Chapter 138
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Two weeks later, Zhou Gongdan received a reply from Yuan Li.
The reply was short and simple, consisting of only a few lines.
Yuan Li would create fake “auspicious signs,” using the resources of the Liangliao Institution to build momentum for Wu Shanshi.
Zhou Gongdan’s task was straightforward – to make Wu Shanshi believe that the auspicious signs were a result of his own merits and to convince him that he was the true Dragon Emperor.
Thus, to proclaim himself as emperor.
Recently, Wu Shanshi’s temper has been quite bad.
He couldn’t focus on anything he did and felt that everyone he encountered was sneering at him and rebuking him.
Even the servants in his mansion, who ate and lived off him, seemed to be secretly ridiculing him behind their respectful façades. Every time he thought of this possibility, Wu Shanshi would suddenly burst into rage.
His temper became increasingly volatile, and even his wives and concubines dared not provoke him during these times.
Among the entire provincial governor’s mansion, only Zhou Gongdan could receive a favorable treatment from Wu Shanshi.
Zhou Gongdan had been trying to persuade Wu Shanshi for quite some time, telling him that it was not yet a dead end, and they needed to patiently wait for an opportunity to turn the tide.
Wu Shanshi did calm down somewhat after being comforted by Zhou Gongdan and began anxiously waiting for the arrival of this opportunity.
In early May, one of his subordinates reported that a strange stone had been discovered in a village in the countryside. The stone had a grotesque appearance, resembling a fierce beast with fangs and claws.
The villagers were scared of the stone and informed the county magistrate. The county magistrate also found the stone peculiar and reported it further.
Initially, Wu Shanshi had little interest, but the subordinate continued, “The county magistrate said that the stone is slender and long, with eagle claws, fish scales, and lion manes, as if…”
The subordinate hesitated and didn’t dare to continue. But Wu Shanshi was startled. Eagle claws, fish scales, lion manes – wasn’t that the appearance of a dragon?
Could it be a stone that resembled a dragon in shape?
Wu Shanshi immediately became interested. “Where is this stone?”
“Military official Huang took soldiers to move the stone. It should be delivered to the provincial governor’s mansion this afternoon,” the subordinate replied.
However, in the afternoon, the Military official Huang returned with the soldiers, their faces filled with panic.
Frowning, Wu Shanshi asked, “What happened to you all?”
Military official Huang’s face was pale, his lips trembling, and he looked as if he had been frightened out of his wits. He knelt down on the ground with a “thud” and said, “M-Master, the stone turned into a flying dragon and disappeared!”
Wu Shanshi was greatly astonished. “What?!”
Military official Huang stammered as he described what he had seen and heard.
They had followed the villagers to find the peculiar stone, half in doubt and suspecting it to be a falsehood from the county magistrate. However, when they finally saw the stone, they were amazed to find it was indeed as extraordinary as the county magistrate had described, vivid and lifelike, resembling a living creature.
Military official Huang said, “Master, the stone looked too much like a dragon. It was naturally formed, and I couldn’t see any traces of carving. The body of a serpent, the antlers of a deer, and the stone had clear scales, it was undoubtedly like a real dragon.”
Wu Shanshi was half convinced and half doubtful, “What happened next?”
“After that, I wanted to move the stone with the soldiers, but as soon as we approached the stone, it suddenly made a huge explosion, and a white mist appeared. In a panic, we heard strange roars coming from within the mist…”
Fascinated, Wu Shanshi asked, “What kind of roars?”
Sweat the size of beans dripped down Military official Huang’s forehead as he whispered, “Dragon roars.”
Wu Shanshi instinctively said, “That’s impossible!”
“I thought it was impossible too, but when the white mist dissipated, the massive stone had shattered into pieces. If it wasn’t a dragon that burst out of the stone, how could such a large boulder have shattered in an instant? And the appearance of the stone, it truly resembled a dragon, Master!”
Wu Shanshi swallowed nervously as he squinted at Military official Huang, but no matter how he looked at it, he could clearly see that Military official Huang was not lying.
He skeptically thought, could it be that there really are dragons in this world? And this dragon has descended upon Jizhou?
Dragons were the symbol of the emperor…
With this thought, Wu Shanshi’s heart began to race, and he dared not think further. He immediately stood up and said, “Quickly, take me to that village!”
Zhou Gongdan also heard about the incident and hurriedly arrived to accompany Wu Shanshi to the village.
The cracked stone was still in its original place, and Wu Shanshi witnessed the stone shattered into pieces. Near the broken stone, there were peculiar footprints resembling giant eagle claws.
Seeing these footprints and the scale-like patterns on the stone, Wu Shanshi started to waver.
Could it really be a dragon?
But what would a dragon be doing here?
Some soldiers rushed over and said, “My lord, we also heard strange roars in the forest!”
Wu Shanshi followed them to search the forest, but they found no traces of a dragon. Just as Wu Shanshi was about to give up in disappointment, he suddenly felt a flash in front of him, and golden light stung his eyes.
Wu Shanshi focused his gaze and saw something hidden in the grass ahead. He pushed aside his personal guards and quickly approached, only to find a golden scale!
With trembling hands, Wu Shanshi picked up the scale to examine it. The scale was smooth and exquisite, slightly raised, just like the scales on a snake’s body.
This was undoubtedly a dragon’s scale!
Wu Shanshi was certain in his heart, and his breathing became rapid. He quickly hid the scale in his sleeve.
