The Literary Heart That Was Stolen and Replaced (Part 2)

"Is this kind of thing... frequent and common?"

Although Qi Shan and Chu Yao had both said that the rank of Literary Heart didn't represent everything, high-rank Literary Hearts always had their advantages. Not to mention a mid-rank Literary Heart that was second only to the highest rank! Who would settle for a mid or low-rank Literary Heart if they could possess a high-rank one?

Swapping the beams and pillars was no different from ruining someone's future and destroying their life!

"It's not frequent, nor is it common. Besides, the path of a scholar who steals another's Literary Heart isn't something anyone can achieve, nor can just any Literary Heart be 'swapped.' It's just that my Literary Heart happened to be suitable... This kind of act would be a capital offense in any country." Chu Yao chuckled self-deprecatingly. "However, if it's 'voluntary,' then it's fine."

Shen Tang felt like she had seen a ghost and said indignantly, "The rank of one's Literary Heart concerns their future prospects. How could anyone 'voluntarily' give up a mid-rank Literary Heart of the second grade for a low-rank one? Unless... this person was 'forced to be voluntary.'"

Chu Yao replied, "Yes, 'forced to be voluntary.'"

Shen Tang: "..."

Chu Yao continued, "My family background was poor since childhood. In my youth, my parents sold me to become the book boy for the eldest son of the Chu manor. I studied alongside the eldest son. That eldest son wasn't suited for academics; he was mischievous and often had me handle his studies."

The eldest son preferred practicing martial arts, but Chu Yao was deeply fond of strategy and policy, seizing every opportunity to study with exceptional diligence.

"Before long, my substituting for others in their studies was discovered. I thought I would be expelled from the manor, or beaten and sold off anywhere. To my surprise, the master of the manor took pity on me. Not only did he accept me as a student, but he also bestowed the surname 'Chu' upon me."

Shen Tang asked, "Was the person who swapped the beams and pillars your teacher?"

Chu Yao shook his head. "It wasn't him."

Shen Tang: "Oh, then I wrongly accused a good person."

Chu Yao shook his head with a bitter smile. "But he wasn't entirely innocent either."

That teacher truly devoted himself to Chu Yao, treating him in all aspects as he would his own legitimate son. This even made the good-natured eldest son jealous, and his wife secretly suspected if Chu Yao was an illegitimate child he had outside, otherwise, why would he be so exceptional!

His teacher's family all thought this way, and as the person involved, how could Chu Yao not see his teacher's favoritism and care?

Until the year before his coming-of-age ceremony—

Chu Yao accompanied his teacher to the palace for a banquet. He drank a few more cups of wine during the feast and woke up to find himself in a dungeon. His teacher, whom he had respected as his own father for over ten years, made an unreasonable demand that still felt like a nightmare to him.

"Wu Hui, give your Literary Heart to His Highness!"

He watched his teacher's mouth open and close, and every word spoken from that mouth sounded distant and vague, as if coming from the ends of the earth. Finally, the sentences that formed in his ears made him feel as though the heavens and earth had collapsed, and pieced together the truth that made his blood run cold.

It was a meticulously planned deception from the very beginning.

"My teacher accepted me as a disciple with three parts sincerity."

Shen Tang looked exasperated. "Three parts sincerity, but the remaining ninety-seven parts were for personal gain and calculation. They had their eyes on your Literary Heart, keeping you as a backup for that so-called crown prince. Tsk, to be betrayed by the person you trusted the most, how could that feel good?"

Chu Yao: "But others wouldn't think so."

For example, the crown prince who benefited.

He promised Chu Yao that after the Literary Heart exchange was complete, and he ascended the throne, he would never forget Chu Yao's contribution. Even if Chu Yao lost his high-rank Literary Heart, he would still be heavily relied upon in the future. He also said that when Chu Yao was bought and sold by his parents, he had already entered the lowest social class. If not for his teacher's recognition and cultivation, no matter how talented he was, he would at best be a servant with a bit of cleverness, not enjoy the glory he had now.

