The reading of the imperial edict concluded, but the scene was still as quiet as a deathly stillness.
The gazes of the crowd rested on the snowy ground, seeing Zhou Tong's head and body separated from his body. Their emotions were shocked and complicated to the extreme.
It would not be an exaggeration to describe this person as guilty. This person was naturally guilty, but no one had expected the Imperial Court to declare him guilty.
The crowd then turned to the young man and woman sitting side by side on the snowy ground.
The hands holding the reins of the Great Zhou's black cavalry were somewhat stiff. They didn't know what to do next. Should they charge or put down the spears in their hands? The redcoated cavalry and officials of the Department for Purging Officials were pale as if their parents had died. The assassins from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets and the experts of the military all turned to Xiao De, wanting to know just what was going on.
Changes in the situation were always so sudden, so sudden that even the people involved would be caught unprepared.
Even Chen Changsheng and Mo Yu were momentarily at a loss. Only when the young eunuch left did they faintly understand.
If they had known this would happen, there would have been no need to act like this. Many people would probably feel this way, but they would not.
"Only those idiots would think this way." Mo Yu combed back her somewhat disheveled hair and gazed at the crowd that still surrounded them. She gave a derisive smile and said, "If Zhou Tong was still alive, he would still be an important minister of the court. Only when we killed him would he be skinned and his flesh torn apart, his bones used to make soup."
"This truly has always been Master's way of doing things."
Chen Changsheng felt that tonight's snowy wind was somewhat bone-chilling. Gazing in the direction of the Imperial Palace, he continued after a moment of silence, "When we were little, Senior Brother and I believed him to be a poor Daoist priest. Because he was too poor, his view of all things in the world was rather extreme, and his conduct was rather stingy. Only now do I understand that this should be called exhaustion."
… …
… …
The snowstorm enveloped the Imperial Palace. The earth dragons in the side halls were burning very hot, as warm as spring. A few imperial edicts from years past were placed on the table.
"I never thought that your junior brother would actually be able to kill Zhou Tong. His performance has exceeded my expectations, and I'm very satisfied. I'm even more satisfied with the method Mo Yu and him used to kill Zhou Tong. The more cruel and unyielding their methods, the more shocking this story will be, and the more people will remember it. This naturally includes Zhou Tong's evil deeds."
Shang Xingzhou looked at the young Emperor behind the table and said, "Although Zhou Tong betrayed your mother and worked for me, no one can deny that in the past many years, he has been your mother's spokesperson. Thus, his evil is your mother's evil. The more Chen Changsheng displays his evil, the worse your mother's image will be. As the leader of the conspiracy to overthrow your mother's rule, the less negative evaluation I will have. At the same time, the higher your Junior Brother's reputation is, the higher my reputation is. No matter how you look at it, tonight's matter is beneficial to me. I just need to issue that decree in a timely manner afterward. "
Yu Ren thought of the books in Xining Village's old temple, the fish in the stream, the beasts in the mountains, and fell silent.
Shang Xingzhou continued, "This method is rather petty, but it's not miserly. It's just making the best use of everything."
Yu Ren raised his head and made a few gestures with his hands. Could it be that from the very beginning, everyone in the capital was being used by you?
"It wasn't like this at the beginning. Of course, I wanted to protect Zhou Tong, and I truly did intend to do some things tonight."
Shang Xingzhou very patiently explained, "But in this process, the situation changed, so I also had to make corresponding changes."
To cultivators, change was an unchanging law under the starry sky. All things in the world were constantly changing, and the situation of the times was no different. Even if it was only a few hours, many changes could occur, just like a river during the spring thawing. If one did not deal with it properly, even the sturdiest metal bridge would be washed away.
Shang Xingzhou did not explain what those changes were.
Perhaps because Chen Changsheng's strength had surpassed everyone's expectations, he had endured for an entire day. Those swords had cut open the hard ground that had been frozen by the winter wind, exposing Zhou Prison to the starlight. Perhaps because the Li Palace had remained quiet the entire time, the snow and clouds drifting in the sky were like a tame flock of sheep, showing no intention of crossing the fence. Of course, the most likely reason was that Wang Po had severed his arm, broken through, and killed Tie Shu on the Luo River.
