Three and a half weeks ago.
Nestled within the luxurious confines of the emperor's study, Wuzhi added the final brushstroke to the piece of parchment lying sprawled upon the desk before him and finished the letter. After spending a few moments admiring his craft, he carefully folded the letter, inserted it into an envelope, and placed the envelope atop a neatly bunched stack of similar envelopes.
"Fifteen. That should do it," Wuzhi commented aloud and gathered the stack with his hands. Rising from his seat, he exited the study and walked into the grand, opulent corridors of the imperial palace.
A few minutes of travel later, Wuzhi came across the target of his search: Tia. He found the timid little maid dazedly standing by a window and staring at the blank blue sky.
Walking up behind her, Wuzhi tapped the little maid on the head with the envelope stack. The sudden strike brought the little maid out of her gaze and caused her to turn towards the assailant with palpable furiousness. Upon seeing that it was Wuzhi who had suddenly struck her, her anger grew even more.
"Wuzhi!" she growled, exposing her cute and sharp canines in the process. Her aggrieved, furious face resembled that of a wronged housecat.
Wearing an amused grin on his face, Wuzhi asked, "Why is our little maid staring outside the window with a love-struck expression on her face? Could it be that you are," he rubbed his non-existent beard, "missing someone?"
"Wh-what!?" Tia leapt back. Her small face, cute and timid, blushed with an intense shade of red. "Lo-love struck!" she stammered. "Wh-who the hell is love-struck!?!"
"Well, according to my eyes, you are." Wuzhi nodded with certainty. Leaning forward, he patted the startled maid on her shoulders and encouraged her. "Work hard, young one. The path towards your desired future is a long, difficult one."
"This crazy bast—!" Tia hissed through gritted teeth. She then gave Wuzhi the stink eye before turning around and walking away with a huff. Having spent over a month in the company of the young scholar, she knew better than most that engaging the young scholar in his pointless antics was a fantastic waste of time and effort. To avoid being pulled into his stupid pranks it was best to simply walk away.
While Tia walked away in frustration and anger, Wuzhi felt his heart being filled with utmost satisfaction and contentment. After spending a minute laughing his devious laughter, much to the chagrin of the timid little maid, he quickly caught up to Tia and handed her the stack of envelopes.
"Miss Tia, this lowly scholar would like to ask your noble self for a favour," he began.
"Humph!" Tia looked away with a harrumph, refusing to meet Wuzhi's gaze. Her hands, however, loyally received the stack of envelopes from him. As loathsome and annoying as Wuzhi was, he had come to become a close confidant and friend of the timid little maid. So, as much as she loathed him, Tia could not genuinely come to hate the young scholar.
"What should I do with these?" asked the timid little maid, still refusing to grace Wuzhi with a gaze.
Chuckling quietly, the young scholar instructed. "Upon the cover of each envelope, I have written an address. Please distribute the envelopes to the appropriate messengers and ensure that all of them are sent by tomorrow."
Tia quietly nodded her head and kept the stack inside her bosom. She then let out a cute little snort and ran away from Wuzhi.
The young scholar amusedly watched her run away and shook his head. He then quietly muttered to himself. "I hope that your love finds success." Mysterious characters appeared for an instant before disappearing into his eyes.
Turning his head towards the ceiling, Wuzhi preached with a wide smile. "For this too, is the will of the Heavens!"
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Strolling with light steps, Wuzhi disappeared into the corridors of the imperial palace.
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Afternoon of the same day.
Wuzhi, armed with a suitcase and two large sacks, arrived at the imperial stable. He was dressed in a set of travelling gear and his bamboo hat stayed as lowered as ever. By all respects, Wuzhi looked prepared to undertake a long journey.
Gripping his luggage, the young scholar made his way into the stable. The time of his visit coincided with the shift change period of the stable workers, leaving the building unmanned and unguarded. Stepping inside, Wuzhi was greeted with the sight of long rows of fenced partitions, housed within which were fine horses of refined pedigree.
