The spring breeze rustled the carriage curtains, and inside the carriage, it was silent.
"Why is Uncle so pessimistic!"
Xia Chen looked at Li Wenzhong and exclaimed with a sigh.
"Do you know how many Dragon Martial Guard Generals there have been in the past 50 years!"
Li Wenzhong's voice was extremely calm, but his eyes were deep.
"Exactly eight! Especially in the past 20 years, there have been five!"
Xia Chen fell silent upon hearing this number; five changes in less than 20 years. It seemed the position of Dragon Martial Guard General was indeed a high-risk occupation.
"In these past years, His Majesty has become increasingly inscrutable, showing no emotions on his face, and his suspiciousness has grown stronger. The Dragon Martial Guard General who had the best outcome was Zhao Qiang, over 30 years ago, who retired peacefully to his home, while all the others had their homes confiscated!"
Li Wenzhong's words were calm, yet they revealed a sense of ruthlessness.
This position was infinitely glorious, but also infinitely risky.
"I understand, Uncle!"
Xia Chen nodded solemnly, saying nothing more.
The carriage continued to move slowly forward, the wind blowing the bells creating a pleasant, crisp sound. The wind in the capital was getting stronger!
...
Xia Chen understood that Li Wenzhong wasn't merely placing his bets solely on him; he valued the Zhendong Marquis Manor behind him even more.
Based on the average of five Dragon Martial Guard Generals in 20 years, each served for about four years.
Li Wenzhong was right to favor Xia Chen. But four years was too short; he clearly didn't believe Xia Chen would be able to influence the imperial court or His Majesty by then.
He was betting on the Xia family.
Li Wenzhong seemed to be talking to him, but in reality, he was talking to the Xia family behind him.
Li Wenzhong deliberately revealed so much, even exposing his own weakness; this was a form of pledging allegiance.
...
As Xia Chen was pondering, the carriage suddenly stopped.
"Master, a carriage has blocked us ahead. Judging by the insignia on the carriage, it should be the Third Prince!"
In front of the carriage, Li family's old servant spoke softly.
Li Wenzhong frowned. His predecessor, the Dragon Martial Guard General, had fallen because he was too close to the Crown Prince.
And now the Third Prince was approaching, which was clearly a dangerous signal for him.
"Let them pass first!"
Li Wenzhong said in a deep voice, but it was clear they couldn't just let them pass. Zhengde Street was a main thoroughfare, extremely wide, enough to accommodate six carriages at once. The other party was clearly coming for him.
Indeed, the luxurious carriage opposite stopped as it passed by Li Wenzhong's carriage.
"I heard General Li is about to be promoted. Upon hearing this, I was quite pleased. What a coincidence to meet here! Ahead is Deshun Restaurant, where court officials celebrate promotions. Why don't we go together now, to Deshun Restaurant, to celebrate!"
A curtain on the luxurious carriage was lifted, revealing the handsome face of a young man. The young man smiled; it was the Third Prince, who had watched a good show in the White Moon Tower private room last time.
Li Wenzhong knew he couldn't avoid it, so he also lifted his curtain and spoke in a cold tone.
"Your Highness, this official has urgent family matters, so it's inconvenient to go to Deshun Restaurant today. If there is a promotion banquet, I will certainly send Your Highness an invitation then!"
Li Wenzhong kept his distance. Who in the imperial court didn't know that the Crown Prince and the Third Prince were fiercely contending? His current status was sensitive; how could he get involved with the Third Prince, unless he truly didn't want to be the Dragon Martial Guard General anymore?
At this point, he could only be His Majesty's man!
"General Li is being a bit too cautious. I have long admired the General, and furthermore, this is an invitation on the street, not a private meeting. My Imperial Father is a man of great magnanimity; how could he suspect the General because of this?"
The Third Prince said with a smile, his expression quite bold, exuding a sense of unrestrained freedom.
"Your Highness, this official truly has family matters; it is truly inconvenient today!"
Li Wenzhong shook his head. This Third Prince definitely had ill intentions. If he truly wanted to win him over, a private, clandestine approach would allow for more conversation. But with so many people watching on the street, who would dare to talk much, let alone eat?
"Oh, could it be that one of the General's concubines is about to give birth today?"
The Third Prince asked curiously, with great interest.
Li Wenzhong's mouth twitched slightly, but he still answered seriously.
"My wife is virtuous. My Li family has always been sparse in offspring, so my wife arranged a matchmaking session for me today to select a concubine. I imagine by this time next year, a concubine should be giving birth. I will certainly invite Your Highness to the wedding feast then!"
Li Wenzhong said with a serious expression, cupping his fists.
Xia Chen listened to their conversation quietly from the side, his expression peculiar. Li Wenzhong had once again refreshed his understanding.
The Third Prince was stumped. He had intended to make things difficult for Li Wenzhong, but he hadn't expected Li Wenzhong to be able to respond to that, even more outlandish than himself.
The Third Prince's gaze shifted slightly, then he looked into the carriage, his eyes falling on Xia Chen.
"I didn't expect to meet an acquaintance. Could it be Xia Gongzi of the Xia family?"
"Greetings, Your Highness!"
Xia Chen cupped his fists in salute but did not proactively alight from the carriage.
"You are my Second Imperial Sister's consort; we are all family, so why be so polite!"
The Third Prince waved his hand, quite enthusiastically.
"Xia Gongzi, we are all family. General Li is timid and avoids suspicion, so he won't go drinking with me. Why don't we go have a few drinks!"
The Third Prince invited Xia Chen.
"Indeed, we are all family. There's no need to be so polite. Your Highness can just call me Brother-in-law, and I'll call you Your Highness. Let's stick to our respective terms; anything else would seem too formal!"
Xia Chen also smiled, extremely enthusiastic, even extending his hand out the window, seemingly wanting to shake the Third Prince's hand.
The Third Prince's mouth twitched slightly. Today, both this Li Wenzhong and this Xia Chen were playing outside the usual rules.
Especially this Xia Chen, who was not polite at all.
He actually wanted him to call him brother-in-law. He was already 20 years old this year, while Xia Chen was only 17. How could he possibly utter that 'brother-in-law'?
But from the perspective of seniority, this Xia Chen really was his brother-in-law!
Damn it!
The Third Prince cursed inwardly, blaming his unreliable Imperial Father for putting him at a disadvantage in terms of seniority.
The Third Prince looked at Xia Chen, whose head was sticking out of the window, and at that handsome face, cursing even more inwardly.
Not only was this person taking advantage of him, but he was also so much more handsome than him?
The Third Prince admitted he was a little jealous.
But he suppressed his discomfort, his face somewhat stiff, as he looked at the still somewhat youthful face of Xia Chen.
He forced a smile.
"Brother-in-law!"
"Your Highness!"
Xia Chen also smiled brightly, cupping his fists in return!
There were indeed many gains from this trip to the palace today. He immediately acquired an opportunistic younger brother-in-law. However, this younger brother-in-law was very ambitious and would even dare to launch a palace coup in the future, killing his brother and father—he was a ruthless person!
...