Chapter 75: I Give You the Best
The distance from the Li Palace to the Imperial Palace was not far.
However, given Chen Changsheng's current status, entering the Li Palace was quite easy, but entering the Imperial Palace was somewhat troublesome, especially without prior notification. In the end, it still alarmed Xue Xingchuan.
"Dean Chen, what business do you have entering the palace late at night?"
"I want to see Luoluo."
Xue Xingchuan's question was casual, and Chen Changsheng's response was even more casual, so the heavily guarded Imperial Palace opened its gates.
Chen Changsheng followed a eunuch deep into the palace. It took him a while to come to his senses, wondering why Xue Xingchuan had been so easygoing. He did not know that it was because Xue Xingchuan had once waited on this side of the secret gate in the palace wall for Her Holiness the Saint Empress to return from the other side. Xue Xingchuan believed that back then, the Saint Empress had gone specifically to see this young man.
Similarly, watching Chen Changsheng's retreating figure, Xue Xingchuan also could not understand why this young man could appear so calm and natural in front of him. He was the Divine General of Her Holiness the Saint Empress, and his younger brother Xue He had had his left arm severed by Chen Changsheng's sword on the wilderness. Yet, since Chen Changsheng returned to the capital, they had met several times, and he had not shown the slightest hint of apology, not even any vigilance.
Luoluo was doing very well in the Imperial Palace. Although the palace walls cut off the bustling mortal world, compared to the Green Leaf World, the sky and sun here were real—it was just a bit boring. So when she learned that Chen Changsheng had come to see her, she was very happy. The master and disciple talked for a long time in the quiet garden, speaking only of joyful matters.
The topics revolved around the great banyan tree and that lake, talking about how the food quality at the National Academy had improved by leaps and bounds, how Xuan Yuan Po's appetite was becoming increasingly exaggerated, how Tang Thirty-Six's dark circles were growing heavier, how Su Moyu's face had turned quite ugly after receiving a letter from his aunt, and how Zhe Xiu's complexion remained the same, like a dead man's.
Chen Changsheng also talked about the dozen or so new students at the National Academy who were relatively gifted in talent, saying that if luck was on their side, they should be able to pass the preparatory exams, and might even rank in the latter half of the top three in the Grand Examination.
Luoluo listened with great delight, but compared to before, she spoke much less. Most of the time, she just stared at Chen Changsheng with her bright eyes.
Chen Changsheng thought of Shuang'er he had seen earlier at the Xu Mansion and assumed this was a natural change as little girls grew up, so he didn't pay it much mind.
Time passed quickly in their idle chatter. Neither noticed that it was already late at night until Lady Li, hidden among the bushes, felt it was truly inappropriate and coughed twice. Only then did Chen Changsheng remember the main purpose of his visit to see Luoluo tonight. He took her hand and led her to the wall, using his body to block any possible prying eyes, then pulled out something and pressed it into her hand.
Luoluo was a bit startled. Looking at the stone bead in her palm, she didn't understand why her master would give her this thing.
"I'm not sure whether telling you the truth will be good or bad for your cultivation, so for now, I won't say. But in any case... this is a good thing."
Chen Changsheng looked at her and said, "Don't lose it under any circumstances. When you have nothing to do, hold it in your hand often and try to sense it. It's best not to let anyone see it."
Luoluo said seriously, "A gift from my master, I will never lose it."
As Jin Yulu escorted Chen Changsheng out, he looked at him as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Chen Changsheng was puzzled and asked, "Uncle Jin, what's wrong?"
Jin Yulu sighed inwardly but ultimately didn't bring up that matter. Instead, he asked, "What were you and Her Highness talking about by the corner just now?"
Chen Changsheng said, "Nothing much. I just gave her a little trinket."
Back when Jin Yulu was in White Emperor City, he had steadfastly refused official positions and lived by farming, but judging by the silk robe covered in copper coin patterns he wore, one could tell his temperament. He asked with interest, "Is it valuable? Is it something from the Tang family?"
In his view, Chen Changsheng was terribly poor, having previously relied entirely on Her Highness Luoluo and Tang Thirty-Six for support. Where would he get anything good? It was probably a gift forwarded from the Tang family.
Chen Changsheng shook his head and said, "I picked it up before. It's not worth much."
Hearing that it was picked up and not valuable, Jin Yulu immediately lost interest. Then, thinking about what was about to happen, he became even more irritated.
"Her Highness has given you so many good things. Haven't you thought about giving something in return?"
Someone like Chen Changsheng would never catch the implication in those words. He replied honestly, "This is the best thing I have by my side."
...
...
By the time he returned to the National Academy, the night was already extremely deep.
On any other night, Chen Changsheng would have been asleep long ago, but not tonight.
He first went to the Hundred Herbs Garden, then to the Library Tower, and finally back to his own room.
Standing by the window, looking at the stars reflected in the lake, he thought of the night sky in the Li Palace, cut into pieces by the black eaves.
Going to Lingyan Pavilion was his master's arrangement. The box hidden in the wall by Wang Zhice was also something his master had told him about. But the box's locking mechanism had not been tampered with, meaning no one had opened it. This also meant that his master should not know the contents of Wang Zhice's notebook, nor that Wang Zhice had mentioned his name in it—Daoist Ji.
From Wang Zhice's notes, it could be seen that Daoist Ji was already very famous during the Taizong era, able to freely enter and exit the Imperial Palace and the mansions of princes and ministers. So when did he take over as the Dean of the National Academy, and how did he seamlessly switch between these two identities?
Chen Changsheng's gaze fell on the book beside him—the Chronicle of the National Academy. Earlier, he had found in this book the date when his master had taken over as Dean of the National Academy, along with some major events before and after. Still, he couldn't figure out how his master had managed to deceive the entire world back then. Most crucially, how had he managed to deceive the Pope? After all, they were fellow disciples from the same sect, and according to legend, during the National Academy Incident, his master had died at the hands of the Pope... Was there some hidden secret behind all this?
Regarding the entire matter, there were many things he couldn't understand. For example, the Pope's transformation was too sudden, to the point that Siyuan Daoren and the Lord of Linghai, whom he had personally cultivated, had both broken with him. Why? He had once asked the Pope directly, and the answer he received was a very compelling reason, but it still didn't completely dispel the doubts in his heart.
How could the fate of all living beings truly influence the choices of a sage?
He thought for a long time but still couldn't figure it out. Moreover, since it involved his master and senior brother, he couldn't discuss it with Tang Thirty-Six or Luoluo. He shook his head helplessly, stuffed the book into the deepest part of the bookshelf, walked back to the window, used the starlight spilling from the night sky to calm his mind, closed his eyes, and began to meditate. His spiritual sense stirred slightly and landed on that black stone bead.
A cold wind brushed his face, and he instantly became alert. He appeared in the Zhou Garden, still standing at the top of the mausoleum.