After Being Preached by my Senior Martial Brother

When Li Chaofeng was born, he wasn’t actually the sixth prince.

This wasn’t his fault; it was his mother’s.

His mother entered the palace late, when Emperor Li was already sixty years old.

But thanks to divine pills and elixirs, the emperor was well-preserved, and thus sons were still born one after another.

Too much time had passed.

When recalling, Li Chaofeng had already forgotten his mother’s name. He only remembered that her childhood name had something like “Jia” or “Zhao” in it, meaning bright or brilliant.

After entering the palace, Emperor Li bestowed upon his mother the character “Rong”.

It meant for her to restrain her temperament, to not say things like “fuck”, “goddamn it”, or “if you don’t like it, I’ll kill you” in private, unlike a lady from a noble family, more like a rough woman from a military camp.

Well, his mother’s family was originally from a military background.

Before Noble Consort Rong became Noble Consort Rong, she could once kill a tiger with her bare hands and couldn’t tolerate even a speck of dust in her eyes.

Later, she became Concubine Rong, Consort Rong, and Noble Consort Rong.

The character “Rong” was no longer about not tolerating dust, but about tolerating her husband taking concubines.

The hands that once wielded weapons now embroidered nightgowns for the old emperor.

The dragon she embroidered looked like a worm, full of knots, making the old emperor crawl all over the bed uncomfortably.

In short, Noble Consort Rong gradually forgot her own name as well.

Everyone just called her Noble Consort anyway.

Over time, she sometimes felt she might be surnamed “Gui” (Noble).

When Li Chaofeng was born, Noble Consort Rong was still Concubine Rong.

After giving birth to him, his mother was promoted and became Consort Rong.

Consort Rong was only sixteen years old.

She happened to give the old emperor his sixteenth prince.

It’s said that when Consort Rong was giving birth to him, the entire Changle Palace was filled with the sound of his mother cursing.

“Fuck! Goddamn it!”

“Giving birth to this little bastard is killing your mother!”

That’s how Li Chaofeng was born.

When it was time for him to learn to speak, the old emperor held him and coaxed. “Imperial son, good imperial son, call me father.”

Li Chaofeng said in his childish voice. “Fucking father.”

This was the first sentence Li Chaofeng learned.

It’s said that afterwards, the old emperor didn’t step into Changle Palace for about half a year.

Consort Rong changed from Consort to Noble Consort.

Li Chaofeng changed from the sixteenth prince to the sixth prince.

This brings us to the first coup in the Li Dynasty.

Li Chaofeng was still young then, only four or five years old, still a human cub who needed bedtime stories before sleep.

It’s said that children of this age are very difficult to raise, and his mother was also a new mother. Apart from his mother, most of the palace maids in the entire palace were single young women. In short, there weren’t many who could give her advice.

Noble Consort Rong also raised a dog.

Later, she got inspiration from raising the dog and decided to raise her son the same way she raised the dog.

For a long time, when Noble Consort Rong walked the palace paths with other plastic sister consorts.

While other princes were held in their mothers’ arms, only he was leashed by his mother with a dog leash, one end attached to his clothes, the other end held in Noble Consort Rong’s hand. He ran happily in front, while Noble Consort Rong ate melon seeds and chatted behind.

If he was about to fall.

Noble Consort Rong would flexibly adapt, pulling the dog leash back.

And just like that.

He would stand up straight.

Li Chaofeng felt he later had some talent for being a dog.

This childhood experience couldn’t be completely ruled out as a factor.

On the day of the coup.

Like any ordinary day in the imperial city, Li Chaofeng washed his face and prepared to go to bed.

Noble Consort Rong pulled out a storybook and began to read Li Chaofeng a bedtime story:

“Lengming Aotian was originally a genius with unparalleled talent, but for the mystery of his origins, he willingly became dormant, pretending to be useless while secretly cultivating the Asura Dragon Technique for a full year. Now the time is up, the true dragon returns! Heh… His fiancée despised him as useless and broke off the engagement? The once useless one has been reborn through nirvana! Those who touch my woman, death! Those who destroy my royal clan, death! Along the way, he possesses all the beauties in the world… Ten years east of the river, ten years west of the river, don’t underestimate the poor youth!”

Li Chaofeng listened with blood boiling excitement.

At this moment, Changle Palace suddenly lit up brightly.

A group of imperial guards wearing iron armor rushed in from outside, surrounding Changle Palace.

Li Chaofeng was bewildered.

