Chapter 11: The Declaration of the New National Teaching Academy
Tang Thirty-Six arrived a bit late.
He had gone back to the small building to retrieve his sword, and by the time he came around from the Bamboo Sea Quiet Corridor, the grove was already packed with people.
The clumps of mountain plum blossoms had been trampled into disarray. In the middle of the crowd, on the snow-covered ground, lay the corpse of Bishop Meichuan, along with a few spots of crimson blood.
Seeing this scene, he naturally tucked the Wenshui Sword behind him and looked at a teacher, asking, "What happened here?"
That teacher, pale-faced, replied in a trembling voice, "I heard the instructor was disrespectful to the Saintess... so..."
Tang Thirty-Six was momentarily stunned. He hadn't known that Xu Yourong had also come to the National Teaching Academy, much less that Bishop Meichuan had been killed by her.
He asked, "Where is the Saintess?"
"She's already left." The teacher, fearing Tang Thirty-Six wouldn't believe him, quickly added, "Prince Chenliu was also present; he gave his testimony."
Tang Thirty-Six didn't understand why that young prince, whom he disliked the most, would come to the National Teaching Academy. Could it be that he had an appointment with Xu Yourong?
Looking at Bishop Meichuan's corpse, he raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "So that's how it is. Then he deserved to die."
From outside the grove came Su Moyu's voice, and the teachers and students quickly dispersed.
Chen Changsheng had somehow already arrived at the scene.
He looked at Bishop Meichuan's corpse and remained silent for a long time.
Tang Thirty-Six asked, "When are you returning to the Li Palace?"
The Pope, naturally, had to return to the Li Palace.
This time couldn't be postponed indefinitely.
When Chen Changsheng returned to the Li Palace, he would have to face the internal problems of the state religion head-on.
Bishop Meichuan's death wouldn't make this problem any simpler; it would only make the method of solving it simpler.
In a sense, Xu Yourong had already made the choice for Chen Changsheng.
Su Moyu said from the side, "The Assembly of Light convenes tonight."
Tang Thirty-Six asked, "How will the Cardinal Council react?"
Su Moyu said, "With Dean Mao in seclusion, the Cardinal Council is being run by the three Red Cardinals in council."
Tang Thirty-Six said, "All of them are from that faction?"
Su Moyu said, "Yes."
Tang Thirty-Six was silent for a moment, then said, "Then we can't choose from among them."
Chen Changsheng and Su Moyu both understood his meaning.
Mao Qiuyu was very close to breaking through to the Divine realm—perhaps in a few dozen days, or even sooner, he would succeed.
According to the state religion's longstanding practice, Mao Qiuyu would then receive an official saintly name, his status would become even more revered, but he could no longer serve as the Archbishop of Yinghua Hall or hold any substantive office.
The reason for this was clear to everyone.
The problem was who would succeed him in the most important position of Archbishop of Yinghua Hall.
"If we exclude those three Red Cardinals with the most seniority, the most qualified person to take charge of the Cardinal Council is Dean Zhuang."
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Six both fell silent.
The Dean Zhuang that Su Moyu mentioned was Zhuang Zhihuan, the current dean of the Heavenly Dao Academy.
The Heavenly Dao Academy held a very high status within the state religion. Zhuang Zhihuan lacked nothing in terms of cultivation level or seniority, and he had always been highly regarded by Mao Qiuyu.
Although the Cardinal Council belonged to the old faction, Zhuang Zhihuan had behaved quite objectively and neutrally over the years, executing the tasks assigned by the Li Palace very effectively.
From any angle, he was Mao Qiuyu's best successor, and Chen Changsheng couldn't object.
But everyone knew how his biological son, Zhuang Huanyu, had died.
Tang Thirty-Six wanted to object but couldn't bring himself to say it, because Zhuang Zhihuan was a friend of his parents, and he had been under his care ever since he first arrived in the capital.
Chen Changsheng left the National Teaching Academy with Xue Yejin, while Tang Thirty-Six stayed behind to handle the aftermath.
He sent someone to deliver Bishop Meichuan's remains to the Cardinal Council, then gathered all the teachers and students of the National Teaching Academy.
Su Moyu took out an old piece of paper and handed it to Tang Thirty-Six.
