Plundering the Dao of the Immortal Journey

Pei Mansion

It had snowed heavily for several consecutive days, which caused the entire area to be a blanketed by white snow. It’s only been several days, but the entire house had been cleaned and was spotless. There was even a new layer of wallpaper, giving the entire house a very elegant look.

When the door opened, Pei Zi Yun welcomed the person outside, who happened to be Ren Wei as he arrived on an oxcart. He said, "Young Master, I’ve bought several fish and two hundred grams of minced meat. I’ve prepared some pork lard, I even bought different cuts of meat including beef and ribs. As for vegetables, I only have cabbage."

Pei ZI Yun laughed, "Brother Ren, why did you have to go to such trouble? You could’ve asked someone to buy it for you."

"I was handling matters regarding the goods on your boats. Using some of your good fortunes, I sold the goods very quickly. In fact, it’s almost all sold out. I’ve earned 2,980 taels of silver."

"Since I had nothing to do, I decided to prepare some food for the new year which is fast approaching!" As Ren Wei mentioned the words ‘new year’ he started thinking about his wife and daughter back home, which caused his heart to ache from longing. He hurriedly smiled, "It’s good that I bought more, the weather these days has been extremely cold and poor."

Bai San Chu then brought out a jug of wine as she allowed it to heat up over the stove before she spoke, "The pot of soup within the hall is ready, please have a seat."

When Pei Zi Yun walked in to see, indeed, there was a huge pot of soup, and it was boiling hot. There were all kinds of delicious meat within, and the aroma of it was irresistible.

Just as the few of them had sat down, an oxcart stopped outside. This cart looked rather expensive, and seemed to belong to someone extremely wealthy. Even the curtains were embroidered with flowers. An old lady stepped out and knocked on the door.

"Who would be here at such a time?" Pei Zi Yun paused. Ren Wei then responded, "I shall go and take a look."

As soon as he opened the door, he was shocked by the mannerisms of the person who greeted him. An old lady bowed deeply before she spoke, "The master of my house wishes to meet Top Scorer Pei."

"The master of your house is?" Ren Wei asked.

Hearing this, the old woman replied, "The Grand Princess."

Ren Wei was taken aback by this reply as he hurriedly walked into the hall to inform Pei Zi Yun, who placed his chopsticks down and sighed, "Looks like I can’t even enjoy a meal in peace. Fine. You guys can go ahead, I’ll be out."

As he finished speaking, he changed into a fresh set of robes, a flute hung from his waist. When the old lady saw this, her eyes lit up as she welcomed him, "Master Top Scorer, the Grand Princess invites you over on urgent business."

Pei Zi Yun was somewhat aware of what it might be. He thus walked into the cart. There was an incense burner within the cart, which cause sweet smelling smoke to rise and perforate the cabin.

As they sat back, the old lady congratulated Pei Zi Yun on being recently awarded the title of Dao Master. The driver then picked up the reins and started their journey.

Grand Princess’ Mansion

When the oxcart reached a halt, Pei ZI Yun disembarked as the old woman led the way, "Please follow me master Top Scorer."

As they walked along the alley, many guards and serving maids bowed to him. He crossed several arches and walkways until he arrived at a hall. As he entered, he could smell a certain fragrance diffused all across the hall. Pei Zi Yun scanned his surroundings and noticed that at every corner of the hall sat an incense burner. The Grand Princess was seated, deep in thought.

"Grand Princess." Pei Zi Yun bowed deeply.

The Princess waved a hand, "Sit."

Pei Zi Yun stepped forward and sat down as he watched the Princess mutter under her breath before she spoke, "Do you know why I have called you here?"

Pei Zi Yun paused before he replied, "It must be regarding the Crown Prince’s alleged affair."

"Yes, the affair. As soon as the Crown Prince entered the palace, someone told the Emperor yet another tale. It was said that the Crown Prince was carrying certain medication on him. The Emperor ordered someone to conduct a thorough search on the Crown Prince, but failed to discover anything."

"The Crown Prince was relieved of all charges, and even shed a tear from relief. He then told the Emperor that there were records of him whenever he came and left his Palace. Additionally, there were records of any other people entering his Palace as well. He urged the Emperor to check these records and acquit him of these false charges."

"The Emperor was enraged by this, and ordered the person who told him these tales to be put to death."

"As soon as the Crown Prince returned to his own residences, he ordered his people to investigate the entire palace to determine who was the person responsible for planting the pills on him. Everyone working within the Crown Prince palace was thus extremely edgy and jittery." The Grand Princess sighed deeply after she spoke.

