Unfortunately, their prayers were in vain. The King of Digressions System remained steadfast in its performance, and the conversation irreversibly veered towards Fan Shiping.
[Master, would you like to know why Fan Shiping didn't live to see the grand finale?]
The system, indifferent to whether others wanted to hear it or not, continued to build suspense. Yue Fuguang, watching Wei Ping and Cai Xian's expressions of frustration and dashed hopes, almost couldn't hold back a laugh.
The system truly had a knack for 'going off-topic' with a complete disregard for others' feelings!
But if it didn't digress, how would they complete tasks and earn points?
Yue Fuguang pretended to be drowsy and closed his eyes. The sounds of Emperor Mingxi discussing affairs with his ministers filled his ears, but in his heart, he thought, «What? His death wasn't normal? There's more to the story?»
[Absolutely!] The system's voice was unusually cheerful, carrying a troublemaking, peace-disrupting vibe that was downright punchable.
It continued to tease, [Master, Fan Shiping's death is actually connected to someone in this very court!]
The officials of Dayan perked up their ears in unison. Their curiosity outweighed any tension, for no matter who was involved, it would only be seen as a merit, not a fault. So, they could enjoy this piece of gossip with peace of mind.
Even the elderly minister currently reporting on the land audits of the four major families unconsciously lowered his voice by two notches.
At his age, dividing his attention like this was truly a challenge for the old gentleman!
«First, tell me how Fan Shiping died.»
[Master, he was poisoned! The poison he ingested is called 'Awaken Once in Ten Days.' Doesn't that sound familiar?]
«'Familiar' isn't the word. It's more that the naming style seems strikingly similar to the poison 'Drunk for a Hundred Days' that afflicted Baiyi, the little disciple of Xuanmingzi.»
[Of course, it's similar. 'Awaken Once in Ten Days' was developed based on 'Drunk for a Hundred Days.' Master, you don't think these two poisons came from the same person, do you?]
«Aren't they?»
[Of course not. 'Drunk for a Hundred Days' came from the hands of Du Zhongxian of Nanyue. He also has a resounding nickname in the martial world: the Immortal of Poison.]
«Calling himself an 'Immortal'? What audacity!» Everyone could hear the chill in the Little Immortal Lord's words.
He was a true immortal, after all, so feeling offended by a mortal's presumption was hardly unreasonable.
[Don't be angry, Master. If given the chance, Little Pearl will definitely have that bold mortal who dares to impersonate us immortals struck by lightning as a sacrifice to the heavens.]
«Don't use lightning. I prefer to repay in kind.»
The crowd thought: Truly worthy of being the Little Immortal Lord! Consistently impressive, which put their minds at ease!
The Crown Prince, usually a background figure, felt a stir in his heart. He found the Little Immortal Lord's principle of "repaying in kind" utterly brilliant!
Yue Fuguang was unaware that his single remark had provided an enlightening moment for the typically gentle, kind, and courteous Crown Prince, inadvertently setting him on a different path.
[Understood, understood! Master, the poison on Baiyi was indeed from Du Zhongxian's hand, and the person who went to Nanzhao to purchase it was Bai Yu.
However, the one who actually poisoned Baiyi wasn't Bai Yu, but Fan Shiping's son—the one who first took a concubine from a collateral branch of the Western Qiang's Marquis of Long Trust's family, and later married the cousin of Feng Wuchang—Fan Chengye.]
«Why would he want to poison Baiyi? If I recall correctly, Baiyi is only twelve this year. It's an age where one might annoy everyone, including dogs, but hardly enough to incur a mortal feud, right?»
Xuanmingzi's eyelid twitched. He had been investigating this matter all along, never expecting to suddenly receive the long-sought answer here and now.
[Because Baiyi is Fan Shiping's illegitimate child from an external household. However, Baiyi's mother was the 'runaway pregnant heroine' type. His father, Fan Shiping, was deeply infatuated with this woman and searched for her for many years.
He even wanted to leave a portion of his estate to this mother and child. Fan Shiping never found them, but Fan Chengye discovered that the concubine had died in childbirth while giving birth to Baiyi.
