At this time of year,
The scenery had already withered.
Zhu Mo pondered the ghost story that had already spread throughout the land, as told by Prince Jing, and walked alone by the West Lake. In the emptiness and illusion, a strange thought suddenly struck him—
It had only been three years, how had it all evolved so quickly? In these three years, it seemed as though two hundred years, from the Jiajing to the Qianlong eras, had already passed?
That Prince Jing was very strange. When he met him face-to-face at the Tianxiang Tower, he had found him quite peculiar. Where exactly did this person come from? Could he also be a transmigrator, a young fool? Otherwise, how could he be so powerful? Did he also possess the ability to see the future?
He had read those books about group transmigration; not every transmigrator had a smooth journey. Some died early, and some were very unlucky. This Prince Jing was probably just a clumsy fellow from his own era. He thought that by becoming a prince of the Ming Dynasty, he would get to enjoy life, but instead, he was made into something neither human nor ghost by Yan Shifan?
There was just one difference: this person was very wicked and lacked sufficient learning. He was infatuated with the aesthetic feudal world and wanted to transform the Ming Dynasty, which was in a period of change, into something out of a storybook legend… If not for this, this world truly couldn't be explained.
As the sky darkened, he returned to the Wansong Academy, intending to talk to Li Zhi about the book "Dream of the Red Chamber." Just as he ascended the long steps, he encountered Wu Feng!
"Scholar Zhu, please spare a moment for a word…"
Wu Feng was still the same as always, never changing, like a shadow, capable of appearing and disappearing at any moment.
"Old Wu, you? Does Master Li San have something to say?"
Zhu Mo had naturally thought of the two of them, but he hadn't had a chance to return to the capital for a long time. Moreover, circumstances changed rapidly, and these two would have long since gone into hiding. Who would get involved in such matters?
Wu Feng maintained his indifferent and detached tone,
"Scholar Zhu, it is the Daoist Master's instruction… He told me to relay this message word for word. Young Master Zhu, upon hearing it, should not be overly agitated. All worldly affairs are subject to impermanence. The world is vast, containing everything; therefore, one should face it with equanimity."
Mmm, mmm,
These words were naturally the Daoist Master's prepared opening remarks.
Seeing Zhu Mo's calm demeanor, Wu Feng continued:
"Does Young Master Zhu know that the current Emperor has three Daoist titles? They are: The Great Luo Celestial Immortal of the Heavens, the Sacred Wisdom Illuminating Spirit, the Primordial Unity Manifested Jade Void Grandmaster of the Five Thunderbolts, the Myriad Longevity Emperor Lord, the Nine Heavens Grand Doctrine Universal Salvation of Living Beings, the Master of Yin and Yang Merit and Demerit, the Great Dao Contemplating Benevolence, the Purple Extremity Immortal Elder, the One Yang True Man, the Primordial Void Profound Manifestation Enlightenment Subduing Demon Loyal and Filial Emperor Lord, the Spirit Palace Upper Purity Master of Thunder, the Primordial Yang Marvelous One, the Flying Profound True Monarch…"
Flying Profound True Monarch?
As he spoke these four words, Wu Feng's tone changed slightly.
Zhu Mo suddenly remembered "Feixuan Palace."
Does that mean?
The old Daoist Master is indeed Jiajing?
Although he had suspected it at the time, if the other party didn't acknowledge it, it was inconsequential. Besides, being so vague made it easier to conduct affairs. In any case, his objective was to see if the Great Ming could truly not be saved. If it couldn't be saved, then this Central Plains world would be meaningless, and he could just leave.
This inner turmoil was something that people of the Ming Dynasty couldn't comprehend. He recalled how, in places like Zhihu and Tieba, where many Ming Dynasty enthusiasts gathered, many people shared this feeling. The fall of the Ming Dynasty meant the fall of the entire realm. If it was truly destined to fall, it would indicate a fundamental problem with the entire civilization. For this reason, those Ming Dynasty enthusiasts were uninterested in reality but could argue about the merits and demerits of the late Ming for three years…
It was only after he came to the Great Ming that he understood this sentiment, which led to what happened later. Anyway, it was worth a try; it was probably the only way. As a result, the difficulty had become nightmarish. In just three years, it felt as if he had experienced three hundred years.
