History of Women in the Wei Dynasty

Chapter 387 Gao Zhao's Death

The divination indicates misfortune!

Wei Yin used a charcoal pen to clearly write down the fishing location on the Luo River, pushed the string of coins back, and said, "The divination shows that you, sir, are destined for a calamity, which will occur in three years. If you still want to catch fish fry, I will not accept a penny. Go and find them according to what is written on the paper."

After saying that, he began to pack up his fortune-telling stall.

"Is the diviner surnamed Wei? I've heard of your great name!" Seeing Wei Yin about to leave, Gao Xian hurriedly put down all his money and pleaded in a trembling voice, "I know the rules of diviners, so I don't ask for anything else, I only ask that the diviner explain in more detail? What kind of calamity is it? Is it that I am not destined to build a new house and dig a fishpond, or that I have wealth but no life to enjoy it? At least tell me what the divination text is!"

Wei Yin stopped tidying up and said with pity, "Alright, I'll tell you the divination text. This divination is the most ominous one, 'Weeping Blood Like Rippling Water,' and the text reads: 'Life is like a climbing vine, fortune and longevity are like water from the sky, you will be buried alone in a foreign land, and you will only envy the busyness of your relatives and friends.'"

"Heaven moves, water flows. So the meaning of the divination is that your official career and lifespan are like heaven and water, moving in opposite directions. The higher your official career, the shorter your lifespan. It's like a vine climbing a tree; though your official career is high, it can't reach the lush tree. You can only look up to and depend on the big tree for a living. In the end, your relatives and friends will be busy with their own interests, but you will be left behind..."

Upon hearing this, Gao Xian tightly grasped Wei Yin and pleaded, "Master Wei, you are very capable, I can see that! To be honest, I just had my fortune told at Chongxu Temple, and it was also an ominous 'weeping blood' hexagram. However, the celestial master there told me that I have a chance to avert the disaster."

"As long as I find some 'variable'—yes, the Celestial Master is talking about 'variable'—as long as there is a variable, I can avert disaster! Diviner Wei, please cast another divination for me and help me avoid disaster. I am willing to offer you a hundred strings of copper coins as a reward. Moreover, no matter what trouble you encounter in the future, you can come to me, and I will help you solve it!"

Wei Yin shook his head and refused: "It's not about money."

Gao Xian panicked, crumpling the paper in his hand, and threatened, "If you don't help me, I'll make you die before me, just like the fish fry!"

Wei Yin took a deep breath, sat back down, and reluctantly agreed: "Alright, but don't tell anyone about the fortune-telling I did for you. I just want to live a peaceful life and can't afford to offend the powerful. Now, write down your name, age, and official rank."

Gao Xian: "I only have a noble title; the imperial court has not yet granted me an official position."

Wei Yin: "Then just write the title."

Gao Xian glanced around cautiously and asked in a low voice, "Do you need my birth date and time?"

“No need.” Wei Yin glanced at the name “Gao Xian” written down, blinked to conceal the calculation in his eyes, and lowered his voice to say, “With your fate, young master, don’t easily reveal your birth date and time! The more people who know, the more it will shorten your lifespan.”

The image of his elder brother Gao Zhao flashed through Gao Xian's mind, and he replied, "Okay."

In this divination, Wei Yin used the method of tossing ancient coins. Each time the ancient coin was tossed, it landed on Gao Xian's name, age, and title.

This repeated practice, focusing solely on the skill of tossing coins, further convinced Gao Xian of Wei Yin's abilities.

In fact, regardless of whether it was Zhao Xuan of the Chongxuan Bureau, the peach wood divination sticks of Chongxu Temple, or the result of Wei Yin's first divination, the divination results were indeed consistent, all indicating that Gao Xian only had three years to live. Wei Yin inherited his grandfather's talent for divination, and this second divination predicted that Gao Xian would die from an incurable illness. The "variable" mentioned by the Celestial Master of Chongxu Temple probably followed the convention of the "weeping blood" divination, believing that in a desperate situation where one is caught between a rock and a hard place, one should not act rashly, but seek a way out, which might avoid disaster.

However, the calamity prominently displayed in the divination is a terminal illness! There is no way to avoid it, no way to prevent it, and no way to change it!

