Longzang

Chapter 1018 The Joy That Can't Be Eaten
"He's just a mere worm that crawled out of the grass roots. He needs four legs to stand up. Why should I look at his resume?!" Emperor Jing thought to himself in the few words of the Li Wu language he had just learned.

Of course, these words could only be thought in one's heart, and could not actually be spoken. As for insults, the Li Wu language was exceptionally powerful, ten times more satisfying than those refined, roundabout insults.

The Prince of Jin's disappointment deepened, and he snatched the memorial back from Emperor Jing's hand, marking it with a red dot. This signified approval, ordering the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel to handle the matter. Emperor Jing then signed his name and affixed his seal. Unless it was a matter of great importance, the Prince of Jin rarely added annotations, as a sign of respect for Emperor Jing.

Before he knew it, it was already late at night. Only when he heard the night watchman's drum did the Prince of Jin put down his vermilion brush. There was still a small stack of memorials on the table that he hadn't finished reviewing, which he would continue with the next day. The reason there was a batch left unreviewed was because he had wasted time on Wei Yuan's memorial.

After seeing Prince Jin off from the palace, Emperor Jing returned to his study. Standing in front of a silver mirror, he muttered to himself, "My father... my uncle must have heard my heartfelt words. He should be very disappointed in me now, and then he can enjoy a year or two of easy life, right?"

He stared intently at his reflection in the mirror, slowly adjusting his expression, even using his hands to assist, muttering to himself as he did so: "I was reprimanded today, I should act as if I'm overwhelmed, I need to vent... Someone, come here!"

A moment later, an official appeared and asked, "What are Your Majesty's orders?"

Emperor Jing remained expressionless and said, "Bring me my golden whip, and then summon two palace maids."

The old eunuch vanished like a ghost. Emperor Jing continued to gaze at himself in the mirror, muttering to himself, "My uncle still has at least a few hundred years to live, and my mother is still young and beautiful. What if there's another one? No! That would be against propriety, so..."

At that moment, there was a knock on the study door. Emperor Jing's expression instantly changed, becoming ferocious and excited, his eyes bloodshot. Looking at the two palace maids kneeling on the ground, dressed in thin clothes, he slowly picked up the golden whip that had been soaked in cold salt water.

The piercing screams echoed through the imperial study, but none penetrated outside. This was the palace of the Great Tang Emperor, a place blessed by countless immortal arts throughout the ages, untouched by schemes and forbidden to be spied upon.

Late at night, the door to the study opened, and Emperor Jing tossed his blood-stained outer robe to the waiting palace maids before heading to his bedchamber to rest. Several eunuchs then carried two corpses out of the study, covered with white sheets that revealed two striking blood-red human figures.

……

At the Jin Prince's residence, Prince Jin returned home. Instead of sleeping or meditating, he went to the ancestral hall and began to peruse the family genealogy by lamplight. The genealogy was short, only two generations back. Beyond that was Emperor Tang.

The Prince of Jin's gaze fell on his grandfather's name. He had served as crown prince for over a year, but then committed a grave error, losing the title to his younger brother and being granted the title of Prince of Jin. The title of Prince of Jin was the same as that of the nine other kingdoms, which, for the bloodline of the Great Tang emperors, was a demotion, a shame for generations to come.

At this moment, light but rapid footsteps came from outside the ancestral hall. This was the sound of footsteps from the attendants outside, reminding the Prince of Jin that there was an urgent report.

The Prince of Jin returned the family genealogy to its original place and left the ancestral hall. His attendant whispered a report: "Two palace maids' bodies were just carried out of the Imperial Study. They must have been whipped to death. This is the fourth time this month." The attendant paused when mentioning the names, as if referring to someone else.

The Prince of Jin nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. The prince then excused himself.

This outcome was within Prince Jin's expectations. He seemed to care for Emperor Jing and teach him diligently, but in reality, he would seize upon even the smallest mistake and escalate it to a major level. While reprimanding him, his disappointment was palpable, making Emperor Jing constantly wonder how he could be so stupid and whether he was even the late emperor's son.

Moreover, the King of Jin worked continuously for at least four hours every day, then rested for only a short time in between, and then went on for another four hours. This was the routine every day without rest. The King of Chu had to work for the same amount of time as the King of Jin.

If this continues for too long without any respite, it will naturally lead to a gradual descent into madness. The death of a few palace maids is insignificant, but it's a good start. It's believed that before long, Emperor Jing will commit a grave error. And at that point, his desire to assume personal rule and seize absolute power will have to be postponed indefinitely.

Prince Jin originally had no intention of doing this, but after becoming regent, his thoughts gradually changed. Although Emperor Jing was his own flesh and blood, blood is not unique and can be regenerated.

