Chapter 56

Looking at the young man with a handsome face and composed demeanor, Chen Changsheng calmly bowed, but his heart was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.

Chenliu Wang, who possessed royal blood, naturally had outstanding talents. However, having grown up in the deep palace, his status was too exalted, and he did not participate in the imperial examinations, so there were few opportunities for him to showcase his abilities. However, the Dean of the Heavenly Dao Academy and the palace’s attendants had all said that with his realm and strength, it would have been easy for him to enter the Qingyun List in the past. Now, he was over twenty, but if he wished, he would definitely have a place on the Dianjin List.

But the respect he received from heavy ministers and divine generals like Xu Shiji had nothing to do with his royal blood or his realm and strength. It was only because Empress Saint treated him differently, keeping him in the capital, which sparked countless speculations—could it be that Empress Saint intended for him to succeed to the throne of the Great Zhou Dynasty?

Many people thought this, but over the years, the Tianhai family had been extremely arrogant. Chenliu Wang, after all, surnamed Chen, and Empress Saint had never shown a clear attitude. No one knew what role he would play in the future of the Great Zhou Dynasty, so the people in the capital had very complex feelings towards him, respecting him but keeping their distance.

Xu Shiji, as a divine general of the Great Zhou Dynasty, was deeply trusted by Empress Saint. Because of the suppression of the royal family's rebellion in the past, he had made many enemies in the court. Therefore, his attitude towards Chenliu Wang was even more cautious, but he had to try to do something, at least not offend the other party.

He knew that Chenliu Wang was representing Empress Saint to host the Qingteng Banquet tonight, responsible for receiving the southern envoy, but he did not expect to meet him outside the hall, and the words he spoke seemed to be subtly reminding him of something, protecting Chen Changsheng.

Xu Shiji confirmed that the marriage contract between Chen Changsheng and his family was unknown to others. Therefore, the sudden appearance and protective attitude of Chenliu Wang could only be related to the Guoxue Academy. This made him think of the rumors circulating in the capital recently, and he felt uneasy.

Chenliu Wang glanced at Xu Shiji, then looked at Chen Changsheng and smiled, asking, "Is there anything you need my help with?"

His voice was unhurried, his demeanor gentle and kind, giving the impression of a warm spring breeze, making people feel warm and comfortable.

At first, Chen Changsheng did not understand the protective intent in the words of this prince, but after hearing that sentence, everything became clear. Now, hearing the other party's warm and sincere words, he was even more grateful and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

"You don't need to thank me. In fact, you, a child, have suffered because of the collateral damage. We, the useless ones watching the scene at the city gate, should apologize to you."

Chenliu Wang looked at him and smiled, speaking casually but sincerely.

If the city gate catches fire, the fish in the pond will suffer.

If it weren't for the new and old forces of the Great Zhou Dynasty stirring up trouble over the Guoxue Academy's re-admission, Chen Changsheng would have been just an ordinary, unknown young man. How could he have attracted the attention of the entire capital and caused so much trouble?

Chenliu Wang did not know about the story between Chen Changsheng and the Dongyu Divine General's Mansion. He assumed that the trouble Xu Shiji caused him was just one of the many troubles mentioned earlier. As a member of the royal family, it was only natural for him to apologize to Chen Changsheng.

Of course, for a prince to apologize to an ordinary person like Chen Changsheng proved that he was very approachable. Moreover, in front of Xu Shiji, in the palace, he did not hesitate to mention the contradictions between the old royal family and Empress Saint, showing his magnanimity and elegance.

"Your Highness is too kind."

Chen Changsheng really liked this prince and said, "If there is anything I need to trouble Your Highness with, I will let you know."

"Very good, I like this kind of character, and I am not afraid of trouble."

Chenliu Wang smiled, patted his shoulder, and walked into the hall. In the night, servants followed him. Before leaving, he glanced at Xu Shiji, his eyes calm and gentle, without any warning, but the warning was clear.

The soft light of the night pearls, passing through the paper windows, became unstable.

Xu Shiji's face, illuminated by the light, was unpredictable.

Chenliu Wang left, but his words lingered in the corridor, not dispersed by the night wind.

Xu Shiji could not do anything to Chen Changsheng anymore and said with a frosty face, "You have good luck."

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and said, "Or perhaps it's because I have good character."

After saying this, he laughed.

In the eyes of many people, Chen Changsheng had a maturity and composure beyond his age. He always appeared calm, rarely showing extreme emotions, and when dealing with people he was not close to, he only maintained proper etiquette, even his smiles were rare.

But he was laughing happily now, because he was in front of Xu Shiji.

Xu Shiji was also smiling, seemingly finding the child's answer amusing and naive, but his smile was ugly.

Wenchang Palace was not the main hall, nor was it where Empress Saint lived. In a distant part, there were some abandoned gardens. At this deep night, a black sheep with eyes reflecting starlight slowly emerged from the wild grass, looking extremely eerie.

