Chapter 85: The Broken Courtyard (Part 1)
The events at the Ivy Banquet would give many people plenty to savor for a long time, and would allow the National Teaching Academy to hold their heads high for quite a while. But before too long, the severe consequences triggered by these events would arrive at Hundred Flowers Lane. No one knew whether the banyan trees by the lake could withstand that storm.
The most important thing wasn't that the National Teaching Academy had defeated the Mount Li Sword Sect—those two sword trials were fair, and no one could say otherwise. The problem lay in what had sparked those two trials. Chen Changsheng had appeared before the world with the marriage contract, proving his identity as Xu Yourong's fiancé.
Before the southern delegation came to propose marriage, they must have already reached a consensus with the Zhou imperial court. The parties involved—Xu Yourong, perhaps even Qiushan Jun himself—might not have known, but the Holy Maiden Empress knew. The unification of north and south had been the paramount concern since the founding of the Zhou dynasty, especially since the Holy Maiden Empress took power. This marriage contract was the most important symbol of that great endeavor.
And Chen Changsheng had destroyed it.
The National Teaching Academy's reappearance before the eyes of the capital's populace had already been seen by many as a grave disrespect or provocation toward the Holy Maiden Empress. Perhaps at that time, the Holy Maiden Empress hadn't even known about such a trivial matter. But now that Chen Changsheng had done this, the National Teaching Academy would inevitably re-enter Her Majesty's line of sight.
The Holy Maiden Empress would surely be very angry, and the consequences would surely be very severe.
This was the trouble Chen Changsheng had spoken of—a very big trouble.
"Don't look at me. No one can withstand trouble of this magnitude." Tang Thirty-Six said without hesitation.
Chen Changsheng said, "Earlier in the palace, judging by your tone, I thought you weren't afraid of the Tianhai family."
Tang Thirty-Six looked into his eyes and said word by word, "Is Her Majesty the same as the Tianhai family?"
Chen Changsheng was puzzled. "Isn't she?"
Tang Thirty-Six stared at him like he was an idiot.
He couldn't remember how many times this was that he'd looked at Chen Changsheng like he was an idiot.
He knew very well that Chen Changsheng was certainly no idiot. Someone who could match wits with Gou Hanshi in scholarship could only be a genius, not an idiot.
But sometimes Chen Changsheng really did seem childish. He clearly knew so much esoteric knowledge and annotations from the Daoist canon, yet he seemed completely ignorant of court politics and the affairs of the world. And he took this for granted, appearing too naive and pure—and thus, like an idiot.
"...This is a very complicated problem. Even if a professor from the Li Palace's attached academy wanted to explain it clearly, they'd need to write a lengthy essay."
Tang Thirty-Six said, "You just need to know that although the Holy Maiden Empress's surname is Tianhai, she is, after all, the ruler of our Chen imperial dynasty."
Chen Changsheng didn't understand. He thought for a moment and said, "It really does seem complicated."
"Master, you don't need to worry about anything."
Luo Luo said, "I've met Her Majesty several times. She's a very gentle person... and matters like this, she truly wouldn't care about."
Tang Thirty-Six thought to himself that Her Majesty might not care, but the problem was that people like Lord Zhou Tong and the big shots of the Tianhai family might think she did care. If so, the National Teaching Academy would still face utter destruction. Chen Changsheng, meanwhile, thought that if the Holy Maiden Empress could rule the Zhou dynasty as a woman, how could she possibly be gentle? Even as ignorant as he was about such things, he wouldn't believe that. Luo Luo really was just a young girl's heart...
Suddenly, they came to their senses. Meeting the Holy Maiden Empress frequently... yes, the young girl sitting beside them now was no ordinary girl.
The National Teaching Academy now had the White Emperor's daughter. What need was there to fear even the biggest trouble?
"Even if there's the greatest trouble, Princess Luo Luo can withstand it."
Tang Thirty-Six looked at her, his gaze very intense.
