Chapter 1550: The Crown Prince Shoots the Dragon Fox in March

Within the not-so-spacious Donghua Pavilion, a warmth precisely calibrated lingered.Every wisp of breeze here, every sensation clinging to the skin, was meticulously managed by dedicated individuals.Preventing the Emperor from being distracted by anything trivial was their greatest contribution to the Great Qi Empire.The Son of Heaven of Qi sat.Jiang Wang bowed low.Li Zhengshu stood quietly to the side, remaining silent.Qiu Ji guarded the阁 door, and in the distance, there was no superfluous sound.Even the lamplight in the chamber was dutiful, not daring to flicker in the slightest...This waiting period was most suitable for cultivation. Jiang Wang inexplicably thought.But it was, after all, just a thought.The meaning of time was hard to measure at this moment.After an unknown period, following another rustle of pages—"In the third month of that year, the Crown Prince shot a dragon fox."The Emperor's voice descended as if from the nine heavens, so close yet so far away.Jiang Wang reacted instantly and immediately replied, "The Grand Ancestor deemed it inauspicious, and he was banished to Qingqiu. Then Shang Hua was established.""Historical Blade Carving the Sea," compiled by the Great Sage Sima Heng of the Diligent Study Academy, is the most complete historical masterpiece documenting the histories of the various nations since the beginning of the new Dao Era, and it is universally recognized as a trustworthy history.Sima Heng traveled throughout the world, visiting ancient sites in various places, tracing back from the present to ancient times, collecting old anecdotes, secret histories, scattered words of famous people throughout the ages...The histories of various countries, local gazetteers of various places, stories passed down by word of mouth, changes in climate, transformations of mountains and rivers... these were all his materials.Only after mutual verification, obtaining credible historical data, did he begin to write.Sima Heng's writing style was concise and precise, his prose impartial, hardly revealing any personal emotional inclination.As the opening sentence of "Historical Blade Carving the Sea" states—"Sima of the name Heng, a dull and slow person, only through observing history did he gain self-knowledge. Having no boat to cross, he carved the sea with a knife."He said that a foolish person like himself had no innate talent, no inherent insight and wisdom; only by observing the rise and fall of history could he understand himself.He said that history itself was the most genuine evaluation, and he had no right to comment on the ancients.He said that he was merely a recorder of history, not a commentator... and he did indeed act in this manner.The entire "Historical Blade Carving the Sea" is a vast work of tens of millions of words, but the discarded and deleted texts numbered far more than tens of millions of words. The effort put into these tens of millions of words was more than hundreds of millions of words!He spent a full three hundred years, revising it forty-three times before it was completed. Once this book was established, it became the trustworthy history of the world!The history recorded in "Historical Blade Carving the Sea" begins from the start of the new Dao Era and ends in the year 3900 of the Dao Era. The rise and fall of nations, kings and nobles, generals and ministers, all allowing the people of the world to know the affairs of ancient and modern times, the vast current of humanity, all contained within.According to Sima Heng, every sixty years thereafter, more content would be added. It is currently the year 3920 of the Dao Era, so the history of the various nations after the year 3900 of the Dao Era has not yet been compiled, but his disciples have long since begun to collect credible related information.The entire work, tens of millions of words, is divided into three hundred and seven scrolls. The historical records of some countries form a single scroll, while the records of other countries can only be bound together with those of other countries into a single scroll.And Scrolls one to ten are all "Jinglüe"!Among the hegemonic nations that have stood until now, or were once prominent, there are ten scrolls of Jinglüe, six scrolls of Yanglüe, eight scrolls of Qinlüe, nine scrolls of Chulüe, six scrolls of Mulüe, seven scrolls of Jinglüe, three scrolls of Qilüe...What the Son of Heaven of Qi recited, "In the third month of that year, the Crown Prince shot a dragon fox," is precisely the content of Scroll Two of "Historical Blade Carving the Sea."And the next sentence is, "The Grand Ancestor deemed it inauspicious, and he was banished to Qingqiu. Then Shang Hua