The third floor of the Lantern Bearers' prison!
"Let me out!"
"Damn it, who gave you the guts to arrest me? Where's the arrest warrant? I'm a Hall Master!"
As soon as Xia Chen walked in, he heard the angry shouts.
"What are you yelling about?!"
Xia Wen walked over and kicked cell number forty-eight.
Li Yue was locked inside!
"Xia Chen, why are you arresting us? What did we do wrong?"
Li Yue glared at Xia Chen, who walked out from behind him, his eyes seemingly spitting fire.
"You've abused your power for personal gain, misused your authority, and sought revenge. I will definitely report you to the Commander. Even if you are the Consort, His Majesty will not spare you!"
Li Yue saw that Xia Chen didn't speak and thought he had intimidated him, so he spoke louder, growing more confident with each word.
"Are you sure His Majesty won't spare me?"
Xia Chen finally spoke, smiling as he looked at Li Yue, whose expression slightly changed.
Xia Chen left, and Li Yue stopped shouting in the cell.
As Xia Chen passed cell number 23, Chen Song, who had been sitting blankly in his cell, his eyes lit up.
"Lord Xia, Lord Xia!"
Chen Song quickly stood up and grabbed the bars, shouting for Xia Chen.
"Lord, I was wrong. The reason I didn't attend the banquet today was truly because of a family matter. My elderly mother was sick, and I had to take care of her!"
Chen Song cried as he spoke, his acting so convincing that it made people feel pity.
"Who are you trying to fool, old man? If your elderly mother was sick, were all your subordinates' elderly mothers sick too? You probably don't share the same mother!"
Xia Wen, who was following behind Xia Chen, couldn't help but laugh.
Chen Song's Face stiffened, but he still didn't give up. He gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice,
"Lord, may I have a word with you in private!"
Xia Chen glanced at him, took a few steps forward, curious to hear what this person wanted to say.
"Lord, I am one of His Highness the Crown Prince's people. Before, I was blind and offended you, Lord. I now know my mistake. From now on, in the Eagle Eye Division, I will follow your lead.
You are also Princess Yaoguang's husband, and my Crown Prince has always been close to Princess Yaoguang. After the Crown Prince ascends the throne, you will surely not lack benefits, and perhaps the position of Commander of the Lantern Bearers will belong to you!"
Xia Chen seriously looked at Chen Song with a strange expression, while Chen Song thought Xia Chen had been stunned by his words, and a confident smile appeared on his Face.
"Didn't expect that, did you? Shocked, right? I'm one of His Highness the Crown Prince's people. You have a background, and I have one too, hahahahahaha!"
Chen Song laughed heartily internally, thinking that by telling Xia Chen this top-secret information, he could surely turn the crisis into safety, and perhaps even pull this Consort Xia Chen into the Crown Prince's faction. Chen Song thought this in his heart, while outwardly still appearing humble.
"Lord Chen, why do you think I arrested you?"
"It's not because we didn't follow orders, deliberately made things difficult for you, and didn't give you Face by not attending the banquet!"
Chen Song answered subconsciously.
Xia Chen heard this answer and shook his head with a smile. This Chen Song was truly adorably foolish. He was already in prison and still didn't know why he was imprisoned.
"Lord Chen, lean your head over a bit, I'll explain it to you properly!"
Xia Chen beckoned, like calling a dog, and said with a smile. Chen Song became energetic and quickly pressed his head into the gap in the bars, listening attentively.
Xia Chen leaned forward slightly and spoke softly and calmly.
"I'm targeting the Crown Prince's people!"
After saying this, Xia Chen patted Chen Song's cheek, and Chen Song's pupils constricted, his heart already in turmoil.
"Is Lord Chen truly foolish or pretending to be foolish? This is the Lantern Bearers, and you are a Hall Master of the Lantern Bearers. Do you really think what you did was so seamless?
Colluding with the Crown Prince and trying to control the Lantern Bearers while His Majesty is still alive? What? Is His Highness the Crown Prince impatient to ascend the throne? Does he want to control the Lantern Bearers to stage a palace coup?"
Xia Chen's tone was gentle, but Chen Song was already drenched in cold sweat.
He felt a chill throughout his body. If he still hadn't realized it by now, he truly would be a fool.
