Cao Rui asked thus, and Sima Yi, lost in thought, glanced at Guan Lu: "In a peaceful era, could there be a Xu Fu? This person can at most be a Dongfang Shuo."
Cao Rui nodded, and then turned to Man Geng: "What do you think, General Man?"
Man Geng replied coldly: "In the past, the diviner Zhu Jianping was famous in Luoyang, and I once presented an imperial memorandum to Emperor Xian suggesting that he be executed. This person has misled the masses with astrology and should be executed."
The conversation between the emperor and the two important ministers was not at all concealed, and thus it reached the ears of these thousand-cubit officials within the hall.
Guan Cheng's father, Guan Cheng, wanted to speak in defense, but he dared not say a word in this situation. He kneeled and bowed, sweating profusely, and dared not move his eyes. The usual authority at home was of no use in this situation.
Cao Rui listened to Man Geng's words, his eyes always focused on Guan Lu.
Guan Lu seemed to be smiling absentmindedly, kneeling on the ground with his upper body straight, his eyes gentle as he looked down at the ground, unaffected by Man Geng's words.
Cao Rui became interested and smiled lightly: "Guan Cheng, bring your father up and talk. You also heard what Man Geng just said. Why don't you worry that the emperor will order your execution?"
Guan Cheng and Guan Lu slowly got up. Guan Lu bowed gracefully: "Your Majesty, the humble servant can foresee the future and thus knows his own life span. The humble servant's life span is forty-eight years, which is a fixed number."
Cao Rui wanted to tease him, saying, "If I were to kill you today, you would be dying while deceitfully lying to the emperor. How would you explain that?"
Guan Lu showed no sign of tension: "The common people have long known that the emperor is a model ruler like Yao and Shun. How could I be worried that Yao and Shun would harm the people?"
Cao Rui laughed heartily, pointing at Guan Lu with his finger while saying to Sima Yi, "Sikong's words were indeed accurate. This man is indeed of the same ilk as Dongfang Shuo."
Sima Yi gestured: "Although Dongfang Shuo's actions are irregular, he is indeed a learned man. However, I don't know how his talent is."
Cao Rui raised his hand and gestured to Lu Yu: "If we are talking about scholarship, the subjects at the emperor's side should be ranked first among them, Prince Aming. However, since he is currently mourning in Luoyang and holding a position lower than that of a thousand cun official, this title would then go to Lu Xun. Since this person is proficient in Zhouyi, divination, and numbers, have Lu Xun assess his abilities for the emperor."
"Yes."
Lu Yu asked three questions from Zhouyi, one by one, and Guan Lu did not show the slightest panic. He answered them fluently before the emperor and the other officials without any hesitation.
"Your Majesty, this man is indeed proficient in Zhouyi. As for other divination and number-related matters, the humble servant is not knowledgeable and cannot ask any questions."
Cao Rui nodded: "Go ahead, Marquis Lu, and I will ask him myself."
"Yes." Lu Yu walked to one side.
"Cao Rui looked at the unremarkable young scholar before him: "Guan Lu, the Duke of Fu has met countless learned scholars, yet he still praised you to the emperor in his memorandum. Just now, Lu Xun also tested your knowledge of Zhouyi, and there were no errors. The emperor was very satisfied with you."
"Since you are so skilled in divination, the emperor would also like to ask you three things."
"Seeing that Gao Cheng's father Gao Chen has already been nervous and was trembling slightly, Cao Rui added with a smile: "
"Regardless of how well or poorly you answer, the emperor will not kill you. The vastness of Wei can accommodate extraordinary people and events, as well as a few scholars who have gone astray. Therefore, you need not worry about your life."
Guan Ke gave a deep bow: "The humble servant is grateful for the emperor's favor."
Cao Rui said lightly: "The diviner Zhu Jianping died at the end of the Yellow Emperor's reign. When Emperor Wu was an earl, he had summoned him as a page, and his divination often proved to be accurate."
