NOVEL WEB Chapter 70 - A Resplendent Era
Xu Xingchen departed, leaving in a state of utter despondency and bewilderment!
As he walked along the street, his entire being seemed as though it had lost its soul.
He, ever astute and rational, now found his thoughts tangled in a chaotic web.
His mind was wholly consumed with Xia Chen’s voice, which resounded as though it were the impartial decree of the heavens, devoid of the slightest trace of emotion—extermination of the nine clans, that is indeed the extermination of the nine clans!
Xu Xingchen had never imagined that a single misstep could precipitate such a catastrophic calamity.
That Xia Chen—rumors outside painted him as gentle as jade, approachable, devoid of the airs of a noble scion; Xu Xingchen himself had initially judged him thus, which was why he had boldly approached Xia Chen, seeking to observe him up close.
Yet he had never anticipated that this man was a scheming fiend—Xia Chen concealed his true nature far too deeply.
Turning against him without a moment’s hesitation!
The thought of falling into the hands of this calculating and ruthless Xia Chen filled Xu Xingchen with a sense of despair for his future; his aspiration to become Chief Grand Secretary seemed destined to crumble, leaving him to serve merely as a lackey of the court—a lowly scribe within the Lamplighters.
In Dawu, clerks were scorned by officials; once branded a clerk, this would become a stain upon his record—his prospects for this lifetime utterly hopeless!
At this realization, Xu Xingchen felt an urge to find a tree and a rope, to hang himself and be done with it!
Yet no sooner had this notion surfaced than he swiftly shook his head to dispel it.
“Xu Xingchen, oh Xu Xingchen—how vainly you deemed yourself extraordinary, yet your spirit proves so frail; at the first taste of adversity, you contemplate escaping through death. How can you be so weak?
Today’s calamity stems precisely from your failure to regard the realm’s heroes with due respect, your arrogant heart leading you to suffer such a grievous setback.
Moreover, that Xia Chen is undoubtedly a man of ruthless resolve—he would never spare your family. Should you die, they could arbitrarily pin crimes upon them; how could a true man shirk responsibility so utterly?
Even if this life must be lived in ignoble survival, in mediocrity and obscurity, you must endure with the tenacity of a wild weed—nothing shall break you!
Come on, Xu Xingchen!!!”
Xu Xingchen’s inner turmoil churned with vivid complexity; in an instant, a flood of thoughts coursed through him. At last, he clenched his fists, rallying himself with encouragement—though this stance appeared rather comical.
“Hahahahaha, Daddy, look—this uncle is so funny! In our private school, when someone fails to recite the lesson and gets punished by the teacher, feeling sad and upset, our master cheers us up just like this. It seems this uncle must have failed to recite his lesson and gotten punished by his teacher too!”
A child by the roadside, observing Xu Xingchen with his fists clenched and face brimming with vigor, held a candied haw stick and pointed at him with innocent delight, laughing.
“Xiaozhi, how can you be so rude? Quickly apologize to this uncle!”
The child’s father hastily reprimanded him, then turned to Xu Xingchen with an apology.
The child, only seven years old, was named Song Zhi—a son of an ordinary household in the capital.
“Children’s words carry no offense—it’s no matter!”
Xu Xingchen shook his head, glanced at Song Zhi holding his candied haw, offered him a smile, then turned and walked away.
…
Within the tavern’s private room!
“Young Master, what is so exceptional about this Xu Xingchen that you would expend such effort and energy, going to such lengths to bring him to your side?”
Xia Qian took a seat at the table; with no outsiders present, he voiced the doubts lingering in his heart.
He had witnessed the entire scene unfold firsthand. Xu Xingchen believed Xia Chen aimed to torment and toy with him, but Xia Qian knew his young master held Xu Xingchen in high esteem. Even if Xu Xingchen hadn’t come knocking of his own accord this time, he wouldn’t have escaped—his young master had long set his sights upon him.
“This individual possesses prodigious talent, endowed with the bearing befitting a Chief Grand Secretary!”
