There was a saying that made a lot of sense: "The mountain is there, whether you look at it or not, it's still there."
The dean was in the academy, in the Divine Capital, so he was the mountain. He stood quietly there, whether you look at him or not, he was still there.
When he wanted to see you, no matter how you try to hide, you could not escape too.
Regardless of whether this statement made sense, it was a fact.
Walking by the lakeside, Chen Chao felt a bit heavy-hearted.
Xie Nandu sensed his concern and asked, "What are you thinking?"
Chen Chao did not answer the question. He just looked at the surface of the lake and asked, "I heard that the dean and the current emperor are close friends."
Xie Nandu pondered for a moment and said, "When the current emperor was still Prince Fan, he already became acquainted with Teacher. However, Teacher cannot be considered his best friend. His Majesty's closest friend should be the deceased Nation Teacher."
The Nation Teacher, the monk who originally came from the Deercry Monastery but traveled to the Divine Capital in his early years and became acquainted with the current Great Liang emperor. He was the true close friend of the current Great Liang emperor. At the beginning of the uprising, the Great Liang emperor lacked soldiers and generals. If it were not for the guidance and advice of the Nation Teacher, repeatedly enlightening the Great Liang emperor when he had gone astray from the right path, the Great Liang emperor would have likely given up long ago. Therefore, one of the first actions the Great Liang emperor took after ascending to the throne was to confer the monk as the Nation Teacher.
"It's just a pity that the Nation Teacher once fended off an assassination attempt on His Majesty during his early years and was seriously injured, leaving behind hidden wounds. He already passed away a few years ago. "His Majesty granted special permission for the Nation Teacher to be buried in the imperial tomb, accompanying him for generations."
The Great Liang Dynasty had only been established for 13 years in the Tianjian period. There had not been too many significant events. Each major event was recorded very clearly, including the friendship between the Nation Teacher and the Great Liang emperor which was even more detailed.
"The Nation Teacher and His Majesty became acquainted in their youth and were extremely close friends, while his relationship with the dean is closer to a friendship between gentlemen. Although they have a pretty good relationship too, one represents the academy while the other rules over the entire Great Liang Dynasty. Their relationship is neither distant nor close. There are certain things that are difficult to explain."
Chen Chao merely inquired about the relationship between the dean and the Emperor, but Xie Nandu spoke at length, which surprised Chen Chao.
Xie Nandu asked, "Is there anything else you want to know?"
Chen Chao shook his head and said, "No, that's all."
Xie Nandu did not say anything further and the two of them quickly arrived at the lakeside. A small pavilion at the center of the lake was not far away.
The scholar Wei Xu was fishing by the lakeside.
This was a rare sight.
When Xie Nandu saw Wei Xu, she bowed seriously and then asked, "Senior Brother, what are you doing?"
Wei Xu smiled and said, "Teacher wants to eat fish for dinner tonight."
After saying this, Wei Xu turned his head and looked at Chen Chao, smiling as he said, "Teacher invites you."
Chen Chao saluted silently, maintaining the proper etiquette towards Wei Xu even though the other party did not like him.
After the salutation, he walked towards the small pavilion in the center of the lake without any hesitation. It was as if the worried young man from before had now clarified everything and no longer faced any obstacles.
Watching Chen Chao's back view, Wei Xu said calmly, "Does Junior Sister think he has no secrets?"
Neither the Xie Family nor the Wei Family knew the secrets Chen Chao held. Even the higher-ranking big shots did not know either. However, with the continuous development of things, many influential figures began to have their suspicions and gradually narrowed down the possibilities. The truth would likely be unveiled before long.
This was something that no one could stop.
"Is it very important whether or not he has secrets?" Xie Nandu looked at Wei Xu, her eyes devoid of excessive emotions.
Wei Xu smiled and said, "If it's merely being friends, a friendship kept at a distance, then it doesn't matter. However, if Junior Sister wishes to take a step further, you may face extremely difficult choices."
Hearing this, Xie Nandu shook her head and said, "Making choices like that is something only those with weak determination would face."
She did not finish her sentence, but Wei Xu understood her meaning.
Wei Xu smiled and shook his head, choosing not to argue. With a flick of his hand, the green bamboo fishing rod in his grasp lifted, and a plump and beautiful carp was effortlessly pulled out of the water. The tail of the fish swayed, causing water droplets to splash around.
