Chapter 55: A Question of Character
Looking at this handsome, composed young man, Chen Changsheng bowed politely, but his inner calm was not as serene as his outward appearance.
Prince Chenliu possessed royal blood, so naturally his talents were extraordinary. However, having grown up in the deep palace, his status was too noble. He would not participate in the Grand Examination, so there was little opportunity to showcase his abilities. Still, the Dean of the Heavenly Academy and the palace’s honored tutors had all said that with his level of cultivation, entering the Azure Cloud Ranking would have been effortless back then. Now that he was past twenty, as long as he wished, he could certainly secure a place on the Golden List.
But the respect he received from important ministers and divine generals like Xu Shiji had nothing to do with his royal blood or cultivation level. It was solely because the Holy Empress treated him differently, keeping him in the capital. This had sparked countless speculations—could it be that the Holy Empress intended for him to succeed to the throne of the Great Zhou Dynasty?
Many thought so, yet over the years, the Tianhai clan had grown unbearably arrogant. Prince Chenliu, after all, bore the surname Chen. The Holy Empress had never shown a clear stance, and no one knew what role he would play in the future of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Thus, the people of the capital regarded him with complex feelings—respect mingled with the need to keep their distance.
Xu Shiji, as a divine general of the Great Zhou Dynasty, was deeply trusted by the Holy Empress. Because of his involvement in the purge of the royal rebellion years ago, he had made too many enemies at court. His attitude toward Prince Chenliu was therefore even more cautious, yet he had to try to do something—at the very least, not offend him.
He knew that Prince Chenliu was representing the Holy Empress tonight to preside over the Green Vine Banquet and host the southern envoy delegation that had traveled from afar. But he hadn’t expected to meet him outside the hall, nor that his words would subtly hint at certain matters, protecting Chen Changsheng.
Xu Shiji confirmed that no one knew about the engagement between his family and Chen Changsheng. Thus, Prince Chenliu’s sudden appearance and protective intent could only be linked to the National Academy. This reminded him of the rumors quietly circulating in the capital recently, and he felt uneasy.
Prince Chenliu glanced at Xu Shiji, then turned to Chen Changsheng with a smile and asked, “Is there anything you need my help with?”
His voice was unhurried, his demeanor gentle and approachable. He felt like a spring breeze, warm and comforting.
At first, Chen Changsheng hadn’t understood the prince’s protective words, but after hearing that sentence, everything became clear. Now, hearing the prince’s warm and earnest tone, he felt grateful and said, “Thank you for your concern, Your Highness.”
“No need to thank me. In fact, you, child, have suffered from being caught in the crossfire. We useless ones watching the scenery from the city gates should be the ones apologizing.”
Prince Chenliu smiled at him, speaking casually but with sincere tone.
When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer the consequences.
If it weren’t for the old and new forces of the Great Zhou Dynasty stirring up trouble over the National Academy’s re-enrollment, Chen Changsheng would have been just an unknown ordinary youth. How could he have drawn the attention of the entire capital, and how could he have attracted so much trouble?
Prince Chenliu didn’t know about the story between Chen Changsheng and the Eastern Divine General’s Mansion. He assumed Xu Shiji’s harassment was just another of the troubles mentioned above. As a member of the royal family, it was only natural for him to apologize to Chen Changsheng.
Of course, a prince of the realm apologizing to someone as ordinary as Chen Changsheng proved he was truly approachable. Moreover, in front of Xu Shiji, within the palace, he didn’t shy away from mentioning the contradictions between the old royal family and the Holy Empress, showing great magnanimity and grace.
“Your Highness is too kind.”
Chen Changsheng genuinely liked this prince and said, “If I need to trouble Your Highness with anything, I will let you know.”
“Very good. I like this temperament, and I’m not afraid of trouble.”
Prince Chenliu smiled and patted him on the shoulder before walking into the hall. His guards followed in the night. Before leaving, he glanced at Xu Shiji, his gaze calm and gentle, without any warning, yet full of warning.
The soft light of the night pearls, passing through the paper of the window frames, became unsteady.
Xu Shiji’s face, illuminated by the light, was hard to read.
Prince Chenliu had left, but his words lingered under the eaves in front of the hall, not scattered by the night wind.
Xu Shiji could no longer do anything to Chen Changsheng. His face as cold as frost, he said, “You’re very lucky.”
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and said, “Or perhaps it’s because my character is decent.”
With that, he smiled.
In many people’s eyes, Chen Changsheng possessed a maturity beyond his years, because he always appeared calm, rarely showing great joy or sorrow. With those he wasn’t close to, he strictly adhered to propriety, even smiling sparingly.
But now he smiled happily, right in front of Xu Shiji.
Xu Shiji also smiled, as if he found the child’s answer amusing and naive, but his smile was ugly.
The Weiyang Palace was, after all, not the main hall, nor the inner palace where the Holy Empress resided. Farther away, there were some abandoned gardens. In the deep night, a pitch-black goat slowly emerged from the weeds of the abandoned garden, its eyes reflecting the starlight, eerie and deep.
Xu Shiji glanced at that patch of night, raised an eyebrow slightly, said nothing more, flicked his sleeve, and entered the hall.
