Chapter 21: Crying Blood - I Have No Such Fate.
Before meeting Yue Yining, Wei Ye was actually quite uneasy.
His advisors told him that both Wei Yihua and Wei Jing had left the palace to visit this place, which must be suspicious. He sent people to investigate and only then did he learn the reason. His advisors were even more anxious than he was, and drove him to Jinling overnight.
Unlike the flamboyant and unrestrained Fourth Prince, he had to leave the city in plain clothes, and he had to bribe and smooth things over with everyone from the guards to the city captain to conceal his whereabouts. He was so cautious because if his trip to Jiulian Town were exposed, he would definitely be suspected and targeted by Wei Jing's side, and at present, he was weak and powerless to resist.
The carriage bumped and jolted along the country dirt road, making one feel as if their insides were about to leap out of their throat. The incident happened so suddenly that the servants were so careless in their haste that they didn't even have time to bring a comfortable cushion.
It was the first time Wei Ye had spent the night in a carriage, the first time he had fallen asleep to the sound of horses' hooves, and the first time he had been jolted awake by the swaying of the carriage.
His eyes were so tired he could barely open them, half-closed as he gazed at the bright moon hanging high in the night sky. Its radiant light illuminated the earth, reminding him of the white silk given to the defeated, and of his own future where one wrong move could lead to utter defeat.
Yue Yining.
An unfamiliar name, an unknown Celestial Master, yet he is a disciple of a renowned living venerable master.
She belongs neither to a prestigious family nor to a humble background, nor to any faction of the imperial court. As a martial arts practitioner with no connections, she is undoubtedly the best person Wei Ye can reach at the moment, the hope for a comeback, and his last straw.
If he were to truly ascend the throne in the future, the encounter between Yue Yining and Wei Ye would undoubtedly be the most significant chapter in history a century from now. People would praise this meeting that turned the tide of the world's fate, a meeting between an inconspicuous prince who was walking on thin ice and his unparalleled commoner strategist.
But Wei Ye knew that all of this was wishful thinking on his part. He was well aware of his mediocrity and disadvantages. Everything he could offer—power, status, or wealth—his fourth brother, Wei Jing, could also provide, and perhaps even more valuable and abundantly. Yue Yining had no reason to stand on his side.
He couldn't move her. With this resignation in mind, he embarked on the journey to visit this Celestial Master Yue.
He was simply too lost and helpless. He had only his life to live, but he didn't know how to save this crumbling dynasty.
This is the most important realm for the eldest brother, the Crown Prince.
Wei Ye gripped the teacup in his hand tightly.
Wei Ye was torn between his inner thoughts and his own, while Yue Yining kept watching him with calm and deep eyes, her long fingers slightly bent and resting on her forehead.
Although Wei Ye and Wei Jing look alike, their temperaments are completely different. Wei Jing, who grew up pampered and spoiled, cannot completely hide his arrogance and haughtiness even if he tries to restrain himself, with his eyebrows and eyes raised high; while Wei Ye, on the other hand, looks desolate, worried, and very reserved. Since he sat down, he has only held the tea in his hand and has not taken a sip.
Wei Ye took a deep breath, his voice a little hoarse, but he said something surprising: "Master Yue, you should have already guessed my identity, right?"
"Please allow me to formally introduce myself. My surname is Wei, my given name is Ye, and I am the third prince of Dongxi."
Yue Yining paused, her expression showing surprise: "So it's His Highness the Third Prince."
"I was unaware of this; I was rude just now."
“No,” Wei Ye said, “it was my staff who presumptuously investigated the whereabouts of other visitors. I am already overjoyed that Master Yue is willing to see me, as I have come here without permission.”
He subtly hinted, "I'd like to ask, shouldn't Master Yue be aware of the current political situation in the court?"
“I know.” Yue Yining sat up straighter. “The Princess told me some things.”
“Since you’ve been so open about this, I can also be frank with you. I have no intention of getting involved in the power struggles between the royal families,” Yue Yining said. “I don’t quite understand what you three siblings regard me for—a magical treasure or a secret weapon? I’m just an ordinary woman of twenty, with a basic understanding of the five arts. I’ve spent my life wandering the martial world and have never been involved in politics.”
"The three of you have come one after another to find me, which makes me feel as if I am some kind of reclusive master. This really makes me feel extremely apprehensive."
