Chapter 1058 – The Young Emperor (1/2)
Chapter 1058 – The Young Emperor
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Tang Thirty-Six entered the hall, ran over to Chen Changsheng, and practically shouted, ”What was the meaning of those words?”
Chen Changsheng replied, ”The literal meaning.”
Tang Thirty-Six gave him a blank stare, then asked, ”Why?”
Chen Changsheng replied, ”I suddenly think that his view might have been correct.”
Tang Thirty-Six vigorously waved his hand. ”In the past, didn't we talk about this by the lake? To be young is to be correct!”
Chen Changsheng sincerely replied, ”This statement in itself is not correct.”
Tang Thirty-Six angrily shot back, ”Does that mean that your statement is correct?”
Chen Changsheng paused a bit before answering, ”I was a little angry at the time.”
Tang Thirty-Six asked, ”So you were just venting your anger?”
Chen Changsheng replied, ”You can say that.”
Tang Thirty-Six reasoned, ”Since you were just venting your anger, it naturally can be treated as invalid.”
Chen Changsheng earnestly requested instruction. ”Why is that?”
Tang Thirty-Six explained, ”You and I are humans, and when humans vent, they fart. Venting your anger is just farting nonsense, and how can you treat nonsense as true?”
Chen Changsheng argued, ”Fart has a smell, but just venting air won't necessarily have an odor.”
Tang Thirty-Six replied, ”Whether or not it has a smell, it definitely won't have that nasty elderly smell that you can find on their bodies.”
Chen Changsheng recalled that Su Li had once said something similar.
”We have to think of a way to get those believers outside the Li Palace to stand up.”
He stopped thinking about those other problems, asking Tang Thirty-Six, ”Do you have any good ideas?”
Tang Thirty-Six sharply said, ”You were the one to tie the bell, so why do I have to think about the solution?”
Chen Changsheng replied, ”I'm not skilled at these things.”
Tang Thirty-Six took stock of the surroundings and asked, ”Where's Xu Yourong?”
Chen Changsheng explained, ”She went to the Imperial Palace.”
Tang Thirty-Six's expression subtly shifted.
”What's wrong?” Chen Changsheng asked.
”She just got back to the capital yesterday, but today she went to see Prince Chen Liu, and then she went to see Mo Yu, and now she's going to see His Majesty.”
Tang Thirty-Six wondered, ”Why is she seeing so many people? Don't you find it strange?”
……
……
The Emperor of the Great Zhou was very young and also very inconspicuous. His presence was so low-key that he was often forgotten by the common people.
Even now, his existence was a great mystery to the subjects of the Great Zhou. Few even knew that his name was Chen Yuren.
By this point, Shang Xingzhou was rarely offering his opinion on important matters of state. He was not even present in the capital most of time, spending most of it in Luoyang's Monastery of Eternal Spring. Anyone could tell that he was preparing to hand over the reins of government. Of course, this was founded on his resolving the question of the Orthodoxy, but until that day came, he would remain the most powerful person in the Great Zhou.
As for the important matters of the court, they were being monopolized by powerful nobles like the Chen princes and the Tianhai clan.
The only task the young emperor had was to read the memorials sent into the palace from the various provincial and county governments.
He also rarely met with the great ministers in the palace. Even Mo Yu, who he had personally summoned back to the capital, had only entered the palace three times.
Many people believed that this was because the emperor's cold and eccentric personality made him unwilling to meet others.
And why was this the case? Because he was physically disabled.
He could not speak, could only see out of one eye, was missing an ear, was lame in one leg, and only had one hand.
Such heavy disabilities meant that even the term 'cripple' was not too excessive.
But this cripple had become the Emperor of the Great Zhou.
Shang Xingzhou's presence meant no one dared to say anything, much less express any objections, but their views could not be altered.
Ever since Yuren ascended to the throne, all sorts of rumor and gossip had circulated within and without the palace.
Some said that he had a cruel and ruthless personality that delighted in beating maids to death.
Other said that he was timid and introverted, bossed around every day by the palace maids.