Chapter 157 – Just Up to Here
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Due to his engagement with Xu Yourong, Chen Changsheng naturally became the focus of the capital after the Ivy Festival. The archbishop"s declaration on his behalf had poured oil over the fire, and countless people were inquiring on everything about him. His age, ancestry, grudge with the Divine General of the East"s estate, and his level of strength were no longer secrets. As a result, people were flabbergasted at his performance, dearly wishing to know just what had happened over the past few days for his strength to increase by leaps and bounds, allowing him to win four rounds of matches in the Grand Examination and end up in the final eight.
Xuanyuan Po stared at Chen Changsheng with his mouth agape, as if he was looking at some sort of monster. Tang Thirty-Six stared into Chen Changsheng"s eyes and asked, "Just what did you eat? We"ve been eating with you in the Orthodox Academy every day; did you secretly set up an oven for yourself? Or is it that you stole some good things from the Hundred Herb Garden and didn"t tell the two of us?"
In that quiet room within the Hall of Washing Away Dust, the important personages were also discussing Chen Changsheng"s performance today.
"Could he have used the complete Yeshi Step just now?" a person asked Xu Shiji.
If an elder like Fei Dian or Jin Yulu were present, as partic.i.p.ants of that great war with the demons, they would be able to clearly recognize just what that unpredictable movement technique Chen Changsheng used actually was. However, the only people in the room that might recognize this technique were Xue Xingchuan and Xu Shiji.
Xu Shiji indifferently said, "I did not encounter anyone from the Yeshi clan on the frontlines."
Based on intelligence reports, over the past several centuries, the Yeshi clansmen in Xuelao City had mostly been drafted by the enigmatic Black Robe into his intelligence network, so they rarely appeared.
Xue Xingchuan"s troops had once captured two spies from the Yeshi clan, and that Yeshi clansman that had attempted to a.s.sa.s.sinate Princess Luoluo last spring was still imprisoned in the Imperial Guard"s prison. He thought of the movement technique that Chen Changsheng had used earlier and shook his head. "It"s not the complete Yeshi Step, but it already has some of the idea."
The rest of them understood. Just having some idea of the complete Yeshi Step was enough to play an incredibly important role in battles between youths of the level partic.i.p.ating in the Grand Examination. Xue Xingchuan thought some more, then added, "Excellent speed and movement techniques along with decent luck in drawing opponents can get one into the top eight. This is understandable, but I don"t believe he can get any further."
The top eight in the matches of the Grand Examination had been decided. There were well-known experts like Gou Hanshi, Zhuang Huanyu, Zhong Hui, and Zhexiu, and also a few surprising candidates. There was that inconspicuous girl from Holy Maiden Peak, and also that student from Star Seizer Academy that not even the Bureau of Ecclesiastic Education had paid much attention to.
The most surprising of all was still Chen Changsheng.
That he still had not been eliminated had already surpa.s.sed everyone"s imaginations and felt completely unreasonable.
"This is just too unreasonable! How can this be possible! Just how has he not managed to be eliminated yet!"
The list of the final eight remaining in the matches of the Grand Examination had been sent out of the Education Palace, written down in the Hall of Shining Words, and sent out to the crowd outside the Li Palace.
It was nearly dusk. The barely warm rays of the setting sun shone upon the stone pillars and also upon the spectating populace of the capital and visiting tourists.
There were at least a thousand people outside the Li Palace at this time, their voices making a great din. The hollering voices of the peddlers had become extremely hoa.r.s.e, but at this time, everyone was discussing the same thing, venting the same emotions. The topic of their discussion was Chen Changsheng"s four consecutive victories, and the emotions were shock, confusion, and anger.
The people of the capital did not like Chen Changsheng, but they still preferred him to those examinees from the south. They were so shocked and angry at Chen Changsheng"s four victories purely because Chen Changsheng"s performance had lost them a lot of money, some people having lost so much that their eyes were red.
Yes, besides first rank of the first banner, there were many other things to bet on in the Grand Examination. There were winners and losers in each round of the Grand Examination. Similarly, after every round, many people would turn into losers or winners, but because of Chen Changsheng, the vast majority of the people today were losers.
For each round of matches, a different set of betting odds was released so that the populace could conveniently make their bets on the spot. In every round, Chen Changsheng"s odds were extremely low, and his odds were still low even now. He had made some people ecstatic today, and had caused many more to lose money, but no one believed that he would continue to win.
Tianhai Shengxue was in a tea house on the south side of the Li Palace, calmly watching the bustle of the crowd in front of the Li Palace. He suddenly said, "If the Four Great Markets are still willing to accept it, place five thousand gold taels on Chen Changsheng"s final victory."
The old steward at his side froze, then somewhat hesitantly said, "Young Master, he couldn"t possibly continue to win, right?"
Tianhai Shengxue replied, "In the first round, everyone believed that he couldn"t win, but he won. In the second round, still no one thought that he could win, but he still won. The third and fourth rounds were the same. Before the Grand Examination, just who could have imagined he could get into the top eight? This being the case, why can"t I bet on him?"
The old steward repeatedly expressed his agreement.
Tianhai Shengxue suddenly commented, "If he really does get first rank of the first banner, put the money that I won into repairing the Orthodox Academy"s gate."