Luo Luo felt a bit uncomfortable and shifted closer behind Chen Changsheng.
The most worrying thing, the prospect of the National Teaching Academy being battered by storms, even the greatest trouble—all of it no longer needed to be thought about once they remembered Luo Luo's identity.
The pitch-black night sky was dotted with stars, like rivers, like mountains, like plains. Some star trails connected as if forming strokes, seemingly writing five characters.
"Then, what we need to consider next is the Grand Examination."
Tang Thirty-Six said, "We had our fun tonight, but we can't let those southerners slap us back in the face during the Grand Examination."
Chen Changsheng remained silent. He remembered the words Gou Hanshi had left before departing—a surprise? Yes, if he wanted to participate in the Grand Examination, he would have to bring another shock to this world. If he still couldn't succeed in marrow cleansing like now, and couldn't participate in the martial examination or combat, what would be the point even if he got full marks in the literary exam?
Moreover, his goal was to be the top scholar, the first place.
Luo Luo said, "I have no problem."
The young girl's expression was calm, her tone casual and natural, carrying her own authority and confidence.
"Your Highness, of course you have no problem. But I have a problem."
Tang Thirty-Six said, "There are still several months until the Grand Examination. If I push myself hard, maybe I won't need this guy, and by then I might have a chance to defeat Qi Jian. But the rest of the Seven Laws of the Divine Kingdom... I'm no match for them."
He said this calmly and naturally, because it was the truth.
"This guy has the biggest problem."
He looked at Chen Changsheng and sighed. "Clearly someone with astonishing talent, but because he can't cultivate, he'll just be useless during the Grand Examination. What a pity."
These words carried a tone of lament for his misfortune and anger at his lack of progress.
Chen Changsheng couldn't solve this problem, so naturally he couldn't answer his words.
He stood up and said, "I'm going to sleep."
"How forced is that topic change?" Tang Thirty-Six said irritably.
Chen Changsheng explained, "I really am going to sleep."
"On such a fine night, to celebrate the Ivy Banquet victory and welcome this genius's joining the National Teaching Academy, shouldn't we get drunk?"
Tang Thirty-Six looked at the roasted wheat tea in his cup, which gave off a slightly burnt aroma, and said, "Have some wine before sleeping."
"Drinking is bad for your health."
Chen Changsheng turned and walked out of the library.
Luo Luo, who always followed his lead, rose and left with him.
Tang Thirty-Six looked at Xuanyuan Po, raised his cup of roasted wheat tea, and said, "Do you know where to find wine?"
Xuanyuan Po answered honestly, "I've looked for days... there's no wine here."
Tang Thirty-Six's eyes shifted slightly as he prepared to ask more.
Xuanyuan Po promptly added, "There's no rice wine in the kitchen, not even fermented rice."
Drinking was bad for health, eating too much fat was bad for health, great joy and great sorrow were bad for health. Early to bed and early to rise was good for health. Fish was good for health, vegetables were good for health, green peppers were also good for health. Chen Changsheng had always strictly followed what was good or bad for his health to decide what to do and what not to do.
He had lived this way for many years, only abandoning this life principle for a very short period.
That period was not long ago, deep underground in the abandoned garden of the Zhou imperial palace, before the Xuan Shuang Giant Dragon. He had thought he was about to die, regretting that he had never lived recklessly in this life, so he decided to be reckless one last time. He had shouted and screamed at that terrifying black dragon, tears streaming down his face, and incidentally reviewed the short life he had only just begun.
But he hadn't died. Now, thinking back, he felt his behavior at that time was somewhat embarrassing. Then he naturally returned to his former track, resuming his life according to those principles. Of course, whether he refused Tang Thirty-Six's suggestion to sleep because he thought drinking was bad for health or because he couldn't face that problem—he himself didn't know.
Hiding in a small tower, becoming one with it?
He lay in bed, looking through the window at the gradually lightening night sky, at the stars growing dimmer, at the starlit, dense forest, and found he couldn't sleep.
