The First Marquis of Leisure

Jufulou

To entertain the lavish delegation from the Yan Kingdom, the Minister of Rites specially booked the most luxurious restaurant in the capital.

This naturally includes Jufulou.

At this moment, in the best private room of Jufulou.

Dr. Li Chentian and a young man are flipping through the works, which are by the great Confucian scholar Zhang Chunqiu!

Although Li Chentian held a high position in the Yan state, no less than Zhang Chunqiu in the Zhao state.

However, he was extremely respectful to the young man in front of him, who looked to be no more than seventeen or eighteen years old.

With sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, he exuded an air of refinement, yet his demeanor revealed a hint of arrogance.

This young man was none other than Ji Yun, the unparalleled emperor of Yan, a once-in-a-century phenomenon. Within the Yan Kingdom, everyone respectfully called him Prince Ji!

"My Lady, in this poetry competition, Zhao has produced few outstanding individuals. Yesterday in court, I instructed Li Ming to test them, and Zhao proved to be utterly incapable!"

Ji Yun didn't care at all; he was engrossed in poetry.

The match, which was crucial to the fate of both countries, seemed relaxed and easy.

"I've heard that Zhang Chunqiu's talent is no less than yours, but after reading through his works, I find them to be nothing special."

"I really can't understand why His Majesty personally ordered his head!"

Li Chentian smiled but did not reply.

At this moment, the door to the side room was pushed open.

General Ji Changzai of the Heavenly Strategy Army walked in. Since ancient times, it has been difficult for civil and military officials to achieve harmony between the two.

The State of Zhao was no exception, and so was the State of Yan.

"General Ji, aren't you being incredibly rude? Can you really take responsibility for disturbing Princess Ji?"

Li Chentian immediately expressed his dissatisfaction to Consort Ji.

Ji Changzai snorted coldly. As the General of Tian Ce, he never believed that a contest between scholars could determine the fate of a country.

For a country to enjoy long-term stability and security, it must possess strong national power and an invincible army.

"Alright, Dr. Li, I am but a military man, ignorant of your scholarly ways. I have come uninvited, for only one thing!"

"What is it?"

Ji Changzai, known for her outspokenness, immediately asked, "I heard that you had a conflict with the son of the Marquis of Zhenguo of Zhao at Jufu Restaurant, and that you have already put pressure on Zhao to behead the Marquis's heir?"

"That's right, it's true," Li Chentian replied.

Ji Changzai sighed, then said, "Although General Bai Tianque and I served different masters, we fought dozens of battles, large and small, and have come to respect each other. Now that Bai Tianque is dead, and his son is nothing but a spoiled brat, please, give me some face and spare his son's life!"

Upon hearing this, both Ji Yun and Li Chentian were extremely surprised.

Unexpectedly, Consort Ji came to plead for Bai Xinghe.

"General Ji, haven't you figured out your position? You are the Heavenly Strategy General of our Great Yan, yet you're pleading for a纨绔子弟 (spoiled brat) from Zhao?"

Li Chentian was somewhat angry. The two of them had different ideas to begin with, so naturally he wouldn't give him any face.

"This is my matter. Dr. Li, you only need to tell me whether you will grant me this favor or not!"

"General Ji, please return. The Emperor of Zhao has decreed that he beheaded and his head displayed before tomorrow's competition!" Li Chentian refused decisively, which greatly displeased Ji Changzai, but she had no choice but to leave in anger.

"General Ji, why did you save that纨绔 (playboy) from Zhao?" Ji Changzai's confidants asked, somewhat puzzled.

Ji Changzai sighed, her thoughts drifting back to the past.

He and Bai Tianque were considered equals, both being experts in military strategy and serving different masters.

Having gone through several major battles, they also developed a mutual respect for each other.

Several years ago, Bai Tianque clearly had the opportunity to kill him, but deliberately let him go.

This is a mutual respect between heroes, which is why Ji Chang personally came to the State of Zhao to pay homage and to talk with Li Chentian, hoping to preserve Bai Tianque's only bloodline.

"Remember this: if Yan and Zhao were not sworn enemies, this general and Bai Tianque would certainly be sworn brothers."

On the other side, Zhang Mansion

After Zhang Chunqiu angrily berated Zhao Tianhe as a tyrant in the Golden Palace, he was forcibly sent back by several palace eunuchs.

