Chapter 9: Did I Do Something Wrong?
Chen Changsheng successfully entered the official admissions examination of the Star-Gathering Academy. This time, unlike at the Heavenly Dao Academy where he was met with mockery or indifference, what awaited him were earnest expectations and gentle, encouraging looks. For this, he felt very warm, very determined, and could be said to be in good form.
The various academies in the capital each had different focuses in their admissions. The Heavenly Dao Academy emphasized talent in national religious doctrine and cultivation, while the Star-Gathering Academy did not place too much importance on cultivation. The Great Zhou military always believed that cultivation was something to focus on after entering the academy; they cared more about the military literacy and discipline of the examinees. Therefore, the Star-Gathering Academy’s exam questions were not as numerous as those of the Heavenly Dao Academy, but they had extremely strict requirements for response format and even the way names were written. The content of the questions was also basically focused on battlefield simulations and battle case analysis.
If Chen Changsheng had any talent, it was his greatest talent—the tens of thousands of books he had memorized fluently since childhood. Just like the Heavenly Dao Academy exam, when he opened the test paper, the first question he saw looked very familiar. The saying “the Great Way has three thousand, encompassing all things” was not false in the slightest. The countless schools of knowledge in the world, like grains of sand and stars, were all contained within it, naturally including those famous military treatises and historically renowned battle cases. The wars between humans and demons were described in even greater detail. He remembered all of that, so naturally, he would not answer incorrectly.
Very smoothly, Chen Changsheng finished the exam and, along with the other candidates, came to the front of the Military Discipline Building, waiting for the final list to be posted. Standing before the divine beast that represented the strict military discipline of the Great Zhou, he reviewed the content of the test paper in his mind, confirming that passing into the Star-Gathering Academy should not be a problem. He relaxed a little, looked at that bitter-faced demon clan youth, and kindly stood on tiptoe to pat the other’s shoulder in comfort—clearly, this demon clan youth, gifted with divine strength, did not have much understanding of human military tactics and battle cases, and had done rather poorly in the exam.
The setting sun was about to dip below the mountains. A faint red light shone on the divine beast and the cold iron railings of the Military Discipline Building, creating a mysterious and eerie atmosphere. Chen Changsheng stood in the light and shadow, looking at the stone wall that was still empty, his young face full of happy smiles and anticipation for the future.
Yet he did not know that what awaited him would still be bitter disappointment.
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“Why?”
The Great Zhou military officer who had presided over the initial millstone test earlier, along with another stern-faced instructor, stood before the desk, questioning a middle-aged general seated behind it. The officer’s face was livid, clearly barely containing his inner rage.
The middle-aged general was expressionless, his eyebrows thick as ink silkworms, exuding authority without anger. Hearing his subordinate’s furious questioning, he frowned slightly and said, “Is this the attitude you use to question a superior?”
The two instructors were taken aback. One of them pointed at the setting sun outside the building and said, “Although only the two of us saw that test paper, there are many other colleagues paying attention to that examinee named Chen Changsheng. My attitude may not be good, but if the other colleagues find out the outcome, they will raise the same questions.”
The middle-aged general said, “In the end, he’s just an ordinary youth who hasn’t even succeeded in marrow cleansing. Why do you value him so highly?”
That instructor stepped forward angrily, pointing at the test paper behind the desk that had been crumpled into waste paper, and said, “You’ve seen that paper too. You should be well aware that in over a decade, there has never been such a perfect test paper in the admissions exams. Whether it’s the response format or the battle case analysis, there are no flaws, not a single wrong character, not even a slightly thicker stroke. Yes, that child may never become a brave and powerful divine general like you, but he can absolutely become the most outstanding staff officer!”
The middle-aged general was silent for a moment before saying, “This is an order from the palace. I don’t need to explain it to you.”
The instructor was stunned. After a moment, he came to his senses and said in a low voice, “But… I need to give that child an explanation.”
The middle-aged general raised his head, looked at him, and said, “Then have him come here, and I’ll give him an explanation.”
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Walking into the stern building, looking at the candle flame burning on the desk, Chen Changsheng remained silent. The fists hanging by his sides gradually clenched, and his face was somewhat pale, whether from exhaustion or anger, or perhaps both. When he saw that his name was still not on the stone wall, he was truly angry—angrier by far than when he had met with cold stares and scorn at the Divine General’s mansion yesterday.
Because he had held great expectations for entering the Star-Gathering Academy. He had held great expectations for the Star-Gathering Academy. And all those expectations, the moment he saw the list, turned into disappointment. The efforts he had put in now seemed like a joke. What was the reason for all this?
He needed an explanation.
The middle-aged general behind the desk said he would give him an explanation. He wanted to know what it would be.
“I’m sorry.”
The middle-aged general stood up, staring at him coldly like a wild beast eyeing a little white rabbit, but the words that came out were “I’m sorry.”
