Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 251 Substituting One's Own Heart for Heaven's Heart
Yin Xian sat at the head of the table, and the pig-headed man to his left was his nephew, Yin Mao, the author who had been beaten.

The person accompanying the guest was Li Juncheng, who had planned the whole thing.

The three of them watched the song and dance performances and drank some wine, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

“Jingren, Jingren, you really helped your uncle vent his anger by getting involved this time.”

"Today, the dignity of Yu Dingguo and the academy has been utterly trampled underfoot, and you deserve great credit for this."

"I will find a way to handle the matter of the Attendant Gentleman of the Palace."

Yin Mao was overjoyed. Wasn't the price of suffering physical pain and offending Gonghe and Chongqi all for this?

The Yin family is indeed powerful, but they also have a lot of people. How can one rise to the top without being ruthless?

Of course, he also mentioned that it was Li Juncheng's idea to do this, and that he had given the other party a share of the credit.

Just as the group was continuing to gloat, a servant announced that a representative from the academy was requesting an audience.

They were Xie Jiazi and an unknown scholar from the academy.

"Oh, not Shi Kuang?"

"We'll have to see what's going on before bringing them in."

As long as it's not for public good, Yin Xian is not afraid of anyone who comes to him.

Xie Yu and Zao glanced at each other after entering, their auras were very upright, and they showed no intention of compromising.

I'm only here to deliver a verbal message.

"We hope to turn hostility into friendship with Changsha."

Yin Xian took a sip of wine triumphantly; the academy had finally given in.

Since that's the case, I'll have to think about it some more.

Tell me what you can offer.

Instead of answering what the academy would contribute, the two scholars asked, "Which one is Prefect Li?"

The group of people tensed up, wondering what kind of trouble they were up to.

Of course, the Yin family uncle and nephew's eyes naturally turned to the figure on the right, without any attempt to hide it.

The two disciples of the academy looked at the middle-aged official with somewhat cold eyes. The student in particular was even more agitated, and the sharp light in his eyes was like a sword cutting into the other's spirit.

“Those who scheme against the academy will inevitably pay a price.”

"If you want to reconcile, this person..."

Changsha immediately refused, stating that the three scholars had violated national law, not personal grudges.

They must not be let off lightly. As for your remarks, they are even more outrageous. However, out of respect for the academy, we will not pursue the matter further.

The two sides parted on bad terms.

Yin Xian snorted coldly. He wasn't stupid; he wouldn't betray his own people without a suitable price.

"Don't worry, the people of my Yin family aren't that easy to mess with."

Li, the prefect, was naturally very grateful, but he was filled with fear and unease, and the wine tasted like bitter water to him.

He knew Yin Xian all too well; he was a heartless and ungrateful beast.

The refusal was simply due to a lack of leverage, while the academy happened to have the leverage to offer.

As I walked out of the Prime Minister's residence after the banquet, I almost tripped and fell. As I walked, I heard the cawing of crows.

"unlucky."

I hurried home and passed a small river where I saw a turtle emerge from the water and crawl into the middle of the road.

He stopped walking and waited quietly instead of going forward.

The Records of the Grand Historian, in the chapter on Divination by Tortoise Shells, states: "The tortoise shell is the most precious treasure in the world. Whoever obtains the tortoise shell first will become the emperor, and his predictions will be accurate ten times out of ten, and he will win ten battles in ten battles."

It is evident that the ancients valued mythical beasts as much as important artifacts.

But as the turtle walked along, a piece of its shell fell off, and then it turned back into the water.

I picked it up almost unconsciously; the patterns on it looked rather strange.

"Could it be that God is warning me something?"

He put the heavy thoughts into his pocket and continued walking, his gaze drawn to a fortune-telling stall by the roadside where a man was holding a long banner.

The Taoist priest wore a linen jacket with a front opening, without any accessories. He had white hair but a youthful face, and his eyes were slightly closed. He looked poor, shabby, and mysterious. "My lord," he said, "if you have any worries, why not look ahead?"

"The price for divination is up to fate."

Li Juncheng stood in front of the fortune-telling stall for a long time before finally taking out a tortoise shell.

"Interpret the hexagram to predict the future."

He was still somewhat flustered and did not follow the usual practice of threatening the other party and then demanding money in return.

