Yinshan Record

Chapter 237: Separation
This person must have known "themselves" for a long time.

Su Che had a rough idea of ​​what was going on.

Childhood sweethearts, then parting ways – this is not an unusual story.

Putting aside the age gap between the two, marriages between members of high-ranking families emphasize matching social status and background.

A daughter of the Xie family of Chen Commandery paired with a son of the Wang family of Langya – that's what you call a perfect match.

Even if there was something before, that's a story from a long time ago.

As the saying goes, life is full of regrets, like water flowing eastward. If there were any unbearable longings, something would have happened the moment you first saw yourself, instead of waiting until now.

She must have been staying in Tian'an County for quite some time now.

But if you ask me to come over now, it probably won't be as simple as just having a reunion.

So Su Che didn't say anything and just ate in silence.

After all, these dishes taste really good, they suit our tastes and have a homey feel to them.

"Sigh, were all those things you did in the capital for my sake?"

Her eyes were fixed on Su Che.

"Madam is overthinking it."

Su Che picked up a piece of sweet and sour fish and put it in his bowl. He was already taken, and the little fox was still waiting for him to propose in the East Sea.

So it's fine for everyone to have a friendly exchange, but there's no need to talk about feelings afterwards.

Su Che believed that people definitely have true feelings and love, but that kind of thing has a time limit; once you're past a certain age...

True love and affection do exist, but there are not many left.

"People change."

Su Che spoke slowly.

Madam Xie wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and smiled.

“Archer, you’ve really grown up.” She poured herself a glass of rice wine. “I invited you here today because there’s something I need to tell you.”

She said it, but her heart was filled with endless regret.

Springtime is beautiful, but it cannot last as long as the autumn moon; summer flowers are vibrant, but winter snow is rare.

Once something is over, it's incredibly difficult to go back.

Madam Xie looked at Su Che's face.

Some things should be left in the past.

Suppressing her wandering thoughts, Madam Xie regained her composure and sophistication.

"please say."

Su Che really liked this businesslike style.

You are the wife of the Wang family of Langya, and I am the Chief Justice of the Imperial Guard. Let's discuss our needs openly.

It's best to avoid playing the emotional card.

"The matter of the City God of Tian'an County becoming possessed by demons was orchestrated by the Rakshasa Sea."

She knows everything.

"Oh? The Rakshasa Sea, when did they become interested in the Central Plains?"

"I should say I've always been interested, but I just haven't been able to get in."

Madam Xie drank the yellow wine in her cup in one gulp.

"The person in charge of this matter is one of the 365 Divine Lords of the Rakshasa Sea, with a fifth-grade cultivation level, and he is currently in Cizhou."

"What does Madam mean?" Su Che looked at the woman in front of him: "I want you to get rid of him."

“This person is very dangerous. He came to Cizhou to meet a Vajrayana named Śikṣānanda and take this person to the East Sea.”

Śikṣānanda, the prince of the Vajrayāgācāra family.

Su Che's thoughts were somewhat chaotic. The Rakshasa Sea, Vajra Yaksha, and Hungry Ghost Realm were all a jumbled mess, but it seemed as if an invisible hand was manipulating things, making it a complete picture.

“Shikshananda was born in the hungry ghost realm, and Deer God Lord is a rare demonic cultivator in the East Sea. Both of them are fifth-rank experts.”

Madam Xie looked at Su Che: "Your sister won't let them hurt you."

"I don't think I've offended them."

"You don't understand. The Rakshasa Sea would never allow the Six Harmonies Azure Dragon to be born." The Six Harmonies Azure Dragon, after going around in circles, has returned to this destiny.

“And Siksananda has even more reason to kill you.”

"why?"

"Because someone in the court made a deal with him, asking him to take action and find an opportunity to kill you."

Su Che put his chopsticks aside and looked up at Madam Xie. Tears still lingered in her eyes.

"You shouldn't have told me that."

"is it?"

“There is only one person in the court who can maintain contact with Śikṣānanda and offer him conditions to take action.” Su Che looked at Madam Xie: “Telling me this will bring you a lot of trouble in the future.”

"It's nothing serious."

Some things don't need to be said too explicitly.

The person who wanted to kill him was the emperor, that wise and enlightened ruler who reigned undisturbed in Jiankang.

When Buddhism first entered China, it must have maintained a considerable tacit understanding with the Great Liang Dynasty, and there was only one person who could have facilitated this.

That is the current emperor.

The reason why Madam Xie knew about this was probably because prominent families like the Wang and Xie clans also played a role in it.

Therefore, the emperor could contact Śikṣānanda, the prince of the hungry ghost realm, and only the emperor could offer him conditions that Śikṣānanda could not refuse. These conditions were intended for the people behind Śikṣānanda.

In retrospect, the whole scheme to escape the Hungry Ghost Realm was probably just an excuse to appease Xuandu Palace and the people of the world.

It is likely that the release of these hungry ghosts was one of the results of collusion between the emperor and the Buddhist community.

Since Xuandu Palace restricts Buddhism to the area of ​​Guobei County, those who escaped must not be Buddhist disciples, but rather "fugitives".

Such a small gesture is so characteristic of the current emperor's personal style.

"Thank you."

After thinking for a moment, Su Che could only answer in this way.

“There’s another story I want to tell you, Archer.”

"Ah."

"The mother of that Prince of Wuling came from a very humble background; she was an ordinary palace maid."

Su Che nodded.

In the imperial family, there are no fathers and sons, but there are uncles and nephews. According to the political custom of the Southern Dynasties, the order of the princes' ranking depended on the power of the aristocratic families of their mothers.

The empresses and empress dowagers of the Southern Dynasties were mostly from prominent families such as the Wang clan of Langya, the Xie clan of Chenjun, and the Yu clan of Yingchuan.

An ordinary palace maid proves that this Prince of Wuling was just one of the emperor's many sons, an unknown one.

"When he was young, he was intelligent and studious, loved reading history books, and was favored by the emperor from a young age. On his ninth birthday, the emperor held a banquet for him. During the banquet, he told about a dream he had just had."

He said he dreamed that he was riding a golden dragon, soaring straight into the sky and looking down at the earth, and he felt incredibly exhilarated.

Su Che took a sip of rice wine and said something.

"Silly child, can you just have dreams like that?"

"He was a fool, and the emperor stormed off. That night, his mother hanged herself. For the next ten years, the emperor ignored him completely. But he was also very persistent and managed to develop superb martial arts skills."

"If his mother hadn't died, he would have been the one to die."

Su Che picked up a mushroom with his chopsticks.

Su Che finally understood why the emperor had brought out the Prince of Wuling at this time.

This is truly an iconic figure.

So should I be careful around him?

"No, the person you should be wary of is me."

"The food was very good, just to my liking, thank you."

Su Che stood up, picked up the handkerchief on the table, and wiped his mouth.

"I never have to be careful around you."

(End of this chapter)