Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 242 Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals: Pointing Directly to One's True Nature

The woman in purple was named Jing Zhaoning, and she was a very special person in the academy.

She was a disciple of the same teacher as Master Yan, Lu Huaizhou, and others, all of whom were great Confucian scholars of their time.

However, unlike her two senior brothers who chose to specialize in Confucianism, she embarked on a more radical path, namely the Spring and Autumn Annals lineage.

The Confucian classics have three commentaries on the Spring and Autumn Annals: the Gongyang Commentary, the Guliang Commentary, and the Zuo Commentary.

These three schools of thought each have their own emphasis, and Jing Zhaoning's work is the most forceful and intense of them all, the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals.

The Gongyang School advocates unification, believing that even enemies from three or nine generations can be avenged.

Its core doctrines are filled with a strong spirit of revenge and a fighting mentality, and even have a touch of the Legalist ruthless approach of using killing to stop killing, which makes it seem out of place in the Confucian school, which is dominated by moderation and peace.

This is why Confucian scholars who study the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals often possess a righteous spirit that also carries a chilling aura of killing intent, making them quite different from ordinary Confucian scholars.

Jing Zhaoning was the most outstanding successor of the Gongyang School in this generation.

She was exceptionally intelligent and insightful. Before she was even thirty, she was already recognized as the leading figure among the younger generation of the academy and was hailed as a minor sage. Some even predicted that she would attain sagehood before the age of fifty and become a pillar of the new generation of Confucianism.

This time, she had been in seclusion for three years on Cloud Mist Peak, a hundred miles outside Yunzhou City. Today, she emerged from seclusion and intended to return directly to the academy. However, as she passed over Yunzhou City, she keenly sensed an extremely pure and powerful righteous energy erupting from the city.

She recognized that aura all too well; it was the rubbing of the Song of Righteousness that her senior brother Yan treasured as his life.

Driven by curiosity, Jing Zhaoning followed the scent and happened to witness Luo Xiu attempting to kill Xie Weining.

Jing Zhaoning has always been ruthless in killing any member of the Demonic Sect she encounters.

Unexpectedly, that little devil was quite clever, and managed to escape with a wisp of his remnant soul using a secret technique.

However, she didn't take it to heart. It was just a stray dog ​​whose avatar was destroyed and whose cultivation was greatly damaged. It couldn't cause any trouble.

What she really cared about was this man named Chen Ye.

For the usually law-abiding Senior Brother Yan to gift such a precious rubbing of the Song of Righteousness, Chen Ye must be no ordinary person.

"Where is your husband, Chen Ye, now?" Jing Zhaoning asked again, her voice still cold.

“He…he’s on duty at the Xuanjing Division.” Xie Weining hesitated for a moment before finally answering.

Xuan Jingsi?
Jing Zhaoning frowned again.

How could a mere lackey of the imperial court be connected with her arrogant senior brother Yan?

Things seem to be getting more and more interesting.

She didn't ask any more questions, but glanced at the mess on the ground and the Xie family guards who died with their eyes wide open, and said indifferently, "This place is bloody and not suitable for you to stay for long. You should go back to the manor first, and someone will take care of the rest."

After she finished speaking, she waved her hand, and a gentle breeze appeared out of thin air, softly closing the damaged car door.

"You..." Xie Weining wanted to ask something more, but found that the figure of the woman in purple in front of her had become blurry and then disappeared completely from the spot, as if she had never appeared at all.

If it weren't for the pungent smell of blood and the corpses scattered all over the street, Xie Weining would almost have thought that everything that had just happened was just a nightmare.

She sat there blankly in the carriage for a long time before being awakened by the sound of rapid hoofbeats and noisy shouts.

"Quickly! Seal off Chang Le Street! No one is allowed to enter or leave!"

"The Xuanjing Division is conducting an investigation! All bystanders, please make way immediately!"

People from the Xuanjing Division have arrived.

Xie Weining felt a sense of relief; her tense nerves finally collapsed completely, and then everything went black before her eyes, and she knew nothing more.

……

Tinglanxuan.

The study light stayed on all night.