"Also, now that you've been arrested, do you think the Crown Prince will go to great lengths to rescue you, or simply send someone to silence you to save trouble?"
Xia Chen smiled, and Chen Song, upon hearing this, was already powerless and slumped in his cell.
Xia Chen laughed heartily, looking exactly like a villain!
...
Xia Chen continued to walk deeper into the prison. He didn't come to the prison today for Chen Song and Li Yue; those two weren't worthy.
He came today for three talented individuals.
"Lord, we've arrived. Yu Shaoqian is held here!"
A cell door was opened, and dazzling light shone into the dim cell, startling a person dressed in a prisoner's uniform, with a full beard, and sickly pale skin from years of not seeing sunlight.
"Yu Shaoqian, come out. The Lord wants to see you!"
Yu Shaoqian's head felt heavy. He had been imprisoned for about two years now. After receiving a few whippings when he first came in, no one had bothered him since.
Why was someone looking for him today?
"Greetings, Lord!"
Two years of prison food had instilled a sense of reverence in this once sharp-edged, fearless youth, no longer as arrogant as before.
He looked at the exceptionally handsome young man before him and bowed respectfully.
"Yu Shaoqian, two years ago, you led a group of students from the Imperial College to kneel and submit a memorial, stating that you hoped His Majesty would pay more attention to state affairs, implement a policy of non-interference, enrich the common people, and allow the people to recuperate. You also spread rumors, saying that our Great Wu Dynasty must cease military conflicts, otherwise it would be in imminent danger!
Therefore, you were arrested by the Lantern Bearers, and it has been two years and three months since then!"
Xia Chen recited the charges, looking at the kneeling youth before him.
Yu Shaoqian's expression changed, then settled into one of calm.
"Two years of neglect. I thought I had been forgotten. Is it time for my execution today?"
Yu Shaoqian straightened his back and tidied his clothes. Although dressed in ragged prison garb, he still exuded an extraordinary demeanor, like a green bamboo firmly rooted in the mountains, resilient and unyielding.
"Do you regret your words from back then?"
Xia Chen calmly looked at Yu Shaoqian and asked again.
"If I had another chance, I would still choose to submit a memorial. And I do regret it, regretting that I was too reckless, too arrogant, thinking that as a scholar from the Imperial College, I could speak my mind freely and casually discuss national affairs.
If given another chance, I would quietly bide my time, diligently pass the imperial examinations to enter the Hanlin Academy, and then question the Grand Secretaries and His Majesty Face-to-Face, asking why they disregard the common people of the world!
The world is not His Majesty's world alone, but the world of all the common people!
The common people of the world can no longer survive. If we do not recuperate, if we continue these continuous wars, our Great Wu will perish sooner or later!"
Yu Shaoqian's words were incredibly calm, but his voice was firm and powerful. Two years of prison food had taught him the vastness of heaven and earth, and how insignificant he was, but he still didn't believe he was wrong!
The world is about to perish, Great Wu is about to perish, and only the common people of this world suffer!
Xia Chen stared at the young man before him, filled with righteous Qi, for a long time. Finally, he smiled!
"When the common people prosper, they suffer. When they perish, they suffer!"
Xia Chen slowly said, and Yu Shaoqian's eyes lit up upon hearing Xia Chen's words. He repeatedly muttered Xia Chen's words, his eyes growing brighter and brighter, and his gaze towards Xia Chen also changed.
"Yu Shaoqian, you are released. From today onwards, you will follow me and be a scribe!"
Yu Shaoqian, who had already embraced the thought of facing death, was stunned upon hearing this, then his gaze fixed on Xia Chen's back, who had already turned away.
"He... was released?"
...
【Yu Shaoqian, courtesy name Shou Zheng, was diligent and studious from a young age. At seventeen, he entered the Imperial College to study. At twenty-three, he and his fellow students jointly submitted a memorial, detailing the Disadvantages of state affairs. His words were sharp, and he even uttered rebellious statements such as "The world is not His Majesty's world, but the world of all the common people." Consequently, he was arrested by the authorities and imprisoned.
At that time, Emperor Taizu was the Director of the Lantern Bearers. He observed that Yu Shaoqian was a person who worried about the country and its common people, cared for the populace, and possessed great talent. Thus, he released him and ordered him to follow him to learn.
— Xia History, Volume Thirteen, Biography of Yu Shaoqian】
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