The capital of every dynasty is Luoyang, Surrounded by nine mountains and encircled by four rivers.
How many emperors thrived in this city, the ancient world's countless tales remain untold.
This Luoyang City was the capital of the Later Tang Dynasty, with thirty-six flower and willow lanes and seventy-two musical instrument buildings, particularly magnificent and impressive.
However, after the death of Emperor Mingzong of the Later Tang Dynasty, the prosperous Luoyang City fell into a mysterious melancholic mood.
The people dared not to seek joy and entertainment, instead presenting a contradictory scene.
As the story goes, there were two scholars who failed to pass the imperial examinations living outside the city. They had turned to other professions for a living, yet they had not forgotten their roots.
A hunter named Yuan Cheng.
A sailor named Zhou Quan.
They were once youthful and full of spirit, and there had been a dispute between them in the academy, making them such enemies that they never spoke to each other again.
One day, Yuan Cheng hunted a literary leopard and sold it into the city.
After exchanging copper money, he came to a open-air wine bar for lunch.
At that time, Yuan Cheng was slightly inebriated and couldn't help but burst into a poem titled "Butterfly Loves Flower."
All the nearby loggers and fishermen couldn't read, so they naturally couldn't understand the subtlety of it.
At that time, Yuan Cheng still felt regretful that no one could recognize the article.
Who would have thought that an unscrupulous river ferryman suddenly burst into the scene, saw the poem on the ground, and couldn't help but clap his hands in admiration, saying, "Very good! Very good! Just as the spring is warm with red and thin leaves, summer arrives in a flash!"
At that time, Yuan Cheng was turned away from him and did not know who the person who came in was.
Hearing someone praise his poem gave him a sense of finding a kindred spirit.
Yuan Cheng turned and said, "Brother, if you can recognize the beauty in my poem, please come and join me for a drink..."
He had not finished his sentence when he widened his eyes and exclaimed, "You, this young man!"
It turned out that the boatman was Zhou Quan, who had been Yuan Cheng's rival in his youth.
Zhou Quan seemed to have not expected to see Yuan Cheng here.
The delight of appreciating the subtlety of the poem abruptly froze.
He snorted coldly and said, "So it was you, this wild man, who came into the city. I thought it was written by someone else."
He wasn't referring to Yuan Cheng as a real wild man, but rather calling him a "hick" or "backwater."
Yuan Cheng had originally been at odds with Zhou Quan, and upon hearing the other man's insult, he was instantly filled with anger. He sneered and said, "You, this river ferryman, don't know that others would think you are a scholar of the highest order. You are indeed too full of yourself. In my opinion, you often walk by the river and should be more cautious. Who knows when circumstances will change dramatically and you'll encounter some danger? It's tomorrow's street that lacks an old friend!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Quan was enraged and said, "You scoundrel, you're not a human being! I may have had some disputes with you, but you, a gentleman who has studied the classics, ended up being a hunter. That's enough. And now you're cursing my death? If I were to capsize and drown in the river and meet my end, you would certainly be eaten by tigers or bears!"
Yuan Cheng laughed and said, "I will never encounter such a disaster in my lifetime."
Zhou Quan sneered coldly and said, "Wild beasts roam the mountains unpredictably. Can you really guarantee that you'll never be carried away by them for the rest of your life?"
Yuan Cheng said with confidence, "You, as someone who makes a living on the water, face extreme danger and peril. There's indeed a possibility of drowning. But in the mountains, although there are many wild beasts, I have the guidance of immortals, so I will never encounter large predators. How could I possibly be carried away by them?"
Zhou Quan showed complete surprise, "Immortals pointing the way? You're really saying that?"
Yuan Cheng joked, "You don't know that there's a fortune-teller who's been in the east gate of Luoyang City for the past two days. I only need to release a rabbit every day, and he'll be willing to tell my fortune based on the directions, and it will never encounter tigers or bears. And as for you, this young man, I can't explain it. I've just had a good meal and drunk my fill, so I'll take my leave!"
With that, Yuan Cheng dropped a coin on the table and walked off with a belch.
