Chapter 9: Severed Hand (Part One)
(I made another mistake—Xue Baoqin should be called Xue Yejin... with the childhood name Jin’er. I don’t know what I was thinking when I wrote that chapter two days ago. When I was following up yesterday, I felt something might be wrong, so I scrolled back, but I didn’t find it. Then, while I was writing, my boss was watching beside me and said, “That name, tsk tsk... really.” I said to her, “Surely there’s no one who doesn’t like Xue Baoqin?” Thanks to the book friends: Young Master Shi and Seventy-Two Cups of Wine for the correction. I fixed it quickly yesterday, and I hope no one saw it...)
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“This instructor and those students—I allowed them to return.”
“Regarding the matter of the Xue family child, he also reported it to me.”
“If there is any fault, it lies with me. I ask the Your Holiness to forgive me.”
After hearing these three sentences, Chen Changsheng’s gaze toward the bishop named Mei Chuan shifted slightly.
Bishop Mei Chuan’s speech was gentle, his demeanor graceful, and his etiquette flawless. Even when addressing Chen Changsheng, he maintained a sense of neither servility nor arrogance.
Chen Changsheng felt a familiar quality about this man, but the key question was—when did the National Academy gain a new instructor?
Su Moyu said, “You are an instructor. Why, when the teacher indulged those students in wrongdoing, did you not punish him but instead shield him?”
Bishop Mei Chuan replied calmly, “The National Academy is a sacred place. How could it allow the son of a criminal to defile it? I did this for the sake of the academy.”
Chen Changsheng looked at Bishop Mei Chuan, and that sense of familiarity grew stronger.
Bishop Mei Chuan smiled slightly, preparing to elaborate on his thoughts.
He appeared calm, but inwardly he was somewhat tense, after all, the things he had done could very well offend His Holiness the Pope.
More importantly, he also intended to use this matter, along with the subsequent arguments and their existing relationship, to gain further benefits.
Unfortunately, Chen Changsheng did not give him the chance to continue.
Chen Changsheng had a vague feeling that if he kept talking with the other party, it would only lead to some outcome he was unwilling to accept.
In other words, Bishop Mei Chuan had already prepared the course and rhythm of this conversation before he showed himself.
Those best at disrupting the rhythm and course of a conversation are often the unreasonable and reckless ones.
Chen Changsheng couldn’t do that, but the National Academy never lacked such people.
He looked at Su Moyu and asked, “Where is he?”
Su Moyu pointed behind him and said, “He drank too much last night and is sleeping inside.”
“Call him up,” Chen Changsheng said. “I recall this is supposed to be the warden’s business.”
The warden of the National Academy was Tang Thirty-Six.
When it came to the word “unreasonable,” no one was better at it than him—after all, he had money.
Tang Thirty-Six rubbed his eyes, draped in his nightgown, and walked into the room. After listening to Su Moyu’s brief explanation, he yawned.
Then he looked at the instructor who had indulged the students in beating and humiliating Xue Yejin and said, “Get lost.”
His voice wasn’t very loud, certainly not like thunder, but it was crisp, like a white radish that had been soaked overnight being bitten through.
The instructor immediately broke out in a cold sweat. He glanced at Bishop Mei Chuan, dared not delay any further, and quickly retreated.
Three years ago, he had been an instructor at the National Academy and knew very well the temper of this warden.
If he didn’t leave immediately and then get out of the National Academy, he might never have the chance to leave again in this lifetime.
Bishop Mei Chuan raised an eyebrow slightly, as if he hadn’t expected this young master of the Tang family to have such authority in the National Academy.
Tang Thirty-Six looked at him.
Bishop Mei Chuan had already mentally prepared himself—when the other party said “get lost,” he would smile in a way that showed he didn’t care.
But Tang Thirty-Six didn’t say that word. Instead, he asked, “Who are you?”
Bishop Mei Chuan was stunned for a long moment before he reacted, saying, “I am an instructor of the National Academy.”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “When did the National Academy gain a new instructor without me knowing?”
Being sent by the Pontifical Council to such an important place as the National Academy as an instructor, Bishop Mei Chuan’s background was naturally extraordinary.
So Tang Thirty-Six didn’t plan to ask about his background, nor did he intend to give him a chance to speak.
This was exactly why Chen Changsheng had asked him to step in.
But Bishop Mei Chuan’s reaction was faster than expected.
