Chapter 391

He looked at Wei Xikang, his tone carrying a sense of accomplishment: "He finally ascended the throne, and he trusted me even more, almost following my every word.

My grand plan for revenge could finally begin.

What I wanted to destroy was not just one person; I wanted to make this entire Da Qian empire rot from the roots!

To let the descendants of the Wei family kill each other and ruin the ancestral foundation!"

"So... the old case of the Dong Gong, Shen Mo being framed, and replacing him with those pedantic scholars who only knew how to talk about benevolence and righteousness to teach me, was also your handiwork?"

Wei Xikang's voice was trembling; he remembered that in his youth, he was originally more interested in practical studies, but the Father Emperor suddenly replaced Shen Mo and other teachers who had a spirit of practical action with a group of old pedants who were full of benevolence and morality but knew nothing about government affairs, under the pretext that "the Crown Prince needs to understand benevolence and virtue," molding him in the direction of being "benevolent" and even "pedantic."

"Correct!" The Yuan Lineage of Divination and Calculation admitted frankly, his tone even carrying a trace of pride.

"A Crown Prince who is taught only to know 'the benevolent love others,' 'be generous to subordinates,' and is indecisive when encountering matters, how could he control this complex court situation and his brothers who were eyeing him like tigers?

What I wanted was a 'perfect' target, a successor who looked orthodox and benevolent but was actually weak and easy to bully.

Only in this way could I stir up the ambitions of the other princes, especially... your good younger brother, Wei Xi Yuan."

His gaze turned to the ashen-faced Wei Xi Yuan: "As for you, my dear 'second nephew'... you are naturally sensitive, suspicious, proud, and have an extraordinary desire for power.

I only needed to whisper in your Father Emperor's ear at the right time, saying that your elder brother's temperament was too benevolent and he might not be a ruler capable of holding the fort in troubled times, and that he needed a 'whetstone' to sharpen his character.

And this 'whetstone,' naturally, was you, his younger brother who was also born of the main wife and had ambition.

I hinted to your Father Emperor to keep you in the capital, not to grant you a fief, and tacitly allowed or even secretly pushed you to form cliques and cultivate power... all to ensure that you brothers would sooner or later fight to the death for that dragon chair!"

"Father Emperor... he really listened?"

Wei Xi Yuan asked hoarsely; he still found it hard to accept that the tragedy of his life originated from such a conspiracy hidden for decades, and that the Father Emperor he revered had actually become a pawn in someone else's revenge!

"Why wouldn't he believe it?"

The Yuan Lineage of Divination and Calculation sneered, "A 'divine calculator' who helped him ascend the throne, a 'loyal minister' who seemed to be wholeheartedly thinking of him and the empire, proposed suggestions that seemed reasonable—to train the Crown Prince and stabilize the foundation of the country. Of course he would listen!

Furthermore, emperors are naturally suspicious, having both expectations and precautions for their successors.

My suggestion happened to scratch his most sensitive itch.

He thought everything was under his control, using you as a knife to sharpen the Crown Prince. Little did he know, what I aimed for was to destroy the lifeblood of his Wei family's empire!"

He paused, looking at the deathly pale Wei Xikang and the confused Wei Xi Yuan, and continued: "The later events, you all know.

Wei Xikang was deliberately cultivated by me into a 'benevolent' puppet, and Wei Xi Yuan was secretly pushed by me to become an ambitious 'whetstone.'

The government became increasingly corrupt under the control of Si Gui and others, and public grievances boiled over.

Western Liang King Wei Wenlie rebelled, Jiang Jinshi rose in Beijiang... all of this, although not directly caused by me, was within my expectations.

Watching you brothers kill each other, watching the Imperial Court fall apart, watching the smoke of war rise across this vast empire... only then could the evil breath I had held in for decades be released a little! Haha... Hahaha!"

The crazy laughter echoed in the hall, filled with the resentment accumulated over decades and the madness of finally getting his wish.

Yan Wu, however, asked: "Since that is the case, why did you save me and Wei Xikang back then?"

The Yuan Lineage of Divination and Calculation laughed: "Because I was afraid! I was afraid that my nephew Wei Xi Yuan would really succeed! The Da Qian empire would not have perished because of that! So I kept Wei Xikang; they would inevitably kill each other!"

Wei Xikang staggered backward, holding onto a nearby pillar to barely stand steady.

What kind of truth is truly despairing?

When he learned that even his own personality was molded by others!

It turned out that the "benevolence" he believed in, the hardships he experienced, the brothers' falling out, the collapse of the empire... behind it all, there was a black hand hidden so deep and planning for so long in control!

And he himself had once regarded this "benefactor" and "master" as a trustworthy elder!

Wei Xi Yuan stood blankly in place, feeling only that this was a huge absurdity.

He had struggled his whole life, calculated every step, and even went so far as to kill his brother and imprison his sister-in-law, only to find in the end that he was just a pawn on someone else's chessboard of revenge?

A tool whose destiny was set and used to destroy his own family's empire?

This made him feel... more ridiculous than losing to Jiang Jinshi.

Jiang Jinshi listened calmly throughout, and only then did he slowly speak: "So, you helping Wei Xikang escape the capital was not out of genuine desire to save him, but because you didn't want him to die so early, wanting this drama of brothers killing each other to play out longer and more tragically?"

The Yuan Lineage of Divination and Calculation nodded and admitted frankly: "Correct. If he had died then, and Wei Xi Yuan had secured the empire, although he was also a muddled ruler, he might not have thrown the world into such chaos so quickly.

Keeping him meant there were variables, there was hope, and there was... the possibility of continued internal strife and consumption. Facts have proven that I was right."

The hall fell into a long silence again; the truth was too shocking, and everyone needed time to digest it.

The Yuan Lineage of Divination and Calculation looked at Jiang Jinshi and said: "Give me a quick death! My great revenge has been fulfilled, and I have no desire to linger!"

Hearing this, Jiang Jinshi sneered: "What are you pretending for in front of me? If you really wanted to die, would you have sent your two disciples to different sides?"

"I... I just wanted them to have a good future, so they wouldn't live mediocre lives and die with regrets!"

The Yuan Lineage of Divination and Calculation said this with very little confidence; as he spoke, he carefully looked at Wang Hou, clearly having been tortured quite badly during this time.

Jiang Jinshi mocked: "Don't make yourself sound so noble; you just wanted to bring down Da Qian and then enjoy your old age, sitting on wealth and glory!"

Wang Hou also said: "If you were really good to your two disciples, how could you let them go to opposite sides as enemies?"

Hearing this, the Yuan Lineage of Divination and Calculation stopped talking, because that was indeed what he had thought.

Originally, seeing that Da Qian's situation was gone in the palace, he took the opportunity to send someone to Beijiang to find Yu Heng; Yu Heng was naturally overjoyed to receive his master's message, and the two successfully made contact.

It just so happened that the war on the front lines was tense, and Wang Hou naturally had to keep an eye on all situations in the dark, and as a result, he accidentally discovered this scene.

When the Yuan Lineage of Divination and Calculation came to Beijiang to find Yu Heng, he was directly captured by the scouts Wang Hou had planted in the dark.

At that time, Wang Hou only thought the Yuan Lineage of Divination and Calculation was sent by Wei Xi Yuan, so he directly captured him and interrogated him with torture, never expecting to ask about such an old story.