Xia Qian looked at this nephew of his. He had always felt that while this nephew was intelligent, he was a bit too soft in his actions.
He lacked the usual fiery spirit of their Xia Family, and because of this, Xia Qian was somewhat worried that Xia Chen would stray onto a wrong path, only resorting to dark schemes and political maneuvering, like a venomous snake hidden in the shadows.
But looking at him now, it seemed he had misjudged him.
This nephew of his was clearly both firm and gentle, with a balance of Yin and Yang, fond of deep thought but also not lacking in decisive, thunderous methods.
"Among the third generation, Chen'er is not the most outstanding in terms of martial Dao talent, but in terms of intellect, no one among the younger generation can compare to him. When I grow old, perhaps Chen'er can shoulder the heavy responsibility of the Family. With him at the helm, our Xia Family will not only have martial strength but also a brain. In the future, we might even prosper for another hundred years!"
Xia Qian fell into deep thought. Judging from Xia Chen's performance during this period, he was both brave and resourceful, truly a natural candidate for Family Head.
The reason the Xia Family has been able to prosper for 600 years is that they have always been unconventional; whoever possessed ability and wisdom would serve as the Family Head.
Xia Qian was also like this, wholeheartedly devoted to the Family. Although his two sons were both excellent, they lacked a certain strategic vision compared to Xia Chen.
"Uncle, I plan to move out of the Marquis Manor!"
Just as Xia Qian was contemplating the Xia Family's grand plans for the next hundred years, Xia Chen suddenly spoke, startling Xia Qian.
"Why move out of the Marquis Manor for no good reason? Is it because your courtyard is too remote, or you have too few servants? I'll arrange for more people right away!"
Xia Qian frowned, his gaze somewhat stern. For 600 years, it had been rare for a direct Disciple of the Xia Family to move out of the Marquis Manor. Anyone who moved out of the Marquis Manor signified a split in the Family.
"It's not because of those things!"
Xia Chen shook his head, a faint smile on his face, his Aura as gentle as jade, making people feel as if they were basking in a spring breeze.
"Are you going to split from the Family?"
Xia Qian frowned even more. He had just been thinking about cultivating Xia Chen to take on the heavy responsibility of the Family in the future and eventually pass the position of Family Head to him, but now Xia Chen was actually planning to move out.
"It's not a split, it's not that serious. But at present, it's no longer suitable for me to live in the Marquis Manor!"
Xia Chen took a sip of tea, calming Xia Qian's emotions, and then slowly began to speak.
"Your Majesty places great importance on our Marquis Manor, but also harbors some unease about us. High achievements threatening the monarch have always existed since ancient times.
The reason our Marquis Manor can still flourish is that the world is not yet unified and the times are still unsettled, so Your Majesty still needs our Marquis Manor, but he is also extremely wary of us."
"My current identity is somewhat special: a direct descendant of the Marquis Manor, but also a Consort. Your Majesty intends to win me over, which can be seen from him transferring me to the Lantern Bearer Bureau.
Perhaps he has other plans, such as using me to divide the Xia Family, ideally splitting the Xia Family into two branches.
To outsiders, I was never valued in the Marquis Manor since childhood, and my parents were indifferent, letting me grow up on my own. Therefore, they all believe my relationship with the Marquis Manor is not good, and even Your Majesty thinks so.
This is also why Your Majesty chose me. So, moving forward, I cannot appear too close to the Marquis Manor, and the Marquis Manor also cannot treat me too well."
Xia Chen spoke slowly. Xia Qian's eyes flickered, and he wanted to refute, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to speak. Finally, he said in a deep voice.
"Is the situation really as serious as you say? Over the years, whether it was your grandfather or me, we both voluntarily relinquished military power, and your father has also always been honest and law-abiding. Does Your Majesty still not tolerate us?"
Even if we have no disloyal intentions, a united and talent-rich Zhendong Marquis Manor poses too great a threat to imperial power. This is something no emperor wishes to see."
In Xia Chen's eyes, the sun, moon, and stars flickered, deep like a black hole, dark and silent. His voice was faint, making people involuntarily tense up.
