Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1753: Chapter 1650: A Logical Yet Terrifying Deduction (Part 2)

”Why are you in such a hurry? Just wait another two years. I still have great faith in Physician Hua’s judgment.” Cai Yan looked helplessly at her second sister and said.

”I’m already seventeen.” Cai Zhenji extended her finger to twirl her hair, then said along her tresses.

Lady Tang and Cai Yan fell silent upon hearing this. Suddenly, they felt the passage of time— even the Second Miss was already seventeen. Cai Yan couldn’t help but remember Yang Fa and realized why she saw less of Cai Zhenji being held.

In a trance, it seemed like a long time had flowed by her fingertips, and inexplicably, a hint of hesitation appeared on Cai Yan’s face.

”Congratulations, I totally overlooked that.” Cai Yan said to Cai Zhenji with a faint touch of melancholy.

”That’s why, besides reading books, you should occasionally pay attention to your sister and your nephew.” Cai Zhenji looked at Cai Yan with a resentful gaze and said.

Cai Yan was speechless, seeing Cai Zhenji by her side sighing. Among the three present, only Cai Zhenji truly seemed to live without calamity, happily and peacefully, whereas both she and Lady Tang were not as fortunate, both having fate without a destined relationship.

Frankly, Cai Yan felt a bit of regret, maybe sometimes one should indeed do something inappropriate; the so-called runaways become concubines, just like Cai Zhenji and Yang Dao eloped, but didn’t Cai Zhenji become the matriarch of the Yang family in the end?

Speaking of which, one must mention the atmosphere of the time. The Book of Rites recorded that runaways would become concubines, despised by both parents and the national people. Honestly, Cai Yan didn’t dare make up her mind because doing so ultimately would still make her a concubine.

That Cai Zhenji could become the Yang family’s matriarch was, to be honest, because Cai Yong played some tricks in this aspect.

”In the middle month of spring, instructed for men and women, runaways not prevented,” although said to be the Zhou rites, it was handed down and, even in later generations, in some places during the third month of the lunar calendar, the tradition of singing to choose a spouse persisted as it did for two thousand five hundred years.

Cai Yong played some tricks in this aspect, and afterwards made up the Three Letters and Six Rites. Although he almost wanted to choke the second daughter to death, since the Cai family only had two daughters, no matter how furious Cai Yong was, he ultimately chose to clean up the second Miss’s mess.

After all, no matter how furious Cai Yong might be, he wouldn’t give others the chance to bully her, and honestly, after marrying off the second Miss, he no longer let her enter the household. Although this was a bit unkind, Cai Yong indeed did everything he was supposed to do.

But looking back now, it seemed that Second Miss lived much better than the first Miss, who always strictly adhered to propriety. It’s betrayal...

”To be honest, I’m quite curious. Sister, you have two talents, right? One is your spiritual talent, and the other one is the talent of the zither, correct?” Cai Zhenji asked curiously.

”Yes, indeed there are two. One is a conventional spiritual talent, but the talent of the zither has many special uses. However, for listening to the zither itself, it isn’t particularly important if you have it or not.” Cai Yan nodded, admitting she indeed possessed two talents.

One is her profound interpretation ability, even hidden metaphors and secret words in books she could forcibly interpret through a massive accumulation of classical texts and unravel the implied meaning in these sentences.

No matter if you’re using the Spring and Autumn Style or some kind of hidden connotation, she can forcibly comprehend it. This is why Cai Yan could directly read, and match the reversed old man’s title with enough classical anecdotes and annotations to Chen Xi’s thoughts.

If she didn’t have this ability, much of what Chen Xi wrote would be difficult for Cai Yan to interpret, let alone add anecdotes and annotations. It is precisely these annotations and anecdotes that make these books seem like secret collections from ancient sages.

As for how these secret collections come about, who knows how much was actually burned when Qin exterminated the Six States and burned their books? The Heavenly Pavilion and Stone Canal Pavilion had so many remnants that later generations couldn’t count them all. Back when Xiao He collected remnants from all under heaven, who knew how much he gathered?

