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墨書 Inktalez
Have you not heard that when one person achieves enlightenment, even the chickens and dogs can soar to the heavens? It is also said that under a collapsed nest, how can there be unbroken eggs? Those who plot for the world can be said to share glory and disaster; their misfortunes inevitably affect their families.
In the "Warring States Strategies," it is stated that those close will suffer personally, while those far away will affect their descendants. Now, with Han Wang Li Yuanchang executed and his wife and children lost to their homeland, aside from the national titles conferred, on the day of the New Year Banquet, those who witnessed Li Yuanchang's heroic spirit all lamented. Only the common people, unaware of the reasons, spread rumors and cursed Li Yuanchang for his disloyalty and treachery.
Meanwhile, Sovereign Li Shimin was heartbroken and did not attend court for three days. Many state affairs were entrusted to Crown Prince Li Chengqian, with Changsun Wuji appointed to assist and supervise him.
Anyone with eyes could see that this move was a reactivation of the Eastern Palace faction. In the past, there had been much turmoil in the court aimed at pushing the Crown Prince off the stage, but now Tubo had once again secured its position in the Eastern Palace.
Perhaps due to his suspicions, Sovereign Li Shimin ordered a thorough restructuring of Chang'an's defenses, appointing loyal Qibi Helix as the leading general to command numerous Imperial Guards from both the north and south. The Eastern Palace's Inner Court military under Crown Prince Li Chengqian was tasked with overseeing the Inner Imperial City, while Hou Junji and his son, along with other loyal ministers who fought valiantly, were all rewarded.
This sudden change was like a storm of wind and snow from above—swift in arrival and quick to depart. However, attentive ministers slowly pondered over it and found many doubts. First was Yiyi Mansion's Middle General Xu Zhen, who seemed to have foreseen everything and had early arranged an unusual Water Curtain as if to let Sovereign witness these changes firsthand.
Some had bribed eunuchs in the Inner Palace and obtained reliable news that Sage had privately summoned Xu Zhen. When asked about this matter, Xu Zhen claimed she could not foresee this conspiracy; she merely wanted Sage to see how diligently the Three Houses Guards defended the imperial city. Little did she expect to encounter such upheaval.
Sage remained noncommittal, and Xu Zhen had no further words. Discussing Tubo's Eastern Palace guards' timing of action seemed too coincidental; it might not have been unprepared. Coupled with Hou Junji's ruthless execution of Li Yuanchang, although it alleviated some worries for Sage, it also raised suspicions of silencing witnesses.
In summary, everyone harbored ulterior motives amidst turbulent currents, making it difficult to discern right from wrong.
Even more astonishing was Xu Zhen's miraculous ability to teleport during the banquet. Now not only was this spreading through the court but even among common folk. If one were to name a prominent figure at year-end festivities, it would undoubtedly be Xu Zhen —no one could compare!
After experiencing such significant events, New Year became rather dull. At least within the palace's strict confines, there was a heavy atmosphere; many wives and concubines dared not indulge in playfulness. Civil and military officials lowered their flags and ceased activities while waiting for Sage's stance.
Sage worked diligently, managing countless affairs without rest. Even when Gaozu passed away, he only refrained from attending court out of filial piety. The only other instances were Zhangsun Shenghuanghou's passing and the sudden death of Li Mingda during the Xuanwu Gate Incident—each reflecting Sage's genuine nature regarding loyalty.
Although Li Yuanchang acted against propriety, Sage felt sorrowful in his heart. To appease his ministers, he granted various rewards; however, this time only Xu Zhen received no reward while Xu Zhenzhi’s name rose among various strategists' tables.
Some say Xu Zhen obstructed Hou Junji and thus touched Sage’s heart; others claim she already knew of Li Yuanchang’s schemes but chose not to report them—merely showcasing her peculiar skills at a cost of many lives while seeking personal gain through clever tricks.
Amidst the various opinions, they could only wait for Sage to arrive and clarify things.
The Xu Zhen felt no guilt as she gathered with several Bodyguards at the Brave Duke's Mansion. Old officials like Li Jing quietly came to express their gratitude for the Xu Zhen's rescue, while Li Chunfeng and Yan Lide had seemingly become her supporters, visiting the Brave Duke's Mansion frequently.
To avoid gossip, the mansion kept a low profile, not daring to make a fuss. They simply opened the backyard for everyone to enjoy the snow around a fire while sipping some light wine, fostering a pleasant atmosphere.
Even so, with wine flowing, it was inevitable that poetry and games would ensue. However, most attendees were warriors and lacked interest in such pursuits. Instead, Li Chunfeng was obsessed with divination and insisted on having the Xu Zhen perform a reading.
The Xu Zhen discreetly glanced at Zhang Suling, thinking that the time for that matter was about right. It would be nice to give her a little surprise as a reward for enduring nearly an hour in icy water.
Without Zhang Suling, how could the Xu Zhen showcase her astonishing abilities that shocked both court and commoners? Moreover, such a miraculous trick might be needed in the future, so it was essential to keep Zhang Suling around.
