Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 546 The Dog's Feet

In fact, Chen Qingzhi was acting on his master's orders... The tabby cat regularly entered and exited the Gouchen Division's office and had already made contact with him.

But Chen Qingzhi would never betray his master, so he had to take the blame himself, bowing his head in shame and saying, "Your Majesty, I am sorry."

A dying man's words are often kind. Xiao Yan waved his hand magnanimously: "Never mind, you weren't doing this for yourself anyway."

"Yes." Chen Qingzhi nodded and said softly, "After obtaining the divine fire, I asked my ancestral brother to divide it in two. Half of it was used to help A Yuan achieve demigod status. This is the other half."

“That divine fire is enough.” As Wu Gu spoke, she also revealed half of the divine fire, saying, “This is what I got from Fu Shuyan. He also happened to be on the path of the Illusion God, so it’s perfect for this kid.”

"What about the divine core?" the crowd asked again.

"Wait a moment, I'll take him to get it back right away." After saying that, Wu Gu pulled Ren Yuan away and disappeared.

Ayao stomped her foot, feeling indignant and unhappy. After Ayuan became a god, she couldn't keep up with him even if she wanted to.

~~
The witch led Ren Yuan northwards.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, she descended from the clouds. A bustling metropolis appeared beneath their feet.

"Is this Ye City?" Ren Yuan was naturally familiar with the place where he had fought, but back then Ye City was just a dilapidated and desolate city filled with chaotic soldiers. Now, however, it had become a magnificent city, densely populated, and bustling with markets, showing the grandeur of a great capital city.

“Not bad, quite a change, isn’t it?” the witch asked.

“Indeed, I didn’t even recognize him,” Ren Yuan nodded.

"It's the same in Chang'an." Wu Gu sighed and said, "I thought that the Northern Dynasty would decline after splitting into the east and west, but I didn't expect that they would all be thriving and unstoppable, while the Southern Dynasty is declining beyond recognition."

"Yes." Ren Yuan nodded and said calmly, "Whether it is the Southern Dynasty or the Northern Dynasty, the Eastern Wei or the Western Wei, we should hurry up and unify the world to end this three-hundred-year division."

"So you've already transcended it?" Wu Gu glanced at him, then suddenly laughed, "That's right. You are Yinglong, and you cannot arbitrarily change the dynasty's destiny. You also have to guide the 'Destined One' to end the chaos, so naturally you cannot be biased."

"No, that's not it." Ren Yuan shook his head and said, "I simply dislike the Southern Dynasty."

“Alright,” Wu Gu laughed. “To be honest, I’ve had enough of the Southern Dynasty. It’s been rotten inside and out for the past two hundred years, and it’s completely decayed by now.”

"Let's get down to business." Ren Yuan had been at odds with her for so long, it wasn't like they would suddenly become so close that they could talk about anything.

"Pretending to be aloof..." Wu Gu rolled her eyes at him and chuckled, "You should know who has the divine core, right?"

“Gao Cheng.” Ren Yuan nodded; he had already heard Tao Hongjing talk about him.

“Killing him wouldn’t be considered altering the dynasty’s destiny, would it?” the witch asked.

“No.” Ren Yuan gazed at the imperial aura emanating from the city and said in a deep voice, “It is time to take him down today!”

"Should we just go to his house and kill him?" Wu Gu became interested.

"Let's keep a low profile," Ren Yuan said, shaking his head. "Eastern Wei is not weak; if we make a big fuss, who knows how much trouble we'll cause."

“Alright, I’ll listen to the expert.” The witch said with an indifferent expression, “What do I, a fortune teller, know about fighting and killing?” “Then you stay here and don’t move.” Ren Yuan didn’t want to act with her anyway, so he disappeared from the witch’s sight in a flash.

"That heartless woman," Wu Gu rolled her eyes and said, "She doesn't even bother to ask how Lingzhi has been all these years."

~~
Although Jianye City had an imperial palace, the largest and most luxurious building was the Prince of Qi's mansion.

The Qi Prince's Mansion was also the true core of power in Eastern Wei, while Emperor Yuan Shanjian in the palace was merely a figurehead.

