Chapter 130 — Barring the Gate, Striking at the Heart
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 2
"Jiantang has a truly peculiar temper. " He shook his head. "I wonder who that woman he loved long ago might be.
Perhaps the two could be brought back together. But with Jiantang's temper so peculiar, I daresay that even if they were reunited, they would part again. " He returned to the Scholars' Residence, and suddenly saw a great many scholars heading down the mountain. Not only were the scholars of the Scholars' Residence streaming downhill in throngs; from the Princes' Garden and the Divine Power Residence beside it, scholars likewise came out one after another and headed down the mountain.
Shen Mu was puzzled, when suddenly a voice called out, "Brother Shen, over here!
" Shen Mu looked, and saw that Wei Yong was in the crowd as well, so he stepped over to him. Xue Hu'er asked, "Fatty Wei, what has happened?
" Wei Yong laughed. "You do not know? They say a Daoist came to the foot of the mountain, claiming to be of the Daoist Sect, and he is sitting with a disciple at the mountain gate of our Imperial Academy, right in the middle of the road.
" Shen Mu was startled.
"That is blocking the gate! " Wei Yong nodded. "Blocking the gate indeed! The Daoist Sect is the foremost of the orthodox great sects. This Daoist blocking the gate calls himself Danyangzi, and the youth at his side he calls the Dao Child. A moment ago someone from the Grand Academy went to inquire, and Danyangzi said they had not come to make trouble but to exchange; he said he had long heard that the Imperial Academy is the foremost holy ground under heaven, gathering to itself all the talent of the world, and so he has brought the Daoist Sect's Dao Child to pay his respects to the Imperial Academy, and to test the Daoist arts and divine powers of the Daoist Sect and the Imperial Academy. " Shen Mu's heart gave a small jolt. He expelled a breath of stale air and said slowly, "A fine stratagem.
" Wei Yong was baffled.
"This is a strike at the heart.
" Shen Mu's eyes flickered.
"Outside the capital, the various sects seize the chance to stir up trouble, raising the great banner of punishing the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping; yet inside the capital all remains calm, and where the hearts of the common people lie is plain as day. The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping reformed the sects, founding the minor schools, the great schools, and the Imperial Academy, gathering the finest talents of the world and assembling them as the emperor's own students, so that the scholars of the world are all in the emperor's service. I have heard it said that the state of Jingping is in truth a sect wearing the name of a nation. If the Daoist Sect's Dao Child blocks the gate and the scholars of the Imperial Academy cannot stand against him, then what use is the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping's reform? " Wei Yong was stunned for a moment, then murmured, "This is not merely a strike at the heart; this is killing the heart itself. . . "