Chapter 483: A Game of Chess

"How do you mean?"

By this time, Liu Zheng had also calmed down enough to have the presence of mind to observe his surroundings.

One look, and his head nearly spun, his legs shaking violently!

It was too high!

Just this tiny platform, towering into the clouds; this... surely it wouldn't tip over if a gust of wind blew, would it?

On this small platform, a tea table and a cushion had appeared. On the tea table, one side was for tea, the other a chessboard.

At this moment.

The fragrant tea was slightly warm, with mist curling upward.

Supernatural craftsmanship!

Although he had been tricked, Liu Zheng could not help but praise it; the supernatural craftsmanship and divine skill of this Academy!

He followed Wang Chao's lead and sat down.

He tried hard to take a deep breath, forcing himself not to look down, and began to meet Wang Chao's gaze.

In truth, Wang Chao had been watching Liu Zheng's reactions the whole time. Once again, he felt astonished that Liu Zheng could recover his composure so quickly.

Not only had he recovered his composure, but he had also just guessed a few things.

A great talent!

This young man was absolutely a great talent rarely seen in a thousand years!

But the greater the talent, the more he knew what kind of storm this person would stir up in Jinghua once he returned at this juncture!

When that time came...

If the world truly fell into chaos, wouldn't it be the common people who suffered?

He chuckled, "The Cloud Platform of the Academy is directly connected to the Good and Evil Abacus. As good and evil accumulate, the platform will descend... until the Great Evil is cleansed, which is when one can leave this place! Regarding this, even the Dean cannot interfere at will. Since ancient times, most of those who have come to the Cloud Platform have been great villains... and so, some have spent their entire lives unable to descend from here, while others have gone mad after a few days and thrown themselves into the mountains..."

Good heavens!

Spent their entire lives?

Liu Zheng smiled bitterly again and again.

This was going to cost him his life!

Heavens!

He was still very young, and he hadn't even taken a wife yet!

After Wang Chao finished speaking, he laughed heartily, "This old man promised an old friend in the capital to make things difficult for Prefect Liu, which has already violated the lifelong taboos of this old man and is likewise a Great Evil. Therefore, this old man will stay here with Prefect Liu until your Great Evil is cleared. At that time, the matter of Pei Yanran becoming Transcendent will naturally be no problem. What does Prefect Liu think?"

Liu Zheng was slightly moved upon hearing this.

He smiled bitterly, "Dean, how do you expect me to answer? You must tell me quickly how to clear away this evil. Yet, what sin has I, Liu Zheng, actually committed? Don't talk about shelling the Academy; if that little matter counts as evil, then the Academy is far too petty!"

Wang Chao chuckled, "Since you are here, be at peace. Prefect Liu, do you dare to play a game of chess with this old man?"

He pointed to the chessboard in front of him.

Liu Zheng laughed, "Fine!"

Here it comes!

This Wangbei Academy was said to use the world as a chessboard and the people of the world as chess pieces. A game of chess now was naturally an attempt to discuss the Longyan world and the good and evil of the world with him! Liu Zheng would naturally not refuse.

Wang Chao praised his boldness and gently stroked the chessboard with his hand. What shocked Liu Zheng again was—

Following Wang Chao's movement, the chessboard before him had already changed.

Black and white pieces crisscrossed it, filled with murderous intent.

This was already a dense, complex endgame!

Liu Zheng looked down and immediately furrowed his brows.

This game.

It was vast.

But at the same time, it was chaotic.

Both black and white were in precarious positions, the pieces locked in fierce confrontation, full of deceit, open schemes, and hidden plots, all leaping out upon this chessboard.

This...

Wang Chao chuckled, "As for the current Longyan, what does Prefect Liu think?"

As expected!

This game of chess was actually the Longyan Dynasty!

How was he supposed to judge this?

Wang Chao saw Liu Zheng's hesitation and smiled freely, "Prefect Liu, rest assured. Wang Chao is just a rustic villager with no ties to the imperial court. It is just that many years ago, I had a bond of kindness with someone in the capital, and today I am merely settling it. If you have anything to say, speak freely; no one else on this Cloud Platform will hear it. But if you speak with a dishonest heart, then don't blame this old man for being impolite..."

Liu Zheng sighed, "Ritual and righteousness give birth to laws and regulations. Laws are the foundation of governance. When rituals are exalted and laws are perfected, the state has stability. The ruler is the exaltation of the state. The father is the exaltation of the family. If the exaltation is unified, there is order; if it is divided, there is chaos. What does the Master think?"

This meant that one could tell the state of a country by the state of its monarch. By saying this, Liu Zheng was first praising Xie Tianyao, who was essentially a figure who had turned the tide when all seemed lost. The Longyan Dynasty had lasted nearly two thousand years and was long since terminally ill, yet it had lingered on until today solely in his hands; he was a heroic ruler.