He heard the palace people screaming that the Crown Prince had rebelled!

The Crown Prince at that time was also in his forties.

Sometimes Li Chaofeng called him Uncle Crown Prince, sometimes Grandpa Crown Prince, anyway the generational relationship was very confusing.

The Crown Prince might have harbored resentment, drawing his sword ready to kill.

Noble Consort Rong kicked open the palace door. “Fuck your grandfather! Don’t you know you’re disturbing the peace in the middle of the fucking night, goddammit!”

The Imperial Consort snatched the knife from the Crown Prince’s hand. With a swift strike, she chopped off the Crown Prince’s dog head.

The imperial guards rushed forward. His mother hacked away like cutting vegetables, beheading over a dozen people in one stroke. Her golden hairpin and silk dress were covered in blood, which flowed onto the ground, forming a pool.

In Li Chaofeng’s eyes.

His mother looked like a goddess at that moment.

Later, when recalling this incident.

He felt that his understanding of his boss’s personality outside was somewhat influenced by the Imperial Consort.

The Imperial Consort, holding the knife, fought her way to Daming Palace.

Along the way, she killed all the imperial guards who opposed her, while others completely surrendered and immediately switched sides, hailing her as their big sister.

The old emperor sat in Daming Palace, trembling in fear.

What arrived was not the rebelling Crown Prince, but the blood-covered Imperial Consort, holding a knife, looking fierce.

The old emperor collapsed on the ground, clutching a eunuch and asking shakily, “We heard it should be the Crown Prince rebelling… not the Imperial Consort rebelling, right?”

Anyway, after this coup.

Suddenly, more than a dozen princes died.

Filling in the gaps, the sixteenth prince was promoted to sixth prince.

The Imperial Consort was promoted to Noble Consort for her merit in saving the emperor.

When the old emperor was conferring the title on his mother, he wrote while wiping sweat.

He checked several times to confirm that the Imperial Consort should only be promoted to Noble Consort, not promoted to emperor.

From then on, Noble Consort Rong enjoyed unwavering imperial favor.

But the old emperor never set foot in Changle Palace again.

Li Chaofeng later told Feng Xuan that when he grew up, he only provoked Qi Zhuoyu with a few words, but he had never bullied his cousin when he was young.

This was not untrue, otherwise, given Qi Zhuoyu’s vengeful nature, how could Li Chaofeng have lived safely until now, and even be doing quite well.

Li Chaofeng remembered that the first time he met Qi Zhuoyu was on a not-so-good day.

Noble Consort Rong was already the most favored in the six palaces, but everyone knew that the old emperor didn’t really visit Changle Palace much.

It was an empty title. Apart from not lacking food, clothing, and daily necessities, in reality, most of the palace maids and eunuchs, as well as the other consorts, didn’t really respect Noble Consort Rong.

They thought her manners were crude.

The old emperor was purely frightened by her.

But they didn’t dare say these things in front of Noble Consort Rong.

Noble Consort Rong’s palace fighting tactics were very simple and crude: if you don’t submit, you get beaten.

If any consort she had beaten dared to complain to the emperor.

The result would be getting beaten a second time by Noble Consort Rong, along with the emperor.

In short, Li Chaofeng had no friends when he was young.

The only one he played with was the yellow dog raised by Noble Consort Rong.

Having grown up with the yellow dog since childhood.

Li Chaofeng, only six years old, didn’t think the yellow dog was human. On the contrary, he thought he should be like the yellow dog, also a dog.

Qi Zhuoyu was bullied by other princes, forced to bark like a dog.

His cousin, though young, was already very handsome and ruthless.

It was just making him bark a few times like a dog.

Qi Zhuoyu beat those princes until they were bloody and barely alive.

Li Chaofeng didn’t think barking like a dog was something shameful.

When he played with Big Yellow, Big Yellow couldn’t speak human language, so he basically mastered a foreign language skillfully to communicate with Big Yellow.

Later, when he grew up.

Big Yellow became old and died.

Li Chaofeng then realized that he wasn’t a dog, but a human.

Noble Consort Rong buried Big Yellow with him and said, “Actually, being human isn’t that interesting, it’s better to be a dog.”

Li Chaofeng silently agreed with his mother in his heart.

Noble Consort Rong often said that people live in the world just to endure torment until death.

What’s the difference between being human and being a dog? Once you understand this point, everything can be taken calmly.[1]

This saying had a profound impact on Li Chaofeng.