The South Aislan Continent was famous for its wide variety of domestic wildlife. From the extinct Fire Chasing Sparrows to the elusive Gold Burrowing Moles, the continent housed many exotic and specialised creatures and Wild Beasts. And amongst this wide range of wildlife, the one with the most international renown was the continent's horses.
The Red-Maned Horse, named after its characteristic red-coloured mane, was ranked in the list of 'Five Best Horse Breeds in the World' and was second only to the first-ranked, Abyssal Shadow Chasers. In other words, the Red-Maned Horse was universally known as the second-best horse breed in existence!
Strength, Speed, Endurance, Beauty… this horse breed was amongst the best in all these aspects and more. Rumoured to be the descendent of the mythical creature, Tixiaotel, the Horse Lord, the Red-Maned Horse was often seen as the symbol of the South Aislan Empire's might and glory. Its status amongst the local populace was almost reverential.
Pausing his recollection about facts that he had read before, Wuzhi perused the stable to find himself a mount. He was indeed heading on a journey out of the capital city and had a specific objective in mind. To accomplish this objective successfully, it was highly imperative that Wuzhi's comings and goings be kept a secret.
Not that doing so was a difficult matter to accomplish. Wuzhi's existence inside the imperial palace was already very low-key. With the boy emperor gone on a war march and the tension of war being at a high, the young scholar's existence was even more disregarded by the netizens of the imperial palace and city.
Just as Wuzhi was strolling down the second aisle in search of a steed, a voice interrupted his perusal.
"Oi! Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Turning around, Wuzhi discovered a stable boy running up to him. It seemed that his secretive getaway had been realised. While sighing away at his misfortune, the young scholar wore his signature smile and greeted the stable boy. "Greetings! This lowly scholar is named Wuzhi, the Imperial Tutor and Personal Advisor to the Venerable Emperor."
Hearing Wuzhi's greeting, the stable boy's knees quaked as his body almost collapsed onto the floor. The person, whom he had mistakenly thought to be an overeager servant of the palace, turned out to be a big shot!
"Sir Wuzhi! Please forgive this lowly servant for not recognising your noble self!" The stable boy knelt and pleaded with all his heart. Having worked in the imperial palace since his boyhood, the stable hand knew better than to get on the bad side of mighty individuals.
Should he not fix this misunderstanding in this very instant, the stable hand knew that his peaceful life at the imperial palace was over!
"Ah!" Wuzhi looked startled. "You do not have to lower yourself like that." He stopped the stable boy from striking his forehead against the floor. After placating his worries, the young scholar then proceeded to explain his reason for being here.
"Sir Wuzhi is seeking a steed?" The stable hand, named Pedro, asked.
"Precisely," replied the scholar. Suddenly recalling something, he quickly added, "Oh, and I would appreciate it if it was easy to ride."
Seeing the confusion on Pedro's face, Wuzhi explained. "This scholar has always kept to his books and has never ridden a horse before."
His answer caused Pedro to nod his head in understanding. He then led Wuzhi around the stable and introduced him to various steeds. After much searching and deliberation, the pair finally settled on a young pony which was on the cusp of entering adulthood.
Watching the scholar affectionately pet the white-skinned, red-maned pony, Pedro had an odd light within his eyes. Unable to hold himself back, he asked with a strange tone. "Sir Wuzhi, are you certain that you are alright with that steed?"
"Why? Is there a problem?" Wuzhi quizzed, perplexed.
"N-no. There is no problem," Pedro replied honestly. "It's just that… such a young horse might be a little unfitting for a man of your station."
Honestly, the young stablehand found Wuzhi's choice to be a little ridiculous. 'Wasn't it every man's desire to ride a large, sturdy-looking horse? Did he not want to pose? Why was this scholar strangely fixated on this pony that looked small and puny?'
"Ah!" Wuzhi immediately understood the stable hand's meaning from his words. He then chuckled with a shake of his head and replied, "Please rest easy for I find myself to be quite fond of this little horse." Wuzhi then proceeded to affectionately ruffle the fellow's mane. The steed found the scholar's actions to be enjoyable and neighed for more of the same.
With his transport secured, Wuzhi loaded his luggage on the steed and mounted it for his journey. However, just before he left, the young scholar made a slight addition to his party.