Chen Ye sat behind his desk, his face calm and composed, but his deep eyes held a chilling intent that could devour a person.

Standing before him was the terrified butler, Chen Zhong.

"...That's how it happened." Chen Zhong's voice trembled slightly. "When the lady was found, she was already unconscious in the carriage. Qing'er was also quite frightened, but the doctor in the manor examined her and said that she was just overly frightened and there was nothing serious. She would be fine after a few days of rest."

"Where are the guards?" Chen Ye's voice was calm, revealing no emotion.

“All eight guards died in the line of duty, none survived.” Chen Zhong lowered his head even further. “The coroners from the Xuanjing Division examined the bodies and found that they were all killed with a single blow. The person who struck them… had extremely high cultivation.”

Chen Ye didn't speak, but just quietly watched the flickering candlelight on the table.

He received news of what happened on Changle Street immediately.

When he arrived at the scene from the Xuanjing Division, an overwhelming killing intent almost overwhelmed his reason.

That was the first time he had truly harbored murderous intent since coming into this world, and he knew without even guessing who had done it.

Apart from the demonic sects in the boundless sands, no one else has such audacity.

The reason they targeted Xie Weining was clearly because she had repeatedly thwarted their plans.

Chen Ye slowly closed his eyes, forcibly suppressing the murderous intent surging in his heart.

Anger solves nothing; it only leads to flawed judgment.

Therefore, he needs to calm down right now.

After his emotions calmed down, Chen Ye quickly reviewed the entire incident in his mind based on the traces at the scene.

The other side had clearly anticipated Wei Ning's travel patterns and set up an ambush on Chang Le Street in advance. Moreover, the men they sent were quite capable, and the Xie family's guards were completely powerless against them.

Everything was proceeding according to the other party's script until the rubbing of the Song of Righteousness was triggered.

Thinking of this, Chen Ye couldn't help but feel secretly glad that he had the foresight to give the rubbing to Xie Weining in advance so that she could use it for protection; otherwise, it would be too late to regret it now.

But the matter did not end there.

Because after the power of the rubbing was unleashed, an even more powerful being made a move, and it was most likely someone from the academy.

"Young Master..." Chen Zhong cautiously asked, looking at his young master's unpredictable expression, "Do you think... we should tell the young lady about this?"

"No need." Chen Ye opened his eyes, the murderous intent in them completely gone, replaced by a calm and composed demeanor. "My sister's situation in the palace is delicate; don't distract her with something like this."

"Pass down my message: starting today, the number of guards inside and outside Tinglan Pavilion will be tripled, and all purchases will be handled by the elders of the manor."

"Yes, young master!" Chen Zhong felt the chilling killing intent emanating from Chen Ye, his body trembled, and he quickly bowed to accept the order and retreated.

Just then, a maid rushed in to report.

"Young master, the madam has woken up."

Chen Ye immediately got up, quickly walked out of the study, and went to Xie Weining's bedroom.

On the bed, Xie Weining's face was still pale, but her spirits had improved a lot. When she saw Chen Ye come in, her beautiful eyes instantly filled with tears, and she struggled to get up.

"My husband..."

"do not move."

Chen Ye strode forward, gently pressed her back onto the bed, then sat on the edge of the bed and held her cold little hand.

"How are you feeling? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"

Xie Weining shook her head, but tears involuntarily streamed down her face.

"Don't be afraid, it's all over now," Chen Ye comforted her softly, gently wiping away her tears with his other hand. "I'm here, I won't let anyone hurt you again."

His voice carried a reassuring power, gradually calming Xie Wei's chaotic emotions.

"My husband, those people..."

"I will investigate," Chen Ye said coldly, his tone filled with icy intent.

"And don't worry, Wei Ning, I will definitely get to the bottom of this matter. I will not let any of the people who harmed you get away with it."

Xie Weining didn't say anything, but buried her head even deeper.

While Chen Ye was comforting Xie Weining, in that dilapidated tofu shop in the south of the city...

Bai Yingluo was sitting at a low table, idly drawing circles on the table with one finger.

She had already heard about what happened on Changle Street last night.

