Chapter 21 Section IX

The King of Chu said slowly: "Understood? Without a beginning, how can there be an end? Without a cause, how can there be an effect? ​​If it wasn't like this from the beginning, how did everything happen today? "If I really completed the project of moving mountains and filling seas for it, then the Xingcha ship thousands of years ago would not have crashed, and Long Xi would not have to teach us civilization so that we will be able to do it in a few years. Move mountains and fill seas for it. "What a strange paradox! If it hadn't taught us civilization, how could it have saved that star? But that's how it is. There can only be one history, and if it is altered, the altered history will 'overwrite' the original Yes. This is the iron law of the universe!

"I remember that in Longxi's temple, I once asked it: when its messenger met me for the first time, he told me that without its help, I would be depressed for the rest of my life. Now, I have achieved great success, So where is the "I" who has been depressed all his life? If there is no "I" at all, then how did it foresee that "I" from the long river of time? At that time It smiled but didn't answer, and only showed me a poem. It was written by a poet a thousand years later next to the tomb of that "I", expressing sympathy for a person who has never been appreciated in his life. After reading it, I felt melancholy for a long time .Then it said to me slowly: You see, without my help, you will still be famous, but only after you die! Do you know how that 'you' got that fame? 'You' left behind after death. I wrote a military book, its value was not discovered until a long time later, and it was immediately regarded as a treasure by all soldiers. So the status of "you" rose steadily, and temples of "you" were built everywhere, and every year There are "you" ceremonies, and the imperial courts of all dynasties have added titles to "you". From the queen to the king, from the king to the emperor, from the emperor to the saint... But what is the meaning of these glory behind? This world always pays attention to the living saints. It is very stingy, but it is very generous to the dead, because only the dead will not pose a threat to the strength of those in power. Would you like to see such an unfair history? And I changed the history to the present So, what else are you dissatisfied with?"

"I was deeply shocked by what it said, and appreciated it all the more for it. But then I realized that it didn't actually answer my question. Why would it avoid it? "Later I understood. Because the "I" who was unhappy all my life did exist, but it was "covered" by the "I" who is now successful and famous. Existence is a fact, and non-existence is also a fact, but non-existence is more real than existence. You Do you understand what I mean? "Long Xi didn't dare to tell me the terrible consequences, he was afraid that I would infer the disastrous consequences of the project: the destruction of civilization!

"When the last shovel of soil is laid on the man-made land in the sea, imagine what will happen? There will be no words, no clothes, no etiquette, and everything will return to ignorance! Ruthless, drinking blood, living in caves, this is our life. I am not King, you are not a maidservant. You and I may or may not know each other—no, we may not even have you and me at all. Long Xi has tampered with our history too much. The war that should have happened has not happened, and the soldiers that should have died have not. Death, the population that should be reduced has not decreased. "Of course, from Longxi's point of view, since civilization is bestowed by it, it naturally has the right to take it back. In fact, the history that has not undergone any intervention by it is ours. But from our point of view, the door of wisdom Once it is opened, no one has the right to close it—including the person or god who opened it. It is okay to go from ignorance to civilization, but it is absolutely impossible to return from civilization to ignorance!

"So, I must destroy it, not because of the huge project, not because of the disparity between strength and weakness, but for the safety of civilization." Even though it was spring, Ji Jiang still felt chills. "Then," she said, "why are you telling me this story?" The King of Chu looked at Ji Jiang gently: "You still don't understand? Someone needs to expose this conspiracy, but not now. You, take the jade pheasant, and go to an era when human beings have enough wisdom to understand all this! All of this is made public so that future generations will never be tempted by it to do stupid things that dig their own graves."

Ji Jiang tremblingly said: "Me? Just me?" King Chu said: "Yes, you are the only one. I have been looking for a long time, and you are the most suitable. You are so smart, you will do this well, right?" Ji Jiang said: "Then... what about you?" King Chu said: "I will stay and deal with it to the end in this era." Ji Jiang anxiously said: "No, no, you can't beat it, let's go together!" The King of Chu smiled kindly, and said: "Smart girl, you know very well that it is impossible. It will not let me go. It has an almost infinite lifespan. If I escape, it will die in a long time." Keep following me, so that neither you nor I will be safe." King Chu's smile made Ji Jiang's heart break.

