Dragon Canon

At sunset the following day, Wei Yuan entered King Ying’s residence.

King Ying’s residence was vast and covered even more ground than King Wei’s. However, Wei Yuan felt a desolate atmosphere washing over him as soon as he stepped through the gate.

An elderly gatekeeper led Wei Yuan toward the main hall. The entire residence was shrouded in deep darkness, with only a few lamps lit. In some places, the dim lighting was practically counter-productive, only serving to make the place seem darker.

Weeds had grown thickly in the cracks between the large lime bricks on the ground, and no one had bothered to clear them away. Wei Yuan saw hardly anyone in the vast residence. If not for the occasional figure hurrying past, he could be convinced to believe that the place was haunted.

Fortunately, the main hall was at least properly lit. The gatekeeper led Wei Yuan through the main hall and into a side courtyard. In a pavilion by a small lake, a table set with wine and food awaited them.

A man was already seated in the pavilion. Upon seeing him, Wei Yuan’s pupil instinctively contracted, and two tears trickled down his cheeks.

The man handed Wei Yuan a square of white cloth to wipe away his tears. He then said apologetically, “I sustained an injury in the north that has never fully healed. As a result, my physical body and mystic body aren’t quite in sync, and I can’t control my own power. That said, one generally shouldn’t be able to see the mystic energy I’m leaking unless they’re naturally perceptive.”

Wei Yuan responded, “Your mystic energy is incredible, King Ying. Your reputation is well-deserved!”

King Ying shook his head and said, “Cultivating this power has brought me endless karmic entanglements. Honestly, I would much rather return to my younger days when I had nothing—it’s just I can’t bring myself to abandon the common folk in the north.”

Wei Yuan asked tentatively, “How is the situation on the northern front?”

“Great Jin’s military affairs are in shambles, with many of its troops existing only on paper. Thought we are said to have a million-strong army, in reality I have no usable troops left at my disposal. I can barely hold the front lines together. It’s a pity that thirteen million commoners in the northern frontier had once again fallen into the hands of the Liao barbarians. I don’t know when they’ll be able to return to Great Jin.” King Ying sighed.

“Anyway, please help yourself. I hope you won’t mind the simplicity. I have only one cook in this residence, and he’s been getting on in years. He just keeps making the same few dishes over and over.”

All that lay before Wei Yuan were four dishes, a bowl of soup, and two bowls of rice. The only meat dish was a single meatball; the rest were vegetarian. The only thing worth noting was that the rice was spirit rice, and the vegetables were spirit vegetables. But then again, what noble or official would settle for mundane rice and vegetables? Even a seventh-rank official ate spirit food at every meal.

King Ying said, “I’ve heard a bit about you. Your original intention for erecting the realm stone—to protect the people—resonates deeply with me. It’s just that the situation in Great Jin is complex. As the saying goes, ‘Three chi of ice don’t form in a single day.’ Many matters require careful consideration to avoid unintended consequences, and over time, the situation has deteriorated. When my royal brother first ascended the throne, he had been dedicated and diligent in all things. It was only after encountering a series of unforeseen incidents that his disposition changed drastically.”

Wei Yuan replied, “Your Highness, forgive my rudeness but... I think it would be best if I know as little about these matters as possible.”

King Ying gave him a somewhat helpless smile and said, “You’re a cautious one alright, haha. If I’d been half as cautious as you back then, I probably wouldn’t have....”

King Ying didn’t finish his sentence, and Wei Yuan didn’t press for an answer. The less he knew about the royal family’s past, the better. Otherwise, he would only be inviting trouble. Although he wanted to forge deep bonds with as many important people as possible, it was still best to stay out of such matters.

Wei yuan casually asked a few questions about cultivation to change the subject. King Ying gave him earnest guidance, and before they knew it, the meal was over.

Cultivators required far more sustenance than mortals. Wei Yuan possessed a robust physique but low cultivation level, so he of all people needed to eat copious amounts of food. It was either that or consume elixirs such as military ration pills, grain-avoidance pills, and the like.

King Wei was too wasteful, while King Ying was too frugal. By the end of the meal, Wei Yuan was only about twenty percent full. However, the old chef clearly had no intention of preparing any more dishes. Instead, he brought out a large bucket of spirit rice so that Wei Yuan and King Ying could each polish off half a bucket.

After dinner, King Ying said, “The autumn hunt is currently the top priority, and there are hidden circumstances involved. If you encounter anything strange during the hunt, don’t pay it any mind and pretend it doesn’t exist. Just carry on as you would and take your rightful share.”

Wei Yuan asked, “If it really is a matter of such great importance, wouldn’t it be better if I withdraw?”

