Money Well Spent

Chunhua Palace remained just as it had always been, yet Wei Yuan could sense a subtle difference. Walking one after the other, Wei Yuan and Liu Quangong followed a path through the royal palace toward Chunhua Palace. Along the way, palace maids and supervising eunuchs were few and far between, lending the vast palace grounds an added air of grim desolation. After the Crown Prince's recent rebellion failed and he perished, the King of Jin had conducted a sweeping purge of the palace because the Crown Prince had stayed overnight in the inner quarters on numerous occasions. Over a hundred supervising eunuchs and palace servants were beheaded, and more than a dozen concubines along with several hundred attendants were cast out and sent to mountain nunneries and temples outside the city to live in austere seclusion. Most of those vacancies had yet to be filled, leaving the palace understandably deserted. As they walked along the path, a palace maid's muffled cry suddenly came from a side alley. "Your Highness, please don't! Your Highness!" Then came a voice that still carried the childish pitch of youth: "Stand still and don't move, or I'll kill you!" Wei Yuan possessed an exceptional memory; the moment he heard it, he recognized Prince Fu's voice. He changed direction and stepped into the side alley. Deep within, a half-grown boy had seized a palace maid, his hands exploring inside her robes. Liu Quangong followed behind Wei Yuan, entirely unfazed by the sight. The boy, already tall enough to reach the maid's nose, turned his head. When he saw Wei Yuan, fluster immediately crossed his expression, his eyes gleaming with resentment. It was indeed Prince Fu. Prince Fu pulled his hand out from the maid's bosom and said, "I... I was playing a game with her! You want to meddle in this too?" Little Prince Fu felt both hatred and fear toward Wei Yuan. His previous journey to Qingming had left behind nothing but painful memories. Ever since his mother had given birth to his younger brother, she, who had always doted on him, paid him little attention. In Qingming, thanks to Wei Yuan, not only had he taken a slap across the face, but he had also been subjected to family discipline behind closed doors several times. Now that he was getting older and his mind was maturing, he had learned about the affairs of men and women. Combined with his habitual willful arrogance, he had pulled a maid aside wanting to explore this new world—only to run into Wei Yuan of all people at this very moment. Wei Yuan was also a bit surprised. Little Prince Fu was barely over ten; was he already doing this kind of thing? At that moment, the words Xu Lanshan had once spoken crossed Wei Yuan's mind: *Prince Fu's surname is also Lü.* Then he remembered the King of Jin's abrupt, out-of-the-blue remark: *Prince Fu is still young. Treat him well.* A thought stirred in Wei Yuan's heart. He decided he truly should treat Prince Fu well—only, in his own way. Wei Yuan strode toward the young prince without hiding his imposing aura in the slightest. Prince Fu was a child after all; from the materials he had gathered about Wei Yuan recently, all he had read were tales like "possessed by an ancient demon, swallowed eight hundred thousand souls in a single gulp," which had terrified him half to death. Seeing Wei Yuan bear down on him like an encroaching mountain, his courage shattered completely. He collapsed onto the ground and began to wail loudly. A warm smile surfaced on Wei Yuan's face. He pulled Little Prince Fu up and dusted off his clothes, chuckling, "Why be so afraid of me? I'm good friends with your mother, and we can be good friends too. Here, a gift for you." Several romance storybooks appeared in Wei Yuan's hand. He shoved them into Little Prince Fu's hands and said, "Don't let anyone else see them, and absolutely don't let your mother see them, understand? Hurry up and read them; in three days, these books will vanish." Little Prince Fu looked at Wei Yuan with deep suspicion. At that moment, the pages in his hands suddenly fluttered open, and the few lines revealed on the page instantly made his throat run dry and his young heart pound wildly. Under no circumstances was he giving these books back now. Another bar of immortal silver appeared in Wei Yuan's hand. Slicing it into several pieces with his Dao power, he placed them into Little Prince Fu's palm and said, "If you want others to do something for you, you must always give them some benefit. Keep these. Next time you want something done, hand out a piece, and you will get your heart's desire." Little Prince Fu naturally recognized immortal silver and accepted it silently. Wei Yuan smiled faintly, patted his shoulder, and said, "There are plenty more fun things in this world. Next time you come to Qingming, I'll have someone take you out to play." Little Prince Fu continued to watch Wei Yuan warily without a word. Wei Yuan said nothing more and left the alley with Liu Quangong. On the final stretch of the path, Wei Yuan asked, "Does Manager Liu have nothing to say?" Liu Quangong replied, "This isn't bad either. He might well be able to live out his days in peace." Wei Yuan shook his head and said nothing. Little Prince Fu was also a piece placed by an immortal. As a pawn, being drawn into the game was his unavoidable fate; hoping to live out his days in peace would be exceedingly difficult. Inside Chunhua Palace, however, it was livelier than before. The full complement of attendants and eunuchs had been restored, and every one of them was working diligently. Wei Yuan entered the courtyard and walked up into the hall, seeing Consort Yuan seated inside. The handmaid beside her had changed once again. Upon seeing Wei Yuan, Consort Yuan dismissed her maids and led him