Chapter 22: New Worries and Old Resentments (Part 2)

  There are some people in this world who, once seen, can never be forgotten. The young man who appeared in the Xiaoshi Pavilion was obviously one of them, not only because he was too handsome, but also because he looked like a demon. However, this was not the reason why Li Xian lost his mind. The real reason why Li Xian's face changed suddenly was that he had recognized the true identity of this demon-like young man - Ming Chongyan, who would later shake the world!

  Ming Chongyan, a native of Luozhou, was a descendant of the Pingyuan aristocracy. His ancestors had served as officials in the Southern Dynasty for generations. His father, Ming Ke, held the position of Governor of Yuzhou. When Ming Chongyan was young, he followed his father to Anxi County and received teachings from a mysterious person, learning extraordinary skills. At the age of 15, he traveled extensively throughout the country, gaining fame. At 17, he was appointed as the Magistrate of Huang'an County. Later, Empress Wu Zetian took notice of him and summoned him to the capital, where he became a favored official. He often used ghosts and spirits as excuses for his words, causing confusion in the palace. Furthermore, he colluded with Empress Wu, opening the floodgates of corruption and chaos.

  It was him, that damned scoundrel! Li Xian had just added new worries to the Eastern Palace, never expecting to encounter an old grudge in this place. For a moment, his emotions were unstable, and he almost lost control of his feelings. He had to take a deep breath to barely suppress the turmoil in his heart. However, it seemed that he breathed a bit too loudly, startling the old man and young person in the stone pavilion. Suddenly, they both moved at the same time, followed by a dazzlingly bright light that abruptly appeared, coming so suddenly that Li Xian was caught off guard and became dizzy, his head spinning for quite some time.

  "You win this time, sir."

  Before Li Xian could figure out the situation, Ming Chongyan had already stood up and bowed respectfully to the old man, saying a sentence with a sincere tone.

  "The young master is too polite, the young master's learning is not ordinary, given time and day, great success will come, I will wait with bated breath." The old man stood up, smiled and returned a courtesy, made a comment, and without waiting for Ming Chongyan to say more, he turned his body and looked at Li Xian standing at the garden gate. He didn't see him make any gestures, but took one step forward, scanned Li Xian with his eyes, and a hint of unusual color flashed across his eyes.

  "Little King Li came uninvited, causing much disturbance. Please forgive me, Lady Li." Li Xian was inwardly uneasy, but on the surface, he was polite and courteous, nodding his head slightly.

  "I dare not, I dare not. Your humble servant did not know that Your Highness had arrived and was unable to greet you from afar, which is the greatest disrespect. Please forgive me, Your Highness." Li Chunfeng's eyes flashed with a strange color, but it appeared and disappeared quickly. Seeing Li Xian showing him respect, Li Chunfeng dared not be arrogant and hastily retreated half a step, bowing his head to thank him.

  "Li Taishi was very polite." In his previous life, Li Xian had no intersection with Li Chunfeng due to age reasons, but he had heard a lot about the other's divine reputation in divination and knew that this old man's ability was not ordinary. He didn't dare put on airs of a noble king in front of him, let alone, Li Xian came here with the intention of paying respects to his teacher, so he had to show a humble and courteous demeanor, thus responding very humbly with a smile full of kindness on his face.

  "Loyang scholar Ming Chongyan has arrived to pay his respects to Your Majesty." Just as Li Xian and Li Chunfeng were responding to each other, Ming Chongyan, dressed in a white robe, had already arrived nearby. After the two men exchanged greetings, he stepped forward from the side and loudly paid his respects.

  "No need for excessive courtesy, I've long heard of your great reputation, and today I see that it's well-deserved - you're truly a man of great character!"

  Li Xian had an old grudge with Ming Chongyan, and it was not just a general grievance. At that time, Ming Chongyan had an illicit relationship with Wu Zetian, which made all the princes lose face, including Li Xian. However, this was not the key point. The crucial thing was that Ming Chongyan used his knowledge of physiognomy to claim that "Li Xian is not virtuous, and he resembles Emperor Taizong." As a result, Li Xian was not only severely dealt with by the then-crown prince Li Xian, but also became an object of suspicion for Wu Zetian. Many of his trusted followers were demoted or killed on trumped-up charges. By the time Li Xian first ascended to the throne, he did not even have a single reliable confidant by his side, and was manipulated by Wu Zetian like a ball of dough. These were all public grievances, but there were also private grudges - after Ming Chongyan gained favor, he often acted arbitrarily in the palace, and on several occasions when he was drunk, he even ordered Li Xian around like a servant, causing Li Xian to lose face in front of the courtiers and become a laughing stock. There were many such grievances, so although Li Xian knew that none of these things had happened yet, whenever he thought about "past events", his hatred would involuntarily surge up. However, the current Li Xian was no longer the same as before, and although he seethed with anger in his heart, his face still wore a warm and courteous smile, and he politely praised Ming Chongyan with a single sentence.

  "Your Highness is overpraising me, I really don't deserve it." When Ming Chongyan heard Li Xian say this, he couldn't help but be slightly taken aback. At that time, Ming Chongyan had just started traveling the world and his first stop was Chang'an. The first high-ranking person he visited was Li Chunfeng. Who would have thought that there was such a big name? He just thought Li Xian was speaking politely, so he wouldn't take it to heart. After responding with courtesy, he raised his head, took a closer look at Li Xian, and suddenly changed color, involuntarily letting out a soft sigh.