Later, in the chaos of Wang Mang, the Heavenly Pavilion and Stone Canal Pavilion were inexplicably burned, feeling as strange as Dong Zhuo burning the Eastern Pavilion’s book collection? Actually, all aristocratic families under heaven knew what was going on—wasn’t it just us dividing the resources of national heritage, then fooling that crowd of fools to burn the empty place to destroy the evidence!

Though the aristocratic families who obtained these had nothing to say back then, each family understood clearly, as though there were a bright mirror in their hearts. Wasn’t it just covertly dividing national heritage resources? Only a few families had the qualification and ability to do this, and actually, they all had some clue.

The reversed old man’s works have complete anecdotes and detailed annotations, along with a consistent but unseen ideology, attributed to a single person’s creative work—what a dream.

So over time, the great aristocratic families actually guessed this person who dared not use a real name was most likely one of them, and only a few families were still aristocratic as they navigated the chaos from the Two Han eras to the present.

If you really check the genealogical charts, searching for those who dissipated into history and were inherited by others, the aristocratic families meticulously counted, and there are fewer than five remaining, and the Chen family happened to be among them.

By this point, there’s no need to think about it; just put the blame on the Chen family, and everyone knows it. Just obediently absorb the nutrition in these ideas; if they like to hide behind others, then let them continue to do so.

Of course, Chen Xi, who wasn’t too concerned with these matters, truly didn’t know, but Cai Yan, who was teaching a class to a group of aristocratic noblewomen, clearly understood. However, if you don’t speak, and I don’t speak, pretending to be confused while clearly understanding, it benefits everyone.

As for Cai Yan’s second talent, the talent of the zither, similar to Zhou Yu’s, indeed as Chen Xi and Zhou Yu estimated, it holds the power to stir hearts. However, unlike Zhou Yu, who allocated it to battlefield skills, Cai Yan focused mostly on support.

For instance, promoting intellectual development, enhancing memory, calming negativity, inspiring enlightenment, aiding concentration—Cai Yan barely considered any combat skills, emphasizing advanced musical effects, all meant to cultivate taste and character...

After listening to Cai Yan’s detailed explanation, Lady Tang pouted discontentedly. Now she hadn’t even awakened a single talent. To be honest, over half of the women on the List of Extraordinary Women back in the day were just for show, with genuine selection including those like Diao Chan, Cai Yan, Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao, Huang Yueying, and Lady Zou, all truly possessing talents. As for the others, they fit the virtues of loyalty, piety, benevolence, righteousness, and held eminent status.

Of course, there are still some currently nurturing their talents, who might awaken them at any moment. But considering the character of this group, nine times out of ten, their talents would be supportive in nature.

Now the situation is that Cai Zhenji is about to awaken her talent, and because she’s already past the growth phase and maintained herself well, no negative effects have really appeared. So she can distinctly feel that she could be born with it at any moment, and even actively stimulating her spiritual capacity might trigger her talent’s activation.

”Are you saying you’re also about to develop a talent? No wonder I felt you’ve been a bit restless recently.” Cai Yan thought about Cai Zhenji’s condition and said.

Then Cai Yan considered her talent of the zither. If memory serves, it awakened after her father’s passing, when she experienced the warmth and coldness of human relationships. The other talent seemed to blossom from reading too many books and understanding too much, ultimately sublimating.

”Indeed, there was a vague sense about half a year ago, so I’m quite curious. If I were to have a child now and not awaken my talent, whom would this talent belong to...” Cai Zhenji said with a strange expression. ”In essence, talents originate from here.”

As she spoke, Cai Zhenji pointed to her head and said, ”And if I don’t awaken, it would always exist, right? What if there’s another place to attach within my body?”

Cai Zhenji covered her abdomen with a maternal glow on her face, yet Cai Yan’s face turned a bit red.

”...” Lady Tang was dumbfounded. To be honest, she never considered this possibility, involuntarily turning to Cai Yan, who also looked back at her. To speak frankly, what Cai Zhenji said wasn’t impossible and seemed extremely logical.