The wind inside and outside the Mausoleum of Books suddenly stopped, as did all sound.
The entire world seemed to freeze, whether it was time or space.
The two opposing sides had fallen into a stalemate, a deadlock.
This kind of temporary balance was extremely fragile. Any random change, whether it was a gust of wind or a sound, could incite countless cruel massacres, turning the capital into a sea of blood and fire, burning all prosperity and ambition into ashes.
Very few people dared to make a decision at this important juncture in history.
Xu Yourong had proven that she could. Neither the flood that soared to the heavens nor the bottomless abyss could make her eyelashes tremble.
Moreover, everyone knew that she would not continue to wait in silence.
The black-armored cavalry of the Imperial Court were swiftly returning to the capital.
If Shang Xingzhou was not willing to agree to her request, she would definitely attack ahead of time.
At this crucial moment, another important personage seemed to have fallen asleep.
The Prince of Zhongshan slightly arched his brows as he looked in that direction.
No one wished for the negotiations between Xu Yourong and Shang Xingzhou to break down, except this elder brother of his.
The Prince of Xiang was an expert of the Divine Domain with deep resources in the court and an extremely powerful military force.
If both the Imperial Court and the Orthodoxy were heavily wounded, if the experts of the north and south fought bloody battles, who could stop him from ascending to the imperial throne?
Xu Yourong and Shang Xingzhou probably both understood this point, but they would not bring it up.
Because this was also a bargaining chip for their negotiations.
In the end, the crux to the success of this negotiation was still that request.
The problem was that not even a beginner chef in a wine shop in the western capital who had no interest in life and had spent the first half of his life in mediocrity and boredom would agree to such an unyielding and callous request, much less Shang Xingzhou.
… …
… …
There was no wind, but the hem of her white ceremonial robe gently drifted in the wind like a paper flower.
Compared to a real flower, paper flowers were cleaner, plainer, and more sorrowful.
Xu Yourong stood on the Divine Avenue, her hands held behind her as she gazed at the capital.
Her expression was very calm, but her elegant brows exuded a grandeur.
Like gazing upon the sea, like viewing the world.
Shang Xingzhou suddenly felt like he was looking at Tianhai.
Many years ago, when Tianhai was young.
During Taizong's reign, he saw that girl for the first time in the Imperial Palace.
At the time, he did not hate her. On the contrary, he admired her, or else he would not have chosen to help her ascend the throne.
At the time, Tianhai was also extremely beautiful, but whether she was looking at the horse or Emperor Taizong, her expression was very indifferent.
This was why Shang Xingzhou admired her so much.
If the heavens had feelings, the heavens would grow old. Only those who were emotionless could achieve great things.
Shang Xingzhou also admired Xu Yourong.
Today, every word that Xu Yourong said, from the analysis of the overall situation to the assassination plot against Prince Chen Liu, all the way to the description of the chaotic situation, were all attacking what he cared about the most. At the same time, it was also his weakest flaw. At the same time, she was doing another important thing.
She was proving herself to Shang Xingzhou.
He had overthrown the Tianhai Divine Empress's rule, returned the government to the hands of the Chen Imperial clan, and become the number one person in the world.
Shang Xingzhou's life was already perfect. He had no other pursuits, except for that one thing.
Xu Yourong wanted him to choose to give up at this moment, to withdraw, to prove that he could do it.
Perhaps Chen Changsheng could not, and perhaps even Yuren could not fulfill Taizong's dying wish, because they were good people.
But she could.
Because she was not a good person. Everything that had happened today was proof.
If you want to exterminate the demons, I can do it. If you want the Human race to unite the world, I can still do it.
And when that time comes, the Pope will still be surnamed Chen, the Emperor will still be surnamed Chen, and the human imperial court recorded in the history books will still be surnamed Chen.
So what else is there for you to be dissatisfied with? What else is there to be unwilling to part with?
If her threats to Shang Xingzhou's ideals and those cruel methods were waves soaring into the clouds, then the proof that followed was the tranquil bottom of the water. The two combined to form countless waves, one after another, until they reached the heavens and crushed all will to resist.
"The situation you created today can be called perfect. In its grandeur, it seems like it can incinerate the world, and in its subtlety, it points straight at the heart. It truly is very difficult to break."
Shang Xingzhou looked at Xu Yourong with both admiration and regret. "Because the people that can threaten you are not your enemies."
The meaning of these last words was rather complex and awkward. Only they could understand.
"Chen Changsheng trusted me, so he always maintained his silence. Alas, he was wrong."
Xu Yourong continued, "Of course, I knew that he would definitely prepare something, so I also prepared something."
Shang Xingzhou sighed, "I didn't think that you wouldn't even let him go."
