Great Zhou Wensheng

Chapter 171 The New Leader of the Noble Group—The Big Boss!
As dusk settles over Luoyang, the capital city, its lights begin to twinkle.

Compared to the bustling activity of the various noble families and princely mansions throughout the city, the Qin State Duke's Mansion, located at the end of the main street, appeared exceptionally quiet and deserted.

Stone lions stood solemnly before the mansion gate, and the vermilion gate was tightly shut. Occasionally, a scholar would pass by, but he would only cast a respectful glance before hurrying away.

In Luoyang, a city renowned for its literary culture, most sons of meritorious military families served the Great Zhou army, ultimately separated from scholars and officials by an invisible barrier.

The scene inside the mansion was quite different.

In the main hall, sixteen gilded dragon-shaped palace lanterns illuminated the hall as bright as day.

More than twenty dukes in their noble robes sat in order of rank, while nearly a hundred marquises and earls stood respectfully at their feet. The black iron armor and gold-embroidered robes gleamed in the candlelight, filling the hall with a chilling atmosphere.

"The Duke of Xue has arrived!"

With a long shout from the gatekeeper, a carriage bearing the Xue family crest rolled across the bluestone path.

Xue Chonghu wore a black prefectural official robe, with a jade belt at his waist that gleamed coldly. With a powerful stride, the sword at his waist clashed against the gilded metal belt, producing a clear and resounding sound.

"Brother Xue! We've been waiting for you!"

Duke Qin Huaibao's eyes lit up instantly. He stood up abruptly, the Qilin insignia rippled with his movement, and he laughed as he went to greet him.

"Brother Qin, please!"

Xue Chonghu smiled, his tiger-like eyes sweeping around, and he nodded slightly. Then, with a swaggering gait, he took his seat at the head of the table, sitting side by side with the Duke of Qin, who was presiding over the gathering.

The people in the hall took their seats in order, with the seating arrangement determined by the merits of their ancestors.

The Xue family lineage was the first meritorious official in the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty. They assisted the founding emperor in establishing the dynasty and ranked first among all the dukes, a position that no one could challenge.

Following them were the Duke of Qin, the Duke of Meng, the Duke of Zhao, the Duke of Li, the Duke of Zheng, and so on, totaling twenty dukes, all of whom came from distinguished military families.

As for the hundred marquises and earls, they could only sit at the bottom and wait for the discussion.

Looking around, the hall was filled with the gleam of iron armor and the imposing aura of warriors; military officers and generals made up the majority of the crowd.

Among the civil officials, very few wore robes. Prefect Xue Chonghu, who held the highest rank, stood out among the generals in his purple robe.

Qin Huaibao slowly rose, his fierce eyes sweeping over the assembled nobles, his voice deep and resonant:
“Since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, we dukes have taken turns presiding over the merit-based council every three years without interruption.”

He gripped the armrest tightly, his knuckles turning white: "I have gathered you all here today because there is a matter of utmost importance concerning the very survival of our meritorious group!"

"Please speak freely, Lord Qin. We are all brothers here!"

Duke Meng Ran clasped his hands in a deep voice and said.

"Have you all felt this—"

Qin Huaibao slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup to tremble. "The political landscape in the court is currently in turmoil! The powerful clans are entrenched in high positions, enjoying their zenith, while a large number of new talents have emerged from the imperial examinations!"

As for us sons of military families, although we hold the tiger tally and participate in court assemblies, we can only discuss military affairs and are not allowed to interfere in court politics!
When it comes to important matters of state, who would ask for our opinions?

The imperial examination system, for example, never consulted the opinions of meritorious military families like ours!

He suddenly sneered: "Among the six ministries of the imperial court—the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Works."

The Ministry of Personnel selects officials, the Ministry of Revenue manages finances, the Ministry of Rites controls the imperial examinations, and the Ministry of Works oversees engineering projects—we nobles can only retain a place in the Ministry of War!
Not to mention the three higher ministries—the Secretariat, the Chancellery, and the Department of State Affairs—there's nowhere left for us to stand!

The armor plates clattered loudly below the hall, and the generals' breathing grew heavier.

"Back in the early days of the nation's founding—"

Qin Huaibao suddenly raised his voice, "Which of our ancestors present here did not hold high positions, like the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers? Their words could decide important matters of the court!"

And now?

He threw down his cup, "Even the Ministry of War is about to fall! The Minister of War and the Vice Minister of War must both be civil officials."

We military officers are not qualified to serve as vice ministers or ministers; we can only obey orders!

