Fighter of the Destiny

Under the spotlight, the young man walked forward silently. His posture seemed a little reserved, but he controlled it well and did not appear too nervous. His footsteps were steady. The uniform of the National Education Academy was swaying lightly in the wind. It was not very dazzling, but it was very clean, just like He makes people feel the same.

Is this Chen Changsheng?

There were many discussions and inquiries among the crowd in the square in front of Daming Palace.

Chen Changsheng has long been a celebrity in Kyoto. Many people have heard of his name, his origins and his engagement, but today is the first time many people have seen him.

It was only then that many people in Kyoto had a real impression of him, and found that he was not a handsome young man like Tang Sanliu, let alone a handsome young man, but he gave people a feeling of being approachable.

Chen Changsheng walked up the stone steps to the front of the palace, turned around and looked at the sea of ​​people in the square.

There is a square ebony table beside him, with a wreath of thorns resting on it. The sunlight leaks from the edge of the clouds and falls on the wreath, scattering a faint light.

There is no gold or jade in the wreath of thorns, so it looks very inconspicuous, but it represents the hardship and glory in building the road. It is very meaningful in the national religious tradition and is also a symbol of the first place in the imperial examination.

It gradually became quiet in front of the Daming Palace, and people were waiting for that moment.

The candidates, courtiers, and bishops standing in front of the hall looked at the back of Chen Changsheng standing in the front, with various emotions, some were pleased, some were calm, some were jealous, and some were indifferent. But no matter what their emotions were, at this moment they could only wait for Chen Changsheng to receive this heavy honor.

Somewhat unexpectedly, the Prime Minister, who was responsible for awarding awards to the top three people in the imperial examination, had retreated into the crowd at some point and was not in front of the palace. So who would award the awards?

At this moment, the sunlight falling from the sky onto the wreath of thorns suddenly dispersed and turned into countless strands, condensing into a ball of light in front of the temple. It was a holy white ball of light.

There were exclamations in front of the Daming Palace.

The holy light gradually faded, and a tall figure slowly appeared.

It was an old man wearing divine robes, a divine crown on his head, and holding a staff.

Sacred music played in unison, and a sacred and solemn atmosphere enveloped the entire venue.

The exclamations kept ringing out, and then quickly returned to silence.

Countless people bowed down and saluted the old man. The crowds in the square were like waves, and everyone was bowing down.

Meet the Pope.

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…

The Pope, who has rarely appeared in front of the world in recent years, was actually present in person. This was unexpected and shocking to everyone. Why is this?

Isn't Chen Changsheng a student of the National Education College? Isn’t it the Pope himself who destroyed the National Academy of Education back then? Isn’t the state religion currently in a tense moment of confrontation and struggle between the old and the new?

Appearing in front of the Ming Dynasty Palace, in addition to the Pope, there was also an old man - Bishop Meili Sha of the Cardinal Office. He calmly took the staff handed over by the Pope and stepped aside.

The Pope picked up the wreath of thorns from the ebony table with both hands and walked to Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng was at a loss at this time and didn't know what he should do. He subconsciously looked at the bishop next to him, who smiled and nodded.

The Pope looked at Chen Changsheng and said with a smile: If you are unwilling to bow your head, who can crown you with laurels?

This sentence seems to be just explaining the current situation, and it also seems to have profound meaning. But Chen Changsheng had no time to think about these things, so he quickly bent his knees slightly and lowered his head.

The Pope put the wreath of thorns on his head and adjusted the direction carefully before he felt satisfied and said: I have always thought that this branch is not very beautiful, and I don't know what people in the past thought, but Wearing it on your head, it feels very energetic, not bad.

Chen Changsheng was still in a state of shock and could not understand the hidden meaning of the Pope's words, but at least he heard the Pope's praise for him.

good? How many young people can be rated well by the Pope? He only knew that Mo Yu and King Chen Liu had received this kind of evaluation before, was it his turn now?

Get up, said the Pope.

Chen Changsheng stood up as instructed, subconsciously raised his head and touched the wreath of thorns on his head, confirming with the sharp touch that all this was real, and then he calmed down a little.

Seeing his actions, the Pope laughed.

Only then did Chen Changsheng see the Pope's face clearly.

The Pope is an old man with an old face.

This face is very ordinary. The most special thing is that his eye sockets are extremely deep, like abyss, but not scary because there are blue sea, blue sky and sunshine inside.

The ocean in the Pope's eyes is as calm as a mirror under the sunlight. It is infinite blue. I don't know how deep it is and how wide it is. If the sun disappears and a hurricane suddenly arises, it will naturally be turbulent waves and endless thunder. But now there is only sunshine and no wind and rain. , so there is only kindness, tolerance and peace.

It was the first time that Chen Changsheng saw such eyes. In just an instant, he felt his body become warm. Subconsciously, he wanted to jump into the warm sea water, take a dip or rest.

I don't know how long it took before he woke up.

After waking up, he realized through the touch of the thorn wreath coming from his fingers that only a brief moment had passed and he had not even put down his hand.

Such a solemn, sacred and vast spiritual world is really amazing and awe-inspiring.

Chen Changsheng finally came to his senses at this time and realized that the old man standing in front of him was a being at the pinnacle of the human world. He had entered the sacred realm and was a true saint.

