Chapter 185: Things of the Past
Countless flowers fell from the air into the carriage. Chen Changsheng withdrew his gaze, brushed a petal from his lapel, and nodded to the surrounding crowd, thanking them for their generosity and enthusiasm.
In a certain abandoned garden deep within the palace, flowers also fell. The cold-resistant late-blooming plum blossoms were gently brushed by the wind, their fine pink stamens falling to scatter thinly on the ground by the pond’s edge, a sight of considerable beauty.
His Holiness the Pope and Her Majesty the Empress stood amidst this scattered plum debris, gazing at the Black Dragon Pond before them.
“The day before yesterday, he took the Grand Examination in the academy and should have made it into the top sixteen, right? I said at the time that he would stop there… but who would have thought, this child actually didn’t halt his steps.”
Her Majesty the Empress looked at the flowering trees by the pond, quietly sensing the historical aura of Tong Palace, speaking in a slow voice. If she had wished to prevent Chen Changsheng from taking first place in the Grand Examination, she had countless methods at her disposal. For instance, Mo Yu, who was present at the competition venue at the time, should logically have done something. But in the end, she did nothing at all.
She turned to look at the Pope, raising an eyebrow slightly. “Thinking back now, that night of the Green Vine Banquet, when Mo Yu brought that child here, intending to trap him in Tong Palace, that was also your idea, wasn’t it?”
The Pope replied calmly, “In Mo Yu’s eyes, there is little difference between me and Your Majesty. She respects me as she respects Your Majesty. Even if she later sensed something amiss, she could not speak of it.”
“Merisa has been quiet for over two hundred years. Starting from last year when Chen Changsheng entered the capital, he suddenly seemed to change as a person. I felt something was off even then.”
Her Majesty the Empress clasped her hands behind her back as she walked to the pond’s edge, gazing at the palace eaves, the clear sky, and the drifting clouds reflected in the water. She said calmly, “Of course I knew that Chen Changsheng and the National Academy were the concrete manifestation of certain old-timers’ unwillingness to give up. I made arrangements for this, but I never paid it too much heed. Just as I said to Mo Yu that night, my heart can hold the entire world—how could it not accommodate a mere National Academy and a single youth?”
At this point, she turned around, quietly gazing into the Pope’s eyes, and said, “But you suddenly took a stance, and twice in succession. That forced me to be on my guard.”
His Holiness the Pope said nothing.
For over two hundred years in the Great Zhou, indeed for over two hundred years throughout the entire world, the peace and strength had been primarily due to the trust and friendship among the five sages. The most crucial of these was naturally the friendship between Her Majesty the Empress and His Holiness the Pope. Since many years ago, when the late Emperor ceased to attend to state affairs, the Empress had reviewed memorials and managed state matters on his behalf, eventually ruling from behind the curtain. This had drawn countless furious objections and attacks. The reason the Empress’s opponents had never succeeded was most importantly that, whenever the struggle grew intense, His Holiness the Pope would always stand firmly by the Empress’s side, wielding the authority of the state religion.
Over a decade ago, when the late Emperor was gravely ill, many important figures within the state religion and the Chen imperial clan, to prevent the Great Zhou from truly being ruled by a woman, launched a rebellion with extreme resolve—or perhaps one could say, with considerable haste. The National Academy was bathed in blood that very day, and the Dean was killed by the Pope’s own hand.
Everyone believed that the destruction of the National Academy was a testament to the friendship between the Pope and the Empress, and a display of their power. Those within the state religion who dared to oppose the Pope, and those among the old imperial clan who dared to rebel, all died in the National Academy, dying cleanly and completely.
So why had His Holiness the Pope now changed his stance?
“Chen Changsheng… is my junior disciple brother,” the Pope said, looking calmly at the Empress.
The abandoned garden grew even quieter. The chill of the Black Dragon Pond pressed in, and the pink plum blossoms fell like snowflakes.
Her Majesty the Empress was silent for a long time before saying, “The Daoist of Calculation?”
His Holiness the Pope said, “Since he is the Daoist of Calculation, he naturally did not die that night.”