  "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with me?" Ming Chongyan's casual remark made Li Xian's heart jump, because he knew his own affairs and was afraid of being exposed in front of these two masters who were famous for their physiognomy. If they really saw through him, it would be disastrous. Although Li Xian didn't fully believe in physiognomy, he couldn't afford to be careless. He laughed and said with interest...

  "Palace..."

  Ming Chongyan was indeed a young and impulsive person. When Li Xian asked him, he immediately became flustered and wanted to speak out, but before he could even open his mouth, Li Chunfeng had already smiled and interrupted him, saying: "Your Highness is an honored guest, I dare not let you stand in this drafty place for long. Why don't you follow me inside and we can chat?"

  "Very well, Little Wang is quite tired from the bumpy road, let's just follow Li Taishi's arrangement." Although Li Xian was a bit curious about what Ming Chongyan would say, he was more concerned. Seeing Li Feng intervene, he was happy to take advantage of the situation.

  "Alright then, Your Highness, please follow me." Li Chunfeng smiled and beckoned with a wave of his hand.

  "Sir, I still have some mundane matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now." Ming Chongyan was born into a noble family and naturally knew the rules of etiquette. At this time, he saw that Li Chunfeng didn't seem to intend to invite him to stay, so he didn't want to linger any longer. He bowed slightly and bid farewell.

  "I'm old and slow, please forgive me, young master. I'll make it up to you another day." Li Chunfeng didn't seem to want to retain Ming Chongyan, he just smiled and said a polite phrase before turning to Yu Jizi who was standing beside him and beckoning: "Yu Jizi, see Young Master Ming off for me."

  "Yes, young master." Yu Jizi replied respectfully and took a step forward, gesturing with his hand for Ming Chongyan to leave. "Lord Ming, please."

  Ming Chongyan looked at Li Chunfeng, then looked at Li Xian, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't say much, just bowed his hands to the two of them and left the back garden with Yu Jizi.

  This kid ran here to do what, a martial arts competition? What was that flash of light just now? Li Xian's eyes were fixed on Ming Chongyan's back, his gaze complex, with both doubt and anger, his mind unknowingly turning to whether he should take advantage of the situation before Ming Chongyan rises to power and have him eliminated by his subordinates, so as to put an end to it once and for all.

  "Your Highness, please!"

  Just as Li Xian's eyes were changing rapidly, Li Chunfeng suddenly spoke up and called out to him, instantly startling Li Xian out of his daze.

  "Ah, good, Mrs. Li invites you."

  Li Xian was startled by Li Chunfeng's interruption and suddenly realized that he had been somewhat discomposed, hastily collecting his thoughts and responding with a smile, though his words were not entirely free from confusion.

  Li Chunfeng did not say any more, but looked at Li Xian with a profound meaning, turned sideways, and led the way to the central courtyard. After passing through several courtyards, they arrived at a quiet room, where he had Li Xian sit in the upper seat, then announced his crime and knelt down behind a low table at the lower seat.

  Frugal, even to the point of being simple and unadorned, the large room was almost empty except for two low tables, a burning stove, and a screen blocking the entrance. There wasn't even an incense burner, making it seem like a humble abode that couldn't compare to those of ordinary commoners. If Li Xian hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have found it hard to believe that this was actually the reception hall of Li Chunfeng, who had been in office for 40 years. The only thing that caught Li Xian's attention was a painting on the screen depicting the Eight Trigrams of the I Ching - Li Xian had also studied the I Ching and was familiar with the Eight Trigrams, but this particular painting seemed to be quite different from the usual ones. The yin-yang fish were much larger in proportion than usual, and what's more, the yin fish was clearly bigger than the yang fish by a circle, unmistakably showing a state of yin flourishing and yang declining. Li Xian was so absorbed in gazing at it that he became oblivious to his surroundings for a moment.

  "Your Highness, please have some tea." Just as Li Xian was staring at the Bagua diagram, Li Chunfeng had quickly brewed a cup of tea and placed it on the low table in front of Li Xian, saying with a smile.

  "Oh, okay, thank you, Mrs. Li! Hehe, I was momentarily stunned and lost my manners." Li Xian came back to his senses from his daze, saw that the tea had been poured, hurriedly picked up the cup with both hands, and smiled as he replied.

  "Does Your Highness also study the I Ching?" Li Chunfeng asked with a smile, seemingly casual.

  "Li Taishi smiled and said, 'Xiao Wang has read some books, but he doesn't understand much. If he can get Li Taishi's guidance, it would be Xiao Wang's good fortune.' Li Xian had been planning to find a teacher all along, and upon hearing Li Chunfeng ask such questions, he immediately climbed up the pole."

  Li Xian's words were so clear that Li Chunfeng would not have failed to understand, yet Li Chunfeng did not say much about this topic, but just stroked his sleeve and smiled faintly: "Life has its destiny, the noble son's luck is still there, it's not something that can be done arbitrarily."

  Li Chunfeng's tone was very calm, but it fell into Li Xian's ears like a thunderbolt, startling his heart, and his hand involuntarily shook, the teacup he held tilted, and the tea water splashed down...