Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“You have to be cautious when making friends. A friend like her is not worth making.” Jiang Pengji pointed at the young girl and continued, “If you’re sensible, you should leave on your own. I don’t like to embarrass a 15 or 16-year-old girl. It would make me look like a bad person.”
The young girl bit her lip and tried to stop her molar teeth from shaking. She turned around and ran away, covering her face.
Wuniang had been confused from the start.
“Be careful. Not everyone is worth being friends with, nor can every topic be poured out to the other party.”
Looking at Wuniang’s outfit, Jiang Pengji frowned. “Are you Zhu Wuniang of Master Yuan Jing’s family?” She had heard that Master Yuan Jing had a daughter, but she had never met her.
“How did you know?”
“I’ve seen your hairpin on your mother. You’re called Wuniang, so I think you can only be the Master’s daughter.”
Wuniang subconsciously raised her hand and touched the hairpin that was inserted into her bun. Her pale cheeks were a little blushed. “Are you my father’s student?”
Jiang Pengji nodded. She put down the clogs in her hand and put them on.
“I’ve never met you though.”
“There are so many students in Langye Academy, and not everyone is taught by the Master himself. It’s very normal for you to have never seen me.”
Although it was said to be an academy, it was very different from the kind of school that Jiang Pengji knew.
Rather than saying it was an academy, it was better to say that it was a library that did part-time teaching. Most of the students came to discuss their doubts with each other. If there was no solution, they would then look to Master Yuan Jing for help. Most of them usually studied and learned by themselves. All of them were only present when Master Yuan Jing was teaching.
Of course, the young students had special pedants that would teach them how to read and write.
Jiang Pengji did not belong to that group of students, so of course, she was not at the academy all the time. It was normal for the two of them to have not met each other.
Wuniang responded with an “Oh” and kept her head down. When she thought about how the person in front of her had heard her entire conversation with the young girl, she felt very uncomfortable.
“May I ask you a question?” Jiang Pengji frowned. “Why do other people slander Zixiao like that?”
According to the conversation between the two girls, she could guess a little, but she still did not understand some parts. It was too foolish and arbitrary to judge Wei Ci’s character just by looking at the eight characters of a horoscope.
Wuniang looked hesitant. She initially thought that Jiang Pengji acted ignorant to draw something out of her, but after taking a closer look, she noticed that she really did not know a thing.
“In fact, it’s not Brother Ci’s fault.” Wuniang puckered her mouth and felt sorry for Wei Ci. “Brother Ci was born early, and he lost his mother when he was born. He was almost choked to death at birth… In the end, he survived by luck, but nobody likes him…”
Jiang Pengji raised her eyebrows. “Is that all?”
If it was so simple, then why was he disliked and avoided by the entire Langye County? Although the young girl who left was garrulous and had some evil intentions, Jiang Pengji could feel that she did not lie about Wei Ci’s plight in Langye.
“This…” Wuniang stammered. She had no choice but to reveal more. “When Brother Ci was 15 years old, his stepmother tried to act as a matchmaker for him. The two families were about to match their eight characters of the horoscope, but when the eight characters were taken out, the girl firmly broke their pledge of marriage and spread his eight characters.”
Jiang Pengji was puzzled. How strange were his eight characters that it had so much influence in her decision?
“His eight characters are fated for him to mourn his wife, children, parents, and even his clan. That’s why people fear him.” Seeing that Jiang Pengji did not understand her, Wuniang had no choice but to summon up courage and continue. “Brother Ci was born on the 22nd day of the eighth lunar month in the year of Guiyou, between eleven o’clock at night and one o’clock in the morning…”
The 22nd day of the eighth lunar month in the year of Guiyou, between eleven o’clock at night and one o’clock in the morning…? Jiang Pengji somehow felt that it was a bit familiar. She could not help but ponder. She seemed to have seen it somewhere.
“This time of birth…” Jiang Pengji suddenly remembered the content of The Tittle-Tattle of Unofficial History and asked, “Is this really his date of birth and the eight characters of his horoscope?”
“Yes!”
Jiang Pengji suddenly realized and understood the reason why people feared and discriminated against Wei Ci so much.