He didn't know how to react, and suddenly he remembered those autumn rains in the Washing Building. Although he didn't know why the Pope helped him, he accepted the help after all.

Thank you. Chen Changsheng saluted seriously to the Pope.

The Pope looked at him with loving eyes, reached out and gently stroked the top of his head, and said: Poor child... good boy... come see me in a few days.

After saying this, he motioned for Chen Changsheng to turn around.

Chen Changsheng was a little confused, so he turned around and faced thousands of people in front of the Daming Palace.

The Pope held his right hand and slowly raised it to the sky.

There was a sudden silence in the field, and then thunderous cheers exploded, as if the sky was about to be lifted.

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…

The Pope left, and so did the Bishop.

The courtiers and cardinals in front of the hall came to Chen Changsheng one after another, looking at him with affection and saying congratulations and reminders. Some people said that if there is any problem with the National Education Academy, they should just go to him, as if they were really his elders. Even Prime Minister Yu Wenjing came over and said three words to him.

Yesterday, the Institute of Chinese Education received a lot of famous invitations and gift lists, because these big shots learned some details of the imperial examination, such as those autumn rains - they could not see the situation clearly, but they had to make arrangements in advance - Today, the Pope was actually present in person and showed such closeness to Chen Changsheng. They didn't understand why, at least he wanted to show his kindness openly.

The rest of the candidates naturally did not receive the same treatment as Chen Changsheng. They looked at Chen Changsheng who was surrounded by big shots outside. Some looked envious, while others expressed sympathy. Tang Sanliu said to Guan Feibai : If this is what it has to be at the top of the list, I would rather not win it.

I would rather not... Guan Feibai said, suddenly came to his senses and said: But, are we familiar with each other? Besides, can you get the first place on the list just by yourself?

The fight is over. As for you still being so at odds with each other, don't you think we should have more sympathy for that poor man Chen Changsheng at this time?

Tang Thirty-Six said this, but he had no intention of stepping forward to help Chen Changsheng. Those were all real big shots. His grandfather was just about the same, but his status was far behind.

Chen Changsheng was very uncomfortable with this kind of scene, especially the smell of incense on these big shots, but he was in a very good mood and couldn't find any problems with etiquette.

At this moment, the front of the palace suddenly became quiet, and the people surrounding him dispersed to make way for a path, and Xu Shiji was seen walking over from outside the crowd.

Xu Shiji was a divine general in the East who was deeply trusted by the Holy Empress. In addition, he had a good daughter, and his status in the court had always been extraordinary. However, at this time, his colleagues in the court and the bishops made way for him, but it was not for these reasons. But because he knew the complicated relationship between him and Chen Changsheng.

These big shots were talking to Chen Changsheng like elders before, but when it comes to elders, only Xu Shiji and his wife in Kyoto can be considered his elders. The most important thing is that the marriage contract was a big deal and people wanted to know. What would Xu Shiji say when he met Chen Changsheng? Many people were mentally prepared to see Xu Shiji's jokes.

The front of the hall became a little quiet.

Xu Shiji walked slowly from outside the crowd and stood in front of Chen Changsheng, his expression indifferent and condescending.

Chen Changsheng saluted but said nothing.

Performance in the imperial examination... was good. Xu Shiji looked into his eyes and said, with an obvious elder tone, but it was a bit stiff in everyone's ears.

Chen Changsheng thought for a while and did not answer.

Xu Shiji raised his brows slightly and suddenly said, Come to my house for dinner tonight.

Hearing this, there was an uproar in the venue.

No one said anything, but many people couldn't help but slander him, especially the old-school ministers. They kept secretly scolding this man for his face, which seemed to be thicker than the palace wall. How could he be so shameless?

To everyone's surprise, Chen Changsheng thought for a while and said, Okay.

Xu Shiji stared into his eyes to confirm that he really understood his invitation and agreed. He looked gentle and said nothing more. He nodded to him and turned around to leave.

After the results were released, there was a routine parade.

Led by Chen Changsheng, the candidates boarded a specially-made chariot and, surrounded by people, walked along the official road along the Luo River in Kyoto City. It took at least two hours to make a circuit.

The whole capital was plunged into a carnival atmosphere.

From time to time, flowers and fruits were thrown onto the chariot by the people. The chariots of Chen Changsheng, Gou Hanshi, Guan Feibai, and Tang Thirty-six had the most flowers and fruits thrown away. If the imperial court had not had experience and sent many sergeants to keep taking them out, they would probably I really want to be buried alive by flowers and fruits.

Walking around the southwest corner of the imperial city, Chen Changsheng felt a little thirsty. Without thinking too much, he touched a cantaloupe from beside him and took a bite. He felt that it was sweet and crispy in the mouth, which was very comfortable. However, he did not expect that his action would cause There was a rain of cantaloupe, which made him hold his head and become speechless.

His eyes fell from the melon rain to the palace, where he saw Lingyan Pavilion and Gan Terrace. He always felt that he saw a small black spot on the edge of the Gan terrace. He thought it was a black sheep.

He waved his hand in that direction. Then he saw the complicated-looking girl Shuang'er in the crowd. Thinking of tonight's meal, his waving hands became a little heavy.

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(My throat hurts terribly. I hope I can speak out in the next two days...Mo, I wish everyone a happy holiday. Today is early in the morning, right?)