Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 238, Section 130: The Lies Spoken by Liu Changsheng Himself Are the Truth

Yun Ce really didn't expect Wu Tong to act so quickly. Not only did he become a member of the Liu royal family a few days after returning, but he was also registered in the Golden Register.

The identities of members of the royal family were confirmed by two documents: the Jade Register and the Golden Register.

The former would specify who Liu Chang'an's father and mother were, when he was born, whether the Imperial Household Department witnessed and registered his birth, how close his father was to the emperor within the imperial family, and then determine the degree of closeness between Liu Chang'an and the emperor, and bestow a title upon him.

This was how the imperial family was granted titles in the early Han Dynasty. Unfortunately, Huo Qubing was born relatively late. When he was born, Emperor Wen of Han had already implemented the Edict of Grace, which prevented Liu Chang'an from being granted a kingship. He could only inherit Liu Chang'an's title of King of Changsha after Liu Chang'an's death.

That's right. According to the records in the Golden Book, Liu Chang'an is the grandson of Liu Changsheng. Liu Changsheng's original title was King of Changsha, which is a very ancient title originating from his ancestral homeland. There was no place called Changsha in the Han Dynasty, so naturally there was no kingdom called Changsha.

Moreover, counting from Liu Changsheng's lineage, the current emperor should call him his great-uncle!
Although the Royal Jade Register and Golden Book are not very valuable anymore, obtaining such a close status is definitely not an easy thing, especially since the person Yun Ce was trying to scam was High Priest Liu Changsheng.

The Han people may despise the emperor, but absolutely no one dares to speak ill of Liu Changsheng. He has served the ancestral fire since he was eight years old, and now a hundred years have passed. His prestige and influence are unmatched throughout the world.

Everyone knows that Liu Changsheng never married and had no children. Forty years ago, in order to ensure the continuation of the Changsha King's lineage, he adopted a son from the royal family named Liu Miao. Seventeen years ago, Liu Miao probably felt that Liu Changsheng was too long-lived and that he might not be able to inherit the title of Changsha King. He secretly plotted to kill Liu Changsheng several times, but failed each time. As a result, he died of anger.

No one knows whether Liu Miao died of anger or was killed by the High Priest himself; in any case, Liu Changsheng has no more children.

Over the past fifteen years, many members of the Liu imperial family have been willing to give their own sons to Liu Changsheng, but Liu Changsheng has refused them all. People thought that Liu Changsheng wanted to extinguish the lineage of the King of Changsha, but it turns out that he has a grandson.

This grandson is Liu Chang'an.

For someone like Liu Changsheng, no blood ties or family connections can compare to the closeness of someone who knows how to play with fire, especially someone who knows how to perform folk performances and can even cultivate ordinary folk performances into something that can be developed into something like the ancestral fire.

No one knew better than Liu Changsheng what the Yun Clan Manor's folk performance had become, especially when Yun Ce used the folk performance to ignite the Ghost King Mountain coal mine. The ancestral fire in the Dragon God Temple also excitedly helped that poor folk performance from thousands of miles away, which led to the disaster that caused the mountains to collapse and the earth to sink.

Yun Ce's imperial genealogy was written by Liu Changsheng, the current clan head of the Liu family. As for how it was written, that was entirely up to him.

When Wu Tong told him that Yun Ce had this request, the old man immediately took out a jade tablet and engraved words on it. After the jade tablet was engraved, he wrote words on the gold book and affixed his seal.

In less than half an hour, Liu Changsheng had created a royal identity that couldn't be more real. Although the story was a bit rough, considering that Liu Chang'an's royal identity was created from scratch in just half an hour, and that the story was told by Liu Changsheng himself, it was quite good.

Then, this secret, which Liu Changsheng had been hiding, was accidentally discovered by the spies of Panxinglou, and eventually Cao Kun found out about it.

Late at night, Cao Kun had not yet left Yun Ce's guest room. He imitated Yun Ce, chewing fried beans noisily, and looked at Yun Ce with shining eyes, saying, "So, your father gave your ancestor poisoned wine, and your ancestor drank it and was fine. Your father was terrified and ran away with you and your mother to Chuyun Prefecture to live as savages overnight?"

Yun Ce angrily retorted, "I never said there was poisoned wine."

Cao Kun shook his head wisely and said, "If that pot of wine wasn't poisoned, I'd give you my head."

Yun Ce retorted angrily, "Impossible! My mother said he was a very good person."

Cao Kun sighed and said, "Even the best person can't withstand an elder who never dies. The High Priest will be 120 years old this year and is still full of energy. Who can stand being the Crown Prince for 60 years?"

Your father can't wait, but you can. You're only twenty; you have time to wait.

What if he sees me and slaps me to death?

"The old man is 120 years old. He has long since seen through everything. He knew it was poisoned wine but still drank it. He didn't slap your father to death, which shows that the old man doesn't care."

Otherwise, you might think that the old man, who controls all the folk performances, wouldn't be able to find you. It's not that he can't find you, it's that he doesn't look for you, and he might even think that it's not a bad thing to make you suffer a little.

Otherwise, do you think your name will appear in the imperial genealogy?
"Take some time to go back and visit your elders; there are likely many benefits waiting for you."