The paper beneath the repeatedly tossed coins had already developed numerous tears, but that was nothing compared to Gao Xian's shattered heart. Seeing that Wei Yin had finally stopped tossing the coins, he immediately asked, "How is it?"

On the very day the Prince of Rencheng took office, he sent someone to contact Wei Yin, informing him of all the methods he had used to deceive Gao Zhao, Gao Xian, and others, as well as the information he had exchanged with Wei Yao. Therefore, after Wei Yin knew that the person in front of him was Gao Xian, the Duke of Chengcheng, he naturally concealed the truth from the divination results and fabricated a lie: "The divination reads... 'Sheltering from the wind and rain, the hardships are unknown to anyone; escaping the fate of returning to dust, one must first return to dust.'"

Wei Yin feigned confusion and repeated the last sentence: "First must one return to the dust? First... return to the dust?"

Gao Xian was even more confused and asked impatiently, "What do you mean?"

Wei Yin frowned and explained, "The meaning of the divination is that you are like a roof tile sheltering you from the wind and rain in your family. You work hard, but no one cares except yourself. No matter how sturdy the tile, it will eventually break and return to dust. However, there is indeed a variable: you break the tile on your own initiative..."

Gao Xian once again recalled the old Taoist priest he had met on his way to Luoyang. The old Taoist priest had told the traveler a few words during his fortune telling: "Your elder brother and nephew are more outstanding than you. They will always be the gold and jade in front of others, while you will always be compared to a broken tile by them. A broken tile is destined to return to dust."

Gao Xian had recalled this matter many times and had long considered himself to be that traveler. He did not expect that the divination of the diviner Wei also said that he was destined to be a "tile" person. He was completely convinced and had no more doubts!
Wei Yin's tone turned excited: "I understand! I once went to Wenyi Lane in the northeast of the outer city. There are many tile makers living there. They would completely break up the damaged tiles and add them to the mud to build walls. The way for you to avoid disaster, young master, is to exchange your tile fate for your wall fate!"

"I can't say any more, or I'll change the course of events and be punished. I won't accept this money; accepting it would be tantamount to accepting the consequences." After saying this, Wei Yin hurriedly packed his belongings and left.

Gao Xian also left the Lingtai Ruins. The cold wind was biting, distorting his face. Wei Yin's words were louder than the wind, constantly echoing in his ears.

"Sheltering from the wind and rain, the hard work behind it goes unnoticed."

"The more people know your birth date and time, the more it will shorten your lifespan."

"Although your official career is high, it cannot compare to Maoshu's."

"In the end, your relatives and friends are busy with their own interests, while you are buried alone in a foreign land."

Why?
Why!
Gao Xian's lips twitched involuntarily, revealing his sinister nature! "Brother, don't blame me, I have to transfer your lifespan to mine, this is called... changing the life of a tile to the life of a wall."

Beigongyuan, Jingyang Mountain.

When the emperor received the tragic news that Gao Zhao, the Duke of Pingyuan, had fallen into a well and drowned, he could hardly believe it!
Wei Yao's expression was similar, filled with grief. She stepped forward and pleaded, "Your Majesty, please allow me to investigate this matter!"

"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly!"

Wei Yao summoned the imperial physician Wang Xian to go to the Gao residence. On the way, she told him, "What a good man the Duke of Pingyuan is! He reads the books I gave him all day long and studies the Luoyang dialect diligently. The day before the hunt, he asked me about the Crane Wine Banquet next month. He was afraid that no powerful or noble person would invite him to the banquet. He was not afraid of losing face for himself, but he was afraid of making His Majesty lose face!"

Wang Xian: "Rest assured, I share the same sentiment as the Vice Minister. We are both serving His Majesty and would never dare to be perfunctory."

The emperor's power outside the palace was now entirely under Wang Xian's control. Upon arriving at the Gao residence, he sternly ordered all his subordinates: "Keep a close watch on the servants in this mansion. From this moment forward, they are not to be allowed to move around or collude. Any suspicious clues discovered must be reported only to you two..."

Wei Yao coughed twice at the opportune moment.

Those two coughs made Wang Xian think of something, and he immediately felt a chill run down his spine!