"What opportunity?"
"Give up on those meaningless, empty attachments, don't give people a reason to kill you. Thus, you can continue to stay in the Orthodox Academy, in the capital, and help His Majesty."
"I don't understand."
"That night, the Demon Empress was right. Those princes are not to be trifled with, and the Tianhai clan will not always be obedient. Whether or not His Majesty will be able to sit firmly on the throne will always be a problem."
"Could it be that you don't believe me?"
"Dean Shang's loyalty doesn't need to be proven, but I don't mind His Majesty receiving more help."
Chen Changsheng roughly understood Eunuch Lin's meaning.
Perhaps, this really was a chance for him and the Orthodox Academy, but he said nothing.
Eunuch Lin said, "Accept the decree. Hand over Tianhai's body, express your stance to the entire world, and remain at His Majesty's side."
Chen Chang Sheng was silent for a long time and said, "Why should I do this?"
Eunuch Lin replied, "Because His Majesty requires your assistance."
Chen Chang Sheng was silent for a long time and said, "Why should I help him?"
Eunuch Lin's expression gradually grew cold. "Only by doing this can I not betray the feelings of schoolmates, the righteousness of ruler and minister."
"Of course, we are classmates."
Chen Chang Sheng stood up and placed his right hand on the windowsill. Looking at the increasingly desolate autumn scenery outside the window, he said somewhat dully, "But what is the relationship between a ruler and a minister?"
Eunuch Lin harshly said to him, "As a subject of the Great Zhou, do you dare not consider yourself a subject?"
"Even if I am willing to be a subject, does Senior Brother also want to be a monarch?"
He shook his head and said, "Moreover, my Senior Martial Brother only knows how to treat people. How could he know how to govern a country?"
Eunuch Lin seemed to understand something. His voice became abnormally cold as he looked at Chen Changsheng and said, "The Demon Empress is not your mother. You are just a chess piece. It would be best if you could be a little more clear-headed. Do not think that just because she saved you on the peak of the Mausoleum of Books, you have deep feelings for you, that you should guard her grave out of filial piety."
Chen Chang Sheng said, "On the chessboard, the pieces are divided into black and red. If I am the Empress' chess piece, how can I become your chess piece?"
Everyone knew that he was a pawn, or perhaps a fruit, that the Anti-Heavenly Sea Faction had painstakingly cultivated many years ago.
Although the Tianhai Divine Empress had not killed him, nor had she eaten him, this fruit of his had still succeeded in sending poison into her body.
This was probably the so-called fate, or perhaps the so-called Heavenly Dao. It was hard to fathom, and until now, no one had been able to overcome it.
Since he was his master's chess piece, then he was naturally not the Divine Empress's chess piece, so there was no need to investigate too much.
It took him three days to figure this out.
"So you think she's a good person, and you're sad for her departure, so you don't want to accept the edict? Or do you feel that in these three days, too many people have died in Jingdou, violating your principles? Don't forget, she has never been a virtuous and benevolent woman. If she had won this time, more people would have died in Jingdou. "
Eunuch Lin said solemnly.
"The Divine Empress is naturally not a good person. On the peak of the Mausoleum of Books, she saved me, but in that moment, she wanted to save me."
Chen Chang Sheng's gaze that was looking out of the window gradually moved upwards and landed on the faintly discernible hill in the distance. After a moment of silence, he continued, "I won't lie to myself. That represents the love between mother and son, or perhaps it's some great kindness ….. but in the end, she saved me, and at that moment, I could feel that her kindness was real."
As he spoke, he was calm and desolate. It was very rare to see these two emotions appear at the same time from a young person.
After a very long time, he drew back his gaze and lowered his head. "Sir should be well aware that I will no longer trust anyone."
Anyone who had gone through what he had gone through would never have any trust in this world.
"You can trust me, just like many people," Eunuch Lin said as he gazed at his back.
In Xining Village, Chen Chang Sheng naturally did not know of the rumors about this old eunuch, but after coming to the capital, no matter how much he lived in seclusion, he had still heard stories about him.
In the eyes of the common people, Eunuch Lin was a hero who valued friendship and righteousness, a peerless and loyal scholar of the state, a gentleman who could not be bullied.
Back then, Emperor Taizong had never been able to choose a successor, and the Imperial Palace was fraught with danger. As Emperor Xian's milk brother, he resolutely castrated himself and entered the palace as a eunuch precisely to protect Emperor Xian's safety. Later on, Emperor Xian became gravely ill and the Divine Empress reigned. For the benefit of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the common people, he endured this humiliation, living in the palace until Emperor Xian passed away.
Eunuch Lin had done many such things in the past. His life was a legend, close to perfection.
Today, he brought an imperial decree to the Orthodox Academy. For the Great Zhou Dynasty, for the common people, for His Majesty, he wanted to subdue Chen Chang Sheng.
If he wanted to subdue Chen Chang Sheng, Eunuch Lin first had to convince Chen Chang Sheng that there were always some things in this world that were worth trusting and worth fighting for.
