An order came from the palace; the Emperor urgently summoned Qingnu to court.
The snake-girl stored her luggage inside the jiao-snake pearl before following the official into the palace without any rush.
At that time, Wang Mang’s brow was clouded with much worry.
Seeing Qingnu arrive, he ordered a seat for her and then asked, "Erudite Qinggu, I heard you submitted your resignation to the Imperial Academy and plan to leave Chang'an? Why? Is it because the other erudites in the academy have been disrespectful? Or is it the salary..."
"It is none of those."
Qingnu shook her head, cutting off Wang Mang’s words.
Seeing her shake her head, Wang Mang frowned and asked, "Then why? I do not understand!"
Qingnu sighed and spread her hands. "There is no 'why.' When the time comes, it is natural to leave. Everything is a matter of fate. People like us must follow the mandate of fate."
As she spoke, however, Qingnu was complaining in her heart.
'Follow the mandate of fate?'
'Bah, I am following my grandfather Huangdi's fate!'
Qingnu was certainly no obedient girl.
Wang Mang did not know what Qingnu was thinking. After hearing her words, he no longer tried to convince her to stay, but instead asked, "I wonder if Erudite Qinggu could read my fortune one last time?"
"As they say, things should not exceed three times. I only read a person's fate three times in total. This would be the second. Are you certain?"
Qingnu asked in return.
Wang Mang did not hesitate and nodded. "I am!"
Qingnu asked, "What do you want to know?"
"...I ask of my future, and the future of the Xin Dynasty."
When Wang Mang spoke those words, Qingnu laughed and said, "You are quite the clever one, kid, trying to get two answers for the price of one."
Being called 'kid,' Wang Mang showed no trace of anger.
Over the years, he had more or less sensed that there was something extraordinary about Qingnu.
Qingnu quickly gave him the answer he sought. "In the future, you will die, your head and body separated. The Xin Dynasty will perish, ending after a single generation."
"Insolence—!!"
"What audacity! Where are the guards—!!"
As soon as she spoke, people shouted in fury, wanting to seize Qingnu.
Wang Mang waved them back.
He looked at Qingnu and, after a moment of silence, asked, "What if I do not believe it?"
"You do not believe it? Then why did you ask!"
Qingnu rolled her eyes and rose to leave.
Seeing her move, Wang Mang stood up quickly and walked toward her. As he moved, the surrounding guards also rushed forward to block her path.
Wang Mang reached Qingnu and, disregarding his status as the supreme sovereign, knelt before her as if worshipping a god! After he knelt, the other Confucian scholars hurriedly prostrated themselves as well.
"I am willing to entrust the entire nation to you. I wonder if Erudite Qinggu would be my Jiang Ziya?"
Wang Mang's voice trembled slightly.
"Restore the Rites of Zhou, restore the Rites of Zhou..."
Qingnu murmured softly, slowly lowering her head to look at Wang Mang. "You want a Jiang Ziya? Do you think you are King Wu of Zhou?"
At these words, Wang Mang’s body shook. He looked up and asked, "Can I... not be?"
"No!"
Qingnu shook her head.
Seeing her shake her head, a glimmer of hope flashed in Wang Mang’s eyes.
But very soon, Qingnu’s next words shattered that hope. She spoke calmly, "You cannot!"
Wang Mang’s voice quivered. "Why?"
"The times have changed!"
Seeing Wang Mang in such a state, Qingnu sighed helplessly. The brief, flash-in-the-pan existence of the Xin Dynasty ultimately traced its roots back to the Theory of Interaction Between Heaven and Mankind established during the time of Emperor Wu of Han. It had directly placed the power to interpret whether an emperor was fit for office into the hands of the Confucian scholars.
Natural disasters plagued the land; the Emperor was deemed devoid of virtue.
The torrent of the times had surged, pushing up Wang Mang, this great Confucian scholar.
The Xin Dynasty was a highly idealized attempt by the Confucian scholars to create the sage-king kingdom of their hearts.
