Chapter 698: The Great Figure
The teachers and students of the National Academy watched Chen Changsheng walk to the academy gate, their gazes complex and their emotions stirred.
The female disciples of Nanxi Zhai were waiting for him at the gate.
Chen Changsheng gestured for the women not to follow him and walked out.
"This is the command of the Zhai Master," Ye Xiaolian called out angrily behind him.
Chen Changsheng knew it would be difficult to persuade these young women, so he said to the priest Xin, who was waiting for him outside the academy, "I entrust this to you."
Priest Xin sighed and waved his hand, signaling the priests from the Teaching Council Office and the national religion cavalry to step forward and surround the National Academy, naturally also blocking the Nanxi Zhai girls inside.
Chen Changsheng looked at the National Academy and silently bid farewell.
From that spring until now, three and a half years had passed.
He did not know when he would see the ivy and the people of the National Academy again.
He wrote four letters and handed them to Su Moyu, just as Su Li had done before leaving, making clear everything that needed to be addressed.
The chill at the mouth of the North New Bridge Well grew heavier; in just two more years, the Little Black Dragon would be able to break free.
He owed nothing more to this world, no burdens remained on his shoulders; he could travel light.
Watching his figure disappear into the depths of Baihua Lane, Priest Xin’s emotions were complicated.
Not long after, the news that Chen Changsheng had left the National Academy spread throughout the entire capital.
In these days after deep autumn, Zhou Tong was often not in the palace but conducting affairs at the newly renovated Qingli Department Office.
When this news reached the North Bingma Si Hutong, he was sitting in a brand-new armchair, painstakingly aged with great effort, drinking tea.
He still drank the most precious Dahongpao tea and wore that blood-red official robe that seemed to reek of blood.
His face was pale, his gaze indifferent as if devoid of any human emotion, making him look like a vengeful ghost.
"Prepare to welcome a distinguished guest."
He gently placed his teacup on the table and looked calmly at his subordinates in the courtyard.
The officials accepted the order and hurriedly began to move about, the atmosphere inside and outside Zhou Prison becoming especially oppressive and grim.
On a distant street, that man, whose body exuded a cold, iron-like aura, looked up at the sky upon hearing this news.
The sky grew darker, not because of the passage of time, but because the clouds were thickening; it was no longer the crisp, clear autumn weather—it seemed snow was about to fall.
Not long after, the latest intelligence quickly reached the North Bingma Si Hutong—Chen Changsheng had entered the Li Palace.
In the small courtyard, the most loyal and powerful subordinates looked toward the armchair in the hall, wondering if their master was overthinking things.
With the court putting on such a display, even if that man was Chen Changsheng, would he dare to storm Zhou Prison?
"Going to the Li Palace doesn’t mean he won’t go elsewhere today."
Zhou Tong looked at the red clay teapot in his hand as if it were a lifeless object, and said indifferently, "Just wait for him to come out."
...
...
In the deepest part of the Li Palace, there were no seasons, so naturally there was no cold winter chill. In that patch of sky cut into a square, there was no sign of impending snow.
Just like that basin of green leaves, still full of life, tender and green, gently swaying as clear water poured over them, revealing their beautiful forms.
The Pope’s face showed no signs of illness, only many more wrinkles, deeper than before, making him look much older.
Like the autumn before Melisaa died, the old man had revealed his agedness in a very short time.
Looking at the Pope’s face, Chen Changsheng felt sorrow, sadness, and resentment—toward this land, toward that starry sky.
The Pope was two years younger than Shang Xingzhou.
He knew very well that if his uncle hadn’t conflicted so much with the current state of the world due to his self-imposed demands, making it hard to attain true peace of mind, how could he have aged prematurely?
The Pope could tell what he was thinking from his expression and said with a smile, "Are you thinking that good people don’t live long?"
Chen Changsheng remained silent and nodded.
"I am not a good person," the Pope said. "Of course, even if that statement holds true, we cannot therefore become bad people."
