Tang Dynasty: Starting at Xuanwu Gate, this prince is better off not being one.

Suppressing the urge to expose him, Li Yu continued to quietly observe the old Taoist's every move.

Yuan Tiangang then blew on the pile of ashes on the ground, scattering them in all directions. He then closed his eyes and began to perform hand seals while chanting incantations.

Half a day passed like this, and Li Yu was getting a little drowsy. Just as he was about to yawn, he suddenly remembered that Li Er was still next to him, so he stole a glance at Li Er.

Li Er was staring intently at Yuan Tiangang's hand movements, as if he could glean some insight from them.

"Superstition..." Li Yu thought to himself.

Ever since he accidentally discovered white phosphorus, Li Yu felt that the old Taoist's divination process was no different from magic, and he no longer cared much about the outcome.

As Li Yu yawned, he felt increasingly sleepy. Just as he was about to steal another glance at Li Er, he noticed that Yuan Tiangang had suddenly opened his eyes.

The next moment, he leaned out and grabbed one of Li Yu's hands.

Li Yu instinctively tried to pull his hand back twice, only to find that the old Taoist priest was holding it tightly.

Having no other choice, Li Yu had to give up the action and let the old Taoist priest knead his hands.

"Falling into the void, separated by life and death, that person may no longer be in this world, or may have already fled thousands of miles away, so searching again is in vain."

Yuan Tiangang's sudden remark sent Li Yu into a panic.

Could it be that the old Taoist priest could actually predict that the original owner had already passed away? Has this imposter been exposed?

But the next moment he heard Li Er ask, "Is the Taoist priest referring to the person who took this boy on his travels?"

Yuan Tiangang nodded, "Indeed such a person, but the secrets of heaven are vast and mysterious, and this humble Taoist cannot reveal too much, nor does he have the ability to see too much clearly."

"Even you, Taoist Master, can't figure out that person's identity?" Li Er frowned.

Yuan Tiangang nodded again, stroked his white beard, and said, "As the saying goes, the dead come first. This person is no longer in this world, so the secrets of heaven that can be gleaned from him are naturally limited. Therefore, I calculated the young prince's fate and found that the young prince's origins are shrouded in layers of mystery."

"Even though I sacrificed two years of my lifespan, all I could come up with was the conclusion of 'heading west.' However, I am certain that Your Highness's headache has been cured, and your spiritual energy surpasses that of ordinary people."

Upon hearing this, Li Er bowed respectfully: "Master, you have troubled me. You are truly a master strategist. This boy was indeed taken to the Western Regions when he was young. As for his headache, Master Sun said the same thing."

The back-and-forth conversation between the two left Li Yu speechless.

So the old Taoist priest was just telling Li Er a whole story! He actually thought Yuan Tiangang had some real skills, and all his worries were for nothing...

Seeing Li Er bow to him, Yuan Tiangang slightly turned his body to avoid the bow and said, "Your Highness possesses a soaring purple aura, you must not bow to this humble Taoist, it would shorten my lifespan."

Li Yu had barely calmed down a few seconds before he was completely shocked by the old man's words.

This old Taoist priest really dares to say anything! Doesn't he fear that there are spies from Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng eavesdropping in the mansion?

However, compared to Li Yu's turbulent inner world, Li Er appeared quite calm. "It was my rashness. From now on, I will act in accordance with the Taoist priest's words."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tiangang nodded and continued, "Your Highness is as radiant as the sun and as graceful as a dragon and phoenix. Da'an means peace throughout the land. As the saying goes, 'With Da'an, everything prospers.' With Your Highness here, the unification of the four seas and a glorious era are just around the corner."

Good heavens! They're plotting a rebellion without even trying to hide it!

Li Yu secretly rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, "You rebel, fine, but why make such a fuss? Even if it temporarily proves that you, Li Er, are the legitimate heir, in a future era where superstitions are no longer valid, all this nonsense will just be a laughing stock..."

However, Li Er didn't think so. Instead, his tone was cheerful as he said to Yuan Tiangang, "Then I'll take your kind words, Taoist priest. But I would also like to trouble you to calculate how the harvest will be today?"

Upon hearing Li Er's question, Yuan Tiangang stroked his beard again and said, "I once cast a divination before His Majesty, and the result was a great snake with its seven inches severed, yet still able to awe all around."

"Why a giant snake?" Not only Li Yu, but Li Er was also extremely curious upon hearing this.

Yuan Tiangang pondered for a moment and said, "This snake represents the fate of the nation, but I don't know why, when I cast the divination again today, the severed part has turned from a neck into a beak!"

"Logically speaking, a snake without a beak is likely to have lost most of its vitality, yet the Great Zhou is thriving. It's truly baffling!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yu was startled.

As Yuan Tiangang said, the Tang Dynasty in history was like a snake with its seven-inch severed. Its reign lasted for nearly three hundred years, but was cut short for fifteen years by the Wu Zhou dynasty during the fourth reign.

But the current name of the country is Zhou, so isn't the missing "beak" in Yuan Tiangang's words referring to the name of the country, "Zhou"?

"Young man, may I ask, sir, does this 'beak' refer to the present-day Great Zhou, or rather, the state name 'Zhou'?"

Unable to suppress his curiosity, Li Yu finally asked the question.

Although he has gradually adapted to his current life, Li Yu still wants to figure out the discrepancies between his understanding of history and reality.

Therefore, he consulted many classic texts and even coveted Li Yuan's daily records, but was instead given a severe scolding by Li Er.

So he learned about the history of the Great Zhou and the former Sui Dynasty from Li Er. He found that before Li Xuanba safely passed his eighteenth birthday, all the historical events were pretty much the same as what he knew. Even the historical figures and works that Li Yu was familiar with were exactly the same.

So where the problem lies remains a mystery.

"May you enjoy boundless longevity and happiness! I haven't even finished explaining, yet Your Highness has already guessed seven or eight parts of it. You are truly exceptionally intelligent!" Yuan Tiangang was taken aback when Li Yu asked him about his own speculation.

Even Li Er was like that, his mouth agape, staring intently at Li Yu.

Seeing their reactions, Li Yu realized that he had been blinded by curiosity and had said a bit too much.

So he had no choice but to resort to his fabrication skills, explaining, "Master, you flatter me. I've just always been curious as to why my grandfather chose 'Zhou' as the name of the dynasty when he founded it, which is why I have this guess."

"That's a good question!" Yuan Tiangang didn't pay much attention to Li Yu's explanation, treating it as a young man's ordinary curiosity. "When His Majesty founded the dynasty, he asked me about the name of the country. I advised him then that His Majesty's title should be used as the name of the country, 'Tang.' But I don't know why His Majesty ultimately chose 'Zhou.' His Majesty's intentions are hard to fathom!"

.........