The gilded lanterns flickered on and off, illuminating the entire hall of armored vehicles with a chilling gleam.

If it weren't for the fact that the sons of meritorious generals were spread throughout the armies of the Great Zhou and held a large number of general positions, they probably wouldn't even have a say in the Ministry of War.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze, and a hundred or so gazes shot towards Xue Chonghu like sharp arrows.

The Jiangzhou prefect, dressed in a crimson official robe, stood out conspicuously among the assembled armored figures.

Once the sons of meritorious officials join the army, it's like a dragon trapped in an abyss; even if they rise to the rank of Imperial Guard general or Grand General, they will find it difficult to shake the power structure of the court.

Only Xue Chonghu, who gave up joining the army as a general early on, fought his way through the civil service examinations.

"Brother Xue!"

Duke Meng Ran of the Meng State abruptly pushed back his chair, his gilded armor jingling. "You are now the Prefect of Jiangzhou. If you were to be promoted to Governor..."

His rough fingers slammed heavily on the sandalwood table. "Even the ten most powerful regional officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty have a voice in the court!"

The entire hall of nobles and dignitaries seemed to catch their breath.

As the candlelight flickered, the ambition burning in everyone's eyes could be seen.

Meng Ran's voice grew increasingly impassioned: "Brother Xue! Once you've established yourself in your post and gained a firm foothold, your transfer to the central government will be just around the corner!"
The positions of Vice Minister and Minister in the Six Ministries are all within reach!

even"

He suddenly lowered his voice, but every word was like thunder: "There might even be a chance to take control of three provinces!"

"good!
At that time—you will be the leader of our meritorious military family, the big brother!

We all obey your orders and will contend with the other forces in the court!

Duke Qin suddenly slammed his fist on the table and stood up, his Qilin insignia gleaming in the candlelight. "My family of meritorious generals will no longer be fish on a chopping block to be slaughtered!"

"It's not like we can't get a word in edgewise in court affairs!"

The hall resounded with the clanging of armored vehicles, and all the generals watched intently.

Xue Chonghu lowered his eyes and stared at the tea soup, where he saw his own reflection flickering in the ripples.

His fingers tapped lightly on the celadon teacup, producing a clear, resonant sound.

Brother Meng's words are reasonable.

Xue Chonghu raised his head, his eyes gleaming with wisdom, "But it's like trying to catch the moon's reflection in water, as difficult as climbing to heaven."

The candlelight in the hall flickered, illuminating the glimmering talent between his brows.

"With my meager Jinshi degree, being able to serve as the prefect of Jiangzhou is already the limit."

He gave a wry smile, a wisp of pale blue literary energy gathering between his fingers before vanishing in an instant. "Without the level of a Hanlin scholar, it's almost impossible to become a prefect of the Great Zhou!"

"Click——"

The teacup in the Duke of Qin's hand suddenly shattered, and amber-colored tea flowed through his fingers.

The air around the assembled military families grew heavy, and the metal armor emitted a dull groan, like a group of trapped beasts struggling.

"If I were fortunate enough to become a Hanlin Academician in another ten or twenty years, I could still hope to enter the Six Ministries!"

Xue Chonghu shook his head and sighed, his scholar's turban fluttering lightly in the night breeze. "But the Three Provinces require the literary rank and attainment of a Grand Secretary, which is beyond my reach in this lifetime!"

He looked at the traces of calligraphy on his palm—faint as a wisp of silk, scattered and hard to gather.

After decades of diligent study, he hoped to break through the literary barriers of the Hanlin Academy and be promoted to the position of governor of a prefecture.

For him, it was an impossible task.

He couldn't even be promoted to prefect, let alone enter the central government's three departments and six ministries to become a vice minister.

With this remark,
Inside the Duke of Qin's mansion, the hall was deathly silent.

If Xue Chonghu himself lacks confidence, how can they possibly have any?!

"Oh dear, what should I do?"

Must we, a family of meritorious generals, simply decline day by day like this?!

Duke Meng Ran sighed deeply, slamming his black iron wrist guard heavily onto the table, causing the candlestick to shake.

The flame of hope that had just been ignited in the eyes of these meritorious generals was now being extinguished at a visible speed.

Among them, Xue Chonghu, the prefect of Jiangzhou, still found it difficult to be promoted to Hanlin Academician and become a regional governor!
Among these descendants of meritorious generals, how many can go further in the realm of literature?
Xue Chonghu lightly tapped the teacup with his fingertips, the porcelain producing a clear and melodious sound.

He raised the corners of his lips slightly, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes: "The current situation is perilous for us meritorious military families, but it is not without a solution!"