So much so that later, when he was inexplicably drawn into the nightmare’s dream and turned into a dog by Feng Xuan, he quickly accepted his new identity. Mom had a good saying, being human really isn’t as interesting as being a dog!

Li Chaofeng began to hang out with Qi Zhuoyu and Feng Xuan every day.

He had been a prince in the palace for decades, and only when he stepped out of this square patch of sky did he realize how big the world was.

When Noble Consort Rong found out, she didn’t stop him.

As his mother got older, she became less talkative.

Most of the time, she just listened to Li Chaofeng talk.

Li Chaofeng told her about the nightmare beast’s dream, the demonic dragon with three heads, the big sedan chair that could fly in the sky, with seven-story pavilions hung with bright pearls and immortal lamps.

Noble Consort Rong said, “Is that true or false?”

Li Chaofeng: “It’s true!”

Noble Consort Rong said, “Such an impressive bridal sedan chair. I’ve never ridden in one like that.”

Li Chaofeng thought for a moment and said, “When cousin comes back, I’ll ask him to let me use it for a couple of days!”

Noble Consort Rong laughed.

Later, time passed quickly.

Li Chaofeng ate many spirit beasts and immortal fruits in the nightmare beast’s dream, and by coincidence was infused with cultivation by Qi Zhuoyu. He could now transform into a human or a majestic big dog at will.

At night, he let Noble Consort Rong sit on his back.

Carrying his mother on his back, he leaped over the palace towers and city walls of Chang’an.

The night wind blew through his fur and Noble Consort Rong’s delicate silk dress.

The cold golden hairpins and jewels on her head fell to the ground with a clatter, revealing her original jet-black hair. Noble Consort Rong touched her hair, not knowing when she had started to see a few strands of white hair among it.

Li Chaofeng always took his mother out at night.

After all, during the day, the common people of Chang’an were awake. It wouldn’t be good politically if the masses looked up and saw a dog flying in the sky!

Once a day.

Fixed route and fixed process.

One time, Li Chaofeng transformed into a dog and waited for Noble Consort Rong at the gate of Changle Palace.

Suddenly he realized this scene was very familiar. When he was young, his mother used to take the dog out for walks like this.

This day, Noble Consort Rong said as she came out, “Let’s go to Vermilion Bird Street.”

Usually, they didn’t take this route.

After the Lantern Festival, Vermilion Bird Street was particularly lively, and after the liveliness came quietness.

Every household had returned to their courtyards to set off firecrackers.

Following his mother’s directions, Li Chaofeng landed outside a mansion.

It read “Residence of Du Shizhen, Minister of Rites”.

The mansion was very lively.

Du Shizhen was setting off firecrackers in the courtyard with his wife and children.

Noble Consort Rong had aged.

He had aged too. He heard that Minister Du’s daughter-in-law had given birth to a son this year, so now they could be considered to have a full house of children and grandchildren.

Noble Consort Rong watched for quite a while.

Li Chaofeng said, “Mom, I think his wife isn’t as pretty as you, really.”

Noble Consort Rong laughed again.

She remembered many years ago when she lived at her maternal grandfather’s house, there was a towering peach blossom tree at the entrance.

Next door was a young man who studied every day. She used to practice with swords and spears, making loud noises. One day, the young man next door finally couldn’t bear the noise she was making and came to knock on the door of her grandfather’s house.

Later, he sat under the peach blossom tree to study.

Noble Consort Rong, very arrogantly and brazenly, said, “Now you don’t mind my noise?”

“I think your sword dance is beautiful,” the young man said with a red face. “You’re beautiful too.”

In the blink of an eye, she was now too old to hold a sword.

After that time, Noble Consort Rong never left the palace again.

Her illness came on fiercely. The imperial physician said it was a lingering ailment from the coup that year. He thought, although his mother was a tiger from a military family, how could a woman who had lost so much blood still not die.

Li Chaofeng cried for a long time in Changle Palace.

At night, he went to steal the magical pills that Qi Zhuoyu had left for the old emperor, but he heard that Qi Zhuoyu seemed to have gone mad and turned demonic, and the old emperor’s medicine was gone too.

The day Noble Consort Rong passed away was in spring.

The peach blossom tree in Changle Palace had bloomed. That day, she was in particularly good spirits, sitting on that folding bed.

Li Chaofeng cried for a long time, his eyes swollen like walnuts.

Noble Consort Rong looked at him with disdain. “You look so ugly.”

