Starting with choosing a wife, creating the most powerful Xia

Perhaps because they were now in private, An You's speech was not as polite as it had been in the lobby.

He squinted, a half-smile playing on his lips.

His eyes seemed to hold a hint of mockery.

"Shouldn't you be spending the night with Xiao Ziqi right now? If you're not up to it and want me to do it for you, I'm not obliged."

As he spoke, An You finally placed his hands on the armrests and crossed his legs.

It's hard to believe that such vulgar, thuggish words came from the mouth of a prince.

But Chu Xuan was not surprised at all.

Born into the Chu family, he had seen too many people who appeared to be impeccably virtuous on the surface, but had done all sorts of despicable things behind the scenes.

In comparison, An Youzhong's condition was relatively mild.

So he just smiled faintly.

"My health is quite good, so there's no need for the young master to worry."

"Oh? So you think you're afraid to offend me, but you regret it and want to admit defeat?"

"Of course not."

Chu Xuan shook his head, looked at the guards behind him, and said in a deep voice.

"I have important matters to discuss with Your Highness, but before I speak, I would like to ask Your Highness to have the guards withdraw."

"Chu Xuan, I don't know who gave you the audacity to speak to me like this. Do you think that just because you're from the Chu family, I won't dare to do anything to you?"

“I believe that His Highness has a thousand ways to kill me, even if he were to have someone do it right here. At most, he would only get a few curses and wouldn’t be seriously injured. But I believe that after knowing what I’m about to say, His Highness will be even more glad that he didn’t kill me now.”

Despite An Youzhong's increasingly dangerous gaze, Chu Xuan remained calm.

She was no longer the dazed, drunkard she had been just moments before.

An You silently observed him for a few moments, then waved his hand, signaling his guards to leave first.

Upon seeing this, the guard immediately became anxious.

They did know that Chu Xuan was not a kind person.

An You arrived in Linyang City early this morning and, after hearing about what happened at the literary gathering last night, he ordered someone to investigate Chu Xuan's situation.

Under feudal dynasties, the power of the royal family was the least questionable thing, and investigating a person's background was as easy as breathing.

Therefore, even before coming to Xiaoxiang Pavilion, Chu Xuan's life story had already been fully laid out on An Youzhong's table.

Aside from the unremarkable, even laughable, experience before leaving the Chu family, the rest of the events require some serious reflection.

Upon arriving in Linyang City, he immediately attacked Qi Feng, the eldest son of the Qi family, the local tyrant of Linyang City.

Then, through a series of actions at the literary gathering, the Qi family and Qi Feng were almost completely disgraced in Linyang City.

Although it didn't actually cause any serious damage, Chu Xuan completely destroyed what the scholarly families valued most.

What if Chu Xuan goes crazy again after they leave and beats An Youzhong as well?

An You is far superior to Qi Feng. So, if Qi Feng hit him, so be it. But if he doesn't even get a proper greeting, the Qi family might have to come out and apologize.

But what about An Youzhong? If Chu Xuan beats him, no matter who is in the right, Chu Xuan will be the first to die, and the guards will also be implicated and punished.

But An You simply looked at Chu Xuan and smiled, "Since it was Young Master Chu who invited me here, my safety here naturally needs to be guaranteed by Chu Xuan, right?"

"Of course, Your Highness can rest assured."

Chu Xuan knew this was a warning, but he didn't take it seriously. He didn't have much malice towards An Youzhong to begin with.

Upon hearing this, the two guards, no matter how worried they were, had no choice but to obey and leave. However, before leaving, they glared fiercely at Chu Xuan.

But Chu Xuan still didn't bring up the matter, turning his head to stare out the window.

Xiao Ziqi's room was in almost the best location in Xiaoxiang Pavilion. Looking down from the window, one could see the Qinxiang River, where people lit lanterns that floated on the water, creating a beautiful scene.

After a moment of silence, An You finally burst out laughing.

"You should be cautious."

Then he waved his hand towards the window.

A few almost inaudible sounds came from outside the window.

Chu Xuan understood that this was the sound of the guards who had left with An Youzhong.

Then he smiled at him and said, "This matter is of great importance, so we should be careful."

"Alright, you've kept me in suspense for long enough. I've done as you wished. Now, shall we talk about your business? Let me make this clear: if I'm not satisfied or interested in what you've said, you'll have to pay the price for your rudeness earlier. Don't think that just because you're known as the Poet Immortal, I can't do anything to you."

After An You uttered a low threat, Chu Xuan finally spoke.

“I can help the Crown Prince ascend to the throne of Liyang.”

Upon hearing this, An You's hand, which was holding the teacup, trembled almost imperceptibly. He slowly raised his eyes, a hint of murderous intent flashing within them.

He stared intently at Chu Xuan.

But it was quickly brought under control again.

"What a joke! I am my father's only son, and the throne is hereditary. After my father passes away, the throne will surely be mine. Why would I need your help? Besides..."

An You paused for a moment, then stood up and stepped forward, looking down at Chu Xuan.

"Chu Xuan, you're just a collateral member of the Chu family, how dare you speak so arrogantly about interfering in the succession to the throne? Are you really tired of living? Don't even mention you, even those old fogies in your family, if they try to interfere in the succession to the throne, they'll all die!"

By the end, the chilling murderous intent in his words was no longer concealed.

But Chu Xuan's expression remained indifferent.

"Is that so? Then let me tell you what I know. On the surface, His Highness is indeed an only child, but he is not the legitimate heir. He was conceived by the Queen's concubine. The Queen of Liyang never had any children, and in the end, she died of tuberculosis. Am I right?"

"So what? Quite a few people know about it."

An Youzhong's expression was extremely complicated at this moment. On one hand, it was filled with murderous intent, but on the other hand, it was also filled with anticipation.

"In other words, His Highness is the eldest son, not the legitimate son."

Chu Xuan smiled when he saw his expression.

"Since Your Highness knows that I am from the Chu family, have you forgotten something? Five years ago, the Prince of Liyang took away a woman from the common people and raised her outside the Prince's mansion. Three years ago, that woman gave birth to a child for the Prince, and unfortunately, it was a boy."

"That woman was quite favored by the prince, who even built a palace for her. Your Highness, do you remember where that palace was?"

Chu Xuan asked.

At this moment, An Youzhong couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat: "In Yingzhou City, Nanjun..."

“Nanjun is the fiefdom of my Chu family. What’s more, I was involved in the construction of that palace. Your Highness, how do you think I knew about this?”