"The late emperor, Prime Minister Shen Qiu, White Horse King Cao Zhu, Nirvana Guard General Wang Wenshu, General of the Guards Right Wang Yanyun, General Right Fei Lin General Cheng Shenbo, as well as former Prime Minister Prince Aming. Some have been divined by Zhu Jianping and some have not yet reached their appointed time."
"The emperor has never seen Zhu Jianping, but I am curious about divination in my heart. Guan Lu, come forward and give me a face reading."
Guan Lu was about to agree, but his father Gao Cheng directly knelt and kowtowed while standing by his side: "Your Majesty, you are the Heaven-appointed ruler of the world. We, Your Majesty's subjects, are ignorant people. How could we dare to perform a face reading for the most honored emperor of the world? Please, Your Majesty, show mercy!"
Cao Rui looked at Guan Lu and smiled: "I have already agreed. Don't you understand your son's talents? Just watch from the sidelines."
"Come to my presence!"
Guan Lu bowed: "Yes, Your Majesty!"
Afterwards, Guan Lu slowly walked forward and stopped when he was a step away from the emperor. At the same time, Zhonglingjun Guan Qiujian also came forward and stood beside Guan Lu as a guardian.
Guan Lu looked intently for a few moments, then stepped back three steps and bowed, saying, "The humble servant has taken note of the emperor's facial features. I need a moment to perform the calculations."
"Permit." Cao Rui said.
In the flying light pavilion of the Cuque Terrace, a group of officials held their breath and watched Guan Lu, who was slightly frowning and looking down with his eyes.
Sima Yi beside him felt a trace of tension as well.
Sima Yi had personally seen Zhu Jianping give Cao Pi a face reading years ago, and at that time, Cao Pi was still the Commandant of the Five Palace Guards. Zhu Jianping predicted that Cao Pi would live to be eighty years old but would face a minor calamity at the age of forty.
At that time, Cao Pi had not yet become the emperor.
It is a rare occurrence for a commoner like Guan Lu to be able to perform a face reading for the emperor. This has only happened a few times in the past hundred years.
After about thirty breaths, Guan Lu's eyebrows were frowning even tighter.
With a sound like "puff," Guan Lu spat out a mouthful of blood mist, startling everyone present. After spitting out the blood, Guan Lu immediately fell to his knees and began to kowtow repeatedly.
Guan Qijian was so scared that he had almost pulled out his sword from his waist, but seeing Guan Lu kneeling, he quickly replaced it.
Cao Rui sighed: "So, even you can't figure it out?"
Guan Lu kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty has the imperial essence and the appearance of a dragon and phoenix, a sign of true royal destiny. After seeing these, I wanted to make a detailed calculation, but I felt a sharp pain in my heart and could no longer think."
"Please, Your Majesty, pardon me!"
Guan Lu's spitting out of blood cannot be faked, and the emperor's supreme identity is also undeniable. Together, they make Guan Lu's words believable.
Cao Rui felt somewhat dispirited. This person might have used the strategy of "the golden cicada shedding its shell," and such mystical and ghostly methods could not possibly be real.
Looking at Guan Lu, who was kneeling and kowtowing, Cao Rui said: "I keep my promises. I will not punish you. Get up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Guan Ke stood up and bowed, blood still seeping out of the corners of his mouth.
Cao Rui frowned and said, "Send someone to get a cloth for Guan Lu. I still want to ask him two more things."
Seeing that Guan Lu had wiped the blood from his mouth, Cao Rui asked, "Guan Lu, Fu Premier says you can use Feng Qiu for divination. How do you do it?"
Guan Lu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the humble servant has brought the tools for wind divination and they are currently with the palace guards outside. May I request that someone be sent to fetch them?"
Cao Rui nodded and said, "Send someone to bring in Guan Lu's tools!"
While waiting for the tools of divination to be brought in, Sima Yi coughed lightly and sat next to him, saying: "Your Majesty, there is something I must say. Does the emperor remember how the first Party Restriction Calamity began?"