"But...but..." She finally couldn't help shedding tears, "It's a dead end if you stay here! It will retaliate against you." "Revenge has already begun," King Chu said, "It started in Dingtao last year. Good Ji Jiang, don't cry, it's God's will." King Chu raised his head and looked at the sky full of stars, "In the beginning, I I don’t believe in God’s will. Later, I believed in God’s will. Later, I thought that God’s will can change God’s will. But now, I know that there is God’s will besides God’s will.” Ji Jiang cried: "What God's will! We have jade pheasants, let's change God's will!"

The King of Chu said: "No, Ji Jiang, don't do this. God's will cannot be violated, and the possession of jade pheasants is the same. Do you still remember what Zhang Liang said to me about 'blessing'? I know, he is right. It was the jade pheasant who told me what kind of road I was going to take. This road is indeed not easy to walk, but I still have to go on. This is because I used the jade pheasant to get through the Chencang Road and violated God’s will. The price. If I use the jade pheasant to escape, I will violate God's will again, and I will pay a greater price. God's will has its own laws, which is a power stronger than Longxi's. With external force, maybe It can be distorted and blocked for a while, but it will eventually restore balance. It is manifested in specific things, that is, if you get what you shouldn’t get, you will lose what you shouldn’t lose.”

Ji Jiang said: "But you didn't get what you shouldn't have! So what if you opened up Chencang Dao? What if you seized the world? What if you won the throne? That's what you deserve! Shallow as Xiang Yu, vulgar as Liu Bang You can get it, but you can’t get it? King, you are a dragon and phoenix among people, you are the pinnacle of wisdom in this era, you should have power in the world, you should be famous all over the world, you deserve it if you get it! God doesn’t let you get it, what kind of God’s will! Why should you follow such an unfair God’s will? Why can’t you resist such an unreasonable God’s will?”

The King of Chu stroked Ji Jiang's cheeks that were wet with tears, and said: "I once doubted the justice of God's will, but now, I know that God's will is not wrong. Yes, I have extraordinary wisdom, but, What is this wisdom about? War. In other words, killing. In this era when almost no one is my opponent, every strategy of mine has amazing lethality, which is unacceptable to heaven. It must be contained My destiny, otherwise I will swallow the whole world. Ji Jiang, do you understand? No one is wrong, it is only myself. I was born at the wrong time, and came to this world hundreds or even thousands of years in advance. "

