Immortal Travel of Longevity

In the morning, Chen Changsheng went to eat noodles across the street from the tea house.

When he arrived, he saw Prince Wei at the noodle stand. He wasn't eating; he seemed to be waiting for something.

That was, until Chen Changsheng arrived.

Only then did a flicker of emotion appear in Prince Wei's eyes.

Chen Changsheng ordered a bowl of noodles and took a seat.

"You're here early," Chen Changsheng said.

"I was waiting for you," Prince Wei said.

Chen Changsheng nodded. "This is about the portrait, isn't it?"

"You're messing with me on purpose, aren't you?" Prince Wei raised an eyebrow. "You're the one pulling the strings behind the Tang Family Trading Firm, right?"

The King of Wei frowned. No matter how he thought about it, something felt wrong.

"How could there be such a coincidence?"

Prince Wei looked at him and said, "Miss Yun from the trading firm asked for that Portrait of King Yu by name. And wouldn't you know it, I gave that portrait to you just two days ago. That portrait isn't worth a damn. If you say this has nothing to do with you, who's going to believe it?"

Chen Changsheng chuckled. "Who told you that portrait wasn't worth a damn?"

Prince Wei waved him off. "Stop playing games with me. It's just a painting—could it actually sprout flowers? You're just deliberately making things hard for me."

"I'm really not," Chen Changsheng said.

The King of Wei waved his hands repeatedly and sighed. "Fine, fine, fine, make it as difficult as you want. I admit defeat. We can even forget about you burning down my estate. This King will even apologize to you, how about that? Weidi's trade routes can't be delayed any longer. Can we stop playing around?"

Chen Changsheng said, "This Chen has always called a spade a spade. I am not so petty as to use such tricks to make a fool out of you. That portrait really was a coincidence."

Prince Wei glanced at Chen Changsheng. He opened his mouth, initially completely unconvinced.

But seeing Chen Changsheng's unwavering expression, he didn't look like he was joking. For a moment, even the prince couldn't help but feel a flicker of doubt.

"Then tell me," Prince Wei said, "what use could such an ordinary portrait possibly have? You have to give me a reason."

Chen Changsheng let out a breath and said, "As This Chen just said, that portrait is no ordinary item."

"What makes it so extraordinary?"

Chen Changsheng paused for a moment. "If that portrait recognizes the King of Wei, then it is extraordinary. If it doesn't, then it couldn't be more ordinary."

"Cryptic nonsense..."

The King of Wei muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Are you sure you didn't start out as some fortune-telling swindler in the jianghu?"

Chen Changsheng smiled warmly. "Whatever you say."

The King of Wei paused, then asked, "Then can I take that portrait back?"

Chen Changsheng thought about it for a moment. "Naturally, you may. But This Chen also has something he'd like to ask you."

"Ask away."

"With all the kings under heaven vying for power, who do you think will ultimately sit on the emperor's throne?"

Hearing this, Prince Wei paused and frowned. "Why do you ask?"

Wasn't this straying a bit too far off topic?

Chen Changsheng said, "Just making casual conversation."

As he spoke, the old man brought over the noodles.

"Here are the noodles."

Chen Changsheng took the bowl and offered a word of thanks.

The old man laughed. "No need to be so polite. Say, are you two done arguing?"

Hearing this, Prince Wei actually looked a bit embarrassed. He coughed lightly and said, "We weren't arguing."

Chen Changsheng chuckled. "He just cares too much about his pride."

Prince Wei retorted, "What are you talking about? Who are you referring to?"

Seeing that the two of them were about to start bickering again, the old man quickly interjected, "Hey, hey, hey, no fighting, no fighting. Now, what were you two talking about just now?"

Chen Changsheng said, "I was asking him which of the many kings he thought would become emperor."

The old man chuckled. "Well, our King of Wei, of course. I've heard that nowhere else is as well off as we are here. Isn't there a saying? He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. It will definitely be our Prince Wei."

Hearing this, Prince Wei paused, but then shook his head. "Winning the hearts of the people alone doesn't do much. You have to look at it from all angles: military strength, political power, and financial resources. You need all of these combined with the hearts of the people. Without manpower and wealth, everything is empty. Moreover..."

Prince Wei paused for a moment before continuing, "Whether people are living well requires a frame of reference. Compared to the peaceful times of the past, things really aren't that much better now; in fact, they're a lot worse. It's just that the commoners here have it much better than those ruled by the other kings. But how many people actually know the difference between here and the outside?"

The old man replied, "That's not exactly true. I think most people would be happy to help the King of Wei. Weren't there many displaced refugees who only managed to survive because they came here?"

Prince Wei said, "Yes, they came here just to survive. People act for profit and for their own lives. Since they came here specifically to stay alive, how many of them would willingly lay down their lives?"

This highlighted a particularly prominent issue in Weidi today.

Namely, the disparity in military strength.

In truth, the military might of those kings who oppressed their people far exceeded Weidi's.

The reason was quite simple.

When life became impossible to endure, enlisting in the army offered a way out. But here in Weidi, the commoners lived fairly decent lives. Unless they were utterly destitute, almost no one was willing to become a soldier.

The state of the world was actually quite absurd.

But that was the reality.

Listening to him, the old man fell deep in thought. After a moment, he shook his head and said, "Ah, I don't understand these things. I couldn't make heads or tails of it, so it's better left to the two of you who know more."

Prince Wei smiled and said, "We're just casually chatting, that's all. But that is indeed how it is. Last year, the King of Wei conscripted far fewer troops than the other kings. Just in terms of sheer numbers, he fell short of the others."

Chen Changsheng looked at him and asked, "Are you telling me you don't think favorably of the King of Wei?"

Prince Wei paused for a moment before nodding.

Chen Changsheng asked, "Then who do you favor?"

"Prince Jin," the King of Wei said bluntly.

He dampened his own prestige just like that, acknowledging someone else.

Chen Changsheng asked, "Why?"

The King of Wei said, "Among all these men, Prince Jin is the most meticulous, and he best understands the doctrine of the mean. The territories he governs can never be called good, but they can't be called bad, either. By balancing his approach like this, using both the carrot and the stick, he secures the hearts of the people as well as military strength. There are also many who are willing to lay down their lives for him. When he raised his troops and annexed Prince Xiao's fiefdom back then, it only took him two months."

Chen Changsheng pondered this. "Are you two familiar with each other?"

The King of Wei shook his head. "He and I do not share the same surname."

"A king of a different surname?"

"Mm."

Prince Wei said, "It is said that the previous Prince Jin was personally invested by the Grand Ancestor himself for his merits as a founding subject. Later, the son inherited the father's title, becoming the current Prince Jin. His father excelled in martial prowess, but Prince Jin didn't inherit a lick of it. However, his strategic mind is extraordinary, effectively making up for his father's shortcomings."

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