Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 801 – Praising the Divine

The entire world knew that when the Prince of Zhongshan was exiled from the capital, it was only because he had feigned insanity and eaten feces that the Divine Empress did not have him executed. His temper was abnormally irritable, and it was often the case that he would have someone killed at the smallest disagreement. The An Hua of the past, even if possessing the most serene of Dao hearts, would still have felt a little nervous when confronting this mad prince. Now, however, she was not.

Because she had recently experienced close-up the Pope’s heart which was as vast as the sea of stars, and the sunlight of his warmth.

The will of the Pope had always been with her, just like the Sacred Light, so what did she have to be afraid of?

She calmly looked at the Prince of Zhongshan, clearly not intending to alter her account.

“Since that person is still alive, why did you not come together?” asked the official from the Grand Court of Revision, frowning slightly. “A Divine General was killed. This is a major incident. Putting aside the fact that he’s also suspicious, even if he’s just providing evidence, he should still have come here.”

When they had received confirmation that the owner of the Cinnabar Pill was dead, everyone naturally wanted to know where the recipe for the Cinnabar Pill was.

But now that they had confirmed that he was not dead, that person was naturally more important than the recipe.

An Hua replied, “He had a pressing matter and could not come. He specifically wrote a letter describing the circumstance that night.”

Just as she was preparing to take out the letter, the hall rang with Divine General Cheng Tao’s extremely harsh voice. “How bold! To dare to deceive all these important figures with a letter! This a major incident, and His Highness has personally come as an imperial envoy. Just who is this person, defying an imperial decree?”

An Hua’s expression did not change as she calmly said, “Even if Your Highness truly did take out an imperial decree, it would be meaningless.”

As she said these words, her eyes fell on the Prince of Zhongshan.

The hall became a clamor of noise, followed soon after by laughter.

Everyone was treating these words of hers as a joke.

But the Prince of Zhongshan did not laugh, although An Hua had been speaking to him, although he really was carrying an imperial decree.

There was one other person that was not laughing: Tianhai Chenwen. That trap in the snowy mountains had been a scheme of the capital’s Imperial Palace and the Tang clan, resting on that young array master, and its aim was precisely to find and kill Chen Changsheng. This plan was kept so under wraps that not even the Prince of Zhongshan or Tianhai Chenwen knew of it, but they were both possessed of extremely high status and had a few snippets of information. It was just that they had still not been able to confirm that this information was true. Now, when they saw An Hua’s serene expression, they could not help but feel a little astonished, secretly wondering, could it truly be the case?

The official from the Grand Court of Revision jeered, “Is your meaning that this person is His Holiness the Pope?”

“Correct.”

An Hua took out the letter and looked at the important personages in the hall. “This is precisely a letter personally written by His Holiness. Is there a lord present that will come and accept it?”

What? A letter personally written by His Holiness?

That person was His Holiness the Pope?

The official thought that he had heard incorrectly. After a few moments, he came to his senses and almost fell unconscious.

The other people were not in a much better state. They sat in their chairs like statues, unable to move or speak.

The hall had just been filled with noise a few moments ago, but now it was completely still and abnormally quiet.

This seemingly eternal silence placed a massive pressure on these powerful figures. They glanced at each other, shock filling their eyes.

After some time, a person finally spoke.

Tianhai Chenwen’s voice was still low and deep, but one might notice a few intangible emotions if they carefully listened.

“You are saying that the maker of the Cinnabar Pill is His Holiness the Pope?”

An Hua replied, “Precisely.”

Tianhai Chenwen said no more, appearing to very randomly glance at the official from the Grand Court of Revision.

These important figures were all accustomed to the ups and downs of bureaucracy, the mortal struggles of the Imperial Court. They were all old schemers that could very quickly react.

The official patted the table and stared into An Hua’s eyes, coldly saying, “Truly absurd! His Holiness is the master of the Li Palace, bearing the hopes of the millions of believers of the Orthodoxy. His benevolence and affection are unmatched! If the Cinnabar Pill truly did come from His Holiness the Pope’s hands, His Holiness would assuredly have already passed the recipe to the Orthodoxy or the Imperial Court for mass production. How could His Holiness disregard the desperate situation of all the soldiers teetering on the verge of death on the frontlines and only produce one bottle a month! How could His Holiness be someone who cheats the people to win fame, a lowly person who controls treasures to coerce the Imperial Court!”

After listening to this, Divine General Cheng Tao, who had been afraid to speak out of concern that he might offend the Pope, felt relieved, as did all the other people in the room.

The circumstances of the investigation held within the army headquarters was constantly being sent out to the crowd on the streets. When they learned of this news, the crowd instantly erupted into a clamor.

The mystical Cinnabar Pill had actually been personally refined by His Holiness the Pope!

People began surging towards the gate of the army headquarters, packing the street as they shouted.

But when the words of the Grand Court of Revision official were sent out, the street suddenly fell silent.

The words of that official had been very sinister.

If An Hua insisted that the Pope had personally refined the Cinnabar Pill, how could this problem be addressed? The Cinnabar Pill had only appeared a bit more than a year ago. Many people, especially those who did not have the chance to obtain a Cinnabar Pill and those who could only watch as their fellow soldiers, companions, and relatives die, had all asked similar questions.

Since the Cinnabar Pill could regrow bones and cure the dying, why… why was that person not willing to make more?

The long street was completely still at this moment, with countless people looking towards the army headquarters, seeking an answer.

Your Holiness the Pope, in all your benevolence, how could you bear to see so many people die?

“In the past, I once thought the same as my lords and the people outside. I was greatly confused, even angered at this problem.”

An Hua looked at the official from the Grand Court of Revision and continued, “But now I will not, because I know that the Cinnabar Pill has an extremely rare ingredient that only His Holiness can offer. Thus, even if the recipe is given to the Li Palace or the Imperial Court, it would be meaningless. Moreover, only that limited number of pills can be produced every month.”

The Prince of Zhongshan narrowed his eyes at these words, a deeper meaning concealed in this action. Tianhai Chenwen also kept his silence.

The official had not been reminded of anything. With a cold smile, he said, “This official truly wishes to know, just what medicinal ingredient is so rare that it cannot even be found in the Hundred Herb Garden or the Dallying Forest? What ingredient is so scarce that only His Holiness can find it?”

From a logical perspective, there was nothing wrong with this argument. It would assuredly hold against any sort of scrutiny.

Yet he very quickly discovered that he had once more committed an unpardonable mistake.

Because An Hua began her answer.

“Because that ingredient is His Holiness’s sacred blood!”

She spoke with pride and radiance, and her bright voice resounded both within and without the army headquarters, falling in the ears of countless people.

“In order to save all living beings, His Holiness did not hesitate to consume his life, transforming his sacred blood into a pill, the Cinnabar Pill!”

Both the people inside and outside the Mount Song Army headquarters could not help but gasp and shout in shock.

And then all sound vanished.

On the street and within the army headquarters, all was quiet.

For a very long time, nobody spoke.

An Hua’s gaze flitted past the official from the Grand Court of Revision and all the important figures as she asked, “Do my lords have anything else that they want to ask?”

Still nobody spoke.

The Prince of Zhongshan and Tianhai Chenwen glanced at each other, seeing the shock and wariness in each other’s eyes.