While Xie Nandu raised her head to look at the young man walking toward the center of the lake.
Chen Chao walked along the path leading to the center of the lake.
The small pavilion was not far ahead.
He walked very slowly, each step was very firm.
The dean under the pavilion had already stood up, looking at Chen Chao from over there. The leader of scholars in the world had a calm expression, showing no trace of emotion as he watched the young man in black. He resembled a majestic mountain.
The dean was indeed like a majestic mountain.
At this moment, if the dean wanted to make things difficult for Chen Chao, there were countless ways to do so. However, he did nothing. He just stood there, watching the young man approach from afar until he arrived before him.
The dean stood under the pavilion, while Chen Chao stood outside.
They were only about ten feet apart.
Chen Chao began to bow. He needed to show his respect to the dean.
The dean looked at him and did not speak.
A long silence ensued.
The silence was so long that Chen Chao began to feel that it was truly too long.
"Deputy Commander of the Left Guard. A few years earlier, you were the warden of Tianqing County. But where were you before that?"
Yes, even someone like the dean could not escape being conventional. He was curious about the young man's identity as well.
The dean did not employ any means. When he asked his question, there was no mental pressure. He was simply like an ordinary scholar; marveling when he reached an exciting part while reading by the lakeside. He could not help but wonder how it was written so well.
Chen Chao pondered the question for a long time before slowly answering, "This junior grew up by the Wei River since young."
When he was at the Xie Family, when faced with the same question from that old man, Chen Chao gave the same answer— he grew up by the Wei River since young, and there was nothing special.
This time, Chen Chao omitted the latter half of the sentence and only said the first part.
He lowered his head, making it impossible for the dean to see his eyes, as if it would be difficult to determine if Chen Chao was lying.
The dean seemed to be completely unconcerned about this and continued, "Growing up by the Wei River means you must have experienced that great flood. It wasn't easy to have survived that calamity."
The great flood in the eleventh year of Tianjian was something many people did not even want to bring up at this moment.
Chen Chao said, "This junior was fortunate enough to survive, albeit with difficulty."
His statement was intriguing. It confirmed that he had experienced that disaster while also supporting his earlier claim of growing up by the Wei River.
The dean smiled and said, "From Tianjian Year 11 to Tianjian Year 13, you served as the warden of Tianqing County for a little over two years. There should be some gaps in between."
"However, it seems like your life before Tianjian Year 11 is a total blank. It's hard for people not to speculate."
The dean spoke slowly, his voice as gentle as a spring breeze as he said, "Actually, you don't need to answer. I also know that there's a possibility that you come from a humble background. If it's just an ordinary household by the Wei River, then it's also natural that no one will pay any attention. It's like wild grass by the river; very inconspicuous. Who would bother to take a closer look?" "In a great flood, even the wild grass is submerged too. No one will know its origins anymore because it's impossible to investigate. In the end, you appeared in Tianqing County. Perhaps due to a small misunderstanding, everyone has made you out to be more complex than you actually are, thinking that you have some grand background. It's certainly possible, but is something like that the truth?"
He asked very seriously.
While everyone in the Divine Capital imagined Chen Chao as a descendant of a previous dynasty's fallen family, or even connected him to that the deposed emperor, the Dean saw something else, taking a different extreme.
But such speculation also had its plausibility.
Chen Chao looked at him and after some thought, asked him to tell him the answer.
However, at this moment, the dean shook his head and said, "I already know, you don't need to say."
Chen Chao felt a bit bewildered.
The dean patted his shoulder and said seriously, "Let those people continue to guess."
Chen Chao smiled bitterly and asked, "What do you mean by that, Dean?"
The dean smiled and said, "Scholars always enjoy being enigmatic. As the leader of the world's scholars, I'm no exception. Some things, whether spoken or unspoken, you have to figure out for yourself if they hold any significance."
Chen Chao was greatly taken aback. He had already anticipated that when he came to the pavilion, the dean would surely bombard him like a tempest. But he did not expect that although the dean had spoken, it did not seem as stressful as he had imagined. The dean even appeared very calm and also very casual in his speech.
Chen Chao let out a sigh of relief and said, "This junior thought it would be another round of intrigue and scheming."
The dean shook his head and said, "Though you have gained some reputation and are considered impressive among your peers too, when it comes to calculating and scheming, how can you compare to an old fellow like me who has lived for so many years?"