(Today is Xu You Rong's birthday, and also a friend's birthday. The two chapters I wrote the day before yesterday were dedicated to them and to you.)
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The Orthodox Academy was one of the Six Ivies. It had an extremely long history and had once flourished in the capital.
Twenty-some years ago, a bloody incident occurred in the Orthodox Academy. Countless teachers and students died tragically. From then on, the Orthodox Academy became a graveyard and was gradually forgotten. Those citizens of the capital that still remembered it did not dare to mention it.
After Chen Chang Sheng came to the capital from Xi Ning Village, the Tradition Academy reappeared in front of the world.
And then came the coup of the Mausoleum of Books.
The current status of the Orthodox Academy was very special.
Both the Imperial Court and the Li Palace attached great importance to the Orthodox Academy.
All sorts of resources were flowing into the depths of Hundred Blossom Street.
In just three short years, the Orthodox Academy had returned to its former glory. Its status had faintly surpassed the other Ivies and was about to be on par with the Heavenly Dao Academy. Otherwise, why would those teachers and students who had once escaped spend so much effort to return?
History had always been written by the victors, and glory would only belong to the person who stood at the highest point of the Mausoleum of Books.
The Tradition Academy was reborn and regained its glory because of the appearance of Chen Chang Sheng. Right now, the position of Principal of the Orthodox Academy was still held by him. But in the view of many, the Orthodox Academy was still Shang Xingzhou's Orthodox Academy.
The Orthodox Academy's glory in the Grand Examination and the Mausoleum of Books had also been attributed to Shang Xingzhou by many people.
Because Shang Xingzhou was the most important and most influential principal in the history of the Orthodox Academy.
And Chen Chang Sheng was his student.
He had come from Xining to the capital and then entered the Orthodox Academy to study. All these matters had been arranged by Shang Xingzhou.
This was a very clear inheritance.
Who knows how many beautiful articles have been written by the scholars employed by the imperial court.
The Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education had prepared to erect a stele outside the gate to record this period of history.
To the Orthodoxy's conservative faction, this was just a cleansing of the roots.
But to the Orthodox Academy, this was undoubtedly an erosion.
If it wasn't for Su Mo Yu's unwavering persistence, if it wasn't for Li Palace's constant vigilance, if it wasn't for Mao Qiu Yu placing some sort of restriction on the Education Board before he went into seclusion, then perhaps the traces that Chen Chang Sheng had left within Orthodox Academy would have long since been wiped clean.
At this time, Chen Chang Sheng returned to the Capital.
The hand that the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education had extended towards the Orthodox Academy was calmly cut off by Xu Yourong.
Tang Thirty-Six made a declaration to the entire capital and even the entire continent.
This declaration was powerful. Like a clap of thunder, it exploded in the wind and snow and quickly spread to every corner of Jingdou.
The current Orthodox Academy had made the most absolute separation from the Orthodox Academy of the past.
Upon hearing this news, those who hoped that Shang Xingzhou and Chen Chang Sheng could mend their relationship felt extremely disappointed. Those ambitious people who hoped that the master-disciple pair would continue to confront each other, and even hoped to gain some benefits from it, were also shocked.
Because the attitude displayed by the Orthodox Academy was far too resolute.
This could be accused of not knowing how to respect one's teacher. More seriously, one could even be accused of deceiving one's teacher and destroying one's ancestors.
But who was Tang Thirty Six?
In the several months that he had spent in the ancestral hall, he had earnestly made a sinister and cold-blooded plan to overthrow the entire Tang Clan.
He didn't care about that at all.
As for whether he could make a decision for the Tradition Academy, whether he could make a decision for Chen Chang Sheng, that was another question.
More people thought that this was originally Chen Chang Sheng's intention.
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Chen Chang Sheng did not know that after he left the Orthodox Academy, Tang Thirty-Six would say these words. He also had no intention of doing so, because he had never imagined just how much the Orthodox Academy's ownership of him or his teacher would affect the current situation.
But after learning of this matter, he was not shocked, and he certainly did not object.
He and Tang Thirty-Six had never spoken before, but in the past few years, by the lake and on the great banyan tree, they had spoken far too many times, discussed far too many futures, and in those future scenes, the Orthodox Academy would always be there.
