Chen Chao raised his head, suddenly feeling that the words of the Heavenly Imperial Institution's vice-chairman were very ridiculous.
"Your Excellency, do you know what you're saying?"
Previously, Xu Tong had been somewhat discreet, but after saying this sentence, things were no longer so simple. It was almost a straightforward discussion of the complexity of the situation.
Chen Chao stared into Xu Tong's eyes, feeling very puzzled. There was still no conclusive evidence about whether the Great Liang Emperor had died in the Northern Frontier. This vice-chairman of the Heavenly Imperial Institution speaking about such matters indicated that it was not a simple scheme.
There was no emotion on Xu Tong's greasy face, only a rather special gleam in his eyes. "Commander Chen, this current crisis only happens once in the Great Liang Dynasty's 200 over years. However, in times of chaos, there are always opportunities. Commander Chen, you don't need to do much. After returning to the Divine Capital, just slightly..."
Xu Tong narrowed his eyes, and finally, some emotion seeped out of that greasy face.
Chen Chao looked at him in silence for a long time and asked, "Which prince is it?"
Whether before or after ascending to the throne, the Great Liang Emperor had always favored the Empress who had now passed away. He took in no consorts, only three princes born to the Empress.
The Third Prince was much younger than his two elder brothers, and he had little influence in the court. Rather than asking which prince, it would be more appropriate to inquire if it was the First Prince or the Second Prince.
Xu Tong did not answer this question, he just said calmly, "We've already prepared everything. As long as Commander Chen returns to the Divine Capital and takes charge of the defense of the Left Guard, just follow our instructions."
Chen Chao looked at Xu Tong without nodding, and just asked, "If His Majesty returns to the Divine Capital, are you all going to force him to abdicate?"
Yes, Xu Tong's current scheme was based on the premise that the Great Liang Emperor was unable to return to the Divine Capital from the Northern Frontier and was convinced that this mighty martial artist of the Great Liang Dynasty was bound to die in the Northern Frontier. However, the question was, who dared to be so certain and take such actions?
Xu Tong laughed and said casually, "Since I've already said so much, I might as well give Warden Chen a hint. It's absolutely impossible for His Majesty to return from his journey north this time."
Chen Chao looked at Xu Tong in silence.
"His Majesty encountered the Demon Emperor on this trip north."
Xu Tong tilted his head, saying with a faint smile, "No matter how heroic, no matter how profound His Majesty's cultivation realm is, he cannot return to the Divine Capital. How can that Demon Emperor be matched by a human's strength?"
Chen Chao was stunned. As a martial artist and a cultivator of the human race, he had heard of the exploits of that Demon Emperor. He knew that he was the most powerful existence among the demons. That powerful northern overlord was indeed difficult for anyone to shake his position.
"If His Majesty encounters the Demon Emperor, the demons will undoubtedly spare no effort to make His Majesty remain there forever. His Majesty is all alone, even if he manages to escape from the hands of the Demon Emperor, how can he leave the thirty thousand miles of the desolate north?"
Xu Tong said with vicissitudes of emotion. Who could remain calm when mentioning that Demon Emperor?
Chen Chao did not speak.
Xu Tong looked at Chen Chao and said calmly, "Since His Majesty won't be coming back, the next emperor for the Great Liang Dynasty is naturally a top priority. If Warden Chen renders such meritorious service, who in the Great Liang Dynasty can shake Warden Chen's position in the future?"
He did not even mention high rank and rich rewards because there was no need at all.
Chen Chao shook his head and said, "Even if I do nothing, I can still reach the top of that mountain as long as the heaven remains unchanged."
Xu Tong was not foolish; it took him only a moment to understand what Chen Chao was implying. This vice-chairman of the Heavenly Imperial Institution grinned and said, "But now, the heaven has already changed."
If heaven did not change, Chen Chao, as a promising junior favored by the Lord Warden Commander, would eventually climb to the top of that mountain and become an important figure in the Great Liang Dynasty. But what if heaven changed?
If he refused, would the new emperor who takes the throne change his mind?
After all, with just one word from him, everything could change.
Did Chen Chao dare to gamble?
Chen Chao smiled and suddenly looked at Xu Tong, saying, "So, it turns out you're a spy."
There were many spies in the Great Liang Dynasty, this was a consensus among countless people in the Great Liang Dynasty.
There were naturally spies in the Heavenly Imperial Institution too, this vice-chairman was one of them.
Xu Tong looked at Chen Chao and did not deny it, saying calmly, "In this world, there is never just right and wrong. It's more about interests."
Chen Chao did not speak. Except, his palm landed on the hilt of his saber.
A hint of killing intent emerged.
Xu Tong still looked at him with a smile, as if he did not care at all about the killing intent produced by Chen Chao at this moment.
The disparity in their realms was too great. Even though Chen Chao had already stepped into the Bitter Sea Realm now, how could he be a match for this Heavenly Imperial Institution's vice-chairman?
Chen Chao kept his hand on the saber hilt and said, "If I don't nod my head, are you going to kill me here?"
……
……
There were many mountains outside of the Divine Capital - tall ones, ordinary ones, and varied.
However, among those many mountains, there was a rather special mountain. It stood out not for the mountain itself, but because there was a nunnery on the mountain.
The nunnery was established in the early years of the Great Liang Dynasty. At that time, Great Liang's founding emperor brought his conscripted soldiers and laid waste to this Divine Capital. Subsequently, he declared the fall of the previous dynasty. However, handling the fate of the consorts and concubines of the last emperor proved to be a difficult matter. Although historical records often awarded them to meritorious officials, the founding emperor was unwilling to do that. Hence, he sent people to build a nunnery on the mountain, naming it Pure Heart Nunnery, to provide a place for those consorts to spend the rest of their lives.
Because those consorts were accustomed to luxury, the nunnery did not quite resemble a typical one. There were no individuals meditating in cultivation, it was just a place to accommodate those nuns.
Due to the striking beauty of those nuns, in the years that followed, there were many unusual stories that happened here.
However, as time passed and the consorts from the previous dynasty gradually passed away, the place did not fall into disuse. There would definitely be many in the world who grew disillusioned with secular life for various reasons, choosing to leave the secular world. Due to the unique nature of this nunnery, in the subsequent years, the women who chose to become nuns were likely daughters of prominent families within the Great Liang Dynasty. They might have resisted arranged marriages imposed by their families or decided to renounce worldly life due to witnessing excessive strife. All in all, all sorts of reasons would give them the idea of becoming a nun.
In the early morning, the heavy snowfall ceased, and the young nuns within the nunnery began to rise from their beds. Armed with brooms, they started to sweep away the accumulated snow from the previous night. Despite being called nuns, they all looked like young girls and appeared more like maidservants.
They did not actively choose the monastic life, they followed their respective mistresses to the nunnery and subsequently became nuns too.
Some nuns began to clean the courtyard, and from the eastern kitchen, smoke billowed as some nuns were already preparing vegetarian food for breakfast.
The vegetarian meals in the nunnery were delicious; surpassing those of any other nunnery. Of course, the reason was not just because the chef in charge had once worked in the palace. The ingredients delivered daily to the nunnery were highly precious. Just like how it was currently winter, but there were still fresh vegetables. Such treatment was far from typical for an ordinary nunnery.
However, because the women practicing asceticism in this nunnery had unusual backgrounds, these luxuries seemed ordinary.
......