Cao Rui nodded: "The emperor is aware of this matter. It originated from the plots of eunuchs and their followers to frame the Minister of Henan, Li Ying, for forming a party and disrupting the government."
Sima Yi continued: "The eunuchs framed Li Ying by using divination techniques related to Feng Qiu, such as wind divination."
Cao Rui glanced at Sima Yi: "Sikong, speak up! Do not tease."
"Yes," Sima Yi bowed and said, "In Henan, there is a man named Zhang Cheng who was close with the eunuchs in Luoyang. Using the art of wind divination, he foresaw that the court was about to issue an amnesty. Therefore, he ordered his son to kill someone to incur a crime, and as a result, a great amnesty was indeed proclaimed."
"After learning this, Li Ying, the Minister of Henan, was filled with anger and did not care about the amnesty. He arrested Zhang Cheng's son without regard for the order of amnesty. The eunuchs then used Zhang Cheng's son's death as a pretext to accuse him."
"This is the legitimate origin of the Party Restriction Calamity."
Cao Rui knew about the Party Restriction Calamity, but he was not aware of such details. After hearing this, he sighed lightly, "The skills of the art of medicine are merely a minor path. If everyone in the court is loyal and cautious, how could there be chaos and turmoil in government?"
"This is not the fault of wind divination!"
Sima Yi nodded and stopped speaking.
The Royal Guards had fetched the divination tools used by Guan Lu. Guan Lu introduced:
"Your Majesty, please look. These are the divination tools I used for wind divination."
Guan Lu held a long, thin wooden rod in his hand, with the end hanging far from the ground: "This rod is five zhang (Chinese measurement unit) long, symbolizing the five sounds of music - Gong, Zheng, Jiao, Ze, and Yu. At the top of the rod are eight ounces of chicken feathers to symbolize eight winds from different directions."
"In wind divination, first observe the direction of the wind, then listen to the sound of the wind to determine which of the five notes it belongs to, and finally, use the time and direction of the wind to infer the mood of the wind."
"Your Majesty, this is the process of wind divination as I understand it."
Cao Rui sighed and asked the officials beside him: "Is this again one of those predictions and disasters about astrology and fate from Jing Fang's edition of the I Ching?"
Lu Yu bowed and replied, "This kind of wind divination originated from Jing Fang."
Cao Rui turned to Guan Lu and asked, "Can you now perform a wind divination right here?"
Guan Lu replied with some difficulty, "Your Majesty, today there are clouds but no wind in Yècheng. Wind divination requires significant and unusual winds to be effective, and the humble servant truly has no way of performing it."
Cao Rui felt even more bored: "Never mind, we won't use wind divination then."
"Your Majesty, I will ask you one more thing. Please perform a divination for me on the military situation in this campaign against the Eastern Barbarians."
Guan Lu nodded and accepted the task, then he fished out a neatly arranged pile of divination stalks from his sleeve. In front of everyone, his slender fingers moved swiftly back and forth, almost visible as residual shadows.
If Guan Lu's previous face reading and wind divination did not impress Cao Rui, his rapid and skillful fingers at the moment truly amazed him.
To be honest, it could be said that it was almost supernatural.
Today in the Flying Light Pavilion, the ministers who accompanied the emperor to receive guests truly broadened their horizons and experienced both visual and psychological sensations. They not only witnessed a face reading for the emperor but also saw such a remarkable performance.
As everyone watched Guan Lu's nimble fingers move, suddenly his hands shook, and the fifty divination stalks he was holding in both hands fell out, making a big mess in front of him.
Cao Rui's heart skipped a beat. On one hand, he was not sure what Guan Lu, the so-called con artist, was up to. On the other hand, he did not know whether this omen was favorable or unfavorable.
Before Guan Lu could speak, Cao Rui waved his hand: "This is really uninteresting. Send someone to have them all leave. Today's meeting with the emperor is over." (Chapter ends)
