Chapter 36: Thank You
These words were very harsh, very cold.
Chen Changsheng stood up, looking at that instructor from the Heavenly Dao Academy, remaining silent. Luo Luo was very angry, but seeing that he wasn't speaking, she could only remain silent as well—since the master hadn't spoken or given any instructions, she thought that as his disciple, she naturally couldn't act on her own.
The newcomer stood at the entrance of the library, having spoken two extremely rude sentences that seemed to come out of nowhere, but Chen Changsheng heard the words "Ivy Banquet" within them, and recalling what Tang Thirty-Six had said the night before, he understood the reason for this matter.
He had never thought the Ivy Banquet would have anything to do with him, because like many others, he had forgotten that the National Academy was also one of the Six Ivy Academies. However, it was clear that not the entire world had forgotten this fact, especially now that the National Academy had him as its new student.
Chen Changsheng looked at the middle-aged man in clerical robes standing beside the Heavenly Dao Academy instructor and recognized him—it was Deacon Xin from the Ecclesiastical Affairs Office. Although they hadn't seen each other for several days, this deacon had been responsible for overseeing the renovation work at the National Academy.
Deacon Xin sensed his gaze and nodded in greeting, though his expression seemed somewhat awkward.
He looked at that Heavenly Dao Academy instructor and tried to persuade him: "In the past, the National Academy had no students, so naturally it didn't need to participate. Now that it has a student, of course it should attend. The imperial court and the national religion have already approved this. Instructor Peng, please just finish the certification process and be on your way."
The Heavenly Dao Academy was the most important institution of the national religion in recent years, holding an extremely significant position. Naturally, its instructors also held very high status, far beyond what an ordinary deacon from the Ecclesiastical Affairs Office could contend with. Under other circumstances, seeing an instructor acting like this, Deacon Xin would certainly go along with it. But... he knew better than anyone that this seemingly ordinary young man before him had an extremely formidable background, so how could he dare to offend him? Thus, he could only desperately try to smooth things over.
"Do you really insist on letting this waste participate in the Ivy Banquet?" That Heavenly Dao Academy instructor surnamed Peng said with a cold, dark expression.
Deacon Xin said helplessly, "This is the rule. There's nothing I can do about it, right?"
"Rules? Everything has to follow rules? Then let me talk about rules too!"
The Heavenly Dao Academy instructor sneered coldly: "According to the rules of previous years, the Ivy Banquet follows the format of the Grand Examination, divided into literary and martial examinations. Students from each academy and those who have passed the preparatory exams choose one to participate in. Now it seems this broken-down academy only has this one waste as a student. How can he participate?"
Deacon Xin was speechless. He recalled that the Ivy Banquet did indeed have this rule, but before coming, he had only been thinking about how to prevent conflict between Instructor Peng and Chen Changsheng, completely forgetting this clause. He couldn't help but feel anxious, thinking, if that's the case, why didn't you say so earlier?
"To participate in the Ivy Banquet, at least two students are needed... Now there's only this one waste. How am I supposed to certify this?"
The Heavenly Dao Academy instructor said expressionlessly, his voice filled with mockery, "Deacon, do you really think I came here because I couldn't withstand the pressure from the Ecclesiastical Affairs Office? No, I only came to see just how long this joke called the National Academy could make me laugh!"
Standing at the library entrance, looking at the quiet, soundless National Academy—though renovated, still bearing signs of dilapidation—he said coldly with emotion: "The National Academy... what a great reputation it once had! But now? It's nothing but a dead tomb!"
"No matter how much you renovate, this place is still a tomb!"
The Heavenly Dao Academy instructor's voice grew colder: "Recently, there have been rumors in the capital that His Holiness the Pope wants to revive the National Academy? Don't even mention how absurd this talk is—even if it were true, let's see if us old-timers will allow it!"
He turned to look at Chen Changsheng, a faint fire burning in his eyes, and shouted: "I want to tell the world—empty talk is empty talk! The ruined National Academy is a ruined garden! Waste is waste! Don't anyone try to make something out of this!"
The National Academy was utterly silent. Among the weeds behind the building that hadn't been fully cleared, a desolate atmosphere permeated the air.
Chen Changsheng quietly watched that Heavenly Dao Academy instructor, then suddenly took a step forward.
Waste... joke... ruined garden... tomb.
These words still lingered in the quiet library.