When Gao Huan was alive, he treated Yuan Shanjian relatively politely out of a need to unite the former officials of Northern Wei. However, when his son Gao Cheng came to power, this favored son of heaven did not know what it meant to compromise, and he became angry when he saw Yuan Shanjian clinging to the throne.

Yuan Shanjian, with the blood of the Tuoba family flowing through his veins, was not one to submit to injustice. While Gao Huan was alive, he dared not act rashly. After Gao Cheng succeeded him, he began to secretly collude with former officials, waiting only for Gao Cheng to be defeated by Yuwen Tai so that he could seize power.

Who would have thought that Gao Cheng, though young, would surpass his master, excelling in both internal and external affairs. Not only did he withstand the Western Wei's offensive militarily, but he also took the time to purge the royalists in Ye City, finally bringing Yuan Shanjian into complete submission.

Gao Cheng grew increasingly arrogant, completely disregarding Yuan Shanjian. Taking advantage of the Hou Jing Rebellion's invasion of the south, he wrote a letter to Cui Jishu, a trusted confidant monitoring Yuan Shanjian, inquiring about the emperor's recent situation. The letter stated:

What is the difference between a fool and a madman? Has his madness diminished somewhat?

It means, 'How's that idiot doing now? Are his dementia symptoms any better?'

After receiving the letter, Cui Jishu put it in his sleeve to see the emperor, but it accidentally fell out and was picked up by Yuan Shanjian. Yuan Shanjian felt deeply humiliated but helpless, and he was still not calmed down until Gao Cheng returned to the capital in triumph.

At the welcoming banquet, Gao Cheng was in high spirits. This time, taking advantage of the internal strife in the Southern Dynasty, he annexed the Huai River region in one fell swoop, completely reversing the strategic situation of confrontation with the Southern Dynasty.

Gao Cheng was smug and pleased with himself. His ministers toasted and flattered him, and the atmosphere was very lively. When he was seven or eight parts drunk, he noticed that Yuan Shanjian, who was high and mighty, had not touched a drop of alcohol, so he asked Yuan Shanjian to drink two cups as well.

Yuan Shanjian claimed he was unwell and should not drink alcohol. Gao Cheng ignored him and raised his wine cup to him, saying, "Your subject Gao Cheng urges Your Majesty to drink."

The meaning is very clear: if I, the King, order you to drink, then you must drink!
Yuan Shanjian, who was already seething with anger, finally lost his temper and roared at Gao Cheng, "Since ancient times, no country has ever been immune to destruction. What use is my life then?!"

No country has ever survived the fall of its rulers, and I have no reason to curry favor with you just to save my own life!
Seeing that Yuan Shanjian dared to give him attitude, the hot-tempered Gao Cheng immediately flew into a rage, threw the wine cup at Yuan Shanjian, and cursed him in the dialect of the Six Garrisons: "I, I, dog-legged I!"

Still not satisfied with his scolding, Gao Cheng ordered Cui Jishu to beat Yuan Shanjian three times in public before leaving triumphantly.

Never before in history had an emperor been publicly humiliated like this. Naturally, Yuan Shanjian was determined to fight Gao Cheng to the death. He conspired with former officials to assassinate Gao Cheng, but the plot was exposed, and the participants were executed along with their entire families. Gao Cheng even led his troops to the palace to question Yuan Shanjian, leaving behind another famous saying:

"Why has Your Majesty rebelled?!"

Having completely broken ties with the emperor, Gao Cheng conceived the idea of ​​usurping the throne. Given the Gao family's current power, this would have been incredibly easy. However, a minister advised him against becoming emperor, citing the "Curse of the First Emperor," leaving Gao Cheng completely bewildered.

He hurriedly summoned his confidants to the Shence Hall in his residence to discuss whether or not they should believe this story...

This was a matter of great importance, and His Highness Prince Qi was known for his unpredictable temper, so his subordinates dared not speak recklessly. As a result, they discussed it all day without reaching a conclusion…

Gao Cheng was in a bad mood and starving. He shouted loudly outside, "Tell Lan Jing that I want to eat fish! Hurry up!"

(End of this chapter)