Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 1026 A Merchant Born from Descending

Emperor Jin's eyes suddenly narrowed. Instead of being alarmed, he revealed a look of "I knew it."

Something went wrong... That's good!
Previous Grand Astrologers also "left" in this way when they observed crucial points.

It seems that this longest-living minister has truly glimpsed some "real things" that cannot be tolerated by the world.

Now, I can only hope that, in his dying moments, he can manage to leave behind a few valuable pieces of information.

Meanwhile, the Imperial Advisor felt a chill run down his spine, knowing full well the domineering and uncontrollable power of the celestial globe's observation capabilities, which even he could not interfere with.

What if one day... when this thing is observing celestial secrets, it accidentally looks into me too?

Although Taishi Ling, who was flying in mid-air, was in excruciating pain and felt like his soul was about to break, his eyes were wide open, filled with extreme shock and disbelief!
This?
How can it be!

How could anything possibly obscure the primordial calendar's power of observation?

As long as it remains within the Nine Provinces, as long as humanity remains the protagonist of heaven and earth, as long as the Primordial Calendar continues to operate, and as long as there is still the protection of human destiny... it should not exist...

A thought flashed through his mind like lightning, splitting the darkness, and suddenly appeared in his chaotic mind!

Oh~~~~ That's it! "Business Star"!
It was that newly returned Mars that triggered all the subsequent changes! It was the fortune and laws of the "Fire Calendar" era, which had long since merged into history but had not completely disappeared, that were causing the interference!

Fire calendar is great!

It must be the Fire Calendar!

With a few loud thuds, it rolled onto the cold floor of the Golden Hall and slid for more than ten meters before finally coming to a stop.

He was overjoyed at the glimmer of hope he had found, but at the same time he couldn't stop vomiting blood.

Severely injured but not dead!
Then don't blame me!
Ignoring the excruciating pain that felt as if his body was being torn apart and reassembled, he struggled with his last strength to lift his head and look towards the throne. The voice that came from his mouth was hoarse and broken, yet every word was filled with sorrow and grief, carrying a moving sense of "loyalty":
"Your Majesty~~~~~!!!!"

That sound seemed to have used up all the strength of a lifetime.

"It's the Liang Kingdom!"

At this point, an even more ruthless thought suddenly flashed through my mind!

He knew that simply pointing out the Liang Kingdom might not be enough, because His Majesty could also detect the anomalies through intelligence. He had to fabricate something sensational that no one else knew about in order to draw all the attention away from the enemy!
Therefore, I decided to undertake a shocking and unconventional artistic transformation!

The image of a star rising from the land of Liang, if interpreted conversely, doesn't it mean... that this star once landed there?!

Throughout the entire Nine Provinces, who doesn't know where the "Shang Star" would appear and descend if it were to do so?
Who doesn't know which dynasty the ancient "Fire Calendar" is closely related to?

Anyway, this enormous cauldron, enough to exterminate nine generations of a family, must be thrown out! The rest is none of my business!

"From the descent comes the Shang!"

The Grand Historian spat out a mouthful of blood and, with all his might, let out a deafening roar:

"Descend! And! Become! Merchant!!!"

After uttering those four earth-shattering words, the Grand Historian's head lolled to the side, and he completely fainted, barely breathing.

It can only be said that the workings of Heaven are indeed very "balanced". In the past, he had managed to avoid calamity several times, but this time, in a real dead end, he actually managed to fight for a sliver of hope with this flash of inspiration and ruthless decision.

The State of Liang was formerly known as "Shangqiu"!
The phrase "from descent comes commerce" is absolutely, undeniably, the perfect answer here!
The political destructive power of these four words is extremely subtle yet deadly for any ruler.

Would anyone really believe such a seemingly absurd rumor as "the restoration of an ancient dynasty"?
I'll definitely believe it.

This is because it is a very orthodox and reasonable routine operation in the power struggle.

