Call of the Heroes of Chaos in Another World

Chapter 2133 A Masterpiece of the Ages, The Primordial Ceremony

In the eleventh month of the third year of the Yuanshi era.

On the first day of November, a heavy snowfall blanketed a third of Henan Province.

For three consecutive days, Wang Yu inspected the people in several counties near the capital and personally inspected the expansion project of the Tianjing granary.

The lands of the four rivers are all rich in money and grain, and Henan Province is the most prosperous among them.

It can be said that as long as no natural disasters occur, Henan Province basically does not need to worry about food.

Whether it was launching an attack on the Song Dynasty or the Great Yan Dynasty, Henan Road was an indispensable location.

Therefore, starting this summer, Wang Yu planned to build three super-large granaries in Henan Province for future storage.

After a busy day, it was already evening when Wang Yu dragged his tired body back to the palace.

Wang Yu, weary from his journey, entered the palace gates with a group of guards and immediately received news that Helian Mingzhu had been frightened at the Imperial Horse Ranch that day.

Therefore, having arrived at the Imperial Noble Consort's palace and about to have a meal, they ordered someone to prepare a carriage for another Imperial Noble Consort's palace so that they could go and keep Helian Mingzhu company.

Seeing how much Wang Yu cared about Helian Mingzhu, Xu Qing, who happened to be in Bai Ruolan's palace that day, couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

Xu Qing and Bai Ruolan are relatives; Bai Ruolan is Xu Qing's father's niece.

The Xu family is arguably one of the few external forces that Bai Ruolan can utilize.

After all, Bai Shang is an old stubborn man. Even if Wang Yu comes to his door, he will either refuse to see him or give him a cold shoulder. He won't help Bai Ruolan at all.

Therefore, after Xu Qing entered the palace, Bai Ruolan deliberately befriended her.

Even now, with Xu Qing having given birth to a prince, this remains unchanged.

Although Xu Qing gave birth to a prince, the child is still an infant.

On the other hand, the Prince of Yan is not only the only one among the princes to be granted a title, but he also has two teachers, Zhuge Liang and Wang Pu. The Prince of Yan's position cannot be shaken by a newborn prince.

Currently, the only rival of the Prince of Yan is the Crown Prince.

On the day the Prince of Yan was granted the title of Prince of Yan, and on the day Zhuge Liang became the Prince of Yan's tutor, the Prince of Yan had already been forcibly placed on the opposite side of the Crown Prince by Wang Yu, and he would not be able to back down even if he wanted to in the future.

Therefore, even though she knew that with Xu Qing giving birth to a prince, it might affect whether she could still get help from the Xu family in the future, it did not affect her current good relationship with Xu Qing.

As for Xu Qing, with her shallow foundation in the palace, she could only rely on Bai Ruolan.

In particular, given Xu Qing's falling out with Xiao Meiniang, a member of the Xiao clan who is affiliated with the Empress, she needs to unite even more closely with Bai Ruolan.

As for why Xu Qing and the Xiao family woman became enemies, Wang Yu certainly had a little trick up his sleeve.

A person in a position of power is not happy to see those below them living in harmony, to create conflict and balance among them. The same principle applies to the backyard.

If there is no balance between the Empress and Bai Ruolan, wouldn't that mean there is no balance between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Yan?

If the crown prince's position is too secure, the emperor above may not be happy.

Because Bai Ruolan and Lady Xu were on good terms, Xu Qing could often be seen in Bai Ruolan's palace.

Xu Qing knew that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and she also understood Wang Yu's temperament; he wouldn't fuss over trivial matters. So she spoke frankly: "When I was pregnant, Your Majesty wasn't this attentive!"

Wang Yu said, "Mingzhu is lively and loves riding horses and shooting arrows. Now that she is pregnant, she is unable to travel and is inevitably feeling depressed."

Helian Mingzhu, who came from the Northern Barbarians, was indeed the most active among all the concubines.

Today's event is that the Imperial Stables has acquired a new spirited horse.

Upon hearing this, Imperial Noble Consort Helian, though unable to tame the horse herself due to her pregnancy, still wanted to witness it. During the process of taming the horse, an accident occurred; the wild horse was startled and almost collided with the Imperial Noble Consort.

Fortunately, the palace maid who had accompanied the Imperial Noble Consort from the Northern Barbarians decisively killed the fierce horse with a single blow, thus averting a major disaster.

Enough of the idle talk.

When Wang Yu arrived at Helian Mingzhu's palace, Helian Mingzhu, who had already been notified, was already waiting for Wang Yu at the door.

