If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1477 Revealing the Secret
The famous saying, "If we become rich and powerful, let us not forget each other," is known to almost every educated person in China.

In fact, there are several more installments to the story of "Gou Fugui".

First came the "gangster king," then Chen Sheng killed his friends, and finally, in the end, Chen Sheng was betrayed by everyone and met a tragic end.

This stands in stark contrast to Liu Laosan's magnanimity and righteousness, who achieved great success with the help of his brothers in Pei County.

After Chen Sheng became king, his former friends went to him seeking wealth and status.

They first shouted outside the palace gates, proclaiming their relationship with Chen Sheng.

After being stopped by the guards, they took advantage of Chen Sheng's absence to rush into the street and block the ceremonial guard.

In front of so many people, Chen Sheng could not pretend not to hear or recognize them, so he invited them to ride in the imperial carriage and stay in the palace.

Having witnessed the splendor of the palace, the group exclaimed in a local Chu dialect, "Wow! The king is truly magnificent!"

"Huoyi" is a local dialect of Chu, similar to "wocao" or "chuiniubi" in Xiaoyu's previous life.

The gist of this is, "Damn, Chen Sheng, that poor kid, became so extravagant and pretentious after gaining power."

There is no difference in human nature between ancient and modern people.

The poor and narrow-minded villagers, seeing their former friends become rich, driving luxury cars and returning home with beautiful wives, felt envious and jealous, and couldn't help but utter some sour remarks.

It's human instinct; when emotions run high, you can't control yourself even if you know you shouldn't say something.

However, a normal person who makes a sarcastic remark will gradually suppress their jealousy and turn it into flattery and ingratiation.

Chen Sheng's companions were quite a character; they talked about Chen Sheng's past misdeeds every day, both inside and outside the palace.

He ate Chen Sheng's food, used Chen Sheng's things, and lived in Chen Sheng's mansion. His material life was satisfied, but he was still not content. He wanted to gain spiritual satisfaction by belittling Chen Sheng.

In just a few days, the phrase "He who is the king" spread throughout the streets and alleys, and the people of Chu were laughing at Chen Sheng.

Like "calling a deer a horse," "being forced into a position of power" has become an idiom, specifically used to describe a lowly person who suddenly gains a high position, becomes arrogant and complacent, and forgets their proper place.

Some idioms only became popular in later generations and had little impact on the people involved.

The phrase "Huo She became king" quickly spread throughout the Chu state, even reaching Xiao He and Han Xin in Pei County.

This is the result of the Qin Dynasty government controlling public opinion for King Chen Sheng for free.

The exclamation "huo yi" is so deeply ingrained in the Chu region that the phrase "huo she wei wang" has become a popular meme that's hard to stop.

After the story spread, the officials of Zhang Chu reported it to King Chen Sheng, accusing the villagers of disrespecting the King of Chu and seriously damaging the dignity of the King of Chu and the court, and deserving severe punishment.

Then Chen Sheng killed the villagers who spread the rumor that "they should become kings."

They didn't kill them all, only one.

In Xiaoyu's previous life, after Chen Sheng committed murder, his old friends immediately distanced themselves from him, his reputation worsened, and the military generals leading troops in the field gradually became disrespectful and suspicious of their elder brother.

In this life, the courts of Xingyang and Xianyang, along with their civil and military officials, served King Chen Sheng, deleting "bad comments" and "posting" messages to clear his name.

The effect was not bad, but unfortunately, the people of Chu liked the idiom "Huo She Wei Wang" too much. The idiom had already been created, and it was too late to take it back.

Of course, because "becoming king through association" was so distinctive to the region, and with the guidance of public opinion by the Qin Dynasty, Chen Sheng had a good reputation outside of Chu, and his position as "the number one rebel king in the world" was very secure.

Xiao He said, "Flies don't land on eggs without cracks. The fact that 'Huo She became king' shows that he is definitely not a magnanimous and benevolent person."

"Chen Sheng was certainly not a chivalrous and magnanimous person. When the villagers first went to find him, they were stopped by the guards outside the palace. Wasn't that Chen Sheng's intention?"

Han Xin continued, "But the saying 'Huo She is king' circulated in Chu. He was really wronged. Perhaps his misfortune was not just due to encountering such villagers, but because someone was plotting against him."

This kind of thing happened frequently in the past.

Creating idioms to slander a person or a country was indeed quite common during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

For example, the State of Song was often mocked by "foreigners" who made up little stories about it.

Phrases like "pulling up seedlings to help them grow," "waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump," "the wise man suspects his neighbor," and "the benevolence of Duke Xiang" are all satirical references to the people of the Song Dynasty.

The rapid spread of the phrase "a group of people who share the spoils will become king" was closely related to the social customs of the time.

In other words, Grand Tutor Yu was too imposing, his battle record was too frightening, and he lived a secluded life with no daily stories circulating, making it impossible for anyone to find any flaws in his character.