It was a list that had been written three years ago.
Looking at the names on the paper, Tang Thirty-Six said, "Why is it always me who has to do the things that make people angry?"
"Because you're good at making people angry and aren't afraid of it," Su Moyu explained very seriously. "And you enjoy doing this kind of thing."
Tang Thirty-Six thought about it and said, "That sounds like nonsense, but when you really think about it, there's some truth to it."
The teachers and students of the National Teaching Academy stood on the stone plaza in front of the academy gates, listening to this conversation, their hearts tense.
The Pope had visited the National Teaching Academy, the Saintess had killed the instructor—no matter how you looked at it, something big was about to happen at the academy today.
What were Vice Dean Su and the long-absent Superintendent Tang going to do next?
Tang Thirty-Six began reading names from the list.
"Zhang Lintao."
"Huang Zecheng."
"He Shuyu."
"Guo Xin."
"Lü You."
...
...
The teachers and students whose names Tang Thirty-Six called stepped out from the crowd, pale-faced and very nervous.
Three years ago, during the National Teaching Academy's most dangerous time, they had chosen to leave. Afterwards, they had been approved by the Cardinal Council to return.
They didn't know how Tang Thirty-Six would deal with them.
"Go on, what are you standing there for?"
Tang Thirty-Six suddenly felt a bit bored and said, "Don't let me see you at the National Teaching Academy again."
Those dozen or so teachers and students, with dejected faces, lowered their heads and walked out of the academy. Even if they felt some resentment, they didn't dare show it.
Tang Thirty-Six suddenly remembered something and said, "Teachers, remember to return all the salaries you've received tomorrow."
Hearing this, the few teachers walking towards the academy gates felt their legs go weak.
One of the expelled students finally couldn't hold back and said indignantly, "Then will you refund our tuition fees too?"
Tang Thirty-Six looked at that student with a smile and said, "If you dare to take it."
The few teachers were startled and quickly grabbed that student, dragging him out of the academy, afraid that if they delayed any longer, Tang Thirty-Six might change his mind.
The Hundred Flowers Lane outside the National Teaching Academy was usually lively, but today even more people had come to watch.
Seeing those dejected teachers and students being expelled from the academy, especially the two young students who were crying nonstop, some of the onlookers felt a bit of sympathy.
Tang Thirty-Six, who never left any room for mercy, hadn't forgotten these details. He had long since sent a well-spoken teacher to stand at the academy gates and loudly explain the reasons for expelling these teachers and students, recounting the story of what happened when the academy was besieged three years ago in vivid detail.
The looks the onlookers gave those teachers and students immediately changed. Some even cursed and spat in their direction.
Tang Thirty-Six wasn't very concerned about how miserable the future lives of those teachers and students would be.
He was very clear that neither the other five academies of the Green Vine Six nor any other ordinary academy would dare to accept these people.
What he was more concerned about was whether the current National Teaching Academy was still the same as it was three years ago, whether it was still the academy he and Chen Changsheng wanted to see.
The academy gates were tightly shut, blocking out the curses and discussions from Hundred Flowers Lane. The campus, with light snow drifting, was exceptionally quiet.
Over a hundred teachers and students stood in the snow, motionless.
Seeing this scene, Tang Thirty-Six felt somewhat satisfied.
"A few years ago, when the Pope walked into Hundred Flowers Lane, it was very quiet here. The words 'National Teaching Academy' were completely hidden by the green vines. Inside the school, it was full of weeds, broken walls, and ruins—even quieter than outside, or rather, deathly still. At that time, the National Teaching Academy was essentially a tomb."
He looked at the teachers and students and said, "Later, Princess Luoluo, Xuan Yuan Po, and then I, came here one after another, and this place gradually came to life. I can say without shame that it was the Pope and us who changed all this, giving the National Teaching Academy a new life."
Su Moyu, thinking back to those stories from a few years ago, also felt a bit emotional.
Tang Thirty-Six continued, "Since it's a new life, then naturally it's not the old one."
The teachers and students stared blankly at him, not understanding what he meant by that.
"I want you to understand one thing."
Tang Thirty-Six's expression was calm and firm.
"The National Teaching Academy of today... has nothing to do with the National Teaching Academy of decades ago." (To be continued.)