Chapter 71: Fragment of the Ninth Page A fragment of a historical book hidden in the mortal world...
When Wang Fengxu opened his eyes, he saw a slowly swaying incense ball made of intricately colored and gold.
He moved his fingers and found himself lying on a few feet of soft gauze. The cool scent of camphor slowly penetrated into his nostrils. The chill mint-like smell suddenly sobered him up and he sat up.
Where did that weasel come from?
Warm orange sunlight shines through the gauze cabinet onto the gold-woven quilt. The surrounding furnishings are antique, including celadon vases, glazed square jars, rosewood hangers, gold spittoons... each one is very valuable.
Wang Fengxu was so happy that he picked up a square box with a persimmon-shaped pattern made of gold and silver on the low table beside the bed and fiddled with it, wondering which photo studio it came from as a prop. It looked like an antique.
At this time, a row of palace maids came in one after another. They were wearing palace costumes and behaved solemnly.
"Is there a film crew filming in Qingcheng Mountain recently?" Wang Fengxu was stunned for a moment, looking around, but couldn't find where the camera and staff were.
One of the palace maids stepped forward and placed a thick booklet on the table. "Princess, all the sons and daughters of the prominent families in the capital are listed here. His Majesty allows you to choose any one you like, regardless of whether they are engaged or not."
Wang Fengxu stretched out his hand and waved it in front of the palace maid. The other party quickly showed a suspicious look, but did not dare to lose her composure and quickly buried her head in her mind.
After confirming his real existence, Wang Fengxu forced himself to remain calm and said, "Look up."
The maid obediently followed her instructions: "What do you want, Princess?"
Wang Fengxu said patiently, "Princess...who is she?"
The palace maid's expression changed drastically. She quickly crawled down and said hastily, "Princess, calm down! This is not my own decision. This is all ordered by His Majesty..."
"Well, I'm not blaming you," Wang Fengxu bent down to help her. "I was just wondering if you've got the wrong person. How could a grown man like me be a princess?"
The maid opened her eyes wide and looked up timidly, her eyes filled with doubt and uncertainty: "How could you be... a man? Princess, are you okay? I'll call the imperial physician to take your pulse--"
"No, no, I think I know what's going on." Wang Fengxu thought, what the hell is going on? A bunch of palace maids are enough to give me a headache, let alone adding some weird NPCs on top of them.
He pinched his brows, found an excuse to send the person away, sat back on the couch and scratched his hair - good, it was indeed his short hair, he didn't really turn into a woman.
The suppressed and sealed Huang Xian escaped, and there were fragments of historical records at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain... If I'm not mistaken, he should be among those fragments of historical records now.
Therefore, every blade of grass and every tree here are also the remnants of real history!
Before this, Wang Fengxu only knew that the torn page had developed intelligence and turned into a spirit, but he didn't quite understand what was recorded in it.
Those who were rescued had one thing in common: after being swallowed by the fragments, they were randomly attached to someone else, and this person was actually real. Within the fragments, they lost their memory of reality and lived according to the identities given to them by the fragments.
But the key point is that none of the rescued people existed in the fragments for more than three days.
My wife had speculated that this fragment must be a historical document from a certain dynasty that had been accidentally lost. Traditional historical records only record earth-shattering events, such as changes of dynasties and devastating disasters. As for why those who remain trapped within the fragment for more than three days cannot be rescued, the possibility is obvious: after three days, a devastating catastrophe will strike!
Wang Fengxu took a pen from the table, bit the dry tip of the pen, tore out a piece of fine rice paper and wrote the word "three".
The previous rebellion caused by the broken page was just an accident. This time, Wen Caishen got involved. It is estimated that many people disappeared from Xuanjin Mountain, and they were all Xuanmen monks with spiritual energy. The broken page indirectly swallowed so much spiritual energy, and it was probably impossible to force it to spit out the people by directly strengthening the seal... In that case, maybe he would have to find other people, and they would discuss together how to escape from here.
But why didn't I lose my memory? What about the others? Yes! Those who were swallowed this time were all monks. Perhaps they all still retained their memories!
He was hoping for a lucky break, so he wrote "number of people swallowed" on the paper and drew a question mark behind it.
The original fragment of the page was hidden in the mountains, and the records on it had long been blurred. Therefore, Taoist Lingsu could only find out the truth through the few people who had been rescued before.
But unfortunately, those who were rescued were all ordinary people. After coming out, they either had chaotic and missing memories, or possessed the bodies of farmers or dung collectors, and the amount of information obtained was almost zero.
This time it's different.
Wang Fengxu was delighted. He was so lucky to become a princess! What news could he not get from the palace?
He dotted behind the number "three" on the paper, wrote the words "natural disaster" and "man-made disaster", and put a question mark in each.
Knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle. He always has to think about what will happen in three days so that he can respond to all changes with the same approach.
Since it is a missing historical document, it means that there is no trace of this incident in the official history today, or it may be preserved as unofficial history. Moreover, this is something that must have happened in the past, and they cannot modify or reverse it.
Man-made disaster or war? It doesn't seem like it. The princess's bedroom is made of luxurious and noble materials, and her servants are well-trained. It doesn't look like the dynasty is about to collapse or the end of its strength.
That would be a natural disaster.
Wang Fengxu sat cross-legged on the couch and thought for a while, then crumpled the rice paper into a ball and threw it away, then called the palace maid in again.
The maid, unsuspecting, answered every question without hesitation. Without waiting for Wang Fengxu to set a trap, she launched into a torrent of loyalty: "If you ask me, even the most outstanding man in the world isn't necessarily worthy of you, Princess. And who is Li Qingyun? He had the audacity to write such a ridiculous poem satirizing the royal family. He should be stripped of his favor and exiled to Lingnan."