Yun Ce waved his hand irritably and said, "Alright, let's not talk about my business anymore. Why is it your engagement tomorrow and not your wedding? There's no reason for such a grand ceremony to be engaged in the Han Dynasty."

Cao Kun smiled and said, "I like He Yu, that woman, so she must be treated with the utmost respect."

Yun Ce paused for a moment and said, "I remember you didn't use this name last time."

"Oh, you mean He Rou? She's dead."

"what?"

"What 'ah'? People are most likely to die in wealthy families at times like this. He Rou couldn't hold onto her position, so she's dead. Anyway, what I need is a daughter of the He family. As for who it is, I don't really care." "You just said you liked that woman He Yu."

"I like anyone who can bring me benefits, whether it's a woman or a man."

"Damn, if there were a man who could bring you tremendous benefits, wouldn't you..."

Cao Kun smacked his lips and said, "As long as the benefits are in hand, I'll just have to endure it."

Yun Ce sighed, feeling that there was no point in living.

Cao Kun said, "A great man cannot be without power for even a day. It is truly terrifying to have one's life, death, honor, and disgrace in the hands of others."

After saying this, Cao Kun also felt that life was meaningless. He grabbed a handful of beans, then took his leave and went back.

After achieving equality, talking to Cao Kun was quite enlightening. This guy was all about sincerity and telling the truth, and he could always evoke a sense of empathy in people who felt like they were all suffering men.

If this guy feels you are a threat to him, he won't hesitate for a second when he takes a knife to kill you; he'll be the kind of guy who stabs you while crying.

Therefore, Cao Kun was not a bad person; he was simply striving clearly and consciously for his ideals.

The next day, after getting up, Cao's two maids helped Yun Ce wash up. There were many people to see that day, so they specially brought a bath tub so that Yun Ce could bathe and change his clothes.

Cao Kun's father was a lecher, and Cao Kun himself was no better. Yun Ce assumed that Cao Kun's house was a den of debauchery, and that seven or eight naked maids would come to serve him when he took a bath. Just as Yun Ce was thinking about how to refuse, four pretty maids carrying a bath tub bowed and then left. Finally, the two maids assigned to him also closed the door and went out.

The words of refusal stuck in Yun Ce's throat, and he had no chance to say them.

After taking a good bath, a group of maids rushed in and began to take care of Yun Ce's hair, clothes, shoes, socks, and various elaborate accessories.

Yun Ce didn't care about hairstyles or clothes. As for accessories, he didn't like those antique-style jade or gold ornaments. Instead, he chose a dark wooden accessory that smelled of pears.

After finishing, Yun Ce looked at himself in the bronze mirror. The mirror was foggy and he couldn't see very clearly. He could only vaguely see a young master Jia looking at him in the mirror, and the feeling of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio immediately came to mind.

Led by Cao Ling, Yun Ce arrived at the door of Cao Kun's house and found that it was already packed with people. None of the playboys he used to know were there; all the people who had come were strangers to Yun Ce. It seemed that after the Cao family took over Pingzhou, his former playboy friends were no longer worthy of his status.

Cao Kun was surrounded by a group of maids bustling about, except that he was wearing armor.

Yun Ce casually pulled over a playboy and asked, "Brother Cao, why are you wearing armor on this joyous day?"

The playboy looked at Yun Ce's face and found it unfamiliar. He was only stunned for a moment before he immediately introduced him enthusiastically: "Brother, you may not know this, but armor is the formal attire of a man of the Han Dynasty. Don't be fooled by our light fur coats and soft clothes. In fact, for grand ceremonies, wearing armor best demonstrates a man's masculinity."

Yun Ce cupped his hands in thanks and said, "I come from the wilderness and don't know anything about these things. Thank you for your guidance, brother."

The playboy laughed, "Who has the patience for these complicated etiquettes? I was only reminded of them by my elders before leaving home, and that's how I remembered a little bit. Since you look unfamiliar, I didn't ask you for your guidance..."

Yun Ce grabbed the man's arm and said, "I am Yun Ce, a wild man from Yunzhou. May I ask your name, brother?"

The playboy's eyes lit up, and he grabbed Yun Ce's sleeve affectionately, saying, "So it's the master of Xiangcheng who has arrived. I'm so sorry for my poor eyesight. I am Peng Zhou from Pengcheng."

My father witnessed Brother Yun's achievements in Xiangcheng and scolded me for being unambitious when he returned. Hahaha, this undeserved trouble can only be blamed on Brother Yun. Later, we'll definitely have a few more drinks."

Yun Ce laughed heartily and readily agreed. In a short while, he had become close friends with more than a dozen纨绔 (playboys).

In fact, Yun Ce quite likes making friends with playboys. Generally speaking, they do things well and speak nicely. As long as you are useful, they can make you feel like you are living in a very warm society.

I don't understand why so many spoiled brats in books are either stupid or evil. How could someone who gets up eighty times to pour you wine or tea at a banquet be an idiot?
Cao Kun finally finished donning his armor, and even Yun Ce couldn't help but cheer, because it was a set of golden armor with a silver base.

Even if Yun Ce wore silk and couldn't steal the limelight, he wouldn't be able to gain any advantage over this armor, even if he wore the most expensive silk of the Han Dynasty.

Of course, if Yun Ce were willing to run naked, he should be able to defeat Cao Kun.

　Chapter One

　　
　
(End of this chapter)