The First Marquis of Leisure

No one dared to offend Zhang Chunqiu, and now Zhang Chunqiu was forcefully standing up for Bai Xinghe.

Tang Wannian was extremely unwilling, but he had no choice but to stand up and leave angrily with the talented scholar who had come from the south with him.

The Eighth Prince could only watch helplessly, unable to persuade them to stay, because doing so would offend Zhang Chunqiu.

He knew clearly which was more important and which was less important.

Zhang Chunqiu then put on a smile and sat down next to Bai Xinghe.

"Young Master Bai, I'm a little late, I'm sorry you had to go through this."

Bai Xinghe chuckled and waved his hand, "Old Zhang, you flatter me. It's nothing."

Seeing that only his own people remained at the banquet, Zhang Chunqiu stopped hiding anything.

"Eighth Prince, I can tell you definitively that if we wish to defeat the Great Yan Army in this literary contest, only Young Master Bai can do it!"

The Eighth Prince was somewhat skeptical; he couldn't believe that Bai Xinghe, a spoiled brat, possessed such talent.

"Mr. Zhang, if I may be so bold, aren't you overestimating Bai Xinghe?"

"Father," Zhao Sisi pouted in dissatisfaction.

"To tell you the truth, the poem I brought back last night was written by Young Master Bai!"

Upon hearing this, the Eighth Prince's face showed shock.

"really?"

"Absolutely true, I can testify to that!" Zhang Chunqiu said solemnly.

But the Eighth Prince still found it hard to believe, since his preconceived notions about Bai Xinghe were difficult to break in a short time.

Bai Xinghe knew what the Eighth Prince was thinking, so he didn't say anything more.

Anyway, the grand delegation from Great Yan is coming to Great Zhao soon, so let the facts speak for themselves.

On the other side, Tang Wannian and several talented scholars from Jiangnan were expelled from the Prince's Mansion, and they were all indignant.

The group had been invited to the capital to serve the Zhao dynasty.

When have I ever suffered such humiliation?

But recalling Bai Xinghe's various methods in recent days, although they were wary, they also had the pride of scholars and secretly vowed to take revenge.

Led by Tang Wannian, the group arrived at an inn.

This inn is the stronghold set up in the capital by Crown Prince Zhao Xing.

Tang Wannian and others were originally from the Crown Prince's faction.

Qin Guang, a trusted confidant of the Crown Prince, had been waiting at the inn for quite some time.

"Greetings, Lord Qin!"

Tang Wannian and the others went up to pay their respects.

"No need for formalities." Qin Guang waved his hand, then asked the group some relevant questions.

Then, he suddenly changed the subject and his expression became serious.

"Now that you've boarded His Highness the Crown Prince's ship, you'll enjoy endless riches and honors, but you must also serve him!"

Tang Wannian and the others were taken aback, then they all declared, "Lord Qin, we are willing to serve His Highness the Crown Prince with our lives."

"It's not that serious," Qin Guang said. "With the arrival of the Great Yan army in our Great Zhao, the great Confucian scholars of both countries will surely engage in a battle of wits!"

"Do you know that His Highness the Crown Prince will also be attending in person? You must do everything in your power to help the Crown Prince win the first place and then officially ascend the throne as the new Emperor of Great Zhao. You will then have rendered meritorious service in supporting the new emperor."

What!

The Crown Prince is even going to participate in person!

This news shocked Tang Wannian and others.

"This information is currently known only to you. Anyone who dares to leak even a single word of it will be executed without mercy!"

The group immediately knelt down, promising to keep their mouths shut.

After giving him a few words of encouragement, Qin Guang disappeared.

Tang Wannian and the others then stood up, secretly excited.

Once the crown prince ascends the throne, their status and position will rise accordingly.

Moreover, as members of the Crown Prince's faction, they were well aware that the Crown Prince and Zhang Chunqiu were at odds. With this in mind, the group discussed it and decided to first vent their anger on Bai Xinghe.

......

East Palace, Secret Chamber

Crown Prince Zhao Xing, with his hands behind his back, was plotting with Li Taibei.

"Lord Li, this time I'm gambling everything. If I succeed, I'll ascend the throne; if I fail, we'll both lose our heads!"

Li Taibei's old face was grim, his fists clenched tightly. He said, "Your Highness, rest assured, as long as one person dies during the day, the army will be leaderless. With my strong support, there will be no other force in the court that can stop you from ascending the throne!"

