Chapter 325 – When We Were Young and Wore Thin Spring Garments (8)
“Be careful with your friendships; at least this kind of friend isn’t worth making,” Jiang Pengji pointed at the young girl and said, “If you have any sense, you should leave on your own. I don’t want to make things hard for a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, looking all terrible myself.”
The girl bit her lip, fighting the urge to tremble and cover her face as she ran away.
Zhu Wuniang was completely dumbfounded throughout.
“Young girls should be more cautious; not everyone is worth befriending, and not every topic can be talked about with others.”
Jiang Pengji glanced at Zhu Wuniang’s attire and frowned slightly.
“Are you Mr. Yuanjing’s Zhu Wuniang?”
She had heard stories about Mr. Yuanjing having a precious daughter in his later years, but Jiang Pengji had never seen her.
“How does the Young Master know that?”
“That hairpin on your head, I’ve seen it with the Teacher’s Wife, and you’ve also been called Wuniang, so you must be the Teacher’s beloved daughter.”
Wuniang instinctively raised her hand to touch the hairpin in her bun, her pale cheeks flushing with a hint of color.
“Are you a student of my father?”
Jiang Pengji nodded, casually placing her wooden clogs down and slipping them on without issue.
“But I’ve never seen you before.”
“There are so many students at Langya Academy, not everyone gets taught personally by the Teacher, so it’s perfectly normal that we haven’t met.”
Though it was called an academy, it was quite different from the schools Jiang Pengji was familiar with.
Rather than an academy, it was more like a part-time teaching library, where most students came with questions to discuss, seeking answers from Mr. Yuanjing when they had none. Most of the time, they studied on their own or indulged themselves, only gathering neatly when Mr. Yuanjing gave lectures.
Of course, younger students had their own dedicated teachers responsible for early education, reading, and writing.
Jiang Pengji wasn’t part of that early education group and naturally wouldn’t stay at the academy, so it made sense they hadn’t met.
Wuniang said “oh” and hung her head.
Thinking back to her earlier conversation with the girl, she felt really uncomfortable since this person had heard everything.
“Can I ask a question?” Jiang Pengji frowned, “How could Zixiao be so disparaged by others?”
From the conversation between the two girls, she could guess a few things, but there were still parts she didn’t understand.
To judge someone based solely on their birth date was too foolish and arbitrary.
Wuniang hesitated, initially thinking Jiang Pengji was pretending not to know to pry information from her. However, looking closer, it was clear the other party really didn’t know.
“This matter, well, it’s not really Brother Ci’s fault,” Wuniang pouted, feeling sorry for Wei Ci. “Because Brother Ci was born at the wrong time, and since he lost his mother at birth, when he was born, he nearly got choked to death… Fortunately, he survived but ended up being not favored…”
Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow, “Is that all?”
Just like that, how could he be so despised throughout all of Langya County?
While the girl who ran away was a bit spiteful and had some bad intentions, Jiang Pengji could tell Wuniang wasn’t lying about Wei Ci’s situation in Langya.
“Well…” Wuniang stammered, feeling it necessary to mention, “When Brother Ci was fifteen, his father’s new wife tried to arrange a marriage for him. The two families were about to match their birthdates, but when the date was brought out, the girl immediately canceled the engagement and spread the word.”
Jiang Pengji still didn’t understand what kind of strange birth date could have such power.
“That birth date is notorious for being disastrous for wives and children, even implicating fathers and mothers, potentially leading to the ruin of entire clans, so people avoid it.” Seeing Jiang Pengji’s confusion, Wuniang had to continue reluctantly, “Brother Ci was born on the twenty-second day of the eighth month in the Year of the Kui You…”
The twenty-second day of the eighth month in the Year of the Kui You?
Jiang Pengji vaguely felt that date was familiar and began to ponder deeply, as if she had seen it somewhere.
“This birth time…” Suddenly, Jiang Pengji remembered something from an old history discussion and gasped, “Is this really his birth date?”
“Yes!”
Jiang Pengji finally understood, recognizing why Wei Ci was so feared and ostracized.
If he was born in the Year of the Kui You, Wei Ci would be exactly three cycles away from a renowned historical figure—one hundred and eighty years apart.
Having lived through ancient times, Jiang Pengji understood some taboos of this era.
A cycle of 60 years could lead to a birth date matching that of a famous historical figure, and with his mother dying at birth, it seemed to confirm the ominous fate. Was he possibly the reincarnation of that notable figure?
Which notable figure, you ask?
The first prime minister of the Great Xia Dynasty, Huangfu Fengmin, known simply as Xiu, who hailed from Langya County and was a famous womanizer in his time.