Ignoring Tang Thirty-Six, he looked at Chen Changsheng and said, “The late Grand Bishop Meilisha was my uncle.”
So he was Meilisha’s nephew.
Just as expected.
Chen Changsheng’s guess was confirmed, and he naturally understood why Su Moyu had been so troubled.
The entire continent knew about the relationship between Meilisha, the National Academy, and himself.
The room was silent for a long time.
“I only want to ask one thing.”
Tang Thirty-Six looked at Bishop Mei Chuan and said, “Why did you agree to let those instructors and students return?”
Bishop Mei Chuan’s expression remained unchanged as he calmly replied, “The decision of the Pontifical Council must obey His Majesty’s decree.”
This statement wasn’t wrong.
The National Academy was one of the Six Ivies, directly under the jurisdiction of the Li Palace, but it was still in the capital, on the soil of the Great Zhou.
The problem was that everyone knew this couldn’t be His Majesty the Emperor’s decree—it could only be Shang Xingzhou’s intention.
“I understand.”
Tang Thirty-Six also appeared calm as he said to Bishop Mei Chuan, “Could I trouble you to leave temporarily so we can discuss this?”
Bishop Mei Chuan smiled and said, “Of course.”
With that, he bowed to Chen Changsheng and withdrew.
The room fell silent again for a long time.
Tang Thirty-Six looked at Chen Changsheng.
Chen Changsheng remained silent.
Mo Yu hadn’t mentioned these things in her letter, because she wasn’t part of the State Religion and couldn’t know the undercurrents hidden beneath the surface.
But they both knew the problem lay with the Pontifical Council.
The Pontifical Council managed the Five Ivies and was the most important sacred hall in the Li Palace, holding an extremely special position within the State Religion.
Its two successive leaders, Meilisha and Mao Qiuyu, were the highest-ranking and most senior grand bishops.
The Pontifical Council had long been within the sphere of the old faction of the State Religion, opposing the new faction represented by Linghai Zhiwang and Siyuan Daoren for many years.
In the process of the National Academy’s revival, the Pontifical Council and the late Grand Bishop Meilisha had played a crucial role.
To ordinary people, the Pontifical Council should naturally continue to support the National Academy and support Chen Changsheng, who had become the Pope.
But Chen Changsheng knew this wasn’t the case.
Back then, the old faction of the State Religion had supported the National Academy not because of him, but because of his teacher.
In other words, they had always supported his teacher.
To them, the National Academy had never belonged to Chen Changsheng, let alone to young people like Tang Thirty-Six.
From beginning to end, the National Academy should have belonged to Shang Xingzhou and those old friends who had died for their faith.
During the three years Chen Changsheng was away from the capital, the Li Palace had sealed itself with a formation, making it difficult for anyone to reach inside.
But the Pontifical Council was outside the Li Palace. Under Shang Xingzhou’s prestige and methods, the old faction’s control over the Pontifical Council grew stronger and stronger.
Of course, they wanted to regain control of the National Academy, or at least reassert enough influence.
That Su Moyu had managed to hold on this long was already quite an achievement.
Tang Thirty-Six looked at Su Moyu and asked, “Dean Mao?”
This was his biggest concern.
Su Moyu said, “Dean Mao has been in seclusion for a long time. These matters should have nothing to do with him.”
Hearing this answer, both Tang Thirty-Six and Chen Changsheng breathed a sigh of relief.
But the problem facing the National Academy was still difficult to resolve.
The Pontifical Council, or rather Shang Xingzhou’s methods, were very shrewd. The candidate they had put forward was a tough nut to crack.
Even Tang Thirty-Six couldn’t tell him to get lost.
After all, Bishop Mei Chuan was Meilisha’s relative.
Tang Thirty-Six looked at Chen Changsheng and said, “But this is the National Academy.”
Chen Changsheng was silent for a long time before saying, “Yes.”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “I didn’t tell him to get lost because I knew it would be meaningless.”
Chen Changsheng was silent again for a moment, then said, “Yes.”
Tang Thirty-Six turned and walked out of the room.
Su Moyu vaguely guessed what Tang Thirty-Six was about to do, his expression changing drastically as he stood up to stop him.
But Chen Changsheng didn’t say anything more.
Su Moyu’s voice trembled slightly as he asked, “Does it have to come to this?” (To be continued.)