It was late spring, and the wind blew past, refreshing everyone. Pei Zi Yun opened his umbrella and walked along the side of the stream. The rain splashed on the surface of the stream, ripples spreading out.
Pei Zi Yun paced back and forth as he thought of a song he loved in his past life, 'Happy Rain on a Spring Night'. He retrieved a silver flask from his robes and drank a mouthful of wine.
"Good rain knows the season, when spring comes."
The wind sneaks into the night, quietly moisturizing everything.
Pei Zi Yun recited, as he tapped the rhythm. At this point, someone clapped from afar. It was the Grand Princess. Her hair was tied up in a peach-shaped bun, and was adorned with flowers. She was dressed in green silk, and had a green belt around her waist.
"Good poem!" The Grand Princess raised her umbrella as she walked through the rain. Pei Zi Yun bowed, "Grand Princess, you're too kind."
The Grand Princess did not speak much. She walked to Pei Zi Yun's side and stood beside him. The misty rain fluttered their clothes as the Grand Princess asked, "A few days ago, was it you who played the flute?"
"It was me. I heard that the Canton Princess wasn't feeling well, so I played it."
"Only a pervert who listens to the sound of the flute at night. How could it be because of illness?" The Grand Princess laughed.
"Music can heal the heart, and the heart can heal the heart. That day, I used my emotions to get her to listen, and then used pain to draw out her depression. Then, I killed her. Gradually, I reached a state of peace. Is the Canton Princess feeling better now?" Pei Zi Yun asked, as he did not want her to think that he was a pervert.
"Much better, but it doesn't cure the root of the problem."
"That's fine. It's a gesture of goodwill, and I appreciate it."
"However, this Music Healing Technique is something else. Can it be taught?" The Eldest Princess asked with a frown.
"There's no secret to it. Music has emotions. The Book of Music says it very clearly. There are seven tones in music, but there are only five. Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zhi and Yu."
"Why? It's because music can move the heart and emotions. That's why I chose the five tones of peace. "
"To cure people, you have to use music to guide their hearts, and make them happy. Actually, it's a common practice. It's just that for the effect to be obvious, you have to be more skilled."
As Pei Zi Yun spoke, the Grand Princess immediately understood. What he meant was that normal music had the same effect as well. It was just that good music had a more obvious effect. Indeed, there was no secret to it.
Seeing that she believed him, Pei Zi Yun smiled. Actually, he had combined some Dao techniques into this technique. Naturally, he didn't want to reveal this, and couldn't.
"Croak, croak, croak." The croaking of several frogs broke the silence of the stream. After a while, the Princess spoke out, "Today, Zhou Qi made an appeal to the Emperor, and criticized King Lu's palace for violating the rules. Several ministers agreed with him. Although it wasn't a serious matter, the Emperor still punished King Lu with three days of confinement, and three thousand taels of silver. You're really good."
The Grand Princess turned her head to look at Pei Zi Yun, who was gazing into the distance. Her eyes were wide open and filled with curiosity, "I can roughly guess what happened to Zhou Qi. But how did you manage to convince all these officials?"
Pei Zi Yun picked up the silver flask and drank another mouthful of wine. Actually, he didn't really like alcohol. In the beginning, he was just putting on an act. However, ever since he came to this world, he had always felt a sense of melancholy, as though he was a stranger in a foreign land. Every time there was a festive occasion, he would miss his loved ones even more. In addition, his alcohol tolerance wasn't high, and he would often drink a few mouthfuls.
After Pei Zi Yun finished drinking, he replied, "I don't know them. But sometimes, people I don't know can be of help."
"This is the system of the imperial court. To put it bluntly, it's all about etiquette. Etiquette and impoliteness. The only way to differentiate between etiquette and impoliteness is to see if anyone has crossed the line or not. This is the Dao."
Pei Zi Yun stretched out a hand and picked up a drop of rain as he looked into the distance, "The Crown Prince is still the Crown Prince. He's the eldest son, and the son of the first wife. If King Lu wants to fight for the throne, then based on etiquette, he's getting rid of the older generation and replacing the younger one with the younger one. Forget about the generals, what do you think the civil officials will think?"
