Chapter 1175: The Manifestation of Fate

Zhang Fei didn’t stay long at Zhao Yun’s place. Zhao Yun, who was dressed in scholar’s robes and treated himself like a civil official, courteously saw Zhang Fei off at the door. Recently, the songstresses and maids of the Zhao family had been rather anxious—rumor had it that their master would soon have a wife.

Since they had entered Zhao Yun’s household last year, it had taken them three months to confirm that Zhao Yun truly was a man of integrity, consistent inside and out. Since then, they had been trying their best to win the favor of this honorable man. Yet Zhao Yun was like a perfect jade statue—completely unmoved.

In the end, the songstresses and maids even began to wonder if Zhao Yun, this handsome man, had some issues with his preferences. But just before they could be sure, word spread that Zhao Yun had fallen in love at first sight with another woman.

Turns out, the issue wasn’t his orientation; it was simply that they weren’t the ones he was waiting for. Heartbroken, the songstresses and maids shifted their attention to gathering information about their future mistress, knowing that life wouldn’t necessarily be so easy once she arrived.

"Yun’er, where’s that love knot I asked you to make?" Chen Xi turned to Chen Yun and asked.

Chen Yun returned to her room and brought back the intricately woven love knot she had made. Those who knew how to weave could replicate it after just one look. After several practice attempts, Chen Yun had gotten the hang of it and produced quite a few.

"Pick the biggest one for me. That will settle this year’s gift." Chen Xi reached out to take the large love knot and praised, "You’ve got quite the skillful hands."

"This is for the master," Chen Yun said, her face turning slightly red.

Chen Xi held the large knot, admiring the jade disc in the middle that served as decoration. It matched Liu Bei’s aesthetic, so it should work as a present. He glanced at the smaller sachet-like love knot hanging from Chen Yun’s hand, marveling at the craftsmanship.

"Help me tie it on," Chen Xi said, spreading his arms. Chen Yun knelt down and tied the sachet to Chen Xi’s waist, letting a string of delicate tassels fall neatly into place.

Looking at the various love knots scattered around, all in vibrant shades of red, Chen Xi felt that this traditional gesture would suffice to appease these ancient people for the New Year. As for other things, a small token gift would do.

After lunch, as Chen Xi and the others left the house, the streets were already starting to fill with pedestrians. After exchanging greetings with familiar faces, Chen Xi handed out the love knots that Chen Yun had packed into gift boxes earlier. Fortunately, she was skilled, having made each knot with a different design.

"Oh, this looks nice!" Guo Jia, as carefree as ever, opened his gift in front of Chen Xi and seemed pleased with the gesture.

"You lack nothing, and if I gave you fine wine, your wife wouldn’t be too happy about it. So I figured this would be a better choice." Chen Xi gave a slight bow and handed a small bag of snacks to Guo Yi, leaving the rest of the gifts for another time.

"Your son’s not bad," Chen Xi remarked, noticing Guo Yi’s well-mannered behavior.

"Well, look at who his father is!" Guo Jia laughed.

After entering Liu Bei’s residence, a steward came forward to accept the gifts. Nothing too valuable—after all, Liu Bei didn’t need anything, and none of the guests were foolish enough to bother with extravagance.

The steward at Liu Bei’s house, much like before, humbly received the offerings from the guests, no matter how strange or humble the gifts, and offered polite words of congratulations with an unwavering expression.

As was customary, Liu Bei recounted everyone’s achievements over the past year, then distributed rewards based on pre-determined plans. As always, he encouraged everyone to continue their efforts to restore the Han dynasty in the coming year.

This year, the speech was much shorter, likely because everyone had grown tired of the usual boiled lamb dish, which wasn’t served this time. It wasn’t until noon that the real highlight of the day began.

In this era, national matters were of utmost importance when it came to war and sacrifice. Liu Bei’s ceremony wasn’t particularly grand, and the nine-tiered altar he had constructed wasn’t tall. There were no enforced rest days for the common folk, either.

Strictly speaking, this couldn’t even be considered an official ceremony. By the standards of the ancients, it was almost irreverent. After all, Liu Bei was using a small courtyard to perform a ritual for the Xuanyuan Ding.

However, few among Liu Bei’s pragmatic circle of advisors made any objections. At some point, grand ceremonies had ceased to matter; what had become important was sincerity.

Chen Xi could only recall that during the early days in Tai Shan, when the region was so impoverished that even the offerings made to Cang Shen (the god of grain) were stolen by starving commoners, Liu Bei had remained silent, seeing how emaciated the people were. From then on, the sacrifices in Tai Shan had become far more casual.

“If one day the heavens punish future generations for not being sincere in their sacrifices, then let the blame fall on me, Liu Xuande, the one who started it all.” Chen Xi remembered Liu Bei’s words when he had decided to cut back on ceremonial expenses. Liu Bei could sometimes be surprisingly profound.

Looking at the small nine-tiered altar with the Tian Ren Erding (Heaven and Man’s Two Dings) standing there, both Chen Xi and Li You knew that while the ding was a replica, the fate attached to it was very real. By now, everyone in the world recognized the Tian Ren Erding.

"... Today, I, a descendant of the Han, Liu Xuande, willingly bear the burden of the world, to restore order, enlighten the people, uphold virtue, and lay the foundation for a thousand generations. I do not ask Heaven for permission, but only for its witness!" After Liu Bei finished burning the sacrificial text, he stood tall and spoke with conviction before the Xuanyuan Ding.

Chen Xi silently watched Liu Bei’s back. Without him realizing it, Liu Bei had grown from a minor figure to someone of immense stature. Liu Xuande’s resolve—it was truly a belief that man could conquer heaven!

As soon as Liu Bei finished speaking, the faint glow from the Tian Ren Erding suddenly intensified. In the next moment, a radiant beam of light surged from the Tian Ding into the sky, followed by a dragon’s shadow that flashed before everyone’s eyes. This time, unlike before, the phenomenon was visible to the naked eye, not just through fortune-telling techniques.

The heavenly changes that occurred were clearly visible across several northern provinces. Liu Bei’s words about not seeking Heaven’s approval but asking for its witness were etched into the annals of fate.

After the celestial display, the carvings on the Ren Ding (Human Ding) shone with a golden brilliance. Hundreds of streams of light, large and small, emerged from the engravings, with many landing on the gathered civil and military officials. The remaining streams shot off in various directions like flowing lights.

The moment the golden light merged with their bodies, everyone fell into a state of sudden clarity, but when they regained awareness, they couldn’t recall what they had understood in that moment.

As the others were gathering themselves, a green-black light appeared on the Ren Ding, while a golden light from the Tian Ding merged with Li You’s body. In an instant, a vague figure in green robes, embodying Li You’s fate, manifested behind him. Li You immediately understood what had happened.

Is this retribution for my own actions? When I was forging the fake relics, I had specifically left markers that I could recognize. Now, those two markers had fused with the fate meant for me, becoming part of my destiny.

Li You smiled bitterly. He didn’t even need to look back to know that his fate had now manifested in the image of a sage. And that sage’s likeness was, in fact, a carving of himself that he had made when he created the fake relics...

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