Heaven's Silence

Chapter 70 – Probe

Cheng Feng explained to the two of them that as long as one's calligraphy was good enough, they could enter Langan Pavilion without having to memorize those so-called tedious academic records.

Hearing this for the first time, the two felt a strong sense of contrast about Langan Pavilion, the revered sanctuary of books that countless students of the Qi Kingdom aspired to.

Wen Chaoshen stared at the two characters for "eternity" that Cheng Feng had just written, feeling somewhat stung, and couldn't help but ask:

"Cheng Feng, if what you say is true, aren't countless students across the land wasting their time?"

Cheng Feng laughed, a laugh filled with bitterness.

"The first thing I did after returning from the academy was to burn those books and scriptures."

"Those magnificent poems and writings, when burned, were no more intense than firewood. Eventually, only one book, the 'Treatise on Governing the Nation,' was left at home."

"Brother Chaoshen, you mentioned wasting time... your words are sharp and precise."

"The scholars who enter the academy, don't they all have a natural elegance from their knowledge of poetry and books?"

"But as time passes, their enthusiasm is gradually worn down by reality. These scholars will find that they cannot govern a nation; the 'Book of Songs,' the mountains and seas, the state and society, the people's livelihood they once memorized... none of it is useful."

"Years of hard study covered their entire youth, and the moment they entered Langan Pavilion, it was all piled into a dusty corner, forgotten."

"The only thing they can do is be confined to that small space, endlessly practicing calligraphy, practicing, practicing..."

Faced with Cheng Feng's self-deprecating account, Wen Chaoshen's thoughts stirred, and he shifted the topic:

"Listening to you, it seems the students across the land are in a pitiful state... but what I learned from another friend in Langan Pavilion paints a different picture."

Cheng Feng was taken aback by this, looking at Wen Chaoshen with suspicion:

"You know someone else in Langan Pavilion?"

He hadn't expected it, nor did he believe Wen Chaoshen's words.

His skepticism stemmed from having spent a long time in Langan Pavilion himself, knowing how strictly controlled the students were, making it difficult to communicate with the outside world.

One could either obtain an official position and leave Langan Pavilion, but that required signing a confidentiality agreement. If any information leaked, consequences would swiftly follow—either mysterious deaths or strange disappearances, which everyone avoided discussing, thus abiding by the rules.

Without sufficient benefit, who would risk their life?

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Wen Chaoshen pondered briefly, crafting a lie, and said:

"I did have a friend I got along with, named Xu Yizhi. How we met is complicated, and I won't go into detail. I wanted to ask him about the matters in the letter, but something seems to have happened on his end. I haven't been able to reach him for months, as if he's disappeared... By the way, Brother Cheng Feng, do you know Xu Yizhi?"

Upon hearing the name, Cheng Feng's expression turned peculiar. After a moment's hesitation, he simply said:

"I don't know him."

"But I do know there's such a name in the academy."

Wen Chaoshen confirmed the existence of Xu Yizhi from him and didn't delve further. As he bid farewell to Cheng Feng, the latter suddenly called out to him, and when Wen Chaoshen turned back, Cheng Feng said:

"Brother Chaoshen, what you're investigating is no small matter; it could very well bring trouble upon yourself. A living person doesn't just disappear without reason. I advise you not to contact Xu Yizhi for a while; it's better for both you and him."

Wen Chaoshen nodded with a smile:

"Understood."

On the way, A Shui was particularly attentive to Cheng Feng's words, saying:

"You're clever, using Cheng Feng to probe 'Xu Yizhi.' Now we know there's such a person in the academy, and Xu Yizhi even knows Liu Jinshi..."

Wen Chaoshen interrupted her train of thought:

"That's not the point, A Shui."

"The point is Cheng Feng's almost instinctive skepticism when I mentioned knowing others in Langan Pavilion."

"Can you sense it? The people from that academy are almost impossible to associate with small figures from remote places."

"To the people of the Royal City, I'm a small figure, and so is Liu Jinshi."

"And the matters related to Liu Jinshi are significant. To avoid leaving evidence, it's unlikely that the officials in the Royal City would use letters to communicate with him. They would more likely send someone of importance to deliver verbal instructions... Liu Jinshi knowing the name 'Xu Yizhi' indirectly confirms they might have met. If we deduce from this, the whole process is—someone important in the Royal City wanted something done, sent Xu Yizhi to find Liu Jinshi, and together they completed the task, then erased those who knew or participated in it."

As he spoke, his tone grew increasingly peculiar, his expression heavy with doubt, feeling as though the situation was shrouded in mystery.

"But I truly don't understand, what could a mere magistrate possibly do that leaves traces significant enough to threaten a powerful figure in the Royal City?"

Wen Chaoshen mused aloud, when something suddenly caught his eye. He stopped in his tracks, looked up, and realized that the snow, which had paused for a couple of days, was falling again.

The crystalline shapes of the snowflakes were particularly clear in his eyes.

For some reason, this light snowfall reminded him of Aunt Mi outside Qingtian.

He was certain that at this moment, she must be sitting by the bed, gazing out the window at the snow, thinking of her child who had gone off to join the army and hadn't returned for years.

In her mind, her child must have countless wonderful encounters, perhaps achieving merits, reading more books, or meeting a girl he liked.

But after so long, could this old woman still remember her child's appearance from the few perfunctory words on a letter?

"I suppose... it's time to return the letter."

He sighed.