into the rear hall. A small bed stood in the rear hall, where the Little King of Chu was taking an afternoon nap. Naturally, Wei Yuan could tell at a single glance that this Little King of Chu was an impostor. "It's been a long time. I've prepared a little trinket for you." Wei Yuan produced a small jade bottle tied with silk cord and said, "Wear this close to your skin. It enhances good fortune and wards off disaster and misfortune." A smile rippled across Consort Yuan's face. "Just what I need." She took it immediately, tied it around her neck, and slipped the small jade bottle inside her collar. This jade bottle was a fortune-turning bottle Wei Yuan had asked Yu Zhizhuo to refine based on Dao scriptures from the Palace of Grand Beginning, capable of storing a thousand strands of human fortune. When worn against the skin, the human fortune would emanate gradually, boosting the wearer's karmic luck. Thus, claiming it could ward off disaster and misfortune was by no means an exaggeration. After chatting briefly about a few more matters, Wei Yuan rose to take his leave, and Consort Yuan did not press him to stay. Wei Yuan exited Chunhua Palace, and Liu Quangong escorted him outside the palace gates, where Zhao Tong took over to lead Wei Yuan toward the city gates. The royal capital was also visibly bleak everywhere. Endless years of war had seen countless able-bodied youths die on the battlefields, and now even the capital was finally showing signs of an apocalyptic decline. Watching this dreary scenery and reflecting on the intrigue and tangled feuds among the princes and great aristocratic clans, Wei Yuan was suddenly overwhelmed by a powerful sensation. He muttered almost unconsciously, "How utterly pointless!" A voice sounded from behind him: "What does Lord Wei find so pointless?" Wei Yuan turned his head to see the Left Prime Minister standing behind him, having appeared unnoticed. This feat by the Left Prime Minister was somewhat shocking, but Wei Yuan possessed the state fortune of Western Jin and could tell at a glance that the minister was wrapped in a dense concentration of the capital's grand defensive formation's Dharmic power. Evidently, aside from the King of Jin, Consort Yuan, the Little King of Chu, and Prince Wei, the Left Prime Minister held the highest authority over the grand formation. From this, it was clear he had fully regained the King of Jin's trust. Hearing the Left Prime Minister's question, Wei Yuan replied, "Many of the things people fight over to the death are actually quite pointless. Yet in this world, there are still many meaningful things that need someone to do them." The Left Prime Minister seemed intrigued. "What kind of things are meaningful? Lord Wei might as well elaborate. If I can be of help, I certainly won't refuse." A thought stirred in Wei Yuan's mind. "There is one matter right now that truly requires Your Excellency's assistance." "Speak freely." Wei Yuan said, "I would like to ask Your Excellency to post a public notice on my behalf, announcing that Qingming cordially invites scholars across the realm to come to Qingming to lecture and debate the Dao, write and publish books, and educate the next generation. As long as someone possesses learning and talent, Qingming will treat them with utmost courtesy. If they are willing, they may also take up positions at Qingming Academy." The Left Prime Minister remarked, "If Lord Wei issues such a call, scholars across the realm will likely flock in droves. But I still have one question: why does Lord Wei need so many scholars?" At this point, Wei Yuan chose not to hold back. "I have an idea: I intend to establish branches of Qingming Academy in every city and town, large or small. Any commoner of Qingming may enter the academy for primary education. Moreover, basic literacy will be mandatory for all who cannot read until they grasp simple reading and writing." The Left Prime Minister was visibly moved, while the two aides behind him gasped in sharp intake of breath. Still, having weathered great storms in his time, the Left Prime Minister soon regained his composure and agreed readily. Only after Wei Yuan was far in the distance did the two aides behind the minister exclaim in shock: "What on earth is this Wei Yuan trying to do? Does he really want everyone to be literate? Where in this world has there ever been such a place?" The other also chimed in, "Aiming too high, completely impractical!" The Left Prime Minister gazed in the direction of Wei Yuan's departure, his eyes narrowing slightly, but said nothing. By then, Wei Yuan had already left the city. Bidding farewell to Zhao Tong, he flew toward the Northern Mountain Gate. Ten thousand li of mountains and rivers flashed past beneath him in an instant. Across the dome of heaven, white clouds shifted like fleeting illusions, while eons seemed to slip by in the blink of an eye. As Wei Yuan flew over the earth, that sentiment grew even stronger. Even for an immortal, ten thousand years of life was merely a fleeting moment between heaven and earth. Rather than spending one's days scheming and plotting, it was better to accomplish something real. Beyond the academies, he also planned to establish medical clinics and Daoist institutes teaching Body Casting cultivation throughout Qingming. Anyone ranked as a commoner or above would be allowed to study at the Daoist institutes and academies free of charge. Cultivate literacy, forge the body, and relieve suffering from disease—these were the three undertakings Wei Yuan intended to roll out across Qingming. These three endeavors alone had cleaned out all the immortal silver Wei Yuan had earned in recent times and even left him heavily in debt. But as for this immortal silver, Wei Yuan felt it was money well spent.