Xia Chen stated calmly.
“What? That can’t be—he seems rather ordinary to me! At over twenty years old, he’s still just a licentiate—surely the Imperial Academy is brimming with students more outstanding than him!”
Xia Qian struggled to believe it; he glanced at his young master, who responded with a smile but offered no further reply.
He fell into contemplation—never before had his young master praised anyone so highly. What talents did this Xu Xingchen truly possess?
“How does he compare to Chief Grand Secretary Lin, then?”
Xia Qian hesitated before posing the question, only to regret it the moment it left his lips—hadn’t he just asked a pointless question?
Who was Chief Grand Secretary Lin?
Having helmed the Cabinet for over twenty years, he stood unyielding; despite His Majesty’s suspicious nature, Lin had never been touched.
And since when had Chief Grand Secretary Lin become a unit of measure, a benchmark for evaluating the realm’s intellects?
Yet at that moment, Xia Chen’s voice rang out.
“Chief Grand Secretary Lin’s abilities are indeed remarkable—even within the eight-hundred-year history of Dawu, he ranks among the top ten. Though the realm today is rife with flaws, this is not the fault of Chief Grand Secretary Lin, but rather lies with His Majesty!”
“Indeed, were it not for Chief Grand Secretary Lin wielding the reins of courtly power these past twenty-odd years, amidst these decades of relentless warfare, Dawu might well have collapsed internally long ago—never achieving its current state of flourishing atop a blaze, but instead descending into the visage of a dynasty’s twilight.”
“But… Chief Grand Secretary Lin still falls short of Xu Xingchen!”
Xia Chen spoke in a tranquil tone; silence enveloped the private room, while beyond its walls, the clamor of diners in the main hall continued unabated, their meal consumed with fervor.
These patrons could scarcely imagine that within this modest private chamber, someone was appraising Chief Grand Secretary Lin—nor could they conceive that the pillar of their nation, in Xia Chen’s estimation, paled beside an obscure student of the Imperial Academy!
Xia Qian swallowed hard, stunned by the words from Xia Chen’s lips; though he still harbored doubts about Xu Xingchen’s purported talents, he trusted his young master implicitly—if his young master declared it so, then it must be true!
That alone sufficed!
Xia Chen raised his head, peering through the paper window toward the sky beyond. Lin Hanpu was indeed a man of great talent, ranking among the top ten in Dawu’s eight-hundred-year chronicle—but Xu Xingchen could claim a place among the top three in that same span, even vying for the pinnacle.
He was a talent of world-shaking caliber, one who, under ordinary circumstances, could have etched a resplendent chapter into history with his intellect alone. Yet a grand age of strife loomed on the horizon—an unprecedented era of unification approached; and following that unification, a golden epoch would burst forth.
Countless heroes would sprout like bamboo after rain—preeminent figures, even peerless prodigies, would take the stage of history one by one, vying for prominence.
A prodigy such as Xu Xingchen, even within that future era of resplendent brilliance—an epoch unprecedented in all of ancient and modern history—inevitably appears somewhat overshadowed and diminished in luster…
“Dispatch someone to keep a vigilant watch over him, ensuring he does not truly take flight under the cover of night this very evening!”
Xia Chen withdrew from his reverie and addressed Xia Qian.
“Understood—I’ll handle this personally tonight. But Young Master, he ought to be a clever man, shouldn’t he? He must realize we now hold his fate in our grasp—even if he flees overnight, with the Lamplighters at our command, where could he possibly escape to?”
“It is precisely because he is a clever man that we must guard against him defying convention—scholars harbor the most intricate thoughts within their minds; caution remains imperative!”
Xia Chen exercised great prudence, harboring no delusions of assured victory or succumbing to arrogance. Xu Xingchen was the first preeminent figure he had encountered, and he regarded him with utmost importance.
Though this man would not yet submit to him, nor willingly serve him with devotion.
What of it? First, secure his presence— even if his heart cannot be won, his person must be obtained!