“That won’t be necessary. Or rather, for the sake of the country and its people, you cannot withdraw.” At this point, King Ying spoke with a touch of sarcasm and resignation. “The national treasury is mostly empty at the moment. If you don’t take these few remaining cultivation resources, someone else will. However, they will only make the rich richer. The common people won’t get any of it, nor will it be spent on military supplies or national defense. Not even half a tael.”

Wei Yuan pondered for a moment before answering, “Then I’ll get my rightful share as you say.”

King Ying broke into a smile. “That would be for the best!”

Even after leaving King Ying’s place, Wei Yuan still didn’t quite understand the reason the man had invited him to a meal. After much thought, it seemed that the most likely reason was that he simply wanted to take a look at him.

As for what hidden circumstances were behind the autumn hunt, Wei Yuan wasn’t the least bit curious. In fact, he actively wanted to avoid learning about it. All he cared about at the moment was participating as per usual and earning some rewards so that it wouldn’t be a wasted trip. Even if he came away empty-handed, it wouldn’t be the end of the world either. Judging by King Ying’s implied meaning, it seemed he intended to redeploy the troops currently in the western regions back to the north. If that was true, then Wei Yuan would no longer have to worry about his rear and could focus entirely on expanding westward.

On the summit of a cloudy mountain outside the capital stood a magnificent palace. It had a unique architectural style that looked part monastery and part temple. It was unclear which orthodoxy it belonged to.

The grand hall stood thirty zhang tall. Its interior was shrouded in swirling mist, and there was the faint sound of someone chanting softly. At the center of the hall was a pond with such deep waters they seemed bottomless. At the far end of the hall stood a divine altar, yet there was no divine statue upon it.

Standing in between the square pond and the divine altar, the King of Jin bowed seven times toward the empty altar. Suddenly, a colorful, misty vapor rose from the pond’s waters and entered King Wei’s body.

The King of Jin trembled. A rosy complexion slowly spread across his face, and his aura began to climb.

The mist in the hall parted to either side, and a feminine figure clad in cyan robe emerged from within. The robe was so sheer that it barely did anything to cover up her body.

She walked slowly toward the King of Jin, white flowers blooming from the earth she had stepped on.

Seemingly sensing something, the King of Jin turned around and saw the woman walking gracefully toward him. He bowed his head slightly and said, “Bodhisattva, my progress has been slow lately. What should I do?”

She stopped only when she was right in front of the King of Jin and replied, “There is no need to be impatient. The great elixir will not sprout until after the autumn hunt, and only then will the catalyst appear. The nation’s fortune will gradually be awakened afterward. Now, it is time for our evening practice.”

“The Bodhisattva’s mercy be with us.”

She turned around and led the way toward the rear hall. TheKing of Jin followed behind her, walking along the path strewn with white blossoms. As she walked, pieces of her cyan robe fell to the ground and transformed into lush green grass.

A small door led to the rear hall. She opened it but did not enter. Instead, she stood by the doorway, waiting for the King of Jin to step inside first before following behind him.

Infinite light seemed to shine inside the doorway. It dispelled the mist shrouding her face and revealed a pair of cyan eyes[1].

Spring Blossom Palace, royal palace of the Jin capital.

It was already late in the evening, but the First Consort felt no drowsiness at all. She was twirling a blade of grass and teasing the hwamei[2] inside its cage.

Behind her stood a young eunuch with red eyebrows. Keeping his head bowed and avoiding eye contact, he swiftly but clearly recounted all the events surrounding Wei Yuan since his arrival in the capital.

The grass stalk in the First Consort’s hand suddenly came to a halt. She asked, “When he said, ‘He’s just a kindred king with no real power’, did King Wei hear that?”

“Many of the noblemen present at the hall had heard it, so I reckon that King Wei heard it as well.”

“You may go.”

The young eunuch bowed his head and quickly withdrew from the Spring Blossom Palace, still not daring to make eye contact. The last eunuch who had seen what he shouldn’t have had his eyes gouged out on the spot, and no one knew where he had gone since.

The First Consort asked calmly, “Where is His Majesty?”

A maidservant who had been standing in the shadows the entire time replied, “His Majesty went to the Vajra Zen Monastery outside the city this evening. He likely won’t be returning tonight.”

“I see. Go to sleep then.”

The maidservant left the room to prepare her night-time ablutions.

The First Consort gently stroked her lower abdomen and murmured to herself, a faint smile playing on her lips, “You even know to put yourself in the game—what a well-behaved puppy you are. I’ll definitely have to feed you another bite.”

For the next few days, Wei Yuan received no further calling cards. It seemed that after his acrimonious parting with King Wei that night, many people who had originally intended to invite him to a Hongmen Feast[3] had backed down. Others who had intended to befriend him also quietly withdrew their calling cards to distance themselves from him.

Wei Yuan was only too happy to enjoy some peace and quiet. He ordered the officials at the posthouse to bring up over a dozen boxes of the History of Jin. Every day, he contemplated the sword for most of the day and read through the volumes one by one at a leisurely pace during his spare time.