Liu Bang was just a village headman when he started his rebellion, claiming to be the "son of the Red Emperor" and slaying a white snake to begin his uprising. Later, he was even associated with Yao, using his status as a "son of the dragon" to strengthen the legitimacy of his rule.

When Cao Pi forced Emperor Xian of Han to abdicate and established the Wei Kingdom, he also claimed that the Cao family were "descendants of the Youyu clan," that is, descendants of Shun. He used this lineage of ancient sage kings to prove that his replacement of the Han dynasty was ordained by Heaven and had legitimacy.

Even Sima Qian, in his "Records of the Grand Historian: Basic Annals of the Five Emperors", systematically constructed a bloodline chain from the Yellow Emperor to the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. This provided a perfect template and theoretical basis for later emperors whose origins were not absolutely "orthodox" to trace their ancestry.

Therefore, in this era, if one wants to rebel or challenge the central authority, tracing or even fabricating a glorious ancient origin is a crucial step.

The Sima family of the current dynasty traced their ancient bloodline primarily back to Emperor Zhuanxu, one of the Five Emperors.

As a member of the Sima clan, the Prince of Liang naturally shared this bloodline. However, if he wanted to go further and challenge the imperial power in Luoyang, simply relying on the shared identity of "descendant of Zhuanxu" was not enough; he needed to add other, more unique "legitimacy" buffs.

"Descending gives rise to commerce"

This implies the legitimacy of the "Shang" dynasty, which once replaced the Xia dynasty and created a brilliant bronze civilization!
Its significance and the associations it evoked were enough to keep any emperor awake at night.

Historically, many emperors did not inherit the throne legitimately. After ascending the throne, they were keen to engage in similar acts of deifying their own origins and associating themselves with ancient sage kings. This was especially common during the chaotic era of the Wei and Jin dynasties, when aristocratic politics prevailed and power changed hands frequently. Such practices were even more common and easier for people to believe.

It's like everyone claims to have the same illustrious ancestor, but why is my branch considered exceptionally outstanding and more qualified to wield power?
That often requires additional "blessings." For example, "Our maternal bloodline is more noble." Of course, if even the maternal background is exactly the same, then it's more troublesome, and one can only bite the bullet and promote relatively vague things like being "more virtuous" or "more popular."

It sounds ridiculous, like making up a myth.

But the shaping and promotion of "legitimacy" often works in this way, always needing to be covered with a gorgeous "fig leaf" or "halo" from ancient times to cover up the naked nature of power struggles that are difficult to say openly.

Moreover, the subjects and noble families below largely recognized and were accustomed to this discourse system, which almost became one of the indispensable cornerstones for maintaining the system's rule.

Therefore, one can imagine the shock Emperor Jin felt when he heard the Grand Historian shout "The Shang dynasty was born after the Shang dynasty was destroyed" before his death!

Is this okay? !
This is practically pointing fingers and accusing the King of Liang of harboring rebellious intentions, and finding a theoretical basis that is even more "divinely mandated" than the central court!

He immediately summoned his most trusted spy chief and ordered him to collect information on all unusual events that had recently occurred in Liang Kingdom, at the fastest speed and at all costs.

At the same time, a team of palace guards was dispatched to "invite" the Prince of Liang into the palace in a gentle but unyielding tone.

The reason given was, "During the day, I was suddenly inspired by what I was learning and couldn't wait to discuss and share it with my dear younger brother."

When his trusted aide reported that the King of Liang was also unconscious, the Emperor of Jin's expression shifted dramatically, changing countless times.

“How can quack doctors outside compare to the imperial physicians in my palace?” His tone carried an unquestionable “concern.” “Go, properly ‘invite’ Prince Liang into the palace so that the imperial physicians can carefully diagnose and treat him. Make sure my good brother recovers as soon as possible.”

Thus, the King of Liang, still unconscious and powerless to resist, was carefully carried into the depths of the palace.

All his trusted guards and entourage were stopped outside the palace gates.