He didn't know why this Heavenly Dao Academy instructor harbored such deep hatred for the National Academy and for himself, but he only knew one fact—he was a student of the National Academy, its only student. He hadn't lived here long, but because he was the only one, this National Academy was his. Every flower, every blade of grass, every tree, every brick, every tile, every stone—they were all his. He watched it come back to life, he studied here in peace, this was his paradise, not a ruined garden.
He didn't like being humiliated, and he even more disliked seeing the National Academy humiliated.
He recalled the humiliations he had encountered since entering the capital, remembered Shuang'er who had just left, and decided to do something.
"I will participate in the Ivy Banquet."
He looked at that Heavenly Dao Academy instructor and said, "I don't know why you, sir, have such a big problem with me and my academy, but if you want to keep me out of the Ivy Banquet, I can only regretfully tell you that you won't succeed, because your attitude is extremely impolite."
The Heavenly Dao Academy instructor said coldly, "Participating in the Ivy Banquet requires two students, or... two wastes. Even if you have the guts to go, I can only regretfully tell you that you won't succeed, because no one on the entire continent is willing to enter the National Academy except for an idiot like you."
Deacon Xin didn't speak, but he knew what the Heavenly Dao Academy instructor said was true. No one would be willing to enter the National Academy—Chen Changsheng might have been exiled here by some important figure, or he might be bearing some mission, but there wouldn't be a second such person.
The library was very quiet.
Chen Changsheng looked at the dark, shiny floor before him and suddenly asked, "Do you still insist?"
A young but firm voice answered: "I insist."
"I can't teach you much."
"Master has already taught me a lot."
"Becoming a student of the National Academy might bring you many scornful looks."
"Master, I'm very good at rolling my eyes."
"You might... have to endure a lot of humiliation and oppression."
"Master, no one dares to humiliate me."
This conversation ended.
Chen Changsheng smiled, looked at the person beside him, and said, "I still don't know your name."
Luo Luo's eyes were extremely bright. Her left hand tightly gripped his sleeve, afraid he might change his mind, and she said, "Master, my name is Luo Heng."
Chen Changsheng reached out and took her left hand, then looked at that Heavenly Dao Academy instructor and said, "You see, now we have two people."
Luo Luo was a bit shy, leaning against his right arm, and like a parrot learning to talk, she repeated after him: "Yes, two people."
Deacon Xin was stunned.
That Heavenly Dao Academy instructor was furious and scolded, "Outrageous! When did this broken place get another student? Who do you think you are! Just because you say she's a student here, she counts as a student here?"
Chen Changsheng ignored him and gestured for Luo Luo to fetch the register and brush and ink from the side room.
He added Luo Luo's name to the register, very solemnly, very seriously.
Luo Luo lifted it up to the sunlight, puffed out her little face, and blew on it forcefully, hoping to dry it quickly.
Under the sunlight, the register was very clearly visible, with only two names, but two names were enough.
"The register is with me. Whoever's name I add is a student of the National Academy."
Chen Changsheng pointed at the register, looking at the Heavenly Dao Academy instructor, and said, "Even if you were His Holiness the Pope, you couldn't change this fact."
...
...
Deacon Xin quickly tried to mediate, desperately saying soft words to give the Heavenly Dao Academy instructor a way out, while also asking him to certify Chen Changsheng and Luo Luo's qualifications to participate in the Ivy Banquet. The Heavenly Dao Academy instructor was silent for a long time, then stamped his personal seal on the documents in Deacon Xin's hands.
The matter wasn't over yet.
The Heavenly Dao Academy instructor looked at Chen Changsheng and Luo Luo and said expressionlessly, "The Ivy Banquet—any student who has passed the preparatory exams is eligible to participate. Many people come from all over the continent. Are you two wastes planning to go and disgrace our Great Zhou Dynasty?"
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment, about to say something.
At that moment, Luo Luo tugged at his sleeve from beside him and asked timidly, "Master, may I speak?"
Chen Changsheng said, "You're now a student of the National Academy too, of course you can."
Luo Luo looked at that Heavenly Dao Academy instructor and asked seriously, "But what business is it of yours?"
The Heavenly Dao Academy instructor wasn't an instructor of the National Academy, so what right did he have to discipline its students? Luo Luo looked like an eleven or twelve-year-old girl. She spoke seriously, her voice carrying childish innocence, very endearing, yet her words cut straight to the heart of the matter. The Heavenly Dao Academy instructor was choked speechless, furious beyond measure, but didn't know how to respond.