Otherwise, idioms mocking her would have been created long ago and widely circulated.

After all, she was a woman, and an ignorant barbarian from a foreign land, making her a target of too many theoretical attacks.

“Even if ‘joining forces to become king’ is a bit of an exaggeration, it’s a fact that Chen Sheng is not a magnanimous person. What good would it do to join him? Earlier, when Chen Sheng recruited Liu Ji, you also advised him to refuse,” Xiao He said.

"Times have changed! Back then, joining Chen Sheng might have made us the primary target of the court's attack. Now the situation has changed, and joining Chen Sheng has two major advantages."

Han Xin held up two fingers and said, "First of all, Chen Sheng is very famous in China because of his 'first uprising'. He is also willing to lend his fame to his subordinates so that they can conquer all directions."

Generals such as Zhou Shi, Deng Zong, Wu Guang, and Song Liu all raised the banner of "Chen Sheng, King of Chu," quickly gathered 100,000 troops, captured dozens of cities, and became regional lords.

Liu Ji is no less capable than any of them.

Secondly, the imperial court seems to be deliberately protecting the stability of Chen Sheng's Zhang Chu state, probably intending to use Chen Sheng to suppress other potential leaders.

We can all see that Chen Sheng was not a wise ruler, and Grand Tutor Yu must have figured that out long ago.

Allowing a foolish person to seize the 'first king' position is detrimental to the anti-Qin cause but beneficial to the Ying dynasty's court.

Xiao He thought for a moment and said, "Brother's analysis makes sense, but based on my understanding of Liu Ji, he probably won't go to Chen County to join Chen Sheng."

Han Xin said, "If he doesn't want to go, then he doesn't want to go! Like I said, right now, we just need to take care of ourselves and don't need to worry about him."

"Blood will be drawn within three days," Xiao He said with a worried expression. "Perhaps tomorrow afternoon, we will have to leave the pass and go to the grasslands to search for the Xiongnu scouts."

"It's alright. When we were watchmen, we learned how to be qualified scouts, didn't we?" Han Xin said.

Each soldier served for only one month out of every year and would not leave the county. During this time, veteran soldiers would teach them basic combat skills.

Having undergone military training, Han Xin and Xiao He didn't need to start from scratch. A little familiarity with the rules of the military camp and their surroundings was enough for them to immediately go to the front lines and kill.

Xiao He took out a white jade tortoise shell from his bosom, performed a divination, and a look of joy appeared on his face. "The morning after tomorrow, we will have a victorious start, without any disasters or dangers. It's a very auspicious day!"

He became interested, concentrated his mind, and silently calculated Han Xin's "plan to be enfeoffed as a marquis in the north".

A moment later, he exclaimed in surprise, "So that's how it is! So that's how it is! We deserve this calamity! No one can defy the arrangements of God."

Han Xin was lying on his camp bed, somewhat drowsy. He was jolted awake by Xiao He's shout and asked in confusion, "Why aren't you asleep? What are you yelling about?" Xiao He, carrying a tortoise shell, came to his side, his expression strange. "I just performed a divination and very easily glimpsed the secrets of heaven."

Guess what?

The reason we were exiled to the northern frontier was not due to Yu Taishi's schemes, nor was it targeted by Li Si; it was simply fate.

We must endure this calamity and make way for Liu Ji's rise to power.

Only after we leave Pei County can he truly soar to great heights.

Han Xin looked confused. "Are you still half asleep? We were implicated by Liu Ji! But it was that dog Li Si who targeted us and exiled us to the frontier."

They even met Li Si in Xingyang!
Prime Minister Li held a thick booklet in his hand, which contained detailed information about them from birth to the present.

He even summoned Han Xin alone and asked him why he could endure the humiliation of crawling between someone's legs.

Upon hearing the reason, Li Si immediately became serious, and a flash of murderous intent crossed his eyes.

For the first time in his life, Han Xin felt great fear.

Xiao He said, "What you're saying is just the surface. The real reason is that our staying by Liu Ji's side might be a hindrance to him."

"You wouldn't be..." Han Xin swallowed back the "brain-piercing wind" and said, "Did you foresee this calamity beforehand?"

—You didn't even foresee your own calamity, you should go back to sleep!

Xiao He said solemnly, "I foresaw half a month in advance that the magistrate of Pei would harm me and that my family would suffer a great calamity."

But fate is such that even if one could foresee the future, it wouldn't change anything! Should I kill Magistrate Pei?

Of course, during those two weeks, I did give Peiling a lot of gifts and treated him with the utmost respect and deference.

Who knew that the scoundrel would still betray me, saying that I was Liu Ji's strategist.

It's truly a miscarriage of justice!

What accusation? You and Liu Ji, one from the legal side and the other from the illegal side, have connections in Pei County, and have even usurped the power of the Pei magistrate. Who doesn't know that?
Han Xin genuinely felt that he was not wronged.