Wouldn't that make him feel much better?

Therefore, he should be grateful rather than resentful.

"...My teacher also comforted me, saying that 'swapping the beams and pillars' wasn't about stealing my Literary Heart, but about exchanging two Literary Hearts..."

It was just losing a mid-rank Literary Heart of the second grade, not losing his Literary Heart entirely.

As long as his Literary Heart remained, even if it was only a low-rank Literary Heart of the seventh grade, it was something he, with his lowly background, was not qualified to hope for.

What more could he complain about?

Shen Tang cursed, "That's the talk of a bandit! Why didn't he give his own Literary Heart to that so-called crown prince? Do not do to others what you would not want done to yourself. Did he read all those years of books to a dog?"

Who didn't know that a high-rank Literary Heart was better than a low-rank one?

A bandit is a bandit, yet they still had to put on a grand title of "loyalty," which was truly disgusting and despicable!

His teacher might have had a sliver of conscience and guilt, and coupled with the fact that Chu Yao was still useful, he agreed to anything Chu Yao wanted to learn or see. Even though Chu Yao was resentful, he dared not show it, and could only study diligently, trying to salvage something.

Within two years, another rather comical event occurred.

Shen Tang pressed, "What event?"

Chu Yao's expression was strange. "The crown prince lost the struggle against his brothers, was implicated in the 'witchcraft disaster,' and drowned after falling into a pit while relieving himself in the middle of the night. His faction was also uprooted, including my teacher, who ended up with his family's property confiscated and was exiled."

Shen Tang: "..."

Although his teacher treated Chu Yao like his own son, he had never allowed him to return to a good social status. Therefore, when the family property was confiscated, he was also implicated.

As a member of the deposed crown prince's faction, his fate was naturally not good. His Dantian was abolished, and his property was confiscated and sold. He relied on some connections he had previously accumulated and didn't fare too badly. Instead, with the help of friends, he became a retainer of Consort Chu and followed Consort Chu to Xin Kingdom.

Before he could settle down for long, Consort Chu fell.

Chu Yao, along with Consort Chu's other assets, was sold off. He eventually ended up in Xiaocheng and washed dishes at the Moonlit Pavilion for five years.

Shen Tang, having heard the entire tragic story: "..."

It wasn't strange for one person to have bad luck, but it was strange for someone to have continuous bad luck. Ever since his Literary Heart was replaced when he was young, nothing had gone smoothly for him!

However—

"You still haven't explained what 'three taels' means."

Chu Yao: "Didn't I say?"

Shen Tang's expression was blank. "You didn't."

"Oh, I forgot to mention my Literary Heart's path."

Shen Tang: "...You can just say that???"

Chu Yao, however, was straightforward: "Why can't I say it? My Literary Heart is already lost, and my path as a scholar is abandoned anyway. What difference does it make if I say it?"

Shen Tang: "...That actually makes sense."

Chu Yao said with some helplessness: "My 'path as a scholar' is 'Willow Dark Flower Bright,' as in 'mountains multiply, rivers double, I doubt there's a road; willows darken, flowers brighten, another village appears.' It can't be used unless I'm in dire straits, and it's not something I can control. As for whether it's actually useful, I don't know either. All I know is that the night my Literary Heart was replaced, I had a long and very clear dream. In the dream, I went to a pharmacy and got a prescription."

Shen Tang: "..."

So it was still an uncontrollable passive skill.

Whether it activated or not, and whether it was useful if it did, she had no idea.

Things were just getting worse and worse.

Shen Tang pressed: "What prescription?"

"Ginseng, rhubarb, aconite, and rehmannia, five qian each, supplemented by three liang of moonlight. It can reveal heavenly mandates and cure stubborn illnesses."

Shen Tang's lips twitched, and she was speechless.

"It's just a dream prescription, and you believe it, old man?"

It was probably written by a quack.

Chu Yao's "path as a scholar" felt unreliable, just like those advertisements saying "images are for reference only."