"Whether you are vying for the throne or the position of crown prince, it is none of my business."
Wei Ye's expression did not change; instead, his tense body relaxed slightly at those words. He nodded and said, "Of course. I came here only to see Master Yue."
Yue Yining raised an eyebrow: "See me? Why?"
Wei Ye said, "I would like to ask the Taoist master to tell someone's fate for me."
Wei Ye was dull-witted. Although he had followed the rules and avoided trouble since childhood, he was just an ordinary person with no special talents.
A prince of such low birth held a very low status in the palace. He grew up safely, but lived like a shadow—a shadow no one cared about. His mother died early and was merely a lowly palace maid. The emperor, his father, paid him no heed. The palace servants who cared for him, while not leaving him hungry or cold, treated him with utmost indifference. To shirk their duties, they forbade him from stepping outside the palace until he was six and sent to Chonghua Palace, ostensibly to protect the Third Prince's safety.
Without exception, all the princes and princesses in the palace would go to Chonghua Palace to receive royal education at the age of six. Wei Ye, however, did not leave his sleeping quarters for the first time until he was six years old, when he met his brothers and sisters who were also direct members of the royal family.
As the second oldest prince in the palace, he had long been accustomed to reading everyone's expressions, simply because the palace servants told him that below him were the fourth prince and the eldest princess, born to the currently favored Consort Li, and above him was the eldest prince, born to the deceased empress and most favored by the emperor.
He arrived at Chonghua Palace for the first time, filled with fear and unease, only to encounter his most beloved and respected elder brother.
Wei Changqiong is both the eldest prince and the crown prince of the Eastern Palace.
The little prince, who had been neglected and uncared for, now had family members who were like father and mother to him.
Wei Changqiong was actually only four years older than him, but in Wei Ye's memory, the figure of his elder brother, the Crown Prince, was always an insurmountable mountain.
When the Yellow River flooded, the Crown Prince personally went to the Wuzhou Ferry to supervise the flood control project, and he accompanied the Crown Prince. When the laws were revised and new penal regulations were compiled, he was by the side of the Crown Prince's elder brother, sorting out the files and sending them to higher and lower levels for inspection. When it came to promoting education for common girls, he followed closely behind the Crown Prince's elder brother, watching him gradually smooth things over, submit petitions time and time again, and travel around step by step until the imperial edict covered with seals was issued.
No one knew his elder brother's abilities better than him. His elder brother was benevolent and kind, respectful to the virtuous and talented, appointed loyal and upright officials, and humbly accepted advice. He possessed the ability to govern the country and was the most suitable crown prince to be emperor, destined to be remembered in history. If he ascended the throne, he would surely become a great emperor for all time, and the world would usher in a golden age of peace and prosperity.
But he died.
The world only knows of the mourning for hundreds of days and the emperor weeping while carrying the coffin. No one knows that under the heavy eaves of the palace, an unloved little prince wept bitterly for three days in the palace, until his tears were stained with blood, his heart breaking.
He had never truly dreamed of sitting on the dragon throne, the symbol of supreme power. His most unattainable dream had always been to become a loyal and capable minister. He had witnessed the most remarkable prince in the world, and he knew his own talents and abilities. He wouldn't foolishly aspire to become an emperor like his elder brother. But the man was gone, though his image remained. Every time he awoke in the dead of night, he would recall the scene from years ago when Wei Changqiong held his hand and taught him to write, and the beautiful spring sunshine of that day.
Aside from protecting the empire that man left behind, there was nothing else he could do for him. He traveled a long way to this place not to recruit strategists, but simply to find out from others what else he might be able to do.
Wei Ye closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his expression was resolute: "I want to ask the Taoist master to predict the fate of the Fourth Prince, Wei Jing."
“I know that a Celestial Master as capable as Master Yue can foresee destiny. If he is the destined crown prince, I will willingly withdraw from the struggle for the throne; but if there is still a glimmer of hope, I am willing to try to win the crown prince position, even if the price of failure is to be shattered to pieces and die without a complete corpse.”
"I am willing to work day and night, pour out my heart and soul, and do everything in my power to become a good emperor like an elder brother."
From the moment Wei Ye and Yue Yining began their conversation until now, Fu Yao and A Yu had stood silently to one side. But as soon as Wei Ye uttered those words, A Yu's gaze suddenly rose, piercing Wei Ye like sharp steel needles.
