Chapter 86

The events at the Qingteng Banquet were enough to keep many people reminiscing for a long time, and the people of the National Teaching Academy could hold their heads high for a long time. However, it wouldn't take too long before the serious consequences of this incident would reach Baihua Lane. It was uncertain whether the large banyan trees by the lakeside could withstand the storms.

The most important thing was not that the National Teaching Academy had defeated the Lishan Sword Sect. The two sword trials were fair, and no one could say anything about them. The problem was the incident that led to these two sword trials—Chen Changsheng appeared before the world with the marriage contract, proving his identity as Xu Yourong's fiancé.

Before the Southern delegation came to propose the marriage, they must have already reached an agreement with the Great Zhou court. The parties involved, such as Xu Yourong and even Qiu Shan himself, might not have known, but Empress Saint knew. The unification of the North and South was the most important matter since the founding of Great Zhou, especially since Empress Saint took power. This marriage contract was the most important symbol of this major event.

But Chen Changsheng had ruined it.

The National Teaching Academy reappeared in the eyes of the people of the capital, which many already saw as a great disrespect or even a provocation to Empress Saint. Perhaps at that time, Empress Saint didn't know about such a trivial matter, but after Chen Changsheng did this, the National Teaching Academy would inevitably come back into her sight.

Empress Saint would certainly be very angry, and the consequences would be severe.

This was the trouble Chen Changsheng mentioned—big trouble.

"Don't look at me. No one can bear such a huge trouble," Tang Sanshi said without hesitation.

Chen Changsheng said, "In the palace earlier, from the way you spoke, I thought you weren't afraid of the Tianhai family."

Tang Sanshi looked into his eyes and said, word by word, "Is Empress Saint the same as the Tianhai family?"

Chen Changsheng was a bit puzzled and said, "Aren't they the same?"

Tang Sanshi looked at him as if he were an idiot.

He couldn't remember how many times he had looked at Chen Changsheng like that.

He knew very well that Chen Changsheng was certainly not an idiot. Someone who could compare in knowledge with Gou Hanshi could only be a genius, not an idiot.

But sometimes Chen Changsheng did seem very naive. He knew so many obscure facts and annotations from the Daoist scriptures, yet he seemed completely unaware of the political situation and major events in the world. Moreover, he took this as a matter of course, appearing too innocent and pure, thus seeming very foolish.

"…This is a very complex issue. If the professors at the Li Gong Annex were to explain it clearly, they would need to write a long article."

Tang Sanshi said, "You just need to know that although Empress Saint's surname is Tianhai, she is ultimately the ruler of our Chen Dynasty."

Chen Changsheng didn't understand and thought for a moment, saying, "It seems very complicated indeed."

"Sir, you don't need to worry about anything."

Luoluo said, "I've met Empress Saint several times. She is a very gentle person, and… she really wouldn't care about such matters."

Tang Sanshi thought that Empress Saint might not care, but the problem was that if people like Lord Zhou Tong and the big shots of the Tianhai family thought she cared, the National Teaching Academy would still face a catastrophic disaster. Chen Changsheng thought that for a woman to rule Great Zhou, Empress Saint couldn't possibly be a gentle person. Even if he was foolish in this regard, he wouldn't think that. Luoluo was just a girl's nature…

Suddenly, they realized that the girl sitting next to them was not an ordinary girl.

The National Teaching Academy now had the daughter of the White Emperor. What big trouble did they need to fear?

"Even if there is a huge trouble, Princess Luoluo can handle it."

Tang Sanshi looked at her with fiery eyes.

Luoluo felt a bit uncomfortable and moved behind Chen Changsheng.

The most worrying thing, the uncertain future of the National Teaching Academy, and even the biggest trouble, all became unnecessary to think about once they remembered Luoluo's identity.

The night sky was pitch black, dotted with stars that looked like rivers, mountains, and fields. Some star trails connected like brushstrokes, seemingly spelling out five characters.

"So, what we need to consider next is the Great Imperial Examination."

Tang Sanshi said, "We had a good time tonight, but we can't let those Southerners embarrass us during the Great Imperial Examination."

Chen Changsheng remained silent. He remembered the words Gou Hanshi left before leaving—surprise? Yes, if he were to participate in the Great Imperial Examination, he must shock the world again. If he still couldn't successfully cleanse his marrow, and couldn't participate in the martial trials or the combat, even if he scored full marks in the literary trials, what would be the point?

Moreover, his goal was to be the top of the top.

Luoluo said, "I have no problem."

The young girl's expression was calm, her tone casual and natural, exuding authority and confidence.

"Of course, Your Highness has no problem, but I do."

Tang Sanshi said, "There are a few months until the Great Imperial Examination. If I work hard, I might have a chance to defeat Qijian, but the others in the Seven Laws of the Divine Kingdom… I am not their match."

He spoke calmly and naturally because it was the truth.

"This guy has the biggest problem."

He looked at Chen Changsheng and sighed, "He should be a talent with astonishing potential, but because he can't practice, he will only be a waste during the Great Imperial Examination. It's too pitiful."

These words carried a sense of both pity and frustration.

Chen Changsheng couldn't solve this problem and thus couldn't answer him.

He stood up and said, "I'm going to sleep."

"This is a very abrupt change of topic," Tang Sanshi said angrily.

Chen Changsheng explained, "I really need to sleep."