But while Xie Tianyao was here, the Longyan Dynasty could remain stable, but what if he were to pass away?

At least as things stood, the Crown Prince, Xie Fang, was completely unlearned and could not compare to his father at all; it would even be difficult for him to succeed smoothly. Xie Ling was indeed quite cunning, but he was vicious and narrow-minded.

If the Longyan Dynasty fell into the hands of these two, its future would be bleak.

These words were also very fitting for the current situation in Longyan and Jinghua!

Wang Chao laughed, but he had heard other meanings in those words. He looked at Liu Zheng with burning eyes, "Is it Prefect Liu's meaning that laws are supreme, or is the monarch supreme?"

To ask this in a feudal dynasty was already considered treasonous.

Liu Zheng, however, laughed freely, "Naturally, laws are supreme!"

Wang Chao's expression turned slightly cold, "This old man finally understands why that old friend did not want to see you return to Jinghua."

Liu Zheng was left between laughter and tears.

Because for oneself, at critical moments, one can ignore the imperial family, ignore the monarch, and ignore the ancestral temples. One acts solely for the sake of the law!

Such a person...

In this era, when coupled with the strength of the entire Liangzhou, is truly terrifying!

Liu Zheng asked with a wry smile: "So, in this contest, is it good or is it evil?"

Wang Chao laughed heartily and shook his head: "If Governor Liu thinks that good and evil are so easily distinguished, then you have thought too much..."

He gently placed a Viscount piece on the Longyan Star Board, his gaze suddenly turning cold, and he shouted: "Governor Liu, you are young and impetuous. Since your Worldly Walk began, according to the Academy's Counting Rods statistics, you have already fought dozens of battles of various sizes, and those who have died because of these wars exceed one million!"

He picked up his teacup, his tone sharp: "Some say that wherever Governor Liu goes, corpses litter the fields and the people are plunged into misery and suffering!"

"If this is not Great Evil, then what is it?"

"Governor Liu, this old man believes that if you could cultivate here for a period of time, it would be beneficial to you!"

"Governor Liu, what do you think?"

With this piece placed, the chessboard changed instantly, and a feeling of an impending storm caused the clouds and mist around the platform to churn incessantly.

Suppression!

The first move was moral suppression!

One million?

Hearing this figure, Liu Zheng's mind went blank.

Come to think of it...

When calculated, it really is about that much...

The Western Regions war, the Battle of Hanzhong, the Southern Barbarian invasion of Chuan Shu, the great battle of Liangshan... which time did not involve the consumption of hundreds of thousands? One million... this heavy number also shocked Liu Zheng.

If this were placed in later generations, it would be the population of a prefecture-level city...

One million people.

That is one million families, involving wives, children, and the elderly. In this era, it is very easy for millions of people to be left without clothes to cover themselves or food to eat because of this. Those tragic, terrifying scenes began to emerge in Liu Zheng's mind.

Suddenly.

Facing Wang Chao's questioning gaze and tone, he became lost.

What kind of person am I, really? Am I truly a Great Evil?

And what is war?

If judged by the standards of later generations, would I count as a war maniac?

That's right.

If following the standards of the Academy, I would deserve to die ten thousand times over.

Suddenly.

His whole body jolted, and he looked at Wang Chao with sharp eyes.

Good fellow!

This guy is truly an old fox!

He easily led me along with my own emotions!

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to break free from that terrifying fantasy, and sneered coldly: "Is the Dean trying to disturb my heart?"

"Then let me ask you..."

"What is your standard for judging me?"

"Morality?"

"If your morality were useful, where were you when opium was rampant in Liangshan?"

"If morality could replace the law, where were you when I bombarded your Academy? And when the Southern Barbarians invaded, where were you then?"

"And whose laws are you using to sanction me?"

"The Longyan laws cannot even govern me, so how could your Academy?"

He looked up and laughed: "In today's Longyan, everyone says the Liangzhou Army is the nation's heavy weapon! Expelling barbarians and securing our borders—how did it become demonic when it reached you?"

"In my eyes, the law is supreme, and as for anything the law cannot govern!"

"You, Wangbei Academy, cannot govern it either!"

"If war can trade for a hundred years of peace within our borders! I, Liu Zheng, will fight even if I die!"

"Not only will Liu Zheng fight, but the men of Liangzhou will do the same!"

"The Liangzhou Army will not take the blame for this!"

He coldly picked up a piece and likewise dropped it onto the chessboard; this was a Flying Dragon in the Sky move. This black piece suddenly fell into the board like an invincible vanguard, slaughtering that small corner until not a single suit of armor remained.

The cloudless sky seemed to instantly become overcast with dark clouds.

Wang Chao's expression changed drastically.

【Author's Note】

Continuing revisions today.