Chapter 674: One Matter
After Chen Changsheng spoke these words, the proclamation of the decree could naturally not proceed any further.
Eunuch Lin gazed at him calmly and said, "Do you think I dare not kill you?"
Chen Changsheng replied, "On the third day of the new sovereign's ascension, sending someone to kill the future Pope—this will be recorded in the annals of history."
Eunuch Lin still looked at him calmly, his voice flat. "You are His Majesty's beloved junior brother, and you have many supporters within the state religion. As you said, if I truly kill you, His Majesty will grieve, and the capital will fall into chaos. To quell the situation and give an account to history, I too will likely be ordered to die."
Chen Changsheng said, "But you will still kill me."
Eunuch Lin's expression turned indifferent. "Because you have already made your stance clear. I sense the danger you pose. Since you refuse to submit as a subject, you can only die. His Majesty's ascension requires awe to be instilled throughout the realm. Anyone who harbors thoughts of the Demon Empress must die, no matter who they are. As for my personal fate, it is unimportant... because I am a man of foolish loyalty."
"Foolishness does not mean you have the right to be unreasonable, nor does it mean you deserve respect."
Chen Changsheng turned around by the window. The cold autumn light fell on his academy uniform, resembling starlight.
He drew his sword and placed it upside down on the scabbard.
His hand was steady, his breathing likewise, and his voice as well. "Is my master in the Li Palace at this moment?"
Eunuch Lin frowned slightly, not expecting him to maintain such clarity of mind at a time like this.
"Have you ever considered why, three days ago at the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books, he did not kill me and has never come to the National Academy to see me?"
Chen Changsheng looked at Eunuch Lin and said, "Because he dares not face me, and he cannot be certain whether he can kill me silently."
...
...
"He was raised by my own hands. If I tell him to die, he should obediently die. That is his proper duty."
In the quietest hall of the Li Palace, a voice as cold as autumn air echoed.
"If that is his proper duty, then why do you, senior brother, dare not go to the National Academy to see him?"
The Pope's voice also rang out.
"Why would I not dare to see him? I simply do not wish to. His foolish, stubborn thoughts might make him say something inappropriate when he sees me, angering me."
Shang Xingzhou no longer seemed as ordinary as he had in the past twenty years. He still wore a Daoist robe, but no one would mistake him for a common middle-aged Daoist.
His hair was jet-black, with occasional streaks of frost at the temples. His features were handsome, his skin smooth and tender like a newborn's. His expression was calm and indifferent, elegant yet unsettling. Though he was clearly older than the Pope, he still appeared incredibly young, as if his body brimmed with endless vitality.
The Pope looked at him calmly and said, "Is that so? Then why have you come to see me, senior brother? Are you not afraid I might say something inappropriate to anger you?"
Shang Xingzhou replied, "I came to see you to discuss the matter of our religion's succession."
The Pope asked, "The staff?"
Shang Xingzhou said, "Correct."
The Pope confirmed his intent and, after a moment of silence, asked, "Why?"
Shang Xingzhou said flatly, "Tianhai is dead. What use is keeping him?"
The Pope slowly shook his head and said, "He has read through the three thousand Daoist scriptures since childhood, has exceptional talent in cultivation, and his conduct is beyond reproach."
Shang Xingzhou gazed at him steadily and said, "Junior brother, you should be well aware that the succession of the state religion has never been about talent. Otherwise, how could it have fallen to you back then?"
The most important consideration in the succession of the state religion was how to ensure its survival for millennia. It truly had nothing to do with the candidates' talent, only with interests.
Back then, when the Li Palace was choosing the next Pope, Shang Xingzhou—who was slightly superior in realm and strength, and far superior in means and will—voluntarily withdrew from the competition precisely because of such considerations.
It was so a thousand years ago, it was so back then, and how could it be any different now?
Thinking of those past events, the Pope was silent for a long time before suddenly saying, "His bloodline clearly comes from the Descendant lineage."
Since they were not speaking of talent or Dao heart, but only of interests, they would focus on that.
"Correct. I once promised that monk that if the great matter succeeded, Chen Changsheng, as the representative of the Descendants, would succeed as Pope, and they would abandon their claim to the throne."
