Chapter 98: Qishan Fengchan 5: Immortality
Liang Qiu walked to the door and looked outside. After confirming that no one was in the courtyard or nearby, he closed the door and led everyone to sit at the square table. He lowered his voice and said, "To be honest, I did make some discoveries, but it's been so long that I often doubt whether what I saw was real or just an illusion." He poured some tea on the table, dipped his finger in the tea, and hastily drew a celestial diagram of the three stars in Antares. He said, "One day, more than two months ago, I was sitting in the courtyard, drinking and admiring the moon. By chance, I looked up and saw the celestial phenomenon of Mars in the center of the heart. Although Mars flashed by at that time and was not a big deal, I still saw it.
"At that time, I could clearly see Mars, which had already set its direction, closer to the southern star. But the next day, after I sobered up, I looked again and there was no Mars. I thought it was just a drunken blur and didn't take it seriously. Until two weeks ago, when Mars appeared, it was next to the three stars in the constellation, but it was not in a fixed position. That's when I remembered what happened two months ago and began to doubt that it was not just an illusion."
Yuan Zhou was shocked and said, "Last night, when the three of us were observing the stars together, we saw clearly that Mars was heading east, closer to the star representing the Eastern Palace... How could it have been heading towards Shuzi Star two months ago? How could the celestial phenomena be changed?"
"Yes, the celestial phenomena cannot be changed, so I thought about it for a long time and came up with another possibility." Liang Qiu pointed at the two stars on the table. "When Mars is in the heart, the imperial power will change. We used to say that when Mars lands on a certain star, it means that someone has rebelled. But that's not true. Wherever Mars lands, that star will shine brighter, indicating that the new ruler of heaven will be there. Perhaps things are more complicated than we thought. This celestial phenomenon not only involves the Eastern Palace, but also other people."
Chu Miao lowered her eyes to look at the star map on the table and said seriously, "The current emperor has three sons. Aside from the crown prince, the other two are still young and powerless. Even if someone helps them behind the scenes, it will be difficult for them to accomplish anything. The current emperor has two brothers who are still alive, Prince Chen and Prince Xiang. I don't know which prince has developed a treacherous mind. Perhaps in the past few months, both sides have had new plans, but some things change rapidly. What was one way a few months ago is now another."
Xun Shu's thoughts moved, and he tentatively said, "Although the prince's brothers are young, perhaps some people need them to be young so that they can be easily controlled?"
Chu Miao frowned, "Junior Sister, what you mean is, support the Crown Prince's half-brother to ascend the throne, and then use the Emperor to control the princes?"
Yuan Zhou stood up, walked to the bed, collapsed on it, and sighed: "This situation is too complicated. Even if a few of us get together and want to resolve the hostility in this situation, we don't know where to start... I can't understand it. The Crown Prince is the next emperor, why does he need to get involved in this? The current emperor can't live much longer, so why not wait until he passes away and then succeed to the throne in a legitimate way? That way, there will be no unresolved hostility, and no Mars in the sky. The people can live and work in peace and contentment, and the world will be at peace. How wonderful that would be!"
"It's easy to say. If others want to fight for it, will he just let others bully him if he doesn't find a way to protect it?" Chu Miao opened his mouth to refute.
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again like they did in their youth, Liang Qiu suddenly slammed the table, startling the two so much that they forgot what to say.
The tea bowls on the table were shaking and creaking. Chu Miao hurriedly held onto the bowls and angrily said, "Liang Qiu, if you have something to say, please talk it over. Why are you taking it out on the table? I saw it yesterday. You only have these four tea bowls. If this one breaks, you won't even be able to offer us tea."
Liang Qiu's face was filled with apology. "I apologize. I just wanted you to wake up and cheer up. This kind of celestial phenomenon, which involves the change of imperial power and the unrest in the world, cannot be easily resolved. Isn't it normal that we can't find a solution?" He pointed at the roof and said, "I've lived here for several years, and only found a solution this year. I'm not discouraged, so why should you be depressed?"
