Chapter 17

The old woman was shocked beyond measure because she knew very well that the black sheep, which had been raised by the young lady Moyan, had a proud and cold disposition, and an unusual fondness for cleanliness, almost to the point of being a quirk. It was so particular that only the rarest of unicorns could compare. It would not even glance at the wild green grass by the lakeside, let alone the carefully prepared food by the nobles in the capital. Yet at this moment, it actually took the grass from the hand of the young man it had just met and began to eat it!

The next scene left the old woman even more astonished. After the black sheep finished eating the few blades of grass, it did not leave but instead nudged its head against the young man's palm, showing great affection and enjoyment, as if it really enjoyed being with the young man.

Why was this? The old woman frowned slightly, holding her boxwood staff and slowly walking towards the lakeside. She looked at the young man squatting in front of the black sheep, noticing the natural warmth in his ordinary features. Her heart calmed slightly, but then a strong sense of unease arose. A person who could make her feel so relaxed must be treated with caution.

Chen Changsheng stood up and asked the old woman, "Grandma, is this your sheep?"

The old woman narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "Do you know who I am?"

Chen Changsheng was slightly surprised and said, "No."

The old woman said indifferently, "Then why do you call me grandma?"

Chen Changsheng was a bit confused. He thought to himself, what else would you call an old woman of your age? The woman in the carriage at the Divine General's Mansion was called grandma, the woman washing dishes at the inn was called grandma, the woman cooking on the boat on the way here was called grandma. There are many grandmas in the world; is there any difference?

Seeing his puzzled expression, the old woman realized she had overthought it and that her caution towards this young man was unnecessary. She couldn't help but frown, feeling even more uneasy because she knew that the caution she had shown in their conversation came entirely from her fondness for this young man.

This young man was so ordinary, yet he easily made people want to be close to him, whether it was the black sheep or herself. Why was this?

The old woman looked at the dilapidated building, thinking about the grandeur of the past, the bloody and sinister stories, and the uniqueness of this young man. Her unease grew stronger, and she decided not to waste any more time. She said directly, "You can call me Grandma Ning."

Chen Changsheng bowed and said, "Grandma Ning, hello."

Grandma Ning said, "If you knew that the person who prevented you from entering the Star Plucking Academy was me, would you still think I'm good?"

It was still chilly in early spring, and the lake breeze gently blew, causing the dense wild grass to bow slightly, creating a moment of silence.

Chen Changsheng straightened up and looked at the old woman, very surprised. Yesterday, Tang Sanshi had said in the inn that the Divine General's Mansion could not influence the Star Plucking Academy, and it must be the will of some powerful figure in the palace. According to Grandma Ning's words... could she be that powerful figure?

"Holding that marriage contract and still daring to walk around the capital, I really don't know if you are foolish or brave," Grandma Ning said expressionlessly.

Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment and said, "Apart from the Divine General's Mansion, no one will pay attention to me."

Grandma Ning said, "If people knew you were the fiancé of the Phoenix, countless people would try to kill you."

Chen Changsheng said, "I am still alive, which proves that the Divine General's Mansion does not want others to know about this marriage contract."

Grandma Ning looked at him and asked, "What if the Divine General's Mansion wants to kill you?"

Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment and said, "With the Empress on the throne, she must consider the bigger picture."

Grandma Ning raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised that this fourteen-year-old boy could understand the real reason behind the Divine General's Mansion's reluctance: "The longer it drags on, the greater the pressure. There will come a day when the Divine General's Mansion will no longer be willing to endure it."

"In that case, I will try to resist," Chen Changsheng said, gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Grandma Ning looked at the ordinary short sword at his waist and said sarcastically, "You can't practice, and you think you can resist the powerful figures in the Divine General's Mansion with just a short sword? Do you think your short sword is a legendary divine weapon? Can it compare to the Frosty Spear used by the First Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, or the Reversing Scale of the Qiu Shan family?"

Chen Changsheng did not speak.

"Even if you don't hand over the marriage contract, you can still live."

Grandma Ning said, "But you must not tell anyone about the marriage contract. Otherwise, even the Demon King himself cannot save your life."

There was no threatening tone in her words because it was not a threat, but a statement of an unshakable truth—no one in the world could save your life if the Demon King himself could not, because Grandma Ning represented the will of the Great Zhou Imperial Palace.

Chen Changsheng had to admit that, although it was unpleasant to have no choice, what Grandma Ning said was good for him. He just didn't understand why, two days ago, she had ruthlessly crushed his future, but now had changed her mind.

"Someone wants you to live and not be disturbed, but my young lady dislikes seeing variables, so she dislikes you having a promising future. This would have been a very troublesome matter..."

