No true battle had taken place in the battle of Tanzhe Temple, but the dangers hidden within were far more terrifying than the vast majority of battles in the world.
On that rainy day, the Imperial Court and the Orthodoxy had mobilized far too many experts. It was simply impossible to conceal the news.
The common people quickly learned of Tie Shu's return from the Southern Sea and that he had come to the capital to kill Wang Po. At the same time, they also confirmed Wang Po's goal: he had come to kill Zhou Tong. Most importantly, they finally confirmed that the rift between the Imperial Court and the Orthodoxy was growing deeper and deeper. A major problem could arise at any moment.
The two great powers that had cooperated in the coup of the Mausoleum of Books had not long ago turned against each other. This was a very difficult matter to understand, but now, everyone clearly understood why.
Because of Chen Changsheng.
No one noticed the cold wind emanating from the bottom of New North Bridge, nor did anyone know what Chen Changsheng was thinking.
He had never left the Orthodox Academy. He quietly sat by the window of the library, reading, not looking at the scenery outside the window, not asking about what was happening outside.
Many people guessed that the Divine Empress's body was probably buried in the Orthodox Academy by him, but there was no way to confirm this.
Even a powerful figure like Eunuch Lin had returned in defeat. The Li Palace had clearly expressed its stance, so who would dare forcefully charge into the Orthodox Academy to investigate?
The Imperial Court did not continue to issue a decree demanding that the Orthodox Academy hand over the Divine Empress's body, but everyone knew that this matter could not possibly end here.
Many people did not understand why Chen Changsheng had done this, including some important figures of the Orthodoxy, like Daoist Baishi.
If it was just for the right to inherit the Orthodoxy, then with the Pope's decree, he only needed to find a suitable opportunity to display his goodwill to the Imperial Palace and they would assuredly withdraw their original plans.
But he did not accept the decree, nor did he request it into the palace. He did not send a message to the people of the Imperial Palace through anyone. He remained silent.
By now, the entire world knew that he was a descendant of the descendants of the deceased, that the blood of the Chen clan flowed in his body, but that he was not mother or son to the Divine Empress.
Looking back over the past few years, he and the Divine Empress should not have had any affection for each other.
Why did he defy three decrees in a row? Why did he use his attitude toward Zhou Tong to express his disdain for the Imperial Court? Why did he have to use silence against his own teacher?
Xue Xingchuan had already been buried and Xue He had been brought back to the capital and imprisoned in Zhou Prison. For some complicated reasons, there was probably no danger to his life for the time being. The Xue Estate had returned to peace, but no one could forget the liveliness of the Xue Estate's funeral a few days ago. Many factions had sent representatives. Was this a nostalgia for the old dynasty or a hatred for the new? Was this respect for the Pope or a challenge to Shang Xingzhou?
If he were still in the Tianhai Dynasty, Zhou Tong would definitely have used this matter to stir up a great storm, but now, he was uncharacteristically silent.
Anyone who knew that someone like Wang Po was hiding in Jingdou and could walk out of a tea shop on the side of the street at any time and strike at them with a knife light would probably be as silent.
What was rather profound was that in the past few days, Zhou Tong didn't remain in the Imperial Palace like he did in the first few days, instead returning to the Northern Military Department's alley to once again oversee matters.
"Tie Shu should be nearby. He'll be watching over Zhou Tong."
Su Moyu continued, "He'll wait for Wang Po to strike and then kill him. This way, he won't violate the oath to the starry sky. Neither His Holiness the Pope nor anyone else will be able to punish him."
The cold autumn wind blew in through the window and flipped the pages of his book, but it was incapable of causing any change in Chen Changsheng's expression.
Seeing him silently sitting by the window, Su Moyu sighed in his heart. "That day at Tanzhe Temple was truly a pity."
If the Heavenly Li Palace had spared no expense and killed Tie Shu in the autumn rain, the current situation would not have been so troublesome.
Chen Changsheng's gaze rested on his book as he said, "That day wasn't easy to kill."
