After sending off Chen's two brothers, Chen Mo's cell quieted down again, and he lay on the broken straw mat leisurely, with his legs crossed, as if waiting for something.
Not long after, the cell door was opened again, and two people walked in.
Chen Mo's legs crossed in the air hesitated for a moment, and he turned to look outside the cell, "Finally, it's here."
It was not others, but XU Changqing and PEI Jiangnan who had come from the courtyard.
"I,..."
XU Changqing saw Chen Mo and opened his mouth, ready to introduce himself, but was suddenly interrupted by Chen Mo.
"Sir, are you the Principal of the Confucian Academy XU Changqing?"
The moment the words fell, XU Changqing was slightly taken aback, nodded, then asked curiously, "Chen Mo young friend, have you met me?"
"I have not seen you before, but I guessed that you would come to find me."
Chen Mo smiled slightly and replied.
XU Changqing, the Principal of the Confucian Academy, is a renowned scholar, a man of letters who lacks the strength to tie a chicken, but he is also an ardent seeker of the Dao.
For over sixty years, he has been struggling to find the Dao, but has gained nothing. At this time, he is almost ready to give up on his lifelong pursuit. However, Chen Mo knows that XU Changqing is not unable to find the Dao, but that he has not yet reached the time to understand it.
When he was eighty years old, a chance came along and he realized the Dao in an instant, entered the Dao through literature, reached the second rank overnight, becoming a legend of Tianlong's dynasty, and was worshipped as the Sage of Letters in posterity.
"Chen Mo young friend, do you also practice divination?"
XU Changqing curiously asked, "Besides this reason, I can't think of why Chen Mo young friend would know that I would come to find you."
"It is"
Chen Mo nodded slightly, "Are you here to ask about the Dao?"
XU Changqing was shocked, and his pupil shrank suddenly, "You, you are really divine."
"I have wasted over seventy years, struggling to find the Dao all my life. However, to this day, I have not gained any enlightenment. What is the Dao? The world praises martial arts as the supreme path, and it flourishes; but old man feels that with nine states so vast, how can there be only one path? Chen Mo young friend said that there are three thousand ways of the Dao in the world. Can this world truly exist three thousand ways?"
"The Dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name."
Chen Mo simply said one sentence, and XU Changqing's pair of old eyes suddenly shone with a strange color.
"Please teach me the Dao Ancestor, what is the Dao?"
"The Dao, it is mysterious and profound. As it is said, the Dao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things. All things can be the Dao. The saying of three thousand ways of the Dao is not impossible, nor is it impossible to enter the Dao through literature. Master Xu has been searching for the Dao for over sixty years without any gain. It's not that the Dao does not exist; it's just that you haven't understood it yet. The Dao you are seeking..."
"The Dao I am seeking?"
XU Changqing's eyes paused for a moment, and then followed up with a question: "Teach me the Dao Ancestor."
I'm just a poser, I know nothing about the Dao... Chen Mo muttered to himself, then said solemnly, "You shouldn't ask me, but yourself."
XU Changqing's eyes dimmed down, but he quickly realized, "One thing about the Dao, I will put it aside for now. I thank the Dao Ancestor for resolving my doubts today. However, I cannot help with the problem of your being trapped. What you are dealing with is the prince of Ning Wang's family, a royal family; while I am just a man of letters without any real power...".
"Even a scholar has his own methods."
Chen Mo laughed softly, saying, "Master XU, sometimes a scholar's words can be as deadly as a sword... You don't need to find any high-ranking officials for me. Just speak up for me. And remember what I say next because whether this matter succeeds depends entirely on you...".
About half an hour later, he finally told XU Changqing his thoughts, and the latter nodded, indicating that he had already remembered. There was a hint of confusion on his face, but when he looked at Chen Mo, perhaps as long as he did a good job, he could really save him.
"Chen brother, then what about me... I heard that Ning Wang is the culprit responsible for refining demons. I want to start directly from Ning Wang's mansion. As long as we find the evidence, they will receive the appropriate punishment, and at that time, you will be safe"
PEI Jiangnan looked at Chen Mo with a serious expression, and the latter nodded slightly, "Your idea is good, but the direction is wrong. Ning Wang's mansion doesn't have the evidence you want, and besides, with your identity, you can't enter Ning Wang's mansion. So, go back and find Brother Aotian..."
