Longzang

Chapter 718 It was well worth the money.

Chunhua Palace remained the same as before, but Wei Yuan felt a slight difference in its atmosphere.

Wei Yuan and Liu Quangong walked one after the other along the palace path toward Chunhua Palace. They saw very few palace maids and eunuchs along the way, and the vast palace suddenly felt desolate and lonely.

After the Crown Prince's previous rebellion ended in defeat and death, the Prince of Jin carried out a major purge of the palace because the Crown Prince had spent many nights in the palace. Hundreds of eunuchs and palace servants were beheaded, and more than ten concubines and hundreds of palace servants were sent out of the palace to temples in the mountains outside the city for spiritual practice.

Most of the gaps have not yet been filled, so the palace is naturally deserted.

As they were walking along the path, they suddenly heard a palace maid's soft cry from the side alley: "Your Highness, please don't do this! Your Highness!"

Then came a voice with a slightly childish tone: "Stand still and don't move, or I'll kill you!"

Wei Yuan had an excellent memory and recognized the voice of the Prince of Fu immediately. He turned and walked into a side alley. Deep in the alley, a boy, not quite grown up, was holding a palace maid, his hands exploring inside her bosom.

Liu Quangong followed behind Wei Yuan, unsurprised by this.

The boy was already up to the tip of the palace maid's nose. He turned his head and saw that it was Wei Yuan. His expression immediately became flustered, and his eyes were full of resentment. He was naturally the Prince of Fu.

Prince Fu pulled his hand away from the palace maid's bosom and said, "I... I was playing a game with her? Is that something you can interfere with?"

Prince Fu both hated and feared Wei Yuan. His trip to Qingming was filled with painful memories. His mother, who had always doted on him, had barely paid any attention to him since the birth of his younger brother. In Qingming, he had not only been slapped but also subjected to family discipline several times in private because of Wei Yuan.

As he grew older and his mind matured, he became aware of matters between men and women. Coupled with his always arrogant nature, he took a palace maid with him and wanted to explore a new world. Little did he know that he would encounter Wei Yuan at this time.

Wei Yuan was also somewhat surprised. The little Prince Fu was only ten years old, yet he could already do these things.

At this moment, Wei Yuan recalled Xu Lanshan's words: "The Prince of Fu also has the surname Lü." Then he remembered the seemingly random remark made by the Prince of Jin: "The Prince of Fu is still young, treat him well."

Wei Yuan had a sudden thought and decided that he should still treat Prince Fu better, but in his own way.

Wei Yuan strode towards the young Prince Fu, making no attempt to conceal his imposing presence. Prince Fu, still a child, had spent his days gathering information on Wei Yuan, only to be bombarded with stories of "possessed by an old demon, swallowing eight hundred thousand souls in one gulp," which had already terrified him considerably. Seeing Wei Yuan approach like a mountain, he was instantly terrified, collapsed to the ground, and burst into tears.

Wei Yuan put on a gentle smile, helped the young Prince Fu up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and said with a smile, "Why are you so afraid of me? I am a good friend of your mother, and we can be good friends too. This is a gift for you."

Wei Yuan produced several storybooks and handed them to Little Prince Fu, saying, "Don't let anyone else see them, especially not your mother, understand? Hurry up and read them, these storybooks will disappear in three days."

Little Prince Fu stared warily at Wei Yuan. Suddenly, he flipped open a few pages of the storybook in his hand, and the few lines revealed instantly made his mouth dry and his heart pound. Now, he was absolutely determined not to return those storybooks.

Wei Yuan held another piece of immortal silver in his hand, cut it into several pieces with his Dao power, and placed it in Little Fu Wang's hand, saying, "If you want others to do something for you, you always have to give them some benefits. Keep these, and next time you need something, give them one, and your wishes will come true."

Little Prince Fu naturally recognized the immortal silver and silently accepted it. Wei Yuan smiled slightly, patted his shoulder, and said, "There are many more fun things to do. When you come to Qingming again, I'll have someone take you out to play."

Little Prince Fu looked at Wei Yuan warily, without saying a word. Wei Yuan didn't say anything more either, and left the side alley with Liu Quangong.

On the last stretch of the journey, Wei Yuan asked, "Steward Liu, don't you have anything to say?"

Liu Quangong said, "That's good too; they'll most likely die peacefully."

Wei Yuan shook his head and said nothing. The Little Prince Fu was also a pawn placed by the immortals; as a pawn, entering the game was his duty, but a peaceful end was unlikely.

The Chunhua Palace was even more lively than usual, with all the palace servants and eunuchs present, and everyone was working diligently.

Wei Yuan entered the courtyard and ascended the hall, where he saw Consort Yuan sitting inside, her maidservants replaced. Upon seeing Wei Yuan, Consort Yuan dismissed the maidservants and led him into the inner hall.

