Chapter 759: No Need for Alarm with Plumdark Around
It was only a few hours away from dawn.
For any human, a meeting with the emperor was a very solemn occasion. Humans, of course, had all sorts of ceremonies that went along with important situations, and audiences with the emperor were no different.
Therefore, the imperial edict was sent along with a set of formal court attire for Xu Qing. The court garb was complicated. It had a lot of decorative embroidery, including a five-clawed sable dragon and lots of magical symbols. From head to toe, it included over a hundred items, which meant that it was virtually impossible to put on unless you knew what you were doing. [1]
When Li Yunshan, Kong Xianglong, and everyone else laid eyes on the outfit, they were stunned. None of them knew how to dress in such an outfit, but they could tell that every piece was extraordinary.
Even the Captain, who had lived many lives, looked with wide eyes at the clothing, and was initially at a loss for words. One thing was for sure: this clothing was far more precious than any of Nethersprite’s clothing from back in the day. It was imbued with immortal energy, flickered with faint light, and looked like a free-flowing magical treasure.
It’s worth so much! The Captain licked his lips enviously as he pondered how to get an outfit like this for himself. After all, he was the Eldest Brother, and it would be a big loss of face for him to not have something like it.
Of course, not even Ningyan could enter the presence of the emperor wearing ordinary clothing. However, his garment was unique to him, and he had no idea how the important government officials would don their attire. He could only shake his head and wave his hand.
“I don’t know how to put it on. But I could send a message to Third Sister. She could come help.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Plumdark said coolly. “Etiquette is required in human culture in order to propagate rationality. Spring represents the dynasty, autumn represents the court. The former is scarlet, the latter is sable.
“A golden dragon represents the emperor, with five claws for respect. The sable dragon represents the region, also with five claws for respect. This is an ancient restriction placed on the heavenly marquises to control them. Given the nature of the imperial edict, and the gift of this outfit, it’s clear the emperor is being courteous. We need to respond in kind.
“In terms of how to don this outfit, it corresponds to ancient divination methods. It conforms to the arts of the five elements and the nine palaces. Combining that with the movement of the stars in heaven, it has a total of forty-nine different combinations that can be formed, each one appropriate for a different setting and ceremony.
“When visiting the emperor today, Xu Qing, you will be representing the Holytide Region. Therefore, you should dress in the manner of an ancient feudal lord when having an audience with the emperor. According to the ancient customs, someone being rewarded for military service to the emperor doesn’t need to kowtow to him. The emperor will first nod three times, then offer a seat. The heavenly marquis will then claps hands nine times in thanks.”
Ningyan, the Captain, Li Yunshan, and everyone else eyed Plumdark with respect. Even though they didn’t quite understand what she meant, they were impressed.
Although Plumdark’s understanding could certainly have come by reading a lot of books, there was something about her explanation that seemed slightly more complicated than that....
As everyone speculated what that might mean, Plumdark looked at the black court attire. She waved her hand gently, and all one hundred pieces of the outfit rose into the air and floated to surround Xu Qing.
Xu Qing looked at the clothing. From a young age he had been aware that there were ceremonies and etiquette that had been around since ancient times. However, he wasn’t familiar with such things. That said, he wasn’t worried. And that was because... in the imperial capital, there were few people who could understand ancient times as well as Plumdark. In fact, Xu Qing got the feeling that Plumdark had very likely worked with court attire like this, long ago.
“All of you leave and wait outside,” Plumdark said in a voice that was both cool and dignified.
Li Yunshan and everyone else immediately bowed their heads and left. The Captain and Ningyan fundamentally feared Plumdark, so they were quick to depart.
Before long, Xu Qing was alone with Plumdark.
“Court attire isn’t easy to put on, Ah Qing,” she said. “Close your eyes. I’ll help.”
Xu Qing took a deep breath and obediently closed his eyes.
Next, Plumdark waved her hand, causing Xu Qing’s clothing to fly off his body. Even as he shivered, other clothing started landing on him, linking together in a specific way.
As Plumdark dressed Xu Qing, she spoke into his ear. “The court attire of a heavenly marquis is primarily black in color, which is why the outfit is called a ‘square-cut sable garment.’ Coupled with the square-cut sable garment is a curved headpiece. In ancient times, the hat was constructed from the bones of skyswallowers.
“Nowadays, skyswallowers have gone extinct, so instead, black immortal jade is used. Because this specific outfit is a combination of the square-cut garment and the curved headpiece, it eventually came to be called a ‘curved and square-cut outfit.’ That’s the official court name for it.” [2]
The more Plumdark spoke, the more certain Xu Qing was of his previous speculation. He could feel the clothing attaching itself to him, and though it seemed bulky, it was actually very comfortable. It even caused his cultivation base to circulate more smoothly, making him feel free and relaxed. It was almost as if magical and natural laws were being influenced to bless him.
“You can open your eyes now,” Plumdark said.
Xu Qing opened his eyes, and the first thing he noticed was the look of praise on Plumdark’s face. He lifted his arm, and mist formed in front of him to make a mirror.
