and rammed the door open. Inside gleamed mountains of gold. He immediately swallowed one chest whole.

“Beast! Spit that out!”

Swords flashed, stabbing toward him, but his hide was tougher than steel. The blades snapped clean.

Realizing this was no ordinary horse, the guards fled to fetch the prince.

Heitan happily gnawed open a nearby crate filled with gold ingots and opened his mouth impossibly wide, swallowing chest after chest until the vault was empty. Then, satisfied, he stepped out.

“Beast!”

The Seventh Prince stormed in, saw the emptied vault, and in fury snatched a guard’s sword, stabbing at the horse.

Heitan kicked him square in the chest. The prince flew backward, vomited blood, and fainted dead away.

“Your Highness!”

The guards rushed to catch him. “Fetch the Imperial Physician! Report to His Majesty at once!”

“Pfft.”

Heitan bounded onto the wall, then the rooftop, leaping away in a few great bounds until he vanished entirely.

The guards were dumbfounded.

They had heard of desperate dogs jumping over walls, but a horse leaping over rooftops?

“Quick! Carry His Highness back to bed!”

Some tended to the prince; others chased after the horse or hurried to the palace with the news.

When the Emperor learned that the Seventh Prince had not only been kicked by a horse but robbed by it, he was utterly dumbfounded.

“You’re saying, a horse robbed him?”

A horse. Robbing a prince. Unthinkable.

The guard from the prince’s manor nodded earnestly. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

That was not the point, was it?

The point was, the prince was injured.

Chief Eunuch Yuan whispered, “Your Majesty, perhaps we should first check on the Seventh Prince?”

“Yes, yes. Let’s go! How badly is he hurt? What kind of horse could wound him and rob his estate?”

The Emperor hurried toward the Seventh Prince’s residence.

Meanwhile, the palace commander who had seen Heitan leave earlier quickly reported, “Your Majesty, if this subject is not mistaken, it was likely the First-Rank Horse King who injured the Seventh Prince.”

The Emperor was speechless.

Heaven help me…

What a catastrophe!