Xu Yourong replied, "Since I want to win against you, I naturally have to win against your two students first."
Was that why that conversation in the palace in the middle of the night and that conversation by the pot of beef ribs in Fortune Peace Road had occurred?
Shang Xingzhou calmly gazed at her, then suddenly said, "If I had not convinced him, perhaps you really would have won today."
With these words, a gust of wind suddenly arose in the Mausoleum of Books, rustling the stone chips and grass on the Divine Path.
The wind arose because a cloud had fallen.
On the horizon, a cloud landed on the southern outskirts of the capital and then drifted toward the Mausoleum of Books.
The seals of the Mausoleum of Books seemed to lose their effect on this cloud. Very quickly, the cloud floated beneath the Divine Path.
The "he" Shang Xingzhou mentioned was on this cloud, a scholar dressed in cloth.
Inside and outside the Mausoleum of Books, the millions of people saw this scholar arrive on a cloud. They were shocked, guessed, and then began to rejoice, even ecstasy.
Xu Yourong looked at the middle-aged scholar. Her expression was still calm, but she felt a slight tiredness, a mental one.
And then, she felt a little mocking, still a mental one.
… …
… …
Hu Thirty-Two had a rather nasty expression as he gazed at the dense crowd on the plaza.
When Chen Changsheng had said in the beef ribs store in Fortune Peace Road that he believed Xu Yourong would not do such a thing, he had been very worried.
Everything that had happened today had proven that his worries at that time were correct.
An Hua and several hundred believers were kneeling on the plaza, their hands clasping the gleaming and sharp knives of their teachers.
Their request was very simple: they were kneeling and begging the Pope not to leave the Li Palace today and not to interfere with what was happening in the Mausoleum of Books.
If Chen Changsheng was not willing to agree to their request, they would commit suicide in front of Chen Changsheng.
They were all Chen Changsheng's most fervent followers. For the great cause of Chen Changsheng and the Orthodoxy, they were absolutely willing to do such a thing.
Hu Thirty-Two turned his head to glance at the quiet and secluded side hall, his concern deepening, but it was clearly because of another problem.
Chen Changsheng said nothing as he listened to the voices coming from outside the hall.
The gray-robed elder holding the brush impatiently said, "Hurry up and have these fools shut their mouths!"
There were very few people in the world who dared to be so rude to the Pope.
In truth, when they had first met in Mount Han, this elder had been very contemptuous of Chen Changsheng.
When the Demon Lord wanted to eat Chen Changsheng, the elder and the wandering scholar had appeared together.
The elder's appearance in the stone room of the Li Palace and his observation of Chen Changsheng for so many days naturally represented the scholar's intentions.
Chen Changsheng was the Pope, so it seemed impossible for him to refuse the scholar's intentions.
And in the view of many people, the scholar had good intentions.
Now, Chen Changsheng naturally knew the elder's identity.
He was the Painting Saint, Daoist Wu, renowned throughout the world in Taizong's era.
Those portraits in the Lingyan Pavilion had all been painted by him.
When he saw Daoist Wu walk down from the gray wall, Chen Changsheng knew that Xu Yourong had lost.
In the end, she had still underestimated her master, or perhaps these elders.
These elders were the same ones he had thought of on that deserted street in Wenshui.
Those elders who had experienced countless battles of blood and fire, who had seen the true vicissitudes of life.
Chen Changsheng and Daoist Wu walked out of the hall.
Hu Thirty-Two looked at the gray-clothed elder with a slightly surprised expression, but he did not dare to ask. He went up and whispered a few words of advice into Chen Changsheng's ear.
Daoist Wu was getting more and more impatient.
Chen Changsheng looked up at the gloomy sky and suddenly said, "Do it."
Cavalry galloped out from the Grass Moon Hall and began to charge, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Hu Thirty-Two's expression suddenly changed. He wanted to kneel down and plead, but Chen Changsheng moved aside.
His body leaned forward and lunged at Daoist Wu.
At some point, an extremely gloomy dagger had appeared in his hand.
His face was still grimaced with pain and conflict, but his eyes were extremely calm.
Just like that gloomy blade glow that had flown through the air, it could not attract anyone's attention.
Daoist Wu's expression suddenly changed as a fierce howl burst from his lips. An unimaginably vast energy descended with the brush.
With a light clap, a gloomy willow flew through the air and wrapped around the brush.
A Falling Star Stone, like a dark abyss, appeared on the plaza. It attracted the gazes of countless people and formed a barrier.
With a squelch, the dagger stabbed into Daoist Wu's foot, causing blood to spurt out.
Hu Thirty-Two lowered his head and half-squatted in front of Daoist Wu. He expressionlessly pulled out the dagger and stabbed it into Daoist Wu's abdomen. (To be continued.)
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