Martial Cultivator

Chapter 588: Everyone is Here

Seeing Chen Chao appear here, Xie Nandu did not show any surprise, as if she had long expected the young man before her to show up.

"You don't seem surprised at all that I'd come here"

Chen Chao said as he walked under the eaves. He pulled out a bench and sat down, leaning against a pillar, his hand unconsciously picking at the paint on it.

Xie Nandu noticed and frowned slightly but did not say anything. She simply said, "If you plan to attend tomorrow's banquet, you'll definitely come here tonight. If you didn't want to attend, of course, you wouldn't fail to appear."

Chen Chao frowned, "A lot of people are guessing that tomorrow will be the day I die. I have plenty of reasons not to show up."

Xie Nandu remained indifferent and just said, "You don't think you'll die, so what difference does it make what others say?"

Chen Chao sighed, "To be honest, I've thought about it for days and feel there's a real possibility I might die."

Xie Nandu asked, "Aren't you convinced His Majesty won't kill you?"

"I firmly believe he doesn't want to kill me. But sometimes, I also know very well that in this world, not everything can be avoided just because someone doesn't want it to happen. There's this concept of the 'greater good,' and it forces many people to do things they originally never wanted to do."

Xie Nandu asked, "If you're really worried about these things, why did you kill Song Ting?"

The Marquis Huainan, Song Ting, was one of the great contributors back in the day. Killing him would allow many other contributors to pressure His Majesty into executing Chen Chao, those who were the Emperor's most loyal subjects. Often, he had no choice but to consider their opinions.

Chen Chao thought for a moment and said, “Perhaps not killing him was the best choice, it would have made things less difficult for His Majesty. However, if he wants to kill me, I must naturally kill him. Moreover, by the time I arrived that night, someone had already killed his entire family.”

“Yet he still died at my hands.”

Chen Chao reached out to peel off a piece of paint and said, “He was very pitiful as well, merely used by others.”

Xie Nandu said, “It seems there's a great conspiracy, your situation became even more difficult. Logically speaking, you should run away now.”

“The world belongs to the Great Liang. Where can I run to? Am I supposed to seek help from the foreign lands or seek refuge from the demon race?"

"The blood of the Chen family flows in my veins after all, if I really do that, it would really feel like I'm betraying my father and ancestors."

Chen Chao chuckled self-deprecatingly, “Back then, I took the initiative to come to the Divine Capital. When I was young, I was brought away from the Divine Capital. Now, if I run again, it feels like I'm repeating a story that has happened before. To be honest, I'm a bit tired.”

“That makes sense. However, this matter has turned into something beyond just your uncle and nephew, how it develops seems no longer limited to just the two of you.”

Xie Nandu said, “You are very brave.”

“Perhaps you should go to the palace and meet him first.”

Xie Nandu looked at Chen Chao. Entering the palace was not difficult, with the power of the Xie Family, getting him into the palace would be easy.

Chen Chao replied, “We can all enter the palace tomorrow, there's no need for an extra trip.”

Xie Nandu said, “You know that's not what I mean.”

Chen Chao smiled, “It's not much different.”

Xie Nandu fell silent. After a long while, she reached out to hold Chen Chao's hand, and they sat together through the night.

……

……

At dawn, many people in the Divine Capital were preparing. Today was the Emperor's banquet, and it definitely would not be an ordinary banquet.

The carriages from the palace slowly drove out, heading toward the residences of many important figures. Of course, not everyone attending the banquet could receive such attention from the palace, so many people watching the carriages could also speculate about who truly mattered in the Emperor's heart.

The carriage from the palace stopped at the entrance of the Xie Family. After waiting for a long time, the Xie Family's ancestor finally walked out, leaning on a cane. This old man, who had witnessed several dynasties and was the true authority within the Xie Family, arrived at the manor's gate. Raising his head to look at the sun with narrowed eyes, he stood there, lost in thought. The palace eunuchs watched this white-haired elder, and did not urge him to hurry. For an important figure like him, it was likely that even the Premier could not compare. They needed to show absolute respect.

It was unknown how much time had passed, the Xie Family's ancestor slowly opened his mouth to ask, “What about that girl? Will she go today?”

While he spoke, the palace attendants remained silent. It was a member of the Xie Family who answered, “Miss has received the invitation, she should be attending.”

The Xie ancestor grunted in acknowledgment and said nothing more. Instead, he slowly approached the carriage and smiled, saying, “It's been many years since I entered the palace. It's a good chance to see what changes there are now.”

Someone kindly lifted the curtain for him, and then the Xie Family's ancestor sat inside the carriage.

The carriage began to move slowly, and a group of Xie Family members watched silently from behind, unknown what they were thinking about.

Such scenes were playing out in many places.

The Dean's carriage also passed by the South Lake under the watchful gaze of all the students.

