Starting with choosing a wife, creating the most powerful Xia

Chu Xuan knew in his heart that this was An You's way of showing him goodwill, and he did not refuse.

After leaving Xiao Ziqi to pack her things, she went to visit Lu Yao and Chen Liang.

The two were somewhat reluctant to see him leave Linyang City.

But they also understood that Chu Xuan had a fiefdom to support, so they couldn't stay here for too long.

The three chatted happily, becoming like close friends despite their age difference. At Chu Xuan's request, the two easily transferred Xiao Ziqi's household registration from the lowest social class to Chu Xuan's.

Chu Xuan thanked the two men and promised that he would visit them whenever he had time to come to Linyang City. Only then did they see him off.

Standing outside the door, watching Chu Xuan's departing figure, Lu Yao narrowed his eyes slightly, and the kind smile on his face gradually disappeared.

"This little guy, the information we got from the Chu family doesn't seem right."

He said it in a cryptic way.

Lu Yao is not a simple-minded person to have reached his current position. If he were really that honest, he would probably have been eaten by someone long ago.

After the literary gathering ended, he used his connections to investigate Chu Xuan.

He was a member of a collateral branch of the Chu family. He lost both his parents at a young age and suffered a lot of grievances in the Chu family. At the same time, he was also ignorant and incompetent, spending his days following his family members to seek pleasure and cause trouble everywhere.

He was completely different from the famous poet of Linyang City he is today.

"Actually, it's not that it's incomprehensible."

Chen Liang then added that his affection for Chu Xuan far surpassed that for Lu Yao.

Moreover, as one of the local officials, Lu Yao had to think things through more complicatedly. However, Chen Liang, being a scholar, disliked these court affairs and simply viewed Chu Xuan as a junior relative.

"He lost his parents at a young age and was from a collateral branch of the family. He had no support in the Chu family. Perhaps in order to survive, he had to resort to these means to tarnish his reputation and keep a low profile until he went to his fiefdom, where he was free to fly and finally revealed his talents."

Unexpectedly, Lu Yao not only did not refute, but nodded slightly in agreement, though his words carried a hint of unease.

"That's what I think too. That's why I feel that this kid might still have some ambition. Putting aside everything else, after he came to Linyang City, he contacted Lin Luo and the Prince of Liyang one after another. That's not a good thing."

Lu Yao also had a bit of a headache.

What kind of resilience must a person possess who knows how to smear themselves to hide their shortcomings from a young age?

Moreover, Chu Xuan's talents and skills are not those of ordinary people.

Now that he has room to maneuver, it's hard not to wonder if he might turn around and do something to the Chu family.

The powerful clans are already in chaos, and the Great Xia Dynasty has been unstable in recent years. If Chu Xuan were to intervene now, it could cause considerable trouble.

"Don't overthink it. He might not do that. Besides, Chu Xuan's talents and abilities are mostly in poetry and literature. Even if he really wanted to take action against the Chu family, he might not be able to stir up any trouble."

Knowing his friend's worries, Chen Liang shook his head and smiled wryly.

This guy is overthinking things.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yao could only give a wry smile: "I hope so."

After leaving, Chu Xuan returned to Xiaoxiang Pavilion with the documents to pick up Xiao Ziqi.

Xiao Ziqi had lived in this place for many years and had accumulated some savings. He bought a small courtyard outside the city and several shops inside the city.

She knew that after leaving with Chu Xuan this time, she probably wouldn't be coming back. The maids who had always followed her would probably not be tolerated by the others in Xiaoxiang Pavilion after she left.

If they came with me, Wuming Village was still in its infancy, a remote rural area, and they might not be able to endure it.

If we stay here...

Such a place of intrigue and backstabbing is not a good place to go, so he simply handed over some of his savings, along with the small courtyard and shops, to a few maids.

This can be considered as leaving them some place to stay.

Upon hearing this, the maids naturally surrounded Xiao Ziqi and cried for a long time before gradually accepting everything and leaving as she instructed.

They brought Xiao Ziqi back to the villa, and none of the three women seemed surprised to see her.

Although Chen Xuening felt jealous, she only glared at Chu Xuan and said nothing. Chu Ling'er, as the first wife, also pulled Xiao Ziqi aside to chat with her, helping her gradually integrate into the family.

Even Ah Leng, whom Chu Xuan was most worried about, didn't seem to object. In fact, she seemed quite excited. After asking her, Chu Xuan learned that what she was thinking was that after Xiao Ziqi arrived, she, as the third wife, would no longer be the youngest in the family.

Chu Xuan was left speechless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

After chatting for a while, under Chu Ling'er's influence, Xiao Ziqi gradually became less reserved and nervous. The two addressed each other as sister and younger sister, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Chu Xuan then told them to pack their things, and Liang An had already prepared the carriages and horses outside.

It has been several days since he left, and there has been no news of him in the village, nor do they know his situation.

Although Chu Xuan really wanted to continue being a hands-off manager, if he actually did that, the old village chief would be cursing him when he got back.

The four women, knowing the importance of the matter, quickly packed their valuables and boarded the carriage.

However, it's unclear which unscrupulous person leaked the news that Chu Xuan was leaving.

After the group left the villa, they discovered that there were quite a few scholars and literati gathered on both sides of the road, seemingly to see them off.

Even girls from several brothels nearby stood by the windows upstairs, their red sleeves waving in the breeze.

She kept calling out to him not to leave, but to stay in Linyang City.

Chu Xuan's eyelids twitched as he watched.

I only came to Linyang City, but I didn't expect it to cause such a commotion. I felt a little helpless. I don't know why those pigeons from other worlds like fans picking them up at the airport. Don't they find it noisy?

Fortunately, these people were just talking and didn't do anything outrageous, so the convoy passed through smoothly.

The group then embarked on their journey back to the mountain.

Compared to when they arrived, there were many more things in the car, many of which were gifts from the famous scholars and wealthy men of the city who came to visit. Unable to refuse, they accepted them, and the total filled two large boxes.

Converted to silver, it would probably be around seven or eight hundred taels.

The convoy's speed was also slowed down considerably, but since there was no need to rush back to the mountain, Liang An slowed down accordingly.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the shadow of the nameless mountain could already be seen in the distance.

Liang An did not return to Lucheng. Instead, he planned to send them back to the village before reporting to Cheng Han.

They hadn't encountered any trouble along the way, but just as they reached the mountainside, a sudden change occurred.

Many figures suddenly leaped out from the shadowy bushes.

The next instant, they blocked Chu Xuan's carriage!