Longzang

Chapter 315 The Book Contains History
At sunset the following day, Wei Yuan entered the Prince of Ying's residence.

The Prince of Ying's mansion was vast, even larger than the Prince of Wei's mansion, but as soon as Wei Yuan entered the mansion, he felt a desolate atmosphere wash over him.

The elderly gatekeeper led Wei Yuan toward the main hall. The entire palace was shrouded in darkness, with only a few lamps lit. In some places, the dim lighting was worse than having no lighting at all, which only made the entire palace seem even darker.

Weeds had grown in the cracks between the large blue bricks on the ground, and no one had cleaned them. Wei Yuan didn't see many people in the huge palace. If it weren't for the occasional figure hurrying by, Wei Yuan would have suspected that this was a haunted house.

Fortunately, the main hall was finally lit up. The gatekeeper led Wei Yuan through the main hall and into the side courtyard. In the pavilion by the small lake, a table of food and wine was set out.

A man was already sitting in the pavilion. When Wei Yuan saw him, his pupils shrank instinctively, and then two tears streamed down his face.

The man handed Wei Yuan a white cloth to wipe away his tears, then said apologetically, "I was injured in the north and haven't fully recovered. My physical body and magical power aren't very coordinated, and I can't control my own power. However, unless you're naturally perceptive, you generally can't see the magical power I'm releasing."

Wei Yuan said, "The King of Ying's magical powers are indeed divine, and his reputation is well-deserved!"

The King of England shook his head and said, "Once this magical power is cultivated, it involves endless karma. I would rather go back to my youth when I accomplished nothing, but I still can't let go of the people in the north."

Wei Yuan tentatively asked, "How is the situation in the north?"

"The military situation of the Great Jin is in ruins, and many generals are merely on the roster. We claim to still have a million soldiers, but in reality, I have no usable troops left and can only barely maintain the front line. It is a pity that the thirteen million people in the north have fallen into the hands of the Liao barbarians, and I don't know when they will be able to return to the Great Jin." The King of Ying sighed.

"Come, have some food, don't mind the simplicity. I only have one cook in this mansion, he's old and only knows how to make a few dishes over and over again."

Before Wei Yuan lay only four dishes and a soup, along with two bowls of rice. The dishes consisted of only one meatball; the rest were vegetarian. The only redeeming qualities were that the rice was spirit rice and the vegetables were spirit vegetables. But what powerful or wealthy person would eat ordinary rice and vegetables? Even a seventh-rank official ate spirit food every meal.

The King of England said, “I have heard some of your stories. I deeply appreciate your original intention of setting up the boundary stone to protect the people. However, the situation in the Great Jin is complicated. It is not something that has been frozen for a day. Many things are done for fear of harming the innocent, and the situation has gradually deteriorated. When you first ascended the throne, you also worked hard to govern the country. However, you encountered a series of changes and your temperament changed drastically.”

Wei Yuan said, "Your Highness, it seems best for me to know less about such matters."

The King of England smiled somewhat helplessly and said, "You are indeed cautious. Heh, if I had been half as cautious as you back then, I probably wouldn't have..."

The King of England didn't continue, and Wei Yuan had no questions. The less one knew about these royal past events, the better; otherwise, it would only bring trouble upon oneself. Although Wei Yuan wanted to cultivate many illicit relationships, it was best to avoid such matters.

Wei Yuan casually inquired about some cultivation-related issues, thus changing the subject. The Prince of Ying gave earnest guidance, and before they knew it, the meal was finished.

To be honest, cultivators need much more than ordinary people. Wei Yuan has a strong physical body but low cultivation level, so he needs a lot of food, or he needs to eat pills like soldier's ration pills or fasting pills.

The King of Wei was too extravagant, while the King of Ying was too frugal. Wei Yuan only ate about two-tenths of his fill during the meal. But the old cook clearly had no intention of cooking any more dishes, so he brought out a large bucket of spirit rice, which Wei Yuan and the King of Ying each ate half of.

After dinner, the King of England said, "The autumn hunt is the most important event right now, but there are other hidden reasons behind it. If you encounter anything strange during the autumn hunt, don't worry about it. Just pretend it doesn't exist, act normally, and take what you are entitled to."

