Mythical Three Kingdoms

Zhang Fei didn't stay long at Zhao Yun's place; Zhao Yun, dressed in a Confucian robe as if he were a civil officer, soon politely saw Zhang Fei out. The singer and maidens of the Zhao Family were quite melancholic lately, hearing that a matriarch was soon to arrive.

Since they had entered the Zhao Family last year, it took three months to confirm that Zhao Yun was indeed a gentleman true to his reputation inside and out. These maidens and songstresses then worked hard to win over this big patron, yet Zhao Yun remained as unmoved as a jade figure.

Ultimately, the songstresses and maidens began to doubt whether Zhao Yun had preferences issues, but before they could be certain, news spread that Zhao Yun had fallen in love at first sight with a certain lady.

It turns out his orientation wasn't in question; it's just that the person he was waiting for wasn't any of them. This left the group of songstresses and maidens collectively heartbroken, and reluctantly, they could only start gathering information about the future matriarch. There was no way around it; life at the Zhao Family was good, but that didn't guarantee it would remain so once a matriarch was in place.

"Yun'er, where's the Double Coin Knot I asked you to make?" Chen Xi turned and asked Chen Yun.

Chen Yun returned to her room and brought the completed Double Coin Knot to Chen Xi. Anyone skilled in weaving would catch on immediately after a glance. Having received Chen Xi's request, Chen Yun had experimented several times until her hands were skilled and she made quite a few.

"Give me the largest one; this year's gift is settled." Chen Xi reached out and took the large Double Coin Knot woven by Chen Yun, praising, "Your hands are indeed skillful."

"This one's for the Family Head." Chen Yun spoke, her face showing a faint blush.

Chen Xi held the large Chinese Knot, looked at the Jade Bi Disc in the middle used for decoration, fit for Liu Bei's aesthetic; it should pass muster. He turned and looked at the small sachet, the outer circle woven from the Chinese Knot, in Chen Yun's hands, marveling at its craftsmanship.

"Tie it on me." Chen Xi spread his arms, as Chen Yun squatted down to help him tie the sachet at his waist. A string of fine beads extended smoothly with it.

Looking at the numerous big and small Chinese Knots placed around Chen Yun, the bright red color of them made Chen Xi feel that fooling the ancient people over the New Year with these would suffice. Just casually gather some other things and give them away.

By noon, as Chen Xi and others left after lunch, the road was already bustling with pedestrians. After greeting each other, Chen Xi handed out the Double Coin Knots packed in gift boxes from the morning to this group of people. All thanks to Chen Yun's deft hands; she wove each with different colors.

"Oh, this thing looks nice." Guo Jia, as always carelessly, after opening it in front of Chen Xi, was quite satisfied with Chen Xi's gift.

"You have everything you need; if I were to give you fine wine, your Lady might be unhappy. Sending you this seemed more appropriate." Saying this, Chen Xi slightly bowed and handed a sealed bag of snacks to Guo Yi; the other matters would wait till tomorrow.

"Your son is quite something." Chen Xi remarked with mild curiosity as he gazed at the courteous Guo Yi.

"Well, consider who his father is." Guo Jia replied with a smile.

Upon entering Liu Bei's house, a steward promptly assisted in accepting the items, none of which were particularly valuable. Liu Bei didn't need them, and these people weren't fools; there was no need to bother with such things.

The stewards at Liu Bei's house were nearly unchanged from before, still discreetly accepting their gifts and uttering words of congratulations, regardless of whatever peculiar items were presented, without altering their expressions or glancing aside.

As in previous years, Liu Bei recounted the accomplishments of everyone once again, and bestowed rewards according to a pre-established plan, just as before, hoping everyone would continue striving to restore the Han Dynasty like they had this year.

This year, there were fewer superfluous talks, perhaps due to being tired of eating boiled lamb, and they didn't continue serving it, waiting until noon to commence the real drama of the year.

This was an era that emphasized national affairs being about war and sacrifice, yet Liu Bei's sacrifice wasn't considered formal. The nine-layered sacrificial altar constructed wasn't very high, nor was there a forced requirement for rest.

One could say this barely counted as a proper sacrifice; according to ancient standards, it was seen as disrespectful. Moreover, the sacrifice in this small courtyard involved the Xuanyuan Cauldron.

On this matter, the pragmatists on Liu Bei's side had almost nothing to say. No one knew when it started, but Liu Bei's approach to sacrifices shifted from being known for their grandeur and complexity to emphasizing sincerity.

Regarding this, Chen Xi could only recall the time when Mount Tai was so poor that even the offerings for the Cangshen sacrifice were stolen by crafty people. However, seeing the skinny figures of those crafty people, Liu Bei remained silent, and the sacrifices at Mount Tai subsequently became much more relaxed.

[If one day heaven should blame future generations for their lack of sincerity in sacrifices, please reserve the punishment for me, the originator, Liu Xuande.] Chen Xi recalled Liu Bei's words when he reduced the expenses for sacrifices; Liu Bei indeed sometimes surprises people.

Looking at the small nine-layer altar, with the Heaven-Man Dual Cauldrons standing there, both Chen Xi and Li Youu knew the cauldrons were fake, but the fate attached to them was genuinely authentic. By now, the whole world recognized these Heaven-Man Dual Cauldrons.

"... Now to the descendant of the Han Dynasty, Liu Xuande, willing to bear the heavy burden of the world, reestablish the principles, enlighten the people, uphold virtues, lay the Foundation of Eternity, not requesting approval from heaven, but asking for heaven's witness." Liu Bei burned the sacrificial text, then slowly stood and looked at the Xuanyuan Two Cauldrons, speaking with great conviction.

Chen Xi silently watched Liu Bei's back and realized, unknowingly, Liu Bei had grown from a small nobody to this level. Liu Xuande's convictions, indeed, are about Man triumphing over Heaven!

As Liu Bei finished his words, the originally faint radiance of the Heaven-Man Dual Cauldrons suddenly blazed forth. In the next moment, glory surged from the Heavenly Cauldron into the Sky Dome, followed by a dragon's shadow flashing before everyone's sight. Unlike previous methods of observing Qi, this time it was indeed visible to the naked eye.

The abnormality in the sky was almost clearly visible across several northern states at this moment, as Liu Bei's appeal did not rely on heavenly approval, it was also recorded in fate at this moment.

After the celestial phenomena changed, the surface flaying of the Human Cauldron flashed out pure, gilded essence, with hundreds of glints, large and small, flying out from the reliefs. Many flows of light landed directly on the attending civil and military officials, while the remaining parts shot out like flowing rays.

As the golden light entered, everyone fell into a state of intuitive enlightenment, yet upon regaining their senses, they could not recall what they had just comprehended.

While those present were thus tidying their thoughts, a strip of bluish-black light and gold light from the Human and Heavenly Cauldron respectively, entered Li Youu's body; subsequently, a hazy image of a cyan-robed person as a Fortune Manifestation Body appeared behind him, and Li Youu instantly understood the reason.

[Is this a form of retribution? When I created the forgery, I deliberately added a recognizable sign, and now those signs happened to be integrated into my fate along with the fortune I should possess.]

Li Youu chuckled wryly, he didn't need to turn around to know his fortune had directly manifested into the image of a sage, hmm, this sage image was indeed carved by him while creating the forgery (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to cast recommendation and monthly votes at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)