In the northern frontier, he led the Qiangwu tribe and their 500,000 armored cavalry, sweeping through half of the Central Plains, but was eventually blocked by this man at Qichuan Plain. A great fire consumed many, burying 500,000 souls in this plain, with no survivors.
Some elders say that on certain special days, Qichuan Plain kicks up white dust, reminiscent of the ashes of those cavalrymen!
That might not be the worst; what’s worse is that this man turned thousands of captives into jerky for the army, enduring the most brutal battles before the establishment of the Great Xia, such as burning cities and slaughtering people, it seemed he did it all.
Being cruel to enemies was understandable, but why did the descendants of the Great Xia also detest him so much?
Rumor has it, he held the young emperor hostage in a bid to take his place, only to be backstabbed by the enduring young emperor who bore the humiliation.
The young emperor likely hated him intensely, lopping off his head. They separated the corpse and took out his heart to prepare it as food which was shared amongst ministers… When Jiang Pengji read this part of history, she was completely stunned.
But that’s not all; there was another rumor that the young emperor and his confidant plotted to summon the most accomplished Taoist priests in the land to craft a peach wood coffin to seal the headless corpse, imprisoning his soul to suppress the Great Xia’s fate.
Folks say that before the fall of the Great Xia, thunderstorm and floods occurred, leading to a mountain collapse, revealing the peach coffin.
A lumberjack happened to split the peach coffin, releasing vengeful spirits and ultimately severing the fate of the Great Xia.
Wei Ci was born after the fall of the Great Xia, making people wonder: could he really be that figure’s reincarnation here for revenge?
What figure, you ask?
The first prime minister of the Great Xia, Huangfu Fengmin, known simply as Xiu, came from Langya County and was quite the infamous individual.
He led the Qiangwu tribe’s 500,000 armored cavalry and swept across the Central Plains but was blocked at Qichuan Plain by this man in a tremendous fire that went dark, causing the deaths of countless souls, burying them in this very plain.
Some of the older folk say that at special times, the Qichuan Plain raises clouds of white dust, as if the ashes of those soldiers were still present!
But wait, it gets worse. This man turned thousands of captives into human jerky to feed his army, enduring the most brutal battles before the establishment of the Great Xia—burning down cities and much worse.
Being harsh to enemies is no surprise, but why did the descendants of the Great Xia shun him so much?
It’s said this person held the young emperor hostage in an attempt to replace him, only to be secretly attacked by the young emperor himself.
The young emperor was likely filled with hatred for this man, chopping off his head, tearing the corpse apart, removing the heart to be cooked into a meal and shared among the officials…
Reading about this portion of history left Jiang Pengji completely bewildered.
And there’s more! Another wild story goes that the young emperor and his confidant summoned the realm’s finest Taoist priests to create a peach wood coffin that would trap the headless corpse and contain its fury, thus stabilizing the Great Xia’s fortunes.
It’s said that just before the Great Xia’s downfall, fierce storms and floods would burst forth, causing mountains to collapse and revealing that peach wood coffin.
That coffin was cracked open by a lumberjack, unleashing vengeance and cutting the Great Xia’s lifeblood!
Born after the Great Xia’s decline, Wei Ci raised the suspicion: was he a reincarnation of that individual come to avenge?
But as Wei Ci grew, his looks became ever more handsome and talented, excelling in both the gentleman’s six arts and various other skills, showcasing outstanding talents… When the annulment of his engagement happened, that birth date spread throughout Langya County, stirring public anxiety.
It wouldn’t necessarily mean Wei Ci would lose his life, but his days were surely difficult.
“I didn’t know Zixiao had such a legendary past!” Jiang Pengji teased with a smile.
Wuniang’s eyes turned red with anxiety. “Brother Ci could never be the reincarnation of the prime minister, nor would he ever do such terrible things!”
Jiang Pengji tilted her head. “The prime minister assisted the founding emperor of Xia, helping him transform from a minor thug into a unifier of the nine provinces! What a figure! If that person were to reincarnate, Wei Ci should be overjoyed. Perhaps this world is in dire need of someone like him.”
“Eh?” Wuniang was confused.
That wasn’t the point!
But… Thinking it through like this, it didn’t seem wrong?
Jiang Pengji silently called out to the System, “Seriously, what kind of realm is this? Is reincarnation even a thing?”
The System rolled its eyes. “Not that figure’s reincarnation; it’s all just a coincidence.”
Jiang Pengji: “…”
Coincidence?
Could Wei Ci bear to cry over this?
Being born into such a big mess just by coincidence?