was established."This section talks about the history of Emperor Jing's Grand Ancestor deposing and establishing a crown prince.Jiang Wang's response was extremely fluent; of course, he had put in hard work."Qingyangzi, there's no need to be so formal," the Son of Heaven of Qi said casually, "Sit down and speak."Jiang Wang thought, so they really are going to randomly test me. Fortunately, I memorized... some of it.Then he thought again, the Son of Heaven of Great Qi is still very benevolent, only testing chapters from so far back...He breathed a sigh of relief, but this breath was not entirely released.He straightened up and said very decorously, "Returning to Qi is already rest; being summoned by the Son of Heaven is even greater fortune. It is perfectly fine for this subject to speak while standing."Making a joke, even Donghua Scholar Li Zhengshu is standing, how dare he sit down?This flattery was rather direct; the Son of Heaven was completely unmoved, and of course, did not continue to grant a seat, only asking again, "Tell me, why did Emperor Jing's Grand Ancestor consider it inauspicious?"Jiang Wang was stunned!When I asked for leave to go to Chu, you only said I needed to memorize the book, not that I needed to fully understand it!How do I know why Emperor Jing's Grand Ancestor considered it inauspicious? I can't go ask him!Why? Why! Sima Heng didn't write it either!Of course, he did not dare to say these words to Emperor Qi.He had the heart to force himself to offer a few interpretations.In the end, he only said, "This subject is dull and slow, knowing the how but not the why."When Jiang Wang flattered, Li Zhengshu frowned slightly, because there was really no skill to it. But now, with the words "dull and slow" spoken, there was a hint of a smile in his eyes.Sima Heng, in the opening of "Historical Blade Carving the Sea," also presented himself as a dull and slow person.This was precisely an attitude towards history!It is acceptable not to understand, but not acceptable to pretend to understand.It is acceptable not to comprehend, but not acceptable to misinterpret.Among the countless historians in the world, why was Sima Heng the only one to compile a trustworthy history of the world?The answer is in the book title.Nothing more than four characters, "Historical Blade Carving the Sea"!In every inch and every stroke, in seeking truth from facts.Regardless of whether Jiang Wang was intentional or unintentional, these two words, "dull and slow," used at this time, in this situation, were incomparably clever.Li Zhengshu approved in his heart but remained silent.He only heard the Son of Heaven of Qi laugh and scold, "Indeed insensible, witless, and ignorant! What kind of books have you been reading!"Jiang Wang lowered his head and said, "This subject is ashamed, and will naturally strive diligently from now on! But this subject had no good teachers in youth and no leisure in adulthood, and I fear I cannot satisfy His Majesty in a short period."The Son of Heaven turned to look at Li Zhengshu: "Look, he still knows to leave himself a loophole when speaking. Is this a dull and slow person? I think he is very cunning!"Li Zhengshu smiled and said, "Cunning or dull and slow, both are within the Emperor's grasp!"The Son of Heaven said, "You are also a cunning one!"This 'Jade Gentleman' only said, "Is Li Zhengshu not a subject of the King?"The Son of Heaven pointed a finger at him and finally smiled again: "Then you, the big cunning one, teach this little cunning one!"The intimacy between the Son of Heaven of Qi and Li Zhengshu was truly extraordinary.No wonder it is said that the title of Donghua Scholar in recent years has almost belonged to Li Zhengshu alone, and no wonder Li Zhengshu, despite not holding any real power, has considerable influence in Qi.Jiang Wang pondered in his heart, but his actions were not slow. He quickly saluted and said, "This is Jiang Wang's immense honor; I trouble the Scholar for guidance!"Li Zhengshu smiled."Guidance" is sometimes a very taboo thing, especially for great Confucian scholars like him who do not formally hold official positions in court, who have always stayed far away from trouble.But Jiang Wang is a junior who can participate in the family banquet of the Marquis of Cuicheng's residence, and in terms of reason and emotion, there is no problem with him giving some guidance.Without any preparation, he opened his mouth and said, "To understand this historical record, one only needs to understand one place—'Qingqiu.'""What kind of place is Qingqiu?""This place is beyond the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons, the sacred land of the fox clan. The Jing Crown Prince shot and killed a dragon fox, but Emperor