Ji Jiang looked at the King of Chu with tears in his eyes, and after a while, he said, "Your Majesty, you...do you already know your fate?" King Chu said: "Yes, I still know your fate and the fate of this world. Not long ago, the fluctuations of mutations finally subsided, and the jade pheasant showed me everything. You will do as I say, and you will save The entire civilization and the world will survive in peace..." The King of Chu was silent, and turned his face away. After a long time, he said softly: "In the future, you should read the history books!" Ji Jiang felt a chill in his heart, threw himself on King Chu, and cried loudly: "No! I won't go! I want to accompany you! No matter what your fate is, I will accompany you so that you won't feel lonely." The King of Chu caressed her shrugged shoulders from crying, sighed, and said, "Good girl, that's not your fate. You can stay with me for a while, but we will always have a day to part. That day will come Time, don't miss it any more, don't delay any more, understand?" Ji Jiang broke down in tears and said: "I know... I know." Finally subsided, jade pheasant let me see everything.You will do what I say, you will save the entire civilization, and the world will survive safely..." Ji Jiangdao: "What about you? What about your own destiny? What will happen to you in the end?" The King of Chu was silent, and turned his face away. After a long time, he said softly, "In the future, you should read the history books!" Ji Jiang felt a chill in his heart, threw himself on King Chu, and cried loudly: "No! I won't go! I want to be with you! No matter what your fate is, I will be by your side, so that you won't feel lonely. " The King of Chu caressed her shoulders shrugged from crying, sighed, and said, "Good girl, that is not your fate, you can stay with me for a while, but we will always have a day to part. When that day comes , don’t miss it any more, don’t delay any more, you understand?” Ji Jiang broke down in tears and said: "I know... I know." April, May, June... The days are so fast that they can't stay. One day in December, the king of Chu finally forced her to set off. Ji Jiang looked at the King of Chu and said, "It's not even a full year, my lord. Just let me accompany you for a full year, okay?" King Chu shook his head and said, "It's not up to me to decide. The time has come, haven't you seen the edict?" Ji Jiang said, "What edict?" The king of Chu said: "The emperor has visited Yunmengze and wants to meet the princes in Chen county." Ji Jiang said: "The emperor's parade, what does it matter to us? Why do I have to go when he comes?" The King of Chu said: "Ji Jiang, you have always been very smart, why can't you see it? You are deceiving yourself, aren't you? Ji Jiang, what should come will eventually come, and will not disappear because of your self-deception. So, You have to face the reality. The emperor is not a person who likes to travel around mountains and rivers. His southern tour is clearly aimed at me. As long as I go to court, I will not come back. Long Xi controls the emperor, the emperor controls Me, how can you still stay by my side? Do you want Long Xi to find out the whereabouts of Jade Pheasant?" Ji Jiang cried; "Then don't go, don't go, okay?" Chu Wang said: "It's useless, Ji Jiang. As I said, what should come will come eventually. Longxi is much smarter than you and me. If I don't go to court, it will think of other ways. I will eventually be There is no escape." Ji Jiangdao: "But what reason does Long Xi have to provoke the emperor to deal with you? You have nothing to do with the emperor! You have made great achievements for him, and you have tolerated him again and again... How could he listen to the slander of a monster and treat a man like this? Hero! What reason does he have to do this!" The king of Chu said: "Longxi doesn't need to slander, it just needs to tell the emperor the effect of the tripod core, which is enough to make the emperor hate me to the bone. As for the reason, you can find it casually, maybe it is Zhongli's matter, maybe... " Ji Jiangdao; "Dingxin? Is it the little thing you threw into Surabaya?" King Chu said: "Yes, it is the heart of Jiuding. With it, the sleeping Jiuding can be revived and become the most powerful tool to rule the world." Ji Jiang said: "Since it is such a precious treasure, why do you still destroy it? Why don't you dedicate it to the emperor to avoid disaster? You should know that the emperor will ask you to punish him for this!" King Chu said: "Yes, I know, but I still want to destroy it, because its existence violates the way of heaven." Ji Jiangdao; "The Way of Heaven? What is the Way of Heaven?" The king of Chu said: "The one who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. This is the way of heaven! The existence of Jiuding prevents the emperors from bothering to use benevolent policies to please the people, but only rely on the power of Qizuo to maintain their rule. This is against the way of heaven. I once said to The emperor's envoy said that even the most miraculous utensils cannot make the brutal rule last forever. In fact, I know in my heart that this is not entirely true. The gods can indeed prolong the life of tyranny. The unprecedented longevity of Xia, Shang, and Zhou is Evidence. The Nine Tripods suppressed the people’s rebellious behavior on a small scale, so that the country would not be overthrown until it reached the extreme level of debauchery and brutality. So the emperors were confident and pretentious. Xia Jie, Shang Zhou, Zhou Li Wang...these Why do rare tyrants appear? Because they are backed by the Nine Tripods! Why was the emperor regarded as a hard job before the Xia Dynasty, and everyone had to give it up? Why was the emperor regarded as the most noble and noble after the Xia Dynasty? Do you want to earn money? Because the Jiuding was cast by Xia Yushi! Therefore, the Jiuding must be destroyed, because the way of heaven must last forever." Ji Jiang said: "But...but, the heart of the tripod is in your hands, have you never thought...haven't you thought of using it for your own use?" The King of Chu sighed, and said, "Why haven't I thought about it? What a temptation! Four years ago in Guanzhong, the tripod heart was already in my hands, and the Jiuding appeared in front of me without any defense. , no one can