Whether the old Daoist Master was Jiajing or not was actually unimportant. Even if he was, it couldn't be revealed; that way, it would be easier to advance matters. But now, Wu Feng had come down specifically to reveal the truth, which meant that the old Daoist Master was already making arrangements for his succession… He couldn't hold on any longer either…
During this period, he had also chatted with Lü Kun and others. Their feelings were probably similar to the old Daoist Master's; it was over anyway.
"Alas… Old Wu, to be honest, I had guessed it, but this layer is actually not important, don't you think?"
Zhu Mo gave a bitter smile, eager to hear the old Daoist Master's thoughts.
Wu Feng nodded, then mechanically said:
"The Daoist Master said that Prince Jing's matter has nothing to do with Young Master Zhu. The Daoist Master will handle it himself and will give the world an explanation… Young Master Zhu, you should stay out of it for now, go to Goryeo or Nanyang, it doesn't matter, as long as it's unrelated to you…"
Having said this,
He stared into Zhu Mo's eyes again, as if asking something?
A thought flashed through Zhu Mo's mind, and he asked in surprise:
"Huh? How can it be unrelated to me? Old Wu, is there something else you haven't told me?"
Wu Feng nodded again and recounted leisurely:
"Young Master Zhu doesn't know, after the Daoist Master parted ways at Feixuan Palace, he told me to go find Daoist Puqing… I also found him in the Juyong Pass area. Puqing told a story, the tragedy of the Han Shui Imperial Farm in the past… Young Master Zhu knows, the Han Shui only has one Imperial Farm, which was built when the Daoist Master was still the Prince of Wu… Uh, the Daoist Master originally had five sons, but two died in infancy. The remaining ones were the third Prince Yu, the fourth Prince Jing, and a young son at the Han Shui Imperial Farm, who was to be enfeoffed as the Prince of Wu at that time…"
What?
Damn it~
There was such a thing?
Although Zhu Mo had also fantasized, others transmigrated to become kings and conquerors, why did he only transmigrate into a little beggar? Hearing this, some past memories seemed to be true?
Prince of Wu?
Simply laughable…
To Wu Feng's surprise, Zhu Mo did not exhibit the usual discomposure of ordinary people. Instead, he was very calm, with only a flicker of realization on his face, and then nothing more.
Wu Feng thought: This is strange… Are you a prince? Why are you not moved at all?
Little did he know, Zhu Mo was just a transmigrator, who happened to transmigrate into that infant, and had no connection with Jiajing. When good things happened, he could naturally empathize with the character, but this young son was very ill-fated. What was the point of empathizing with the character?
Zhu Mo let out a soft breath and murmured to himself:
"This damn thing…"
"This Ming Dynasty is truly not a place for people to live…"
Recalling old times,
He was quite concerned about his master, Puqing, and asked:
"Old Wu, Puqing, he should be alright, right?"
Wu Feng, however, smiled and said:
"He is at the Zhenwu Temple on Mount Wudang."
Oh, oh,
Good, good, good.
That is truly good. That old Daoist Master was also incompetent. He couldn't play God or deceive people, only knew a little bit of martial arts tricks, barely enough to make a living. This is a place where he can enjoy his old age.
"Old Wu, in the future, I'll ask you to take good care of Daoist Puqing… Alas, that old fellow is simply not suited to be a Daoist priest. If he causes any trouble at Zhenwu Temple in the future, you must help him, alright?"
"Mmm, mmm, certainly, certainly…"
Wu Feng, knowing Zhu Mo's character well, understood his concern for the person who raised him and said with emotion:
"Young Master Zhu, you should stay away… We brothers all admire your character, and what you've done is good, but heaven doesn't grant wishes…"
Mmm, mmm,
Zhu Mo patted his shoulder and said with emotion:
"Tell me more, what about Master Li San? Does Third Master have anything to say?"