Zhao Family
Zhao Dezhu, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, has three sons. The eldest son and the second son are useless and have become scholars. At least they have passed the imperial examination and have won a reputation; however, in this age of martial arts flourishing, scholars are ultimately a weak group.
All of Zhao Dezhu's hopes were placed on his third son, Zhao Wang. Fortunately, his eldest son did not disappoint expectations, awakening a super-grade spiritual vein and opening two spiritual veins in one night, promising a bright future.
However, at this crucial moment, his third son died.
Zhao Dezhu swore that he would make the murderer of his third son repay with blood, and filed a lawsuit to the Ministry of Justice. After that, he stayed at home mourning his son and quietly waiting for the news of the trial.
However, he didn't receive the awaited message; instead, he was visited by an unwelcome guest, Chen Jin.
Zhao Dewang, with red-eyed circles, sat in the main seat of the hall and staring at Chen Jin with fierce eyes like eagles and falcons. "Chen Jin, the killer of my son Zhao Wang is your third brother. I originally didn't want to see you, but since you are good friends with my son Zhao Wang and call us brothers, I agreed to meet you once. If you come to beg for Chen Mo's mercy, then there is no need for further discussion...".
"Uncle Zhao, you are kidding. Everyone in the capital knows that I hate Chen Mo. Not long ago, he beat me up. Now I want him dead."
"So, what brings you here this time?"
"My dear third brother, he's always been a troublesome child. Now, he has even killed Uncle Zhao"
"Hmph, so I want him to pay back his blood debt with blood and give his life in return"
"But, he didn't just kill my younger brother Zhao; today, he also injured the Prince of Ning's son."
"What?"
Zhao Dezhu was surprised, Ning Wang's son dared to beat him, he was really audacious. However, this was good news for him. Beating Ning Wang's son meant that Chen Mo couldn't survive.
"That's great. Perhaps even without the case being accepted, Chen Mo will die a painful death."
"But there is a problem here"
"However, the problem is that..."
"This..."
That's a crime punishable by the death of nine generations of a family. Does he really dare to do that? Could it be that from the very beginning, he was aiming at his own nine generations?
Zhao Dezhu looked at Chen Jin and expressed his sympathy, "Be consoled."
"Uncle Zhao, I haven't finished speaking yet"
"You said, but, if you want my help, I am helpless as well. After all, this is a matter that can bring about the extermination of nine generations of a family. I can't help you."
"I really want Uncle Zhao to help me with something. That is, to withdraw the case of my younger brother. My third brother said that the person wasn't him who killed it."
"That's impossible"
Zhao Dezhu slapped the table, shouting with all his might, "This is impossible! This is his own son! The hope of Zhao Family! Even if it costs him his life, he will not withdraw the case!"
"So, let's continue talking about Chen Mo's affairs... My third brother is really not a worry. He insulted the prince after that, and the prince was so angry that he wanted to report to the emperor and execute him for nine generations. Can you guess what my third brother said?"
What did he say?
Zhao Dezhu's attitude has relaxed somewhat, holding up the teacup and looking indifferent on his face.
"He said, 'Execute my nine generations? Even if you execute me ten generations, what can you do?' Then the prince became enraged and said that he would fulfill his third brother's requirement and report to the emperor. I believe that the emperor will agree with this."
"Hahaha, insulting the ancestors of the emperor is indeed worthy of exterminating ten generations."
Zhao Dezhu nodded slightly and lifted the teacup to take a sip.
"That's right, I think so too. But last year, I became close friends with my younger brother Zhao and we sworn as brothers... In that case, Uncle Zhao, you are also among the ten generations of my Chen family."
Zhao Dezhu's tea cup trembled slightly, spilling the tea, and his mouth was shaking.
"Uncle Zhao, the prince is asking my third brother to apologize. If he agrees, then the matter of his insults can be overlooked, and his ten generations will be safe. But, my third brother has not agreed yet... I pleaded with him and finally got him to promise me that if he can be cleared of any wrongdoing, he will bow down and apologize to the prince."
"What, what white innocence?"
Zhao Dezhu was startled, and suddenly remembered what Chen Jin had just said, withdraw the case...