Li Chaofeng suddenly became bold. “Mom, I’m ugly because I look like the old emperor.”

He sobbed like a dog. “Do you regret marrying the emperor? If you had married Du Shizhen, your son wouldn’t be so ugly, and wouldn’t be so useless.”

Noble Consort Rong rubbed his dog head. “What does it have to do with the emperor? You were born from me. If you’re a bit ugly, then you’re a bit ugly. Being useless is quite good too.”

Li Chaofeng was still crying, but later he stopped.

Changle Palace was very quiet. He lay beside Noble Consort Rong, just like when he was little.

At that time, there was still Big Yellow, and Noble Consort Rong wasn’t this old.

She was full of vitality, beating him without any hesitation.

He was actually often afraid.

Afraid that his mother actually hated him.

He thought his mom should have had a better life, having a very successful son with the person she loved, just like Du Shizhen’s son, who was handsome and became the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examinations at a young age.

Instead of having him with the old emperor, and then being confined in this square sky for a lifetime.

The peach blossoms fell petal by petal.

Noble Consort Rong said, “Hey, son.”

Li Chaofeng made a sound of acknowledgment.

“That cousin of yours, Qi Zhuoyu, isn’t he quite powerful?” Noble Consort Rong smiled and said, “Help mom ask him if he has any connections in the underworld, like knowing King Yama or Meng Po or something.”

“Why ask about this?” Li Chaofeng didn’t understand.

Noble Consort Rong said, “Ask your cousin to make some arrangements, say it’s a favor.”

Noble Consort Rong said, “In the next life, after reincarnation, let me be your mother again, okay?”

The last petal of peach blossom also fell.

Later, many things happened.

Li Chaofeng heard someone say that his cousin who went to cultivate immortality had gone mad and turned demonic, killing everyone in the Misty Immortal Mansion. Later, he heard that his cousin had been captured by the people of the Misty Immortal Mansion, in a dazed state. He heard it was because that mortal youth had died.

Li Chaofeng remembered what his mom said before she died, gritted his teeth, and decided not to be human anymore.

Noble Consort Rong was right.

There’s not much difference between being human and being a dog, maybe it’s even better to be a dog.

He remained a dog for hundreds of years.

In the human world, peach blossoms bloomed and fell, fell and bloomed again.

After his cousin married the Crown Prince of the White Jade Capital.

Li Chaofeng suddenly remembered what his mom told him that afternoon.

After sobering up, Li Chaofeng made a trip to the Yellow Springs Netherworld.

Houtu, who controls the life, death, and reincarnation of mortals, flipped through the registers for a long time before finally finding Noble Consort Rong’s name. By then, she had already reincarnated many times.

Houtu still had a strong impression of Noble Consort Rong.

He said this woman was extremely feisty. After crossing the Bridge of Helplessness, she adamantly refused to drink Meng Po’s soup of forgetfulness, afraid her son wouldn’t be able to find her.

She almost knocked down the ghost generals of the netherworld.

Li Chaofeng left the netherworld and had a good cry.

Houtu gave him an address and a name, which was Noble Consort Rong’s name in this life.

Li Chaofeng looked, it was Chen Azhao.

Indeed, there was a “Zhao” character, her courtesy name was “Jia”, meaning bright and brilliant.

In this life, Chen Azhao was the daughter of a great general.

From a young age, she followed her father to the battlefield, not inferior to men, and achieved great military merits.

Azhao’s fiancé was her father’s capable deputy, also her childhood sweetheart.

They had known each other since childhood and had been through life and death together on the battlefield. On their wedding day, Li Chaofeng stood outside Azhao’s room.

Azhao lifted her bridal veil and saw this strange man, but didn’t feel surprised.

Perhaps because she was different from ordinary young ladies, she only asked, “Who are you?”

Li Chaofeng said, “I’ve come to give you a gift.”

Azhao was curious. “What is it?”

Li Chaofeng said, “It’s very impressive, a bridal sedan chair that can fly in the sky. Getting married in this would be super cool!”

Azhao said. “Is that true or false?”

Li Chaofeng said. “It’s true!”

Azhao hurriedly walked out of the room.

She looked up.

Indeed, there was a magnificent bridal sedan chair in the courtyard that she had never seen before.

It had seven stories, hung with bright pearls and immortal lamps.

She was about to speak.

She turned her head, her expression surprised.

The young man standing at the door.

Had suddenly disappeared.

 

~End~