novelraw Chapter 479 - 251, Ancient swords rust, green mountains age easily.
Chapter 479 - 251, Ancient swords rust, green mountains age easily.
Investigating the burial mystery of Zhao Yunniang in Fengxi Country was by no means an easy task.
From the founding of the country to the present Fifth Year of Xiaochang, almost two hundred years had passed. During this time, the Xu Imperial Family had seen eight emperors, and the state’s divine artifact had been handed down from Emperor Xu Zhang of Kaiming to the current Emperor Xiaochang.
As for the secrets of the founding period, not many in the Xu Imperial Family likely knew of them. After all, such matters, when passed down, offered no benefit to later generations. There was no need for them to know.
So many mortals were involved, and they were his descendants. Using the soul searching technique on them one by one would undoubtedly be a foolish method.
Thus, he quickly decided to use Prince Zhou’s face reading as an excuse to "deceive the masses" and compel the nobility of Fengxi Country to investigate the truth of those past events. At the same time, this could also be used to select true talents from within the Xu Imperial Family. With nearly ten thousand members in the Imperial family, it was difficult for him to take them all away under the watchful eyes of the Flying Feather Immortal Palace. He could only take a portion.
"What?" Prince Zhou’s expression shifted slightly, a hint of disbelief in his eyes. "The Grand Ancestor and his wife, Empress Dowager Xiao Zhang, were interred in a Clothes Tomb? Fengling is a Clothes Tomb? How could that be..."
Fengling was the imperial mausoleum of the Founding Emperor, where the Emperor and all Civil & Military Officers paid homage annually. Yet, the Fengling they had worshipped for so many years supposedly contained no remains of the Grand Ancestor or Empress Dowager Zhao. This was simply preposterous!
"Impossible..." Prince Zhou composed himself and shook his head. "Such a momentous event must have been recorded in the national history. I have perused hundreds of books since childhood and never encountered any mention of this..."
To not know history is to be ignorant of the rise and fall of nations. The Imperial Court governs the country with Loyalty and Filial Piety. As an imperial son and grandson, when I pay respects to the ancestral emperors at the Grand Temple, I must not be ignorant of any sovereign’s accomplishments or their deeds during their reign. The history of the Founding Emperor, especially, is something I, as a descendant, must commit to memory. Yet, searching his memories now, he could not recall a single anecdote suggesting Fengling was a "Clothes Tomb."
"Is the decline of the national fortune true or false?"
"Your Highness already has the answer in your heart; why deceive yourself? Regarding Fengling being a Clothes Tomb, if... if this were common knowledge, would it fall to I, a humble Daoist, to come to the Royal Mansion today and spread such ’alarming rumors’?"
Seeing Prince Zhou’s skeptical gaze, Xu Xing remained unperturbed. He met the prince’s look steadily, cleared his throat, and replied with a faint smile.
Given the prince’s nightmares, the early death of Emperor Guangwen, and Emperor Xiaochang’s frequent illnesses, Xu Xing was confident Prince Zhou would not dismiss his words. Not a single noble was unafraid of death. When medicine failed them, even if they disbelieved the "bewitching words" of spirits and deities, they would still choose to try such paths.
"I will go to the Imperial Palace and ask the Empress Dowager, and also the Minister of the Imperial Clan..."
Just as Xu Xing had anticipated, concerning his own life and safety, Prince Zhou dared not be the least bit careless. After offering Xu Xing some perfunctory verbal commendations, he spoke with a somewhat anxious expression.
Empress Dowager Li had overseen the administrations of Emperor Xiaochang and Emperor Guangwen for over a decade and was currently the most powerful figure in the Imperial Court. She was also his birth mother. To uncover such an imperial secret, his birth mother, Empress Dowager Li, was the most suitable person to consult. Secondly, the Minister of the Imperial Clan, who managed the affairs of the Imperial family, might possess secret archives pertaining to such matters.
"Such paltry rewards are unnecessary; I have no interest in worldly gold and silver," Xu Xing said, offering a cupped-fist salute to Prince Zhou. "I came today because, in my early years of Cultivation, I received assistance from the Imperial family..."
Having spoken, he flicked his sleeve robe, transformed into a wisp of azure smoke, and in an instant, reappeared near the stone pavilion in the courtyard. There, he began to brew fragrant tea for himself at the stone table, his demeanor utterly serene. He moved like a transcendent master, detached from worldly affairs.
Witnessing this, any lingering doubt in Prince Zhou’s heart vanished completely. He instructed his steward to attend to Xu Xing, then hastily washed and dressed. Mounting a horse carriage, he rushed towards the Shenzhen Royal Palace, not daring to delay even for a moment.
「Autumn, the Fifth Year of Xiaochang.」
「Ziwei Palace, Side Hall.」
The still-graceful Empress Dowager Li had just finished a soothing cup of pear porridge when she saw her youngest son, Prince Zhou, rush into the hall as if his robes were on fire, coming to pay his respects.
"Yuer, what is the matter?" Empress Dowager Li raised a sleeve, gesturing for the nearby palace maids to withdraw, leaving only a few trusted confidantes to attend her. Once the maids had exited the side hall, the aura of authority around her softened. Looking at her youngest son, she smiled and asked, "Has some noble offended you? Let your mother champion your cause. Or has your household allowance been reduced? Was it a deduction by the Imperial Court?"
It is said the Heavenly Family favors the eldest son, while the Common People dote on the youngest. However, compared to her other two sons, she cherished her youngest, Prince Zhou, the most.
"Mother," Prince Zhou began after rising from his bow and taking a seat to the side. He hesitated for a moment before recounting everything Xu Xing had told him. "Your son has been plagued by nightmares recently. Several days ago, I heard of a fortune teller in the Capital renowned for his accurate face readings, so I invited him to my mansion...
"After this fortune teller read my face, he said that the reason the late Emperor died prematurely, and also concerning my imperial brother..."
The late Emperor Guangwen was Empress Dowager Li’s eldest son and also one of his elder imperial brothers. However, for clarity, he usually referred to Emperor Guangwen simply as the late Emperor.
"Such a thing actually happened?" Empress Dowager Li’s phoenix eyes narrowed slightly. She pondered for a moment before saying, "Yuer, since you say this fortune teller possesses extraordinary abilities—capable of flying through the air and severing gold with a finger—then he is likely no mere swindler..."
Immortals existed in this world; this was no mere rumor circulating among the court and common folk, but an established fact.