Novel Full Chapter 1027 - 99: Things Got Complicated
Chapter 1027: Chapter 99: Things Got Complicated
Pei Dingyuan had never heard of Southern Wei before. If it weren’t for the Southern Wei people suddenly coming to him and telling him about the relationship between the Pei Family and Southern Wei, he wouldn’t have known of its existence. Before coming to see Zhao Yao, he secretly investigated Southern Wei himself but found nothing, which made him think Southern Wei was very mysterious.
"Your Highness, I once read through historical records in the library of the Imperial College and didn’t see anything about Southern Wei. Is Southern Wei from the previous dynasty, or did it exist a long time ago?" He hadn’t heard about Southern Wei from his teachers or classmates either.
"Southern Wei appeared during the previous dynasty, but it was a small country at the time." Seeing that Pei Dingyuan wanted to know about Southern Wei, Zhao Yao planned to tell him some things. "Southern Wei surrendered to the previous dynasty and became its vassal state. The previous dynasty’s emperor gave a piece of land to Southern Wei and enfeoffed the King of Southern Wei as a different surnamed prince. Later, for some unknown reason, the previous dynasty destroyed Southern Wei, and many Southern Wei people were killed, though some escaped and went into hiding. To my knowledge, there are Southern Wei people in many parts of Great Zhou."
"Southern Wei surrendered to the previous dynasty, so why did the previous emperor act inconsistently and destroy Southern Wei?" Pei Dingyuan was already displeased with the previous dynasty because of the wrongful extermination of his family. Now, hearing that the previous dynasty also destroyed Southern Wei, he grew even more resentful of it.
Zhao Yao corrected, "It was not the previous dynasty that acted inconsistently, but Southern Wei itself."
Pei Dingyuan was astonished upon hearing this, "What, it was Southern Wei that acted inconsistently? Did they later regret submitting to the previous dynasty and rebel?"
"The Southern Wei people did not rebel, but when they surrendered to the previous dynasty, they promised to give something to it. Ultimately, they reneged and didn’t hand it over, which made the previous dynasty’s emperor feel played by the King of Southern Wei and extremely angry, leading him to order the destruction of Southern Wei." Zhao Yao glanced at Pei Dingyuan and said meaningfully, "The item that was supposed to be handed over is probably what the Southern Wei people are looking for now."
"So it was the Southern Wei people who broke their promise." Pei Dingyuan’s earlier anger subsided a lot, but now he was even more intrigued by the item. "Your Highness, what exactly is this thing that both Southern Wei and the previous dynasty value so much, a treasure?"
Zhao Yao said, "When Southern Wei surrendered, they offered a large sum of money to the previous dynasty. If it were a treasure, the previous emperor would not have been so enraged nor easily accepted Southern Wei’s surrender."
"What is it then?" Pei Dingyuan couldn’t imagine what it might be. "Could it be a token of the Southern Wei people?"
"If it were a token of the Southern Wei people, why would the previous emperor want it?" Zhao Yao hesitated to tell Pei Dingyuan that it might be the Imperial Jade Seal. He didn’t distrust Pei Dingyuan but thought that knowing about the Imperial Jade Seal wouldn’t benefit him. "Perhaps it’s some sacred object with the power to prolong life or grant immortality."
"Immortality?" Pei Dingyuan was first surprised, then shook his head, "How could there be an elixir of immortality in this world? It must be something extremely special."
"Whatever it is, it has nothing to do with us, and you shouldn’t pay attention to it." Zhao Yao had no interest in the Imperial Jade Seal, "Also, don’t investigate. Since it’s so important to Southern Wei, it likely isn’t a good thing. The less you know, the better. Knowing too much could be dangerous."
Pei Dingyuan said, "Your Highness, Southern Wei people care so much about that item; perhaps it’s dangerous to Great Zhou." Pei Dingyuan had no good impression of the previous dynasty or the Southern Wei people; he worried that if they found the item, it would harm Great Zhou. "Your Highness, you’ve also said that the Southern Wei people are dangerous; we can’t ignore them."
"Dingyuan, the Southern Wei people are more dangerous and cunning than you think. This is why I’ve never told you about them over the years, fearing you’d get involved and fall into danger." If Pei Dingyuan hadn’t come to Zhao Yao tonight to talk about Southern Wei, Zhao Yao would never have told him about their existence. "The fact that they came directly to you means they think you won’t find out anything about them, and if they notice you investigating Southern Wei, you’ll be in danger."
Zhao Yao warned again, "You’d best stay far away from the Southern Wei people, as far as possible. Also, don’t seek to understand their affairs."
Seeing Zhao Yao’s solemn reminder, Pei Dingyuan felt a shiver in his heart. He thought to himself: Since His Highness is so wary of the Southern Wei people, they must indeed be dangerous.