“So that’s how it is. Indeed, that’s how it is… But so what? Do you still intend to discuss sect brotherhood with your senior brother? Do not forget the reason we resolved to kill him back then.”
The Empress pointed to a spot by the pond. A black crow perched on a cold branch.
“Over these past ten-plus years, traces of the Black Robe’s activities have always been around Snow Old City, not in Xining Town. What that child of the Qiu Shan family did a few days ago has already proven this.”
The Pope looked at her with a sigh and said, “Perhaps, that year, we truly killed the wrong person.”
The Empress’s face was expressionless. “Even if your senior brother was not the Black Robe, did he not deserve to die?”
The Pope did not respond to this remark. Instead, he said, “Regardless, the affairs of the previous generation have nothing to do with the next. Chen Changsheng is, after all, my junior disciple brother. Moreover, that child knows nothing of what happened before. Besides, there is no longer anyone who dares to oppose you. Why must you still dwell on the past?”
Hearing this, Her Majesty the Empress was quiet for a moment, then suddenly burst into loud laughter. “Very well, then.”
His Holiness the Pope showed no change in expression at her laughter, his face revealing no true emotion. He asked, “What do you think of the matter of the Zhou Garden?”
Her Majesty the Empress walked along the edge of the Black Dragon Pond toward the opposite shore. “Below Gathering Stars, above Penetrating Darkness, midsummer, a ten-year cycle, nothing much has changed.”
His Holiness the Pope followed her as he walked. “It still depends on the results of enlightenment at the Heavenly Book Mausoleum. This year is a major year. Who knows how many examinees will be able to reach Penetrating Darkness.”
The Empress stopped. “This matter will require your careful attention.”
That night, the aged eunuch chief within the palace, following Her Majesty the Empress’s private orders, began investigating an old case. Quietly and silently, he started retrieving old files and archives. The Empress had not entrusted this matter to Mo Yu. It had nothing to do with trust; primarily, the case was too ancient. Mo Yu had been too young at the time. Moreover, the matter was too tragic. Since Mo Yu did not know about it, it was better that she never know.
This old case was the very incident that had triggered the bloodbath at the National Academy over a decade ago.
Back then, the late Emperor was bedridden with illness. Her Majesty the Empress was frantic with worry and overwhelmed by state affairs, exhausted and haggard. It was at this time that some members of the old imperial clan attempted to kidnap her only prince.
This was a terrifying thing. Even more terrifying was that the old imperial clan’s plot actually succeeded. That prince vanished, and no one ever knew whether he was alive or dead.
Because of this, Her Majesty the Empress completely lost control. In her fury, she directly executed all those involved in the case, including two commandery princes. The National Academy was subjected to a full-scale purge. Now, His Holiness the Pope had confirmed that the Dean of the National Academy was still alive—that he was the Daoist of Calculation. So, was that prince still alive?
If Chen Changsheng’s age had been different, the Empress might have speculated further.
In the evening, Chen Changsheng finished all the activities related to the release of the Grand Examination results. He returned to the National Academy, changed into clean clothes, left Hundred Flowers Lane, crossed the numerous small bridges hidden among the streets and alleys of the capital, traversed the Luo River three times and countless more nameless canals, and finally arrived before the Eastern Divine General’s Mansion.
He had come to the Eastern Divine General’s Mansion once before, last spring—the only time. Nearly a year had passed since then. Many things had changed, and many things remained the same, such as the solemn tranquility of the general’s mansion and the gurgling sound of the water flowing beneath the stone bridge.
Withdrawing his gaze from the end of the canal, Chen Changsheng walked down the stone bridge, arrived before the Eastern Divine General’s Mansion, stated his identity to the guards outside, and was immediately invited inside.
(Today I attended a comic convention in Guangzhou, met with readers in the evening, had a meal, drank… I’m very tired, especially my back and throat, but I was also very happy. I could only write this much. I’ll try to write more tomorrow. In any case, we’re all living hard and enjoying it, aren’t we? Thank you, everyone.)