The Crown Prince had gotten himself in some deep trouble, for his enemies were extremely vile. What if they had planted poison or tried to kill him?

It was thus appropriate that he did his best to uncover the people responsible for this.

When Pei Zi Yun heard this, he didn’t say anything.

The Grand Princess then swept a glance at him before she asked, "What opinions do you have on this matter?"

Pei Zi Yun stood up and paced several steps around before he asked, "Didn’t the Grand Princess say she wanted to have no part in this conflict between the Crown Prince and King Lu? Why have you decided against that now?"

"Hm, I don’t believe you have no idea why. Since there’s a traitor within the Crown Prince’s company, I have to get involved as well. How can I remain impartial in light of the recent events? The Grand Princess spoke very frankly as her face turned pale, "If you have any opinions, you can say them now!"

Pei Zi Yun maintained an expressionless face, "Seeing a situation like this, it’s rather clear that King Lu had managed to win over the hearts of many people, even those who’re working for the Crown Prince."

"A servant told the Emperor that the Crown Prince was having an affair with someone within his palace. If this servant really loved the Crown Prince, why would he attempt to harm the country over something as minor as this? As a result, the servant was killed for this. As for the concubine who supposedly had an affair with the Crown Prince is alright."

"Now, the Crown Prince has to sift through his own people and differentiate good from bad. Doing this would cause him to have doubts about the loyalties of his own men."

These words were the bare truth. Hearing this caused the Grand Princess to look afraid. Pei Zi Yun then continued, "The Emperor couldn’t find the supposed pills, and thus ordered the servant to be put to death. This was all perfectly normal."

"Phew, now that you say it like that, I’m enlightened!" The Grand Princess placed a book down by the table as she tucked her hair behind her ears.

"We have to get rid of the hesitancy and doubts within the Emperor’s mind. If not, this might alter the Crown Prince’s future." Pei Zi Yun smiled as he spoke.

"Oh? What should we do." The Grand Princess asked through knitted brows.

"Grand Princess, the Crown Prince is the heir apparent to the throne. The most important thing for an heir apparent is that he’s always seen as a nobility with solid moral foundations and strong virtues. This fact must be undeniable by all. It also means that he must not be seen as competing for the throne"

"However, that doesn\'t mean that he truly has to stop competing for the throne. The logic behind this is that the Crown Prince is only second in stature and authority to the Emperor. If he were to compete for the throne, wouldn’t he be competing against the Emperor himself?"

"There are many things at this point that King Lu can do, but the Crown Prince cannot do."

"For the Crown Prince, it would always be advantageous for him to not take part in ugly political fights, but always been seen as giving in!"

"And yet there are some matters that he has to fight for regardless of the consequences. Hence, when it comes to these areas, he has to show that he will fight to the end. Things that he should always be fighting for would be family and morals."

"Family and morals?"

Pei Zi Yun nodded his head, "Yes. The Crown Prince can tell the Emperor that the only reason why he was framed this way was because he wasn’t far sighted enough to prevent such things from happening. This was the result of his lack of education. He should use this incident to press the Emperor to give him a teacher to tutor him, and to prevent such occurrences from happening in future."

"To receive education at such an age, even despite his grand statuses, is a sort of virtue. Wanting to learn, and being teachable are good virtues to have."

When the Grand Princess still looked confused, Pei Zi Yun laughed, "The Crown Prince is the heir apparent to the throne. Should the heir apparent show the Emperor that he’s still willing to learn and pursue wisdom, he would be helping his cause."

"In receiving education and wisdom, we know that the one thing most scholars are against would be extensive liberties. Since the Crown Prince is extremely ambitious, and yet he’s the subject of many evil schemes, how can the Emperor not worry for him?’

"To gain wisdom through reading and writing would mean that the Crown Prince is serious about pursuing wisdom. How can the Emperor not be glad when he sees this?"

"When the masses look at their Crown Prince, and see this, how can they not be in admiration of him?"

"This is called picking your battles."

The Grand Princess paused, and was deep in thought. The more she pondered over it, the more sense it made, and yet there was depth to whatever he had said. Should the Crown Prince say he wishes to learn and gain wisdom as well as to improve his virtues, everyone under the heavens including the Emperor would be glad.

Hiring a renowned teacher for the Crown Prince would also mean that he would have another wise counsellor by his side.

