1049 The Blooming Tree By The Corner (2/2)
”What Liu Bai and my brother did was something I have never tried. I have kept an indifferent attitude toward faith. Perhaps that was also another type of piety. But I might need to make some changes now.”
Mo Shanshan said, ”The entire world is changing.”
Ye Hongyu knew she was referring to the New Stream and said, ”I will hold my sword and guard their faith.” Upon those words, the New Stream had found a new guardian.
During the process of Ye Su's establishment of the New Stream, Liu Bai, the Sage of Sword was their first guardian. Then it was Liu Yiqing. The Sword Garret played an important role in the course.
The Academy was closely related to the New Stream. But neither the Eldest Brother nor Ning Que could have played the guardian's role because they were non-believers.
Ye Hongyu turned to Mo Shanshan and continued, ”I will need more help from you.”
Mo Shanshan understood that. In the development of the New Stream, the support from a kingdom would serve as an accelerator and help provide a more solid foundation.
Just like the Academy could never be a guardian, Tang could only support the New Stream with their troops. It would never allow the New Stream to become the religion of the empire.
But that was not a problem for the Great River Kingdom. People of this kingdom, despite their closeness to Tang, were after all Haotian's followers. They did not belong to the South School of Haotian Taoism. Moreover, she was the empress.
”That we will definitely provide.” Mo Shanshan pushed her glasses a bit upward. It was cute.
Ye Hongyu noticed her cute movement but frowned, ”Did Ning Que make that?”
Mo Shanshan felt a bit embarrassed and tried to explain, ”It is very good for my eyes.”
”As long as you don't take it as a token of love.”
Ye Hongyu mocked, ”You went to Peach Mountain to save me. But actually you were trying to help Ning Que. However is he aware of this? Even if he is, will he care?”
Mo Shanshan looked at the blooming tree by the corner of the imperial city and said, ”That tree bloomed for itself, not for anyone else.”
Ye Hongyu signed, ”What an idiot.”
Mo Shanshan smiled, ”He used to call people idiots. And he used to call you an idiot.”
”Can we try not to relate anything about that shameless and useless fellow?”
Ye Hongyu was slightly offended. ”Most women in this world do not cherish themselves. You are one of the very few who deserve my respect. But if you could not get rid of your weakness, you are no different from any ordinary woman.”
Mo Shanshan was curious. ”What weakness?”
”Love. In another word, Ning Que.” Ye Hongyu continued, ”If you have desires, you can simply get any man to sleep with. Emotions cheat. To indulged those sensations is outrageously stupid.”
Mo Shanshan found herself helpless and argued, ”It's different.”
”Even if you were right, even if love was sweet, you should try with someone else rather than Ning Que. He is the most useless and shameless person I've ever met.” Ye Hongyu emotionlessly made the worst comments to someone. She used to think highly of Ning Que even if he was indeed shameless. But at least he had something in him that echoed her philosophy, and even made her think that they were of the same kind.
But now she had completely different perceptions. She could not stop the fire in the small courtyard in the Song because she was imprisoned in the Divine Halls of West-Hill. She thought that the Academy could have saved Ye Su. But Ning Que had failed her. To her, he was extremely useless and that had made her outrageous.
”I'm heading off.”
”Take good care of yourself.”
”Will you be in the imperial palace forever?”
”I am the empress.”
”Have you ever thought of going to Chang'an? Or playing a more important role?”
”But I am the empress… Although I was tricked into this throne, I am the empress now therefore I have to be responsible for my people. The war has already launched. How could I leave?” Ye Hongyu said nothing further.
She called Chu Youxian and Chenqi, gave them a letter and said, ”Only Ning Que can open it.”
When leaving Chang'an, Chu Youxian and Chen Qi were prepared to face death. They behaved extremely bravely when they were in the Divine Halls of West-Hill. And it was actually because of them that the West-Hill was in chaos now.
Getting away from the West-Hill and arriving at the Great River Kingdom, they finally accepted the fact that they were not dying and found some relief. But now upon receiving the letter they got stiff again, just like when they left Chang'an.
Chu Youxian found the letter heavy as a rock. He had no idea what was in it but he knew it was extremely important because of the solemn look on Ye Hongyu's face.
He and Chen Qi would not stay in the Great River Kingdom. They would set off right away, go to Yuelun Kingdom via the forest by the turning point of the river, and eventually return to Tang. It would be a long journey. Carrying such an important letter, they could not help feeling overburdened.
The carriage took them away toward Tang together with the letter. Ye Hongyu was ready to mount her carriage but she heard someone talking behind her by the gate. It was the Cat Girl taking to Mo Shanshan.
”Since… Haotian is no longer in the human world, why don't we go to Chang'an?”
Mo Shanshan did not answer. It was either because she did not have an answer or because of some other reason. Ye Hongyu looked back and found a mocking smile on the Cat Girl's face. Instead of saying anything further, she stepped onto the carriage and ordered her subordinates to leave.
They came out of the capital and traveled until dusk. They got in to the Mogan Mountain and proceeded lonely on the mountain trail. The setting sun flushed the horizon. Ye Hongyu lifted the curtain and stared at the scarlet evening sky. She wondered, Where is the Divine Kingdom? Are you really there?
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