Starting with choosing a wife, creating the most powerful Xia

Accept the purpose?

Chu Xuan was slightly taken aback. Before he could react, the eunuch shouted in a voice that was already somewhat sharp.

"Chu Xuan, receive the imperial decree!"

As soon as he said that, everyone knelt down. Chu Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly; he understood.

The Xia emperor, who was living in seclusion in the palace, had probably noticed him. There was a 70-80% chance that the imperial decree he sent today was a test.

A smile appeared on his lips, and unlike the others, he straightened up and stared at the eunuch in front of him.

This action terrified everyone, who stared at him in stunned silence.

The four women who came to greet him upon hearing the news were also stunned.

Chen Xuening was quite close to him, and she secretly tugged at Chu Xuan's sleeve, whispering something.

"My lord, this is an imperial decree! Don't act recklessly!"

But Chu Xuan simply shook his head at her without saying a word.

Even the guards behind the eunuch couldn't help but frown and press their hands on the hilts of their swords. They were also unconcerned and just waited for the eunuch to react.

Upon seeing this, Zuo Feng was slightly taken aback.

He had been in the palace for many years and held a high position. He was also Li Wenzhong's adopted son and had met countless powerful and influential people. Even those of the highest rank would kneel down readily when faced with an imperial edict.

Chu Xuan, standing before them, was clearly still a commoner, yet he stood there blankly, as if he didn't take them seriously at all.

Fear and inner turmoil gripped everyone's hearts.

Chu Xuan's actions were tantamount to angering Zuo Feng. What if the guards got angry?

Unexpectedly, after a brief moment of stunned silence, Zuo Feng showed no sign of anger. Instead, he waved his hand, signaling the guards to put down their knives, and smiled at Chu Xuan.

“Young Master Chu, we have met many people, but you are the first to receive the imperial decree in this manner. It is quite a coincidence, as His Majesty instructed us before we came that you need not kneel to receive the decree.”

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned, and then they watched as Zuo Feng unfolded the imperial edict and read it aloud.

"The Emperor Haotian Anmin decrees: Chu Xuan of Wuming Mountain possesses astonishing poetic talent, unparalleled throughout history, and his fame resounds far and wide. I greatly admire him. Although he has not passed the imperial examinations to enter the court, I consider it a waste to leave his talents to the common people. Therefore, I bestow upon him the title of 'Poet Immortal,' and grant him various amounts of brocade, gold, and silver. I hope he will continue to strive and serve the country. This is my decree."

After he finished speaking, Zuo Feng immediately noticed that the breathing of the mountain people in front of him had become rapid.

The title of "Poet Immortal" bestowed by the emperor? What an honor!

This is unprecedented in history!

With this imperial decree, the name Chu Xuan was essentially endorsed by the court and His Majesty!

In the future, under the scorching summer sun, every poet will respectfully call him the "Poet Immortal"!

The four women, needless to say, were all surprised and delighted.

The village chief's old face almost broke into a wide grin, and even those who had come from bandit backgrounds were filled with pride.

Ultimately, no matter what they did before, Chu Xuan is now their lord. In other words, on Wuming Mountain, Chu Xuan is their master.

The people of Daxia value the concept of master and servant very much. They were all Chu Xuan's servants. Therefore, the higher the master's status, the more honored they felt and benefited from it.

"Poet Chu, receive the imperial decree."

Zuo Feng smiled, closed the imperial edict, and handed it to Chu Xuan.

Unlike the others, Chu Xuan's eyes flashed with a sharp glint, but he did not show it.

After receiving the imperial edict, he secretly slipped a few silver notes into Zuo Feng's hand under its cover, and whispered something.

"Eunuch Zuo, you must be tired from your journey. This little bit of tea is just a token of my respect."

Zuo Feng felt the thickness of the silver note in his hand and knew with a slight twist that it was no less than five hundred taels. He nodded to himself in approval.

Just now, Chu Xuan stood out from the crowd, and he thought he was an arrogant person. He didn't expect him to be so adept at interpersonal relationships, which made him look at him with new respect.

With money paving the way, Zuo Feng's gaze softened somewhat.

"Chu Shixian, His Majesty values ​​you highly and cherishes your talent. If you have any excellent works in the future, don't forget to write a letter to His Majesty."

"His Majesty also said that writing poetry is a form of entertainment, which can demonstrate talent, but it is not necessarily the right path. One should not become too addicted to it. If one can serve as an official and bring benefits to the people, wouldn't that be the true path? That's all I have to say. Poet Immortal Chu can think about it slowly."

Zuo Feng chuckled softly.

Upon hearing this, the previously vague but sharp look in Chu Xuan's eyes intensified, but fortunately he suppressed it in time and it went unnoticed.

The imperial edict arrived, and Zuo Feng didn't wait long. After all, Wuming Mountain was not a place where guests could stay, and they had to hurry down the mountain to find lodging in Lucheng.

Chu Xuan and the others escorted him down the nameless mountain gate before returning.

The crowd surrounded Chu Xuan, each person's face filled with extreme excitement. Their master had achieved such great success, so naturally they wanted to offer their congratulations.

But Chu Xuan shook his head with a wry smile, noticing a hint of worry on Chen Xuening's face.

Seeing the villagers so happy, Chu Xuan didn't intend to spoil their mood. He immediately ordered that three hundred taels of silver be taken from the silver bestowed upon him by the Xia Emperor and distributed to everyone.

Everyone was already happy, and now that they had received the silver, they were even more eager to kneel down and shout "Long live Chu Xuan!"

After finally calming them down, Chu Xuan let them each perform their duties before leading the four women back to the courtyard.

Ah Leng looked at Chu Xuan, who was sitting in the main seat, his smile suddenly vanished, and his brows were full of sharpness, and couldn't help but feel a little strange.

"My lord, isn't this a good thing—the imperial court has bestowed honors upon you? Why are you so worried?"

Chu Ling'er did the same, but unlike A Leng, she was not direct and did not ask, but she also looked at Chu Xuan with a puzzled expression.

With a sigh, Xiao Ziqi shook her head and said.

"This reward may not necessarily be a good thing."

What innocent soul comes from Xiaoxiang Pavilion? If they didn't have a bit of cunning, they'd probably be devoured long ago, leaving not even bones behind.

Xiao Ziqi also noticed the strangeness of this award, but she had not spent much time with Chu Xuan and did not know him well, so she could not see through the secret behind it.

At this point, Chen Xuening finally spoke up to explain.

"As expected of a mere warrior. Did you really think His Majesty intended to bestow the title of Grand Chancellor? This imperial edict will only bring trouble upon the Grand Chancellor!"

Bringing trouble upon oneself?

Ah Leng had always been averse to scheming and couldn't understand for a moment, so Chen Xuening continued to explain with a worried expression.

“If His Majesty truly values ​​the Prime Minister, this imperial edict should have been sent to the Chu family, since the Prime Minister is nominally still a member of the Chu family. It would be reasonable for the Chu family to bestow honors upon such an outstanding descendant, and then for the Chu family to reward Chu Xuan. However, Emperor Xia bypassed the Chu family and directly bestowed honors upon the Prime Minister. Don’t you all think there’s something wrong with that?”

"Furthermore, the imperial edict refers to my husband as Chu Xuan of Wuming Mountain, not Chu Xuan of the Chu Family, clearly separating the Chu family from my husband. Considering the previous circumstances, there is only one possibility."

Chen Xuening's gaze was sharp as a sword, extremely cold, and she slowly exhaled as she spoke.

"His Majesty is dissatisfied with the various vassal states, but dares not take direct action, so he wants to use you, sir, to deal with the Chu family!"