Chen Changsheng liked such words very much. With bright eyes, he said earnestly, "Yes."
The Pope wiped the water droplets from the green leaves, then took a towel from Chen Changsheng’s hand to dry his own, gestured for him to sit, and asked, "Your master has been very quiet these days. Don’t you find it strange?"
Whether it was the National Academy defying the imperial decree or Wang Po entering the capital, these were major events for the new dynasty, but Shang Xingzhou had expressed no opinion on them, not even speaking at the North-South Unification Ceremony.
Chen Changsheng knew very well that this didn’t match his master’s temperament, but he truly didn’t care about these matters.
"These days, he has been trying to get the court to control the Tianji Pavilion," the Pope said. "It looks like he’s about to succeed."
Even though Chen Changsheng didn’t care about these matters, he couldn’t help but be shocked upon hearing this.
The Tianji Pavilion was no ordinary organization; it possessed unimaginable resources and power. During the reign of Her Holiness the Saint Empress, it could be said to be the most important pillar of the Great Zhou court. Now that the Saint Empress and the Tianji Old Man were both dead, if Shang Xingzhou could get the court to continue controlling the Tianji Pavilion, it would be truly remarkable.
In terms of importance, this matter could not be overestimated.
Through the rebellion in Xuelao City, he had killed the strongest enemy of humanity in a thousand years, temporarily resolving the threat of the demon race’s southern invasion. Then, without hesitation, he fully accepted the negotiation terms of the Tianhai Dynasty, pushing the North-South Unification forward with extreme caution and steadiness until the two sides signed the treaty. If Shang Xingzhou could even handle the Tianji Pavilion...
Even if he was now reading in that small room in the palace and rarely seeing people, he would still be a god in the hearts of the world.
"For my senior brother, this is not perfect."
The Pope looked at Chen Changsheng and said, "You know what his original intention was."
Chen Changsheng knew.
For Shang Xingzhou, the most perfect situation would be that after the Pope died, he could regain control of the national religion.
However, although he was the orthodox successor of the national religion, too many things had happened back then, and he was the Pope’s senior brother. No matter how you looked at it, there was no way he could succeed as Pope.
So on that night at the Tian Shu Ling, he immediately pushed forward Mu Jiushi, trying to replace Chen Changsheng’s position, but he failed.
It was precisely because he failed to seize control of the national religion that he expended so much effort to ensure the Tianji Pavilion would fall into his hands.
The Pope suddenly said, "Position is relative, and importance is relative."
Chen Changsheng remembered that the phrase "position is relative" was written on the first page of Wang Zhice’s notes.
"Achieving some balance between position and importance, thereby preventing the entire world from dancing to our tune, has been what I’ve wanted to do all these years."
The Pope looked into his eyes and said, "Only in this way can ordinary people living in this world have a slightly more stable life."
Chen Changsheng understood.
In the late years of the late emperor, the Pope had supported Her Holiness the Saint Empress. This time, he supported his master and the Chen imperial clan. Now that his master and the court were powerful, the national religion needed to move in the opposite direction, the farther the better.
This had to do with emotion and moral sense, but it could also be said to have nothing to do with them. It was an indiscriminate benevolence toward all people in the world, but in specific matters, it often seemed sticky and unpleasant.
He also understood why his uncle had said these things to him.
This was instruction, inheritance, the guidance of the current Pope to his successor.
"Understanding doesn’t mean being able to do it."
Chen Changsheng thought of the wind and rain at the Tian Shu Ling, the corpses by the official road, and the blood and fire in the capital, and was lost in thought for a moment.
"Maybe I still haven’t learned how to be a great figure."
...
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(In recent days, there have been some synchronization issues between Chuangshi and Qidian. If you can’t see the main text on Qidian, you can come to Chuangshi to take a look. Of course, I’m a bit embarrassed to say that these days have also been marked by frequent breaks, making things a bit messy. This period will continue for a while longer. Let’s all hold on together. Thank you, everyone.)