The old steward thought, wasn"t it Young Master that broke the Orthodox Academy"s gate? And the Orthodox Academy hasn"t repaired the gate this entire time. The entire capital understands what this means. If Young Master repairs the Orthodox Academy"s gate, isn"t that basically conceding? He was astonished, but he thought that his master presumably had some deeper meaning and dared not object anymore, only inquired on a certain detail.
"If…and this is just a possibility, if Chen Changsheng really does win, it will be a huge sum of money. Even repairing the Orthodox Academy"s gate won"t spend it all."
Tianhai Shengxue gazed at the Li Palace, basking in the twilight. He indifferently said, "If he really does win, what"s the harm in sending him a gate made of white jade?"
The old steward was even more puzzled, thinking to himself, even if Chen Changsheng does take first rank of the first banner, that youth is the symbol of the Orthodox Academy, a sign of the Orthodoxy"s conservative faction"s challenge to the Empress. It"s simply impossible for the Tianhai clan to take him as a subordinate. Just what does Young Master intend by doing this?
Tianhai Shengxue gave no explanation. He took a sip from his cup but suddenly felt the tea to be rather dull and flavorless.
Since Qiushan Jun did not come and Mo Yu was still in front of him, the Grand Examination truly had no great significance to him, but even so, giving up like this had inevitably left his mood rather complex.
In the Divine General of the East"s estate, within a quiet pavilion, Madam Xu looked at the middle-aged woman in front of her, her brows slightly furrowed. "Nanny Hua, is this correct? Did he really get into the top eight?"
Nanny Hua whispered, "It shouldn"t be wrong. The Four Great Markets have already put out the odds for the next round. There really is the name of that young master Chen on there."
Madam Xu was too shocked for words, feeling a terrible ache in her head. If that youngster really did get first rank of the first banner in the Grand Examination, what should they do?
She looked at the chair and empty tea table in the pavilion and recalled her first meeting with Chen Changsheng in the early spring of last year.
That young Daoist was rather reserved and very clean.
He had not drunk any tea.
Madam Xu"s mind suddenly shifted as she thought of a certain possibility.
In the eastern wing of the estate, Shuang"er, who had just received the news, was also utterly shocked.
She recalled her first meeting with Chen Changsheng in the rear garden.
She found it impossible to imagine how that reserved and rustic young Daoist, that piece of trash who couldn"t cultivate, was able to get into the top eight in the matches of the Grand Examination. Based on his rumored performance in the Ivy Festival, his grade in the literary test was a.s.suredly excellent. Was this not saying that he was currently only a step away from getting first rank of the first banner?
Yes, if Chen Changsheng could win one more round and enter the top four, then with his grade in the literary test, there was a very high chance that he could get into the first banner.
But could he continue to advance? Or was it just up to here?
Deep within in the Imperial Palace was a side palace which was not large. It was extremely deserted, like a cold palace1.
The Black Goat stared at the green fruits hanging off a tree by the stone steps, hesitating for a long time over whether it should eat one. It remembered very clearly that the fruit that the youth had fed it in the Hundred Herb Garden had tasted rather good, but it had no means of ensuring that it was the taste of the fruit and not his scent on the fruit"s skin.
Nanny Ning silently pa.s.sed by it and whispered, "Young Master Shengxue conceded."
The Divine Empress was holding a piece of incense wood. The edge of this wood was currently burning, and a pill was suspended above the strands of incense smoke.
Her finger slowly moved the incense wood, and the smoke rising from it gently turned, causing the pill to slowly revolve.
At Nanny Ning"s words, her finger stopped, causing the pill to stop, suspended in the air.
She appeared a little surprised. After a few moments, she understood and sighed, "There is still some potential in the descendants of the Tianhai clan."
This was both good and bad.
The more potential there was in the descendants of the Tianhai clan, the more impossible it would be for her to completely relinquish her grip, and the more incapable the Great Zhou Dynasty would be of breaking free from that great problem.
But she was still rather gratified.
After a few moments of hesitation, Nanny Ning continued, "The Orthodox Academy"s Chen Changsheng has entered the top eight."
The Divine Empress slowly raised her brows.
Nanny Ning was rather nervous. She quite liked Chen Changsheng, but she was worried that the Empress would be unhappy.
The Divine Empress said nothing.
In the next moment, she appeared in a pitch-black cavern.
With a light brush of her sleeve, the several thousand Night Pearls embedded in the ceiling lit up.
The cold, white light fell on the frost-covered ground, illuminating all in this cavern.
A pale girl dressed in black lay weakly on the ground.
With a light flick of her finger, the pill fell in front of the girl.
"Chen Changsheng was not eliminated. Your blood can be considered somewhat useful."
With great difficulty, the girl raised her head and stared at the Divine Empress. There was no fear, only loathing. "Just what sort of ghastly medicine is this?"
The Divine Empress calmly answered, "Motherwort paste."
The black-clothed girl knew that a terrifying human like the Divine Empress had countless methods of treating her and would never do anything strange to some medicine. Without hesitation, she swallowed it.
"Chen Changsheng…he…can he get first rank of the first banner?" she asked the Divine Empress curiously.
"It"s probably just up to here," the Divine Empress apathetically said.
In the next moment, she arrived by the side of the abandoned well of New North Bridge, her hands clasped behind her back. She gazed up at the countless stars in night sky, silently pondering something for a very long time.
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1. A cold palace refers to a palace in which a concubine that had fallen out of favor would stay.↩