Su Moyu understood that he was speaking of the royal carriage on the cliff. "If Zhexiu was the one in charge, he would definitely still act."
Since he had spared no expense, there was no need to worry about the royal carriage or the thunderous hooves outside the mountain.
"The Storms of the Eight Directions aren't so easy to kill. Even if they succeeded, the Li Palace would still have to pay an enormous price."
If Tie Shu really had been killed that day, then of the four Prefects of the Orthodoxy that had walked out of the autumn rain, which one of them would have survived?
Chen Changsheng gazed at his book and said, "And it would throw the world into chaos."
Su Moyu replied, "If Tang Tang was the one in charge, he would still insist on doing this, because the venerable Daoist would presumably not want to see the world fall into chaos. Then, if he was killed, he was killed."
Chen Changsheng did not believe that the matter would develop as he, or as Tang Thirty-Six, had imagined.
The Li Palace had killed Tie Shu to protect Wang Po.
Wang Po had come to the capital to kill Zhou Tong.
Zhou Tong was a person the Imperial Palace had to protect.
Wang Po was a person the Imperial Palace had to kill.
Chen Changsheng was keenly aware that his master would not hesitate to throw the world into chaos just because of these four sentences. Moreover …
"Martial Uncle would not do this."
He raised his head and gazed out the window at the bleak autumn scenery. "Because he is not this sort of person."
The Pope was a mighty figure that cared for the world.
But he was not a hero, much less an ambitious and ruthless character.
When he gazed at the starry sky, he would feel reverence. He wanted to protect Chen Changsheng and Wang Po.
But he did not want the world to fall into chaos and the people to be plunged into misery and suffering.
It was already extremely difficult for him to maintain the situation in the capital within a manageable range.
And the person sitting across from him on the chessboard?
The Imperial Palace was very quiet. Many people in front of the hall had seen Shang Xingzhou's silhouette in that room, but they did not know what he was doing.
Shang Xingzhou was probably doing something, but no one knew what it was.
Just like the coup of the Mausoleum of Books, just like the rebellion of Xuelao City, his silence was often the prelude to a clap of thunder.
And no one knew where Wang Po was.
The entire world knew that he was in the capital. He wanted to kill someone, but he could not find him.
He had vanished, and a certain restaurant in the southern city had gained an accountant from Wenshui.
… …
… …
The autumn in the capital grew deeper, deeper, and a bone-piercing chill. Fortunately, lanterns and streamers were hung all over the place, making it extremely lively, somewhat diluting the chill.
The confluence of the north and south, this grand and anticipated event, had finally been officially announced, and the celebration was about to begin.
The celebration was unprecedentedly grand, both to celebrate the success of the confluence of the north and south, and also to completely cleanse the Tianhai Divine Empress's Qi left behind by the new government.
The diplomatic mission from White Emperor City had arrived in the capital several days in advance. In the end, only one of the White Emperor couple had come.
In that heaven-shaking battle with the Demon Lord, the White Emperor had also suffered significant injuries. The one who came was the Empress, the Great Western Continent's Eldest Princess.
Many people turned their gazes to the Orthodox Academy.
Everyone knew that the Orthodox Academy had always had an extremely close relationship with the Demi-human race, and Chen Changsheng was Princess Luoluo's teacher.
So what sort of effect would the arrival of the Demi-human diplomatic mission have on the capital?
Not even Chen Changsheng knew the answer to this question.
On the day the diplomatic mission arrived in the capital, he put down the scroll in his hands for the first time, bathed and changed his clothes, and then waited for an old friend to visit.
As expected, it was an old friend, but it was not Luoluo, but Jin Yulu.
"The Princess is at a crucial moment in her breakthrough and is unable to leave. I encountered Xuanyuan Po on the road. He has suffered significant injuries and needs to be nursed back to health, so I did not bring him back."
Jin Yulu gazed at him as he spoke, then patted him on the shoulder, and then sighed.
Unable to leave and not return.
Chen Changsheng felt somewhat sad.
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