Although Emperor Jing's biological father had already passed away, it would be illegitimate for the Empress Dowager to give birth again. However, since the Empress Dowager could not give birth, the Empress could.

……

In the Western Jin Dynasty, at Chunhua Palace, upon seeing the King of Chu enter the palace, Consort Yuan signaled to her maids and eunuchs to withdraw.

The King of Chu closed the palace doors, then suddenly his face contorted with grief and indignation. He growled in a low voice, “Mother, is that person really my father?! If he is, why did you extend that old man’s life?”

Consort Yuan sat upright, unmoved by any external influence, and asked, "Who told you all this?"

King Chu didn't want to speak, but under Consort Yuan's bright gaze, he could only honestly say, "I've heard some rumors, and I've also acquired a treasure that allows me to hear voices. My own innate supernatural ability is telepathy, so as long as the other party isn't a Dharma body, it's possible to hear their thoughts. After hearing these things many times, I've come to understand them roughly. Besides, your affair with that person isn't a secret either."

Consort Yuan asked, "So you hate him because of this?" The King of Chu's face suddenly became somewhat ferocious, and he said, "I am his son, and the eldest son at that. Everything he has should be mine in the future! But in the past ten years, I have only seen him a few times, and most of the time it was when I was very young! Fine, I don't blame him for that."

The old man was about to die, and the throne would soon be mine. But then… he actually gave the old man a longevity elixir! Now, by the time the old man dies, I'll be over thirty!

Consort Yuan calmly replied, "If he hadn't deposed the former Crown Prince and the Prince of Wei, and hadn't made me raise your brother to be useless, do you think the throne would have been yours?"

"But... all of this has already happened. According to the cycle of fate, this is the retribution I was destined to receive in this life. Now the throne is right in front of me, but to take it away again, I... I can't accept it."

The King of Chu suddenly knelt down and wept bitterly.

Consort Yuan sighed, then remembered that the King of Chu was still a child, so she beckoned him over. The King of Chu was overcome with grief and buried his face in Consort Yuan's lap, weeping bitterly.

Consort Yuan sighed softly and said, "Do you believe in destiny?"

The King of Chu gradually stopped crying, raised his still somewhat childish face, and said, "Of course I believe it. Isn't it clearly explained in the scriptures? You can understand it at a glance."

Yuanfei's eyes showed helplessness as she said, "I used to believe it, but I haven't in recent years."

The King of Chu pressed for an explanation, but Consort Yuan did not elaborate.

The King of Chu wiped away his tears, stood up, and suddenly said, "Mother, do you think... I won't die before that person?"

Consort Yuan's expression was complicated as she said, "It's almost certain that he will ascend to immortality, so you will definitely die before him."

A moment later, King Chu walked out of the Chunhua Palace courtyard and on his way back to the Wude Palace, he suddenly saw two figures entangled in a side path. One was Prince Fu, and the other was an unidentified palace maid.

Prince Fu seemed to want to bring the palace maid to his side palace, but the maid refused to go no matter what.

Upon seeing the King of Chu pass by, the fair-skinned Prince Fu had no choice but to bow respectfully, while the palace maid took the opportunity to run away.

Suddenly, the King of Chu walked over and kicked the Prince of Fu to the ground! He then kicked him more than a dozen times, each kick delivered with full force. Only when the Prince of Fu was drenched in sweat and his face was covered in blood did the King of Chu breathe a sigh of relief, walk out of the alley, and return to the Wude Hall.

At this moment, Wei Yuan had just returned to Guantun County and received news that Li Zhi had been there. He tested the array plate, but there was no response, so he figured Li Zhi must be far beyond the array plate's sensing range.

Wei Yuan casually put the array plate aside and began to look at the map around Guantun County, preparing for the next step of the plan.

Zhang Sheng then asked, "Aren't you interested in the aura of a king?"

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "As long as the people are doing well, it doesn't matter whether I sit in that position or not. It's even hard to say whether I'll still have that position in the future."

Zhang Sheng said, "There are already signs of a change of dynasty. Don't blame me for not warning you."

Wei Yuan laughed and said, "Even if I become the ruler of the world in the future, if the great principles of heaven and earth do not change, I will not ascend the throne. Let someone else sit on it!"

A slight smile appeared on Zhang Sheng's lips as he asked, "Why?"

Wei Yuan said, "Becoming a human king will drastically shorten one's lifespan; perhaps not even a thousand years will pass. But you are destined to ascend to immortality, and you will have at least ten thousand years to live. If I die, who will accompany you?"

Zhang Sheng was about to say something when Wei Yuan covered his mouth. Wei Yuan then said, "For all eternity, there will be no other man by your side, only me! So give up on that idea!"

Before Zhang Sheng could resist, Wei Yuan devoured the smile on her lips. But the smile only grew brighter and brighter, seemingly endless.

(End of this chapter)