Chapter 122 Fortune Telling
Early in the morning, the streets of Xianyang City were soon filled with all sorts of vendors and their calls.
In an inconspicuous corner, a coarse cloth was laid on the ground, with a few old copper coins scattered around. Next to it was a bamboo pole with a banner covered with mysterious runes and divination symbols hanging from it, swaying gently in the breeze and attracting the attention of many passersby.
The man, dressed in a gray-blue robe and wearing a plain but clean cloth hat, sat casually on the coarse cloth with his head down, as if he were dozing off. He had no air of a fortune teller and looked more like a swindler.
Meng Tian suddenly couldn't take a step; what he thought in his mind was one thing, but what he did in action was another.
As if guided by some unseen force, I stood before him and asked in a deep voice, "You can tell fortunes?"
The seated man lazily raised his head, revealing a face that looked like a god. Meng Tian was stunned. His appearance was indeed extraordinary, but wasn't he a little too young?
"I am proficient in fortune telling and physiognomy. I can know the good and bad fortune of one's destiny and resolve life's doubts." Gao Yao said slowly, his casual tone sounding like he was talking nonsense, yet revealing an undeniable confidence and certainty.
Meng Tian's eyes held a hint of hesitation and inquiry. When he met Gao Yao's smiling eyes, he felt as if he had been seen through, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
The last person to give him this feeling was His Majesty!
Gao Yao slightly raised his eyes, his gaze slowly landing on Meng Tian's face. He said in a calm and unhurried tone, "Your forehead is broad, but your eyebrows seem somewhat sparse. This is an omen of some unusual activity in the sibling palace. So, you want to divine about your missing younger brother?"
Meng Tian narrowed his eyes slightly, looking sharply at Gao Yao, and asked questioningly, "Do you know me?"
Gao Yao shook his head slightly, "On my first day in Xianyang, the general was my first guest."
These words were spoken casually, yet seemed riddled with errors. Meng Tian asked again, "Do you recognize me?"
“Oh dear,” Gao Yao waved his hand, “I don’t know him, I don’t know him. This is my first day in Xianyang, how would I know that it was Meng Tian looking for Meng Yi?”
Sure enough, he recognized him. But Meng Tian wasn't angry at this moment; instead, he found this person even more mysterious. Had he obtained prior knowledge or calculated it on the spot?
They seem confident and fearless; do they have some trump card up their sleeve?
But he was unwilling to give up as long as there was even the slightest possibility of finding Meng Yi. He bowed to Gao Yao and said, "Please, sir, tell my brother Meng Yi where he is."
Gao Yao curled his lips, picked up a Qin Banliang coin and tossed it in his hand, saying mysteriously, "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed, but considering that General Meng is the first guest, I can give you a hint."
Meng Tian straightened up and looked at Gao Yao seriously: "Please speak, sir."
"There is more than one person in this world with a tiger mark on their chest..."
Meng Tian was startled. The tiger-shaped birthmark on Meng Yi's chest was an extremely secretive matter, and he was certain that no one would know it beforehand. So it really was calculated, wasn't it? Meng Tian was even more convinced and listened attentively to Gao Yao's words.
"Just remember, the first person you meet will definitely not be your brother."
Gao Yao curled his lips into a smile. This time, he wouldn't give Yi Xiaochuan the chance to become like Meng Yi, telling the Xiongnu that Heaven cherishes life and then letting the tiger return to the mountain. Hypocritical people shouldn't hold military power.
"Once you meet the first person, the illusion will dissipate, and soon you will meet the real Meng Yi."
Thank you, sir.
...
"Your brother can tell fortunes?"
Inside the conference room, everyone was too shocked by the appearance of the light screen to notice, and looked at Gao Lan with puzzled expressions.
Faced with Yi Dachuan's question, Gao Lan replied guiltily, "I don't know... Maybe he learned it. My brother is smart, he knows a little bit of everything. It's normal that I don't know a lot of things—"
Gao Lan tried to make amends, but Yi Xiaochuan still thought it was a movie shoot. His brother had gone all the way to Xianyang to fool people. Goodness, it seems he even fooled the historical general Meng Tian. Her brother's adaptability is really strong.
"This comrade Gao Yao has a pretty good ability to adapt."