Chen Changsheng also saw the black goat.
The black goat stared at him silently, then walked toward the outside of the palace. On its way, it stopped and looked back at him, as if trying to show him the way.
Chen Changsheng understood the black goat’s meaning—it wanted him to leave the palace.
Though he couldn’t communicate, he vaguely felt and was quite certain that this black goat meant him well. This might mean that tonight’s events weren’t over, and perhaps the real ordeal or danger was just beginning.
But he didn’t follow it, because he wanted to attend tonight’s Green Vine Banquet.
He still hadn’t figured out what to do when the southern envoy delegation proposed marriage, but he wanted to see it with his own eyes.
Perhaps when he saw it, he would know what to do.
…
…
The black goat disappeared into the night.
Chen Changsheng stood in the light outside the hall, thinking about the terrifying aura Xu Shiji had emitted earlier, knowing how dangerous it had been.
Xu Shiji said he was lucky, because Prince Chenliu had suddenly appeared.
He replied that it might be because his character was decent.
Character meant integrity without flaw, without loss.
Those who attain the Way will surely receive much help.
This was the principle he had read in the three thousand volumes of the Daoist Canon.
Leaving Xining Town and coming to the capital, he had endured much suppression, humiliation, and testing, but many had also helped him—like the Chief Priest of the Teaching Pivot Office, like Priest Xin, like Prince Chenliu, including the black goat that had disappeared into the night.
Why did these people help him? He was clear-headed: it had nothing to do with character or the Way. Some of the humiliation and pressure he faced in the capital shouldn’t have been his to bear, and this help shouldn’t have come either. Many things were just misunderstandings.
The engagement between him and Xu Yourong was known only to the Eastern Divine General’s Mansion and that great figure in the palace. No one else knew. His entry into the National Academy, and the humiliation and attacks from the Eastern Divine General’s Mansion months earlier, were seen by many as having hidden meanings.
The National Academy was a lake no one came to see, overgrown with wild lotus.
He was just a passerby who had strayed into this abandoned lake, trying to row his small boat to the opposite shore. When he lifted his oar, he startled a flock of gulls and herons.
Just as he was thinking about this, a sharp bird cry suddenly came from the distant night, followed by the faint sound of splashing water.
He didn’t know if it was a night bird hunting or being hunted.
Chen Changsheng turned to look at that pitch-black patch of night, a warning sign rising in his heart.
Just then, a voice sounded.
This voice came from the depths of the night but did not dissipate into it.
This voice came from the depths of the palace but did not scatter among the halls.
This voice rang directly in his ears and then fell directly onto his heart.
The voice was crisp, moving, like the taste of candied hawthorn in winter, but even more like the cold of winter.
“You… are Chen Changsheng?”
All around was silent. The sound of silk and bamboo from Weiyang Palace, passing through the window paper, was very faint. The sound of autumn wind gently brushing leaves, crossing the wide square, was very faint. The voice that rang directly in his heart was equally faint, yet it was like a thunderclap.
If it were an ordinary person, suddenly hearing a voice ring in their heart, they would surely be terrified and uneasy. But Chen Changsheng showed no reaction. He looked at the layered palaces in the night, trying to locate the speaker.
He had thoroughly read the Daoist Canon and knew that some powerful cultivators at the Star Gathering Realm could easily transmit their voices into ordinary people’s ears.
“You’re calmer than I imagined. Or is it… wooden?”
The voice sounded again.
“I only hope you’re smarter than I imagined.”
In the palace, there was a woman who had already reached the Star Gathering Realm at a young age, completely disregarding Prince Chenliu’s earlier words. Her power and status could be imagined as terrifying, and her identity was almost obvious—it was the great figure in the palace Chen Changsheng had thought of earlier.
He looked at the layered palaces in the night and bowed calmly, saying, “Greetings, Miss Mo.”
The voice disappeared for a moment, as if it hadn’t expected Chen Changsheng to immediately guess who she was, or perhaps it wasn’t accustomed to this form of address.
The owner of the voice was the legendary Miss Mo Yu.
The second most powerful woman in the Great Zhou Dynasty, possibly even the second most powerful person.
“You may call me Miss Mo Yu.”
“Yes, Miss Mo.”
For some reason, Chen Changsheng seemed stubborn tonight.
Perhaps because he knew why Mo Yu had suddenly appeared.
“You are indeed a very clever youth.”
“You flatter me.”
“These days, the capital has been stirring with hidden currents, yet you’ve stayed shut in the National Academy. That’s why I say you’re clever.”
“You flatter me.”
“But this cleverness… seems a bit shameless.”
“Please enlighten me.”
“You guessed Luo Luo’s identity, so you hide behind her. Isn’t that shameless?”
“You arranged for me to enter the National Academy. You know I only want to study and cultivate. I didn’t think that far.”
“But in the end, you’re still using her.”
“That was her intention.”
“Any man with some backbone wouldn’t deceive such an innocent, pure-hearted young girl.”
“When have I ever deceived her?”
“If not deception, why would someone of her status bow to you as her teacher?”
Hearing this question, Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment. Then he looked into the depths of the night and said, “Or perhaps it’s because my character is decent.”