Before dawn, urgent intelligence about the Liang Kingdom was presented to the Jin Emperor.

Heavenly fire descended, burning most of the palace to the ground, and a large crimson star rose from within the palace...

Looking at this intelligence, which vaguely matched the "descendance gave birth to the Shang dynasty," Emperor Jin revealed a cold and knowing expression.

Ok, good, good!
So it really was you!
The unconscious King Liang coughed up blood again. His luck had been broken by the Shang Star and he was then placed under house arrest by the emperor, further weakening his protective luck and triggering a chain reaction.

I bet he'll feel incredibly wronged when he wakes up and sees the unfamiliar ceiling.

He clearly only wanted to use the Fire Calendar to disrupt the Primordial Calendar, incite unrest throughout the Nine Provinces, and then attack the emperor's legitimacy with the theory of the interaction between Heaven and Man, all in preparation for vying for the throne.

It suddenly exploded.

I could never create a scene like Mars guarding the heart; suppressing just one "Shang Star" has already given him a huge headache.

And he even descended to give birth to the Shang dynasty. Could my son be some kind of awesome figure like the Shang ancestor?
In short, I really didn't plan either of these things.

But who told him to faint when he should have explained himself?

The person has been apprehended; whether it's true or false is no longer important.

Being outside their fiefdom already diminished their bargaining power, and being taken to the palace further deprived them of any negotiating leverage.

This is karma.

Other princes and high-ranking officials in Luoyang who also learned through various channels that "King Liang may have created the phenomenon of Mars guarding the heart" and "the Shang dynasty was born from the fall of Mars" were also extremely shocked at first. They were shocked by King Liang's audacity!
You dare to go this far from Luoyang, the capital city, less than 600 li away?!
You always act so amiable and harmless in court and at clan gatherings, but behind the scenes... you've really got something going for you.

Even the royal princes, such as the King of Zhao and the King of Chu, who also harbored ambitions, were thoroughly frightened by this brother who usually seemed to be low-key.

He originally thought that he was already a bold person for secretly accumulating power and befriending powerful people in order to fulfill his ambitions.

However, compared to the ruthless actions of King Liang, which directly affected celestial phenomena and shook the foundations of the state, it still falls short.

It's unbelievable!
After the initial shock, a chill instantly shot from my tailbone to the top of my head!

I thought to myself, oh no!
If someone like Prince Liang, who usually appears honest and even somewhat cowardly, dares to act so wildly in private, then wouldn't the behavior of other princes who are usually more outstanding and powerful be even more lawless and suspicious in the eyes of the emperor and the world?
After several tense moments of reflection and self-examination, they broke out in a cold sweat and discovered that their own private affairs couldn't withstand a thorough investigation!
"Quickly! Immediately strengthen communication with the Jia family! Tell them that the conditions can be further conceded and the price can be increased! Make sure they mediate and keep the impact of this matter confined to Prince Liang alone, and absolutely do not allow it to expand further!"

Thus, in this sudden storm, all factions, out of self-preservation, began to tacitly try to push out the Prince of Liang as the sole "sacrifice" in order to quell the emperor's anger and avoid getting burned themselves.

Therefore, in reviewing this "Liang Kingdom instance", the first "MVP" is undoubtedly the "Northern War God" Prince Liang, whose "divine operation" was the beginning of everything.

The second "MVP" should be the Grand Historian who made a desperate counterattack. His precise and ruthless strike drew all the blame to the Prince of Liang, completely changing the course of the court struggle.

Xu Xuan, one of the true instigators who planned and executed the key steps behind the scenes, unexpectedly disappeared during this massive upheaval that affected the entire Kyushu.

Nobody cared about Xu, who was also present in Liang.

What's the point of paying attention to a mere top scholar in the provincial examination? Even if he's a monk from the Pure Land School, so what?

He's not even old enough to be on the table when it comes to such important matters concerning the replacement of humanity.

(End of this chapter)