Lantern Bearer Bureau!
The Director of the Eagle Eye Division, who hadn't shown up for work in three days, finally arrived today.
Ever since he took office that day and intimidated everyone in the Eagle Eye Division, they had expected a storm to follow. But to their surprise, Xia Chen didn't play by the rules and didn't come to work for three consecutive days.
Yesterday, they finally learned that their Director had gone to a literary gathering and even won first place. Now, that poem was still circulating wildly throughout the capital!
"Our Director's poem must be spread immediately. The capital and its surrounding areas are under the jurisdiction of our Eagle Eye Division. Within one day, everyone must know this poem!"
As Xia Chen walked in with Xia Wen, he heard Hall Master Zheng Ping's voice. He was instructing a group of subordinates, while Cui Hu and Lu Chen stood beside him, both silent.
The other two Hall Masters, Chen Song and Li Yue, were nowhere to be found.
"What's going on so early in the morning?" Xia Chen asked, smiling, as he walked into the main hall.
"The Director has arrived!"
Zheng Ping's old wrinkles instantly crinkled into a smile, his originally stern face instantly transforming.
"Director!"
Regardless of their willingness, the more than ten Lantern Bearers present all cupped their hands and greeted Xia Chen when they saw him appear.
In the three days Xia Chen hadn't come, they had thought through many things.
Xia Chen's leadership of their Eagle Eye Division was a foregone conclusion. It had nothing to do with their opinions; it was the Emperor's decision, and no one could change it!
Even without Xia Chen, others would come in.
Because the Emperor was no longer at ease with the internal affairs of the Lantern Bearers, he needed to bring people in from outside.
"Why are you spreading my poem everywhere?" Xia Chen's expression was a bit strange. Although he was now the Director of the Lantern Bearers, wouldn't it be a bit improper to use his power for personal gain like this?
"Heh heh! Don't worry, Director, no outsider will ever criticize you for this. Spreading your poem is a task assigned from above!" Zheng Ping pointed upwards. Although they wanted to mend their relationship with Xia Chen, they weren't so unprincipled!
Xia Chen instantly understood. His poem was about serving the country and not fearing death. And now, there was a high possibility of a major war breaking out in the Northwest. The release of this poem could Just right inspire morale and ignite a fighting spirit throughout the country!
It was equivalent to a national mobilization, so his poem became a propaganda poem?
The Lantern Bearers promoting his poem became a political task?
This was something Xia Chen hadn't expected. He hadn't thought Emperor Wen could even utilize this!
"Our Eagle Eye Division is in charge of the capital and its surrounding areas, while other places are handled by the brothers from other divisions. Your poem is guaranteed to spread throughout Great Wu within three days. By then, your name will also resonate among the people of Great Wu!" Zheng Ping said with a smile beside Xia Chen, then straightened his body with a serious expression, and finally bowed, saying loudly, "Congratulations, Sir, you are about to become famous throughout the world!"
"Congratulations, Sir, for becoming famous throughout the world!"
After Zheng Ping finished speaking, the other Lantern Bearers, especially Cui Hu and Lu Chen who had been silent, twitched their mouths slightly.
Then they reacted quickly, immediately leading everyone to cup their hands and say,
"All of you brothers have worked hard. This afternoon, I invite everyone to Desheng Restaurant for drinks!" Xia Chen said with a smile, patting Zheng Ping's shoulder. This old fellow was quite capable, knew how to handle things!
"Let me introduce you. This is my younger brother, Xia Wen. Please arrange for him. Everything should follow the proper procedures. First, let him officially join the Lantern Bearers. He doesn't need any special position; just let him be my attendant. This lunch at Desheng Restaurant will also serve as my brother's entry banquet. Can you manage that?" Xia Chen looked at Zheng Ping and said with a smile.
Zheng Ping looked at the somewhat naive Xia Wen behind Xia Chen. Xia Wen gave him an honest smile, looking very much like a simpleton.
He then looked at Xia Chen and immediately said with a smile,
"Since the Director personally vouches for him, there's naturally no problem. I'll get the paperwork done this afternoon! No, before the entry banquet today!" Zheng Ping patted his chest and said cheerfully.
