369 Canst Help Loving Her Even Without Seeing Her (1/2)
Chapter 369: Can't Help Loving Her Even Without Seeing Her
Translator: TransnEditor: Transn
”He has been sending taels of silver to men in the City of Wei and knows how to take care of Sangsang. I think that he will always respect you and Jun Mo, and will always maintain the sense of belonging to the Academy.”
The Headmaster of the Academy looked back at Ning Que who was unconscious, and said smilingly, ”Of course these are trivial matters, but I think they may affect the boy's choices in the future.”
The Eldest Brother frowned when hearing Sangsang's name, but he didn't make any comment about it. Instead, he suddenly said, ”Emerge unstained from the filth. I've always remembered the sentence in your article 'On the Love of Lotus'.”
The Headmaster of the Academy stopped, then turned to look at his beloved first apprentice, and said slowly, ”That article is actually telling your story.”
The Eldest Brother lowered his head and said, ”I'm embarrassed by the undeserved praise.”
The Headmaster of the Academy replied, ”There is no perfect man in the world. With respect to morality, you're better than me, better than your Youngest Uncle and better than anyone I have met over these years. But you're not considerate enough and didn't act as well as Jun Mo, on regards to the thing that happened a few days ago.”
The Eldest Brother listened respectfully to the criticisms from his teacher, and said, ”I'm afraid that the Buddhism Sect's disciples have already found out that there is something fishy about the big black umbrella carried by our Youngest Brother, we should be more prudent.”
The Headmaster of the Academy looked at him in silence, then he suddenly flicked his sleeves. Dead leaves disorderly flew on the street and soared straight up into the deep night sky, as if to leave some traces behind the stars.
”They haven't even found the Underworld, how could they find Yama?”
”Moreover, if they can't find Yama himself, how could they find the child of Yama?”
”Even I cannot help liking her, let alone your Youngest Brother, the loony.”
The Headmaster of the Academy looked at Ning Que who was still unconscious and smiled.
Then he said calmly, ”I've said before that nobody can judge unknown and non-confirmable matters in advance, nor cut off the development of any possibility just to eradicate a probable bad outcome, for life itself is a collection of numerous possibilities.”
The Eldest Brother recalled his argument with his Youngest Brother at the Academy's back of the mountain and the words he used at that time; he suddenly realized that he had forgotten the lessons taught by his teacher. His sweat gushed forth in floods and soaked through the old jacket on his body; it was unclear whether this was caused by his tiredness from carrying Ning Que on his back, or because of the astonishment felt in his heart.
”Teacher, I was wrong.”
The Headmaster of the Academy smiled and turned his body forward while the Eldest Brother carried Ning Que on his back and followed his teacher. It was the deep in the night at the end of winter; a teacher was heading forward on the street of Chang'an with his two beloved disciples, but it was unknown where they were heading.
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When night fell in Chang'an, the majority of lights were out. Besides the lights on the walls of the imperial palace, only the boisterous casinos and brothels in the Western City had the lights still on, while the Southern City, filled with ministers and wealthy businessmen, was heavily guarded and was usually already shrouded in darkness at that time. However, there was one mansion that still had lights on tonight.
Inside the mansion of the Grand Secretary of the Imperial Library, Mrs. Zeng was continuously wiping away her tears in a round chair of the study. There was a clear expression of anxiety and pity on her delicate face.
The Grand Secretary Zeng Jing stared at her and sighed, ”Now that our daughter is finally back, why are you still so upset? It's natural that she has a sense of alienation now, and I believe that one day she will call you mother, so don't be so hasty.”
Mrs. Zeng raised her head and replied to her husband sentimentally, ”Of course I understand, and I won't force our daughter to act the way I expect today. I am just heartbroken as her mother, at the thought of her sufferings over the years, I especially can't resist shedding tears when I see her scrawny appearance.”
The Grand Secretary Zeng Jing was astonished and asked, ”What happened to her?”
”The small building in Jingmin Garden is provided with four close maidservants and four supporting maidservants for our daughter. But when I went there, I discovered that the eight girls had been driven out of the building by our daughter. I asked her why, and our daughter told me that she is used to serving someone all these years, and is not used to being waited on.”
Tears escaped from Mrs. Zeng's eyes when she looked at the Grand Secretary and said, ”Do you know what I was feeling as her mother when I heard her words? And don't try to hide anything from me, I know the reason why you hesitated yesterday. You are just worried that Her Majesty intends to draw the Academy over her side and is not willing to see our daughter severing her relationship with her damned master.”
The report from his chamberlain had left Zeng Jing a better impression on Sangsang. His daughter whom he hadn't seen for years was actually a calm, sweet and well-cultured girl despite the fact that she didn't talk too much and didn't seem pleasing. He nodded his head and smoothed his beard, then recalled the prescription of Her Majesty, and said after a moment of silence, ”After all she is our daughter, I won't allow her to leave us once again no matter what is on Her Majesty's mind. Don't worry.”
There was suddenly an abrupt and hurried clopping of horse hooves on the street outside the Secretary's Mansion. The Academy was far away from the front door; however, the clopping was so loud, clear and even heart-stirring in the still of the night.
The Grand Secretary Zeng Jing frowned and stood up to look outside the study.
With hurried steps, the steward of the Secretary's Mansion brought a eunuch into the study.
Looking at the eunuch, Zeng Jing frowned a bit more, then he waved his hand to dismiss all the servants, poured a cup of tea and delivered it to the eunuch. He opened his mouth but did not talk.
All were silent inside the study.
Zeng Jing assumed, wrongly, that Her Majesty wanted to inquire about Sangsang's return from the Old Brush Pen Shop, and had made a thorough mental preparation. However, before he had the chance to speak, the eunuch said to him smilingly, ”Lord Zeng, it's the decree of His Majesty.”
Zeng Jing realized that the visitor was Eunuch Lin, then he fell into confusion. It was rare to see an abrupt decree like this during the night since the Tianqi era, when the Tang Empire was prosperous, the government officials were honest and upright, and the people were at peace. Even if something had happened at the border, his Majesty wouldn't send a eunuch to summon him to the palace. And the eunuch, out of his expectation, was His Majesty's favorite chief eunuch who had the highest rank.
Eunuch Lin didn't leave too much time for Zeng Jing to think about the whole thing, and then said gently, ”His Majesty is delighted by the reunion of your family. I suppose there would be a decree tomorrow, so I have come tonight to express my congratulations.”