Chapter 718

The Chunhua Palace was still the same as before, but the feeling it gave Wei Yuan was slightly different.

Wei Yuan and Liu Quangong walked one after the other along the small path in the palace toward the Chunhua Palace. The palace maids and eunuchs seen along the way were few and far between; the vast royal palace had inexplicably gained a lot of desolate and murderous intent.

After the Crown Prince's rebellion and death last time, because the Crown Prince had stayed in the palace many times at night, the Prince of Jin had carried out a major purge of the palace. Just the eunuchs and palace servants who were beheaded numbered over a hundred, and more than ten concubines and hundreds of palace servants were sent out of the palace to practice in nunneries in the mountains outside the city.

Now most of the vacancies had not been filled, so the palace was naturally cold and quiet.

As they were walking along the small path, they suddenly heard a palace maid's soft cry from a side path: "Your Highness, don't do this! Your Highness!"

Then came a voice with a slightly childish tone: "Stand still and don't move, or I will kill you!"

Wei Yuan had an excellent memory and knew immediately that it was Prince Fu's voice, so he changed direction and walked into the side alley. Deep in the alley, a half-grown boy was grabbing a palace maid, his hand exploring her bosom.

Liu Quangong followed behind Wei Yuan, unfazed by this.

The boy's height had already reached the palace maid's nose. He turned his head to look, and seeing it was Wei Yuan, his expression immediately became somewhat flustered, while his eyes were filled with resentment; it was naturally Prince Fu.

Prince Fu pulled his hand out of the palace maid's bosom and said, "I, I was playing a game with her? Do you have to manage this too?"

Little Prince Fu both hated and feared Wei Yuan. The trip to Qingming had left him with nothing but painful memories. His mother, who had always doted on him, had paid little attention to him since she had a younger brother. In Qingming, because of Wei Yuan, he had not only been slapped but had also been subjected to family discipline in private several times.

At this time, he was growing older and his mind had opened; he knew about the affairs between men and women. Coupled with his always arrogant nature, he had pulled a palace maid aside to explore the new world, never expecting to run into Wei Yuan at this very moment.

Wei Yuan was also somewhat surprised; little Prince Fu was only just over ten years old, and he already knew how to do these things?

At this moment, the sentence Xu Lanshan had said flashed through Wei Yuan's mind: "Prince Fu is also surnamed Lü." Then he remembered the sudden, aimless sentence the Prince of Jin had said: "Prince Fu is still young, be good to him."

Wei Yuan's heart stirred, and he decided he should indeed be good to Prince Fu, but in his own way.

Wei Yuan strode toward little Prince Fu, making no effort to hide his aura. Prince Fu was, after all, still a child. During these days of collecting information on Wei Yuan, everything he saw was about "an old demon possessing a body, swallowing eight hundred thousand spirits in one gulp," and he had long been terrified. At this moment, seeing Wei Yuan walking over like a mountain, he was instantly terrified, sat down on the ground, and wailed loudly.

A gentle smile appeared on Wei Yuan's face. He pulled little Prince Fu up, patted the dust off his clothes, and smiled, "Why are you so afraid of me? I am a good friend of your mother; we can also become good friends. This is a gift for you."

Several storybooks appeared in Wei Yuan's hand, which he stuffed into little Prince Fu's hands, saying, "Don't let others see this, and definitely don't let your mother see it, understand? Read it quickly; in three days, these storybooks will disappear."

Little Prince Fu looked at Wei Yuan with vigilance. At this moment, the storybook in his hand suddenly flipped open a few pages. The few lines of content revealed on it instantly made his mouth dry and his little heart beat wildly. In this way, there was no way he would return these storybooks.

Another piece of immortal silver appeared in Wei Yuan's hand, which he cut into several pieces with Dao power and placed into little Prince Fu's hand, saying, "If you want others to do something for you, you must give them some benefits. Keep these; next time you have something to do, give one piece, and you will get what you want."

Little Prince Fu naturally recognized the immortal silver and silently took it. Wei Yuan smiled slightly, patted his shoulder, and said, "There are many more fun things; next time you come to Qingming, I will have someone take you out to play."

Little Prince Fu looked at Wei Yuan with vigilance and said nothing. Wei Yuan did not say much more and left the side alley with Liu Quangong.

On the last stretch of the road, Wei Yuan said, "Does Chief Steward Liu not want to say anything?"

Liu Quangong said, "This is also fine; for the most part, one can have a good end."

Wei Yuan, however, shook his head and said nothing. Little Prince Fu was also a pawn of the immortals. As a pawn, entering the game with one's own body was one's duty; wanting a good end was difficult.

The Chunhua Palace was actually livelier than before; the palace servants and eunuchs were all fully staffed, and each one was working with all their might.

Wei Yuan walked into the courtyard and up to the hall, seeing Concubine Yuan sitting in the hall, her maidservants having been replaced again. Seeing Wei Yuan, Concubine Yuan waved the maidservants away and took Wei Yuan into the back hall.

