frightfiction Chapter 18 Rereading the Diary, A Wish for the Orthodox Tradition
Chapter 18 Rereading the Diary, A Wish for the Orthodox Tradition
Mrs. Song was terrified.
Her face turned ashen instantly, as if all the color had been drained from her. She collapsed to the ground, her eyes filled with terror and fear.
She didn't understand Chu Lengyu and didn't know if she was capable of doing such a thing, but she knew that Chu Lengyu must hate them.
A rabbit will bite when cornered; a person, when pushed to the limit, might do anything.
The more Song thought about it, the more frightened she became. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, "Husband, I was wrong. I shouldn't have made that decision on my own. I... I'll send someone to find her right away."
Chu Wenchen sighed and instructed, "Don't worry about finding people. You should think it over carefully and not do anything rash. Also, don't stay in this backyard all the time; go out and wander around."
In wealthy families, men hold the social status, while women provide the practical support.
He was an illegitimate son. Although his elder brother had arranged a good marriage for him, the woman changed her mind. In the end, he chose Song Shi, and the couple had lived a harmonious life together for many years.
While Madam Song was competent when managing the household, she fell short in many ways as the mistress of the Marquis's mansion, and was even less composed than a young girl like Yu'er.
Even Wen'er was influenced by her, becoming unruly and only knowing how to be jealous and willful.
Fortunately, Chu Lin was sent to the academy for training early on; otherwise, if his only son were also led astray, Chu Wenchen would have a real headache.
He needed to urge Madam Song to interact more with other ladies, to hone her skills and sharpen her mind, lest she become too comfortable in her little backyard and lose sight of the world outside.
Madam Song dared not say anything more and quickly nodded in agreement.
Chu Wenchen felt he had said enough for the night, so he left Song's room.
Looking up, I saw that it was getting late and the lights in the mansion were all lit.
Snowflakes began to fall again from the gray clouds, and a bleak, cold wind swept by, bringing a chill to the bone.
A trusted aide stepped forward and said, "Master."
Chu Wenchen asked, "How exactly did she get out? Have you found out?"
The confidant immediately reported: "I have asked all the servants in the mansion. After Lüyun went to the kitchen to get breakfast this morning, no one has seen them since."
I checked the stables and found that a carriage had left without explanation this morning. The driver said it was taking two maids from the Second Miss's side to the Xuanzhen Temple.
But the two maids stayed inside the mansion and never went out. Therefore, I suspect they disguised themselves and tricked the coachman.
"Oh, Xuanzhen Temple..." Chu Wenchen felt a sense of relief when he thought of this place.
It seems that the only place Chu Lengyu can turn to is Xuanzhen Temple, but he just hadn't thought of it.
Fortunately, she didn't go to some troublesome noble or marquis's mansion.
That makes sense, though. Aside from her current status, she has no other support. Even if she were to visit other prominent families, they wouldn't open the door for her.
After all, to support Chu Lengyu, one had to offend the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, one of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes.
Anyone with common sense knows how to calculate this deal.
"Master, shall we send someone to Xuanzhen Temple to bring Miss back?"
"No rush, let's wait and see," Chu Wenchen said in a deep voice.
If we go to pick them up now, the city gates will already be closed by the time we get there and back.
As a result, Chu Lengyu still did not return even after waiting until late at night.
Chu Wenchen did not wait any longer, lest it affect the morning court the next day.
……
The moon sets and the stars fade; the sun rises in the east.
Before reading the memorials, the emperor still opened "Cultivation Diary" first.
"Heh, this one's pretty long today," he muttered to himself, and slowly read on.
The first half of the diary records what happened to Chu Lengyu at Xuanzhen Temple.
In her account, she used sharp and blunt language to describe her godfather, Chu Wenchen, the current Duke of Zhenguo, as a hypocritical, despicable, and despicable person.
He harbored deep resentment towards Chu for taking charge of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, claiming that he would be the "retribution" for the Chu family.
The emperor frowned slightly as he looked at it.
Chu Hanchen contracted a sudden illness and soon passed away, leaving no successor.
The emperor did intend to take the opportunity to revoke the title of Duke of Zhenguo, but the four kings and eight dukes were closely allied, and the emperor only sent a few ministers to test the waters before feeling the pressure and backlash from all sides.
For the sake of the stability of the court, he ultimately chose to compromise and allowed Chu Wenchen to succeed as the Duke of Zhenguo.
Two or three years have passed in the blink of an eye.
I never imagined that so many stories would unfold behind the scenes.
Looking at the diary, he thought to himself that Chu Lengyu was still too young and acted impulsively.
However, it's understandable. A teenage girl who was once pampered like a precious gem suddenly falls from grace and suffers repeated injustices would feel wronged and resentful.
The emperor waited to see how she would retaliate.
The feeling of waiting to watch the spectacle unfold is rather subtle.
He then read the rest of the diary.
"However, I have not forgotten my original purpose for coming to Xuanzhen Temple today. I have read a lot of sword techniques and also found some other classic texts to read."
"I didn't expect this world to have such a shallow foundation."
Upon reading this, the emperor's gaze sharpened.
It's as if you can feel Chu Lengyu's disappointment and regret between the lines.
"Although the legends here have similarities to the ancient myths on Earth, such as the creation of the world from chaos and Nuwa creating humans."
"But from the beginning of time to the present day, history is fragmented and records are chaotic, and many accounts have never been unified."
"There is also no reasonable pantheon of gods, such as the Heavenly Court or the Underworld."
"So-called cultivators are all clinging to their own secrets, working in isolation, and haven't even come up with a universally accepted level of cultivation. Could it be that their so-called 'profound cultivation' can't even fill a single level?"
"As for the scriptures and techniques, although they are imaginative and full of ingenious ideas, they are also riddled with flaws. Continuing to practice them is tantamount to walking down a dead end. In some ways, they are not as good as the martial arts summarized by martial artists. Although they do not involve the path of immortality, at least they are real and practical and more versatile."
"I can clearly sense the existence of a faint spiritual energy in this world, yet no one has managed to figure out how to utilize it?"
"Once I have achieved success in my cultivation, perhaps I can establish a lineage and pass down the true methods of immortal cultivation. Becoming a Dao Ancestor might be a worthwhile experience."
"As for the name of the immortal sect..."
"Perhaps it could be called 'White Jade Capital'?"
"The Jade Palace in the heavens, with its twelve towers and five cities. An immortal touched my head, granting me eternal life."
"Although this name is often misused, it's still the first one that comes to mind."
"Okay, that's all for today's diary entry. Time to sleep. Hope I can have a good day tomorrow."
This concludes the fourth diary entry.
The emperor silently recited these two lines of poetry, his heart filled with lingering unease, his eyes flashing with complex emotions.
Although he really hoped that all of this was true, and that Chu Lengyu did indeed have the method of cultivating immortality, he was also afraid that his expectations were too high and that he would be disappointed in the end.
The emperor had not been so excited in many years.
He had a report on Chu Lengyu's whereabouts delivered by the Night Guards beside him, but he already knew that Chu Lengyu had gone to Xuanzhen Temple, so he only glanced at it and put it down casually.
He instructed Hong Fu, "Go and invite Master Guan to the palace."