He wore a black garment with a square cut and lots of embroidery. The five-colored sable dragon looked very lifelike, flowing along with the movement of the garment as if it were alive. It was even possible to hear the faint roar of a dragon. He wore boots with slightly curved toes with three circles on the tips. He had a hat of sable jade, a belt of jade with a cloud motif, and a jade pendant. All of them looked like part of a set. In combination with Xu Qing’s unusual good looks, it was a spectacular sight.
Looking very pleased, Plumdark smiled and said, “Excellent. If you attend an audience with the emperor in accordance with etiquette like this, and he doesn’t understand the deeper meaning, then he’s an ignorant fool.”
Xu Qing blinked a few times but didn’t say anything.
After looking him up and down, Plumdark approached to make some minor adjustments. Then she clasped his hand and led him out.
When everyone saw him dressed in that way, they were stunned.
Li Yunshan wasn’t sure what to say. The first thing he felt was pressure, and it wasn’t from the cultivation base, but rather, the court attire. The Captain struggled to control his breathing, and his heart filled with the intense desire to have his own court attire. Kong Xianglong took a deep breath and then bowed his head. Ningyan was completely taken aback. As far as he could tell, if Biggest Bro went out dressed like this, he would drive countless girls in the capital crazy. In fact, if Biggest Bro took a liking to any individual girl, then even Sixth Prince would have to acknowledge defeat.
People say that looks aren’t important to cultivators. But... but... with such freakishly good looks, is Biggest Bro even human?
Xu Qing didn’t pay attention to the reactions. At the moment, he could sense his cultivation base stirring wildly in response to the court attire. He had never worn clothing as symbolically significant as this, and it felt a bit strange. That said, the outfit was also very comfortable.
And thus, about two hours later, they left the mansion for the imperial palace, with Ningyan in the lead wearing his imperial prince’s attire.
It wasn’t bright outside yet, and because of the nearing of autumn, the weather was bone-chillingly cold. Few people were out and about. About an hour later, the sun rose, bringing some warmth with it. More people were on the street as Xu Qing and the others reached a teleportation portal that took them to the rainbow bridge behind the statue of Grand Emperor Swordsage.
Only when court was in session could the government officials use the bridge. On other occasions, only people summoned directly by the emperor could cross it. Plumdark and everyone else from Sea-Sealing County were prohibited from coming along.
This particular audience was held during a session of the imperial court. Therefore, as Xu Qing and Ningyan crossed the rainbow bridge, they weren’t alone. There were other figures dressed in court attire, including both men and women. All had serious expressions on their faces, and they pulsed with extraordinary cultivation base fluctuations.
Most of them wore blue garments, with some of them having red clothing. In terms of black attire... Xu Qing only spotted seven other people dressed like that. All seven of them had cultivation bases in the fourth stage of Void Returning. Some walked alone, others were escorted by groups. All stood out.
As Xu Qing studied them, they studied Xu Qing. And of course, his black court attire was very eye-catching. That said, since he wasn’t familiar with anyone else, nor they with him, they merely made eye contact according to etiquette, and didn’t converse.
Xu Qing saw that at the very end of the rainbow bridge, there was a palace floating in the air.
Behind it was Planet Ancient Emperor, and the combination of their auras was boundless and majestic.
Xu Qing flew across the bridge with Ningyan close behind him. As they got closer to the imperial palace, Ningyan started to get increasingly nervous. However, Xu Qing’s calm rubbed off on him a bit.
The palace became increasingly clear to their eyes. There were richly ornamented buildings, ornamented with jade and jewels. On either side of the main entrance were two giants in golden armor, each of them holding a greatsword, their eyes glittering as they scanned everyone crossing the bridge.
When Xu Qing and Ningyan arrived outside the entrance, the giants looked at them but didn’t block their path. They allowed them to pass inside to the Immortal Reception Plaza. From there, they looked up the staircase of 10,000 steps to the magnificent palace at the top.
There were already several hundred people standing in the Immortal Reception Plaza now when Xu Qing and Ningyan arrived. Many of them looked over at the two of them. Shortly after that, as the sun was rising in the distance, a somber voice echoed out from the palace at the top of the stairs.
“All of you may enter the court!”
Golden dragons flew out of the clouds, swirling above and issuing draconic roars. All of the statues in the imperial capital unleashed auspicious light, causing heaven and earth to fill with a multicolored glow.
All of the cultivators in the Immortal Reception Plaza flew up into the air and toward the main palace, moving in ranks according to the color of their garments.
Heavenly kings didn’t need to attend court, so people in black garments floated up first, followed by those in red, then blue, and finally green....
When Xu Qing saw a few dozen people in black court garments flying up, he took a deep breath. Then, his expression somber, he also flew up to the top of the stairs. Looking through the opened doors of the palace, he saw the emperor sitting there on the Dragon Throne!
1. Ancient Chinese court attire could be very complicated.Here’s a chart showing one type of ancient court garment. You can see how many pieces there are (maybe a hundred is a xianxia exaggeration, but still...) ☜
2. This outfit is a mix of reality and fantasy. The ‘square-cut sable garment’ is a real thing. There is no existing translation for it as far as I know. It’s generally transliterated as ‘xuanduan.’ The other footnote in this chapter, with the chart showing the parts of a garment, actually depicts that specific historical garment. Here is another link witha handful of pictures of what it looks like in real life. ☜