In the back hall, a small bed was placed, and little Xiao Chu Wang was taking a nap on it. Naturally, Wei Yuan saw at a glance that this little Xiao Chu Wang was fake.

"Long time no see, I have prepared a little something for you." Wei Yuan took out a small jade bottle tied with silk thread and said, "Wear this close to your body; it has the effect of blessing good fortune and avoiding disasters."

A smile rippled across Concubine Yuan's face, and she said, "I happen to need it."

She immediately took it, tied it directly around her neck, and then tucked the small jade bottle into her collar.

This jade bottle was a "fortune-turning bottle" that Wei Yuan had asked Yu Zhizhuo to refine, referencing the Daoist scriptures in the Grand Void Palace; it could store a thousand units of human fortune inside. If worn close to the body, the human fortune would slowly emit, which could enhance the wearer's luck. Therefore, avoiding disasters was no exaggeration.

The two chatted briefly, and Wei Yuan rose to take his leave; Concubine Yuan did not keep him long. Wei Yuan left the Chunhua Palace, and Liu Quangong saw him out of the palace, then Zhao Tong took over and led Wei Yuan toward the outside of the city.

The royal capital was also showing coldness everywhere; years of war had caused countless young and strong men to die on the front lines, and now even the royal capital was finally showing signs of the end times.

Looking at this desolate scene and recalling the infighting and entanglement among the various princes and noble families, Wei Yuan suddenly felt a strong feeling and subconsciously said, "This is truly meaningless!"

A voice sounded behind him: "What does Lord Wei find meaningless?"

Wei Yuan turned his head and saw the Left Chancellor appear behind him, not knowing when. This move by the Left Chancellor was somewhat shocking, but Wei Yuan carried the national fortune of Western Jin and saw at a glance that the Left Chancellor had a very rich amount of magic power from the royal capital's protective formation on him.

Apparently, apart from the Prince of Jin, Concubine Yuan, as well as little Xiao Chu Wang and the Prince of Wei, the Left Chancellor was the person with the highest authority over the formation, which showed that the Left Chancellor had regained the trust of the Prince of Jin.

Since the Left Chancellor asked, Wei Yuan said, "Many things that everyone fights to the death for are actually meaningless. But there are still many interesting things in this world that need people to do."

The Left Chancellor seemed interested and said, "What things are interesting? Lord Wei might as well speak in detail? If I can be of help, I will certainly not refuse."

Wei Yuan's heart stirred, and he said, "There is one thing right now that indeed needs your help."

"Speak freely."

Wei Yuan said, "I would like to ask you to issue a notice for me, saying that Qingming sincerely invites scholars from all over the world to go to Qingming to lecture, discuss the Dao, write books, and educate people. As long as they are talented scholars, Qingming will treat them with courtesy, and if they are willing, they can also hold positions in the Qingming Academy."

The Left Chancellor said, "If Lord Wei calls out from a high position, I am afraid that scholars from all over the world will flock here. But I have one more question: what does Lord Wei want to do by summoning so many scholars?"

Wei Yuan did not hide it at this point and said, "I have an idea to open Qingming Academies in every town, large or small. All citizens of Qingming can enter the academy to study and receive enlightenment. All those who are illiterate must receive enlightenment until they have a basic grasp of literacy."

The Left Chancellor was moved, and the two advisors behind him gasped even more.

However, the Left Chancellor was someone who had seen great storms and waves, so his expression quickly returned to normal, and he agreed fully. After Wei Yuan went far away, the two advisors behind the Left Chancellor said in surprise, "What exactly does this Wei Yuan want to do? Does he want everyone to be literate? Where in the world is there such a place?"

The other one also said, "Aiming too high and far, flashy and without substance!"

The Left Chancellor looked in the direction Wei Yuan had left, his eyes narrowed slightly, but he did not speak.

At this time, Wei Yuan had already left the city, bid farewell to Zhao Tong, and flew toward the northern mountain gate.

Ten thousand miles of mountains and rivers passed under his feet in an instant; in the sky, white clouds and grey dogs changed, and billions of years passed in a flash.

When Wei Yuan flew over the land, that feeling became even stronger. Even for an immortal, ten thousand years of lifespan is but an instant between heaven and earth. Rather than calculating all day, it is better to do something substantial.

In addition to the academy, he also planned to open medical clinics and Daoist academies that taught Body Forging cultivation everywhere in Qingming. All those above the level of commoners could study for free in the Daoist academies and schools.

Understanding literacy, cultivating the physique, and avoiding illness—these were the three things Wei Yuan prepared to roll out within Qingming. Just these three things spent all the immortal silver Wei Yuan had earned in the previous period, and he still owed quite a bit. However, Wei Yuan felt that this immortal silver was well spent.

(End of chapter)