His half-brother, however, had been taken in as a disciple by the renowned Daoist master, Xuanmingzi.
Given Xuanmingzi's status in the martial world at that time, once Fan Chengye learned of this, he would undoubtedly value this younger brother even more.
So, he decided to cut the knot once and for all and have him poisoned.
The reason he sent Bai Yu to purchase the poison from Du Zhongxian in Nanzhao was twofold: firstly, this sworn brother wanted to curry favor with him, the future head of the family—a ready-made pawn, why not use him?
Secondly, it was because Xuanmingzi himself was highly skilled in medicine. Medicine and poison are two sides of the same coin; the common poisons within Dayan wouldn't have been able to stump him, hence the need to look outside.]
«And then Fan Shiping eventually found out about this, so Fan Chengye directly used 'Awaken Once in Ten Days' to poison his own father and take his place?»
The crowd also nodded inwardly, finding the Little Immortal Lord's deduction perfectly logical. Talk of filial piety preventing a son from daring to kill his father held no water here.
The struggle for power has always been bloody and devoid of sentiment, with imperial power being the prime example.
Clearly, Emperor Mingxi thought of this as well. He unconsciously stroked his beard, recalling how when his own father wanted to depose him and establish Prince Rong as Crown Prince, he too had entertained thoughts of patricide.
A pity he had the will and the daring, but not the capability! He lacked the power!
[After Baiyi's death, Fan Shiping did eventually learn the truth and planned to teach his eldest son a lesson. But it so happened that this coincided with the death of the concubine from the Marquis of Long Trust's family during childbirth.
The Fan family was in the midst of marriage negotiations with the Feng family. To secure the alliance, Fan Shiping decided to postpone dealing with his son.
Meanwhile, after Xuanmingzi discovered who was behind his little disciple's poisoning, he began developing 'Awaken Once in Ten Days.' By the time Fan Chengye took Feng Yao from the Feng family as a noble concubine, the poison was ready.
To show respect to the Feng family, Fan Shiping decided to hold a small, internal family banquet on the day the concubine was formally welcomed. Xuanmingzi also chose this time to make his move against Fan Chengye.]
«So, it was Xuanmingzi who acted? Then how did Fan Shiping end up dead?»
The Dayan emperor and his ministers also silently turned their gazes towards Xuanmingzi, who had been sitting there calmly all along.
Since he began attending court sessions last year, much like the Junior Mentor, he had become a fixture in the court, never uttering a word.
The Junior Mentor might not speak, but his inner thoughts, from his identity as the Little Immortal Lord, had been 'commented on' by everyone from the emperor down to the officials.
This Daoist Master Xuanmingzi, however, was truly silent.
Who would have thought that in the original course of history, he had undertaken such a significant act? Although he killed the wrong person, it still amounted to eliminating a scourge for Dayan.
It could be considered a service to the court.
[Originally, the poison was placed in Fan Chengye's wine cup. But during the toast, the cup was accidentally picked up by his father, Fan Shiping.
Fan Shiping quickly showed symptoms of poisoning, which also alerted Fan Chengye.
Xuanmingzi tried several times afterward to correct his mistake but never found another opportunity to administer the poison.
Fan Shiping died ten days after being poisoned. Fan Chengye became like a startled bird.
From then on, he lived in seclusion, rarely venturing out. While strengthening his guards, he became extremely cautious about anything he consumed.
Xuanmingzi, having lost his chance for revenge, could only return to his Daoist temple and enter seclusion, never to emerge again.]
Those with more sensitive minds felt that the summary of Xuanmingzi's story was too abrupt. His tale surely had a continuation.
With his great vengeance unfulfilled, how could he simply enter seclusion and never emerge!
Yue Fuguang thought: Should I tell you all that he later returned to using his original name, Jiao Xuanming, founded the Qingtian Zhigong Dao sect that lasted a century, and proclaimed himself the King of the Underworld?
When Dayan existed, he rebelled against it. When Dayan fell, he tried to restore it.
Ah! Just that rebellious!
