Starting with choosing a wife, creating the most powerful Xia

Midnight, Kyoto.

Inside the imperial study, a man in his thirties or forties leaned lazily against the dragon throne, holding several sheets of paper covered in writing in his hand.

His face, which had previously appeared somewhat ordinary, seemed to have gained a sharper edge thanks to his inexplicable aura.

"Ha ha……"

After a long while, the emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty finally put down the calligraphy in his hand.

"Is that Chu Xuan from the Chu family? I've never heard of him before. Now that he's been born, he's become the famous Poet Immortal of our Great Xia. It seems that Chu Xiang Pavilion's judgment isn't all that great."

Li Wenzhong, the chief scribe of the Directorate of Ceremonial, nodded slightly.

"This is the very copy made by his second wife, Chen Xuening, at the literary gathering that day."

He only needed to say one sentence: "The heart of an emperor cannot be ignored, yet it cannot be fathomed."

A little bit of performance is enough; too much is as bad as too little.

Emperor Xia lowered his head and pondered for a moment: "That Chen Xuening, I seem to remember her, a cabinet scholar a few years ago? She was exiled to the Chu family as a slave for treason?"

"Your Majesty is wise; this is indeed the man."

"Interesting, interesting."

The more Emperor Xia looked at the poems in his hands, the more he loved them.

As a prince, he was always taught by the Imperial Household Department. Although being an emperor did not require him to be a great poet or writer, he was still expected to have some talent.

In Emperor Xia's eyes, each of these poems and essays could be included in the annals of history and passed down for thousands of years, yet they were written in one night by Chu Xuan, a pawn who was abandoned by the world.

"An You does have some sense after all. Convey my will."

Emperor Xia sat up and said in a deep voice.

“An Youzhong has made meritorious contributions in recommending talents, and shall be rewarded with two jade ruyi scepters and a pot of wine from the palace.”

Not bad.

These few "genuine works" by Chu Xuan were sent by An Youzhong via express horse.

His plan was simple: once Chu Xuanwen passed the meeting, it was inevitable that he would become famous throughout the world and even attract the attention of the imperial court.

He has a connection with Yantian, so they can be considered partners for the time being. The better Chu Xuan is, the greater the help An You will receive.

Besides, since it will be presented to the emperor sooner or later anyway, I might as well do it myself. Once this gets out, on the one hand, I can subtly let the world know that I have some connection with this poet, which will benefit my reputation. On the other hand, I can also do Chu Xuan a favor, which will make our relationship even closer.

one stone two bird.

It must be said that none of these people who mingled in the royal court were of pure heart.

Upon hearing Emperor Xia's instructions, Li Wenzhong didn't say much, but nodded slightly: "Yes, this servant will go shortly."

"Li Daban, what do you think the Chu family's expression would be if they knew about this?"

Emperor Xia seemed to be deep in thought, then smiled with a hint of mockery.

Upon receiving the poem, he immediately investigated Chu Xuan's background and past thoroughly.

Despite the immense power and influence of the various princes and nobles, the emperor is still the emperor. For him, investigating someone is not a difficult task at all.

He naturally knew that Chu Xuan harbored resentment towards the Chu family. This resentment was a good thing; how could the Xia Emperor not understand the principle that a powerful figure like Chu Xuan was difficult to control? Since Chu Xuan was at odds with them, he had value to be used.

Li Wenzhong narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Does Your Majesty wish to summon Young Master Chu to the palace?"

"No."

The Xia Emperor rejected the suggestion on the spot: "We need to see how it goes. It's not a good thing to elevate him too much all at once. Besides, he may write good poetry and prose, but other things are another matter. The imperial court is not a place where you can survive just by writing poetry and prose."

"How about this, in my name, I will send the Chu family a thousand taels of gold and a hundred bolts of brocade as a congratulatory gift for the birth of their son."

"Furthermore, send a pair of purple jade pieces to an unnamed mountain and bestow upon Chu Xuan the title of Poet Immortal."

hiss……

Upon hearing this, Li Wenzhong gasped in shock, staring at Emperor Xia in astonishment, almost unable to process what he was hearing.

Your Majesty is going to play that brat to death...

But the emperor's orders were paramount to him, and they had to be obeyed no matter what. All he could do was hope that Chu Xuan could pull through.

Two days later, on the other side.

In the ancestral home of the Chu family in Nanyang County.

Chu Xiangge, the over-seventy-year-old patriarch of the Chu family, frowned as he looked at the imperial edict in his hand.

Beside him was his second son, Chu Yifeng, who was the governor of Nanyang County. After reading the imperial decree that had just been delivered, the father and son were both somewhat dazed.

Chu Xuan?

They don't quite remember the name.

Although in a sense, Chu Xuan had to address one of the two men as "Grandpa" and the other as "Second Uncle," they actually had no recollection of this person.

Chu Xuan was simply too inconspicuous within the Chu family. The Chu family was enormous, with connections to four branches, and its descendants, both direct and collateral, numbered no less than a thousand.

An orphan who had nothing special about him in the Chu family did not really interest the two of them. If it weren't for the imperial decree, they probably wouldn't have remembered that there was such a person in their family.

"Father, what exactly do you think His Majesty means?"

Although Chu Yifeng was over fifty years old and a high-ranking official in Nanyang County, a third-rank official in the court, this was the first time he had encountered such a strange thing, so he still had to ask his father for advice.

First, their own family produced a poet, and the emperor, in his congratulations, sent them many gifts and even told them in an imperial edict that he would bestow upon Chu Xuan the title of "Poet Immortal".

What does this mean? Previously, no matter how many people praised Chu Xuan, it was all superficial. But the emperor's move, in the name of the government, defined and endorsed him.

In the future, the title of "Poet Immortal Chu Xuan" will be a legitimate imperial bestowal, which no one can deny and no one else can use.

"Ha, His Majesty wants to sever ties between this child and our Chu family."

The old man from Chuxiang Pavilion was shrewd and saw through Emperor Xia's plan at a glance, and sneered.

"During the first two court assemblies, His Majesty sent several trusted confidants to various fiefdoms under the pretext that someone outside the borders coveted the territory. This clearly shows that His Majesty is wary of us aristocratic families. However, since his power is not yet fully developed, he dares not make a big move. This time, he has probably set his sights on Chu Xuan."

What does it mean to be bestowed a title by the emperor? Besides the things mentioned earlier, the last meaning is that one is a disciple of the emperor.

How could someone from the Chu family become a disciple of the emperor?

The intention to win them over couldn't be clearer.

He had learned a general outline of Chu Xuan's experiences today. This child likely harbored resentment towards the Chu family. Therefore, Emperor Xia's actions were a tactic of instigating and secretly supporting Chu Xuan, attempting to find a breakthrough within the Chu family.

As a result, the Chu family will also come into conflict with Chu Xuan.

Whether Chu Xuan lives or dies is not that important. With Chu Xuan causing trouble, Emperor Xia will at least have a lot of time to expand his power.

You're guaranteed to make a profit.