With this in mind, the Xu Zhen smiled at Li Chunfeng and said, "Since Brother Li has this intention, I cannot refuse. You are well-versed in various disciplines; I assume you also understand the arts of Qi Men Dun Jia, Liu Ren, and Tai Yi. Today, I shall demonstrate a bit of my skill; I hope you won't mind."
Upon hearing the Xu Zhen mention these disciplines, Li Chunfeng was overjoyed, his eyes sparkling as he clapped his hands in approval and exclaimed, "This is excellent! Truly excellent!"
The Xu Zhen was merely putting on an act; she had no deep understanding of Qi Men Dun Jia but only knew some superficial aspects to please those present. However, since Li Chunfeng was a master of calculations, she feared revealing any flaws. Thus, she changed her approach and said, "Since we have no convenient tools prepared for today's gathering, why not have an impromptu game? What do you all think?"
Seeing the smile at the corner of the Xu Zhen's eyes and not knowing how this game would unfold piqued everyone's interest. They eagerly agreed. The Xu Zhen wasted no time; she took two small bowls and placed them upside down on the table. Holding three beans in her hand, she arranged them in front of the bowls before looking around and slowly explaining.
"This game is called Three Immortals Return to the Cave. The rules are simple: you just need to guess which bowl contains the beans. I will offer a prize if you guess correctly; it will be fun for everyone involved. Naturally, there will be some divination involved at the end to leave some suspense."
The Xu Zhen spoke ambiguously, but everyone was excited and eager to participate.
She then lifted both bowls to show they were empty before covering them again. She placed one bean in her left palm, blew on her left fist as if tossing it into the left bowl. A faint sound came from the bowl when she opened it again—the bean had vanished!
The Xu Zhen spread her hands wide and playfully said, "If I say one of these bowls must contain a bean, who dares to take a bet?"
Moya was quite skilled. Earlier, he had heard that Xu Zhen was going to perform the Three Immortals Return to the Cave, and he was not very interested. However, when he saw Xu Zhen start in an unconventional manner, it piqued his interest.
Someone like Zhou Cang, who was straightforward, had seen many of Xu Zhen's strange abilities but remained innocent in thought. He muttered, "My Lord is doing that street trick again. This bowl is clearly empty; you are not an Earth Immortal with divine powers. Could it be that you can create something out of nothing? It's not hard to say that while we blink, you might have eaten those beans and are just saying strange things to amuse us Brothers!"
The others found Zhou Cang's words amusing and laughed heartily. However, Li Chunfeng was particularly fond of such oddities. He focused on the two bowls and, with Yan Lide claiming to have keen ears, they both pointed out that the left bowl was making a sound.
Moya shook his head secretly. The way of Illusion was all about misdirection and employing eye-catching techniques. If the left bowl made a sound, then the beans must be in the right bowl!
Xu Zhen glanced at Moya intentionally or unintentionally. Although he was an expert at discerning tricks, he merely smiled without speaking. He rolled up his sleeves and lifted the left bowl, only to find no beans there!
Moya felt a secret joy; although he was initially surprised, Xu Zhen ultimately could not escape this routine. This technique was a fundamental skill for Illusionists, and no matter how many clever ideas one had, they could not create too many new tricks. It was somewhat regrettable for this old man Moya.
Li Chunfeng and Yan Lide were naturally frustrated yet astonished. Zhou Cang continued to shout confidently that Xu Zhen had eaten the beans. The surrounding friends urged Xu Zhen to reveal the right bowl, but she just chuckled and picked up another bean, tossing it into the air where it vanished again!
Moya was once more shocked; this skill of making things disappear from empty hands required rigorous practice. However, Xu Zhen executed it so effortlessly that one could only wonder how much hardship she had endured. At under thirty years old, her abilities were enough to earn this old man's respect.
At this point, there should have been two beans in the right bowl, yet Xu Zhen had not revealed them yet; she tossed a third bean into the air as well. By now, all three beans had vanished without a trace, leaving only the right bowl lonely on the table.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, since the left bowl had already been uncovered and if the beans were not eaten by Xu Zhen, they should all be in the right bowl. Yet they saw Xu Zhen gently cover the left bowl again, which led everyone to speculate about where the beans had gone.
Li Chunfeng and others inevitably felt displeased; in such a clear situation, anyone whose eyes weren't clouded should know that there must be beans in the right bowl or perhaps as Zhou Cang said, all three beans had indeed gone into Xu Zhen's mouth.
Xu Zhen smiled deeply and invited Rock Elder to take a turn saying, "Why don't you let my Master reveal this bowl?"
Moya had his own calculations; there were many ways to play Three Immortals Return to the Cave that required quick hands and clever speech. If following Xu Zhen's lead, there would certainly be no beans in the right bowl; they would all have returned to the left bowl as a sign of returning to the cave.