Xu Shiji looked at the darkness and raised his eyebrows, saying nothing more, and swept his sleeve to enter the hall.

Chen Changsheng also saw the black sheep.

The black sheep looked at him quietly, then walked towards the palace entrance, stopping to look back at him, as if trying to guide him.

Chen Changsheng understood the meaning of the black sheep—it wanted him to leave the palace.

Although they could not communicate, he felt and was certain that the black sheep had good intentions towards him. This might mean that the events of the night were not over, and perhaps the real trials or dangers were just beginning.

But he did not follow it, because he wanted to attend the Qingteng Banquet tonight.

He had not yet decided what to do when the southern envoy proposed marriage, but he wanted to see it with his own eyes.

Perhaps when he saw it, he would know what to do.

...

...

The black sheep disappeared into the night.

Chen Changsheng stood in the light outside the hall, thinking about the terrifying aura Xu Shiji had emitted earlier, knowing that it had been very dangerous.

Xu Shiji said he had good luck, and that was because of the sudden appearance of Chenliu Wang.

He answered that it might be because of his good character.

Character meant being righteous and unblemished.

Those who follow the path will have many helpers.

This was a principle he had read in the Daoist scriptures.

Leaving Xining Town and coming to the capital, he had endured much oppression, humiliation, and testing, but he had also received much help, such as from the Bishop of the Church, Xian Jiaoshi, Chenliu Wang, and the black sheep that disappeared into the night.

Why did these people help him? He was very clear that it had nothing to do with character or righteousness. Some of the humiliation and pressure he had endured in the capital were not his fault, and this help should not have been given. Many things were just misunderstandings.

The marriage contract between him and Xu Yourong was known only to the Dongyu Divine General's Mansion and a certain important person in the palace. Others did not know. His entry into the Guoxue Academy and the humiliation and attacks from the Dongyu Divine General's Mansion in the past few months were misunderstood by many as having deeper meanings.

The Guoxue Academy was a lake that no one visited, with many wild lotuses growing in it.

He was just a passerby who had mistakenly entered this abandoned lake, wanting to row his boat to the other side, but when he started to paddle, he startled a flock of birds.

Just as he was thinking about this, a sharp bird call came from the distant night, followed by the sound of splashing water.

It was unclear whether the night bird was hunting or being hunted.

Chen Changsheng turned to look at the dark night, feeling a sense of foreboding.

At that moment, a voice sounded.

The voice came from the depths of the night but did not dissipate in the night.

The voice came from the depths of the palace but did not dissipate in the halls.

The voice rang directly in his ear and then fell directly into his heart.

The voice was clear and moving, like the taste of winter candy, but as cold as winter.

"Are you Chen Changsheng?"

The surroundings were silent. The music from Wenchang Palace, passing through the paper windows, was faint. The sound of autumn wind rustling through the leaves, passing through the wide square, was faint. The voice that rang directly in his heart was also faint, but it was like a thunderclap.

If it were an ordinary person, suddenly hearing a voice in their heart would be terrifying, but Chen Changsheng had no reaction. He looked at the layers of palaces in the night, trying to find the position of the speaker.

He had read the Daoist scriptures and knew that some Star-Gathering Realm experts could easily transmit their voices to ordinary people's ears.

"You are calmer than I imagined, or perhaps you are dull?"

The voice sounded again.

"I only hope you are smarter than I imagined."

There was a woman in the palace who had reached the Star-Gathering Realm at a young age. She did not care about the words Chenliu Wang had left earlier, and her power and status were unimaginably terrifying. Her identity was already clear, and she was the important person in the palace that Chen Changsheng had thought of earlier.

He looked at the layers of palaces in the night and bowed calmly, saying, "Greetings, Miss Mo."

The voice disappeared for a moment, seemingly surprised that Chen Changsheng could immediately identify her, or perhaps she was not used to the title.

The owner of the voice was the legendary Miss Mo Yu.

The second most powerful woman in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and possibly the second most powerful person.

"You can call me Miss Mo Yu."

"Yes, Miss Mo."

For some reason, Chen Changsheng seemed stubborn tonight.

Perhaps it was because he knew why Mo Yu had suddenly appeared.

"You are indeed a very smart young man."

"Thank you."

"These days, the capital has been in turmoil, but you have been staying in the Guoxue Academy, which is why I say you are smart."

"Thank you."

"But this intelligence... seems a bit shameless."

"Please enlighten me."

"You guessed Luoluo's identity, so you hid behind her. Isn't that shameless?"

"It was you who arranged for me to enter the Guoxue Academy. You knew I only wanted to study and cultivate. I didn't think about it that much."

"But you still used her."

"It was her idea."

"Any man with some backbone wouldn't deceive such an innocent and pure little girl."

"Have I ever deceived her?"

"If it wasn't deception, how could someone of her status become your disciple?"

Hearing this question, Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, then he looked into the depths of the night and said, "Perhaps it's because I have good character."