"That idiot Luo Xiu actually dared to make a move!" She curled her lip, a mocking smile on her face. "And what was the result? He tried to steal a chicken but lost his own rice instead, even losing the Demonic Smoke Avatar he had painstakingly cultivated. What a waste." She felt no sympathy for Luo Xiu's plight; instead, she found it somewhat amusing.

What she was more curious about was the academy expert who had repelled Luo Xiu.

"A mere snort was enough to force Luo Xiu to abandon his avatar. His cultivation level... must be at least that of a Quasi-Saint, right?" A hint of seriousness flashed in Bai Yingluo's eyes.

The academy's foundation is indeed unfathomable.

However, none of that mattered to her; her only interest right now was Chen Ye.

Now that his woman has been attacked, how will he react?
Will they fly into a rage, or keep quiet and patient?

The thought of Chen Ye's handsome yet cold face possibly contorting with anger filled Bai Yingluo with a strange excitement.

"I really want to see it with my own eyes..." She licked her lips, her captivating eyes gleaming with a dangerous yet alluring light.

……

The morning sunlight streamed through the window lattices, spilling into the tranquil courtyard of Tinglan Pavilion, but it could not dispel the gloom that shrouded the mansion.

Xie Weining fell into a deep sleep again after being comforted by Chen Ye.

Chen Ye tucked the blanket around her, then walked out of the bedroom to the front hall, where the butler Chen Zhong and his attendant Zhao Qi were already waiting.

"Master."

When the two men saw him come out, they immediately bowed and paid their respects, their expressions solemn.

"Speak." Chen Ye sat down in the main seat, picked up the tea on the table, and drank it all in one gulp.

Zhao Qi stepped forward and reported in a deep voice, "Young Master, I have already sent people to investigate. In addition to the bodies of Xie family guards, there were also eight mummies with extremely bizarre deaths at the scene on Chang Le Street last night."

"A mummified corpse?" Chen Ye raised an eyebrow.

“Yes.” Zhao Qi’s expression was somewhat solemn. “These corpses are charred black and their flesh is dried up, as if they have been roasted. The coroner examined them for a long time but couldn’t find anything out! However, it is certain that these corpses should be the assassins who attacked the lady.”

Chen Ye understood that this must be thanks to the rubbing of the Song of Righteousness.

The righteous and upright spirit is extremely strong and yang, which is the nemesis of demonic techniques. It is reasonable to turn these demonic sect disciples into mummies.

"What did the city defense battalion say?"

"The commander of the city defense battalion has already classified this as a feud between江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) members and reported it to the Ministry of War. It seems he doesn't want to investigate further and is preparing to close the case hastily." Zhao Qi's tone was somewhat disdainful.

Chen Ye sneered; this was exactly what he expected.

Such a heinous murder occurred in Yunzhou City, and the city defense battalion cannot escape responsibility. Therefore, they naturally want to downplay the incident and avoid being held accountable by the imperial court.

"Where is the Xuanjing Division?" Chen Ye asked Zhao Qi.

"It seems there's been no movement from the Commander's side either." Zhao Qi hesitated for a moment before saying, "He just sent people to seal off the scene and transport the body back to the Xuanjing Division's morgue, and then nothing more."

"He's trying to avoid suspicion," Chen Ye pointed out Shen Lian's intentions incisively.

As the commander of the Xuanjing Division and his own superior, it's understandable that Shen Lian would choose to protect himself in this situation.

After all, in officialdom, it's always better to avoid trouble.

Chen Ye didn't blame Shen Lian, because he never expected the Xuanjing Division to be able to help him in any way from the beginning.

Chen Ye looked at Chen Zhong and said, "Take 10,000 taels of silver from the accounting office and send it to the families of the eight guards who died in the line of duty last night. The Chen family will take care of the elderly in their families and pay for the children's tuition. If any of your brothers or nephews want to make a living, feel free to come to me."

"Yes, young master is kind and righteous!" Chen Zhong's eyes flashed with emotion upon hearing this, and he responded emphatically.

……

The academy, Wenyuan Pavilion.

Inside the quaint and elegant study, the air is filled with the fragrance of sandalwood, and the shelves are overflowing with books.