Wei Yuan asked, "If this matter is truly of great importance, shouldn't I withdraw?"

“No need for that. Oh, or rather, for the sake of the country and the people, you cannot back down.” At this point, the King of England said with a hint of sarcasm and helplessness, “The national treasury is empty now, there’s not much left. If you don’t take what’s left, someone else will. But in their hands, it will only make the rich richer, and it will have nothing to do with the common people, and not a single tael of silver will be used for military supplies and defense.”

Wei Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "Then I will take what I am entitled to."

The King of England smiled and said, "That would be best!"

Even after leaving the Prince of Ying's residence, Wei Yuan still didn't quite understand why the Prince had invited him to this meal. After thinking it over, it seemed the most likely reason was simply to see him?

As for any hidden motives behind the autumn hunt, Wei Yuan wasn't curious at all, nor did he want to know. All he wanted now was to participate normally, get some rewards, and make the trip worthwhile if possible; leaving empty-handed wouldn't be a problem either. Judging from the King of Ying's implied meaning, it seemed he intended to recall the Western Region troops to the north, so that he wouldn't have to worry about his rear and could focus on advancing westward.

At the summit of Yunshan Mountain outside the capital stands a magnificent palace. Its style is peculiar, resembling both a temple and a monastery, and it is unknown which religious sect it belongs to.

The main hall was thirty zhang high, filled with swirling smoke, and one could faintly hear someone chanting softly. Inside the hall was a pond, its depths unfathomable. At the far end of the hall stood an altar, but there was no statue of a deity on it.

The Prince of Jin stood before the altar, with a square pond behind him. He bowed seven times to the empty altar. Suddenly, a five-colored mist rose from the pond and entered the Prince of Jin's body.

The Prince of Jin trembled slightly, his face gradually regained its luster, and his aura improved.

The clouds and mist in the hall parted to both sides, and a person in a blue robe walked out. The blue robe was very thin, almost completely revealing the body underneath.

She walked slowly toward the Prince of Jin, and wherever she passed, white flowers bloomed on the ground.

The Prince of Jin seemed to sense something, turned around and saw the figure walking gracefully towards him, bowed slightly and said, "Bodhisattva, my progress has been slow lately, what should I do?"

She stopped only when she reached the Prince of Jin, saying, "There's no need to rush. The great medicine will sprout after the autumn hunt, and then the medicinal catalyst will appear. The nation's fortune will gradually unfold thereafter. Now, it's time for evening lessons."

"The Bodhisattva is merciful." She turned and walked ahead towards the rear hall. Prince Jin followed behind her, walking on the path lined with white flowers. As she walked, pieces of her blue robe fell to the ground, transforming into lush green grass.

There was a small door leading to the back hall. She opened the door but did not go in. Instead, she stood by the door and waited for the Prince of Jin to enter before following him in.

There seemed to be boundless light inside the door, which dispelled the mist on her face, revealing a pair of blue eyes.

Chunhua Hall, the royal palace of Jin capital.

It was already late, but Consort Yuan was wide awake, fiddling with a stalk of grass and teasing the thrush in its cage.

Behind her stood a young eunuch with red eyebrows, who kept his head down and dared not look around. He quickly but clearly recounted all the events that had happened to Wei Yuan since he entered the capital.

Consort Yuan suddenly stopped holding the straw and asked, "Did the Prince of Wei hear him say 'He's just a prince without real power'?"

"Many of the princes in the hall heard it at the time, and the King of Wei should have heard it as well."

"Go down."

The young eunuch lowered his head and quickly retreated from Chunhua Palace, not daring to look around from beginning to end. The last eunuch who had seen something he shouldn't have lost his sight, and no one knew where he was now.

Consort Yuan asked calmly, "Where is the King?"

A maid who had been standing in the shadows replied, "His Majesty went to the Vajra Zen Monastery outside the city tonight and is unlikely to return."

"Oh, then go to sleep."

The maid left the room to prepare toiletries.