"Fine! Fine! Fine!"
He laughed in extreme anger and shouted coldly, "I'll just wait and see how the National Academy turns things around! When the Ivy Banquet comes, and you wastes from that ruined garden are humiliated, becoming the laughingstock of the entire continent, don't blame me for not warning you today!"
With these words, he flicked his sleeves and left.
Deacon Xin didn't leave with him. He walked into the library and lowered his voice to explain a few things to Chen Changsheng.
Only then did Chen Changsheng learn that the Ivy Banquet was hosted in rotation by the Six Ivy Academies. This year, it happened to be the Heavenly Dao Academy's turn, with its instructor responsible for reviewing the participants. The National Academy hadn't had students attend the Ivy Banquet for many years and had gradually been forgotten, but this year the situation was different. Of course, this wasn't the main reason why that Heavenly Dao Academy instructor's attitude was so harsh, especially why he humiliated Chen Changsheng so much. The main reason lay in a certain regulation of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
According to that regulation, if an institution failed to successfully recruit a student for many consecutive years, it would lose its teaching qualifications and all policy protections. The National Academy hadn't recruited students for many years. If it went one more year, it would silently disappear into the river of history. But who could have known... just in the final year, the National Academy gained a student named Chen Changsheng.
"Just because of that?" Chen Changsheng asked.
Deacon Xin was silent for a moment, then said, "That year when the National Academy had its incident... Instructor Peng's three senior brothers all died here."
Chen Changsheng fell silent, thinking that if it were him, he would certainly hope the National Academy would close down and disappear. Toward this student who had suddenly appeared and changed the National Academy's fate, his attitude naturally wouldn't be good either, and he would wish the other would leave as soon as possible.
"But don't worry too much. As long as you don't actually compete during the Ivy Banquet, Instructor Peng and those old-timers from back then can't do anything to you."
Deacon Xin comforted him a bit, glanced at Luo Luo standing quietly beside him, and patted his shoulder with a smile, saying, "You're something, huh."
...
...
What those four words meant, Luo Luo didn't quite understand, and Chen Changsheng didn't either.
After all, both of them were only fourteen years old, and Chen Changsheng still thought Luo Luo was an eleven or twelve-year-old little girl.
Chen Changsheng looked at Luo Luo's little face and suddenly hesitated, because only now did he notice that this little girl was really very pretty.
Luo Luo grabbed his sleeve and said, "Master, you can't go back on your word."
Chen Changsheng scratched his head helplessly, thought for a long time, and finally squeezed out a sentence: "Have you... eaten?"
Luo Luo opened her big eyes wide, somewhat puzzled: "Didn't we eat wontons together this morning, Master?"
"Uh... it's already noon now."
Chen Changsheng glanced out the window and said, "Time for lunch."
Upon hearing this, Luo Luo put her hands together in front of her, bent her knees slightly in a bow, and said very gently, "I'll go make lunch for Master right away."
"Let's buy it," Chen Changsheng said.
Luo Luo asked for instructions: "Wontons?"
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and said, "Besides wontons, there's also a pulled noodle shop in the alley. It tastes pretty good. Oh, and less bean sprouts, more Sichuan pepper powder."
Luo Luo ran off, full of laughter and cheerful chatter, her ponytail bouncing lightly.
On the courtyard wall, Chief Clerk Jin and Secretary Li exchanged glances.
"Is this okay?"
"I think it's fine."
...
...
After finishing the noodles, it was already afternoon. The late spring breeze seemed naturally infused with fragrance, intoxicating and making one want to sleep.
Chen Changsheng looked at Luo Luo and said, "I only asked your name today. Sorry about that."
Luo Luo smiled and said nothing.
"Take back the night pearl and those things. I really can't accept them."
"Master, you're not trying to back out again, are you?"
"Of course... not."
"Then... how can I take back the apprenticeship gifts?"
"Didn't you just buy me a bowl of noodles earlier?"
Luo Luo's smile faded slightly. She gently lifted her skirt and slowly knelt on the dark floor.
Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, then knelt facing the direction of Xining Town, and then knelt facing her in return.
Spring was bright and the scenery beautiful. The lake was as still as a mirror. Occasionally, a breeze passed through the hall, wound around the bookshelves, and settled on their temples.
Chen Changsheng straightened up and helped her to her feet.
Luo Luo said, "Thank you."
Chen Changsheng didn't know what to say. After thinking for a long time, he said the same thing: "Thank you."