If he was born in the year of Guiyou, then Wei Ci had an age difference of three Jiazi years, which was 180 years, with the famous historical figure. Being in the ancient era for so many years, Jiang Pengji had begun to understand some of the taboos that existed.
After the cycle of a Jiazi year, Wei Ci’s date of birth and the eight characters of his horoscope were exactly the same as that of a famous historical figure. He lost his mother when he was born, which seemed to confirm that he was fated to mourn the death of his mother. That made people feel anxious and fearful. Could it be that he was the reincarnation of the historical figure?
Which historical figure? The Prime Minister during the founding of the Xia dynasty, Huangfu Fengmin, with the middle name Xiu, was born in Langye County. He was a famous figure in the past.
The ancestors of the three tribes of the Northern Borderline, the Qiangwu tribe, led 500,000 cavalries and conquered half of the Central Plains. In the end, they were stopped by the historical figure at the Qichuan Plains. An inferno burned in the darkness. 500,000 innocent souls died on the plain and no one survived.
According to some elders, every time there was a special time and date, white dust would rise on the Qichuan plains, as if it were the ashes of the cavalries!
That was not considered to be ruthless. What was ruthless, however, was that the historical figure used to turn tens of thousands of captives into human crisps and dried meat for military use. They had fought in the most tragic war before the founding of Xia dynasty. He seemed to have done lots of things like burning cities and massacring the inhabitants of captured cities.
He was merciless towards his enemies, so it was reasonable for the enemies to loathe him. However, why did the descendants of the Xia dynasty also hate him so much and avoid mentioning his name?
According to the rumors, he held the princeling hostage and tried to replace him. In the end, he was killed by the young emperor, who swallowed humiliation and bore a heavy load.
The young emperor hated him to death. He beheaded him and severed his corpse. His heart was taken out to be made into food. The young emperor cooked and shared it with his ministers and senior officials… Jiang Pengji was completely stunned when she read that part of the history.
There was another rumor in the unofficial history: The young emperor consulted with his confidant and recruited the Taoist priest, who had achieved the highest state in practicing Taoism, to make a mahogany coffin that could crush his soul. He placed his headless corpse inside and confined his soul, using his heinous hatred to repress the lifeline of the Xia dynasty.
In the unofficial history, it was also said that before the Xia dynasty was destroyed, there was thunder and lightning, as well as a monstrous flood. The storm caused the mountains to collapse, revealing the mahogany coffin.
The mahogany coffin was hacked open by a farmer who was chopping firewood on the mountain. The innocent souls were set free, breaking the destiny of the Xia dynasty.
Wei Ci was born after the collapse of the Xia dynasty. People could not help but wonder if he was the reincarnation of the historical figure and came to seek revenge.
However, Wei Ci became more and more charming after he grew up. He brimmed with talent. He displayed great talents, be it in the Six Arts of Rites or other heresies… When his engagement was broken off, his date of birth and the eight characters of his horoscope were spread throughout Langye County. Naturally, people felt jittery.
They did not fear him to the extent that they wanted to kill him, but he led a difficult life.
“I didn’t know that Zixiao had such a legendary past life,” Jiang Pengji teased with a smile.
Wuniang was so anxious that her eyes turned red. “It’s impossible that Brother Ci is the reincarnation of Prime Minister Huangfu. It’s also impossible for him to have done such a horrible thing.”
Jiang Pengji tilted her head. “Prime Minister Huangfu assisted Emperor Xia. He helped him to become the emperor, who gained supremacy over the nine states from a petty hooligan. What kind of a character was he? If he’s reincarnated, Wei Ci should be happy. Maybe the world needs someone like him.”
“Huh?” Wuniang was confused.
That was not the point. However, there seemed to be nothing wrong with such a way of thinking…
Jiang Pengji called to the System in her mind. “What dimension is this? Was there actually a reincarnation that went against the laws of science?”
The System rolled its eyes. “That historical figure didn’t reincarnate. Everything is purely coincidental.”
Jiang Pengji did not say a word. Coincidental? Wei Ci would cry if he heard that.
Could a coincidence have really made him suffer his whole life?