The director of the archaeological institute gave a cryptic summary, and the light screen on the treasure box disappeared. But having witnessed this scene, seen the First Emperor, and seen the "Black Ice Platform" that was not recorded in history, Gao Yao's deception was a minor matter!
"I will report this matter immediately. To ensure confidentiality, please do not leave the room for the time being."
Hearing the dean's decision, the Yi father and son, as well as Gao Lan, all breathed a sigh of relief. With government officials coming, they should be able to rescue the two as soon as possible. Although, Gao Yao seemed to be doing quite well.
...
"General Meng, Old Meng!"
"Ah... Grand Commandant Xiang."
Coming to his senses, Meng Tian smiled as he looked at Xiang Shaolong approaching.
"What are you thinking about?" Xiang Shaolong asked him curiously.
"I met a fortune teller before entering the palace today, and he was quite mysterious. Although he didn't tell me Meng Yi's location directly, he did give me a clear hint."
Xiang Shaolong sighed and patted his arm. Although he didn't know why Meng Yi had disappeared in this world, he had watched Meng Tian relentlessly search for his brother for so many years, and he had even obtained His Majesty's permission to mobilize the Black Ice Guard's spies in the six kingdoms to help him search, but to no avail.
Therefore, Xiang Shaolong simply assumed that Meng Yi was too eager to find his brother and had been deceived.
Xiang Shaolong's expression was all too easy to understand. Meng Tian explained, "I'm serious, that fortune teller is indeed quite extraordinary. The Black Ice Bureau has always been collecting information on strange people and events, hasn't it? Even if you hadn't asked, I would have come to find you after the court meeting."
Upon hearing Meng Yi's words, Xiang Shaolong immediately became serious.
The Black Ice Guard was established at the suggestion of the First Emperor as an intelligence agency targeting the six states. One of its tasks was to collect information on extraordinary people and events, all in order to consolidate the rule of the Qin Dynasty.
But this was the official function; only he and the First Emperor knew the truth in private. What they were looking for wasn't some extraordinary person, but a divine "Emperor." Especially since the year of Qin Shi Huang's death in history was approaching.
Although he had watched His Majesty train diligently and hadn't taken any strange elixirs, he still couldn't help feeling nervous, and his desire to find the "Emperor" became even more urgent.
Xiang Shaolong knew that no matter how much Meng Tian wanted to find his younger brother, he wouldn't joke about something like this.
With the "strange guest" information sent back by Xiaolong in front and the fortune teller in Xianyang behind, Xiang Shaolong felt that a storm was brewing.
"After the court meeting is over, take me to see it."
Today's court meeting didn't involve any major issues; the main focus was on discussing the upcoming civil and military examinations. As a time traveler, having obeyed the "Emperor's" orders to assist Qin Shi Huang in unifying the world, I must certainly devote all my efforts to it.
Unfortunately, he lacked expertise in papermaking, glassmaking, and cement production. However, being a former special forces soldier, he was quite capable militarily. Before unifying the six kingdoms, he helped the First Emperor expand the territory, and after unification, he led the Black Ice Guard to deter the remnants of the six kingdoms.
He might not understand the technology, but he knew the knowledge. Although Xiang Shaolong didn't know how to use it, he could talk about it. He explained the recommendation system, the Nine-Rank System, and the Imperial Examination System to the First Emperor, and the First Emperor seemed to understand them quite well.
Therefore, the Qin Dynasty quickly combined the civil service examination system with the military examination system to introduce a unique civil and military examination system. The civil and military examinations were separate, and candidates were selected through three rounds of examinations, from the county level to the prefecture level to the state level. Those who passed the examinations came to Xianyang to participate in the palace examination. The ranking in the palace examination determined the candidates' final official appointments, and those who passed the palace examination were also called the emperor's disciples.
This method brought in a lot of fresh blood to the court, but unfortunately it didn't produce any paper, as there were very few scholars from poor families.
After the court meeting, Meng Tian took Xiang Shaolong to the market, only to find that the place where Gao Yao had been was deserted, although the coarse cloth and banners were still there.
"Perhaps that gentleman has already gone back. Why don't we come back tomorrow?"
"Wait a minute..."
Xiang Shaolong leaned closer to the bamboo pole, pulled back the cloth banner above, and looked closely: "fortune-reading??"
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