Chapter 864: Every Generation Has Its Prince
For a strong cultivator like Xiao Zhang to be described with the word "miserable," he must truly be in a dire state.
Tang Thirty-Six asked, "Because he saved Wang Po back then?"
Hu Thirty-Two replied, "That's right. Back in the capital that year, he ruined the Daoist Master's grand plans, and the entire court was furious. Now the imperial court can't easily touch Wang Po, but how could they let him off? To establish authority or salvage the face they lost back then, the court has been hunting him down for years. He's been chased like a stray dog, truly pitiful."
For a strong cultivator of the Unfettered List like Xiao Zhang, the Painter's Armor, to be hunted so relentlessly by a single imperial arrest warrant seemed somewhat unbelievable.
But don't forget, the imperial court had countless powerful experts. They could take shifts and rest, while Xiao Zhang was alone, without family or friends. Wherever he went, he had to be wary of ambushes. Perhaps just going out for a bowl of noodles would land him face-to-face with the most sinister assassins from the Imperial Revenue Bureau or the most seasoned constables from the Ministry of Justice. And this wasn't just for a day—it was constant, every moment.
Tang Thirty-Six glanced at Chen Changsheng.
Chen Changsheng understood his meaning and shook his head. "I had the Li Palace send word, but he refused to even see anyone."
Tang Thirty-Six asked, "What about Wang Po? He should do something."
Chen Changsheng said, "The last news I received two years ago was that Xiao Zhang put out word in advance: if Wang Po tried to help him, he would kill himself on the spot."
Tang Thirty-Six thought to himself that this was exactly in line with Xiao Zhang's character. He shook his head and said, "He really can't afford to lose face."
Hu Thirty-Six said, "The winter wild tea of Fengyang County became famous across the continent because of Xiao Zhang, so every year, Fengyang County sets aside the best tea for him. If the court's pursuit weren't so relentless, we might actually see Xiao Zhang appear in the next day or two."
Both banks of the Gorge River were covered in tea plants, harvested and then dried, forming several mountains of tea within the city. The finest winter wild teas, graded by quality, were arranged along the stone steps of Seven Treasures Fort. The higher up they went, the fewer the tea leaves, and naturally, the more precious they were. By tradition, two baskets of the best tea were placed at the very top.
Hu Thirty-Six pointed there and continued explaining, "Those two baskets of tea are more expensive than gold, and they're simply unavailable on the market—there's no place to buy them."
Chen Changsheng asked, "Where are those two baskets of tea sent?"
Hu Thirty-Two said, "They're tributes. One basket goes to the palace."
Chen Changsheng asked, "And the other?"
At this, Tang Thirty-Six looked at him like he was an idiot, and Hu Thirty-Two's expression also turned strange. He said, "Naturally, it's sent to you."
Chen Changsheng only then understood. Since it was precious tribute tea, one basket went to the imperial palace, and the other would naturally go to the Li Palace.
Regardless of the relationship between the imperial court and the state religion, in a small place like Fengyang County, both sides had to be honored with the utmost respect.
"Was the tea set aside for Xiao Zhang in the past also this kind?" Tang Thirty-Six asked.
Hu Thirty-Two shook his head and pointed to the Treasure Pavilion at the highest point of Seven Treasures Fort. "The wild tea for Xiao Zhang was specially made and stored inside there."
Tang Thirty-Six said, "Knowing Xiao Zhang's temperament, even if he knew the court might choose this place to ambush him, he might still come anyway."
Hu Thirty-Two said, "He hasn't come in two years."
Tang Thirty-Six asked, "Who got that box of tea?"
Hu Thirty-Two said, "Officially, they'd say it wasn't sent out, but many people know it was delivered to the residence of Prince Xiang in the capital."
Tang Thirty-Six looked surprised and asked, "Why is that? How can Prince Xiang override the imperial court and the state religion?"
Hu Thirty-Two smiled and said, "The prefect of Fengcheng Prefecture is a disciple of the prince."
Just as the group was chatting over tea, a thin cloud in the high sky was suddenly torn by a shadow. A red wild goose broke through the clouds and landed in the distant county office.
Immediately after, the sound of drums and gongs rang out, notices were posted, and even celebratory music came from the county office.
For the past three years, Chen Changsheng had been in the northern snowy ranges, and Tang Thirty-Six had been imprisoned in his old mansion and ancestral hall, so they didn't understand what was happening.
"The Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion has changed the rankings," Hu Thirty-Two said, his expression complex.
Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Six finally understood what had occurred.
In the past, the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion would change the rankings around the Grand Examination or the stargazing at the Heavenly Book Mausoleum. Now that the Grand Examination had been suspended for three years and the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion existed in name only, the ranking updates continued, but they had little to do with the state religion anymore—they were mostly the work of the imperial court.
This didn't affect the credibility of the rankings, as ordinary people still revered the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion's reputation. Now, with the addition of His Majesty's imperial seal, it only made the world trust them more.
The conversation in the teahouse stopped. Everyone drank tea quietly, listening to the occasional sounds from the street.
The first list announced was still the Azure Cloud Ranking. As names like Gou Hanshi and Chen Changsheng faded away, and as more young cultivation prodigies who could reach the Ethereal Opening Realm at a young age appeared, this list, which once represented the potential of young cultivation geniuses, had drawn less and less attention. However, Chen Changsheng noticed a few names he recognized on the Azure Cloud Ranking.
—Fu Xinzhi, Chen Fugui, Chu Wenbin. These were the first batch of students recruited by the National Academy.
It seemed that Su Moyu was doing a good job managing the National Academy in the capital.
Unlike when the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion handled matters, now that the imperial court was changing the rankings, the Golden List and the Unfettered List were also announced together. Next came the Golden List, and this time, he heard many more familiar names: Gou Hanshi, Guan Feibai, Liang Banhu, Zhong Hui... Because of their status, he and Xu Yourong naturally wouldn't be placed on any lists anymore, but this Golden List was still the one with the youngest average age in centuries. Except for the era of Zhou Dufu and Chen Xuanba, no other time had seen so many young people enter the Star Condensation Realm. Truly, it was the era of wildflowers in full bloom.
Next was the Unfettered List. After Wang Po crossed realms three years ago, he finally left the top spot he had guarded for decades. Xiao Zhang, who once had the most hope of catching up, was directly disqualified from the rankings due to the court's pursuit. So the current top spot naturally belonged to Liang Wangsun, followed by Xiao De and other long-renowned true powerhouses. When Chen Changsheng heard the name "Guan Bai" at the ninth position, he couldn't help but feel pleasantly surprised.
When the Unfettered List was finished being read and he still hadn't heard the name Qiu Shan Jun, he looked toward the upper reaches of the gorge and shook his head, unsure what he was thinking.
Suddenly, fireworks rose from the distant county office, their colors diluted by the growing morning light, not particularly brilliant. It seemed like a last-minute decision, though the reason was unclear.
Why were there celebratory music and fireworks at the county office, and most importantly... why had the imperial court suddenly changed the rankings?
Soon, Chen Changsheng and the others on the teahouse, as well as the people by the riverbank, learned the reason.
Prince Xiang had actually entered the Divine Domain!