In the rear hall, there was a small bed where the young King of Chu was taking a nap. Naturally, Wei Yuan could tell at a glance that this young King of Chu was an imposter. "It's been a long time. I've prepared a little something for you." Wei Yuan took out a small jade bottle tied with a silk thread and said, "Wear this close to your body; it will bring good fortune and ward off misfortune."

Consort Yuan smiled and said, "That's exactly what I need."

She immediately took it, tied it around her neck, and then put the small jade bottle inside her collar.

This jade bottle is a luck-changing bottle crafted by Yu Zhizhuo at Wei Yuan's request, based on the Daoist scriptures within the Taichu Palace. It can store a thousand streams of luck. When worn close to the body, the luck slowly unfolds, enhancing the wearer's fortune. Therefore, its ability to ward off misfortune and disaster is not an exaggeration.

After a brief chat, Wei Yuan rose to take his leave, and Consort Yuan did not linger. Once Wei Yuan left Chunhua Palace, Liu Quangong escorted him to the palace gates, where Zhao Tong took over, leading Wei Yuan towards the city outskirts.

The capital city was deserted everywhere. Years of war had caused countless young men to die on the front lines, and now even the capital city was showing signs of impending doom.

Looking at this desolate scene, and recalling the infighting and entanglements among the various princes and noble families, Wei Yuan suddenly felt a strong urge and subconsciously said, "This is really boring!"

A voice sounded behind him: "What does Lord Wei find uninteresting?"

Wei Yuan turned around and saw that the Left Prime Minister had appeared behind him at some point. The Left Prime Minister's move was somewhat astonishing, but Wei Yuan, who bore the fate of the Western Jin Dynasty, could tell at a glance that the Left Prime Minister possessed a considerable amount of magical power from the capital's protective array.

Clearly, apart from the Prince of Jin, the Consort Yuan, the Prince of Chu, and the Prince of Wei, the Left Chancellor was the one with the highest authority over the formation. This shows that the Left Chancellor had regained the Prince of Jin's trust.

When the Left Prime Minister asked this question, Wei Yuan replied, "Many things that everyone fights to the death for are actually meaningless. But there are also many interesting things in this world that need to be done."

The Left Chancellor seemed intrigued and said, "What is it that's so interesting? Lord Wei, why don't you tell me in detail? If I can help, I certainly won't refuse."

Wei Yuan's heart stirred, and he said, "There is something right now that I really need your help, sir."

"But it doesn't matter."

Wei Yuan said, "I would like to ask you to issue a notice for me, saying that Qingming sincerely invites all scholars in the world to come to Qingming to lecture, discuss, write books, and teach. As long as you are talented, Qingming will treat you with courtesy, and if you are willing, you can even take a position at Qingming Academy."

The Left Chancellor said, "If Lord Wei were to issue a call to action, scholars from all over the land would likely flock to him. But I have another question: what is Lord Wei's purpose in summoning so many scholars?"

Wei Yuan decided not to hide anything at this point and said, "I have an idea. I plan to open Qingming Academy in every town, big or small. All the people of Qingming can enter the academy to study and begin their education. All those who are illiterate must be given an education until they have a basic understanding of literature and reasoning."

The Left Prime Minister was moved, and his two advisors behind him gasped in shock.

However, the Left Prime Minister, having seen his share of storms, quickly regained his composure and readily agreed. After Wei Yuan had gone, the two advisors behind the Left Prime Minister exclaimed in astonishment, "What exactly is Wei Yuan trying to do? Does he want everyone to be literate? Where in the world is there such a place?"

Another person added, "It's all talk and no action, all show and no substance!"

The Left Prime Minister looked in the direction Wei Yuan had gone, his eyes slightly narrowed, but he remained silent.

At this time, Wei Yuan had already left the city, bid farewell to Zhao Tong, and flew towards the northern mountain gate.

The vast mountains and rivers swept past beneath us in an instant, while the ever-changing clouds in the sky seemed to vanish in the blink of an eye, and countless years passed in the blink of an eye.

As Wei Yuan flew across the land, that feeling intensified. Even for immortals, a lifespan of ten thousand years is but a fleeting moment in the vastness of the universe. Rather than spending his days scheming, he should do something practical.

In addition to the academy, he also plans to open medical clinics and Taoist academies for teaching body-building cultivation throughout Qingming. All people above the commoner level can study at the Taoist academies and academies for free.

To master literature, cultivate physical strength, and avoid illness—these were the three things Wei Yuan planned to accomplish within the Azure Netherworld. These three things alone had completely depleted the immortal silver he had earned recently, leaving him quite in debt. However, Wei Yuan felt that the immortal silver had been well spent.

(End of this chapter)