Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 1054 – The Return of the Pope

The Orthodox Academy was one of the Six Ivies and had an extremely long history. For a time, it had prospered and flourished to incredible levels within the capital.

Twenty-some years ago, a bloody incident took place in the Orthodox Academy, with countless teachers and students dying. From that day, the Orthodox Academy became a graveyard, left to gradually fade away in the flow of history. Those people of the capital who still remembered did not dare mention it.

Only when Chen Changsheng came from Xining Village to the capital did the Orthodox Academy once more appear in the world.

And there was the coup of the Mausoleum of Books.

The status of the Orthodox Academy now was very special.

Both the Imperial Court and the Li Palace treated the Orthodox Academy extremely well.

Countless resources of all types flowed in an unending stream into that place deep within Hundred Flowers Lane.

In a short three years, the Orthodox Academy had regained its former grandeur, its status beginning to surpass that of the other Ivy Academies and on the verge of standing level with the Heavenly Dao Academy. Otherwise, why would those teachers and students who had once fled waste so much strength in an attempt to return?

History had always been written by the victors, and glory would always belong only to that person who stood at the very peak of the Mausoleum of Books.

The Orthodox Academy had been reborn and regained its glory because of Chen Changsheng. He still held the post of Principal of the Orthodox Academy. But many people believed that the Orthodox Academy was still Shang Xingzhou’s Orthodox Academy.

The brilliance of the Orthodox Academy in the Grand Examination and in the Mausoleum of Books had also been attributed by many to Shang Xingzhou.

Because Shang Xingzhou was the most important and most influential principal in the history of the Orthodox Academy.

And Chen Changsheng was his student.

His journey from Xining to the capital, his entry into the Orthodox Academy, and everything else had all been arranged by Shang Xingzhou.

This was an extremely explicit lineage.

The scholars of the Imperial Court had written all sorts of fine essays about it.

The Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education had even prepared to set up a stele outside the academy gate to record this period of history.

To the Orthodoxy’s conservative faction, this was just a return to the fundamentals.

To the Orthodox Academy, this was unquestionably an erosion.

If not for Su Moyu’s staunch defense, if not for the Li Palace’s unending vigilance, if not for the certain restrictions Mao Qiuyu had placed on the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education before entering seclusion, perhaps the marks that Chen Changsheng had left on the Orthodox Academy would have already been wiped clean.

At this time, Chen Changsheng returned to the capital.

The hand that the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education had extended into the Orthodox Academy had been calmly cut off by Xu Yourong.

Tang Thirty-Six had made a declaration to the capital and the entire continent.

It was a declaration as forceful as a thunderclap, exploding in the snowstorm and swiftly spreading to every nook and cranny of the capital.

The current Orthodox Academy had cleanly and resolutely cut itself off from the old Orthodox Academy.

Upon hearing this news, the pacifistic faction that had hoped for Shang Xingzhou and Chen Changsheng to make amends was deeply disappointed. Those ambitious individuals who hoped to see the teacher and disciple continue to clash, and even hoped to gain some benefits for themselves in the conflict, were also deeply shocked.

Because the Orthodox Academy’s stance had been too firm.

One could criticize this as not understanding the principle of respecting one’s teacher, and one could even go so far as to criticize this as deceiving one’s teachers and betraying one’s ancestors.

But what sort of person was Tang Thirty-Six?

In his months within the ancestral hall, he had earnestly set about creating a cold and insidious plan to overturn the entire Tang clan.

He simply didn’t care.

As for whether he could make a decision for the Orthodox Academy, whether he could make a decision for Chen Changsheng, that was another question.

Many people believed that this had always been Chen Changsheng’s intention.

……

……

Chen Changsheng did not know that Tang Thirty-Six would say such things once he left the Orthodox Academy. He also did not have such intentions, because he simply had not imagined the sort of effect the ownership of the Orthodox Academy would have on the situation.

But upon learning of this matter, he was not surprised, and he certainly did not object.

He and Tang Thirty-Six had not communicated on this matter beforehand, but in the last few years, whether it was by the lake or on the great banyan tree, they had talked far too many times, discussed far too many futures. In every future that they sketched out, the Orthodox Academy was in all of them.

