489 Viewing the Sword

Upon seeing that it really was Lady Mo Yu that had come, the students of theOrthodox Academy became extremely nervous and excited. Those in the back keptstanding on tiptoe to get a better view of this legendary individual. As forthose youths at the very front of the crowd, they were so stunned by herabsolute beauty that they didn't even dare to lift their heads, and could onlywork up the nerve to gaze at her feet! In truth, the students clearly understood that the relationship between thePope and the Divine Empress was no longer so incredibly close as it had been inthe past and that the Orthodox Academy was precisely the frontline where thesetwo powerful forces clashed. But they still found it hard to suppress theirexcitement. After all, Mo Yu was the most famed beauty of the Great Zhou andalso its most famed accomplished woman. Moreover, she was also a powerfulpersonage of extraordinary authority and influence. Her status was such thateven the Princess of Ping had a lesser status than her in the hearts of themasses. Only Xu Yourong, who had gone off many years ago to Holy Maiden Peak tocultivate the Dao, could be discussed on equal terms with her. As for the old man that followed Mo Yu into the Orthodox Academy, his clothesbore the emblem of the Pavilion of Divination. Presumably, he was a steward orguardian of the Pavilion of Divination. But why would a person of the Pavilion of Divination come to the OrthodoxAcademy? Why would Lady Mo Yu accompany him? The questions in the minds of these students would fail to find an answer,because Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Six swiftly arrived on the scene. Last night, Tang Thirty-Six had gone to sleep a little late, thinking that,after great difficulty, the matches had finally reached a break and he coulduse the cool and refreshing early morning to get a good sleep. Who would havethought he'd have to wake up for this? His mood was already rather sour, butwhen he saw those students staring at Mo Yu with such captivated looks, hefound the scene particularly shameful. He angrily shouted, "What are you alllooking at? Have you never seen a pretty girl before?" Although beauty could amuse the eyes, it could not replace the rules of theacademy, and the rules of the Orthodox Academy were currently whatever TangThirty-Six said. The students shook their heads and begrudgingly scattered. Itwas just that the speed at which they left was so slow that it made one's bloodboil in anger. Chen Changsheng knew Mo Yu's nature was truthfully not at all as indifferentand quiet as she presented to him. The Grand Lady Mo who could manage theimperial government in place of the Divine Empress had always been widelyregarded as cold and unyielding. Tang Thirty-Six's words were very casual andChen Changsheng was very concerned that Mo Yu might be displeased and use thisopportunity to raise some difficult questions. Turning over to her, he foundunexpectedly that Mo Yu didn't feel this act to be disobedient at all and wasfaintly smiling. "I thought you would be angry," he whispered to Mo Yu as he glanced over thatold man from the Pavilion of Divination. Mo Yu rolled her eyes at him and said, "Is there something to be angry about,being called a pretty girl? On normal days, you never call me that." Her voice was very soft, and it could be believed that Tang Thirty-Six andeven that old man from the Pavilion of Divination were unable to hear theirchat. Since they were nominally here representing the Imperial Court to inspect theOrthodox Academy, they had to inspect. Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Sixaccompanied them as she casually strolled through the grounds and casuallyspoke. "Does your second elder sister still love foil jigsaw puzzles?" Mo Yu askedTang Thirty-Six. Tang Thirty-Six replied, "Last year when I took my leave, she already wasn'tplaying it much. Now she likes to build wooden houses…about this big." His hands gestured. "That house doesn't look very big, but it you want it tobe steady, it needs a table specially made for it. In the end, to fit thattable in, the clan had to build a house especially for her." Mo Yu smiled, "Then that's also a part of your home." Tang Thirty-Six replied, "If my home could be half the size of the ImperialPalace, none of this trouble would be necessary." Mo Yu chuckled, "It's not like I haven't been to Wenshui before. If we takeyour grandfather's residence and those manors by the river and add them alltogether, half the Imperial Palace…no, even the entire Imperial Palace isn'tthat big." There were no sharp words contained in this chat, or at least Chen Changshengcouldn't hear any. He was currently in a state of shock. At the Ivy Festival,he didn't see Mo Yu and Tang Thirty-Six communicate with each other. It wasonly today that he realized that they were actually old friends. This was whatwas meant by the saying, 'Power and wealth are truly difficulty to separate'. "When we were small, I became friends with him and his second elder sister." Mo Yu guessed at what he was thinking and smiled, "But the last time I went toWenshui with the Empress, he was only three, just like a mud-covered monkey.Who could have expected that he would grow so much?" Even Chen Changsheng, who was rather slow in this aspect, was able tounderstand the meaning behind these words. Tang Thirty-Six was naturally able to understand, but this meant he had to acteven more like he didn't understand. Mo Yu was no spoiled princeling like Bie Tianxin. She was Grand Lady Mo, andthe Divine Empress behind her was far more terrifying than Bie Yanghong andWuqiong Bi added together! An heir of an aristocratic family like Tang Thirty-Six naturally knew when thetime was appropriate to be wanton and when it was time to be low-key. Chen Changsheng was not very used to Tang Thirty-Six's expression. This wasbecause, up to now, he still had no idea what Mo Yu's position in the ZhouDynasty was. Of course, he couldn't be blamed for this. It could only be said that the MoYu that had been presented before him was too unlike Mo Yu. They arrived at the lakeside of the Separate Garden. It was very beautiful andquiet here, the wall cutting them off from the burning gazes of the distantyoung students. Only now did Mo Yu finally formally introduce, "This man is one of the headmanagers of the Pavilion of Divination." Chen Changsheng and Tang Thirty-Six gave the bow of the junior generationtowards this manager. One was the successor of the Orthodox Academy and one was the successor of theWenshui Tang clan, but they were both young. Crucially, this man was a managerof the Pavilion of Divination, not some ordinary place's manager. They didn'tdare disregard the Pavilion of Divination. Besides, Chen Changsheng and TangThirty-Six had an exceptionally good impression of the Pavilion of Divinationand the Divination Elder. The commentary and expectations the Divination Elderhad announced at the changing of ranks for the Proclamation of Azure Sky forthe students of the Orthodox Academy had not been forgotten by them. That head manager also did not dare to slight them, solemnly returning theirgreetings. He turned to Tang Thirty-Six and smiled, "Recently, we've cooperatedvery happily with Young Master Tang. I hope that we can continue to worktogether." This was naturally speaking of the two sides working together to win moneyfrom the Ivy Academies challenging the Orthodox Academy. Tang Thirty-Six modestly replied, "You flatter me, it's primarily because ofChen Changsheng's excellent coordination." The manager roared with laughter, then turned to Chen Changsheng, "PrincipalChen's four swords have engaged the guardians in enthusiastic discussion forseveral days. All of them say that Principal's cultivation of the path of thesword is truly unfathomable." In the end, Chen Changsheng was not a businessman. His face was not as thickas Tang Thirty-Six and that manager's, so he was rather embarrassed by thesewords. Mo Yu glanced at him. She didn't say anything, but he could see that her gazewas rich with mockery. The reason for this manager's visit had been clearly explained in the Bureauof Ecclesiastic Education's message that had been sent on behalf of the palace.As a result, Xuanyuan Po had the students leave the library in advance, leavingthe place empty. Chen Changsheng removed his dagger from his waist and offered it up with bothhands to the head manager. The head manager took the sword, but he was in no rush to extract it from itssheath. His gaze rested on the surface of the sheath, remaining fixated on it for avery long time. Chen Changsheng's mood instantly grew nervous.