Jing's Grand Ancestor banished him to Qingqiu. This is not a simple banishment; this is sending him to his death. This level of punishment cannot be explained by simply 'deeming it inauspicious.' Why to this extent?""Let's look again at the cause of this incident.""The Jing Crown Prince personally went beyond the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons, shot and killed a dragon fox, made its fur into a robe, and presented it to the Jing Empress. Firstly, to show off his martial prowess, and secondly, to display filial piety. This is originally something blameless, and even something worth praising. Why would Emperor Jing's Grand Ancestor hate him so much and want him to die?"Li Zhengshu spoke with ease and composure, explaining in detail, and was very good at inspiring listeners to think. Every word and every thought truly possessed a charm bestowed by time."We should note. In the section of Scroll One of 'Historical Blade Carving the Sea,' Sima Heng recorded a passage, saying, 'The Grand Ancestor suppressed demons, dividing and transforming them, gathering and annihilating them, pursuing tigers for seven years, repelling Chai for nine years.'"Of course, Jiang Wang remembered this passage, having memorized it thoroughly, but he really couldn't figure out what it had to do with the Jing Crown Prince shooting the dragon fox.Li Zhengshu said with great patience: "The Gate of Ten Thousand Demons was constructed in ancient times, completely cutting off the hope of the demon race returning to the present world. It is truly the supreme achievement of the Human Emperor. But the fighting behind the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons has never ceased. The demon race has never given up on counterattacking the present world.The Gate of Ten Thousand Demons cannot be erected and then forgotten about, needing to be constantly maintained and reinforced by people.The demise of the True One Era marked the end of the near ancient era.Emperor Jing's Grand Ancestor established the capital city of Tianjing upon the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons, thereby establishing the Jing Kingdom, proclaimed as the Son of Heaven guarding the national gate, and at one point held the hope of becoming a Human Emperor.He did indeed establish extraordinary achievements beyond the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons.Beyond the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons is another vast world, and for us, there is still too much unknown and danger there. Of course, the greatest danger is always the demon race.The human army and the demon race have been fighting there, spanning the Middle Ancient, Near Ancient, and up to the present, without cease.The 'pursuing tigers for seven years' recorded in 'Historical Blade Carving the Sea' refers to Emperor Jing's Grand Ancestor using seven years to drive out the tiger clan that was then occupying the front lines of the battlefield, greatly advancing the human race's front beyond the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons and winning more strategic space for the human army.And Chai is the strongest among the dog clan, and Emperor Jing's Grand Ancestor repelled him over nine years.The key point of this record lies in Emperor Jing's Grand Ancestor's political strategy towards the demon race... it lies in this 'dividing and transforming.'In the era when the Jing Crown Prince shot the dragon fox, the fox clan was Emperor Jing's Grand Ancestor's main target for dividing the demon race, and the dragon fox was the most famous fox clan powerhouse at that time."Jiang Wang felt a little enlightened.Li Zhengshu continued: "The superficial reason for this matter is that the dragon fox was a demon race powerhouse that the Jing Kingdom was trying to win over beyond the Gate of Ten Thousand Demons. The Jing Crown Prince's reckless action ruined the Jing Kingdom's efforts to divide the demon race. Therefore, Emperor Jing's Grand Ancestor 'deemed it inauspicious.'"Jiang Wang pondered thoughtfully: "Not inauspicious, but unwise?"Li Zhengshu added, "But in the situation at that time, dividing the demon race was impossible in the first place. Many historical records document the situation of the demon race in that era. The dragon fox was a greedy character, insatiable in his demands, and had no sincerity at all. Otherwise, the Jing Crown Prince shooting it would not have caused the army to cheer 'Eternal Longevity' - this matter is not recorded in 'Historical Blade Carving the Sea,' nor heard in Jing history, but it is recorded in Chu history."As he spoke, he casually recited a passage: "Boya shot the dragon fox and gained the hearts of the army, who shouted 'Eternal