Chapter 107: Empress Zhang's Letter

“Oh~~ fearing endless calamity...”

Xu Boqing nodded knowingly, then smiled and said, “In that case, my appearance isn’t so bad after all.”

The old fisherman nodded slightly, “It’s indeed quite good.”

Xu Boqing seemed to recall something and asked, “From your perspective, sir, since my appearance is good and my fate is strong, how should I determine the two paths of ‘going with the flow’ or ‘going against the flow’?”

He paused, then enunciated slowly, “Or... is it someone else who set these two paths for me?”

“...”

The old fisherman remained silent.

Seeing this, Xu Boqing smiled nonchalantly and sighed, “I don’t know who you are or what you represent, but since you invited me here, I assume you are aware that I am blessed with the ‘Heavenly Eye’...”

“...”

The old fisherman neither denied nor confirmed but nodded calmly.

“It’s because of these eyes~” Xu Boqing pointed at his eyes and said, “That I once glimpsed the scene of order collapsing, the seal of heaven and earth, so I deeply felt the weight of your ‘fear of endless calamity.’”

He paused, then pointed to his face and sighed, “But it is also because of these eyes that sometimes I can’t even see clearly who I am...”

“...”

The old fisherman remained silent for a long moment before sighing, “Does it really matter who you are?”

“It matters, very much...” Xu Boqing seemed to have realized something and asked with a smile, “Sir, you just said my appearance is good, but can one change their appearance?”

“Appearance is decreed by heaven; how could it be...”

Before the old fisherman could finish, his voice caught in his throat.

Xu Boqing ran his finger down his forehead across his cheek, revealing a raw wound with flesh turned up and blood streaming down his face, turning it a ghastly red.

“Sir, you’re mistaken...”

He stood there, staring at the old fisherman on the small boat, crimson blood flowing from the wound, dripping rhythmically onto the water’s surface.

“Look, some things—like my appearance—it’s not decreed by heaven...”

He paused, smiling, “It’s me who decides...”

“You...”

The old fisherman suddenly rose, sensing something amiss.

Xu Boqing seemed not to notice him and dipped his bloody finger into the air before lightly drawing it forth...

Where his bloody finger passed, an invisible flame seemed to ignite!!

The surrounding mist shattered like a broken mirror, fracturing into fragments...

Looking at the agitated old fisherman, Xu Boqing laughed, “Sir, I don’t know why you came to find me, nor whom you represent; I don’t want to know. But I must say this...”

His voice grew cold and dark, his face and the bloodied wound creating a fearsome sight.

Then he barked, “If you’re outside the cage, do something useful and stop bothering me! If you’re locked inside the cage, then stay put and quit pretending to be a ghost trying to teach me how to live!!”

“You...”

The old fisherman hadn’t expected such a fierce reaction, nor such harsh words, and a trace of irritation grew in his heart.

He warned coldly, “I’m here to warn you: even if you are ‘chosen by heaven,’ some matters are best not meddled with. When calamity strikes, your frail body may not bear it. Consider this a fair warning!!”

“Chosen by heaven?”

Xu Boqing looked up at the sky, then lowered his gaze with a smile, “That’s too far away for me to see. All I know now is that I am who I am—my name is Xu Boqing...”

“Bound by cause and effect, granted destiny, and now you say this—aren’t you afraid of divine retribution!?”

“In that case, you may take it back...”

“You... you will regret this!!”

As the old fisherman spoke each word deliberately, the mist around, the small boat, and the old fisherman himself shattered like a broken mirror, then abruptly vanished...

“Regret?”

Xu Boqing looked down at his reflection in the water. As blood dripped from his cheek, ripples spread across the surface, distorting his reflection...

He felt that with the old fisherman’s disappearance, the prickling unease on his back did not lessen but grew heavier, as if suffocating him.

He snorted lightly. The wound on his cheek writhed and, within moments, healed completely. Then he turned and walked away...

“Regret, that’s my own business...”

As he left, two small fish suddenly darted to where he had stood, jostling and splashing in the water, seemingly fighting over something...

…………………

The capital of the Liang Dynasty...

In recent months, street performers had increased in the city, and strange cases of missing children frequently occurred...

Outside the city, conscripted prisoners and laborers pulled ropes to haul large stones on rolling logs into the city, building platforms and execution grounds for the Water and Land Dharma Assembly.

Overseers wielded whips, cracking them down on anyone shirking their labor...

Inside the imperial palace...

Over a month ago, the Western Depot’s supervisors escorted dangerous criminals back to the capital. Upon investigation, the ringleader was the assassin who had twice attempted to kill His Majesty...

Further inquiry revealed he was also the mastermind behind framing the Crown Prince. The list of crimes he confessed to filled several sheets of paper. Signed and sealed, he died in the imperial dungeon from his injuries before execution.

With the truth revealed...

Former Crown Prince Zhu Hong was exonerated and the Yonghe Emperor lifted his house arrest from the Eastern Palace.

However, the Crown Prince title had been stripped for over half a year. Though the Yonghe Emperor lifted the ban, he did not restore him as Crown Prince, his attitude ambiguous.