Li Qingyun? Who? I don't know her.
Wang Fengxu was worried about his poor historical knowledge.
He thought for a moment and pretended to be sad: "It's my marriage that worries my father. Ah! Speaking of my father, what kind of person do you think he is?"
The transition is very abrupt.
The palace maid was embarrassed: "How dare I, a lowly slave, criticize the emperor?"
Wang Fengxu thought to himself, that’s true. You can’t ask someone what his temple name is when he’s still alive. Otherwise, you might be dragged out and beheaded.
"Open that booklet for me," he pointed to the album on the table, "I'm too lazy to read it. Please introduce it to me and make sure it's detailed."
The palace maid had come for this very purpose, and she happily accepted the task, respectfully turning the page. "This Mr. Zhao, the grandson of the Duke of Zhenguo, is eighteen years old this year. He can write poetry and songs effortlessly, and can be said to be a rising star!"
Duke Zhenguo? This name is quite common, used a lot in every dynasty, without any historical anchor.
Wang Fengxu sighed, "Poetry? No, there's no masculinity in it. Pass."
The maid turned another page. "Wow! This is the son of General Weiyuan. He's eight feet tall, skilled in archery and horseback riding, and strong enough to lift a tripod!"
Wang Fengxu scratched his ears and waved his hands loudly: "As a man, I can't be so shameless. Otherwise, what will other women say about me when I take them out? It's too late."
The maid was not discouraged: "You see, this young man is extraordinary. Although his family background is not high, he is the top scholar in the fourteenth year of the Biyong Emperor. He has jade-like appearance and red lips, is elegant, and is both civil and military. He has an extraordinary temperament!"
This does give us some new clues. Is the reign title Biyong? It sounds familiar, worth noting.
Wang Fengxu said, "Okay!"
Palace maid: "Has your Highness chosen this person?"
"No rush," Wang Fengxu pointed to the side. "This is the initial screening. I'll pick them out first. Then I'll consider who to admit... and choose."
The maiden, frustrated and relentless, turned the page and said, "Look at this young man! He's handsome and elegant, with the temperament of a pine or cypress. He's knowledgeable about astronomy and geography, and now he's working at the Metropolitan Astronomical Observatory. He's like an immortal!"
It turns out that the imperial palace here was called Dufu, Guanxingyuan... The ancient imperial court seemed to be an official residence specially opened for some Taoist monks, similar to the Imperial Astronomical Observatory and the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, and similar to today's Alien Management Bureau.
"There are also people from the Xuanmen sect," Wang Fengxu was shocked. "Can I choose them at will?"
He squinted at the portrait and felt that the person looked somewhat familiar, but it seemed to be an illusion.
The maid asked, "Your Highness?"
Wang Fengxu hesitated and said, "Hmm... let's put it aside for now."
The palace maid then placed the young man from the Observatory together with the newly crowned number one scholar, turned another page, glared at him, and revealed a complicated expression.
"Alas, I dare not hide anything in front of you. This is Li Qingyun, the heir of the Marquis's Mansion. Although he has a good appearance, he is frivolous and uneducated. He spends all day in Fengya Tower, indulging in sensual pleasures. He is just born into a noble family. He once said nonsense after drinking, saying that he wanted to live a carefree life and would not marry even if the princess gave her a chance to marry. Alas, Your Highness, please don't look at him. It will pollute your eyes."
Wang Fengxu was dumbfounded: "Wait! Let me see it!"
The palace maid was startled and hurriedly handed over the portrait of Li Qingyun.
The painter was very skilled, and his paintings of people, flowers, and birds were lifelike and precise in meaning. But Wang Fengxu's attention was entirely on the face of "Li Qingyun" - this was not Li Qingyun, this was clearly Meng Caiyun!
“Hahahahaha——” He laughed so hard that he fell back and pounded the chaise longue a few times.
It's really effortless to get it, and I'll take whatever I can find.
The maid asked cautiously, "Your Highness, are you interested in this person?"
Alas! It is indeed a world where appearance is everything. Even the daughter of a ruler cannot escape the temptation of appearance. She felt a little regretful that she had just spoken too harshly. Would the princess punish her for her words because of her lover?
"No," Wang Fengxu calmed down, "What I meant is, fork this one out and say goodbye to the scumbag."
The maid sighed, "Yes, Your Highness." She patted her chest in joy, "I thought it was true, as the Imperial Master said, that Prince Li had the good fortune to marry the princess."
Wang Fengxu's left eye socket kept twitching.
I always feel like something is strange, as if he has overlooked something important.
"Hey, wait a minute," Wang Fengxu stood up and called her over, then asked hesitantly, "Which Imperial Master are you talking about?"
The maid smiled and pointed at the portrait of the young man in the Observatory: "That's his grandfather, the Imperial Preceptor Wang Xuanling!"
National Master Wang Xuanling!
Wang Fengxu fell back in shock, as if his soul had been sucked out of him.
Even though he was a complete stranger in the world of history, he could still recite the teachings of his own Qingcheng Temple by heart. Wang Xuanling, who had once served as the Grand Master of the Great Shu, was the founder of Qingcheng Temple, known as the Daozu.
In the fourteenth year of Biyong… Imperial Master Wang Xuanling…
He suddenly leaped forward and grasped the maid's shoulders. "What did you call me? What kind of princess am I?"
The maid was startled, and after a long while she reacted, she timidly replied, "You are...Princess Qingning!"
Wang Fengxu froze, goosebumps rising like crazy, a chill running down his back. His memories suddenly surged, and every clue pointed to the same truth.
Princess Qingning! The Princess's Tomb! So that lost fragment records the great disaster that struck in the fourteenth year of Biyong... which is what will happen in three days—
Four ghosts massacre the city!!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com