A melodious sound of a bell rang out, sometimes near, sometimes far, sometimes far, faintly discernible. It was like the National Tutor's voice that seemed to have come from ancient times, adding a bit of mystery to the Anguo Tower.
The concubines didn't dare to raise their heads and quietly waited for the National Tutor to speak.
Identifying the son of a noble was a very grand event. On this day, other than Prince Li's family, no one else was allowed to enter Anguo Tower. Therefore, Su Yu sneaked in with the Emperor early after eating lunch.
When Su Yu arrived, the National Tutor was still on the sixth floor of Anguo Tower. He didn't know what he was busy with. His Majesty the Emperor quietly took him upstairs and directly went to the practice room on the fifth floor.
This was the first time he had been to the fifth floor of Anguo Tower. He already knew that this was where the Emperor practiced. In his imagination, the fifth floor should be a place full of plum blossom piles and wooden figures, with sandbags tied to the beams, soft cushions around the pillars, and words like "Spirit of Martial Arts" written on the walls.
In the end … there was nothing.
The entire fifth floor was covered with soft cushions, and there were large windows on all eight sides. It was bright and clear. His Royal Highness King Zhao, who had already returned to his human form, was sitting cross-legged next to a pillar with his eyes closed in meditation.
Su Yu curiously went over and looked at His Royal Highness King Zhao who was focused on practicing. He saw him sitting upright with his eyes closed and his jaw slightly tucked in. His expression was calm, as if he was traveling the three realms in meditation. His mouth was slightly open, and a strand of crystal slowly flowed out from the corner of his mouth. It sparkled under the afternoon sun. If one listened carefully, one could hear a slight "hu hu" sound.
His Majesty the Emperor walked over and kicked his younger brother.
"Oh? What's wrong? "His Royal Highness King Zhao opened his eyes and looked around blankly.
"Is this how you practice?" An Hong-chul held Su Yu and sat down in front of his younger brother. He raised his hand and slapped the back of his head.
His Royal Highness King Zhao raised his head and wiped the corner of his mouth. He rubbed his head guiltily and looked up to meet Su Yu's curious eyes. He felt a little embarrassed.
"I'm asking you a question!" His Majesty got angry when he saw his brother standing there in a daze. He raised his hand and slapped him again.
"Oh, Huang, Huang Su was taking an afternoon nap, so I …" Prince Zhao lowered his head. When he spoke, he didn't open his mouth and only mumbled vaguely.
"Speak properly!" An Hong-chul waved his hand impatiently. When did the younger brother become the younger sister? Why was he being so wishy-washy?
"Your Royal Highness, is it because you've lost your teeth that you're speaking a little incorrectly?" Su Yu couldn't help but chuckle when he saw His Royal Highness King Zhao's face scrunched up like a bun.
"Oh …" His Royal Highness King Zhao covered his mouth and stopped talking.
The three of them stayed on the fifth floor for a long time before Prince Li and his family finally arrived. The National Tutor floated down from the sixth floor. When he saw Su Yu, he frowned slightly. "Why are you here?"
Su Yu shrunk his neck. "Your subject …"
"Don't show yourself before the ceremony is over," the National Tutor interrupted Su Yu and said to the three people sitting on the ground, dispirited.
"Huang Su … I won't go down," His Royal Highness King Zhao said hurriedly.
The National Tutor didn't pay any more attention to them and jumped down lightly.
After the distant ringing of a bell, the National Tutor, dressed in a snow-white robe, slowly walked down the black and gold stairs.
The Identification of a Noble Child was a relatively grand ceremony. Today, the National Tutor wore a long robe with a trailing tail. The long robe fell to the ground and slowly slid down the stairs with the National Tutor's footsteps. It was like a white mist falling from the Ninth Heaven. The snow-white robe was complicated and gorgeous. It was covered with a layer of extremely precious white silk.
As everyone knew, the silk was woven by the mermaids of the deep sea. It was usually navy blue, and only a few mermaids could weave white silk. It was a national treasure that couldn't be bought with money. In the entire country, only the National Tutor could wear it.
The snow-white robe and white hair, his steps were bright. The moment the National Tutor appeared, the concubines and the young prince all knelt down to pay their respects. Prince Li also bowed respectfully. "Greetings to the National Tutor."
His cold eyes were slightly lowered. He didn't even look at the people kneeling down. He still walked up the high platform slowly. With a light flick of his wide sleeves, he sat on the throne in the middle of the hall. "You may rise."
The cold voice was extremely pleasing to the ears. It had a soothing power. The two concubines looked excited, and the three concubines, who were originally worried, also relaxed.
Su Yu leaned against the hole on the second floor and looked down.
Prince Li looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. His face was handsome and his brows were steady. Looking closely, he was slightly similar to His Royal Highness King Ling, but he didn't have a smile in his eyes like Prince Ling. He looked steady and reliable.
"This subject has three sons. The eldest son is five years old, the second son is three years old, and the youngest son is Fang Manyue. Today, I pay my respects to the National Tutor. I hope that you can identify him and verify his bloodline." Prince Li took a step forward and said word by word. His voice was full of energy and echoed in the hall, solemn and respectful.
