Chapter 1073: The Deeper Meaning Behind the Opera
After the banquet, at the Jiang Family.
A group of people gathered in the Jiang Family’s backyard, where several theatrically dressed performers quickly took the stage. After a few chirping sounds, they began to sing.
Liu Zixuan looked at the stern man seated in the chair with a high crescent moon on his forehead, turned his head, and smiled, "Bao Zheng solving a case?"
"Then guess, which case is he solving!" Jiang Yifan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and smiled.
Liu Zixuan continued to look up, only to see that although Bao Zheng appeared stern, he was a young man in disguise, which carries a certain meaning in opera.
Generally speaking, Bao Zheng often appears as a middle-aged or elderly figure in front of people, especially in opera, but at this moment, he was dressed as a young man.
And his position was not in the center of the stage but to the side, while a young man dressed in a Dragon Robe sat in the center, accompanied by a woman who commanded the respect of the world.
Both had solemn expressions, with even a touch of anger.
After thinking for a moment, Liu Zixuan smiled and said, "The Emperor sits in the middle, and the person beside him should be Empress Dowager Liu from the Hong Dynasty. Both are present in the hall, yet they do not have the demeanor of observing a trial, instead showing heavy expressions. With Bao Zheng dressed as a young man, if I’m not mistaken, this should be Bao Zheng’s first major case that made him famous, The Cat for Crown Prince!"
Jiang Yifan smiled and nodded: "During the time of the previous Emperor, Empress Dowager Liu, who was then Empress Liu, and a favored concubine were both pregnant. The previous Emperor decreed that whichever son was born first would be the future Crown Prince to succeed him."
"In the winter, the favored concubine first gave birth to a son. It should have been a time for celebration, but in the blink of an eye, the boy turned into a cat, and in his fury, the Emperor sent the concubine to the cold palace. The next day, Empress Liu gave birth to a prince who was immediately named Crown Prince, which is the Emperor and Empress Dowager Liu before us!"
Liu Zixuan raised his eyebrows: "But heaven had eyes, and the truth of the true Crown Prince being swapped for a cat was discovered by Bao Zheng, who used the Eight Princes as leverage to completely uncover this unsolved case and even found out that the concubine’s son, the real Crown Prince, hadn’t died!"
Jiang Yifan smiled and said, "I didn’t expect you to know something about this opera!"
"I’m naturally not interested in these things, but when I had nothing to do at Spirit Extinct Mountain, my master would tell me stories." Liu Zixuan smiled.
Jiang Yifan narrowed his eyes with a smile, and did not say more!
Several performers used their exquisite acting skills to completely interpret the amazing case of the Hong Dynasty in front of everyone.
The performance was so lifelike that it seemed as if history truly played out before the crowd.
As the curtain approached, Bao Zheng stepped forward, performed a customary bow, and asked the Emperor, "Bao Zheng dares to ask, if the concubine’s son were a benevolent man, who understood the art of emperorship, would Your Majesty abdicate in favor of him?"
The Emperor slightly rose, his eyes flickered for a moment, then he sat back down.
Bao Zheng slightly smiled, "The commoner will take his leave!"
The whole opera concluded completely.
After a round of applause, Jiang Yifan seemed to intentionally lead Liu Zixuan to a small garden on the side.
Gazing at the stars in the sky, he slowly opened his mouth and said, "Do you think the position of Emperor holds endless allure?"
"A mere position naturally has no allure, but when that position combines power and money, it becomes everything in the mundane world; an Emperor is akin to the heavens."
Jiang Yifan asked again, "Then do you think that if the swapped Crown Prince had the strength to stand against the Emperor, might he reclaim his rightful position?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Zixuan suddenly frowned.
This was originally a very small question, perhaps even a trivial one.
First, that dynasty is long past; what they are discussing now is nothing more than idle chat. Second, it has almost nothing to do with themselves, and lastly, such hypotheses rarely hold because the art of emperorship is far beyond ordinary reach; any Emperor would not allow their competitor to grow!
But through this opera, and with Jiang Yifan personally asking this question, everything changes.
Because Jiang Yifan is not one to idly ask such questions without reason.
If we refer to the current situation, the one sitting on the Emperor’s throne is the Netherworld Hall, because with their current advantages, they are undoubtedly the strongest existence across the Martial Realms of various countries.
Though the board is laid too large, making their presence appear somewhat thin within each country’s Martial Realm, if they solely focused on defeating the Star Sea, the odds for the Star Sea Martial Realm would be near zero.
They are simply too strong! Even with the Hidden Sect and the Jiang Family, victory remains difficult.
So, the swapped Crown Prince is the current Star Sea Martial Realm, Hidden Sect, or simply Liu Zixuan!
Because they lack sufficient strength, they’ve been conceding, allowing the Netherworld Hall to grow stronger. The agreed-upon hundred-day battle at Yudu makes the Hidden Sect and Jiang Family walk on thin ice, and if the Netherworld Hall becomes even stronger, fear will spread like wildfire.
After all, it’s not just any power that dares to plant spies at the Jiang Family or outside the Hidden Sect’s door.
This is unrelated to history, but rather Jiang Yifan leveraging the opera’s reputation to discuss this matter with Liu Zixuan.
Thinking to himself, Liu Zixuan realized, no wonder the Patriarch of the Jiang Family, Jiang Yifan, would not idly invite him to watch an opera; there is a deeper meaning!
He laughed and said, "If that Emperor is a wise ruler, he would withdraw from the throne, but if he is foolish, and if he has the strength to challenge, he would definitely fight for the throne, regardless of the power and wealth on it."
"Do you think the Netherworld Hall is wise?" Jiang Yifan straightforwardly revealed his point.
Liu Zixuan shook his head: "If they truly had this world’s best interest at heart, and cared for all the common people, the current situation wouldn’t exist, nor would the Star Sea have the Celestial Dao Alliance, which claims to act on behalf of the heavens but is focused on self-interest!"
Jiang Yifan looked at Liu Zixuan with admiration, tapped his shoulder, and said, "So, to win the upcoming Yudu battle in a hundred days, we must all become the ’Crown Prince’ with absolute power, because only then can we ensure the Star Sea remains safe!"
Liu Zixuan nodded, "I will strive to elevate my Realm!"
"Oh right, I forgot to tell you something." Jiang Yifan suddenly smiled and said, "Currently, several foreign powers have joined the Netherworld Hall. It won’t be surprising if, before the Yudu battle, the Netherworld Hall uses them to conduct a small-scale shuffle here!"
"Shuffle?" Liu Zixuan frowned.
Dealing with one Netherworld Hall is already difficult enough, and if foreign sects aid them, wouldn’t it become even harder?