Liu Ji, as the village head, frequently escorted laborers to Xianyang. Although it was an official duty, he had to pay for his own travel expenses. According to custom, his colleagues in the yamen would help him raise the money. After all, once Liu Ji took on the assignment, they were exempt from their duties.

Everyone else gave Liu Ji three hundred coins, but Xiao He gave him five hundred.

Liu Ji personally told Han Xin about this matter; the magistrate of Pei was neither deaf nor blind.

In fact, even without Xiao Yu's interference, the magistrate of Pei would have wanted to kill Xiao He and Cao Can, those two "traitors," because of Liu Ji's affair.

This time, when reporting Xiao He to Marquis Hunhai and the imperial court, Magistrate Pei had no psychological barriers whatsoever.

Noticing Han Xin's expression and gaze, Xiao He felt a little embarrassed and said, "The Xiao family has over a hundred members; I can't possibly take the whole family with me. Even if I foresaw the calamity coming, it wouldn't be of any use!"

Then, with renewed interest, he secretly transmitted his voice, saying, "This time I have glimpsed another secret of heaven. If we follow Liu Ji, we might be in his way."

You're right. Being conscripted to the northern frontier is actually an opportunity; it benefits you, me, and Liu Ji all.

"Why would we hinder Liu Ji?" Han Xin asked, puzzled.

Xiao He's expression was strange as he said, "To tell you the truth, you might think I'm arrogant."

"We two have a large sum of money, while Liu Ji is just a child. For a child to carry money in a busy market is more harmful than beneficial."

Han Xin seemed to be thinking about something, and said, "You are not arrogant at all. With my help, the likes of Chen Sheng and Tian Rong are nothing but clay chickens and earthen dogs."

Xiao He rolled his eyes. "We still need to contact Liu Ji as soon as possible."

The fact that I can deduce this result proves only two things. First, Liu Ji's luck was insufficient.

If his luck is strong enough, he can suppress any kind of 'good fortune'.

Secondly, the anti-Qin alliance was not as united and selfless as we thought.

Liu Jiruo trusted them too easily; sooner or later, he will meet a terrible end.

Han Xin nodded slightly, "If your divination is accurate, you can indeed arrive at these two conclusions."

Once Liu Ji demonstrates the power and potential to threaten the rebel king, he will inevitably be suppressed, and may even be besieged and killed by the heroes.

Seeing that he still doubted his divination skills, Xiao He was very unhappy. He held up the white jade tortoise shell and said, "Do you know what this is?"
This is the Hetu!

I practiced the Pre-Heaven Bagua using the Hetu diagram, and I almost captured some of the spirit of King Wen (Ji Chang) back then.

"You encountered Grand Tutor Yu at the Great Wall, and her fate was greatly altered, turning you from a county magistrate in the rear into a frontline scout. Did you foresee this beforehand?" Han Xin asked.

Xiao He's expression froze for a moment, then he said, "That's Grand Tutor Yu! She rode a dragon to conquer the heavens, and even the Heavenly Emperor didn't sense the danger beforehand. She killed the Great Immortal of the Deer Cauldron, and the dignified Quasi-Great Luo didn't feel any unease until his death."

What merit do I possess to be able to foresee her future?

"Don't even mention me, even if King Wen himself came, it wouldn't make a difference!"

Han Xin wanted to mock him, but when he thought of Grand Tutor Yu's deeds and recalled his behavior when facing her before, he dared not look her in the eye. When he met her cold gaze, he immediately lowered his head and his body trembled twice.

Han Xin blushed and mumbled, "Brother, let's go to sleep quickly. We have to get up early for special training tomorrow! As for Liu Ji, you don't need to worry about him at all. He's smarter than either of us."

Just as Xiao He had predicted, on the morning of the third day, he and Han Xin encountered scouts belonging to the Zuo Rizhu tribe.

Of the five men in the team, three were killed by Han Xin and two by Xiao He.

Ten days later, they completed the ten-man kill and the first stage of the trial. Based on their respective positions, Meng Yi assigned them subordinates.

A month later, County Commandant Han Xin had five hundred light cavalrymen and was guarding a Great Wall outpost by himself.

He did not betray the Qin Dynasty, nor did he directly lead his troops to surrender to the Xiongnu. Instead, as Grand Tutor Yu wished, he took his talents to the north and used them on the northern battlefield.

Also in late September, Grand Master Yu finally completed the fifteenth deduction of the "Method to Break the Red String of Marriage of the Innate Spiritual Treasure".

"My intuition was right. Someone is spying on my destiny and trying to change my marriage. It must be Li Changgeng (Taibai Xingjun) and Fu Yuan Xianweng!"

No, Li Changgeng dared not act on his own. That damned Jade Emperor dared to play dirty tricks on me!

Grand Tutor Yu stopped reconstructing the earth veins of Jiuyuan County, emerged from underground, stood on a small hill, looked up at the sky, and his expression was uncertain.

(End of this chapter)