“As a soldier of Great Zhou, I have to go against my own principles of conduct. I’m very sorry.”
“My actions may damage the reputation of the Star-Gathering Academy. I’m very sorry.”
“You have talent and a future. You’re just a child, yet I have to temporarily halt your prospects. I’m sorry.”
“I cannot tell you why this is. I’m sorry.”
“But I think you will soon know the reason, so I hope you can give me a chance to correct my mistake.”
After hearing this speech, Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, then turned and left.
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At five o’clock the next morning, Chen Changsheng woke up on time, just like yesterday, just like every day for the past fourteen years. He washed up and dressed, meditated to clear his mind, then left the inn to continue his journey of seeking education.
He followed the list in order and went to the other two academies. His experiences at the Heavenly Dao Academy and the Star-Gathering Academy naturally left him frustrated and displeased, but he was the person in the world who treasured time the most. He was unwilling to waste time on pointless anger and regret, preferring to spend it on valuable things. This behavior sometimes gave people the impression of being indomitable.
Yesterday’s experiences seemed to have had no effect on him. He prepared carefully, took the exams cautiously, and using his mental knowledge reserves and tenacious will, successfully passed the entrance exams of these two academies—based on the content of the test papers, he believed he should have passed—and then, without any surprise, he failed again.
With the experience of the first two times, Chen Changsheng was no longer so disappointed, or rather, he had become numb.
He was very clear that someone was targeting him from the shadows. As for who… the answer was also very clear.
In the evening, he walked out of the fourth academy and finally saw the Divine General’s mansion carriage for the first time. He saw the old but still strikingly clear blood phoenix emblem on the carriage shaft. Of course, that was because they had deliberately parked the carriage right in front of the academy gate, just so he would see it.
Chen Changsheng looked at the carriage, knowing the answer was about to be revealed.
Although he had already guessed the answer, seeing the test paper still felt somewhat different.
The middle-aged woman stepped down from the carriage.
“You’re just a child… you have absolutely no qualifications to make the Divine General’s mansion do so many things.”
She walked up to him and said expressionlessly, “But we still did so many things, because we were very worried that, being so young, you might not have a clear understanding of the situation. So we very seriously showed you our power. You should now be very clear that as long as we disagree, you will never have a chance to rise in the Great Zhou dynasty.”
Chen Changsheng remembered her. In the Divine General’s mansion, the first person he had met was her. He bowed in greeting, then straightened up, saying nothing.
A strange look flashed in the middle-aged woman’s eyes. She had not expected that, even under these circumstances, this youth could remain so calm, not even forgetting to bow to her. This behavior was somewhat disconcerting, even unsettling, but she had to see this through.
“What we want, you know very well… If you agree, everything we have taken from you can be returned to you. The Heavenly Dao Academy, the Star-Gathering Academy, the Ancestral Sacrifice Institute… take your pick. Whatever you want to learn, take your pick. Whatever master you want to follow, take your pick. After you finish your studies, whether you want to enter the military, join the national religion, or become a court official… all of it, take your pick.”
The middle-aged woman looked at him seriously and said, “But if you disagree, the experiences of the past two days will be the scene that repeats endlessly in your life.”
Chen Changsheng remained silent, saying nothing.
The middle-aged woman said, “You’re a smart person. You should know very well how to choose.”
Chen Changsheng looked at her and finally spoke his first words: “My senior brother’s notes wrote that smart people don’t live happily, so in life, one should be wisely muddled.”
The middle-aged woman smiled and said, “But you really have been good and smart, not telling anyone about the marriage contract… otherwise, you would be a dead man by now.”
Chen Changsheng now confirmed that over the past two days, the Eastern Imperial Divine General’s mansion had been keeping someone on his tail.
The middle-aged woman said, “Of course, don’t misunderstand… I was only talking about a possibility earlier. Her Majesty the Saint is above. The Divine General’s mansion has always abided by the law and never bullies people. We only want to help people. We just need you to give up something… something you were already prepared to give up, and we can help you gain a lot.”
Something he was already prepared to give up naturally referred to the marriage contract.
Help him gain a lot—but those were things he could have gained on his own.
Chen Changsheng suddenly felt that, compared to the bustling capital, the mountain forest behind the old temple, full of fierce beasts, was so beautiful.
He looked at the middle-aged woman and suddenly said, “Auntie, did I do something wrong?”
The middle-aged woman was stunned, momentarily at a loss for words.
She had lived in the capital for over a hundred years, watched the young lady marry into the Xu family, watched the young master fight his way to an increasingly bright future. She was used to high-ranking court officials, powerful figures from beyond the world, accustomed to scheming and intrigue. But she had never expected to hear such words… such seemingly naive yet extremely difficult-to-answer words.
So she could not answer.