Cuckoo Tower!
This is one of the most famous brothels in the capital!
At this moment, in a private room.
Several young men sat around the table, each accompanied by a lady.
"Brother Lin, why don't we go beat up that Xia Chen? What kind of world-shaking talent is he? His tone is so arrogant!"
A young man in a purple robe looked at the young man sitting at the head of the table, waving his fist in emphasis.
"How dare he step on Chief Minister Lin? He must have eaten the guts of a bear and a leopard!"
"An ignorant young brat who doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth!"
"Hmph, a crude martial artist, what culture could he possibly have? Now, for the sake of fame, he's resorting to such shamelessness!"
...
For a moment, the private room was incredibly noisy. These young men were all famous Young Masters in the capital, whose fathers or grandfathers were high-ranking officials in the court.
"This matter involves His Majesty, so it's unlikely to be false, but it's certainly exaggerated through word of mouth!"
The young man in the green robe sitting at the head of the table slowly shook his head, his mind very clear.
"Besides, he comes from Zhendong Marquis Manor. We are just scholars, and it's uncertain who would beat whom!"
Lin Zihan put down his wine glass. Although his tone was calm, there were still emotional fluctuations in his eyes.
"However, I am indeed very curious about what abilities that Xia Chen possesses to be summoned by His Majesty and praised in public. If there's an opportunity, I'd like to experience it for myself!"
Upon hearing Lin Zihan speak, everyone exchanged glances. They knew that although Lin Zihan was clear-headed, he was the legitimate son of Chief Minister Lin, and since it concerned Chief Minister Lin's reputation, he was still very concerned.
"Princess Yaoguang Your Highness is currently organizing a literary gathering and inviting famous scholars from the capital. Why don't we invite this Xia Chen as well? Then, we'll know whether he truly has ability or is just a clown seeking fame!"
Liu Bo opened his folding fan, a smile on his face, and spoke in a calm tone.
He sat next to Lin Zihan; his father was the Minister of Works.
"This is Princess Yaoguang's first literary gathering. How can we invite a crude martial artist? This is a grand event for us scholars!"
Someone shook his head. The thought of attending with a crude martial artist made him feel that the entire literary gathering would be somewhat tainted.
Over the years, the conflict between the scholars represented by the Civil Official Group and the Wu Xun Group has become increasingly sharp, with neither side looking down on the other.
One side thought the other was crude and only had brute force, while the other thought the other only knew how to use pens and words and did nothing practical!
"What a good idea! Speaking of which, Princess Yaoguang and this Xia Chen have a great connection!"
Someone's eyes lit up, feeling that the scene at that time would definitely be very interesting.
When everyone heard what this person said, they all felt a bit uncomfortable, like they had swallowed a fly.
The thought that the beautiful and charming Princess Yaoguang was actually betrothed to a crude martial artist made many people shake their heads in unspoken agreement.
Deeply saddened!
...
"A ruler should act as a ruler, a minister as a minister, a father as a father, and a son as a son. There's something to it!"
In another brothel not far from Cuckoo Tower, in a private room.
Five middle-aged men were drinking wine and eating steamed perch, a dish that had only become popular in the capital at the beginning of the year. Behind each of the five men was a young and beautiful woman.
A bearded man with a dignified appearance spoke in a deep voice.
"Brother Lu, is this sentence as profound as you say?"
A middle-aged man sitting next to Lu Yun was puzzled. Although he felt the sentence was indeed good, he couldn't quite grasp its key point for a moment.
"Brother Lu studied under the great Confucian Kong Song and was the second-place scholar in our imperial examination that year. His scholarship is naturally deeper than ours!"
Chen Zhizhong said with a smile, then pulled the young and beautiful woman next to him into his arms, his hand naturally gripping her alluring spot.
"From when I left this evening and passed by the Imperial College, I heard several young scholars discussing this sentence there, but I didn't pay much attention at the time.
Now that I'm here, I hear everyone discussing this matter. The events that happened in the palace this afternoon have spread throughout the entire capital so quickly. Don't you find it a bit strange?"
Lu Hao did not answer immediately; instead, he asked the four a question.
"Brother Lu means someone is deliberately spreading this!"
Chen Zhizhong's eyes lit up, instantly grasping the key to the problem. Then he thought of the phrase 'A ruler should act as a ruler, a minister as a minister, a father as a father, and a son as a son,' and instantly, he seemed to have grasped the crux of the matter.
"In the capital, who has such great ability to spread the conversation between His Majesty and his minister before the imperial presence so quickly, making it known throughout the entire city!"
"Brother Lu means..."
Everyone's expressions turned solemn, and then they all dared not continue speaking.
"Only the Lantern Bearers have this ability!"
Lu Hao sighed, but he understood in his heart that this matter must have been ordered by His Majesty; otherwise, how would the Lantern Bearers dare to do such a thing on their own initiative?
Everyone present was a clever person who had passed the imperial examinations, and they naturally thought of this point as well.
"A ruler should act as a ruler, a minister as a minister, a father as a father, and a son as a son. Society performs its respective duties, and everyone has their own norms and responsibilities. This sentence is enough to be passed down for ten thousand generations!
If this sentence was truly spoken by that Xia Chen, then it's truly remarkable!"
Lu Hao sighed. He understood that with just this one sentence, Xia Chen's name could be recorded in historical records and recited by future scholars.
Even if scholars don't acknowledge it, all future monarchs will elevate Xia Chen into the historical records and write about him in great detail.
Everyone's expressions changed. Is it that exaggerated?
Only Chen Zhizhong somewhat followed Lu Hao's line of thought, and he became infinitely curious about this Xia Chen, who came from Zhendong Marquis Manor.
...
The next day!
The morning sun was just rising!
Xia Chen was also full of vigor, the quilt propped up high, and a perfect pyramid instantly appeared, like a work of art.
Xia Chen lifted the quilt, then aimed and released the torrent of water that had accumulated overnight.
He washed up, picked up his Lantern Bearer waist token, and then walked out of Zhendong Marquis Manor.
"Chen Ge, are we going directly to the Lantern Bearers or what?"
Xia Qian asked excitedly from behind him, his expression incredibly thrilled.
He had originally thought he would make a big impact in the Imperial Army, but he didn't expect to be transferred to the more exciting Lantern Bearers so quickly. They were the mysterious Lantern Bearers!
Who in the capital didn't grow up listening to stories of the Lantern Bearers!
Xia Qian had heard since childhood that the Lantern Bearers were omnipresent and as mysterious as ghosts. Today, he was actually going to follow his Young Master and become a member of them. How could he not be excited!
"No rush, let's go to the Yulin Guard first and make arrangements there!"
Xia Chen calmly headed east. Although the Lantern Bearers were important, the Imperial Army could not be ignored. Five years later, during the Coup of Seizing the Gate, the Imperial Army played a crucial role!
Originally, he had planned to use the Imperial Army as his Foundation and set up early arrangements within it, but plans couldn't keep up with changes. He didn't expect that just as he was beginning to show his abilities, Emperor Wen would transfer him into the Lantern Bearers organization.
This had somewhat disrupted his deployment!
But... these were all minor matters!
No matter how things changed, the current situation was under his control!
Moreover, he was very interested in the Lantern Bearer Prison. If he remembered correctly, several great talents who would shine brightly during the Empress's reign were currently imprisoned in the Lantern Bearer's secret prison.
Xia Chen smiled!
All strategies were within his grasp!