Longevity.'""So that's how it is!" Jiang Wang suddenly understood: "Such a short passage, unexpectedly holding such turmoil!"Li Zhengshu smiled slightly: "Those who can leave their names in history naturally have a magnificent life."Boya is the name of that Jing Crown Prince who shot the dragon fox.Generally speaking, the term "Eternal Longevity" is only used to congratulate the Son of Heaven.The army cheering "Eternal Longevity" was not only against propriety but also made Boya suspect of gathering the hearts of the army, which was truly too presumptuous.Thus.Emperor Jing's Grand Ancestor banishing and killing Boya in the name of inauspiciousness was likely a matter of power struggle within the imperial family.The Jing Kingdom's historical records naturally had to be discreet about this, while the Chu Kingdom's historical records would not cover up for the Jing Kingdom at all.And the reason why Sima Heng did not include this matter in "Historical Blade Carving the Sea" is probably because he could not completely trust the Jing Kingdom's history recorded in Chu history...Reading history is truly complicated!Jiang Wang felt that it was much more difficult than cultivating Daoist arts like the观自在耳 (Guān Zìzài Ěr - roughly 'Ears of Self-Observance').Li Zhengshu cited extensively, drawing from sources effortlessly, truly a great Confucian!As expected of a great Confucian from Qingya Academy... hmm? Qingya Academy?Jiang Wang suddenly had a bad premonition.Indeed, he heard Li Zhengshu say again: "But these are not the most fundamental reasons. The most fundamental reason is... Emperor Jing's Grand Ancestor had long intended to depose the Empress!"On his extraordinarily handsome face, his expression was one of complete innocence. As if saying, if your own brain isn't working, going back and forth, you can't blame me.He smiled slightly: "I'll just say one thing. The Empress at that time was from Mount Daluo. The Empress established later, however, was from Mount Yujing."Throughout the entire process of "teaching," Jiang Wang's perspective fluctuated like waves, constantly shifting along with Li Zhengshu's narration, going up and down, making frequent turns. Every time he thought he understood, he would then discover that he did not... until the end, the person suddenly announced the truth!It's not that there was any ill will, but this malicious humor is just too reminiscent of Qingya Academy...How truly boring!And inferring from this... The Son of Heaven of Qi deliberately asked such a complex question that would make one's head explode. Where is he a benevolent Son of Heaven? He clearly intended to see me, Jiang, make a fool of myself!But when under someone else's roof, how can one not lower one's head?Lord Jiang could only cooperate by asking in confusion: "Does this involve the struggle between the three lineages of the Dao Sect? Is it about the undercurrents between the Jing Kingdom's imperial family and the three major sacred lands of the Dao Sect?"Li Zhengshu smiled: "If you have finished reading Jinglüe, then you should know. The Crown Prince of Emperor Jing's Grand Ancestor was first the eldest son Boya, after Boya was Shang Hua, and after Shang Hua was Zizhao. But in the end, when Emperor Jing's Grand Ancestor retired to cultivate, the one who inherited the great throne was Furen. The so-called Emperor Jingwen."He stopped here, of course, as it was inconvenient to elaborate, and there was no need to elaborate further. m.6zw.netJiang Wang was thoughtful.After being thoughtful for a while, he said, "I am truly confused!"He said to the Son of Heaven of Qi: "Your Majesty, you have also seen, Jiang Wang is truly not material for reading! I recognize those characters, but when they are put together, it is difficult for me to understand."To his eagerness to escape the shackles of studying, the Son of Heaven of Qi only replied with a casual glance: "Before you went to Chu, do you remember what I said to you?"Jiang Wang said, "This subject would never dare to forget!""Speak for yourself. How much have you memorized?""This subject has memorized... some.""Some?""Approximately one-third.""Approximately?"Jiang Wang said decisively: "Definitely one-third!""Jade Gentleman, you shall test him for me, just the content of the first hundred scrolls." The Son of Heaven said casually, then asked, "Is there enough time?"Li Zhengshu replied with a smile, "The morning court is still early."The Son of Heaven of Qi then waved his hand, with a lazy demeanor that also possessed the imposing air of determining the fate of mountains and rivers and establishing a foundation for eternity: "Begin!"After writing this chapter, my hair is thinning.The fastest update of "What Does the Great God Feel?"