Chapter 17: The Top Scholar
第17章：高中状元
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.
作为状元，梦蛟有权向皇帝请求任何恩赐。他准备了一份有力且感人的奏章，详细描述了父母的爱情故事和母亲长期的囚禁。他辩称她已经为自己的罪过付出了代价，她对家庭的奉献证明了她高尚的品格。
"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."
“爱不是罪过，”他写道。“母子之间的纽带是神圣的。我为自己别无所求，只求将我的母亲从雷峰塔中释放出来。”
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.
皇帝被梦蛟的话语和他的孝心所打动。他颁布了一道法令，命令打破宝塔上的封印，释放白素贞。然而，这项法令必须由具有灵性权威的人来执行。
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.
就在那时，一个强大的身影出现在城门口。是小青，她的青色长袍闪烁着以前从未有过的光芒。二十年的修行使她比杭州见过的任何灵体都要强大。
"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.
“我是来履行誓言的，”她宣布，声音传遍了街道。她走向宝塔，在那里遇到了法海。
"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?"
“命令已经下达了，和尚，”小青说道，眼中闪烁着光芒。“皇帝已经颁布了释放她的法令。你是要阻挡正义，还是承认你的使命已经结束？”
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.
法海看着这个强大的灵体，又看着跪在塔边的年轻学者。他看到了他们结合之爱的力量，意识到自然秩序已经以一种他没预料到的方式恢复了。灵体与凡人的儿子成了这片土地上最伟大的学者。
"The debt has been paid," Fahai finally said, stepping aside. "The seal is yours to break."
“债务已经清偿了，”法海最终说道，退到一边。“封印由你来打破。”
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.
小青举起双手，一股巨大的青色能量击中了宝塔。大地颤抖，沉重的石头开始裂开。白素贞囚禁的最后时刻到来了。