"Where's that old geezer Zhang Chunqiu?" Zhao Xing asked, looking displeased.

Zhang Chunqiu, despite being the tutor of three emperors, disliked himself greatly.

When he was initially appointed as the crown prince, Zhang Chunqiu explicitly opposed it, claiming that he was unlearned, lacked real talent, and was narrow-minded and ruthless.

It is recommended that the third prince, Zhao Feng, be made crown prince.

However, Zhang Chunqiu was of noble status, and even as the crown prince, he could not touch him.

"Hmph!" Li Taibei said coldly, "That old bastard Zhang Chunqiu is doomed this time. I have already planned it. I will take advantage of the visit of the Great Yan delegation and the competition between the scholars of Great Zhao to eliminate this old thing in one fell swoop."

Meanwhile, at the Eighth Prince's residence, unable to resist Zhang Chunqiu's constant flattery and praise, they complimented him.

Left with no other choice, Bai Xinghe could only recite a few more of his masterpieces on the spot.

After stunning the Eighth Prince, it was already late, so he and Zhang Chunqiu got up to take their leave.

Before parting, Zhang Chunqiu reminded Bai Xinghe to be cautious.

Among the delegation from the Great Yan was a genius who appears only once in a century. This person could compose poems at the age of three and was fluent in various classic texts at the age of five.

At the age of ten, he read extensively and absorbed the strengths of various schools of thought.

At fifteen, he was invincible within the Great Yan territory; now at eighteen, he is revered as the National Preceptor. His talent and innate ability are unparalleled in the world.

Bai Xinghe simply smiled slightly. With his vast knowledge, he could easily defeat any genius in this era.

On the way back to the Zhenguo Marquis's residence, Bai Xinghe was in a great mood.

As he passed a corner of an alley, he suddenly sensed a dangerous aura.

So he stopped and turned around to look around.

Sure enough, several figures appeared in the shadows, and Bai Xinghe sneered inwardly.

"Now that you're here, stop hiding and come out. I'm waiting for you!"

Soon, four men in black emerged from the shadows, each carrying a weapon, and stood in four directions, blocking Bai Xinghe's path.

Upon seeing this, Bai Xinghe immediately judged that these four people were definitely well-trained assassins.

His first thought was that this was most likely done by Li Taibei.

"kill!"

The four men in black were swift and efficient, charging forward without uttering a single unnecessary word.

Bai Xinghe dared not be careless this time. Although he was a special forces king, he was now unarmed while his opponent was armed.

Looking at the surrounding environment, I knew I couldn't escape even if I wanted to.

So, in a fit of rage, he gritted his teeth, aimed at one of the assassins, and charged forward.

The four assassins probably didn't expect Bai Xinghe to react so quickly and target them so clearly.

Three men, one from the left, one from the right, and one from behind, stabbed him with their knives.

Knowing there was no way to dodge, Bai Xinghe simply stopped dodging and launched a fierce attack on one person, punching him squarely in the face and knocking him to the ground.

He himself was stabbed three times, and blood splattered everywhere.

Fortunately, he managed to seize the weapon from the assassin who had been knocked unconscious.

With a weapon in hand, Bai Xinghe disregarded his injuries and engaged in a fierce battle with the three assassins.

"Speak! Who sent you to assassinate me?"

The three assassins did not respond; all of them had their heads covered, so their faces could not be seen.

Ignoring their companions, they continued their attack on Bai Xinghe.

Soon, the four fought fiercely in the darkness, blood splattering everywhere.

"Who is it?"

Just then, a loud roar came from ahead, followed by the sound of orderly footsteps and horses' hooves.

The three assassins were shocked. They exchanged glances, then suddenly threw a throwing knife at the assassin who had been knocked unconscious, before quickly disappearing into the darkness.

Seeing this, Bai Xinghe hardened his heart and quickly pounced on the assassin, using his own body to block the flying knife!

At the same time, a middle-aged man in armor, riding a warhorse, led a squad of armored soldiers charging over!

"Who are you? Don't you know the rules of the imperial city? Fighting is strictly prohibited!"

"Men, seize this man immediately!"

The middle-aged man gave a loud order, and soon armored soldiers rushed over to capture Bai Xinghe.

Bai Xinghe was stabbed multiple times. Although the wounds were not fatal, he had lost too much blood and his face was pale.

He planted his knife in the ground to support himself, looked at the armored soldiers surrounding him, and shouted weakly.

"I am Bai Xinghe. An assassin tried to kill me. Quickly, arrest him!"