"They're not doing this for the sake of morality. They're doing this to protect the rules that allow them to live a peaceful life. Since etiquette has been broken, then shouldn't the civil officials be abolished as well?"
"The Crown Prince has no sons. If they don't speak up, the Emperor wouldn't be able to pass the throne to a successor. But now that the Crown Prince has a grandson, things are different."
"When a scholar hears the Dao, he must be diligent. When a scholar hears the Dao, he must either live or die. When a scholar hears the Dao, he must laugh. If he doesn't laugh, he won't be able to achieve the Dao."
"For the sake of the Dao, there are those who kill themselves."
"Of course, humans aren't saints. There aren't many who are able to do this. If the purpose of the impeachment was to depose King Lu or even kill him, the officials wouldn't necessarily speak up for King Lu. But now, the crime isn't that serious. It's just that King Lu's Palace has broken the rules, and the Emperor has to drink three cups of wine as a punishment. Since there are people who want to impeach King Lu, then there would be people who would be willing to stand up for him."
"Besides, the matter isn't that serious, and King Lu doesn't have to bear the brunt of it. Hence, the matter was dealt with very quickly."
When the Grand Princess heard this, she looked at Pei Zi Yun and smiled, "I'm afraid it's not just that. This move was meant to test the waters right?"
"That's right!" Pei Zi Yun replied. Actually, this move was meant to test the Emperor. The Emperor's natural instinct was to maintain order and rule. If the Emperor supported King Lu on this matter that had nothing to do with his life, then everyone should just wash up and go to sleep.
Since the Emperor's reaction wasn't bad, he could move on to the next step.
"You don't have to tell me all these things. I'm a woman, and I can't interfere in politics." The Grand Princess brushed her hair away from her forehead.
Pei Zi Yun thought that she was being unreasonable and ignored her. After some time, the Grand Princess looked at Pei Zi Yun curiously and asked, "Why did you let Sun Jing instigate this from the shadows, and not do it directly? Could it be that there's a difference? "
Pei Zi Yun took several steps forward, as he stepped on the pebbles, causing water to splash everywhere. He then spoke slowly, "Because of the impeachment, the Crown Prince and King Lu shed all pretenses of cordiality. The Emperor naturally hates this."
"By borrowing Zhou Qi's power, outsiders wouldn't be able to find out the truth. It's a very big difference."
"The Emperor and King Lu wouldn't be able to find out?"
"If they wanted to find out, they could, but it wouldn't be a big deal. Zhou Qi has always had a reputation of being virtuous and virtuous. Everyone would think that it's normal for him to do something like that. Who would dig so deeply just because of a scolding?"
"Of course they would. But would they investigate every single person around Zhou Qi? Not to mention King Lu, even the Emperor wouldn't be able to do that, right?" Pei Zi Yun then laughed, "Even if the Emperor were to find out the truth, he would still be acting dumb."
"You're so brazen, you can't even act dumb anymore."
"That's right!" The Grand Princess took several steps forward before sighing, "There's no such thing as a flawless plan in this world. But as long as it's done properly, it would be flawless. What's the next step?"
"The next step would require the Grand Princess's influence." Pei Zi Yun said.
"Oh? What do you need me to do? "The Grand Princess smiled as she stared at Pei Zi Yun.
Pei Zi Yun turned around and looked at the ox-cart in the distance. He then spoke to the Grand Princess, "Did you bring the things that the Emperor bestowed upon my grandson?"
"Yes, I did. There's nothing special. Just a jade scepter, gold and silver satin, and a Longevity Locket."
Hearing these words, Pei Zi Yun then said, "Let me take a look at the Longevity Locket."
The Grand Princess had a suspicious look on her face as she retrieved the locket and asked, "Isn't this normal?"
