My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 370 Purple Qi comes from the east
While speaking, Wu Fan subtly and cleverly observed Wei Teng's expression. When he noticed a flicker of interest on Wei Teng's face, he immediately felt reassured.

Although Wei Teng was only somewhat interested, Wu Fan wanted him to have that reaction.

"Brother Zhou Lin, there is something that has been bothering me for a long time, but I don't know whether I should tell you."

Wu Fan's sudden seriousness startled Wei Teng, and his heart sank.

He and Wu Fan were longtime friends, and he was well aware of Wu Fan's abilities.

Wei Teng couldn't help but feel a little frightened, yet genuinely curious, at the thought that Wu Fan was being so serious and cautious.

After all, the last time Wu Fan was so solemn was during the war in Luoyang.

At that time, Wu Fan told him and another close friend that there was a war in the northwest, and that the emperor's power was weakened.

Wei and Teng naturally didn't believe it, and even told many of their local gentry friends in Shangyu as if it were just casual conversation.

Six months later, news came from the north that a shocking incident had occurred in Luoyang: the Grand General, entrusted with the care of the young emperor, had died and his clan had been exterminated; the once illustrious and arrogant Ten Attendants had been killed in the palace; and Dong Zhuo had raised troops from Liangzhou and entered Luoyang.

After this incident, Wei Teng was amazed by Wu Fan's abilities.

Wu Fan's ability to observe qi (vital energy) also made him famous in Shangyu, Kuaiji.

After hesitating for a while, Wei Teng finally couldn't suppress his curiosity and said in a low voice, "We are close friends, so why can't we talk about it?"

"Zhou Lin is absolutely right."

Wu Fan immediately nodded, but still warned, "However, this matter is too important. Once Zhou Lin finds out, it must not be leaked."

Wu Fan's words only fueled Wei Teng's burning desire. However, he couldn't press Wu Fan directly, so he could only nod repeatedly in agreement.

Seeing Wei Teng's reaction, Wu Fan finally got down to business: "At the end of last year, a purple aura came from the east, descending from the north of the river, and is now resting in Shanyin."

"Purple Air Coming from the East?"

After repeating it to himself, Wei Teng's expression suddenly changed drastically. He stared at Wu Fan and whispered, "Auspicious purple energy from the east!?"

Faced with Wei Teng's shocked gaze, Wu Fan nodded heavily.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, purple aura was considered a more significant symbol of imperial power than dragons or phoenixes.

Dragons are not taboo; countless scholars have used the term "dragon." Guan Ning, Hua Xin, and Bing Yuan were outstanding figures of their time. Guan Ning was the dragon's head, Hua Xin was the dragon's body, and Bing Yuan was the dragon's tail. The three of them together formed a dragon.

That's not even the most exaggerated example; the Xun family was even more formidable.

Xun Yu's grandfather, Xun Shu, was known as "Old Dragon," and he had eight sons, all of whom became successful and were hailed as the "Eight Dragons" at the time.

Xun Yu's father, Xun Kun, ranked second, and his son, Xun Yu, was a man of great talent who was called "Young Dragon" at a young age.

With the old dragon of the Xun family in front, the eight dragons in the middle, and the young dragons behind, this was practically stirring up a dragon's nest.

It is evident that the Eastern Han Dynasty did not prohibit the use of the dragon motif at all; the emperor was referred to as the Son of Heaven, not as a real dragon.

When Liu Bang first rose to power, he even slew a white snake, which was the incarnation of a dragon. It would be more accurate to say that Liu Bang was the mortal enemy of a true dragon, so naturally he would never become the son or grandson of a dragon.

On the contrary, this purple aura is an extremely heavy thing. Generally speaking, purple aura and royal aura are almost equal and can be directly referred to as one another.

At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Liu Yan once wanted to go to Jiaozhou to seek refuge, but because Dong Fu said that there was purple aura in Yizhou, he immediately became ambitious and went to Yizhou instead. In Yizhou, he built more than a thousand imperial carriages (the carriages used by the emperor), and presumed to be the emperor.

When Xu You was in Ji Province, he persuaded Wang Fen to change the emperor, using the pretext of "purple aura covering Ye City".

Given Liu Yan's high status and outstanding talent, it is easy for him to have his fate changed by a famous diviner's prediction of auspicious purple aura, which shows how deeply ingrained the concept of auspicious purple aura was in the minds of people during the Han Dynasty.

And at that time, renowned diviners wielded immense influence.

Dong Fuzhi's relationship with Liu Yan and Xiang Kai's relationship with Wang Fen are analogous to Wu Fan's relationship with Wei Teng.

At this moment, Wei Teng felt his heart beating too fast, his mouth dry, and his mind wandering.

Wasn't Liu Zhengnan the one who crossed the Yangtze River at the end of last year?

At this moment, purple aura is lingering over Shanyin, and isn't Shanyin City the current location of Liu Zhengnan's garrison?

Could this purple aura be from Jiangdong, which followed Liu Zheng south?
If anyone else had said this to Wei Teng, he would most likely have ignored it.

But the person who said it was Wu Fan.