Being the teacher to the Crown Prince would also mean that he belongs to the Crown Prince’s camp. Someone who’s qualified enough to be a teacher to the Crown Prince would have to be a highly respected official who’s in authority now. Adding such a person to the Crown Prince’s side would see that he has gained another powerful figure!

The Grand Princess then looked at Pei Zi Yun and thought that he was extremely wise. She then spoke, "I now understand. As for family, there will be another addition to the Crown Prince’s family."

Pei Zi Yun paused as he looked at the Grand Princess in surprise, "The Imperial Concubine is pregnant again?"

The Grand Princess then replied, "Yes, she’s three months pregnant now."

Pei Zi Yun then asked, "How many people know of this news?"

When the Grand Princess heard Pei Zi Yun’s repeated questions, she wasn’t too pleased, and yet when this question was asked, she realized something wasn’t quite right. She thus replied, "There are indeed several people who’ve heard of this news."

"It’s no wonder then. With such a news being spread, everyone knows that this is a huge boon to the Crown Prince. If he does truly have another son, his position on the throne would be more stable. Destabilizing him when that happens would be truly impossible." Pei Zi Yun spoke.

"What you’re trying to say, is that King Lu found out about this, and hence tried to make a move on the Crown Prince?" The Grand Princess blinked several times before asking coldly.

"I suppose this is so!" Pei Zi Yun spoke before he continued, "Does the Emperor know about this? If he doesn\'t, we can let a physician tell him."

Just as the Grand Princess was about to speak, there was a knock on the door. An old servant spoke, "Grand Princess, Official Su has an urgent matter to report."

The Grand Princess paused before she spoke, "Announce for Official Su to enter."

It was late at night, as an official walked frantically into the room. At this point, he looked at Pei Zi Yun before he reported, "Grand Princess, this humble subject has been hearing news through the commoners. There has been a rumor going on that the Crown Prince has defiled his harem via his philandering ways. There are many people spreading the rumors, and they have been making their rounds."

Hearing the report by the official, the Grand Princess flew into a rage as she flung the teacup in her hands to the ground, which caused tea to splash everywhere. She then shouted, "Shameless. How dare he use such unscrupulous methods. What a disgrace!"

The Grand Princess trembled in anger as Pei Zi Yun watched her. He understood how she felt. She had a pair of nephews that were competing for the throne. One of them had restored to vile methods and was extremely upsetting.

"Leave us." The Grand Princess spoke after calming herself down. The official and guard thus left. Grand Princess then stood up and kept her book before speaking, "Follow me for a walk."

While they walked down the corridors, snowflakes landed softly on the ground. The Princess then spoke, "I understand now. Crown Prince’s concubine is pregnant, and King Lu cannot sit by idly and allow such a thing to happen. However, his methods are extremely vile, to start spreading such rumors among the common folks. It’s a disgrace."

Pei Zi Yun laughed, "Just one look and everyone can tell that this was done by King Lu. What do you think the Emperor and all the other officials will think about this?"

"Adding to the fact that the Crown Prince has been studying, gaining wisdom and acquiring virtues. What do you think the Emperor and the officials will think about this?"

"Everything becomes very clear."

"Of course, just doing something like this isn’t enough as a form of retaliation. The lantern festival is fast approaching once again. I’ve heard that the Crown Prince represented the Emperor last year in thanking the commoners. Does he want to do it again this year?"

"I have a plan. It’s called luring a snake out from its cave." Pei ZI Yun then whispered several words to the Princess, as he smelt the perfume on her.

The Princess looked at him in gleaming eyes and replied, "Good. A good plan!"

At this point, there was the sound of a Qin playing. It was the Canton Princess, who was playing a sorrowful tune.

The Grand Princess seemed to have something to say, but changed her mind. She then looked at Pei Zi Yun, "You’ve brought your flute. My daughter is playing a sorrowful melody, do you have any way to make it livelier and happier?"

As the Grand Princess said this, her expression was one of fatigue and exhaustion. Everyone assumed that royalty led comfortable and a perpetually happy life. Who would expect such an expression to ever be on her face?

"At once." Pei Zi Yun spoke as he began playing a tune.

The sounds of the Qin resembled one of a sorrowful bird, who was lonely, and was all by herself in this cold world. All of a sudden, another tune joined in.

The low and thick sounds from the flute shattered the impression of loneliness. Before long, the Qin sounded once again, and seemed rather uplifted, as if it had found a partner to accompany her.

Both the flute and Qin played for a long time before they finally stopped. Pei Zi Yun bowed, "This humble subject shall take his leave."

As he spoke, he walked off into the distance.