Chapter 18: An Ordinary Little Matter
Why did Chen Changsheng's meeting with Yu Ren make Shang Xingzhou so wary?
Thinking in reverse, perhaps what Shang Xingzhou feared most was the alliance of his two students.
If that were the case, then Xu Yourong's words might very well be the most important secret in this world.
The hall was very quiet.
The brush rested silently on the edge of the inkstone, like a wooden oar leaning against a moored boat.
Yu Ren grabbed a piece of wet, snow-white cotton cloth, gently squeezed and released it a few times, and that was considered washing his hands.
He did not respond to Xu Yourong's proposal but instead picked up the brush again.
The tip of the brush lightly skimmed across the ink pool, stirring up faint, rippling black waves, then hovered in the air, descended through the clouds, and left clear ink marks on the snow-white paper.
After finishing a line of characters, Yu Ren set down the brush, used his thumb and index finger to turn the paper around, and aimed it at Xu Yourong.
"What kind of person is she?"
...
...
The "she" in this sentence naturally referred to the Heavenly Sea Holy Empress.
Since entering the palace, Xu Yourong had not brought up any topic related to Her Holiness the Holy Empress.
She could have made a big deal out of this relationship, saying that whether His Majesty acknowledged it or not, Her Holiness the Holy Empress was ultimately his mother.
She could have engaged Yu Ren in a discussion about the grace of birth versus the grace of upbringing.
Alternatively, she could have used a wistful tone to recount her own past in the palace, naturally leading into the many traces Her Holiness the Holy Empress had left behind here.
But she did none of these things, because she was uncertain about Yu Ren's perception of and feelings toward Her Holiness the Holy Empress.
Moreover, Yu Ren was Chen Changsheng's most beloved senior brother, and she did not wish to use such a direct, overly cold method that struck at the heart.
Seeing the line of characters on the white paper, she confirmed she had made the right choice, then felt a touch of emotion and relief, her eyelashes trembling slightly.
Soon, she regained her composure, looked at Yu Ren with a smile, and said, "This is truly the question I am best at answering."
No one understood the Heavenly Sea Holy Empress better than Xu Yourong.
The Peace Princess was only a daughter in name; Chenliu Wang was merely a spiritual sustenance or self-consolation for the Holy Empress; Mo Yu and Zhou Tong were ultimately subordinates.
Only she and the Heavenly Sea Holy Empress were master and disciple in fact, inheritors of spirit and soul, and mother and daughter in emotion.
Now that the Heavenly Sea Holy Empress's soul had returned to the sea of stars, only Xu Yourong truly understood her thoughts and goals.
She felt it was her responsibility to let Yu Ren and this world know what kind of person the Heavenly Sea Holy Empress truly was.
"Her Holiness's breadth of mind is the vastest—sun, moon, mountains, rivers, the great earth, the oceans, all the way to the sea of stars, nothing is excluded."
This was Xu Yourong's opening statement.
Yu Ren thought for a moment, then slowly turned his palm over.
Turning the hand over brings clouds, turning it back brings rain—this referred to methods and means.
Xu Yourong understood his meaning and said, "An extraordinary person naturally cannot be judged by ordinary matters."
Yu Ren once again looked into the distance beyond the western window, at the National Academy in the night.
"Pointing at the road with eyes, where is virtue?" This referred to morality.
Xu Yourong said calmly, "It is also an ordinary matter, and a trivial one at that."
Hearing this answer, Yu Ren was somewhat surprised, raising an eyebrow slightly, and tapped his finger lightly against the rim of the bowl, producing a crisp sound.
Inside the bowl were candied plums.
This gesture of Yu Ren's was somewhat obscure and hard to understand; if it had been someone else, they would likely have struggled to guess his meaning.
But perhaps because she had spent a long time with Chen Changsheng, Xu Yourong quickly understood what he wanted to ask.
—If there were no Chen Changsheng, would you have become that kind of person too?
"Perhaps I would have become that kind of person, after all, I was taught by Her Holiness."
Xu Yourong thought for a moment and said, "But no one knows the true answer, because… he has already appeared."
As she said this, she maintained a smile, appearing very calm, but in reality, there was a hint of shyness hidden within, especially toward the latter part.
Yu Ren smiled faintly, feeling somewhat gratified.
...
...
Today was the second day since the National Religion Mission returned to the capital.
In this brief day, Xu Yourong had met several important figures, and late at night, she came to the palace to meet with the young Emperor.
As this night conversation gradually delved into the main topic, the first person she had seen during the day had already traveled hundreds of miles away.
Eight of the finest breed of Dragon-Steed horses hung their heads in exhaustion; the clear water and bean cakes before them could not arouse any interest. Bean-sized beads of sweat continuously seeped from their glossy skin, fell to the ground, and were quickly frozen into ice shards by the cold wind in the streets.
Logically, Luoyang should have been warmer than the capital, but for some reason, this year Luoyang was unusually cold.
Chenliu Wang looked at the night-shrouded streets, thinking of the Daoist battle that had occurred here three years ago, and felt a strange sensation.
After meeting Xu Yourong at the National Academy, he had left the capital and headed for Luoyang.
Only upon entering this most renowned prosperous city of the Great Zhou did he suddenly feel that he might have come too quickly.
An attendant handed him a hot towel, but Chenliu Wang ignored it, silently gazing at the Daoist temple before him.
This temple was the famous Changchun Temple.
A green-robed Daoist walked out, expressed his condolences for the hard journey, and led him into the temple.
Chenliu Wang dispelled those thoughts and walked steadily forward.
By now, Xu Yourong should have entered the palace, and the person inside the temple must have known as well.
For him, this was a very good opportunity, or rather, a very good entry point.
Arriving outside a seemingly simple scripture room deep within Changchun Temple, the green-robed Daoist silently withdrew, leaving him alone.
Chenliu Wang took a deep breath to calm himself further, then pushed open the tightly closed wooden door of the scripture room.
Shang Xingzhou was organizing medical records inside the room, his expression very focused.
This most powerful figure among humanity now looked like the most ordinary, yet undoubtedly most fervent, physician.
Chenliu Wang walked to the desk and, by the light of the night pearl, clearly saw the names of several medicinal herbs on the paper.
His gaze sharpened slightly, thinking that if he hadn't misread or misremembered, according to the Tang family's analysis, these herbs should be used to refine Cinnabar Pills.
Could it be that the court intended to use this method to undermine Chen Changsheng's prestige?
Shang Xingzhou did not offer any explanation to him, quietly and intently writing the medical records, as if he were unaware of his arrival.
Chenliu Wang knew he didn't have much time, so without any hesitation or pause, he spoke the words he wanted to say.
Having traveled hundreds of miles overnight from the capital to Chang'an, he had come precisely to say these words to Shang Xingzhou, even though they amounted to only a few sentences.
"His Majesty is Her Holiness the Holy Empress's biological son."
Chenliu Wang looked at Shang Xingzhou and said, "And I am also a descendant of Emperor Taizong."
Hearing this, Shang Xingzhou's gaze finally left the desk and landed on his face.
Shang Xingzhou did not hide his appreciation, though he appreciated Chenliu Wang's attitude more.
"Xu Yourong entered the palace, likely to form an alliance with His Majesty."
Chenliu Wang said, "Clearly, she has gone mad."