During these months...

Though the two other princes were young, they were far from foolish. Knowing the chance was rare, they vied to present treasures to the emperor, vying for the position.

The Eastern Palace’s ministers were either executed or exiled; the former network of alliances was seized by the other two princes.

Former Crown Prince Zhu Hong remained under the emperor’s suspicion, like a plague god; no one dared to bet on him—not even his grandfather, Chancellor Zhang.

Even Empress Zhang’s personal visit to her natal home seeking help was met with feigned illness and feigned indifference from Zhang Song.

Husband devoted to cultivation, family avoiding scandal...

Though Empress Zhang was the empress, those days brought her a painful understanding of what it meant to be utterly alone and unsupported...

She returned to the palace, lost and desperate, seeking someone to confide in, but found that among her former close friends, Consort Liu was too bold and reckless, prone to gossip, and Consort Zhou’s relationship had cooled as her third prince now had a chance for succession...

She realized that in the vast palace, the only person she could truly confide in was her elder sister...

When Empress Dowager Chen heard her story, she too pondered deeply...

Remembering her own youth upon entering the palace, utterly alone; her early ascension to empress dowager, destined to live a life confined to the inner palace...

Remembering the fatherly care she received from Chief Steward Huang, who risked death to keep a fake eunuch, urging her not to be bound by palace rules...

Remembering the little thief Huang brought back...

Remembering the heartbreak when Huang died, the thief’s disheveled grief at the wake, and the thief’s departure from the palace to hunt down bandits in fulfillment of Huang’s last wish...

What about his future...

Would it be like Huang’s!?

Having lived through two dynasties, spending days feeding fish and admiring flowers, Empress Dowager Chen, whose heart had long been extinguished, for the first time felt compelled to act...

For herself, and for that little thief!!

Thereafter, with a smile like blooming flowers, Empress Dowager Chen comforted Empress Zhang and slowly began guiding her...

Making her believe that since Xu Boqing could rescue the Crown Prince, he could also help restore him to his rightful position...

The lonely and unsupported Empress Zhang... believed.

That night, she sent a secret letter via trusted confidants to the Western Depot, instructing Supervisor Jiang to ensure it reached Chief Supervisor Xu...

Not long after...

The Western Depot’s supervisors finished affairs in the capital and hurried with their men to Xingyuan Prefecture...

Meanwhile, the Qianqing Palace remained unchanged.

Incense curled in the air as the Yonghe Emperor, after taking medicine, sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, calmly focusing, with an ancient book without words before him...

He had lived this way for over a decade...

The wordless ancient book was left by his father, the Shengyuan Emperor, said to be a divinely bestowed scripture and the main reason father and son sought to cultivate immortality and divine insight.

Besides the three characters “Divine Bestowal” on its cover, the book contained no words, but sitting quietly beside it allowed one to feel the joy of immortality...

Yet upon opening one’s eyes...

It vanished like a mirage...

The Shengyuan Emperor treasured the book but never mentioned it, hoping one day to comprehend its true meaning and ascend to immortality.

Alas, years of seeking yielded nothing, and on his deathbed, he regretted, but it was too late...

He had wanted to take the book with him to prevent harm to his descendants, but his sudden death prevented him from giving instructions.

When the Yonghe Emperor ascended the throne, though young, he diligently reformed the court, determined to be a wise ruler...

But within four years...

He discovered the wordless Divine Bestowal book hidden in a secret compartment...

At first, he thought his predecessor had gone mad in pursuit of immortality, hiding the book to mystify others, so he barely paid attention and even considered burning it to show his resolve...

But the book resisted flame, water, tearing, and ripping, showing extraordinary properties...

Curiosity led him to imitate the late emperor’s solitary meditation...

And after feeling the joy of the celestial emperor who governs the three realms, returning to reality he found his ambition to be a wise ruler utterly crushed—crushed!!

How could a mortal ruler compare to a celestial emperor?

Today...

The Yonghe Emperor continued his usual meditation...

As he immersed himself in the joy of the celestial emperor’s dominion, the wordless Divine Bestowal book before him flipped open on its own.

A glimmer of spiritual light suddenly shot out, directly entering his spiritual core...

The illusions in his mind shattered, replaced by an image of a small boat, and at its prow, an old man...

The old man looked at the Yonghe Emperor and chuckled, “Because of the sincerity of you and your father, I come today to bestow upon you the immortal arts...”

Immortal... immortal arts... immortal fate! Immortal fate!!

The Yonghe Emperor’s body trembled. Over these years, he did not know how many times he had meditated, how deeply he had experienced the joy of immortality. Each time his meditation ended, he felt a profound emptiness, increasingly aware of his fragile mortal body...

Now, after over ten years of still sitting, surely the celestial immortal had noticed his sincerity and come to guide his ascension!!

He hurriedly rose...

Without any imperial dignity, he knelt and bowed, “I beseech the celestial immortal to save me... to grant me immortality!”

…………………

P.S.: It’s the end of the month. During this double reward ticket period, I earnestly ask for your support and votes for my new work. Any form of encouragement is welcome (just kidding).