But it was far too idealized.
The current era was no longer the Zhou Dynasty.
Leaving behind those words, Qingnu ignored Wang Mang and the others and left the palace.
Did Wang Mang believe in fate?
He certainly did; otherwise, he would not have accepted the abdication or championed the ancient sage kingdom.
But he was unwilling to believe in the fate Qingnu spoke of. This was normal; since ancient times, not many had listened to Qingnu’s words.
What makes a human human is having their own thoughts.
If they blindly followed everything she said, what would be the difference between them and her avatars?
After leaving Chang'an, Qingnu looked up at the sky and saw the providence of the world split into several clouds, drifting off to various places.
Seeing this providence scatter, Qingnu laughed and sighed softly. "Oh dear... in this world, there are quite a few people favored by providence."
It was just that they were a bit late.
Liu Xiu had been favored by providence much earlier than them.
Providence was the sort of thing where being first meant being first. Once you held the initiative and kept moving forward, you would gradually gain the recognition of the world.
In the third year of the Dihuang Era, a great drought hit Nanyang. Crops failed completely, and the people were starving.
Qingnu was dispensing porridge in Nanyang.
This grain was not something she conjured with magic—she wasn't a goddess of agriculture, after after. It was just that after living so long, she had stored many treasures in the jiao-snake pearl, so buying grain from other places was no problem.
That year, Qingnu met Liu Xiu again.
His elder brother, Liu Yan, had taken the opportunity of the great drought to lead the Liu clan of Nanyang in a revolt against the Xin, seeking to restore the Han Dynasty.
Liu Xiu, now a general, encountered Qingnu while she was dispensing porridge. His expression was one of utter astonishment.
He dismounted from his ox and hurried forward to bow.
"Master!"
Qingnu glanced up at him, then looked at the soldiers behind him—the so-called Chunling Army—and waved him away. "Go, go, do not block me from giving out porridge."
Liu Xiu was not offended. He immediately ordered his soldiers to clear a path.
Watching Qingnu give porridge to the starving commoners, he was filled with emotion. He bowed and said, "Master is truly a great scholar!"
Hearing this compliment, Qingnu looked at him, fell silent for a moment, and then asked, "Liu Wenshu, do you still remember the answer you gave me before leaving the Imperial Academy?"
"I remember. To redress the grievances of the world!"
Liu Xiu nodded in reply.
Qingnu gave a slight nod. "Then go. Stop blocking my porridge line."
Liu Xiu solemnly cupped his hands in a respectful salute. "Military matters are urgent. Master, Liu Xiu takes his leave!"
After he left, Qingnu continued dispensing porridge until the sun sank behind the western mountains.
Parting from the commoners, Qingnu returned to her lodgings.
Not long after, Hongluan returned, knocking hurriedly on the door.
Qingnu opened the door for her. As soon as she entered, Hongluan dropped several bags of grain on the floor and complained, "You have no idea how far I have to run now to find food! Grain prices are terrifyingly high. The money you gave me is only enough for this much now!"
Qingnu smiled slightly, stepped forward, and pressed Hongluan down into a seat, massaging her shoulders.
"Sister Bird has worked hard! Little Qing will give you a massage."
Qingnu’s hands were soft and gentle, and the massage felt wonderful to Hongluan. She huffed and said, "If you ask me to go again tomorrow, I won't even know where to look for grain."
Qingnu said, "Sister Bird has rendered great service. When this is over, I will take you to the Western Regions to eat fruit."
"It’s a deal!"
"Mhm! It’s a deal."
The two high-fived to seal the vow.
After the clap, Qingnu asked, "And Little Tiying? Is there any news of her?"
Hongluan thought for a moment and replied, "It seems she and Jingang went south. There is a lot of miasma there, but many rare medicinal herbs as well."
"Sigh... one by one, everyone leaves home."
Qingnu let out a long sigh.
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