For Wang Yu, Helian Mingzhu was related to the Golden Horde, which in turn was related to the two powerful enemies of the Han Dynasty, the Tuoba tribe and the Great Wu, one in the north and one in the west.

Therefore, for a long time, she was of great importance to Wang Yu.

After the Battle of Henan ended and the capital was moved, Wang Yu spent most of his time visiting Imperial Noble Consort Helian Mingzhu.

However, it was a rare sight to see Consort Cai Wenji at Helian Mingzhu's place.

Speaking of which, Helian Mingzhu also has several concubines who rely on him.

People like Cai Wenji, who are pure of heart and have no desire for favor, are willing to befriend Helian Mingzhu.

Born into the Northern Di people, she, or her future offspring, naturally had little chance of attaining certain positions.

However, she herself was extremely noble and had relatively few troubles around her, so some people naturally wanted to be closer to her.

Among them, Helian Mingzhu and Cai Wenji were the closest.

Mingzhu wasn't just a traditional grassland heroine who loved horseback riding and archery. She also had a great interest in poetry and literature.

In this respect, who in the entire palace could compare to Cai Wenji?
Although she was a woman, she was absolutely deserving of the title of a great woman!
Speaking of which, Cai Wenji was among the first batch of imperial concubines selected in the first year of the Yuanshi era of the Han Dynasty, and she became one of the Nine Concubines as soon as she entered the palace.

But she really didn't have much of a presence in this palace.

At least, Wang Yu has definitely not been to Cai Wenji's palace in the last three months.

In fact, he might not visit Cai Wenji's palace more than ten times a year.

After all, unlike the earliest concubines, she was the first to get married, so there must have been some feelings between them.

At the same time, unlike Huangfu Jingya and Helian Mingzhu, they didn't possess sufficient value in themselves. They weren't even capable of acting as bodyguards like Venus and Aphrodite.

At least, even if Zhunti set off for Weishui on behalf of the Han Dynasty and Mahayana Buddhism a few days ago, and even if she will not be in the Han Dynasty for a long time to come, Wang Yu still does not need to worry about the safety of the palace with them around.

If Cai Yong hadn't been Wang Yu's teacher, when Cai Wenji entered the palace, she might have been just like Yin Lihua (daughter of the Yin family), Su Daji (daughter of the deceased Su Hu), and Wei Zhixuan (daughter of the Wei family), who entered the palace in the same batch as Cai Wenji, and could only start as a lowly palace maid.

Helian Mingzhu and Cai Wenji welcomed Wang Yu in very attentively, and then served him diligently as he washed up and ate.

After the meal, Helian Mingzhu and Cai Wenji insisted on massaging Wang Yu's legs, which was quite rare, and Wang Yu naturally enjoyed it without making a sound.

Only when Helian Mingzhu and Cai Wenji could no longer hold back did Wang Yu, while continuing to enjoy the massage from the two women, finally speak up and say, "Speak, what do you want from me?"

Seeing that Wang Yu finally gave in, Helian Mingzhu and Cai Wenji, especially Cai Wenji, secretly breathed a sigh of relief!

While continuing her massage and leg pounding, Cai Wenji asked, "How did Your Majesty know that I had something to ask of you?"

Wang Yu laughed and said, "Mingzhu, and you, Cai Dajia, when did you ever lower yourself to serve me like this? If you said you had nothing to ask for, who would believe you?"

Cai Wenji blushed, realizing that she had just gone a bit too far.

Cai Wenji vigorously massaged Wang Yu's legs a few more times before speaking again: "I heard that His Majesty is preparing to compile an unprecedented encyclopedia?"

Wang Yu immediately understood what Cai Wenji wanted to ask for today. For such a talented woman, only something like this could capture her attention.

However, he calmly said, "There is such a thing, but I haven't decided who should be in charge of compiling it yet. As you all know, only someone with great learning can shoulder this important responsibility."

An emperor's achievements in his life are nothing more than a few aspects: politics, economics, military affairs, culture, and so on.

He's already involved in politics, economics, and military affairs, and there's no rushing it.

In terms of culture, Wang Yu plans to emulate Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty and compile a monumental work, the Yuanshi Dadian (Compendium of the Primordial Beginning).

Seeing this, Cai Wenji, who already had ideas, immediately volunteered, saying, "Let me compile it! I guarantee to compile the most complete and best masterpiece for Your Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yu fell silent.

Seeing this, Helian Mingzhu tentatively asked, "Is Your Majesty worried that Sister Wenji's abilities are insufficient? With Sister Wenji's talent and learning, how many people in the world, except for renowned scholars, can compare to her?"