Furthermore, to prevent Zhang Chunqiu from threatening suicide, Zhao Tianhe dispatched a group of imperial guards to surround Zhang's residence.

They ordered someone to protect Zhang Chunqiu for twelve hours straight, every moment—it was called protection, but it was actually house arrest.

Even the Third Prince and the Eighth Prince were refused entry when they tried to come in.

Zhang Chunqiu was so angry that he cursed the tyrant!

Led by Zhang Zhi, all the students from the Zhang family went to the Eighth Prince's residence.

The talented scholars, including Tang Wannian, whom the Eighth Prince had previously invited from Jiangnan, had all arrived.

The entire Zhao state gathered more than a hundred learned scholars.

Most of these people held a pessimistic view, especially after hearing the account from Xue Qing, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy.

A sense of dejection began to spread, as even a random member of the Yan Kingdom delegation could easily overpower the scholars of the prestigious Hanlin Academy.

This greatly damaged the confidence of the scholars of Zhao, especially since Xue Qing was also a student of Zhang Chunqiu.

In terms of scholarship, he is by no means inferior to the likes of Zhang Zhi and Xiao Changqing.

"Friends, we must not boost the morale of others while diminishing our own!"

Knowing what these talented men were thinking, the Eighth Prince spoke up to appease them.

"Although the State of Yan is renowned for its literature, our Great Zhao is no less so. Moreover, this time our Great Zhao has a peerless genius to bring the show to the table; we are sure to defeat the State of Yan!"

Zhang Zhi, Xiao Changqing, and the others naturally knew that the Eighth Prince was referring to Bai Xinghe as a peerless genius.

However, Tang Wannian and many other talented scholars did not know this and thought it referred to Zhang Chunqiu.

These talented men had also heard about the strength of the Yan delegation, especially Ji Yun's terrifying talent!

Even with Zhang Chunqiu around, they still feel uncertain.

The next day, early in the morning

The entire capital was in an uproar, and even the whole country was shaken.

Today is the day of the poetry competition between the literati of Yan and Zhao, which would normally only attract the attention of many literary figures.

But this time is different; it involves the fate of both countries.

When the Zhao state was defeated, it relinquished its imperial title and submitted to the Yan state.

If the State of Yan is defeated, it shall never again wage war against Zhao!

The competition was held in the square outside the palace.

Although it was early, the place was already packed with people, many of whom had traveled day and night from other places.

As the sun rose, Emperor Zhao Tianhe of the Great Zhao Dynasty personally led his court officials, Crown Prince Zhao Xing, Third Prince Zhao Feng, and Princess Zhao Feishuang to the scene.

Li Taibei and the Eighth Prince, along with the talented scholars of the Great Zhao, then appeared.

The atmosphere was tense yet lively, with everyone clenching their fists, hoping that Zhao would win.

Where is Mr. Zhang?

Why hasn't Mr. Zhang shown up yet?

Many people inquired about it, and in everyone's heart, the hope of the Zhao state rested on Zhang Chunqiu in this poetry competition that concerned their fate.

Just then, a group of imperial guards arrived, escorting Zhang Chunqiu!

Zhang Chunqiu's face was very ugly, but he did not lose his temper in this situation.

Because he also knew very well that in the minds of Zhao Tianhe and others, the poetry competition depended entirely on themselves.

He himself knew even better that all hope lay with Bai Xinghe, who was imprisoned in a death row cell!

When the competition begins, Zhao will definitely be no match for Yan. The only hope is to invite Bai Xinghe immediately!

"Old Zhang!"

Zhao Tianhe, accompanied by many princes and ministers, came over in person, displaying great respect.

"Your Majesty need not say more. As a subject of Zhao, I am obligated to serve my sovereign, and I will do my utmost to fulfill this duty, no matter what!"

"Good, with your words, I feel a little more at ease." As the emperor, Zhao Tianhe was under a lot of pressure.

They were worried that Zhang Chunqiu would interfere because of Bai Xinghe's matter.

"Old Zhang, the future of our Great Zhao depends entirely on you."

"Old Zhang!"

Many ministers also shouted in a state of high tension.

Only Li Taibei had a sinister look on his face.