The gentle and clear-minded demeanor she always presented to others vanished in an instant.
Ayu stared at him menacingly, her eyes filled with a terrifying light. If gazes could materialize, Wei Ye would already be pierced through by them.
Yue Yining was naturally unaware of Ayu's gaze. She looked at Wei Ye, sighing softly in her heart, her thoughts drifting like smoke.
Yue Yining said, "There's no need to calculate it."
"I predicted the fate of the Fourth Prince five years ago."
Five years ago. At that time, Yue Yining had just come of age and was exceptionally talented in the Five Arts. She was still a naive and fearless young woman.
It was a drowsy afternoon when she tried the highest level of tortoise shell divination for the first time and predicted the fate of the nation.
Then what?
Yue Yining lowered her eyes. Those memories that had long since faded were as blurry as distant mountains shrouded in mist, a hazy, indistinct blue-white.
She composed herself, focusing her gaze on the extremely nervous Wei Ye across from her, and suddenly raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly:
"All I can say is that you should start thinking about how to become a good emperor from now on."
Wei Ye's expression shifted from disbelief to overwhelming joy. He stood up, nearly tripping over his overly long fur coat, and bowed deeply to Yue Yining: "Thank you for your auspicious words, Celestial Master Yue!"
Ayu loosened her tightly clenched fingers, and the darkness in her eyes slowly faded.
Having fulfilled his wish, Wei Ye hesitated for a long time before finally saying with a sincere expression, "Actually, I've always had a question that I'd like to ask Master Yue about."
"—What kind of emperor does the Celestial Master think this world needs?"
A cold wind blew open the pine needles and white downy leaves floating on the teacup. Yue Yining looked at him and smiled wryly: "I think this is the first time I've been asked this kind of question."
It's not about what kind of emperor I want to be, or what kind of emperor I can be, but rather what kind of emperor the world needs.
At the tea table, the two sat facing each other. The man, sitting upright, was dressed in apricot-yellow like the rising sun, while the woman, sitting idly, was dressed in dark blue like pine and cypress.
Yue Yining smiled and said, "This is not a question I can answer, nor should I be the one to give the answer."
"But I believe that His Highness the Third Prince will be able to tell me the answer one day."
...
Winter paints the mountains green in the lake, while a lone goose swiftly flies away with the clouds at dusk.
After seeing Wei Ye off, Fu Yao came to the tea table and couldn't help but whisper, "Miss, I always feel that this Third Prince seems more amiable than the Fourth Prince."
Upon hearing this, Yue Yining smiled and said, "Really? Is that what you think?"
Fu Yao nodded: "That's right! And let me tell you, Miss, I really don't think the rumors are credible. After meeting His Highness the Third Prince today, I feel that he is not as incompetent as the rumors say. At least he is willing to serve the people..."
Ayu remained silent until Fu Yao finished her rambling speech. Then, he looked at Yue Yining, who was fiddling with the tea leaves in her bowl, and said in a clear, melodious voice, "Miss."
Yue Yining met his gaze. A Yu's eyes held no gloom, only tranquility. He asked softly, "Is there truly a possibility that the Third Prince will ascend the throne?"
Yue Yining stopped what she was doing.
“…No,” Yue Yining said, “I lied to him.”
People may lie, but divination results will not deceive.
To predict the fate of a nation, only the most advanced divination mediums and techniques can yield a successful result. The price, however, is that the fortune teller must exchange ten years of their lifespan with Heaven.
Bamboo shadows swayed in the wind, dense clumps forming a long, winding stream that flowed gently across the courtyard. A bird landed on Yue Yining's desk, tilting its head and hopping towards a black pine box on the table. The lid was pulled open, revealing a thick layer of dust. Inside, two tortoise plastrons were neatly stacked, their cracks, scorched by fire, resembling a budding rose carved into rough bluestone.
One of the two plastron pieces was covered in dust and looked quite old; the other piece was brightly colored and looked to have been stored for no more than three days.
Strangely, the cracks on the two tortoise shells seem to be copied one-to-one, with no difference in the direction, size, and thickness of the cracks at the tail.
“Whether it was five years ago or five years later, the chosen one has not changed.” Yue Yining lowered her eyes and said, “Wei Ye is not destined to be emperor.”
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