Moreover, the lights of the princely estates on the snowy Road of Peace had been extinguished one by one.
"Do you know why your master is called Shang Xingzhou?"
Shang Xingzhou suddenly asked.
Yu Ren knew that Shang Xingzhou was not his master's true name. At least six hundred years ago, he had been called Daoist Ji.
The appearance of this name, or the acquisition of it, assuredly meant something.
"Before His Majesty returned to the sea of stars, he still did not forget those words: 'Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.'"
Shang Xingzhou's gaze rested on a certain place in the palace, seemingly returning to several hundred years ago.
Everyone on the continent knew this famous saying, and Yu Ren was naturally no exception. He also knew that the 'His Majesty' in this saying was not his father, but his grandfather.
"That night, His Majesty said to me, 'Walking in the world is like rowing a boat in the ocean. One must be cautious and careful, and one must not go against the current, or else the boat will capsize.'"
Shang Xingzhou very calmly said, "Since everyone wants Zhou Tong dead, since this is the will of the people, I naturally have to comply."
To the master and disciples of Xining Village's old temple, this was a very important word. This was the Dao they cultivated.
Only tonight did Yu Ren understand that it originated from the saying, 'Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.'
Shang Xingzhou continued, "Of course, following the current does not mean obeying. The boat only hopes that the water can be calmer, that there won't be too many waves, that there won't be too much resistance."
Yu Ren gestured with his hands. "But in the end, the boat still has to revere the existence of water."
"The Duke of Wei once said, 'Resentment is not great, only people to be feared. To carry a boat and capsize it, one must be careful. How can one not fear?"
Shang Xingzhou looked into his eyes and said, "But positions are relative. Since you are the boat, you cannot consider the feelings of the water too much."
Yu Ren gestured, "In the end, you still have to consider it, or else Sir would not have changed your mind."
"In everyone's view, I have already done all I could, but I was stopped by you and them."
Shang Xingzhou's gaze fell on his waist, where the jade pendant the Qiushan clan head had offered as tribute.
"You young people are all gambling with your lives. You are like this, Mo Yu is like this, Wang Po is like this, and your junior brother is even more so.
"I raised your junior brother for seventeen years, so how could I bear to kill him? I could only watch helplessly as he killed Zhou Tong.
"If anyone were to ask me about tonight's matter, I would be able to answer with a clear conscience."
Yu Ren could no longer tell which of these words was true and which was false, but he understood.
Zhou Tong was the ugliest and dirtiest stain on the body of the new dynasty. Chen Changsheng was the deepest and most difficult thorn in his master's heart.
His master did not care who died, as long as he did not have to personally do it.
Today, the several soul-stirring battles and pursuits in the capital were highly likely to shake the entire human world, but they had always been under his master's control.
No matter how it changed, he would always be the final victor.
If Wang Po had been killed by Tie Shu on the Luo River, this victory might have been perfect.
"This was not a situation that I planned, and I cannot control everything. After all, I am not a god, nor am I Emperor Taizong."
Shang Xingzhou rejected Yu Ren's idea, saying, "Today was more like a lesson. If Your Majesty wishes to become a mighty person like Emperor Taizong, to lead the Human race into an incomparably bright future, you must learn to sail with the current. No matter how much you loathe those foolish and idiotic commoners who cheer at the execution, you must still convince yourself that they are the true ocean. You must learn how to lead them, how to deceive them, how to borrow their strength to brave the waves and advance. "
Yu Ren could not completely understand this, nor was he very concerned about it. He only cared about one thing.
He gestured with his hands and asked, "Master, do you really not like Junior Brother?"
Shang Xingzhou thought this over, then smiled. "Yes, I don't like him. I really want him to die, or perhaps I should say that I wish that he had never lived."
… …
… …
(Happy New Year.)
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