The two were not only close friends, but Wei Teng had also personally experienced Wu Fan's skills.

At this moment, Wei Teng couldn't help but think that with Brother Wenze's abilities, this matter should be true. If it were true, then the purple aura coming from the east, and Brother Wenze telling him about it, could this be an incredible opportunity for him?
Wei Teng came from a prominent family, was strong-willed and fond of fame, and often felt that his talents were not being used.

Wei Teng's cooperation in assisting Wu Fan was not only due to their good relationship, but also because he had ulterior motives and wanted to use this opportunity to advance his career and serve Liu Feng.

Now that Wu Fan has mentioned Liu Feng's aura of purple, he is naturally even more concerned.

Wei Teng kept swallowing, trying his best to speak calmly, but even he could hear the tremor in his voice.

"Wenze, is this really true?"

Wu Fan, however, looked displeased: "Zhou Lin, do you not trust me?"

Wei Teng quickly shook his head and cupped his hands, saying, "I have long known of Wen Ze's abilities, and we are close friends, so how could I doubt him? It's just that this matter is of great importance and has awe-inspiring, which is why I misspoke."

"We are brothers, how could Fan An deceive his brother?"

Wu Fan's anger subsided: "If it weren't for that, how could I have revealed such an important matter to Zhou Lin? You should know that I have only told you, Zhou Lin, so far."

Wei Teng looked ashamed and apologized repeatedly: "Brother Wenze, my words were inappropriate, please forgive me."

Wu Fan wasn't really displeased; he was just putting on an act and quickly forgave Wei Teng.

Wei Teng, breathing rapidly, said, "Liu Zhengnan is actually surrounded by purple aura. Could this be our chance to join the new emperor?"

Wu Fan was overjoyed; his dear friend had finally understood, or rather, was moved enough to dare to speak up.

He immediately nodded solemnly: "Zhou Lin knows that I possess secret techniques. After discovering this matter, I observed the aura many times and used several different secret techniques, but the results were consistent."

After a pause, Wu Fan said through gritted teeth, "Zhou Lin, I intend to donate all of the Wu family's land and property."

Upon hearing this, Wei Teng was immediately startled. The Wu family was far inferior to the Wei family, and their land holdings amounted to only a few thousand acres. Although it wasn't much, the daily rent was still a considerable income from grain, especially since grain prices had been rising steadily in recent years without any sign of decline.

At this point, having donated all his land, and with no income from mining or workshops, Wu Fan's only source of income was from a few shops in Shangyu City. This demonstrates the magnitude of Wu Fan's determination.

Wei Teng felt a burning sensation in his chest and couldn't sit still any longer. He got up and started pacing around in the secret room.

Master Wu stopped trying to persuade him and just pondered to himself.

"In that case, my family will also donate half of our land outside the city!"

Finally, Wei Teng made up his mind.

Having failed to produce 2,000 shi of grain for two or three decades, the Wei family, though still a prominent family in Shangyu, has seen its status decline uncontrollably, and has been forced to give up tens of thousands of acres of farmland.

If the situation cannot be reversed, the remaining farmland will eventually be squandered.

If that's the case, why can't I take a gamble like Wu Fan did?

If it succeeds, the Wei family of Shangyu might very well become founding dukes and marquises.

"good!"

Wu Fan exclaimed in praise, "Zhou Lin's decisiveness truly makes him worthy of being my friend."

"General Jia is currently in charge of this county and is handling all matters."

Wu Fan, holding Wei Teng's hand, said, "This is the perfect time for us to present our land."

Wei Teng had no reason not to believe it, so the two of them immediately went to find Jia Kui.

Wu Fan brought Wei Teng along for two reasons. First, the two were indeed very close friends, and Wu Fan had not lied to Wei Teng; he had indeed witnessed the auspicious purple clouds rising from the east.

Secondly, the Wei Teng family was far wealthier than the Wu Fan family. If Wu Fan alone donated land, even if he gave up everything he had, it would only amount to a few thousand acres. But if Wei Teng were to join in, it would be at least tens of thousands of acres.

Now Wei Teng has made up his mind and plans to donate more than half of his family's farmland, which is 30,000 to 50,000 mu of land.

Based on this calculation, the Wei family likely controls 100,000 mu of farmland in Shangyu, requiring thousands of tenant farmers just to cultivate it. These tenant farmers are long-term property of the Wei family, and from birth to marriage to death, they almost all bear the mark of the Wei family.

It is conceivable that if the Wei family needed it, they could immediately draw one or two thousand able-bodied men from these thousands of tenant farmers. With such a large food supply, the Wei family could easily support three to five hundred servants on ordinary days.

With three to five hundred clerks as the core and one or two thousand young men as reserves, if the Wei family really wanted to rebel, regardless of whether they could succeed, it would not be difficult for them to raise an army.

This is the material basis for why the Northern Alliance rebelled overnight, giving rise to tens of thousands of rebels.

Jia Kui was overjoyed by Wu Fan and Wei Teng's defection, especially since the two of them jointly donated tens of thousands of acres of farmland. This not only brought political achievements to Jia Kui, but also set a very good example.