Consort Yuan gently stroked her lower abdomen, revealing a faint smile, and muttered to herself, "She even knows how to get involved. Such a sensible little puppy, I should feed you another bite."

For the next few days, Wei Yuan received no further invitations. It seemed that after his unpleasant encounter with the King of Wei that night, many who had originally intended to set up a trap had backed out. Others who had hoped to make his acquaintance quietly withdrew their invitations, distancing themselves from Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan was happy to have some peace and quiet, so he ordered the officials at the post station to bring over a dozen boxes of the History of Jin. He would observe the sword every day and read the books slowly in his spare time.

Wei Yuan approached the subject from the near to the far, starting with the most recent recorded history. After reading two books, he discerned a sigh hidden beneath the surface of the text by the historian.

According to the rites of Tang, the feudal lords and kings could only be granted the title of marquis, not even duke. Only the emperor could bestow titles upon kings and dukes. However, as the nine states grew stronger and the emperor weakened, each state had long been filled with dukes, and it was not uncommon for members of the royal family to self-appoint kings, and even kings of different surnames were sometimes granted titles. By today's time, this was no longer surprising.

The History of Jin is full of the Spring and Autumn Annals style, which Wei Yuan found very difficult to read. However, he was well-versed in the History of Tang, and by comparing it with the History of Tang, he gradually uncovered many hidden secrets.

Wei Yuan discovered that during the first thirty years of Prince Jin's personal rule, he pushed the border three thousand li northward. This alone was enough to demonstrate his wisdom and prowess. However, in the fifty years that followed, Prince Jin seemed like a completely different person, capricious and unpredictable, appointing treacherous officials and causing widespread suffering among the people.

Moreover, misfortunes never come singly; every three to five years, a natural disaster worthy of being recorded in history would occur. As a result, the people became increasingly impoverished, and there were even occasional cases of people starving to death.

The Prince of Jin has been on the throne for eighty years. The current Crown Prince was made Crown Prince at the age of twelve and moved into Chengqian Palace. Forty-four years have passed since then.

Upon seeing this, Wei Yuan seemed to ponder, for the King of Jin was already considered long-lived for the throne.

The History of Jin only records one aspect, and it is fragmented and vague, full of the style of the Spring and Autumn Annals and the avoidance of mentioning the faults of the powerful. In addition to the History of Jin, there is also the History of Immortals.

During the Western Jin Dynasty, two prominent families were among the Seven Clans and Thirteen Noble Families: the Xu family and the Lü family, both with celestial deities presiding over them. Interestingly, the Lü family, with its celestial deity, originated in Ningzhou, and the branch of the Prince of Jin did not seem to be the eldest direct descendant of the Lü family.

However, there is no information available in the official history of immortals; Wei Yuan only remembers the content taught in the general knowledge class on the path of immortality during intensive instruction. Now it seems that the relationships within the Lü family are somewhat strange.

For example, among the seven surnames and thirteen prominent families, the three Li families included two Li families from the Southern Qi Dynasty and the Zhao State. Their main family was the royal family, and the immortal lord was also from the imperial family. This is completely different from the Lü family.

The Prince of Jin currently has nineteen sons and twenty-seven daughters, the vast majority of whom are between fifteen and thirty-five years old. A few of the Prince's children are enfeoffed as kings, while most are dukes, bringing the total number of dukes in Jin to over fifty. Among his sons, the one who has caught Wei Yuan's attention is a seven-year-old son born to his primary wife, who has been enfeoffed as the Prince of Fu.

When Wei Yuan met Prince Jin, he found the prince to be full of vitality, with no problem living another ten years. By then, the crown prince would have been on the throne for many years without achieving anything, the various princes would be in their prime, and Prince Wei's power would already be considerable; in ten years, his army would be even stronger. And ten years later, Consort Yuan's son would be seventeen; would she have no plans, no actions?
Her actions now are quite significant!

After studying historical materials for several days, one word gradually became clear in Wei Yuan's mind: the struggle for the throne!
Night had fallen, and a frosty wind howled, causing the large trees in the courtyard to rustle and the last few leaves to fall.

When it gets light again, it will be time for the autumn hunt.

(End of this chapter)