Like the continuation of the Great Zhou Dynasty for a thousand years, like the bright future of the Human race, like the supreme glory of the Chen Imperial clan, like His Majesty's imperial throne.
It was very quiet in the library.
"I don't trust you."
Without any consideration or hesitation, Chen Chang Sheng's answer was very direct and very firm.
The so-called righteousness and loyalty seemed to have no effect on him.
Eunuch Lin narrowed his eyes and asked, "Why?"
Chen Chang Sheng replied, "Because before, you used the lives of our loved ones to threaten us."
Eunuch Lin expressionlessly said, "I used the lives of their loved ones to push open the gate of the Orthodox Academy. There was no slaughter, no death. Is this not the best result?"
Chen Chang Sheng asked, "In order to achieve your goal, the process and the means are all that matters?"
"Yes, as long as in this process, you do not forget your original intentions."
With a proud expression, Eunuch Lin said, "I used my entire life to prove that I did it."
Chen Chang Sheng said nothing more. He asked, "If I insist on not accepting the decree, what will happen?"
"Before I left the Li Palace, Principal Shang said to me that this academy is too small. If it is destroyed, rebuilding it shouldn't be too difficult."
Eunuch Lin's voice became rather ethereal, like the music of an immortal, like the weeping of a ghost from the netherworld.
"So this was your original intentions?"
Chen Chang Sheng was quiet for a while, then said, "I am very regretful that a friend of mine left."
Eunuch Lin asked, "Even if that friend of yours was here, what could he have changed?"
Chen Chang Sheng shook his head and said, "He naturally couldn't have changed anything, but I am not good at speaking. If he was here, perhaps he could have helped me speak clearly."
Eunuch Lin asked, "If that friend of yours were here, what would he have said?"
Chen Chang Sheng was quiet for a very long time, imagining what that fellow would have said if he were in this situation.
After a while, he turned around and looked into Eunuch Lin's eyes.
"All these years, the Chen family's princes have been tyrannical and cruel in the prefectures, harming the common people. Have you ever said anything?"
"The Divine Empress used Zhou Tong, Cheng Jun, and other treacherous officials, so naturally they are not good people. Now, you are also using Zhou Tong, and will even use him. Then, what kind of good people can you all be?"
"That year, in order to satisfy your false pleasure of martyrdom, you castrated yourself and entered the palace. Have you ever thought about what your parents were thinking? What does His Majesty think? "
Eunuch Lin's expression suddenly turned stern as he shouted, "His Majesty and I …"
Not waiting for him to finish, Chen Chang Sheng continued, "His Majesty and you are like brothers, yet you are only willing to call yourself an official or a servant, making His Majesty even more lonely and sad. Where is the brotherhood?"
Eunuch Lin flew into a rage and shouted, "We were originally ruler and minister, naturally ruler and minister …"
Chen Chang Sheng still didn't let him finish his words and continued calmly and firmly.
"I don't care how you view your relationship with the late Emperor, but it is definitely not the relationship between me and Senior Brother."
"Senior Brother definitely doesn't want to be a ruler, so I naturally can't be a subject."
"Moreover, I am the future Pope, not a subject."
…
… …
Eunuch Lin was so angry that he actually laughed. Jeering, he said, "You still think that you are the future Pope? Truly laughable. "
"If that friend of mine were still here, he would definitely say … this is not a matter that you have the right to ask. Who do you think you are?"
Chen Chang Sheng's voice was still calm, devoid of any derision. It was like a mechanical repetition, or perhaps an imitation.
Including when he spoke of the right and what did he mean.
He was learning from his friend's style of speech.
This style of speech, when combined with the complete opposite of calmness, possessed an unimaginable killing power.
It was still as his friend had said three years ago in the Plum Garden Inn.
Eunuch Lin's breathing became somewhat heavy.
In the present world, there were far too many people who breathed in admiration. The black-armored heavy cavalry outside the Orthodox Academy prepared to charge, and the heavily armored warhorses also began to breathe heavily.
In the next moment, perhaps out of rage, Eunuch Lin became much quieter.
He looked at Chen Chang Sheng expressionlessly and said, "I value you because of your position in the Orthodoxy and the little reputation you've earned in the past three years, but not because of you. Do you think that with just you children, you can reverse the trend of the human world and resist the raging waves of the Heavenly Dao? No, only many innocent people will die because of your foolish decision. "
Chen Chang Sheng replied, "And the blood of those innocent people will not stain your hands. You will always be clean, right?"
Eunuch Lin proudly replied, "That is because I have a righteous cause in my hands."
Chen Chang Sheng recalled the Ivy Festival three years ago, those people who, for the sake of righteousness, had asked Xu Yourong to marry Qiushan Jun and had asked him to annul his engagement.
He said, "I was wrong."
Eunuch Lin indifferently said, "It's too late to know your wrongs."
Chen Chang Sheng shook his head. "I'm saying that if that friend of mine were here, he wouldn't have said as much as I did just now."
Eunuch Lin arched his brows. "Is that so?"
Chen Chang Sheng replied, "He would probably only say four words."
Eunuch Lin's pupils constricted. "What four words?"
Chen Chang Sheng replied, "Fuck off."
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