...
As the saying goes, when you speak on the road, it may fall into someone else's ears.
As the saying goes, when you speak on the road, it may fall into someone else's ears. There was a guard who followed Li Congke to the capital for the funeral and had nothing to do. After playing around for half a day, he was so thirsty that he came to the open-air wine bar for a drink. Who would have thought he would hear Yuan Cheng and Zhou Quan arguing.
This guard felt particularly surprised, and upon returning, he told his fellow guards about this incident. It so happened that Li Congke heard him while he was walking around.
Li Congke called the guard aside and asked, "What you just mentioned earlier, is it true?"
The guard replied respectfully, "Reporting to Marquis Lu, I also heard it from others along the way and do not know if these are true or false."
Li Congke nodded slightly, waved his sleeves to dismiss the guard, and did not say anything else.
Since the death of Emperor Mingzong of the Later Tang Dynasty and he was summoned to the capital for mourning, he has often been harassed by the new emperor.
This made Li Congke very uneasy, fearing that the new emperor might be envious of his adoptive brother's powerful position and therefore seek to eliminate him.
Now, after hearing the guard mention that there was a fortune-teller on Dongmen Street.
Li Congke pondered whether to go and have the fortune-teller on Dongmen Street tell his fortune and see what the future holds.
This thought kept swirling and rising in Li Congke's mind.
Even when he went to sleep that night, he dreamed of asking the fortune-teller to cast a divination for him.
Therefore, the next morning, deeply obsessed with the thought, Li Congke dressed up and headed towards Dongmen Street.
...
On Dongmen Street.
Dressed in jade-colored robes and wearing a Xiao Yao straight brimmed hat, Li Congke saw as soon as he came that there was a large crowd gathered outside the Laojun Temple.
Crowded and noisy.
Inside, a male voice could be heard, "The ox says: There are things to be done in one's heart that are difficult. It is like two people arguing over a path to walk. Both want to take the lead in the rain, and no one is willing to give way. This is an interlocking pattern of the two opposite symbols. The opposite needs of the dry (Qian) and the water (Kan) symbol each other, forming a 'combination pattern'. The Qian symbol represents strength and perseverance, while Kan represents danger and instability. The opposition between strength and danger, between perseverance and instability, will necessarily lead to disputes. Disputes are not good things; they must be approached with caution."
Li Congke, upon hearing this, realized that it was a fortune-telling place.
He stepped forward, pushed through the crowd, and looked inside.
He saw a youthful Taoist with a face as jade-like and a shining spirit sitting at the table, calculating the fortune of a middle-aged gentleman.
Seeing how young the Taoist was, Li Congke couldn't help but doubt whether the young Taoist could truly tell fortunes accurately.
However, since he had already come here, it would be impossible for him to leave just like that.
Once the middle-aged gentleman left.
Li Congke immediately pushed aside the young men who wanted to take his place and sat down directly in front of the Taoist, “May I ask your name, Sir?”
The young Taoist looked at Li Congke with a calm gaze and introduced himself, "My name is Chen Pu."
Chen Pu?
The name seems familiar, like I've heard it somewhere before.
Li Congke hesitated for a moment but didn't think too much about it. He directly said, "I would like to ask you to calculate my fortune for me."
Chen Pu said, "What aspect do you want to calculate?"
Li Congke said, "My future fortune."
Chen Pu took out the Wenwang Bagu and said, "The image says: After studying literature, one enters the exam hall and achieves success in the third level. From now on, worries and sorrows will be dispelled, and a joyous event will occur like a loud thunderclap."
Li Congke said, "What does it mean?"
Chen Pu said, "This hexagram is formed by superimposing two different trigrams. Qian represents heaven, which is yang; and Kun represents earth, which is yin. The interaction between yin and yang, the intercommunication between the upper and lower, the intersection of heaven and earth leads to a myriad of things. Conversely, it is ominous. All things in the world are in opposition, transformation, prosperity leading to decline, and decline leading to prosperity. Therefore, those who change with the times will be prosperous."