Pei Zi Yun received the Longevity Locket and noticed that it was extremely exquisite. It was carved like a pair of fishes swimming in the water. It was warm and smooth, and had the words "Longevity to a hundred years old" engraved on it. To ordinary people, this was a rare item. But to the Imperial Family, it was normal. No wonder the Grand Princess was suspicious.
He then laughed and said, "It's normal. The Emperor bestowed these things upon his grandson, hoping that he would grow up healthy and without any accidents."
"But when these normal items are placed together, it's different."
"The next step would be to spread the truth. We have to spread the news of the Emperor bestowing the Longevity Locket to his grandson, as well as the news of the Emperor berating King Lu for breaking the rules."
"These are all true words. Don't intentionally spread the news, and don't add fuel to the fire. At least not at our level. That would leave a trail behind."
"As long as the news isn't sealed, believe me, with just a few rumors, the officials would spread the news. You all know the inside story, and feel that this is normal. But most of the officials don't know. Once they hear the news, they will treat it as a secret. What's the use?"
"Most of the officials, especially the lower ranked ones, would feel that they've received inside information. Now that the Crown Prince has a grandson, the Emperor will support the Crown Prince."
"Unknowingly, they would distance themselves from King Lu."
"What a good way to summon clouds and rain with a flip of the hand." The Grand Princess sucked in a breath of cold air. It was just a simple accusation, and yet it was used to such an extent. It had subtly changed the entire political situation.
"Grand Princess, you praise me too much. One tael can change a thousand catties. First of all, you have a thousand catties to back you up. If not, you're just a paper tiger." Pei Zi Yun said.
The Grand Princess exhaled as she reached out to catch the water droplets dripping from her umbrella, "I'm a woman, and I don't want to know about politics. Have you composed any poems recently?"
Pei Zi Yun laughed, "Grand Princess, you didn't even bring me wine, how could I have composed any poems?"
The Grand Princess laughed, before retrieving a silver flask from her robes, "Thirty years of wine, are you satisfied?"
Pei Zi Yun received the silver flask and felt that it was still warm. He could smell the fragrance of the wine as he opened the lid and took a big gulp, "Good wine."
He then shook his head, "I don't have any poems, but I've written a story."
He then handed it over to the Grand Princess, who took a look at it. It was titled 'Chess Spirit'. She was taken aback, "You're a Top Scorer, why did you write this?"
"Wasn't it good to write the poem just now?"
Pei Zi Yun naturally wouldn't tell her that he needed her to promote it and gain reputation. He then laughed, "I personally like to write poems."
"What's written here?" The Grand Princess asked.
'Chess Spirit' originated from Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. It wasn't more than a thousand words, but combined with the Chess Spirit, one could write a book. He then replied, "This is a story about a young man who saw a chessboard. Someone taught him how to play, but nobody else could see it."
The Grand Princess shook her head, speechless at his incompetence. Just as she was about to leave, she heard Pei Zi Yun say, "Grand Princess, this matter is more or less settled. I shall take my leave now."
"So soon? This matter isn't over yet, and the Crown Prince hasn't rewarded you yet!" The Grand Princess exclaimed.
"I'm a Daoist, what reward do I need?" Pei Zi Yun stood up straight and sighed, "As for this matter, since it's come to this, there's a 90% chance of success."
"Besides, I'm staying in the capital city. Although it's a hidden place, no one will notice me. If I stay here for too long, I'm afraid I'll be exposed. That would ruin the Crown Prince's plans."
The Grand Princess didn't expect Pei Zi Yun to say such a thing. She paused for a long time before regaining her senses. She then said, "Alright then. It's a good thing that you leave now."
"Then I shall take my leave. Before I leave, please tell the Crown Prince that this plan cannot be used a second time. If it's used too often, the Emperor and King Lu would be wary. In fact, with this plan, we've managed to succeed this year. All we have to do is put some rice and wine into the vat. All we have to do is seal the vat and wait for it to ferment."
"If it's opened halfway, the brewing process will fail."
The Grand Princess looked up, only to see Pei Zi Yun in his snow white robes. He raised his umbrella and walked away, disappearing into the misty rain.
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