The Imperial Preceptor raised her cold and beautiful eyes and raised her hand slightly. The veil in the hall moved without wind, and the candlelight embedded in the pillars like a coiling dragon seemed to come alive and lit up from the bottom to the top.
The concubines were shocked by this miraculous scene and didn't dare to breathe loudly.
A white-robed servant came forward and slowly led the eldest son onto the high platform.
The First Secondary Consort gripped the handkerchief in her hand and watched as her son walked up step by step and respectfully knelt in front of the National Tutor.
The National Tutor looked calmly at the child in front of him. He slowly raised his hand. His slender hand was so white it was almost transparent. He tapped lightly between the eldest son's brows. A moment later, he slowly shook his head.
The white-robed servant came forward and led the child who still didn't understand what was going on back to his mother's side. The First Secondary Consort showed clear disappointment on her face. The Second Secondary Consort couldn't help but feel even more nervous.
The Second Secondary Consort was still young. He grabbed his mother's clothes and didn't want to go with the white-robed servant in fear. The servant indicated for the concubines to come forward together.
The Second Secondary Consort glared at her son. She was afraid that his actions would cause the National Tutor to think that the child was timid. But the child didn't let go of her clothes so she could only pull him onto the high platform.
Seeing the National Tutor up close, it made people feel even more awe. This handsome face was so exquisite it seemed to be carved. He didn't look like an ordinary person. The Second Secondary Consort hurriedly supported the child and knelt down together. The moment the National Tutor made his move, she clearly felt a slight disturbance in the surroundings. It was as though an invisible force had spread.
Gently shaking his head, the National Tutor raised his hand and indicated that they could leave.
The Second Secondary Consort didn't dare to object and pulled the child back to his original position.
The Third Secondary Consort held the swaddling cloth in her arms and looked nervously at her wang ye.
Wang Li looked expressionlessly at her and indicated for her to go forward without worry.
Su Yu, who was lying on the second floor, was nervous. She used her elbow to poke An Hong-chul who was also lying on the ground beside her. "Emperor, how do you think the National Tutor could tell?" Could the National Tutor use his mana to detect if this child could turn into a cat?
His Majesty the Emperor yawned. "You'll know in a moment."
The Third Secondary Consort bit her lip and carried the child onto the high platform.
The National Tutor raised his hand and placed it on the swaddling cloth. He slowly raised his eyes and looked at the Third Secondary Consort. "Come up with this seat."
Saying this, the National Tutor actually stood up. He didn't care about the Third Secondary Consort who was still standing on the high platform and walked up the stairs.
Su Yu, who was still lying on the ground, suddenly sat up and bumped into the Emperor's head with a "dong" sound.
"Stupid slave!" His Majesty the Emperor was in pain and glared at Su Yu in dissatisfaction.
Su Yu quickly pulled the Emperor up. "Quick, let's hide."
"What are you hiding for? The ceremony is over." His Majesty the Emperor stretched and casually sat down by the small table. He started to eat the spicy shredded fish on the table.
"It's over?" Su Yu was a bit stunned. Not long after, the National Tutor walked up. Following behind him was Wang Li and the Third Secondary Consort who was holding the child.
"This subject greets the Emperor!" Wang Li saw An Hong-chul at a glance and knelt down. The Third Secondary Consort also knelt down.
"You may rise." His Majesty the Emperor waved his hand.
"Open the swaddling clothes and let this seat see." The National Tutor sat down on the soft couch and said to Wang Li's Third Secondary Consort.
"This …" The Third Secondary Consort looked pleadingly at her husband. Wang Li took the swaddling clothes and casually placed them on the table. He quickly opened the cloth outside the swaddling clothes. There was a felt blanket, a small mattress, and a thin layer of satin. He opened them layer by layer, and then … there was nothing.
It was empty! Su Yu's eyes widened. There was nothing in the swaddling clothes except for the mattress. No wonder the Third Secondary Consort, who had just finished her confinement, didn't seem tired after holding the child for so long.
The Third Secondary Consort saw Su Yu's gaze and smiled awkwardly.
"Where's the child?" The National Tutor looked up at Wang Li.
Wang Li raised his hand and reached into his lapel. He dug left and right. After searching for a while, he slowly took out something and placed it on the bedding on the table.
Su Yu hurriedly went over to take a look. In the middle of the bedding was a furry, black and yellow kitten! The kitten, who was already one month old, was very energetic. It propped up its two ears and stumbled between the bedding. It raised its head and looked around. With a pair of big round eyes, it looked at the calm Wang Li and meowed softly, "Meow …"
The National Tutor looked at it quietly for a while. He slowly reached out his hand and tapped the furry little head.
"Meow?" The kitten looked curiously at the National Tutor's white finger. It stuck out its pink tongue and tried to lick it.
The National Tutor slowly retracted his hand and said without changing his expression, "This child was born with wealth and was blessed by the ancestors. He should be a noble child."
The corners of Su Yu's mouth twitched. After talking for so long, this was the judgment of a noble child. The complicated ceremony and elegant singing just now were all … fooling people …
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