"Mother, what are you doing?"
A "Daoist Scripture" came bouncing into the room. Seeing that He Miaojun really was reading, Lianshan Xin was rather shocked. "Mother, you actually read books."
He Miaojun rolled her eyes at Lianshan Xin. "Is it so strange for me to read?"
"No. Can I see what you're reading?" Lianshan Xin asked.
He Miaojun closed the book, revealing its cover: Records of Yu Great Ancestor!
This was an official chronological history compiled by Great Yu, devoted to recording Great Yu Taizu's life and deeds, comprising 237 volumes.
"Mother, what made you decide to read the Records of the Great Ancestor?" Lianshan Xin asked in surprise.
He Miaojun explained, "The Millennial Catastrophe is approaching. Great Yu has been beset by troubles at home and abroad lately, tossed about by wind and rain. I couldn't help wondering what Great Yu Taizu would do if he faced such a complicated situation, so I studied his life."
"Did you reach a conclusion?" Lianshan Xin asked.
He Miaojun shook her head and waved the Records of Yu Great Ancestor in her hand. "Official histories are still too official. A lot of the details don't stand up to scrutiny. The Great Ancestor recorded in this book and the man himself were definitely two different people. There's nothing real to be gleaned from it."
This did not surprise Lianshan Xin. He said calmly, "Mother, the people writing the Great Ancestor's biography were all his descendants. Of
"course they would embellish his image. They couldn't possibly stick to historical fact. If you want something real, you'll have to read unofficial histories."
"That's true. Still, although the contents aren't entirely factual, some of the inside information revealed between the lines does show the historians' integrity. Take this incident, for example."
He Miaojun opened the Records