The students remained quiet, either coming from prominent families or having been in the Divine Capital for many years. They already knew that this banquet was different from the past. Once the Dean's carriage had gone far away, they could not help but start discussing among themselves.

“I wonder if that young martial artist will show up.”

“He really seems to be the late Crown Prince's son.”

“Yes, but how could someone as gentle as jade like the late Crown Prince have such a son?”

“Well, his mother is the daughter of that Great General, so having some martial spirit makes sense too.”

……

……

Xie Nandu walked out of the small courtyard. The academy's carriage had been waiting here for a long time. She slowly stepped into the carriage, but the coachman did not immediately set off. He waited for quite a while.

Xie Nandu knew what the coachman was thinking and shook her head, saying, “Let's go.”

Only then did the coachman crack his whip, and the carriage moved forward.

The students by the South Lake had not yet dispersed. When they saw the carriage, they began to whisper among themselves.

“This is the first time Senior Sister Xie has received such treatment. It's the first time His Majesty has sent an invitation to someone like her.”

The invitations for the annual banquet were typically sent to those of established status. Someone like Xie Nandu, who did not have a fitting status, should not have been able to receive one.

“I heard that Senior Sister Xie went to the Northern Frontier before, and even the young generals at the Northern Frontier admired her. It seems she truly has a talent for leading troops. I wonder if she'll become the Great Liang Dynasty's first female general in the future.”

"This is ridiculous. Senior Sister Xie is going to be the next Dean and the leader of all scholars under the heavens. How could she go and do those things?"

"Speaking of which, if Junior Sister Xie becomes the dean, it would also be a first."

Wang Kuan appeared at some point and, watching Xie Nandu's carriage slowly move into the distance, he sighed with emotion.

Someone asked, "Senior Brother Wang, does the Dean really plan to make Senior Sister Xie the next Dean? Why do I feel like Mr. Wei is more suitable?"

Although Wei Xu was also a disciple of this generation, perhaps because he was much older, people preferred to address him as Mr. Wei.

Wang Kuan said, "The Dean has great wisdom and will naturally choose the best successor. What do we have to worry about?"

"That's true. The Dean's choice will surely be the best."

The students all nodded in agreement.

Further away, Wei Xu listened to their conversation. Looking at these people, there was no expression on his face.

……

……

At a fork in the road, the Left Guard's and Right Guard's carriages met. Yao Dao lifted the curtain and, seeing the Left Guard's carriage not far away, he frowned and asked, "Your Excellency, how could Song Lian still receive an invitation? Shouldn't he be at home reflecting on his actions?"

Ye Dayuan's expression was grim, and he remained silent.

Yao Dao said with dissatisfaction, "After doing something so outrageous, Song Lian can still get by like this. His Majesty is being far too lenient with him!"

Ye Dayuan still said nothing, only thinking about what happened that night, about the now-deceased Marquis Huainan, Song Ting, and feeling a chill in his heart.

"Has the Court of Judicial Review found anything?"

Ye Dayuan asked, "What has Han Pu been up to lately?"

Yao Dao shook his head and said, "I heard that the Court of Judicial Review has been in complete disarray recently. Han Pu might not even be able to attend today's banquet."

Ye Dayuan nodded and said nothing more.

……

……

Song Lian’s carriage arrived at the palace gates. He slowly stepped out. This Left Guard Commander's expression did not look too good today. He seemed even more pale, but the frustration between his brows was more noticeable.

At the palace gate, a female attendant led Song Lian inside.

Song Lian glanced around, but he did not see the person he wanted to, which only made him more irritable.

The court officials were arriving one by one at the palace gates. However, as soon as they stepped down from their carriages, they quickly scattered to the sides, because someone was approaching from the back of the crowd.

The First Prince who was as large as a small mountain, arrived at the gates, coughing.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Voices rose one after another.

The First Prince smiled and returned the greetings, then brought his consort and arrived in front of the palace gate. After adjusting his clothes a bit, he headed inside.

Since it was a banquet, as the Emperor's eldest legitimate son, he naturally had to attend.

However, after entering the palace gate, the First Prince turned his head to glance behind him, and then could not help but start coughing again.

The First Prince Consort gently patted his back, her eyes showing a trace of affection.

The First Prince smiled and said, "What's there to worry about? I won't die."

Hearing this, the concern in the First Prince Consort's expression grew heavier.

The First Prince did not say anymore and simply asked, "Any news yet?"

The First Prince Consort shook her head.

The First Prince sighed, "In past years, at this time, we would have gone to pay respects to Imperial Mother first. Now, there's nowhere to go."

It had been over a year since the Empress passed, and even their eldest sister had departed this world last year.

The First Prince rubbed his slightly round face and sighed sadly.

Then the two of them slowly walked ahead.

Not long after, the Third Prince arrived at the palace gate too. He was alone, appearing somewhat forlorn. As he passed through the gate, he too let out a sigh.