Chapter 56: Li Duozuo Shatters Superstition (Physically)

Chapter 56: Li Duozuo Debunks Superstition (Physically)

Let us rewind to noon.

Inside Chang'an city, at the residence of a physiognomist.

Thin wisps of smoke curled upward, and the air was filled with the fragrance of burning incense.

Li Chengxun, the son of Li Duozuo, sat upright and proper, awaiting the arrival of the physiognomist.

He had heard that this particular physiognomist was the most renowned face-reader in all of Chang'an, and many high-ranking officials and nobles had sought his services in the past.

Before long, the physiognomist arrived in a leisurely manner. Holding a horsetail whisk in his hand and exuding an air of otherworldly transcendence, he strolled slowly over to Li Chengxun, struck a pretentious pose for a moment, and then slowly seated himself.

Li Chengxun drew a scroll of a portrait from his bosom, placed it reverently and respectfully upon the table, and pushed it forward gently.

"Please take a look at this person. Does he possess the physiognomy of an emperor?"

"Pardon me for a moment while I inspect it."

The physiognomist was not surprised; in all his years, he had been asked at least eighty times if someone possessed imperial features. To name only a few recent examples, Wu Youji of the former Zhou dynasty and Wu Sansi had both come to have their fortunes told by him, so he was quite accustomed to such matters.

Thanks to his strict discretion, none of these matters had ever leaked out.

He picked up the portrait, observed it closely for a moment, and then let out a succession of tutting sounds.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk... Ah, this physiognomy is not very good. I see... very little chance."

With that, he laid the portrait back down on the table and pushed it toward Li Chengxun.

There was one more thing he left unsaid: from the portrait, he could discern that the person depicted had the physiognomy of someone destined to die by the blade. Naturally, he dared not voice this aloud, lest it provoke trouble.

Li Chengxun narrowed his eyes slightly. He drew a deep breath, composed his emotions, and requested once more, "Please take a closer look..."

"There is no need for that. You may take your leave." The physiognomist assumed the demeanor of an enlightened sage, waving his horsetail whisk and looking as ethereal as an immortal.

As soon as these words left his mouth, they ignited Li Chengxun's fury. A fierce glint flashed across his eyes. He slammed his hand onto the table, lunged forward to grab the physiognomist by the collar, and roared viciously, "Damn you! You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! Take a proper look for your lord and master once more! Damn you, how dare you say his physiognomy is bad! Huh?!"

"You... when you read faces, you shouldn't resort to violence..." The physiognomist suddenly panicked. What the hell, this brat wasn't playing by the rules at all!

Logically speaking, people would either simply leave or ask if there were any methods to avert bad fortune. Who on earth just flew into a rage and started getting physical right off the bat?

"Take him away!" Li Chengxun did not care about such niceties. With a wave of his hand, he ordered the guards on either side to seize the man, slip a black cloth sack over his head, and render him unconscious with a swift blow to the skull before he could struggle.

...

At Li Duozuo's mansion.

The side chamber was crowded with physiognomists who had been rounded up from all over Chang'an.

When had these men ever witnessed such a scene? They had been seized without a word and subjected to a severe beating. Under the Imperial Guards' "Memory Recovery Technique," no one could possibly hold out.

To their despair, the Imperial Guards did not make any demands, nor did they explain what was wrong with them; they simply administered the Memory Recovery Technique right away.

It had to be said that this method was truly effective; some people even recalled the benevolent appearance of their great-grandmothers from the depths of their memories.

The Imperial Guards were also quite crafty, well-versed in the behavioral art of beating a man without hitting his face. They aimed exclusively at the fleshist parts of the body without leaving any obvious marks.

Just as despair had fully set in, Li Duozuo strode into the room with powerful steps. He glanced left and right at the group of physiognomists and broke into a sinister smile.

He beckoned to the guards behind him, and someone promptly handed over the portrait of Li Chongjun.

"You," Li Duozuo walked up to one of the physiognomists, squatted down, and flashed an amiable, benevolent smile, "take a look. What is this person's physiognomy like?"