And he knew that Tang Thirty-Six was helping him make a choice.
Xu You Rong killing Bishop Mei Chuan in the Orthodox Academy was also helping him make a choice.
Making a choice was the most difficult and sometimes the most painful thing in the world.
Xu You Rong and Tang Thirty-Six were the people closest to him under the starry sky.
They knew what he was thinking and wanted to share this pain with him.
But when he thought of Mo Yu's words last night, Chen Chang Sheng was moved and also somewhat melancholy.
Melancholy often affected one's appetite.
The food on the plate looked and smelled delicious, but it seemed tasteless.
He put down his chopsticks.
"Is the Flower Kiss Mushroom not delicious?"
A beautiful woman looked at him and asked nervously, "There is a bowl of Green Jade Meatball Soup in the kitchen, do you want to try it?"
Xue Ye Jin's expression was also a bit nervous.
That woman was Xue Xing Chuan's eldest daughter and also Xue Ye Jin's older sister.
After Xue Xing Chuan died, she was beaten by her husband, Assistant Minister Wei, who was greedy for wealth, and then divorced and returned to the Xue Mansion.
Then, on the day when the wind and snow covered the street, Assistant Minister Wei's head was cut off by Wang Po and Chen Chang Sheng.
She had been living in the Xue Mansion for the past few years, and her original delicacy was long gone – it could be seen from the clothes she wore and the thin calluses on her fingers.
This kind of change, in the eyes of some people, might cause a lot of emotions and sadness, but it made Chen Chang Sheng a bit happy.
He liked people who lived their lives seriously. He liked people who would not be melancholy no matter what situation they were in.
"It's delicious." He said seriously, "The soup is also very good, but there are a lot of things to do today, so I get distracted."
Hearing this, Lady Xue and Xue Ye Jin both laughed.
Madam Xue did not laugh. She knew of what had happened in the Orthodox Academy, and she also knew that Chen Chang Sheng would assuredly face many troubles upon his return to the capital. Somewhat uneasily, she said, "Sir has no idea how many important matters you have to take care of. There really is no need for you to come see us. This truly makes me feel apologetic."
"There truly are a lot of matters to take care of."
Chen Chang Sheng glanced at the color of the sky and rose to bid farewell.
The three people from the Xue clan did not dare to ask him to stay and hurriedly sent him off.
The old steward and a servant woman respectfully waited in front of the estate's gate.
These were the only servants of the Xue Estate. Together with the three people from the Xue clan, they currently lived in the smallest courtyard on the eastern side of the Xue Estate.
The Imperial Court had never issued a decree to reclaim the Xue clan's estate, but several princes had always been watching.
Chen Chang Sheng gazed at the ten-some princely estates lining the street and thought of these matters.
Night gradually approached, but for some reason, those princely estates were still open.
Light spilled out from within, falling on the dancing snow like golden sparks. It was a beautiful sight.
Chen Chang Sheng walked into the snowstorm.
He had heard Zhexiu and Mo Yu say that Zhou Tong had crawled through this place.
On that night, no matter how Zhou Tong wailed and begged, no one from the princely estates came to save him.
Even though he was no longer the Tianhai Divine Empress's dog, but Shang Xingzhou's dog.
By now, the entire capital probably knew that he had entered the Xue Estate, and those princes naturally knew as well.
Would those princes do something?
No one came out, nor did they make a sound.
The snowstorm on the street was incomparably quiet, all peaceful.
Past the brightly lit princely estates was a common street.
The two sides of the street were packed with people, a dense mass of people.
The people of the capital were all believers of the Orthodoxy. Upon seeing his figure, they hurriedly prostrated like a tide.
There were no priests at his side, no Papal Cavalry, no attendants, no divine carriage.
He walked forward alone.
Wherever he went, the people there would kneel and devoutly pray and bless him.
The black tide continued to beat towards the front of the street until the famous stone pillars were submerged.
Chen Chang Sheng stood in front of the stone pillars, gazing at those majestic, divine, and dignified palaces, thinking about something.
A bell suddenly tolled from deep within the palace.
Because the Pope had returned. (To be continued.)
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