He rarely suffered from insomnia. For a moment, he felt lost, not knowing what to do when he couldn't sleep. Should he keep his eyes open or closed? Should he think about things, or think of nothing and just count sheep?
One sheep, two sheep, three sheep, four sheep...
Among the flock of white sheep covering the hillside, a black sheep suddenly appeared.
He remembered the black sheep that had brought him from the depths of the palace to Weiyang Palace, remembered the black dragon that had told him to leave, and felt that the events of tonight were too bizarre.
He didn't remember the middle-aged woman who had nearly been hit by a flowerpot by the pond.
Then he thought of Qi Jian, thought of Gou Hanshi. He felt no pride, only admiration.
He truly admired those disciples of the Mount Li Sword Sect, especially Gou Hanshi.
Gou Hanshi had thoroughly read the Daoist canon, and his cultivation realm was unfathomable. Why couldn't he do the same?
Just as Tang Thirty-Six had said, what would he do during the Grand Examination?
He opened his eyes.
Faint starlight spilled in through the window, falling on his palm.
He turned his palm over and over, watching the starlight fall and scatter, and couldn't help but sigh.
From outside the window came the call of a morning bird.
This reminded him of the white crane that had returned from the south.
This calmed his heart and brought him peace.
And so he gradually fell asleep.
At dawn, Chen Changsheng woke up.
He glanced at the sky outside the window and saw it was still early. Although it was later than usual, he had slept too late last night and had suffered from insomnia, so he was severely sleep-deprived and could barely resist his drowsiness.
Still, he got up. Not because of those ironclad life rules, but because the noise coming from outside the window was too loud.
He had been woken by these sounds.
He wasn't used to this feeling of sleep deprivation. It was very uncomfortable. After washing up with cold water, rubbing his eyes and yawning, he went downstairs.
Tang Thirty-Six and Xuanyuan Po had also been woken by the noise outside the courtyard gate. They looked even worse than he did—they must have slept even later.
"I haven't even brushed my teeth yet."
Tang Thirty-Six listened to the commotion outside the courtyard, his expression very dark.
"Why is it so lively so early in the morning?"
Chen Changsheng asked, puzzled.
Xuanyuan Po thought for a moment and said, "Because we won against the Mount Li Sword Sect last night, so today many people are coming to our academy to enroll?"
Chen Changsheng was slightly stunned, thinking that might actually be possible.
Tang Thirty-Six sneered, "Do you think everyone in the capital is as simple-minded as you, or as naive and foolish as him? Like I said last night, this guy Chen Changsheng has offended the Holy Maiden Empress, the Qiushan family, the Mount Li Sword Sect, and the Eastern Imperial General's Mansion all at once, and he hasn't pleased the Pope either... What kind of cursed place is this? What parents would dare send their children here to study? That would be sending them to their deaths."
The noise outside the National Teaching Academy grew louder and louder, but it was impossible to make out what was being said.
An invisible pressure began to spread through the campus along with those shouts.
Chen Changsheng looked back at the new, tightly shut door on the courtyard wall and felt something was strange.
Logically, even if Luo Luo couldn't get out of bed, the breakfast from Hundred Herbs Garden should have been delivered by now.
He suddenly had a bad feeling.
(Today is the first day of going on sale. The hourly first-order results... were very good. According to the editor, it should be the highest since the founding of this platform... Regarding this... I should probably say this far exceeds my initial imagination or calculations? I won't say that, because I have thought about it, but I haven't calculated it—I'm a math idiot. More importantly, because I know we've always been this, this... Ahhh, thank you everyone. I bow. Thank you all for responding to my single chapter last night with such care. Thank you again. Yesterday's single chapter mainly talked about subscriptions. Today, I need to trouble everyone to vote for monthly tickets. I bow again. Friends reading on WeChat can find a voting link below my public account. Click directly to vote. Thank you for your trouble.)