Chapter 851 – A Sedan Chair Arrives Outside the City (1/2)
Chapter 851 – A Sedan Chair Arrives Outside the City
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Chen Changsheng had said nothing the entire time, only quietly listened.
Neither father nor son had any intention of concealing anything from him.
Thus, he had heard many secrets, though these were not secrets of the Tang clan, but secrets in the depths of the hearts of father and son.
He was especially shocked at those final words, but this did not mean that he was completely oblivious to this matter.
In truth, the person that the Tang Second Master so loathed and was disconcerted by had appeared at the old estate three days ago at Chen Changsheng's request.
”Since you knew that he has come, what chance do you still have?” the Tang Old Master asked.
The Tang Second Master restored his composure and indifferently said, ”He is not willing to change his surname, so he does not have the right to manage my Tang clan's matters.”
The Tang Old Master expressionlessly asked, ”And if I let him manage them?”
After a pause, the Tang Second Master replied, ”I've invited people to delay him outside. He cannot come.”
The Tang Old Master asked, ”This being the case, what else can you do?”
The Tang Second Master calmly replied, ”I can't do much, but I can at least still kill that good nephew of mine.”
When he said this, he was far too calm, as if he was describing a very ordinary task. Consequently, both Chen Changsheng and the Tang Old Master did not react immediately.
”If Little Tang dies, then Father, other than me, you won't have any other choice.”
This time, the Tang Old Master and Chen Changsheng clearly heard what he said, and then they both thought of a story in the Daoist Canon.
This story was from far too long ago. There was no proof, making it more like a legend or myth.
It was said that in some ancient era, there was an abnormally powerful empire. One day, when its emperor was inspecting the frontlines, he suddenly fell ill and died. The empress and crown prince, who were both accompanying him, were detained on the wasteland by a sudden torrential rain. Meanwhile, the prince that remained in the capital, supported by his older sister and ministers, forged a posthumous edict and ascended to the throne. The empire fell into chaos.
At that moment, all the world's countries invaded the empire, resulting in an extremely dangerous situation.
After several weeks, the empress and crown prince were brought back to the capital under the protection of a minister carrying out the emperor's last will.
The princess and ministers of the court who supported the new emperor indicated that they were willing to pay a sufficient price in the hopes that both sides could put aside their enmities, unite all their strength, and resist the invasion of external powers. At the time, the new emperor's faction was still powerful, so for the sake of the greater situation, this seemed like the only way out, but the minister who was carrying out the previous emperor's final will did not think this way.
On the early morning of that day, before the assembled court, the minister beheaded the new emperor.
He then said to the princess and those ministers who had been loyal to the new sovereign, ”Now, the empire has only one emperor.
”Do none of you know how to choose a future for the empire? Then I will help all of you by constraining your choices. In this way, none of you will need to feel concerned, anguished, or tormented over the choice.
”Because the only choice is the best choice.”
……
……
In a certain way, what the Tang Second Master said and what he planned to do were identical to the myth described in the Daoist Canon.
If Tang Thirty-Six died, what other choice would the Tang Old Master have?
Of course, he first had to accomplish what he said.
The Tang Old Master stared into the Tang Second Master's eyes and asked, ”Do you think that you have this ability?”
The Tang Second Master recalled the reports he had earlier received, the scene in the granary and Fivekind Man by the shore, and he appeared a little absent-minded.
”Yes, only today did I realize that I never once truly understood my own clan.”
He said to his father, ”The Tang clan is just like Father, an old well so deep that one can't see the bottom, but I am still a member of the Tang clan. I know very well that there are no arrangements around the ancestral hall. As long as I send my people over, I can assuredly kill him.”
He then turned to Chen Changsheng and said, ”Of course, I also have to thank Your Holiness the Pope. With your visit, Wenshui City has been in a state of tension for two days, and today's chaos is even more Your Holiness's handiwork. The more chaotic things are, the more I can take advantage of the chaos to arrange a few things.”
Chen Changsheng said nothing, but stood straight up.
The Tang Old Master looked at his son and asked, ”You think that you can still mobilize people?”
Today's events had proved that the Tang clan was still the Tang Old Master's Tang clan. Regardless of how many years the Tang Second Master had managed it in secret, a word from the Tang Old Master was enough to make those subordinates who were normally devoted to the Tang Second Master become too afraid to move, or even breathe too loudly.