"Such a beautiful night, to celebrate our victory at the Qingteng Banquet and to welcome this genius to the National Teaching Academy, shouldn't we get drunk?"

Tang Sanshi looked at the scorched barley tea in his cup and said, "Have a drink before you sleep."

"Drinking is bad for your health."

Chen Changsheng turned and walked out of the library.

Luoluo, who always followed his lead, also stood up and left.

Tang Sanshi looked at Xuanyuan Po, raised his cup of barley tea, and said, "Do you know where to get some alcohol?"

Xuanyuan Po replied honestly, "I've been looking for days… there's no alcohol here."

Tang Sanshi's eyes flickered, preparing to ask more.

Xuanyuan Po promptly added, "There's no yellow wine in the kitchen, not even any rice wine."

Drinking is bad for your health, eating too much fatty meat is bad for your health, extreme joy or sorrow is bad for your health, going to bed early is good for your health, fish and meat are good for your health, green vegetables are good for your health, and green peppers are good for your health. Chen Changsheng had always strictly followed these principles to decide what to do and what not to do.

He had lived this way for many years, only abandoning these principles for a short period of time.

That period was not long ago, in the underground of the ruined garden in the Great Zhou Palace, in front of the Black Frost Dragon, when he thought he was about to die. He regretted not having lived a carefree life and decided to indulge himself in his final moments. He shouted and cried in front of the terrifying black dragon, and in the process, reviewed his short life.

But he didn't die. Now, thinking back, he felt his behavior at the time was a bit awkward, and he naturally returned to his old track, resuming his life according to those principles. Of course, how much of his decision to sleep instead of drinking was due to thinking alcohol was bad for his health or because he couldn't face the problem, he wasn't sure.

Retreat to a small building and form a unified whole?

He lay in bed, looking through the window at the gradually bluish night sky, the gradually dimming stars, and the starlit forest, and found he couldn't sleep.

He rarely had insomnia and was momentarily at a loss, unsure what to do when he couldn't sleep. Should he keep his eyes open or closed? Should he think about something or just count sheep?

One sheep, two sheep, three sheep, four sheep…

In the flock of white sheep, a black sheep suddenly appeared.

He thought of the black sheep that brought him from the deep palace to the Weiyang Palace, and the black dragon that let him go, feeling that the events of the night were too strange.

He didn't think of the middle-aged woman who almost got hit by a flower pot by the pond.

Then he thought of Qijian and Gou Hanshi, feeling admiration rather than pride.

He really admired the disciples of the Lishan Sword Sect, especially Gou Hanshi.

Gou Hanshi had read all the Daoist scriptures and had a profound cultivation. Why couldn't he do the same?

As Tang Sanshi said, what should he do during the Great Imperial Examination?

He opened his eyes.

The faint starlight fell through the window onto his palm.

He turned his palm over and over, watching the starlight fall and scatter, and sighed.

A morning bird's chirp came from outside the window.

This reminded him of the white crane that returned from the South.

This calmed him down a lot.

So he gradually fell asleep.

In the early morning, Chen Changsheng woke up.

He looked out the window and saw that it was still early. Although it was much later than usual, he had gone to bed very late and had some insomnia, so he was severely sleep-deprived and very drowsy.

He still got up, not because of those ironclad rules, but because the noise outside was too loud.

He was woken up by the noise.

He was very uncomfortable with the feeling of sleep deprivation, feeling very uneasy. After washing his face with cold water, he rubbed his eyes and yawned as he walked downstairs.

Tang Sanshi and Xuanyuan Po were also woken up by the noise outside the gate, looking even worse than him, suggesting they had slept even later.

"I haven't even brushed my teeth yet."

Tang Sanshi listened to the noisy voices outside the gate, his face dark.

"Why is it so lively so early in the morning?"

Chen Changsheng asked, puzzled.

Xuanyuan Po thought for a moment and said, "Because we won against the Lishan Sword Sect last night, many people are coming to our academy to enroll today?"

Chen Changsheng was slightly stunned, thinking it was indeed possible.

Tang Sanshi mocked, "Do you think everyone in the capital is as simple as you, as naive and foolish as him? As we said last night, Chen Changsheng offended Empress Saint, the Qiu Shan family, the Lishan Sword Sect, and the Eastern Imperial General's Mansion, and even made the Patriarch unhappy… Who would dare send their children to this cursed place to study? That would be sending them to their deaths."

The noise outside the National Teaching Academy grew louder, but it was unclear what was being said.

An invisible pressure began to spread through the campus with the shouting.

Chen Changsheng looked back at the new gate on the wall, feeling a bit strange.

Logically, even if Luoluo couldn't get up, the breakfast from the Hundred Grasses Garden should have been delivered by now.

He suddenly had a bad feeling.

(Today is the first day of the subscription, and the initial subscription numbers… are very good. According to the editor, it's the highest since the site's launch… For this… I should say that it far exceeds my initial expectations or predictions? I won't say that because I thought about it but didn't calculate it. I'm a math idiot, and more importantly, I know we have always been like this… Thank you everyone, I bow, thank you for responding to my single chapter last night with such love. Again, thank you. The single chapter yesterday was mainly about subscriptions, but today I need to ask for your monthly votes. I bow again. Friends reading on WeChat, you can find a voting link on my public account. Just click to vote. Thank you all.)