Shang Xingzhou said expressionlessly, "But that night, Tianhai shattered his will and destroyed the passage the Descendants had spent centuries opening. Even if they have obtained the true inheritance of the Holy Light Continent, it will take at least several decades to break through the crystal wall again. So why should I fulfill my promise and let that useless little brat become Pope?"
Hearing this, the Pope's expression did not change. He asked calmly, "Then who do you want to be Pope?"
Shang Xingzhou did not speak. He clapped his hands.
The crisp sound of applause echoed through the quiet hall.
After a moment, accompanied by very light footsteps, a young girl entered from outside the hall.
That night, this girl had appeared before the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books.
She was delicate, charming, and adorable, but between her brows was an undeniable air of nobility and pride.
Mu Jiushi, one of the young and mysterious six great figures of the state religion. Even the Heavenly Saint Empress Tianhai had treated her differently.
Seeing her appear, the Pope did not seem surprised. He asked, "Are you certain you want to be Pope?"
Mu Jiushi smiled and said, "I am a very calm person. I have no confidence in competing with Xu Yourong for the goodwill of the southerners, so I will not go to the Southern Brook Nunnery to be the Saintess."
Her smile was free and easy, her words proud and domineering.
"But Chen Changsheng is nothing. Why should I let him be Pope?"
The Pope smiled at her but said nothing.
Mu Jiushi's smile deepened, not like the smile of a girl her age.
Her words also deepened, like characters carved into wood—certainly not words befitting the Pope.
"Did you not say... you were about to die?" She looked at the Pope with a smile. "Even if you do not want me to be Pope now, you cannot stop it after you die. Why not be straightforward about it now? Once I become Pope, I will remember your kindness and naturally leave Chen Changsheng a way out."
That night before the Mausoleum of Heavenly Books, when the Heavenly Saint Empress Tianhai asked the Pope for his reason, his answer was clear—he was old and about to die.
This should have been the truth, but Mu Jiushi's words were not just direct; they were insolent.
Shang Xingzhou raised his hand, signaling her to stop speaking, and turned to the Pope. "Of the two things I want to accomplish in the latter half of my life, I have already completed one."
This, of course, referred to the death of the Heavenly Saint Empress Tianhai.
"The second thing I want to do, junior brother, you know well: to eliminate the Demon race and fulfill Emperor Taizong's will. You agreed to this, which is why you joined forces with me in this matter. You also know that to eliminate the Demon race, we must unite all forces we can. Emperor Taizong completed the alliance between the Demon and human races. You and Tianhai achieved the unification of north and south. Next, it naturally falls to the unification of east and west. So years ago, you began to cultivate Mu Jiushi, reserving the position of Grand Bishop of the Xuanwen Hall for her when she was only five. So why can she not become Pope?"
The Pope wanted to say something.
Shang Xingzhou continued, "I know there has never been a precedent of a woman becoming Pope. But back then, you supported Tianhai in ascending to the throne of the Zhou Empire. You should be able to support her. Junior brother, do not forget—she represents the entire Great Western Continent. The position of Grand Bishop of the Xuanwen Hall is not enough. We must give more to see the true era of human unity arrive."
The Pope was silent for a long time. He put on his divine crown and robe and walked toward the stone wall deep within the hall.
The stone wall slowly parted, and a holy light burst forth, shining on Mu Jiushi's face. Her smile was so proud.
Shang Xingzhou glanced at her.
Mu Jiushi stepped forward and took the Pope's arm.
The Pope stopped and looked at her.
She smiled sweetly back at him, not letting go.
The Pope said nothing and walked toward the stone wall.
Beyond it was the Hall of Light.
Hundreds of bishops waited quietly inside the hall.
Tens of thousands of clergy, students, and cavalry waited outside.
The Pope walked to the place where the light was brightest.
Mu Jiushi stood by his side.
Seeing this scene, many great figures of the state religion, including Anlin and Zhuang Zhihuan, showed shocked expressions.
Mao Qiuyu stood quietly at the front, his expression unchanged.
The Pope looked at the crowd and said, "I have one matter to announce."