Chapter 183 – Only by Lowering Your Head Can You Bear this Crown
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Under the gaze of thousands, the youth silently proceeded forward. His posture seemed rather reserved, but he was controlling his emotions well, as he did not seem too nervous. He walked very steadily. The wind lightly blew about his Orthodox Academy uniform. It was not very brilliant or striking, but it was very clean, just like the feeling he gave to others.
"This is Chen Changsheng?"
The crowd in front of the Palace of Great Brilliance buzzed with chatter and questions.
Chen Changsheng had become a famous person in the capital long ago. Many people had heard of his name and knew of his background and that engagement, yet for many people, it was the first time they had laid eyes on him.
It was only now that many people of the capital had a true impression of him. They realized that he was not some graceful and fine young master like Tang Thirty-Six, not some beautiful youth. Instead, he gave off a rather amiable feeling.
Chen Changsheng ascended the stone steps, arriving in front of the palace, and turned to view the sea of people in the plaza.
To his side was a square table of ebony, and placed on the table was a garland of thorns. The sunlight spilled over the garland, causing it to exude a faint light.
There was no gold or jade in this garland of thorns. It looked very unremarkable, but it symbolized the hardships and glories on the path of cultivation. It had deep significance in the traditions of the Orthodoxy, and it also served as the emblem for the Grand Examination"s first rank of the first banner.
The Palace of Great Brilliance gradually fell quiet as the crowd awaited that moment.
The examinees, ministers and bishops standing in front of the palace gazed at the back of Chen Changsheng, who was standing at the very front. They each had different expressions—some gratified, some calm, some jealous, some cold. But regardless of what they felt, they all could only wait for Chen Changsheng to obtain this weighty glory.
Somewhat surprisingly, the Prime Minister, who was in charge of rewarding the three people on the Grand Examination"s first banner, had at some point retreated back into the crowd and was no longer in front of the palace. Just who, then, would come to bestow the reward?
At this moment, the sunlight falling on the garland of thorns suddenly dispersed into countless strands. They formed a sphere of light in front of the palace, a sphere of sacred, white light.
Gasps of shock rose from the plaza of the Palace of Great Brilliance.
The Sacred Light gradually faded and a tall figure slowly appeared.
This was an elderly figure dressed in the Divine Robe, his head bearing the Divine Crown, staff in hand.
Divine music played as a hallowed and august Qi enveloped the plaza.
Countless cries of surprise rose up and then rapidly fell back into silence.
Countless people prostrated on the ground towards the elder, everyone in the plaza lowering their heads like a tide.
They were all paying respects to the Pope.
The Pope who had rarely appeared before the common people in the past few years had unexpectedly come personally. No had imagined this, and their shock was difficult to describe as they silently asked, why?
Was Chen Changsheng not a student of the Orthodox Academy? Didn"t the Pope personally destroy the Orthodox Academy back then? Was the Orthodox Academy not the latest point of tension in the conflict between the new and conservative factions of the Orthodoxy?
Another elder besides the Pope appeared in front of the Palace of Great Brilliance: Archbishop Mei Lisha of the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education calmly accepted the staff from the Pope and retreated to the side.
The Pope used both hands to raise the garland of thorns from the ebony table and walked up to Chen Changsheng.
Chen Changsheng was very much at a loss, mystified as to what he should do. He subconsciously looked towards the archbishop on the side, and the archbishop smiled and nodded his head.
The Pope gazed at Chen Changsheng and smiled. "If you are not willing to lower your head, how can you be crowned?"
These words were apparently speaking of the present situation, but they also seemed to have a deeper meaning. But Chen Changsheng did not have time to think about these things. He hurriedly bent his knee and lowered his head.
The Pope placed the garland of thorns on his head, carefully adjusting it before finally feeling content. "I don"t know what the previous wearers might have thought, but I have always felt that these thorns are not that pleasant to the eye. But on your head, they actually look rather spirited. Not bad."
Chen Changsheng was still in a state of shock. He could not comprehend the deeper meaning behind the Pope"s words, but he could at least hear the Pope"s praise.
Not bad? Just how many youths could be called "not bad" by the Pope? He had only ever heard of Mo Yu and Prince Chen Liu receiving this sort of evaluation; was it his turn now?
"Rise," the Pope said.
Chen Changsheng obediently rose. He inadvertently raised his hand and felt the garland of thorns. Only when the p.r.i.c.kly touch of the thorns confirmed to him that all this was real did he finally calm down somewhat.
Seeing his actions, the Pope smiled.
For the first time, Chen Changsheng could clearly see the Pope"s face.
The Pope was an old man with an elderly face.
It was a very ordinary face, its most distinctive feature being that his eyes were sunken very deep. It was like an abyss, but it was nothing to be afraid of, as within was a blue ocean, azure skies, and sunlight.
The sea in the Pope"s eyes was as calm as a mirror under the sunlight, the blue and azure stretching on into infinity. It was impossible to know how deep or vast it was. If the sunlight vanished, hurricanes would suddenly rise, stirring ma.s.sive waves and endless thunder. But now there was sunlight, no wind or rain, so there was only benevolence, tolerance, and gentleness.
This was the first time Chen Changsheng had seen such eyes. In just an instant, he felt his body warm. Without thinking, he leapt into the warm ocean waters, freely swimming or resting on its surface.
After some time, he woke up.
Upon waking up, he realized through the feeling of the garland of thorns at his fingertips that the briefest of moments had pa.s.sed. He had not even had time to drop his hand.
Such a divine and vast spiritual world truly made one sigh in praise and reverence.