Therefore, it was only because Jia Kui, a man of strong character and not good with words, specially hosted a banquet in his mansion to entertain Wu Fan and Wei Teng.

"Wenze and Zhou Lin, you two can rest assured."

Jia Kui had a sullen face. If it weren't for the fact that he was praising Wu Fan and Wei Teng, anyone who could tell from his expression would think he was reprimanding or scolding his guests.

"Kui will surely report the merits of these two gentlemen to Zheng Nan and request commendations for them."

Given Jia Kui's personality, the merit of offering the land alone was not enough for him to praise Wu Fan and Wei Teng so highly. Another important reason was that he greatly admired Wu Fan and Wei Teng's talents, especially Wu Fan's ability to observe qi.

The people of the Han Dynasty still paid considerable attention to apocryphal texts and prophecies, and the art of observing qi was also prevalent at that time. Moreover, the practitioners were not low-status sorcerers, but rather renowned figures of the time with first-class social standing.

Putting aside other matters, the fact that Dong Zhuo entered the capital was predicted by several renowned scholars that there would be bloodshed during the Battle of Luoyang.

Therefore, when Jia Kui heard that Wu Fan had correctly predicted the war in Luozhong while he was in Shangyu, he was quite shocked. Moreover, Wei Teng did not believe it at the time and told many people about it as a leisurely pastime. It would be very easy for Jia Kui to verify it, not to mention that the matter was widely known in Shangyu, and someone had told him about it as soon as he arrived.

Seeing how much Jia Kui admired him, Wu Fan was also very tempted. Recalling the power of the Southern Expedition, Wu Fan immediately made a decision.

Afterwards, Wu Fan asked Jia Kui to dismiss all other people, and then told Jia Kui about what he had witnessed: the purple aura coming from the east.

Fearing that Jia Kui might not believe him and mistakenly think he was trying to curry favor, Wu Fan gritted his teeth and said, "General, I have also studied the classics and know the way of being a person and a subject. I am not a person who just talks big. In fact, this matter is too important, and I have received great kindness from the General, so I dare not deceive you."

"Fan repeatedly observed the qi to verify this matter, and also accidentally discovered something else."

Wu Fan cautiously observed Jia Kui's expression and continued, "Because of the auspicious purple aura coming from the east, Jiangdong will enjoy favorable weather for the next two years. As long as the government is efficient and the people are harmonious, we will surely have two years of bountiful harvests. If there is any famine, please behead me!"

Jia Kui and Wei Teng were both shocked to hear this; Wu Fan was practically gambling with his life.

Seeing the surprise on Jia Kui and Wei Teng's faces, Wu Fan felt a little pleased.

He wasn't one of those charlatans; his divination skills were genuine. The reason Wu Fan dared to make such a bet was because he had absolute confidence.

Jia Kui's expression turned serious: "Does Lord Wu mean this? You must know that there is no joking in the army?"

Jia Kui already held Wu Fan in high regard and had always revered Liu Feng as a god. Upon hearing about the purple aura, and recalling how Liu Bei, on Liu Feng's advice, had traveled a great distance to send omens to himself and his grandfather, he was deeply moved.

Now that I am a high-ranking military commander, and my grandfather has also been entrusted with important responsibilities by the General of the Cavalry and the General of the Southern Expedition, the details of this always seem strange when I think about them.

If the Southern Expedition is blessed by the auspicious purple aura, then everything will fall into place naturally.

Wu Fan's expression was also extremely solemn. He cupped his hands in return and said, "Fan An dared to deceive the general, and is willing to sign a military pledge."

"Good! Very good!"

Jia Kui became excited. The thought of Liu Feng being protected by the purple aura made him tremble uncontrollably.

That night, Jia Kui immediately wrote a letter to Liu Feng, reporting that Wu Fan and Wei Teng had donated land. He also gave a detailed account of Wu Fan's mention of the purple aura before sending the letter to Shanyin.

The journey between the two places takes only two or three days, and even a fast horse can deliver the message in just one day. Traveling by water is the fastest option, and in less than half a day, the messenger arrived at the south dock of Shanyin City. After disembarking, the messenger was quickly sent to Liu Feng's residence.

After Liu Feng opened the letter and read it, he was shocked by its contents. Still somewhat skeptical, he even ran out of the hall and spent a long time looking at the sky in the courtyard, but he couldn't find the mysterious purple aura.

Liu Feng was also skeptical for a moment. Wu Fan did indeed have such abilities in the original timeline. If he had guessed many major events a year and a half in advance entirely on his own merits, then he would not have needed to use divination and fortune-telling to assist Sun Quan.

But if this was really seen through divination and observing the atmosphere, then it's too bizarre.

Liu Feng had already taken a liking to Wu Fan. He wanted to establish an organization similar to the disaster early warning system of later generations with Wu Fan, Zhao Da, Dong Fu, and others, and he also tried to persuade them to donate these secret techniques.

Regardless of how these people managed to issue such warnings, the ability to foresee disasters a year or two in advance is always a very useful skill.

But now, Wu Fan actually claims to possess purple aura, a privilege reserved for the Great Emperor of the original timeline.

(End of this chapter)