Chapter Nineteen: Xu Fu and Lady Qi

In the evening, I lay in bed video-chatting with Zhong Yang, sharing the various events that had transpired recently. Ever since receiving the divine decree, the official seal, and the ritual implements from the God Realm, Zhong Yang’s abilities had grown day by day. Whenever she focused her spiritual energy, not only would a green light condense in her eyes, but she could also peer through that light to perceive things invisible to ordinary people.

With the coquettish allure of a young woman in love, Zhong Yang said, "A few days ago, I sensed that I also have a lover in the God Realm. Just as you have Brother Jian, I call him Brother Crown Prince."

Intrigued, I pressed her, "Who is this Brother Crown Prince of yours?"

"I'm not sure. I only know that we exchanged vows at the Nine Heavens Divine Palace."

The Nine Heavens Divine Palace?!

I pondered for a moment, feeling as though the place was somewhat familiar. Before I could sense anything further, I heard Zhong Yang suddenly ask, "Xiao Qian, why did you use the pen name 'Xu Fu' in the past? Why choose the same name as the historical figure Xu Fu?"

I paused and replied, "Because I am the historical Xu Fu."

Zhong Yang’s phoenix eyes widened. "Aren't you... aren't you Fusu? Fusu and Xu Fu lived in the same era. How could you be Xu Fu?"

Xu Fu lived at the end of the Qin Dynasty. Born clutching a Jade Bagua of King Wen, she could speak at a hundred days old. Born with the innate ability to read fortunes and judge destiny, she was hailed by the world as a goddess. Emperor Qin Shi Huang, hearing of these miraculous signs, considered them a propitious omen; he bestowed gold upon the Xu family and charged her father, Xu Wang, to raise the daughter well. In gratitude for the Emperor’s grace, Xu Wang named her "Xu Mofu," meaning "never to fail the Emperor's expectations." As she grew, Xu Mofu became a master of divination and physiognomy, her fame spreading. Later, when Qin Shi Huang sent for her to read his fortune in Xianyang, she had already foreseen that the Qin Dynasty’s fate was nearing its end, so she feigned illness to decline. She secretly changed her name to Xu Fu, knowing she would indeed fail the Emperor.

That year, Fusu was banished to Shangjun; that year, Xu Fu refused to see the Emperor. It was all fated—whether as Xu Fu or Fusu, both were destined to fail Qin Shi Huang.

Lost in thought, I said, "Gods are different from mortals. Their energy is vast—they possess primordial spirits, true forms, heavenly souls, avatars, and divine consciousness, each capable of reincarnating independently. Fusu was my heavenly soul, and Xu Fu was my avatar; therefore, both were me."

After wrestling with this for a while, Zhong Yang asked, "If you are Xu Fu, did you ever see Lady Qi from history?"

"Lady Qi?" I didn't understand why she would bring her up.

Zhong Yang told me she had had a dream the previous night.

In a magnificent, grand palace, a beautiful and enchanting woman in a green silk dress held her fingers in an orchid gesture, swaying her slender waist and lifting her lotus-like feet in a graceful dance. The elderly man in imperial robes—Liu Bang—sat cross-legged on a cushion, stroking his beard and squinting as he watched her. She fluttered around him like a butterfly, and when he reached out to touch her cheek, she dodged away with a shy, coquettish smile.

"Haha... what are you dodging for?" Liu Bang pulled her into his arms and kissed her cheek with his bearded mouth. "Your 'Green Cloud Silk Dance' gets better every day..."

"Your Majesty," Lady Qi clung to him like a delicate dodder vine. After a while, she said softly, "You promised me that you would name Ruyi as the crown prince. When do you intend to issue the edict?"

"Tomorrow. Tomorrow I shall issue the decree to name Ruyi the crown prince, how about that?"

Lady Qi was overjoyed. "I thank you on behalf of Ruyi, Your Majesty." She obediently let Liu Bang carry her to the bed.

That evening, after dinner, Lady Qi was strolling through the gardens of the Han Imperial Palace with her maid when she crossed paths with Empress Lü Zhi. In the past, relying on her favor, Lady Qi had never held the Empress in high regard, often mocking and belittling her. Now, knowing that Liu Bang would issue the edict tomorrow to make her son, Liu Ruyi, the heir—meaning the entire Han Dynasty would belong to them—she became even more arrogant.

She gave Lü Zhi a perfunctory bow and, without waiting for the Empress to speak, walked on by. As she brushed past, she flashed a mocking, contemptuous smile.

Lü Zhi’s expression darkened, but she could offer no reprimand. She understood that Lady Qi ruled the harem; she herself was only Empress because Liu Bang feared public condemnation for ingratitude.

A trusted maid whispered worriedly, "My Lady, is this wise?"