This made a lot of sense, and Yuan Zhou and Chu Miao gradually calmed down. Chu Miao said softly, "What should we do now? Ultimately, everything the four of us have said is just imaginary. If we want to resolve this situation, we have to find a way to get into the Zhai Palace."
Liang Qiu said, "It's easy to sneak into the Zhai Palace. My vegetable garden is close to the Zhai Palace. For the past two years, only a few old palace servants have lived in the palace, and they all bought their vegetables from me. A month ago, the person in charge of purchasing for the Zhai Palace told me to deliver vegetables to the Zhai Palace every day at 3:00 AM starting tomorrow. Once I enter the palace tomorrow, I'll find a chance to explore and see if I can find anything new."
Yuan Zhou suddenly stood up from the bed and sighed, "Senior Brother is worthy of being a Senior Brother. He actually started planning this several years ago."
Liang Qiu's plan over the years may seem simple, but it is no easy task to persist for so many years just for a hexagram that no one knows whether it will actually happen.
Liang Qiu smiled bitterly, "Some things require opportunity. I can only do as much as I can, waiting for that opportunity. However, besides this, there's something else I need you to do tomorrow. If a coup occurs, military support will be necessary. Tomorrow, you should explore the area, proceed with caution, and see if you can find anything."
Chu Miao and Yuan Zhou agreed, but Xun Shu beside them asked seriously, "Brother, can I go with you tomorrow?"
Yuan Zhou advised, "Junior Sister, the Zhai Palace is heavily guarded now. It's not a place for fun. Besides, you're still young, how can we let you take risks? If Senior Brother can take people in, he'll naturally take me. I've been around for many years and am good at dealing with all kinds of people. I can definitely help Senior Brother. You can go with Chu Miao to take a look around."
"It's because I'm young that I should go." Xun Shu said seriously, "Because I'm young and skinny, they'll let down their guard and find out more easily. You and Senior Sister are too frivolous, it's easy to be discovered that you're not vegetable farmers from Anle Town, and then you'll be in danger."
Yuan Zhou scratched his head, realizing Xun Shu had a point. He looked at Chu Miao for help, hoping she could come up with a reason to dissuade him. Instead, she pulled out three copper coins and slammed them on the table. "I think I'm the best candidate," he said. "Let's leave the decision to the heavens. Let's ask three hexagrams to see who is most suitable to go to the Zhai Palace with Senior Brother Liangqiu."
Xun Shu looked at the three copper coins and felt like he was back in his childhood.
When the three of them were little, they'd often argue over trivial matters. Sometimes it was over something, sometimes it was over something inexplicable, a fight to see who was better. Their master had no other options, so he had them toss coins. After they got the hexagram, he didn't interpret it, but only looked at the order of the hexagrams. The one who came out first was the winner.
At this moment, Chu Miao proposed this method, and Yuan Zhou and Xun Shu had no objections. The three of them tossed coins one by one, and after a moment, they came up with the hexagrams. The hexagram at the top of the list was Xun Shu's Fengdi Guan hexagram, the 20th hexagram.
Yuan Zhou hung his head in dejection, ultimately giving up the argument. Chu Miao's eyes were filled with worry, uneasy about this youngest junior sister. Liang Qiu looked at the divination and smiled, "Although it's not auspicious, it's still a good omen. Observe carefully tomorrow and wait for the right opportunity. Don't be impulsive. Got it?"
Liang Qiu spoke, and the matter was finalized. Xun Shu breathed a sigh of relief and said obediently, "I will listen to you, Senior Brother."
-
That night, Xun Shu didn't return to the inn, but stayed here with Yuan Zhou and Chu Miao. Liang Qiu prepared a feast for them, and the four brothers and sisters were overjoyed to be reunited after so many years in a foreign land. They ate and talked from the time the sun set until the moon and stars dimmed.
It was not appropriate to drink alcohol as they had serious business to attend to tomorrow. Liang Qiu and Xun Shu drank tea instead of wine, and smiled as they watched Chu Miao and Yuan Zhou getting drunk and their speech becoming increasingly unclear.
"...Do you know how old Master was?" Yuan Zhou supported himself on the table, shakily stood up, and raised a finger. "He lived to be two hundred years old!"