"Brother Xue, speak quickly!"

Qin Huaibao quickly leaned forward, causing the bronze beast-shaped paperweight on the table to clang loudly.

"If someone is born with exceptional literary talent—"

Xue Chonghu pulled out a booklet from his sleeve. “If you can pass the imperial examination and become the top scholar, you can enter the Hanlin Academy to serve!” He drew a heavy stroke on the three characters “Hanlin Academy” with his fingertip. “After the imperial examination, you will be officially promoted to Hanlin Academician.”

Once one becomes a Hanlin Academician, whether it's a prefectural governor or a minister in the Three Departments and Six Ministries, the gates of the central government are wide open.

We, the noble and powerful, take him as our leader!

The entire room of armored vehicles suddenly tensed up.

"But where can such a person be found?!"

For us, sons of military families, even passing the county-level exams (xiucai and juren) is difficult, let alone becoming the top scholar (zhuangyuan).
Who could emerge victorious from among thousands of candidates to become the top scholar (Zhuangyuan)?
Even among those ancient aristocratic families and newly established scholarly clans, it takes hundreds of years to produce a single top scholar (Zhuangyuan), an achievement as difficult as ascending to heaven!

Duke Meng shook his head, the gilded wrist guard drawing a dazzling arc of light in the candlelight.

"If one can truly become the top scholar in the imperial examination, then one is almost destined to rise to the position of Vice Minister of the Three Departments and Six Ministries, and will probably be recruited by powerful clans long ago!"

Everyone looked at each other.

"Such a person exists!"

Moreover, they're one of our own!

Xue Chonghu suddenly chuckled, his meaningful gaze reflected in the tea.

"Could it be, Brother Xue, that you're referring to Jiang Xingzhou, the top scholar of Jiangnan Province!"

Duke Meng's pupils contracted sharply, and his heart trembled.

The atmosphere in the hall momentarily froze.

Suddenly, the gilded candlestick burst into flames, casting a play of light and shadow on everyone's faces.

They had heard about this as well.

Jiang Xingzhou once studied at the Xue family's residence and is very close to the Xue family, so he is very likely to become the Xue family's son-in-law.

However, Jiang Xingzhou was not from a meritorious military family in the Great Zhou Dynasty, so they had not considered it before.

If Jiang Xingzhou were to become the son-in-law of the Duke of Xue's family, it wouldn't be so bad to consider him as half one of their own!

"That's right! It's Jiang Xingzhou—"

Xue Chonghu lightly tapped the table with his knuckles, causing ripples to spread across the water in the teacup.

His eyes gleamed as if he were looking at a rough gem: "With this boy's talent, he has a 90% chance of becoming the top scholar."

"Except for him"

Duke Qin Huaibao stroked his beard and pondered, the dragon pattern on his jade belt flickering in the candlelight. "Indeed, among my meritorious military families, no one is capable of entering the Hanlin Academy."

He suddenly slammed his hand on the table and said, "Wait until he passes the imperial examination with flying colors, becomes the top scholar, marries the Xue family's daughter, and becomes a Hanlin scholar!"

We will then recognize him as the leader of our noble group and together assist him in his promotion to the position of Minister of the Three Provinces and Six Ministries!

"Do not!

Wait until he becomes the top scholar!

"It's all too late!"

Xue Chonghu flicked his sleeve.

His gaze was sharp as he swept over the armored soldiers in the room: "Once he becomes the top scholar in the imperial examination, he will be a disciple of the emperor! He will surely enter the Hanlin Academy and become a distinguished official."

Everyone, from the government to the public, will try to win him over!

Why would he need to rely on the strength of our military families? By then, we will be of no importance to him!

Everyone in the hall was startled and fell silent; even the candlelight seemed to freeze.

"Only now—"

Xue Chonghu spoke slowly and deliberately, his fingertips carving deep white marks on the bluestone table, "We must make him the leader!"

"boom!"

Duke Meng was taken aback, and the black iron wrist guard slammed heavily onto half of a low table.

With his hair and beard bristling, he asked, "Brother Xue, are you saying that we should now use all the connections and strength accumulated by our noble and military families to gamble on this scholar from Jiangnan?"

Jiang Xingzhou was still a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination), although he was already the Jieyuan (the top scholar in the provincial civil service examination) of Jiangnan Province. However, there were as many as ten Jieyuan in various provinces, so his literary rank was still not high enough!

No one can guarantee that he will definitely become the top scholar, second-place scholar, or third-place scholar!

This is too risky!

"No risk, no gain."

