Hearing this, Ning Que looked at Sangsang who was cooking in the backyard. After a moment of silence, he shook his head and said, "To be honest, I still feel that the whole thing is ridiculous. I watched her grow from a little girl to a little girl. I know she has something special about her, but I didn't expect it to be so special that it could alarm the West-Hill Divine Palace."
Cheng Lixue said, "Even if Younger Sister Sangsang is an extremely ordinary person, she is no longer ordinary since Haotian chose her through the Divine Priest of Light. And we will definitely carry out Haotian's will and bring her back to the Divine Hall."
"I don't like to hear such words and tone."
Ning Que looked at the teacup in his hand and said after a moment of silence, "Because it makes me feel that you are threatening me. It makes me feel that you are trying to take her away from me."
Cheng Lixue looked at him quietly and said, "You can understand it from another perspective."
Ning Que took a sip of the cold tea and said mockingly, "Since you are determined to bring her back, how can I understand it? If I don't agree, will you just give up? "
Cheng Lixue shook his head, "The Divine Priest of Light can't be without a leader all the time."
Ning Que put down the teacup and looked into his eyes, "If I insist on not agreeing, what will the Divine Hall do?"
Cheng Lixue heard the toughness in his words. After a moment of silence, he said with a smile, "You should know what the Divine Priest of Light means to the entire Haotian Taoism and the West-Hill Divine Palace."
"I'm not sure." Ning Que still stared into his eyes and asked, "Even at the cost of a war?"
Cheng Lixue looked at him with a smile and said calmly, "If the successor of the Divine Priest of Light is somewhere else in the world, the Divine Hall will find her even at the cost of the world's blood."
Ning Que said, "Since you said it's somewhere else, then you and the bigwigs in the Divine Hall must know that Sangsang is now in Chang 'an, by my side."
Cheng Lixue said after a moment of silence, "So I am here to ask Younger Sister Sangsang to go back."
"The word 'please' sounds better."
Ning Que said, "But I want to know how determined the Divine Hall is."
Cheng Lixue frowned slightly and said, "Do you want to know if the Divine Hall will declare war on the Tang Empire because of this? Declare war on the Academy? Do you think the Tang Empire and the Academy will go to war with the Divine Hall because of Junior Sister Sangsang? "
Ning Que thought of the bloodshed in Chang 'an many years ago and General Xiahou, who was still alive and well. After a long silence, he shook his head and said, "The empire and the Academy will not start a war with the Divine Hall over a little girl. But if you really want to take her away from me, I can tell you clearly that the empire and the Academy will be involved in this war."
Cheng Lixue's face turned cold. It was not until now that he realized that Junior Sister Sangsang was not as simple as a handmaiden whom he had been with for many years. It was also until now that he realized that Ning Que really had the determination and ruthlessness to let the world flood for Junior Sister Sangsang.
"Why should the Tang Empire and the Academy go to war with the Divine Hall because of your insolence?" He sternly reprimanded, "Are the Headmaster of the Academy and the Emperor of the Tang Empire shameless people like you who would not hesitate to cause chaos in the world for your own selfish desires?"
Ning Que's expression did not change. He looked at him and said, "Don't forget who I am. If that day really comes, I have enough ways to drag the Academy and the empire into this mess."
There was silence in the Old Brush Pen Shop.
Cheng Lixue looked at him and said with a bitter smile, "Why can't you imagine it better? Junior Sister Sangsang is not going to the West-Hill to be a prisoner or to suffer. On the contrary, she will receive the most perfect education from Haotian Taoism and become the most honorable Divine Priest of Light on Peach Mountain. There is no harm in this for the Tang Empire, the Academy, or you. So why do we have to fight? "
Is it really because of his own selfish desires that he does not want Sangsang to go to the West-Hill Divine Palace, that he does not want Sangsang to become the Great Divine Priest of Light, and that he wants her to serve him for the rest of her life?
Ning Que looked at the remaining tea in the cup and fell into a long silence.
Then he suddenly raised his head and said, "Let me think about it."
Cheng Lixue looked into his eyes and said seriously, "The Great Divine Priest of Revelation cannot stay in Chang 'an for long. I hope you can think about it seriously and not use it as an excuse to fool me."
…
…
That night, Ning Que brought Sangsang to the Grand Secretary's Mansion.
Mrs. Zeng was overjoyed to see her daughter whom she had not seen for a few days. She held her daughter's hand and walked into the backyard, leaving the quiet study room to Ning Que and the Grand Secretary.
"What are your thoughts on this matter, my lord?"
Ning Que asked seriously. He wanted to find some spiritual support from her expression, such as a parent's reluctance to part with their daughter, but in the next moment, he realized that it was just wishful thinking.
Grand Secretary Zeng Jing's face showed some reluctance, but he was more excited and at a loss after the extreme surprise. For the believers of Haotian in the world, even if they were citizens of the Tang Empire, it would be a great honor to suddenly find out that their daughter could become the Great Divine Priest of Light of the West-Hill Divine Palace.