It was only at this moment that Chen Changsheng truly awakened and became conscious of the fact that the elder standing before him was a peak existence of the human world, someone who had already entered the Divine Domain, a true Saint.
He did not know how he should respond and suddenly recalled those bouts of autumn rain in the Hall of Washing Away Dust. Although he did not know why the Pope had helped him, he had still helped him.
"Thank you, Your Holiness," Chen Changsheng said to the Pope as he sincerely bowed.
The Pope gazed upon him with tender affection and lightly stroked the top of his head. "Pitiful child…good child…come see me in a few days."
After saying this, he indicated that Chen Changsheng should turn around.
Chen Changsheng somewhat vacantly complied, turning around to face the thousands thronging the plaza in front of the Palace of Great Brilliance.
The Pope gripped his right hand and slowly raised it to the sky.
The plaza suddenly fell silent and then burst into thunderous cheers that seemed to want to tear the sky open.
The Pope left, as did the archbishop.
The ministers and cardinals in front of the palace came forward one by one and gave him affectionate looks as they congratulated him. There were even a few people that said that if there was a problem with the Orthodox Academy, he should come and find them, as if they were really his elders. Even Prime Minister Yu Wenjing said a few words to him.
The Orthodox Academy had received so many name cards and gifts yesterday because these powerful figures knew of several details from the Grand Examination, like those bouts of autumn rain. They had not been able to see the entire situation, but they still needed to lay down some groundwork. Today, the Pope had suddenly appeared and had treated Chen Changsheng with such intimacy, so how could they not understand now? They at least had to treat Chen Changsheng well on the surface.
The remaining examinees naturally did not receive the treatment Chen Changsheng did. They stood on the outskirts and watched as Chen Changsheng was surrounded by important personages. Some appeared envious while others looked sympathetic. Tang Thirty-Six said to Guan Feibai, "If the first rank of the first banner had to receive this sort of treatment, I would rather not have it."
"I also wouldn"t want it…" Guan Feibai suddenly came to his senses and said, "But were we this well-acquainted? And anyway, could you even take the first rank of the first banner?"
"We"ve already finished fighting; do we still need to stand on opposite sides? Don"t you think we should all be sympathizing with the pitiful person that is Chen Changsheng right now?"
Tang Thirty-Six spoke sympathetically, but he had no intention of extracting Chen Changsheng from this predicament. Those people were all truly important figures. Perhaps his father could have been able to do it, but his own status was far from sufficient.
Chen Changsheng was quite unused to such a scene, especially to the scent of incense on the bodies of these great personages. However, he managed to preserve his mood very well and there was nothing to criticize about his manners.
The crowd suddenly fell silent and those people around him gradually parted, forming a path through which Xu Shiji entered.
Xu Shiji was the Divine General of the East, deeply trusted by the Divine Empress. Paired with his excellent daughter, he had always had special status in the court. However, his colleagues in court and the bishops were giving way not for these reasons, but because he had a very complicated relationship with Chen Changsheng.
These important personages had spoken to Chen Changsheng like they were his elders, but if one truly was talking about elders, then in the capital, only Xu Shiji and his wife could truly be considered as Chen Changsheng"s elders. Crucially, the matter of the engagement was the talk of the capital, and everyone yearned to know just what Xu Shiji would say to Chen Changsheng at this moment. Many people had even prepared themselves to see Xu Shiji make a joke of himself.
It was rather quiet in front of the palace.
Xu Shiji slowly walked from the outskirts of the crowd. He stood in front of Chen Changsheng, his expression indifferent as he looked down on him.
Chen Changsheng bowed, but said nothing.
"Your performance in the Grand Examination was…not bad." Xu Shiji looked into his eyes, clearly speaking with the tone of an elder, yet it sounded rather awkward in the ears of the crowd.
Chen Changsheng considered these words and decided not to respond.
Xu Shiji"s brows slightly rose, and then he suddenly said, "Tonight, come to my home for dinner."
A clamor of noise rose from the crowd at these words.
No one said anything, but many people could not help but silently curse, especially the ministers of the conservative faction. They silently grumbled that this person"s skin was even thicker than the palace walls, and how could he have been born so shameless?
Surprisingly, after a few moments, Chen Changsheng replied, "Very well."
Xu Shiji stared into his eyes and confirmed that Chen Changsheng really had understood and agreed to his invitation. His expression slightly softened and he said no more. Giving him a nod, he turned and left.
After the announcement of the rankings was the customary parade.
Led by Chen Changsheng, the examinees boarded a specially constructed carriage. Surrounded by the populace, the carriage made its way along the roads of the capital lining the Luo River. Making a complete circle required at least four hours.
The entire capital fell into an atmosphere of revelry.
The populace would occasionally throw flowers and fruits onto the carriage. Chen Changsheng, Gou Hanshi, Guan Feibai, and Tang Thirty-Six received the most flowers and fruit. If not for the fact that the Imperial Court was already experienced in this matter and had dispatched many soldiers to constantly remove these objects, perhaps the four youths would really have been buried alive under flowers and fruits.
As they rounded the southwest corner of the Imperial City, Chen Changsheng felt rather thirsty. Without thinking too much, he took a cantaloupe and took a bite. He found it very sweet and crisp to the mouth, but he did not imagine that this action of his would provoke a rain of cantaloupe that forced him to shield his head with his hands.
He gazed past the rain of cantaloupe to the Imperial Palace. He saw the Lingyan Pavilion and also the Dew Platform. He felt like he could see a small black dot on the Dew Platform, which he believed was the Black Goat.
He waved his hand toward that side. However, when he saw Lady Shuang"er with a mixed expression in the crowd and thought about tonight"s dinner, the hand he was waving became rather heavy.