449 I Came To Pick Somebody Up

A deathly stillness hung over the small courtyard. Chen Changsheng had met Zhou Tong before, and not only once. However, this was his first real meeting with Zhou Tong. His first meeting with the real Zhou Tong. He gazed at Zhou Tong's pale cheeks, his lips that were as thin as knives, hisofficial's gown that was crimson as blood, and he sensed an unimaginablyfrightening Qi. He felt like the scent of blood was growingly increasinglythick, as if it was real. Finally, his gaze fell upon Zhou Tong's hands. Those two hands were very slender, the fingernails trimmed flawlessly. Theyweren’t dirty in the slightest, much less stained with blood. But he knew that these two hands had slaughtered countless members of the ChenImperial clan as well as many of their loyal officials. And just who knew howmany eyes he had plucked and hearts he had dug out from still-living bodies? Chen Changsheng felt like his heart was beating ever faster, and then an ideasuddenly occurred to him: Zhou Tong's hands were very suitable for holding asword. Consequently, he replied, "Senior Su Li taught me the sword on the road." Swords were used to kill people. Words that were like swords were meant tobreak the influence of one's opponent. Chen Changsheng did not understand this concept, but he had very naturallybeen able to form a response. Those things Su Li had taught him on their journey south had always remainedwith him and were endlessly showing their use. Tang Thirty-Six and Xuanyuan Po awoke from their trances and revealed waryexpressions. Zhou Tong smiled in silence. The remaining blossoms on the crabapple tree drifted to the ground. Some ofthe petals fell onto Chen Changsheng's shoulder. The sinister pressure pervading the small courtyard instantly vanished, andthat intense stench of blood also disappeared. Only the faint scent of flowerswas left behind. No one said anything. After a moment, Zhou Tong looked at Chen Changsheng and said, "To not greetthis official is to be rude." There was a period of silence as Chen Changsheng thought of how to respond tothis. Suddenly, the silent Tang Thirty-Six opened his mouth and asked, "What isyour identity, what is your status?" As he asked this question, he stared into Zhou Tong's eyes, stared into themlike he was staring at a dangerously venomous snake. Zhou Tong narrowed his eyes. He had not imagined that this young master of theTang clan would have the courage to question, nor that he would be…so rude. Without waiting for an answer, Tang Thirty-Six continued, "Chen Changsheng isthe Principal of the Orthodox Academy. In terms of identity, in the Orthodoxy,he is only below His Holiness. And Your Excellency is only the supervisor ofthe office of the Department for Purging Officials. Even if the Divine Empresswas even more gracious and kind and bestowed upon Your Excellency the title ofDuke of the Third Rank, just how could Your Excellency be discussed on equalterms with my principal? In terms of greetings, it should naturally be YourExcellency that comes first." Zhou Tong gazed at Tang Thirty-Six and revealed a false smile. "Even yourfather would not dare speak like this to me." Tang Thirty-Six answered, "So my grandfather said, my father is inferior tome." Zhou Tong replied, "If this is the case, then should it really be me thatoffers greetings first?" Tang Thirty-Six's expression did not change. There was no contempt, no pride,no gloating, only extreme calm and focus as he replied, "Of course." Zhou Tong's eyebrows perked up as he replied, "If this is the case, it shouldbe you first." Tang Thirty-Six answered, "I and Xuanyuan are students, just accompanying." Zhou Tong asked, "Who are you accompanying?" Tang Thirty-Six replied, "We are accompanying the Principal." "I am the Principal." Chen Changsheng finally caught up to the tempo betweenthese two. He very formally introduced himself: "I am the Principal of theOrthodox Academy, Chen Changsheng." Zhou Tong said nothing for a very long time, and then he gently tidied hisofficial robe. His red official's gown, amongst the remnants of the crabapple blossoms, wasparticularly striking. And then he clasped his hands, bowed, and asked for his purpose. "I did not know that Principal Chen would come today. What does Sir require?" "Wofu Zhexiu is a student of the Orthodox Academy." Chen Changsheng looked intently at him and said, "I have come to pick him up." The small courtyard was peaceful and serene, and while the office of theDepartment for Purging Officials was still heavily-guarded, countless peoplehad already arrived outside the alley of the Northern Military Department. All of the capital was in a tense mood. Everyone knew why Chen Changsheng had come today to visit Zhou Tong. But it was probably beyond their expectations that Chen Changsheng would socalmly and naturally bring up his demand. This was because he had already affirmed his identity. He was the Principal ofthe Orthodox Academy. Zhexiu was a student of the Orthodox Academy. A principalmust be concerned about his students—this was an unalterable truth. It was so unalterable that even Zhou Tong sighed as he thought to himself,just how much did that freak Su Li teach this kid? Then he smiled and replied, "In accordance with the demands of the ImperialCourt, I imprisoned Zhexiu. If his release is desired, Principal Chen requiresthe decree of the Divine Empress, or else a verdict from the Grand Court ofRevision and the Ministry of Justice." With the advent of the Department for Purging Officials, the Grand Court ofRevision and the Ministry of Justice had become decorations, or perhapssubordinates, of the Department for Purging Officials. Until Zhou Tong gave the nod, the Grand Court of Revision and the Ministry ofJustice could not even take a case. "I've studied the Daoist Canon since I was little," Chen Changsheng abruptlymentioned. Tang Thirty-Six and Xuanyuan Po shot him a glance, wondering, just why did youmention this now? Zhou Tong knew that he still had more to say and waited in silence. Chen Changsheng continued, "I've confirmed that Your Excellency directly tookthe case of the Garden of Zhou from the Li Palace. The Ministry of Justice andthe Grand Court of Revision don't even have this case on record." Zhou Tong replied, "And what of it?" Chen Changsheng answered, "Being well-versed in the Daoist Canon, I've alsomemorized all the laws of the Great Zhou. I'm very sure that there does notexist a single law supporting Your Excellency's continued imprisonment of WofuZhexiu." Zhou Tong smiled at him, not saying a word. Chen Changsheng said, "I ask that Your Excellency release him." Zhou Tong removed a snow-white handkerchief from his sleeve and gently wipedthe corner of his lips. His actions were very graceful, but his words werefilled with scorn. "Our future Pope is actually so lacking in patience. This can't help but causepeople to be concerned about the Orthodoxy's future." Perhaps because of Zhou Tong's actions, or perhaps because of those words,Tang Thirty-Six creased his brow. "I promised His Eminence that I would wait two more days, but…" After a momentof silence, Chen Changsheng continued, "He died, so I no longer need to wait." Zhou Tong gazed at him and calmly replied, "I believe you have forgotten onething. Zhexiu is accused of colluding with the demons. As long as I have thisaccusation, I can keep him imprisoned however long I desire." "Your Excellency also seems to have forgotten one thing. The three peopleaccused of colluding with the demons in the Garden of Zhou were Zhexiu, QiJian…and me." Chen Changsheng solemnly gazed back at him and declared, "If Your Excellencytruly believes that Zhexiu could collude with the demons, then the first thingYour Excellency needs to do is to imprison me as well. If not, then you shouldrelease him." The small courtyard became incomparably silent, and could even be described asa deathly silence. Only the sounds of falling petals and breathing could be heard. This was the choice he had left for Zhou Tong: release Zhexiu or imprison themtogether. Zhou Tong slowly narrowed his eyes until they became as slender as willowleaves, and also very similar to the willow leaf blade that he was most skilledat. His voice that fluttered out of his thin lips was similar too, though muchcolder.