Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 499 498 The History of Nanyu and Beizhen

Liu Weisen reaped a great harvest, but Feng Xiuhu, hiding in the shadows, had many more doubts in his heart.

After walking two streets and confirming that no one was following him, Feng Xiuhu emerged from the shadows.

He asked Liu Weisen, "When is the bell-ringing day?"

Liu Weisen said, "It's tomorrow—that's why I'm in a hurry to get going. If I'm even a little slower, I really won't make it in time."

Feng Xiuhu nodded and said, "Let's find a place to stay first."

Finding accommodation was really difficult. Too many outsiders had come to Fallen Cloud City, and all the places where people could stay overnight had put up "fully booked" signs early on. In the end, Liu Weisen had to pay a high price to buy a single room in an inn from a group of grassroots treasure hunters.

Feng Xiuhu was eager to sort out his thoughts, so he didn't care whether the accommodation was acceptable or not. After checking in, he immediately asked the innkeeper for paper and pen, and then started to work out his ideas at the table.

He first wrote down two questions.

What does the Marriage Temple want to do?

What does the marriage temple want to do to me?

Feng Xiuhu fell into deep thought.

He already had some guesses.

The Student Self-Consciousness Association—or, more specifically, the Women's Association—released the news of the treasure in order to provide cover for someone or something in the north.

From Liu Weisen and Zhou Xiuqing's conversation today, Feng Xiuhu could sense that both Chen Dejin and Zhou Xiuqing seemed very certain that the treasure did not exist.

Feng Xiuhu actually leaned more towards this explanation because there was one issue he couldn't quite grasp.

Feng Xiuhu asked Liu Weisen, who was sitting by the window lost in thought, "Have you thought about this? If the treasure really exists, then since this batch of treasure was kept by the King of Nanyu for the purpose of restoring his country, logically speaking, he shouldn't have let others find it. So why would he leave a map and hand it over to outsiders? Wouldn't it have been enough for him to know the location himself?"

Liu Weisen blinked blankly: "Perhaps... it's meant to be left to future royal bloodlines?"

Feng Xiuhu followed up with another question: "Did the ruler of Nanyu leave any offspring?"

"Uh……"

Liu Weisen hesitated: "I've never heard of it."

Feng Xiuhu was even more puzzled. He turned to face Liu Weisen and said, "This doesn't make sense. Can you give me a history lesson first? For example, the timeline here: the Southern Yu Kingdom was defeated in the war with the Northern Zhen Kingdom and was forced to retreat to Yu'ai Prefecture. Then those ministers with integrity chose to jump off the cliff. When did Empress Yun die for her country?"

As a local, Liu Weisen can explain this clearly.

He said, "No, it was Empress Yun who died for her country first, and then the noble ministers followed her in death."

Feng Xiuhu was taken aback: "Empress Yun jumped off the cliff first? She had more integrity than those ministers?"

Liu Weisen shook his head: "It wasn't a cliff jump. It's said that Empress Yun died in the chaos of two armies fighting each other, but the details can't be verified."

Feng Xiuhu was even more astonished: "What? She personally went to the battlefield to fight?"

Liu Weisen shrugged, indicating he didn't know: "After that battle, the Southern Yu Kingdom completely lost the strength to confront the Northern Zhen Kingdom head-on. In order to give the country a chance to breathe, the Southern Yu King had no choice but to disperse the remaining troops and scatter them into the countless hills of Yu'ai Prefecture."

"Perhaps it was just that the Southern Yu Kingdom was destined to prolong its reign for a few more years. The Northern Zhen Kingdom, which should have pressed its advantage, received devastating news after that battle: its ruler had suddenly fallen ill and died." "By the time the Northern Zhen Kingdom finished dealing with its internal issues of the transfer of imperial power, it was too late to turn its attention back to the Southern Yu Kingdom."

Feng Xiuhu asked, "So the Southern Yu Kingdom has rallied its strength?"

“No, that’s not it.” Liu Weisen shook his head. “During this period, the King of Nanyu actually only did one major thing—established a temple for Empress Yun. The death of Empress Yun seems to have dealt a great blow to the King of Nanyu, and he did not achieve any significant political success in his subsequent life.”

Feng Xiuhu scratched his head: "Since the Northern Zhen Kingdom was no longer capable of dealing with the Southern Yu Kingdom, how did the Southern Yu Kingdom eventually perish?"

"Of course it's because of the emergence of the Great Ning Kingdom, is there even a need to think about it?"

Liu Weisen looked at Feng Xiuhu with surprise, seemingly astonished by his lack of historical knowledge.

"Years of war had already worn down the national strength of the Southern Yu Kingdom and the Northern Zhen Kingdom. The people were displaced and full of grievances. The Ning Dynasty that followed arose from an uprising."

"Nan Yu and Bei Zhen were eventually destroyed by Da Ning. After unification, the country ushered in a long-awaited period of peace. After that, the temple began to demolish the Yunhou Temple within the territory of Yu Ai Prefecture."

"and many more."

Feng Xiuhu raised his hand to interrupt: "The Southern Yu Kingdom has already been destroyed, so when did the ruler of the Southern Yu Kingdom die?"

Liu Weisen smiled wryly and said, "You've hit the nail on the head. Many people want to know the answer to this question."

“Since the troops were divided and entered the mountains, there have been very few records about the ruler of Nanyu. His whereabouts always seem to be elusive.”

"Some say that this is to guard against assassins from the Northern Zhen Kingdom, which is why the King of Southern Yu rarely appears in public; there are also rumors that the King of Southern Yu actually suffers from some kind of hidden illness, and in order to prevent the already precarious country from collapsing overnight, he tries to reduce the number of times he appears in front of outsiders."

"But regardless of which one it is, the ruler of Nanyu should have lived to a ripe old age, because the historical records clearly state that until Da Ning completely destroyed Nanyu, Da Ning never found any trace of the ruler of Nanyu, neither alive nor dead."

Feng Xiuhu rested his chin on his hand: "So, no one knows where this emperor died in the end, and he doesn't even have a proper tomb?"

Liu Weisen nodded: "That's the idea."

"hiss……"

Feng Xiuhu squinted and pondered: "Do you think it's possible that the emperor died in the place where he hid his treasure?"

Liu Weisen chimed in, "I have indeed thought that way, and I'm probably not the only one who has this idea. But the problem is—we don't know where the treasure is, nor do we know where the King of Nanyu died."

Feng Xiuhu clapped his hands and spread his hands: "Then the question comes full circle—he neither left any offspring nor succeeded in restoring his kingdom, so why did he bother leaving behind the treasure map?"

If you look at it from a different angle, the answer to this question becomes very simple—the treasure map is fake, and the treasure doesn't exist at all.

That's why this logical flaw occurs.

Liu Weisen understood Feng Xiuhu's implication and lowered his eyes slightly: "...Mr. Ma also thinks I'm doing something in vain?"

Feng Xiuhu remained noncommittal—mainly because he didn't want to dampen Liu Weisen's enthusiasm—so he replied, "It's too early to draw conclusions now. Anyway, the bell-ringing day is tomorrow, so one last push won't make a difference. Let's go and see how things go."

Liu Weisen reminded, "There will definitely be a lot of people at the Queen's Shrine at that time, so you should go to bed early tonight so you can leave early tomorrow."

Feng Xiuhu wasn't worried at all. He grinned and said, "Don't be afraid. With my brother here, even if a thousand troops stand in front of us, I'll still make sure you get to the very front."

(End of this chapter)