Chương 17: A Single Academy
The old lady was so abnormally shocked because she was keenly aware that this Black Goat hand-raised by Lady Mo Yu was proud and cold. Moreover, it was abnormally obsessed with cleanliness, so much so that it had become a peculiarity. Only the rarely-seen Unicorn could be compared to it. Let alone the weeds growing by the lake, even the strenuously prepared dishes made for the members of the Imperial clan were not even worthy of its glance. Yet at this very moment, it had actually taken grass from this youth it had met just a few moments ago, and it was actually eating it!
The next scene made the old lady even more shocked, because after the Black Goat ate a few stalks of grass, not only did it not leave, it lowered its head into the youth's palm and lightly rubbed against it. It seemed extremely intimate and its expression was also one of enormous pleasure. It was like it really enjoyed rubbing against this youth.
Just what was this? The old lady slightly creased her brow. Gripping her yellow poplar cane, she slowly walked to the lake shore. Gazing at the youth crouching down by the Black Goat, she noticed on his ordinary appearance a natural-born friendliness. Her mind was somewhat pacified but was soon after overcome by an intense unease. A person that could make a person like her relax to this extent was absolutely someone she needed to be wary of.
Chen Changsheng stood up and asked the old lady, "Nanny, is this your goat?"
The old lady narrowed her eyes, asking, "You know who I am?"
Chen Changsheng was somewhat surprised, replying, "I don't."
The old lady haughtily asked, "Then why did you call me Nanny?"
Chen Changsheng was somewhat confused, thinking, you are a lady of such great age; if I don't address you as Nanny, what should I address you as? The woman in the Divine General's estate's carriage was a nanny, and the dishwasher in the inn was also a nanny. On his journey, the person in the boat in charge of cooking was also a nanny. There were many nannies in the world. Was there one that was different?
Seeing his perplexed expression, the old lady realized that she had thought too much, that she had been too excessively vigilant against this youth. She couldn't help but slightly crease her brow, increasingly feeling somewhat improper. This was because she clearly understood that the vigilance she had displayed in this exchange completely arose from her fondness for this youth.
This youth was so ordinary, yet he so easily made other people want to get close to him. This was the case for both her and the Black Goat, but just why was this the case?
The old lady gazed at the run-down building. She thought of this place's past magnificence, thought of that bloody and sinister story, and then thought of this youth's uniqueness. The unease in her heart deepened and she determined to not delay anymore. She directly declared, "You can call me Nanny Ning."
Chen Changsheng bent his body in a bow, saying, "Well wishes to Nanny Ning."
Nanny Ning asked, "If I were to let you know that the person that didn't let you enter Star Seizer Academy was me, would you still wish me well?"
The beginning of spring was still chilly. The wind blew off the lake, causing the lush weeds to slightly bend at the waist. All was silent.
Chen Changsheng straightened his body and gazed at the old lady in shock. Yesterday, Tang Thirty-Six had said at the inn that the Divine General of the East's estate could not influence Star Seizer Academy, that it should have been the intention of some powerful figure in the palace. According to the words of this Nanny Ning…she was this powerful figure?
"Carrying that marriage contract and still daring to walk all over the capital, I really don't know if a youth like you is being stupid or bold," Nanny Ning expressionlessly said.
Chen Changsheng said nothing for a few moments, then said, "Besides the Divine General's estate, no one else pays any attention to me."
Nanny Ning replied, "If you were to let people know that you are the Phoenix child's fiancé, countless people would come to kill you."
Chen Changsheng replied, "I'm still alive, proof that the Divine General's estate is even less willing to let other people know of this engagement."
Nanny Ning glanced at him and asked, "And if the Divine General's estate wants to kill you?"
After a moment of silence, Chen Changsheng replied, "With the Divine Empress reigning, they still have to pay careful consideration to the general situation."
Nanny Ning slightly raised her brows, seemingly surprised that this fourteen-year-old youth was able to see the true reason for the Divine General's estate's difficulties in exerting its will. "The more you delay, the greater the pressure. There will eventually come a day when the Divine General's estate can no longer bear it."
"Then I will try to resist," Chen Changsheng said as he tightly gripped the dagger at his waist.
Nanny Ning examined the ordinary and unremarkable dagger at his waist and said with faint derision, "You don't know how to cultivate and want to rely on just this dagger to resist the experts of the Divine General of the East's estate? What do you think this dagger is? A divine weapon of legends? Can it compare to Emperor Taizong's Frost God Spear? Or maybe the Dragonscale of the Qiushan clan?"
Chen Changsheng said nothing.
"Even if you don't give up the marriage contract, you can still survive."
Nanny Ning continued, "But you must not tell the matter of this engagement to anyone else, otherwise, even if the Demon Lord himself came, he wouldn't be able to save your life."
There was nothing threatening about these words, because what she spoke was an indisputable truth—the Demon Lord could not save his life, no one in the world could save his life, because Nanny Ning represented the will of the Great Zhou Imperial Palace.
Chen Changsheng was forced to admit that although not being able to make a choice made him rather unhappy, what Nanny Ning said was good for him. He was just somewhat confused—just why was it that when he was attempting to get into Star Seizer Academy a day ago, she had so cruelly crushed his future prospects, but now she was changing her mind?