Xue Chonghu slowly unfolded his business card, the three gilded characters "Jiang Xingzhou" gleaming in the candlelight: "This is not a gamble, it's... a timely help!"

His eyes flashed like lightning as he swept over everyone present and said, "Do you think the competition for the top scholar title is just a contest of essays in the imperial examination hall?"
That was a life-or-death situation!

Those ancient powerful clans and feudal lords will surely do everything in their power to obstruct him and suppress him, preventing him from becoming the top scholar!

Although Jiang Xingzhou has this talent, he may not be able to escape their underhanded tricks and schemes!
As you all know, they can be incredibly ruthless when it comes to winning the top score!

Xue Chonghu sneered, "Many years ago, there was a brilliant scholar named Li Jieyuan from Lingnan Province. How did he suddenly fall seriously ill on the eve of the imperial examination and miss the important test?!"

Only when we exert all our strength to help him fend off both open and hidden attacks, and ensure he becomes the top scholar in the imperial examination, can we form a true alliance, become allies of the court, and support each other!

He will surely reward my prestigious group handsomely!

As Xue Chonghu spoke, he suddenly took out a brocade box from his sleeve.

The moment the box was opened, the entire room was filled with light.

A scroll inscribed with the poem title "A Spray of Plum Blossoms - Full Moon Over the West Tower - Presented to Xue Lingqi" carries the literary brilliance of [Mingzhou].

Beside it, the scroll of poems titled "The Fairy of the Magpie Bridge - Delicate Clouds Weaving Clever Patterns - Presented to Xue Lingqi" exudes an even more imposing aura of "half a step to protect the country".

"This is."

Everyone's breath froze.

"Jiang Xingzhou presents his daughter Xue Lingqi with a precious betrothal gift!"

Xue Chonghu gently stroked the literary treasure with his fingertips. "Two literary treasures are enough to show his sincerity. He's one of us."

To put it bluntly, even if our noble edifice is on the verge of collapse—

He suddenly activated his literary energy, and the light emanating from the literary treasures projected thousands of exquisite characters onto the beams and pillars. "As long as my Xue State Duke's Mansion has these two literary treasures as the foundation of our family, what difficulty is there in continuing our thousand years of glory and wealth?"
But do you dukes, marquises, and earls have any better options?

These two valuable literary treasures were a betrothal gift from Jiang Xingzhou!
Countless powerful families across the land are envious of this!
Let alone giving it away, they don't even have a literary treasure of this level in their own family.

The candle flame suddenly exploded, scattering sparks that cast flickering light on the faces of the nobles in the room.

Duke Qin Huaibao slowly reached out his hand, but before his fingertips even touched the scroll of "The Magpie Bridge Fairy," he was slightly trembling from the burning literary aura of the Half-Step State Protector.

He took a deep breath, his voice hoarse: "In my sixty years of life, this is the first time I have ever seen such a half-step national treasure in person."

I have heard of this, but I have never seen it myself!
With Jiang Xingzhou's talent, there is indeed a very high probability that he will become the top scholar in the imperial examination!

With a flick of his sleeve, Xue Chonghu's scroll of "A Spray of Plum Blossoms" flowed like a galaxy, casting dazzling light and shadow between the beams and pillars: "Have you all thought this through—are you betting on a literary genius that appears only once in a thousand years, or..."

He glanced at the crowd. "Continue to wait? Wait until a literary genius is born among our own noble family!"

"wait?"

Duke Meng Ran of the Meng State suddenly burst into laughter, slamming his black iron wrist guard heavily onto the table. "How many years has my Meng family waited? We've been destined to never produce a literary genius. We've waited long enough!"

He suddenly stood up and said, "My Meng family is willing to recognize Jiang Jieyuan as the leader of the noble group, obey his orders, and help him overcome obstacles in the court!"

"boom--!"

With a "bang," the teacup in the Duke of Qin's hand was slammed heavily onto the table.

"Our noble group's chance to turn the tide in the court rests on this one move!"
Since Brother Xue is already absolutely certain!

Make a decisive decision; don't miss this opportunity!

He closed his eyes and sighed, "My Qin family is willing to play along in this game."

"The Li family seconds this!"

"The Gongsun family is willing to acknowledge Jiang Xingzhou as their leader!"

In an instant, the hall was filled with the clanging of armor, and all the dukes, marquises, and earls clasped their fists in unison.

As the candlelight flickered, the shadows of hundreds of nobles from the Great Zhou Dynasty intertwined on the wall, vaguely revealing the outline of the four characters "Chief of Nobles".

(End of this chapter)