"We should not gamble on whether a ruthless emperor has feelings. Your Majesty has been on the throne for over 50 years and has already transformed into a political machine. Any threat to his rule, anything that escapes his control, will be destroyed by him."
Xia Chen looked at Xia Qian, his expression incredibly serious.
"So, Your Majesty wants to see our Xia Family split, wants to see you hostile towards us, wants to see our Xia Family's three generations disunited, and so we will put on a show for him, to reassure him, and then secretly accumulate our strength. Is that what you intend to do?"
Light shimmered in Xia Qian's eyes as he stared at his nephew, his tone incredibly serious.
"Yes, the worse my relationship with you all, the more Your Majesty will trust me, and the greater power he will grant me, and our Xia Family will also be safer!"
Xia Chen met Xia Qian's gaze. At this moment, he no longer concealed his sharp edge; his entire being was like a drawn blade. This confident Aura made Xia Qian's eyes lost in thought.
After a long while, Xia Qian slowly spoke.
"I understand what you mean. Go, do as you've said!"
...
The next day!
Lantern Bearer Bureau, Eagle Eye Division!
"It's already this late, why hasn't that new Division Head arrived yet? I was hoping to see what moves he would make today!"
"I heard the rotation is starting today. This adult, though young, is truly ruthless. I heard yesterday that Hall Master Zheng and the others voluntarily went to request the rotation, but this adult made them kneel at the entrance for three hours before letting them in."
"This adult is extraordinary. He was the one who demanded the rotation, but in the end, Hall Master Zheng and the others had no choice but to request it themselves. It's like handing a knife to this adult and letting him do the cutting. His methods are truly formidable!"
...
Everyone chatted, but seeing that it was almost noon, Xia Chen still hadn't arrived at the Lantern Bearer Bureau.
"Something happened, don't wait anymore. It's estimated that the new adult won't be coming to our bureau today!"
Someone rushed into the Eagle Eye Division.
"What happened? Is there another change?"
Everyone eagerly asked, and then they heard a shocking piece of news.
A piece of news swept through the upper circles of the capital, astonishing many people.
The most talked-about figure in the capital recently, Xia Chen, the Young Master of the Zhendong Marquis Manor, the Consort, who was favored by Your Majesty and now controlled one of the Nine Divisions of the Lantern Bearers' Eagle Eye Division, had a fire break out in his backyard.
This astonished many people. What? The Zhendong Marquis Manor is on fire? Hurry and put it out!
"What fire to put out? The Zhendong Marquis Manor has many experts; how could it really catch fire? It's that the Consort has fallen out with the Zhendong Marquis Manor. I heard he has already moved directly out of the Zhendong Marquis Manor!"
"My cousin's son's daughter-in-law's brother's brother-in-law's sister-in-law's son saw with his own eyes that Xia Chen is currently selecting a courtyard with his subordinates and has already paid for it. It seems he has truly split from the Marquis Manor."
"What exactly happened then? It's caused such a stir. Splitting from the Family is no small matter. The Marquis Manor hasn't had an instance of a direct Disciple moving out of the Marquis Manor for so many years, have they?"
"I don't know, I only heard that it caused quite a commotion. The Xia Family Head, Anwu Marquis Xia Qian, even called in the Family elders and personally enforced Family law. I heard they almost removed Xia Chen from the Family register!"
...
In the capital, from high-ranking officials to common people, everyone had heard about this matter. In restaurants and teahouses, everyone was discussing it.
For a time, the entire capital was in an uproar.
Meanwhile, the protagonist of the hot topic, Xia Chen, was moving into the newly purchased three-courtyard residence with Xia Qian!
Behind him followed a beautiful maidservant, none other than Bi Zhu!
"Young Master, are you going to the Lantern Bearer Bureau tomorrow?"
Xia Qian followed behind Xia Chen and asked in a low voice. Having just taken charge of the Lantern Bearers, it was not easy to bring those people into line. Not going for a long time might lead to unforeseen changes.
"Tomorrow, we rest for a day. The day after, we attend the literary gathering. As for the Lantern Bearers, let the bullets fly for a while!"
...
PS: Brothers, there's no need to save chapters. Updates will continue during the day, guaranteed to make you enjoy reading! The climax of the story is coming soon! Also, updates will be precisely at 12 AM every night!