Chu Miao waved her hand, her words still slurred. "When I was still in the Si Tian Pavilion, he was already over three hundred years old. You didn't know that, did you? In the side chamber of Master's room is a list of all the past Si Tian Pavilion Masters, with their birth and death dates written behind each one. I once sneaked in to take a closer look, and guess what? All the past Pavilion Masters lived for hundreds of years. The oldest was a man named Jiu Fang Yanqi, who lived for over eight hundred years, a thousand years ago."
Ever since Xun Shu met her master, he was already a silver-haired old man, and her exact age could not be seen. Therefore, she had never thought about his exact age. After all, whether he was eighty or one hundred years old, it made no difference to her.
But I didn't expect him to be so old.
Liang Qiu, who hadn't drunk anything, suddenly turned serious and asked, "There's definitely no ranking for Master there. How do you know how old he is?"
Chu Miao said slowly, "Master's previous Pavilion Master died three hundred years ago. After his death, Master became Pavilion Master, so he naturally lived for over three hundred years! Liang Qiu, you've become stupid. You can't even figure this out."
Xun Shu didn't drink any alcohol, but he saw the changes on Liang Qiu's face clearly.
Liang Qiu was always serious, steady, and calm, as if nothing could stir his emotions. Xun Shu had never seen such a solemn expression on his face.
She asked softly, "Brother, what happened?"
Liang Qiu was silent for a moment, then finally spoke out, "A few years ago, after I left the Sitian Pavilion, I wandered around Daliang. I happened to hear a rumor that the treasures people were looking for in the Sitian Pavilion were fake. The Sitian Pavilion didn't have any magic mirrors, nor did it have any treasures. What attracted so many people to pursue it was actually the elixir of immortality."
Elixir of Life?!
Xun Shu opened his eyes wide: "How is it possible that there is really an elixir of immortality in this world?"
Chu Miao was not as shocked as Xun Shu. "What a coincidence! I've thought about this before. After leaving Si Tian Pavilion, I searched everywhere for records about it, and I actually found one. It said that a hundred years ago, the Pavilion Master of Si Tian Pavilion was not so mysterious. Whenever an emperor ascended the throne, he would go down the mountain to the palace to have a long talk with the emperor, and would leave after two or three days. There was once a palace maid who lived for over a hundred years. He lived through five dynasties, witnessed five emperors ascend the throne, and also met the Pavilion Master of Si Tian Pavilion five times. He once said that the Pavilion Master's appearance had hardly changed in the past hundred years, as if he could live forever. It was because of his words that the reputation of Si Tian Pavilion became even more prosperous. There are even rumors that the Pavilion is full of immortals."
Yuan Zhou jumped to the side of the table and asked curiously, "I've never heard of this before! I've traveled to many places over the years, so why haven't I ever heard anyone mention this?"
Chu Miao said, "Later, the Sitian Pavilion's reputation grew too great, arousing the emperor's suspicion. Imperial power is granted by heaven, but the Sitian Pavilion, with its title of Divine Pavilion, subtly surpassed the imperial power. The Pavilion Master of the Sitian Pavilion never left the mountain again, and even set up a Qimen Dunjia formation at the foot of the mountain to prevent anyone from approaching. The emperor ordered all records related to the Sitian Pavilion to be burned, and gradually, fewer people mentioned it. Later, when the country changed hands, an emperor once again went to the Sitian Pavilion and begged the Pavilion Master to come out of seclusion. The Pavilion Master did not agree. Only after that did the Sitian Pavilion regain some of its fame."
"So that's how it is." Liang Qiu pondered for a moment and sighed, "Now that Master is gone, he never passed the position of Pavilion Master to any of his disciples. Many secrets may never see the light of day again. Even if Master possesses the secret to immortality, no one will know it. Well, we can discuss these matters later. The most urgent task is to resolve the present matter. Everyone must be cautious and stay safe tomorrow. We must do our best and leave the rest to fate. If things truly cannot be reversed, we will just go with the flow and do what is right with our conscience."
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The author has something to say: All the content related to stargazing in this article is fabricated by Baidu and the author himself. Please do not study it carefully or refer to it...
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