This was the benefit of power. For ordinary people, joining the Lantern Bearers was something they would fight tooth and nail for, but for Xia Chen, it was just a matter of a single sentence.
Xia Wen, behind Xia Chen, looked at him with admiration. His Third Brother was truly impressive. These were the Lantern Bearers, each and every one of them unruly, yet Third Brother had them completely subdued.
"I want to be this impressive too. I'll follow Third Brother and learn well. Then, whoever disobeys, I'll beat them into submission!" Xia Wen smiled at the thought, his smile incredibly honest.
But the other Lantern Bearers looked at Xia Wen with strange expressions. This youth seemed to be fifteen or sixteen years old, but his face was extremely tender, clearly indicating that his true age was not that old.
"This is the son of Minister Xia Han, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites!" Cui Hu, who had been silent, spoke in a deep voice.
"Yes, this is my third uncle's child. Ah, since we're all colleagues, I'll just be straightforward. This child had a falling out with my third uncle. He wants to come out and defend the country, but my third uncle absolutely refused. So, the two of them had a big argument at home, and in the end, my younger brother ran away!" Xia Chen said with a smile, not intending to hide anything, because this matter couldn't be hidden anyway. But some truths certainly couldn't be spoken.
When everyone heard this, their expressions became even stranger, completely ignoring the latter half of Xia Chen's words.
"He... broke through to the Eighth Rank?" Cui Hu finally couldn't resist asking.
"If I'm not mistaken, our Lantern Bearers' archives show that Young Master Xia Han's eldest son, Young Master Xia Wen, is only 11 years old this year!" Another person couldn't help but speak, their face full of shock.
"An eleven-year-old Eighth Rank? How is that possible?"
"But the Zhendong Marquis Manor's rule is that one can only enter society after breaking through to the Eighth Rank!"
"This is too young. What kind of monster is this?"
...
The Lantern Bearers, whose names brought fear to the common people, now all had changed expressions.
Their eyes were all filled with disbelief.
Even Cui Hu and the usually silent Lu Chen stared at Xia Wen without stopping.
As Lantern Bearers, they had records of all the noble children in the capital; this was no secret.
"I'm not young. I'll be 12 in a few months!" Xia Wen stepped out from behind Xia Chen, scratching his head with a naive smile, looking completely harmless.
But everyone was even more shocked to hear this. This world was too crazy. Was this the direct bloodline of the Zhendong Marquis Manor? Each one of them was such a monster!
One had to know that within the Lantern Bearers, some people were in their twenties or thirties and were still only at the Eighth Rank!
Compared to that, the gap was truly significant!
"Everyone must come to Desheng Restaurant today!" Xia Chen said, cupping his hands. He had no official demeanor, but everyone clearly dared not ignore him. The impression Xia Chen left on everyone that day was too deep. Now, everyone knew that this superior, though seemingly gentle, was actually extremely ruthless and quite resourceful, absolutely not as harmless as he appeared.
"For Young Master Xia Wen's entry banquet, we naturally must attend!" The many Lantern Bearers quickly cupped their hands and said, their gazes towards the naive Xia Wen becoming much more respectful.
"Reporting, Sir, there's a man named Xu Xingchen outside the yamen requesting to see you. He said you told him to come!" A Lantern Bearer walked in to report. Xia Chen smiled. A scholar and a warrior, both have fallen into the trap. The weather is good today, and my mood is excellent!
... PS: Thanks to the top ten on the gift list: 【Boring Xiaobai】, 【Huiliyi Meow】, 【Have you arrived?】, 【Chocolate Choice】, 【Distraught Gou Jixiang】, 【Yu Haojin of Salcete Island】, 【Sunshine 3315】, 【Moon Did Not Move】, 【Bright Moon Shines on the South Bank】, 【Ye Wuque】 for supporting this book! Also, thanks to all the brothers who have given this book rewards, comments, discussions, and five-star reviews. Thank you everyone! ٩(๛ ˘ ³ ˘)۶ ♦