Grandma Ning looked at the cold and dilapidated buildings of the National Teaching Academy and suddenly smiled. "I didn't expect you to jump into this dry well, which solved this trouble for me."

Chen Changsheng was completely absorbed by the latter part of her words and missed the first six words.

Future? Possibility? Dry well? Trouble?

He suddenly felt a strong sense of unease. According to Grandma Ning's words, entering the National Teaching Academy might be a huge mistake.

He said without hesitation, "I haven't decided to enter the National Teaching Academy."

Grandma Ning looked at him and said, "You must enter the National Teaching Academy."

"Why?"

"You came here on your own, so this is your own choice."

"I suddenly changed my mind."

"I'm not Lady Xu," Grandma Ning said expressionlessly. "I don't mind killing you."

Chen Changsheng was silent for a long time. He knew he couldn't refuse, but he was still somewhat dissatisfied.

"I haven't taken the exam, and I haven't received an acceptance letter."

"The National Teaching Academy has no dean, no teachers, so there is no exam, but it can still admit students."

Grandma Ning took a thin piece of paper from her sleeve and handed it to him. "This is a recommendation letter written by His Holiness the Pope. You can enter any academy."

Before Chen Changsheng could say anything, she said expressionlessly, "But you can only enter the National Teaching Academy."

Chen Changsheng took the paper and looked at the sloppy signature and the extremely intricate and ornate seal on it, not knowing what to say.

He never thought he would have the chance to see the handwriting of His Holiness the Pope in his lifetime. He should have been excited, but the current situation made it impossible for him to feel excited. The signature and the color of the seal seemed to indicate that it was not signed recently, and the name of the academy on the recommendation letter had just been filled in, which must have been done by Grandma Ning.

"First, you cannot tell anyone about the marriage contract. Second, you will live. Third, no one will obstruct your future."

Grandma Ning looked at him expressionlessly and said, "Deal."

After saying these words, she turned and walked out of the National Teaching Academy. The deep wild grass by the lakeside did not even touch the hem of her plain dress.

For someone of her status to personally come and talk to a fourteen-year-old boy was truly unbelievable and extremely boring.

Everything she said was true. Once a person is dead, what does a marriage contract matter? Although she thought the young man was nice, how many nice young men die in the capital each year? If it weren't for the letter last night, he might have died today. If he was smart, he should be able to guess who made him live and know what to do.

For everyone, this was the best choice, but perhaps not for him. But who cares?

Thinking this, Grandma Ning gradually walked away.

The black sheep followed her and looked back at Chen Changsheng before entering the corridor.

Chen Changsheng stood by the lakeside, holding the paper, and was silent for a long time.

At this moment, he still didn't know who Grandma Ning was, but he had been forced into a deal.

He didn't know the truth behind the deal, but he vaguely understood that if he accepted it, it would be beneficial to everyone—more so than anyone else, he understood that in their eyes, this choice would only be detrimental to him. But in fact, the benefit he wanted was already in his hands the moment he received the paper.

So he wasn't angry, just a bit bitter.

His purpose in coming to the capital was not the marriage contract, nor the woman named Xu Yourong. He had no connection with the Divine General's Mansion, the palace, or these names that seemed far away. He didn't want to have any connection with these places. He just wanted to study and practice, then participate in the Grand Examination and win first place.

Before the Grand Examination, there was a preliminary examination, which would be held next month. He couldn't practice, and he hadn't even succeeded in the marrow washing, so he definitely couldn't pass the preliminary examination and wouldn't have the qualifications to participate in the Grand Examination. To achieve this, he had to be admitted to one of the six academies on the list.

These six academies were the oldest and best in the capital, with many green vines growing at their gates, so they were often called the Six Green Vine Academies—only students from the Six Green Vine Academies had the right to skip the preliminary examination and directly participate in the Grand Examination.

Now, he had finally become a student of one of the Six Green Vine Academies, seemingly achieving his goal, but... the green vines at the gate of this academy were a bit too many.

This was the path designed for him by his master and senior brother before he left Xining Town.

But it was clear that they hadn't expected the National Teaching Academy, which had once written countless glorious chapters in history, to have fallen to such a state.

Chen Changsheng stood by the lakeside, looking at the college, which was still cold and desolate like a graveyard under the bright sunlight, and couldn't help but doubt his future.

After a long time, he woke up in the spring breeze, took five deep and long breaths, expelling the last bit of discomfort and bitterness from his chest and abdomen. He folded the thin paper and put it in his chest, then followed the old path through the wild grass by the lakeside, heading deeper into the college.