As Helian Mingzhu spoke, Cai Wenji also stared longingly at Wang Yu.

For such an artistic young woman, nothing could be more attractive than participating in the compilation of such a masterpiece, including her husband Wang Yu!
She could live without a husband, but if she couldn't participate in such a significant event, it would be a lifelong regret for her.

It was because I heard about this matter that I came to visit Helian Mingzhu today in order to get involved.

Firstly, she had heard about what happened at the Imperial Stables today; secondly, she wanted to find someone to speak to Wang Yu on her behalf.

Although she was indifferent to fame and fortune and did not like to compete for favor, she knew that her importance was incomparable to that of Helian Mingzhu.

If she asked, she might not be able to do it. But if Helian Mingzhu asked, it might be possible.

Wang Yu shook his head, then said worriedly, "No, with Wenji's talent and learning, she will surely accomplish this. Even if she lacks the ability, I can arrange for some of the world's greatest literary figures to assist her. It's just that your health..."

As he spoke, Wang Yu turned his gaze to Cai Wenji.

As winter approached, Cai Wenji caught a cold and, according to the eunuchs below, had only just begun to recover in the past few days.

"Your Majesty need not worry about my health. I promise to do what I can. Besides, this matter cannot be rushed. I will treat this as a lifelong endeavor."

Having heard the implication in Wang Yu's words that she had a chance to get involved in this matter, Cai Wenji quickly chimed in.

Hearing Cai Wenji say this, Wang Yu was relieved and said, "Since Wenji is willing to do this, then you can do it."

In any case, the Primordial Ceremony is not something that can be done in a short time; it will take at least several years, or even more than a decade.

Moreover, this task cannot be entrusted to just one person.

Upon seeing that Wang Yu had agreed, Cai Wenji was overjoyed and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty!"

However, after a brief moment of joy, Cai Wenji immediately began to consider the specifics of implementation. After hesitating for a moment, she gritted her teeth and asked Wang Yu bluntly, "I wonder how many people Your Majesty plans to employ to compile this monumental work?"

When she mentioned the phrase "an unprecedented grand ceremony," Cai Wenji deliberately emphasized it to remind Wang Yu that this was not an ordinary book compilation, and it would definitely not work if there were too few people involved.

Without Wang Yu's sufficient support in terms of manpower and resources, this matter simply cannot be realized and will ultimately end up being a flop, making us a laughing stock.

Wang Yu understood what she meant, and reached out to pinch her cheek, saying, "Am I the kind of petty person who tries to play such tricks on me?"

In order to gain Wang Yu's support and obtain sufficient manpower and resources to complete this matter, Cai Wenji, unusually, acted coquettishly in front of Wang Yu and asked, "So, Your Majesty, how many people are you planning to give me?"

Wang Yu grabbed Cai Wenji's hand and gently pulled her, and Cai Wenji sat in Wang Yu's lap. At the same time, she also pulled Helian Mingzhu, who was standing next to her, into his other lap.

Then, Wang Yu said to Cai Wenji in his arms, "I will not limit the number of people you need, nor will I limit your funds. You can recruit as many people as you need, and I will have the Ministry of Revenue allocate funds to you as much as you need. What do you think?"

"I will give you another gold medal. If any problems arise during this time, you can use this gold medal to seek my help!"

Cai Wenji asked with delight, "Is Your Majesty's statement true?"

Wang Yu said sternly, "A ruler's word is law."

Having received Wang Yu's confirmation, Cai Wenji gave him a quick kiss and said, "Your Majesty, I am determined to compile a monumental work encompassing the entire universe for Your Majesty, for the world, and for future generations!"

Wang Yu said, “Good! If Wenji can truly compile such a grand compendium, I will take a copy with me into the imperial mausoleum after my death!”

Helian Mingzhu quickly interjected, "Pah! Pah! Pah! Your Majesty, you mustn't say such things! You are in the prime of your life and will live to be a thousand years old. How could you possibly die!"

In the first year of the Yuanshi era, when he had just ascended the throne and established the Han Dynasty, he was only twenty-three years old.

Now, it has been three years since the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, and Wang Yu is only twenty-five years old. He can certainly be described as being in the prime of his life.

Wang Yu chuckled at this moment, then turned serious and said, "Who can escape death? How can I be an exception? Besides, what's so scary about death? The key is whether you can live a fulfilling life..."

"Alright, that's settled then. Wenji, if you can truly compile an unprecedented grand compilation encompassing the entire sect, I will have it engraved on an iron plate and brought into the imperial mausoleum."