Watching the other party do their thing, if their technique is wrong, they'll ruin everything.

Master Mao really does know it; at least on the surface, he's at a very professional level.

The tortoise shell is used for divination, and the divination sticks are used to determine good or bad fortune by observing the omens.

The old Taoist priest touched the tortoise shell, his eyes wide, and gently stroked it, giving it ample foreplay.

Then take out the Sanyi pills made of carbon powder and lead powder, put water in a bowl, place coins in it, and place a ruler on top of it.

Place the tortoise shell with the inscription facing down and the part closest to the flesh facing up, and cauterize it with San-i-maru (a type of traditional Chinese medicine).

The wisps of smoke were slowly rising, and the crackling sound of the shell seemed to crack in someone's heart.

The flames were extinguished with water only after a full incense stick's time, and after a series of crisp cracking sounds, the tortoise shell had taken shape.

Touching the numerous cracks once more, the old Taoist remained silent for so long that Li, the prefect, had no choice but to ask him a question.

"There are five horizontal lines. The east line is called Jia and Yi, and the west line is called Bing and Ding. Only these directions are reliable for divination."

"This body has three parts: head, feet, and legs. The head is the beginning of all things, signifying smoothness and stability."

The prefect was slightly pleased, indicating that he had made the right move at the beginning.

"The body is slightly tilted, hanging low with undulations."

The prefect was displeased. He had encountered a setback. The group from the academy wanted to reconcile with Changsha, but they couldn't swallow their anger and wanted to take it out on the officials. This was a very difficult situation.

"Foot, broken foot."

The prefect was terrified; did this mean he was doomed?

The academy's actions were so ruthless! What have they been doing with their studies of the classics?!
The old Taoist priest probably knew that the results of his divination were unacceptable, so he took the initiative to say that he was not the one who carved the characters, and therefore the results might be inaccurate.

Why not try divination by holding yarrow stalks and determining their number to predict good or bad fortune?

The prefect nodded repeatedly, no longer thinking that the tortoise shell was a warning from heaven, and only believing in the yarrow stalks he had personally chosen.

He pulled out a handful of divination blocks and placed them on the cloth. The old Taoist priest frowned as he looked at the divination results.

“If one is in a position of authority, there will be no blame; if one is not trustworthy, then one will be forever virtuous and regret will disappear.”

"Sir, you..."

"Maybe we should just forget about the divination fee."

The old Taoist priest rolled up his fortune-telling stall and ran away; his actions were truly frightening.

The prefect's face turned pale with fright, and he had difficulty breathing. He could only lean against a roadside stone to calm himself down.

Xiaoqing, watching this cowardly guy from afar, couldn't stop laughing. Xu Xuan's methods were just too ruthless.

The turtle who had contributed its shell was somewhat puzzled. Could this really scare people?

Master Mao, who had circled back, gave an explanation.

"It's not his fault; anyone else would have been frightened in his place."

"Since ancient times, when sage kings received the mandate of heaven and started undertakings, they always consulted divination and sorcerers to help them do good. This practice continued from the time of Tang and Yu, and is too numerous to mention. Since the rise of the Three Dynasties, each dynasty has relied on auspicious omens. The omen of Tushan led to the restoration of the world, the divination of Feiyan was in accordance with the will of the Shang Dynasty, and the sorcerers of Baigu were dismissed, which led to the Zhou Dynasty."

“From the time of the ancient sage kings, there has never been one who did not respect and use divination to help accomplish good deeds. There is no human being who does not believe in the omens of Heaven.”

"The more educated a person is, the more they will be bound by these rules."

"Young Master Xu's method seems simple, but in fact it breaks through the rules and replaces the will of Heaven with his own will."

"I wonder if I, as the one who actually carried out the operation, will also be punished by heaven."

The people of Baoan Hall are strange; they understand reason well, yet they dare to defy conventional wisdom.

This might be an infection brought about by someone named Xu. If it were Master Mao, who used to cultivate in Shuntian, he would never have done such a thing.

Now that the groundwork has been laid, all that remains is for this prefect to turn against the regime sooner rather than later; perhaps then his fate will be a little better.
　I was typing away on my laptop on the mountain, and people kept watching me, which made me feel a little ashamed. The main problem was that some people were 'whispering' their sympathy for me.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)