Martial Cultivator

After a long silence, the Dean suddenly asked, "Since Your Majesty has returned to the Divine Capital, does that mean there's an answer to the fate of that young man?"

Currently, countless people in the Divine Capital were speculating whether Chen Chao would ultimately be put to death by this Emperor. After all, familial affection and guilt were fundamentally incomparable to the world.

"What do you think?" The Great Liang Emperor did not answer the question but instead threw it back at the Dean.

The Dean replied, "If my opinion matters, then I'll speak."

This statement was very interesting. The Dean knew very well that regardless of what he said, he could not change what the Great Liang Emperor had already decided, so whether he spoke or not made no difference.

"As far as We know, your final disciple is very fond of Our nephew. If he really dies, wouldn't she be heartbroken?"

The Great Liang Emperor did not rush to give his own answer, but when he spoke, there was a hint of jest in his tone.

The Dean said calmly, "Just because she falls in love with a guy in their youth doesn't mean they'll really be together for life. If for some reason they can't reach the end together, some people will forget about such matters after a while. However, there are still many who will hold onto those feelings. But as for her, I don't know how she'll react. Perhaps she will hate Your Majesty for life, and one day, a few flying swords might appear before Your Majesty. Or she might accept reality because after all, what Your Majesty wants to do is the same as what she wants to do." "I'm not sure about the weight of that young man in her heart, or if he's as important to her as the things she wants to do."

The Great Liang Emperor smiled but said nothing.

The Dean lamented, "Actually, you can't get around the word 'feelings.' Like Your Majesty, the people of the world are also speculating: if it weren't for the word 'feelings', would Your Majesty have done better?"

These words subtly referred to that deceased Empress of Great Liang. The expression on the Great Liang Emperor's face remained unchanged, but the lakeside became a little colder.

The whole world knew that the Great Liang Emperor had no weaknesses in his life. Apart from the Empress, he did not even care much about his children, never showing favoritism towards anyone. Otherwise, it would not have caused the current situation in the imperial court where everyone is unsure about the succession.

"Did Your Majesty gain anything from this trip to the north?"

The Dean did not care too much either. If a single sentence could cause offense, then the Great Liang Emperor would not be sitting in that chair.

The Great Liang Emperor responded indifferently, "We saw an extremely beautiful flower."

This answer was obviously not what the Dean expected, but since the Emperor had said so, he could only refrain from asking further. He knew the temperament of the Emperor too well. If he did not want to say something, no matter how many times you asked, he would not say it. And if he wanted to say something, you could only listen.

"After tonight, the Xia Family will be no more."

The Great Liang Emperor seemed to say with some regret: "If We had returned a few days earlier, they should have disappeared before the year-end."

It seemed that the Great Liang Emperor was somewhat displeased that the Xia Family could spend the New Year peacefully.

The Dean remarked, "Even spies have to celebrate the New Year."

Without waiting for the Great Liang Emperor to speak, the Dean continued, "The Xia Family may be spies, but not all spies in the Great Liang Dynasty belong to the Xia Family. Your Majesty, are you planning to do something?"

The Great Liang Emperor remained ambiguous, "We are just not too happy that there are some spies under Our eyelids. Now that We have dealt with the biggest one, the others should behave themselves a little."

The Dean was rather worried, "There are issues in both the north and south, Your Majesty. You might be overexerting yourself."

The Great Liang Emperor dismissed it, "In this position, can one ever not be exhausted?"

The Dean fell silent, realizing that too many words might become bothersome at some point.

The Great Liang Emperor glanced at the Dean and concluded this conversation with one final remark, "The student you taught turned out pretty well."

……

……

Following the commotion from the Xia Family, Liu Banbi left. Chen Chao and Xie Nandu exchanged a glance but did not say anything.

Xie Nandu took a few steps and approached Chen Chao, saying, "I'll be waiting for you outside the office."

Then she left the Left Guard's office.

Chen Chao exchanged a few words at the gate. Weng Quan was furious about the attack on the Left Guard Commander and wanted to track down the culprit. However, Chen Chao remained indifferent, saying, "If you could find evidence, it wouldn't have just been him alone."

Weng Quan frowned. "Are we going to allow them to attack government officials in the Divine Capital?"

Chen Chao remained silent, thinking that while his life seemed to be spared for now, there was still a sword hanging over his head, and it was hard to say when it might fall.

After giving some brief instructions, Chen Chao arrived at the gate. Xie Nandu had already opened up an oiled-paper umbrella and waited for a long time. Seeing Chen Chao, her first words surprised him, "After tonight, the Xia Family will no longer exist."

Chen Chao was initially shocked, then realized belatedly, "So this was the last thing that His Majesty wanted to do."

Leaving the Divine Capital and causing chaos in the Divine Capital, many speculated that the Great Liang Emperor might want to kill Chen Chao. However, Chen Chao knew that his life and death did not need to depend on such tricks. It was all within the whim of the Great Liang Emperor, and it turns out that what the Great Liang Emperor really wanted to do had always been this.

Xie Nandu said, "Come back with me to the academy. It will be safer there."

She was always straightforward in her speech. If there was anywhere in the Divine Capital that might have a chance to protect Chen Chao, it would probably only be the academy.

The academy had the Dean, this was her confidence.

But, Chen Chao replied with some pessimism, "If I'm truly destined to die, it seems it won't matter where."

Xie Nandu did not want to dwell on it, she just said straightforwardly, "Then die in front of me."

Chen Chao smiled bitterly. This girl was indeed different from ordinary girls, speaking so casually about such matters.

However, after a moment's thought, Chen Chao did not refuse. If he were to die, dying in the academy would not be something particularly hard to accept.

Walking together under the umbrella along the long street, slowly heading towards the South Lake, Chen Chao suddenly asked a question that made Xie Nandu furrow her brows slightly.

What he asked was that if she knew that he would come with so much trouble, then would she have chosen to sever their relationship back then by choosing to give a large sum of skygold currency?

Xie Nandu did not look at Chen Chao, simply saying, "Do you think I like you because you saved me?"

Chen Chao asked in puzzlement, "Isn't it?"

In his view, even if it was not because he saved her, it should still be the start of a story. The snowy night at the mountain god temple was a rather interesting start to their story. Regardless of how one looked at it, such a story's beginning seemed perfect.

Xie Nandu knew what Chen Chao was thinking. After a long silence, she said, "If there is indeed a beginning, it's that sweet potato."

Chen Chao was taken aback. He knew the girl in front of him loved eating sweet potatoes, but he had not realized just how much weight that sweet potato held in her heart.

He patiently waited for the girl to explain further, but unfortunately, up until the end, Xie Nandu did not elaborate. She just shook her head and said, "It's meaningless for me to tell you what I think."

Chen Chao sighed in response, feeling somewhat regretful about this answer.

There were some things he understood clearly on his own, but when it came to the girl in front of him, there were many things he could not quite comprehend no matter how much he tried, which frustrated Chen Chao at times.

The girl in front of him was seriously too clever.

She possessed intelligence beyond her years.

As the two chatted along the way, they soon arrived at the entrance of the academy. Both of them instinctively looked up at the word "Academy" on the gate, then continued walking forward. However, after a few steps, the girl began to regret bringing Chen Chao to the academy.

Because at this moment, a tall man stood before them.