stop me from getting it. How much perseverance I used to restrain myself at that time! That is the world that can be reaped for nothing, that is the rule that can be enjoyed for nothing, why did I sprinkle it? So many emperors have used it , everyone uses it with peace of mind, what obligation do I have to stop using it from myself? But I finally resisted this temptation. If I don’t stop from myself, I’m afraid no one will be able to make this decision in the future. It's just me, if I do it again, I'm not even sure if I can still make Duo's choice. Alas, that temptation is so tempting." Ji Jiangdao: "Your Majesty, you... you are always like this, caring more about the safety of the world than your own honor and disgrace. But... why is fate so unfair to you..." The King of Chu said: "Don't say that, Ji Jiang, fate is good enough for me. It turns out that God's will destined me to be miserable all my life. I still remember the poem Long Xi showed me. In the history of Gai', there will be no more in the future." The king of Chu said, contemplating for a while, and then softly recited: "I will never regret that this life is not at the right time, who knows the latitude and longitude? After death, no one knew him back then." "You see, compared to a better 'me', how happy I am now. Power, wealth, honor... I have obtained everything I yearned for when I was young, and I have enjoyed it. What is there to be sorry for?" The caller reported: A man in black who claimed to be Qian (+ the prefix of bamboo) Keng asked to see him. King Chu said, "Let him in." Ji Jiang said: "What is he here for? To visit his master's masterpiece? To appreciate our downfall? Hmph! Now it's no secret to call this guest that gentleman, and the real names are revealed. Immortality is very important. Is it amazing?" Chu Wang said: "Ji Jiang, don't be like this, he is not a bad person, and longevity has not brought him happiness, have you seen that he has never smiled?" The man in black entered.After he stood still, he looked at King Chu quietly.Slowly, something complicated seemed to appear in his always indifferent eyes. "To this day, I'm still not sure if I really know you." He sighed and said, "I'm here this time, not on behalf of my master, but I just have some questions I want to ask, I wonder if you can answer me." " King Chu said: "You ask!" Guan Keng said: "Liu Bang decided Tao Duojun, and Chu Yi Qi Qi, these actions are enough to provoke you to raise your troops to rebel, why do you do nothing and let him manipulate? With your ability to use troops, you are afraid of a Liu Bang ?" The king of Chu said: "Liu Bang is not enough to take a blow from me, but with your master around, it is different. Isn't your master instigated his actions?" Huang Keng said: "Yes." Chu Wang said: "It wants to start a war, but it didn't expect me to not fight at all, right?" Guan Keng said: "Yes. He was surprised and disappointed." The King of Chu said: "Why is he so disappointed? It should be satisfied that I captured it like this!" Guan Keng said: "I'm also surprised. He has some ideas that I can't understand. He said that you have made him less happy for revenge. He also said that he can't go back for the time being, and he is very lonely in this world. Only you reluctantly It can be regarded as his opponent, who wanted to fight you for a while to kill some time, but who knew that you conceded defeat at the beginning, and he felt very disappointed." King Chu nodded and said, "That's why I didn't resist. You see, your master is trying to play a game of war to relieve boredom, but this is a game of cat and mouse. I have no chance of winning. Since I will lose sooner or later, why bother?" How about dragging so many people in to be buried with you? Do you think that I have fought so many battles that I regard war as casual? No, for me, war has always been the most sacred thing. A long time ago, my master told me It has been said: Soldiers are weapons of murder; fighters are against virtue, so they are used as a last resort. The opening chapter of "Sun Tzu" also said: "Soldiers are the great salt of the country, the place of death and life, and the way of survival. You must observe it. "All my ability to use soldiers comes from these sages. I can't violate the purpose of this profession. For war, there is nothing more important than the purpose. What is the purpose of war? It is to use as little as possible My casualties stop my casualties, not the other way around, you understand?" Keng Keng murmured: "I understand, I understand." Slowly took a few steps back, turned and walked out. "You are a real hero, and history will remember you. I have an infinite life, but history will not remember me." Looking at the back of Guan Keng going away, Ji Jiang felt desolate in his heart, and said: "What's the good of letting history remember it? King, I would rather you have a long life." King Chu said softly, "Then I'm not your king anymore. Ji Jiang, it's almost time, you should go too." Ji Jiang held back his tears and said: "Your Majesty, let me comb your hair again. In the future, I will not be able to comb your hair even if I want to." King Chu nodded and sat down. Ji Jiang untied King Chu's crown and loosened his hair in a bun. King Chu's long, black hair fell down and draped behind his back.He sat there quietly, like a chiseled statue.Ji Jiang combed his hair lightly, remembering the scene when he combed his hair for the first time when they met, and he quarreled over the direction of the bun... What did you comb me?Nonsense!Almost disassembled and recombed.It's funny, I am a layman and made a mistake, and I don't appreciate it when someone corrects you for you. nonsense!What layman insider?I've been combing like that for decades, want you to mess with me?Quick, recomb for me! Recklessly?Who is messing around?What you are doing is not the king of Chu, why do you wear a right bun?We Qi people all have hair buns that lean to the left. Could it be that you, the king, want to do the opposite to your subjects?Okay, I'll recomb it for you! do not!do not!Don't tear it down!Count me wrong about you. It's not "forget", you just blamed me wrongly. Well, well, I just blamed you.Hey, why are you so angry?I'm originally from Chu, so I don't know the customs of your Qi country! Then you should be more modest, listen more, see more! ...