Lady Qi, not caring if the Empress heard, said loudly, "Some people are old and withered and should just stay in their quarters instead of coming out to frighten others. They rely on having been with the Emperor in the early days to claim merit. An old, ugly woman in imperial robes looks like nothing more than a molting turtle dove."

Lü Zhi, not yet out of earshot, felt the sting of humiliation and endurance. Her fists, hidden in her sleeves, were tightly clenched.

In the Han Dynasty, official decrees for changing the crown prince required the consensus of the ministers. To Liu Bang’s surprise, the officials were unanimous in their refusal to replace the incumbent prince. However, having already made a promise to his favorite concubine, Liu Bang attempted to force his son Liu Ying to abdicate.

But Lü Zhi was prepared. She had Zhang Liang invite the "Four White-Haired Sages of Mount Shang" to support Liu Ying. Liu Bang had no choice but to abandon his plan, and no amount of Lady Qi’s wailing could change it. A few years later, Liu Bang died of a severe illness.

Lady Qi knew that with Liu Bang gone, she would have no future.

Whether out of stupidity or a skewed sense of strategy, the woman who had lived as a parasitic vine could only think of one way forward: if one tree fell, she would simply cling to another to continue her pampered life.

Liu Bang was dead? That didn't matter—Liu Ying was even younger, wasn't he?

She had her servants lure the bewildered Liu Ying to her chambers. When he arrived, he found his father’s former concubine in thin, revealing attire, her face flushed with desire, whispering of her affection and trying to push him onto the bed.

Gentle and timid by nature, Liu Ying had never encountered such a scene and fled in terror.

Although Lü Zhi hated Lady Qi for her past bullying and her attempts to steal the throne, she had originally only intended to imprison her to perform hard labor. But when Lady Qi dared to target Liu Ying, the danger was clear: if word got out, even if Liu Ying had never touched her, he would be ruined, and his imperial position could be lost.

New hatred and old grudges ignited a raging fire in Lü Zhi’s heart. She ordered Lady Qi’s hair shorn, her limbs amputated, forced her to drink a potion to mute her, gouged out her eyes, cut off her ears, and threw her into the latrine. Perhaps to ensure Liu Ying never harbored any lingering affection, she forced him to view the "human swine."

The sixteen-year-old Liu Ying, seeing the unrecognizable monster in the latrine that had once been the enchanting Lady Qi, was so terrified that he fell into a deep, long illness.

Lü Zhi’s intent had been to protect, but it left Liu Ying with a profound, consuming terror of his own mother.

After lingering in agony for a few days in the latrine, Lady Qi died.

When Zhong Yang awoke from the dream, trembling and clutching her own limbs, she finally realized that over a thousand years had passed.

On the other end of the video call, the fear of her past life still lingered in Zhong Yang’s eyes. She said indignantly, "Xiao Qian, Lü Zhi was too cruel."

I countered, "Have you ever considered that Lü Zhi was Liu Bang’s original wife? When he was a mere thug, she managed their household. When he became an outlaw, she was imprisoned and tortured because of him. When he fought Xiang Yu for the world, she was held captive and suffered endlessly. She survived through countless life-and-death struggles. By what right do you claim that just because you 'want' something, you have the right to steal it from her?"

Zhong Yang was choked by my question. After a while, she muttered, "But I feel that Lady Qi was so smart and beautiful; she deserved the best in the world!"

I sighed, shaking my head. "Just because someone is smart and beautiful, they can steal from others? What kind of values are those? This shows that neither in your past life nor this one do you believe you were wrong. Who can save you?"

Teacher Xing once said that since Li Xixi descended to the mortal realm, her heavenly soul had not returned to the God Realm once. Gods descend to reincarnate either for cultivation or to complete a mission. The minimum requirement for a heavenly soul to return is to have accumulated neither merit nor fault; if faults consistently outweigh merit, one is not qualified to return to the God Realm.

An intuition told me that Lü Zhi of the Han Dynasty must have been someone I knew from the God Realm—and not an ordinary deity at that.

Perhaps because Li Xixi’s past-life memories had triggered my own memories of my avatar, Xu Fu, I saw myself walking through a grand, magnificent palace that night. A servant led the way. Standing before the Changle Palace was a warrior in battle armor. The servant bowed hurriedly upon seeing him, "Greetings, Marquis of Huaiyin."

It was Han Xin!

I had read the fortunes of countless royals and nobles, but this was the first time I had seen this legendary hero. I was struck by his reputation and his brilliance in warfare; even a thousand years later, no other commander would likely surpass him.

Without Han Xin, there would have been no Liu Bang’s empire.

I bowed as well. Out of professional habit, I studied Han Xin’s face as I rose. His presence was steady, his brow filled with an irrepressible heroic spirit. What surprised me most was that he looked so familiar. It was as if... as if...

I opened my eyes abruptly, the image of the man from my dream still burned into my mind.

So, Han Xin is...?!

Teacher Xing!!!