That physiognomist clutched his bruised areas, sucked in a cold breath, narrowed his eyes, and without thinking or even looking, blurted out, "This... ah, this person's physiognomy is truly a dragon among men..."

"Are you fobbing me off?" Li Duozuo gave a chilling chuckle, reached out to grab the man's topknot, hoisted his head up, and demanded, "How can you know what this person's physiognomy is like without even looking?"

"Yes... yes..." A chill ran through the physiognomist's heart. His instinctive desire to survive helped him steady his mind. He put on a forced look of earnestness, observed the portrait carefully for a moment, and declared with twelve parts of sincerity, "This person is a dragon among men, born to be above others, possessing the natural physiognomy of an emperor..."

He swore that not even on his wedding night had he been one-ten-thousandth as sincere as he was now.

"Your physiognomy reading is fake, isn't it?" Li Duozuo picked at his fingernails and said indifferently, "That was you just now, right? The one who said he didn't stand a chance?"

"It was this petty person who lacked discernment, this petty person was blind!" The physiognomist knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Hmph, you still understand human speech after all." Li Duozuo patted the man's head with satisfaction, took the portrait, and turned to the next physiognomist.

"You, what do you say?"

The physiognomist singled out by Li Duozuo instantly assumed a formal posture. He knelt respectfully before the portrait, performed a deep kowtow until his forehead touched the floor, and proclaimed, "This person's physiognomy is truly like a heavenly deity descended to earth. He is born to be emperor, and the Mandate of Heaven belongs to none other than him!"

He had no choice but to say this; the Imperial Guard standing behind Li Duozuo had already placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. If he said the wrong thing, it wouldn't just be remembering his great-grandmother anymore.

"Very good." Li Duozuo reached out and patted the man's arm with great satisfaction. "When you see this person later, speak to him just like this. Do you understand?"

"Yes... yes...!" How dared the physiognomists raise any objections? They simply prostrated themselves on the floor and agreed, terrified that if they were slow to answer, they would be treated to another full set of the Imperial Guards' bone-loosening massage.

...

The Eastern Palace.

The Imperial Guards, acting on Li Duozuo's orders, immediately brought the men inside. Upon seeing Li Chongjun, the physiognomists hesitated not a moment and scrambled to bow deeply before him.

"This person's physiognomy is truly that of a dragon among men, possessing unmistakably radiant signs of the Mandate of Heaven!"

The physiognomists exhausted every flattering phrase at their disposal, employing all the learning of their lives to utter auspicious words.

Meanwhile, the Imperial Guards brought by Li Duozuo exchanged low murmurs among themselves, their expressions shifting from initial hesitation to unshakeable resolve.

Since even the physiognomists declared that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince possessed the Mandate of Heaven, what harm was there in following him to accomplish this great deed?

"Does this lonely prince truly possess the Mandate of Heaven?"

Having been suppressed to the point of extreme self-doubt by Li Xian, Empress Wei, and Princess Anle since childhood, Li Chongjun's first reaction upon hearing these words was sheer disbelief.

No one knew how he had survived these past years. His father showed him no affection or care, his stepmother regarded him as a thorn in her side, and his younger sister treated him like a menial servant...

Even the tutors assigned to him did not teach him any academic subjects, but instead forced him daily to play Cuju.

The most absurd thing of all was that no one had planted even a single spy within the Eastern Palace. After all, nobody believed that a good-for-nothing could stir up any great waves, which was precisely why Li Duozuo and the others dared to initiate their uprising right here in the Eastern Palace.

He had lived constantly in days of profound terror, never knowing when his Imperial Father might issue a decree deposing him as Crown Prince and imprisoning him until death.

As for whether he could stay alive? Stop joking; throughout history, how many deposed crown princes had ever met a peaceful end?

"Your Highness, these are the most renowned physiognomists in all of Chang'an." Li Duozuo extended a broad, calloused palm and pressed it gently against Li Chongjun's arm. "Pardon Your臣's presumption, but if Your Highness will not trust this subject, you must at least trust the Mandate of Heaven, and the soldiers who are willing to shed their blood and lay down their lives for you!"