"I'm thinking if I should go back to my hometown and rebuild the ancestral hall. If it weren't for the blessings of my ancestors in heaven, how could my family have such a grand event? Speaking of rebuilding the ancestral hall, even the rules have to be changed. Although there are no clear rules in the laws of the Tang Empire, according to the old rules set by the Great Divine Priest of West-Hill from the Cui Family of Qinghe Prefecture more than a hundred years ago, the ancestral hall of the Zeng family can be compared to the rules set by the princes. "
Grand Secretary Zeng Jing's face was full of joy, and he said in a trembling voice, "This is still within the territory of the Tang Empire, where the imperial power is supreme. If it were in the South Jin Kingdom or the Kingdom of Song, we could even rebuild the ancestral hall according to the imperial system. Mr. Thirteen, how could I be so lucky?"
Suddenly, he noticed Ning Que's silence, and he smiled embarrassedly and said, "I forgot myself, I forgot myself. But at least I am better than the clan leader of the Cui Family of Qinghe Prefecture. It is said that when the news of the West-Hill choosing the Great Divine Priest reached Qinghe Prefecture, the clan leader was so surprised that he became a fool."
Ning Que smiled bitterly and said, "Is it really that good to be the Great Divine Priest of West-Hill?"
Zeng Jing was stunned, and his face was full of surprise. He thought that as a core disciple of the Headmaster of Academy, how could he ask such an absurd and even retarded question?
For the people of the world, being the Great Divine Priest of West-Hill was more perfect than being an emperor. If this was not good, then what other good things could there be in the world?
Zeng Jing suddenly came to his senses, and he looked at him in disbelief and said, "You don't want Sangsang to go to West-Hill?"
Ning Que was silent for a long time, and then he said, "It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I haven't thought about it yet."
Zeng Jing said in a trembling voice, "Mr. Thirteen, you saved my daughter from a difficult situation and have taken good care of her all these years. I am very grateful for that. I also know that the relationship between you and my daughter is not an ordinary master and servant. However, please consider this matter carefully and don't make a rash decision."
Ning Que did not say anything.
Zeng Jing thought of a possibility, but he felt that it was unlikely. He tugged at his beard and hesitated for a long time, and then he lowered his voice and said tentatively, "I heard that the canon does not allow the Great Divine Priest to marry or marry."
Ning Que suddenly raised his head and looked at him, asking, "Really?"
Zeng Jing looked at Ning Que's eyes that suddenly brightened, and he was startled, thinking that his wife's guess was true?
Thinking that his guess might be true, Zeng Jing suddenly forgot that Ning Que was a student of the Second floor of the Academy, and subconsciously put on the airs of an elder. He stroked his beard and frowned, asking, "If Sangsang doesn't go to West-Hill, how will Mr. Thirteen arrange for my poor daughter in the future?"
Ning Que did not notice the change in his expression, and said, "I will marry her when she is over 16."
Zeng Jing's fingers that were stroking his beard trembled, and three strands of beard fell off.
He was waiting for Ning Que to speak, and then he would argue with him. But he did not expect that Ning Que would say that he would marry Sangsang without any hesitation or concealment!
"Wife?"
Zeng Jing asked in a trembling voice.
Ning Que shook his head.
Zeng Jing was slightly angry.
Ning Que shook his head and said, "Of course it's a wife. How can it be a crooked one?"
Zeng Jing relaxed a lot, and asked with a smile, "Will you take a concubine?"
Ning Que said bitterly, "I want to, but do you think it's possible?"
Zeng Jing's smile grew wider. His daughter might marry the core disciple of the Headmaster of Academy, and Ning Que had promised not to take a concubine. With such a future, it would not be a pity if he did not become the Great Divine Priest of West-Hill.
"In that case, it's up to you whether Sangsang goes to West-Hill or not."
Zeng Jing, the Grand Secretary, had always been a very decisive person. Otherwise, he would not have directly divorced his wife and killed her servant after Sangsang was killed by his wife, even with the pressure from the Empress.
Therefore, after hearing Ning Que's words and thinking about the pros and cons of the two choices, he did not hesitate to remove himself and his wife from this matter, and put all the pressure on Ning Que.
Ning Que said painfully, "Shouldn't we discuss this kind of thing?"
Zeng Jing stroked his slightly painful chin, and said while shaking his head, "Sangsang is still in Mr. Ning's household register, and you two have a deep relationship. In terms of emotion and reason, Mr. Ning should also make the decision."
Ning Que suddenly realized that his future father-in-law was not someone who could be easily fooled.
Zeng Jing looked at him and sneered, "Don't think that you can fool me and refuse the request of the West-Hill Divine Palace just because you are a student of the Second floor of the Academy."
The night was getting late.
Mrs. Zeng walked out of the backyard with Sangsang, and her face was full of reluctance.
Zeng Jing pulled his wife aside and whispered a few words to her. Mrs. Zeng covered her mouth and was slightly shocked. When she looked at Ning Que again, the look in her eyes was very different from before, and it was extremely loving.
"I thought that Mr. Ning would come often in the future, so I ordered someone to prepare a guest room in the backyard."
Mrs. Zeng looked at Ning Que and said with a smile, "Why don't you rest here tonight?"
Ning Que suddenly felt that he had walked into the world of strange stories, and he had the urge to run away.
"I have an urgent matter to attend to later."
He stood up and asked Sangsang to spend more time with his parents in the Grand Secretary's Mansion, and then he left.
He went to the Second Street of Spring Breeze Pavilion.
Chao Xiaoshu's house was on this street.
…
(To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for it. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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