Li Congke didn't quite understand and furrowed his brow, "Could you please explain it more in detail?"
Chen Pu looked at Li Congke with a smile and said, "There are too many people around here, and I am just a wild Taoist. I dare not speak ill of the world."
Li Congke was startled and immediately realized that the young Taoist in front of him possessed mysterious abilities, and he had guessed his identity.
At once, Li Congke quickly stood up and bent down in a deep bow, "Please save me, Mr. Chen Pu."
Chen Pu shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't help you."
Li Congke pleaded desperately, "Mr. Chen Pu, have mercy on me. I am sincerely asking for your help. In the future, I will surely repay you with a generous gift."
Chen Pu slowly said, "Are you really willing to ask me for saving your life?"
Li Congke said, "Yes."
Chen Pu said, "Very well, then I will point you to a clear path. But I don't know if you have the courage for it."
Li Congke said, "Please enlighten me, Mr. Chen Pu. I will certainly follow."
Chen Pu pointed at Li Congke and asked, "How did you just sit in front of me?"
Upon hearing this, Li Congke was taken aback.
How did you sit in front of Mr. Chen Pu just now?
Isn't it true that you pushed away another…
A thought struck Li Congke, and he shivered all over.
He never expected the fortune-teller in front of him to have such audacity, inciting him to take over!
He was already on the list of suspects in the new emperor's eyes.
If these words were overheard by others, the whole family would be slaughtered.
Now Li Congke had no more polite tone left.
He flipped the fortune-telling booth in anger, "You leftist nonsense, I thought you had the universe hidden in your chest, and I came here to visit you."
With the things scattered all over the place, Chen Pu didn't get angry either. He just sighed and shook his head, "Your days are numbered!"
Li Congke mustached and fetlized, shouting, "You still dare to speak nonsense. If I weren't afraid of your puny skills, I'd thrash you!"
As he said this, he was about to strike the other person.
But who would have thought that Chen Pu would laugh heartily, "I've given you my good advice, and you don't appreciate it. Well, it's none of my business then. I'll be leaving."
As soon as the words were spoken, a burst of stars appeared in front of him, and Chen Pu had already disappeared into thin air.
Li Congke, seeing this, was startled and pale. He now realized what he had missed.
At that moment, he was filled with regret.
It's too late now, the divine person has already left.
...
On the other side, at the procuratorate.
Chen Yun had just returned to his room.
He saw Naihe and Hiaohe waiting.
Naihe stepped forward and asked, "What happened, Mr. Chen?"
Hiaohe also looked concerned.
Chen Yun smiled, "The fishing line has been out for more than a decade, and the fish has finally bitten."
Yes, he has been setting up his stall outside the Laojun Temple to fortune-tell and calculate for more than a dozen days now.
He did this because Chen Yun knew that Li Congke was the key factor that would lead to the downfall of Later Tang, so he wanted to leave a mark on him in advance. Then, when he came to mourn, seeing him again, he would surely come looking for him.
By then, whatever he said, the other party would certainly listen and follow.
Simply put, it's paving the way.
To put it simply, he was laying the groundwork. Otherwise, if Chen Yun had casually approached Li Congke and shown his abilities, the other party would always have doubts and might not wholeheartedly carry out the plan to lead Later Tang to its downfall.
Hiaohe asked, "What should we do next?"
Chen Yun said, "There's no need to do anything else. Wait until the mourning procession arrives in Luoyang tomorrow, and the day after that when we enter the palace to mourn. I will slightly exert some magical power, and everything will naturally take its course."
Naihe clapped his hands, "Exquisite, exquisite, exquisite. If this matter succeeds, all credit goes to Mr. Chen's efforts."
Chen Yun smiled and didn't respond.
For the moment, his goals are aligned with those of the Ruyan.
All hope for the quick downfall of Later Tang, allowing the world to revert to a period of fragmented states ruled by powerful warlords.
In this way, Zhao Kuangyin would have the opportunity to gradually seize the throne.
Now it's up to the next day's actions to see if they can shock Li Congke.
(End of chapter)