Zhou Gongdan’s eyes flickered as he pretended to be puzzled. “My lord, what is this?”
Looking around, Wu Shanshi whispered, “Wenning, this might be a dragon’s scale.”
“A dragon’s scale?!” Zhou Gongdan’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Is it really possible for dragons to exist in this world, my lord?”
Wu Shanshi hesitated, and as an aristocratic descendant, he vaguely understood that legends of dragons, qilins, and other auspicious creatures were political tools used by rulers to deceive the people.
But could these auspicious creatures truly exist in the world? No one could say for sure.
Seeing his uncertain expression, Zhou Gongdan thoughtfully said, “A real dragon’s appearance would be a great omen… But isn’t the emperor in Yangzhou? Why would a dragon appear in Jizhou? My lord, we need to handle this matter carefully. If others find out about it, rumors might spread, and that wouldn’t be good.”
Wu Shanshi understood Zhou Gongdan’s suggestion. The real dragon was the symbol of the emperor, and if there really was a dragon descending but not in Yangzhou, it would imply that there was an emperor’s aura in Jizhou…
…the more he thought about it, the more excited Wu Shanshi became.
He forcibly suppressed the surging thoughts in his mind and nodded, saying, “You’re right, Wenning. We can’t be sure if this is really a dragon. I feel there’s something peculiar about this village. Let’s stay here for a few more days.”
Although he said he wasn’t sure verbally, Wu Shanshi was convinced in his heart that the scale he found was indeed a dragon’s scale.
Zhou Gongdan nodded slightly and agreed, “I will stay with you, my lord.”
They stayed in the village for three days, but during this time, nothing happened. They neither saw the dragon’s figure nor found its tracks or heard its roar again. Wu Shanshi’s disappointment grew deeper, and he even began to doubt his own conjectures.
Three days later, a group of blind diviners arrived in the village.
Upon hearing the news, Wu Shanshi found it strange. Why would diviners come to this desolate village?
He asked his men, and the elderly diviner in charge initially gave vague answers. Only after being reprimanded did he reluctantly say, “Reporting to the lord, we came here because we sensed the presence of dragon aura.”
Wu Shanshi’s heart skipped a beat, but he maintained a calm expression on his face. “What do you mean by that?”
The blind diviner extended his fingers and calculated before replying, “About three days ago, we sensed changes in the heavens and the earth, and we felt the presence of a real dragon. That’s why we followed the aura of auspicious creatures and arrived at this village.”
Wu Shanshi looked back at Zhou Gongdan with suspicion, and Zhou Gongdan was equally astonished. After exchanging glances, Zhou Gongdan quickly asked, “If a real dragon appears, what does it signify?”
The blind diviner hesitated for a moment, reluctant to speak.
Anxious, Wu Shanshi urged, “Tell us!”
The diviner said in a low voice, “The emperor is often referred to as the ‘true dragon emperor.’ Dragons rarely appear in the world, but if they do…”
Wu Shanshi held his breath and urged the diviner to continue. The diviner lowered his voice even further and said, “It probably means that the emperor is present in Jizhou.”
Wu Shanshi was stunned for a long time, his face turning red.
At this moment, he didn’t need the diviner to say anything further. He had already figured it out.
Why would a dragon appear in Jizhou? It was because the aura of the emperor was in Jizhou. And he, Wu Shanshi, was the governor of Jizhou. Everything in Jizhou belonged to him, so it was self-evident who this emperor’s aura referred to.
Did he have the aura of the emperor?
Could he, Wu Shanshi… become the emperor?
His hands trembled, and after a long while, he waved his hand to dismiss the diviner, pacing around the room. Zhou Gongdan waited for a while before speaking up, “My lord, what should we do?”
Wu Shanshi stopped walking, his mind clouded with wandering thoughts. He didn’t understand Zhou Gongdan’s intention and asked, “What do you mean, what should we do? Isn’t this a good thing?”
Zhou Gongdan sighed heavily, looking worried. “My lord, if this news spreads, it might be detrimental to you. The emperor is still alive. If it becomes known that there is the aura of the emperor in Jizhou, people might view it as a great disrespect… or even think that you are planning to claim the throne!”
Claim the throne?!
Wu Shanshi’s whole body trembled. These two words seemed to have an irresistible charm, making his rationality falter.
Yes, claim the throne.
Wu Shanshi knew that Zhou Gongdan’s words were correct, but at this moment, he didn’t feel too happy about it.
He had already concluded that the aura of the emperor was on him. Why should he, who was favored by the heavens as a true emperor, conceal this and pretend that nothing had happened?
The more Zhou Gongdan advised against it, the more determined Wu Shanshi became. But since his only counselor spoke like this, he didn’t feel confident anymore. He restrained his impulsiveness and let Zhou Gongdan handle the matter.
The following month was unusually calm, but Wu Shanshi’s mind was always preoccupied with thoughts of the scale and the diviner’s words. He became increasingly obsessed, day and night. One night, he even dreamt of a golden dragon entering his dream, telling him that he, Wu Shanshi, was the new emperor of the world, the true ruler.
However, upon waking up, the turbulent emotions from the dream left Wu Shanshi feeling even emptier. Unbeknownst to him, his obsession with becoming an emperor grew deeper.
Another half month passed, and a prophecy spread from somewhere in Jizhou.
Soon, this prophecy reached Wu Shanshi’s ears.
“After three hundred years, three gold will stand tall.”
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