Master Yan was sitting at his desk, intently reviewing his students' assignments.

His expression was focused, and his writing was steady, with each stroke exuding an air of elegance and tranquility.

Just then, the door to the study was pushed open, and a woman dressed in a purple palace gown strode in.

Master Yan seemed oblivious, continuing to write something with his head down.

Only after grading the last assignment did he put down his vermilion pen, look up at the person who had come, and give a helpless, bitter smile.

"Junior Sister, your emergence from seclusion has caused quite a stir."

The person who arrived was Jing Zhaoning.

She ignored Master Yan's teasing and walked straight to the desk, her clear, cold eyes staring directly at her senior brother.

"Senior Brother Yan, why did you give the rubbing of the Ode to Righteousness to that Chen Ye?"

Upon hearing this, Master Yan's bitter smile deepened.

He knew that with his junior sister's personality, once she discovered something amiss, she would definitely investigate it thoroughly.

"This is a long story," Master Yan sighed, gesturing for Jing Zhaoning to sit down. "Sit down and let's talk."

Jing Zhaoning did not sit down, but remained standing, staring intently at him.

"Senior brother, you just need to tell me, who exactly is this Chen Ye? And what is his relationship with the academy and with you?"

Her questions were direct and sharp, leaving no room for negotiation.

This is the style of the Gongyang School: getting straight to the heart of the matter and never being wishy-washy.

Master Yan knew that if he didn't give her a satisfactory answer today, this junior sister would never let it go.

Therefore, he pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Chen Ye is indeed a rather special person."

"Although he is from a noble family, this young man is resolute, intelligent, and, more importantly, possesses a strong sense of righteousness, which aligns well with my Confucian ideals."

“I gave him the rubbing of the Ode to Righteousness, hoping that he could gain some insight from it and perhaps do something for my Confucian school and for the Great Chen in the future.”

Master Yan shaped Chen Ye into a promising junior.

The reason for doing this was to protect Chen Ye.

Because he knows his junior sister too well.

Jing Zhaoning hates evil and acts fiercely. In her eyes, everything in the world is either black or white, and she cannot tolerate even the slightest imperfection.

However, Chen Ye's style of doing things often operates in a gray area.

He is resourceful and cunning, and he is even willing to manipulate people's hearts in order to achieve his goals.

If Jing Zhaoning were to find out the truth about such a person, who knows what would happen.

However, Jing Zhaoning was not so easily fooled.

After hearing Master Yan's explanation, instead of feeling relieved, her brows furrowed even more.

"Holding righteousness in your heart?" She sneered. "Senior Brother Yan, are you joking with me?"

"I just went for a walk and found that above Chen Ye's mansion, resentment and love were intertwined, and the evil aura of peach blossoms was soaring to the sky. He is clearly a playboy who frequents brothels and plays with emotions. Where is there any righteousness to speak of?"

Master Yan was taken aback upon hearing this.

He forgot that his junior sister, besides being an expert in the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, also studied the extremely obscure art of aura observation in Confucianism.

This technique can observe a person's fortune and discern their karmic entanglements, making it extremely difficult to conceal.

"This..." Master Yan was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to explain.

Seeing her senior brother's embarrassed appearance, Jing Zhaoning became even more certain that this matter was definitely not as simple as he made it out to be.

“Senior brother, we have been fellow disciples for many years, and I know your personality.” Jing Zhaoning’s tone softened a bit, but it still carried an undeniable sense of pressure. “You are not someone who would easily entrust someone with something, let alone something as precious as the Song of Righteousness.”

“So there must be some secret about Chen Ye that I don’t know about.” She paused, a glint of light flashing in her clear, cold eyes.

"Moreover, last night on Chang Le Street, I not only sensed the demonic energy of the You Gu Sect, but also faintly detected another aura belonging to the Jiu You Sect."

"The Yougu Sect and the Jiuyou Sect, these two major demonic sects, appeared in Yunzhou City at the same time, and both of them were involved with that Chen Ye."

"Senior brother, do you think this is just a coincidence?"

(End of this chapter)