And he also knew that Tang Thirty-Six was helping him make a choice.

Xu Yourong, by killing Bishop Mei Chuan in the Orthodox Academy, had also been helping him make a choice.

Making a choice was one of the world’s most difficult and most painful of tasks.

Xu Yourong and Tang Thirty-Six were the two people closest to him beneath the starry sky.

They knew what he thought, so they wanted to take a share of this pain.

However, when he thought of Mo Yu’s words from last night, Chen Changsheng felt both touched and dejected.

Dejection would often affect one’s appetite.

The food on the plate was alluring in both looks and smell, but tasteless on his tongue.

He put down his chopsticks.

“Were the flower-scented mushrooms not good?”

A beautiful woman nervously asked, “There’s also a meatball soup in the kitchen. Does Your Holiness want to try it?”

Xue Yejin had a rather nervous expression.

The woman was Xue Xingchuan’s oldest daughter, Xue Yejin’s older sister.

After Xue Xingchuan’s death, she was beaten by her power-hungry husband, Assistant Minister Wei, after which she took temporary refuge in the Xue Estate.

On that day later on, when wind and snow shrouded the streets of the capital, Assistant Minister Wei had been beheaded by Wang Po and Chen Changsheng.

She had spent the last few years living in the Xue Estate. Nothing remained of her former delicacy, a fact easily confirmed from her cloth garments and the thin calluses on her fingers.

In the eyes of others, this sort of transformation might have engendered heartache and sorrow, but Chen Changsheng found them rather pleasing.

He liked people who lived life seriously, liked those people who would never get sad, no matter what circumstances they were in.

“It was very good,” he earnestly said. “The soup also tastes very good, but I have a lot to think about today, so it’s easy for my mind to wander.”

At these words, both Lady Xue and Xue Yejin smiled.

Madam Xue did not smile, as she knew of what had happened in the Orthodox Academy. She also knew that Chen Changsheng was certain to face many troubles with his return to the Orthodox Academy. She somewhat uneasily said, “Your Holiness has many important matters to take care of and truly does not need to come and see us. This is truly too much.”

“There truly are many things to do.”

Chen Changsheng took stock of the sun’s position, then rose and bid farewell.

The three people of the Xue clan did not dare delay him, and hurriedly sent him off.

The old butler and a servant woman were waiting with the most respectful of attitudes by the estate gate.

These were the only servants the Xue Estate had at the moment. They and the three members of the Xue clan now lived in the smallest courtyard, on the eastern part of the estate grounds.

The Imperial Court had never issued a decree declaring the reappropriation of the Xue clan’s residence, but several princes had been keeping watch on it the entire time.

Chen Changsheng gazed at the ten-some princely estates lining the street as he thought of these things.

Darkness was approaching, but those estates had all inexplicably opened their gates.

The light spilling out from inside shone upon the drifting snowflakes, making them seem like beautiful golden sparks.

Chen Changsheng walked through the snowstorm.

He had heard from Zhexiu and Mo Yu that Zhou Tong had crawled through this very street.

On that night, no matter how much Zhou Tong screamed or begged for mercy, no one came from those princely estates to save him.

Even though he was no longer the Tianhai Divine Empress’s dog and was now Shang Xingzhou’s dog.

By now, the entire capital knew that Chen Changsheng had entered the Xue Estate. Those princes naturally knew as well.

Would those princes do anything?

No one came out, nor did anyone make a sound.

The snow-covered street was absolutely serene. All was at peace.

Once one walked past the brightly-lit princely estates, one arrived at an ordinary street.

The street was lined with packed crowds of ordinary people.

All the people of the capital were believers of the Orthodoxy. Upon seeing him, they quickly kneeled, making the crowd seem like a tide.

There were no priests at his side, no cavalry to escort him. There were no attendants and no holy carriage.

He walked forward alone.

Wherever he walked, the people kneeled, piously beseeching him for his blessing.

The black tide continued to beat forward along the street until it finally drowned out those famous stone pillars.

Chen Changsheng stood in front of the stone pillars, gazing pensively at those majestic, grandiose, and holy palaces.

A bell suddenly rang from deep within that collection of palaces.

Because the Pope had returned.