However, seeing Xu Zhen's gaze filled with deeper meaning made him hesitate slightly. Thus he first uncovered the left bowl to verify; if he truly broke Xu Zhen's trick, then Moya would deserve that reputation. But unexpectedly after lifting the left bowl, he found not a single bean!
Moya's heart tightened as she realized that Xu Zhen had come up with a new trick. She suddenly uncovered the right bowl and indeed found no beans!
Seeing this, Zhou Cang laughed heartily and said, "I told you earlier that you all have been played by my Lord again, hahaha!"
Zhang Jiunian and Li Chunfeng were both cunning individuals, thinking that Xu Zhen would not be so boring as to use such a lowly method. Moreover, who had ever seen her put the beans in her mouth? If not, where did the beans go?
Zhang Suling was also watching Xu Zhen perform up close for the first time, feeling that every gesture of Xu Zhen held mysterious significance. As she was lost in thought, she felt Xu Zhen's smile directed at her, causing her to panic and quickly lower her head. It was not a big deal to lower her head, but when she did, she discovered a small sachet had fallen between her skirt hems!
With a sudden realization, Zhang Suling hurriedly opened the sachet and found three beans inside!
Seeing Zhang Suling take out the beans from the sachet, Moya quickly reached into her waist and indeed found another sachet there, which also contained three beans!
Everyone's hearts were stirred as they searched their hiding places. It turned out that each person had a sachet with beans inside, yet they did not know when Xu Zhen had planted them on them!
Zhou Cang's beans were even more critical as they were hidden in the soles of his shoes!
Li Chunfeng loved books and always carried a small book pouch with him. At this moment, he reached inside and indeed found another bean sachet. He then asked Xu Zhen, "What does this game mean? What kind of divination is it?"
Everyone quickly focused their attention on Xu Zhen, who then solemnly said, "This divination indicates an ominous void; it signifies that dangers will soon pass, and many Brothers will gain blessings. If I am not mistaken, within half a month, there will be surprises without danger, and all the Brothers will receive rewards!"
Xu Zhen spoke convincingly, and no one dared to treat it lightly. Only Zhou Cang laughed loudly and said, "My Lord is also quite skilled at sneaking around like a rogue in the streets! Taking advantage of our unpreparedness, he secretly stuffed beans to play tricks on us while pretending to deceive us for good fortune, haha!"
The others were too lazy to pay attention to Zhou Cang and instead pondered the hidden meanings in Xu Zhen's words. Caesar secretly exchanged glances with Xu Zhen, finding much amusement in it and laughing inwardly.
Zhang Suling was also clever and knew that Xu Zhen would not act without reason. So she boldly left her seat and asked seriously, "My Lord, why is it that everyone has white beans while I have red ones?"
Yan Lide was also witty and immediately joked, "Perhaps your Lord has taken a liking to you and wants you to warm his bed tonight with those red beans! Hahaha!"
Everyone burst into laughter. Zhang Suling had seen all kinds of scenes in the brothel and spat, focusing her gaze on Xu Zhen.
Xu Zhen also smiled lightly and then looked directly at Zhang Suling, saying, "This red signifies that you will take revenge!"
Zhang Suling's heart trembled, and everyone fell silent. Just then, a young servant rushed in to report that someone from the court had arrived. Xu Zhen and the others hurried to welcome him in, but it turned out to be a young chamberlain sent to convey an imperial edict.
The young chamberlain did not dare to flaunt his power in front of Xu Zhen. Seeing Yan Lide present, he completed his formalities and announced loudly, "In the past, there was turmoil in the palace. The cowardly servant Li You was frightened and used my beloved consort as a shield, acting without reason and lacking humanity. I am deeply pained by this. I have granted a decree to Imperial Historian Yu Shiquan Wanjin, instructing him to continue supporting the previous actions. The edict admonishes him to reflect on his conduct, as Wan Ji has been unfairly blamed for selling himself."
"Wan Ji is narrow-minded and insists on maintaining strictness. He forbids You from leaving the city gates and orders all hawks and hounds to be released while expelling Junmo and Meng Biao, forbidding them from meeting with You. You and Junmo were enraged by this and plotted to kill Wan Ji. When the plot was leaked, Wan Ji arrested everyone involved and reported it. You were greatly frightened, and soon after, Wan Ji received the edict and left first. You sent your brother Yan Hongxin to pursue him on the road and assassinate him. After killing Wan Ji, Junmo and others urged You to raise an army, summoning all men aged fifteen and above in the city under false titles such as Grand Minister and Chief of the Three Departments, effectively declaring rebellion. This is the edict!"
After delivering the message, the chamberlain left everyone shocked in place; they regarded Xu Zhen as a living deity!
Zhang Suling stared blankly, tears eventually rolling down her cheeks as she murmured, "That traitor Kwon Man-ki is finally dead!"
Xu Zhen then properly escorted the chamberlain out with all due courtesy. Li Chunfeng noticed that the two bowls were overturned; upon uncovering them, he saw three beans in each bowl. He gasped in surprise, further earning everyone's admiration for Xu Zhen!
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