Starting with the latest recorded history, Wei Yuan read from the most recent to the most distant. After reading just two volumes, he could discern the sigh hidden beneath the text by the historians.

According to the Rites of Tang, feudal lords and kings could only be enfeoffed as marquises or below. They could not even be enfeoffed as dukes. Only the Son of Heaven possessed the right to confer the titles of “king” and “duke”. However, as the Nine States grew stronger and the Son of Heaven grew weaker, the states had long been filled with all sorts of Dukes of the State. There had been instances of members of the imperial family enfeoffing themselves as kings, and even enfeoffed kings who bore a different surname altogether. By now, everyone had long since grown accustomed to such practices.

The History of Jin was rife with the Spring and Autumn Annals style of writing, making it quite the arduous reading experience. Fortunately, Wei Yuan was well-versed in A History of Tang, and he was able to uncover many hidden truths by cross-referencing the two texts.

Wei Yuan discovered that during the first 30 years of the King of Jin’s personal rule, he had grown the northern border by a whopping 3,000 li. This achievement alone was enough to earn him a reputation for wisdom and martial prowess. But in the 50 years that followed, it was as if he was a completely different person: his mood became unpredictable, he appointed treacherous and corrupt officials, and he reduced the common people to a state of utter destitution.

There was the saying that good fortune never comes in pairs, and misfortune never comes alone. In the past, a natural disaster significant enough to be recorded in the annals would occur every 3 to 5 years. Consequently, the people’s plight grew increasingly dire, and there were even occasional instances of people starving to death.

The King of Jin had reigned for 80 years thus far. The current Crown Prince had been chosen at the young age of 12, and it had been 44 years since he moved into the Chengqian Hall.

Upon reading this, Wei Yuan fell deep into thought. Compared to most Kings of Humans, the King of Jin had reigned for an exceptionally long time.

The History of Jin only recorded one side of the story, and even that was fragmentary, vague, and riddled with the Spring and Autumn Annals style of writing. On top of that, the names of those in high position were often omitted.

In addition to the History of Jin, there was the History of Immortals.

Two of the Seven Surnames and Thirteen Honored, the Xu Clan and the Lü Clan, resided in Western Jin. Both were presided over by Immortal Lords. Interestingly, not only did the main household of the Lü Clan reside in Ning Province, but the branch associated with the King of Jin also wasn’t the eldest legitimate line.

However, there were no records to be found in the History of Immortals. All Wei Yuan could recall was what he had learned during the Foundational Studies of the Path to Immortality of the centralized learning curriculum. Looking at it now, the internal relationships within the Lü Clan seemed somewhat peculiar.

For example, among the Three Lees of the Seven Surnames and Thirteen Honored, two—the Lee Clan of Southern Qi and the Lee Clan of Zhao—were both headed by the royal family. Their Immortal Lords also had the blood of royals running in their veins. This was completely different from the Lü Clan.

Currently, the King of Jin had a total of 19 sons and 27 daughters, the vast majority of which were between the ages of 15 and 35. Only a few of the King of Jin’s children had been enfeoffed as kings, whereas most of the rest held the title of dukes. As a result, there were over 50 Dukes of the State of Jin; which was a quite ridiculous sum.

Among his children, the one who caught Wei Yuan’s attention was the son born to the First Consort, now seven years old and enfeoffed as the King Fu[4].

During his audience with the King of Jin, Wei Yuan had observed that the man was full of vitality. It wouldn’t be a problem for him to live another decade at all. By then, the Crown Prince would have gained a reputation for achieving nothing of note during his lifetime, while the other princes would be in the prime of their lives. For instance, King Wei had already built up a strong base of support, and in 10 years’ time, his power would only become greater. Also, the First Consort’s son would be 17 in 10 years—would a woman like her have no ambitions or plans?

She was already making quite the move right now!

After poring over the historical records for several days, a single phrase gradually crystallized in Wei Yuan’s mind: Struggle for the throne!

It was now late at night. A frosty wind howled, causing the great trees in the courtyard to rustle loudly and the last few leaves to fall to the ground.

When dawn broke, the autumn hunt would begin.

1. Refer to chapter 287. ☜

2. The Chinese hwamei or melodious laughingthrush (Garrulax canorus) is a passerine bird of eastern Asia in the laughingthrush family Leiothrichidae. The name ”hwamei” comes from its Chinese name huà méi, which means ”painted eyebrow”, referring to the distinctive marking around the bird’s eyes. The species is a popular cagebird because of its attractive song. ☜

3. Refers to a famous episode in 206 BC when future Han emperor Liu Bang escaped attempted murder by his rival Xiangyu. ☜

4. Meaning Blessing or Happiness. ☜