Chapter 17: The Top Scholar
Chương 17: Trạng nguyên đệ nhất
As the top scholar, Mengjiao had the right to petition the Emperor for any favor. He prepared a powerful and moving document, detailing the story of his parents' love and his mother's long imprisonment. He argued that she had paid for her sins and that her devotion to her family proved her noble character.
Kết quả thi được công bố, Hứa Mộng Giao đỗ điểm cao nhất, trở thành "Trạng nguyên" đứng đầu cả nước. Hoàng đế rất yêu mến tài năng và nhân cách của cậu, nên ban cho chức quan lớn.
"Love is not a crime," he wrote. "And the bond between a mother and her child is sacred. I ask for nothing for myself, only for the release of my mother from the Leifeng Pagoda."
Hứa Mộng Giao mặc áo quan, mũ mão cân đai, vinh quy bái tổ về quê nhà. Dân làng đổ ra chào đón và chúc mừng. Hứa Tiên rưng rưng nước mắt tự hào về con trai.
The Emperor was moved by Mengjiao's words and his filial piety. He issued a decree, ordering that the seal on the pagoda be broken and that Bai Suzhen be set free. However, the decree had to be enforced by someone with spiritual authority.
"Cha ơi, con làm được rồi! Con là Trạng nguyên rồi!" Hứa Mộng Giao ôm chầm lấy cha.
At that moment, a powerful figure appeared at the city gates. It was Xiaoqing, her green robes shimmering with a light that had not been there before. Her twenty years of training had made her more powerful than any spirit Hangzhou had ever seen.
"Con trai ngoan, cha tự hào về con lắm. Mẹ con chắc chắn sẽ rất vui," Hứa Tiên nói.
"I have come to fulfill my vow," she declared, her voice ringing through the streets. She made her way to the pagoda, where she was met by Fahai.
Hứa Mộng Giao không quên lời hứa. Cậu dẫn đoàn tùy tùng đến trước tháp Lôi Phong để bái lạy mẹ.
"The order has been given, monk," Xiaoqing said, her eyes flashing. "The Emperor has decreed her release. Will you stand in the way of justice, or will you accept that your mission is over?"
"Mẹ ơi, con làm được rồi. Con là Trạng nguyên rồi. Con đến đón mẹ về nhà!" Hứa Mộng Giao hét lớn.
Fahai looked at the powerful spirit and then at the young scholar kneeling by the tower. He saw the strength of their combined love and realized that the natural order had been restored in a way he hadn't expected. The son of a spirit and a mortal had become the greatest scholar in the land.
Lòng hiếu thảo của Hứa Mộng Giao động thấu trời xanh. Các vị thần đều ca ngợi và cảm thông cho số phận của gia đình này.
"The debt has been paid," Fahai finally said, stepping aside. "The seal is yours to break."
Xiaoqing raised her hands, and a massive surge of green energy struck the pagoda. The ground shook, and the heavy stones began to crack. The final moments of Bai Suzhen's imprisonment were at hand.