"Someone wants you to live, wants you to remain undisturbed. My lady is greatly displeased by any so-called variables, so she does not wish for you to have the possibility of any future prospects. Originally, this was a very problematic matter…"
Nanny Ning looked around at the deserted and run-down buildings of the Orthodox Academy, then suddenly smiled. "We didn't think that you would jump into this dried-up well on your own. You've solved the problem for us."
All of Chen Changsheng's attention had been taken by the latter half of this statement, so he had missed the first few words.
Future prospects? Possibility? Dried-up well? Problem?
He was suddenly taken by an intense discomfort. If he were to speculate based on this Nanny Ning's words, walking into the Orthodox Academy might have been an enormous mistake.
Without hesitation, he stated, "I still haven't decided to enter the Orthodox Academy."
Nanny Ning looked at him and said, "You must enter the Orthodox Academy."
"Why?"
"You yourself walked in here, so this is your own choice."
"I suddenly changed my mind."
"Apologies, I am not Madam Xu."
Nanny Ning looked at him and emotionlessly said, "I don't mind killing you."
Chen Changsheng fell silent for a very long time. He knew that he could not dissent, but he still felt rather dissatisfied.
"I haven't even taken a test, let alone received a notice of admittance."
"The Orthodox Academy doesn't have a principal or even a teacher, so there's naturally no test, but it can enroll new students."
Nanny Ning took out a thin sheet of paper from her sleeve and showed it to him, saying, "This is a recommendation letter personally written by His Holiness. With it, you can enter any school."
Not waiting for Chen Changsheng to speak, she apathetically added, "But you can only enter the Orthodox Academy."
Chen Changsheng took the paper. As he gazed at the illegible signature atop it as well as the complex and grandiose seal stamped over the signature, he didn't know what to say.
He had never imagined that he would have an opportunity in this life to personally see the Pope's handwriting. He should have been excited, but the scene before his eyes made it impossible for him to be excited. Seeing the shade of the signature and seal, this letter had not been signed very recently, but the name of the school on the recommendation letter seemed to have been written just moments ago. It was probably this Nanny Ning's handwriting.
"One, you cannot tell anyone else of the engagement. Two, you will live. Three, no one else will hinder your future prospects."
Nanny Ning gazed at him and emotionlessly declared, "Our business is concluded."
With these words, she turned and walked out of the Orthodox Academy. The weeds around the lake could be even denser, yet they could not entangle her plain dress.
With her status, her personally coming to speak with a fourteen-year-old youth was truly too inconceivable and also extremely dull.
Everything she had said just now was the truth. As long as the person was dead, what importance could the marriage contract still have? Although she felt that this youth was excellent, just how many excellent youths died in the capital each year? If not for yesterday's letter, perhaps he really might have died today. If he was a smart person, he should be able to guess at just who allowed him to live, should be able to know what he should do.
To everyone else, this was the best choice. Perhaps to him, it was not, but who would care?
Thinking this, Nanny Ning walked off into the distance.
The Black Goat followed her out. Before passing the wall, it turned and glanced at Chen Changsheng.
Chen Changsheng stood by the lake, quietly standing there in silence with the paper in his hands for a very long time.
Even now, he still did not know who this Nanny Ning was, but he had already been forced into a deal.
He did not know the truth behind this deal, but he could faintly understand that if he accepted it, it would be good for everyone. He even understood more than anyone else that although those people thought that this choice held nothing good for him, in reality, all the good he wanted had arrived in his hands the moment he took the sheet of paper.
So he wasn't at all angry, just a little sour.
His original goal in coming to the capital had never been this engagement, nor the girl called Xu Yourong. As for the Divine General's estate and the Imperial Palace, these names that seemed far off in the horizon, there was even less of a connection, nor did he wish to develop any connections with those places. He only wanted to read, cultivate, and then attend the Grand Examination and obtain first place.
Before the Grand Examination was the pre-examination. He didn't know how to cultivate, had not even succeeded in Purification, so he would definitely not be qualified to enter the pre-examination. He didn't even have the qualifications to enter the Grand Examination, so how could he obtain first place? For this reason, he had to enter any of the six academies on his list.
Those six academies all had the longest histories in the capital and were the finest institutions. Their academy gates were all overgrown with ivy, so they were often called the Six Ivies. Only the students of the Six Ivies did not need to participate in the pre-examination and could directly participate in the Grand Examination.
Now, he had finally become a student of one of the Six Ivies, seeming to have fulfilled all his desires, but…the ivy growing at this school's gate was somewhat excessive.
This was a path that his master and senior had helped him plan out before he left Xining Village.
But it was very obvious that they had not expected that the Orthodox Academy which had countless magnificent articles written about it in the histories had decayed to such a state.
Chen Changsheng stood by the lake, gazing at the academy basking in the bright sunshine yet still as deserted and gloomy as a graveyard. He found it impossible to not doubt his own future.
After a very long time had passed, he was awoken from his daze by the spring wind. He took five long and deep breaths, pushing out the final smears of discomfort and acidity from his body. After stowing the thin sheet of paper in his bosom, he followed the indistinct path in the grass along the lake, walking into the depths of the academy.
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