Chapter 103: The Strange Zhentian Mansion
After bidding farewell to Ge Wanshan, Xu Chong set out that day, heading east at full speed. It took him a whole month to reach Zhentianfu, the easternmost part of Daqing.
Judging from the abstract map, Zhentian Prefecture is backed by the ocean, so it would be more appropriately called Zhenhai Prefecture.
Xu Chong originally thought that the word "Zhentian" was named to meet the standards of the secondary capital, but he found out that it was more than that after he arrived.
As a secondary capital, the city wall of Zhentian City is far less extravagant than that of the capital, but... it is built on a mountain!
And this mountain... is too damn high!
No, it can’t be called a mountain, it should be called a mountain range!
This is a city built on a giant mountain!
"No wonder the secondary capital was established here. Just this sea of clouds is enough for me to live here for the rest of my life."
Xu Chong stood on the edge of the cliff, and just by looking at the rolling sea of clouds, all the fatigue from traveling day and night disappeared.
"Is this brother's first time in Zhentian?
Someone next to him suddenly asked a question in a clear voice.
“It’s indeed my first time here.”
Xu Chong looked over with a smile.
He has a tall stature, sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, and wears a sky-blue gown. He looks like a handsome young man...if you ignore the smug look on his 'city guy' face.
"Ha, my name is Su Ruochen, and I was born and raised in Zhentianfu."
As he spoke, the young man brushed off the non-existent dust on his collar and said, "Now, I am honored to be the guardian of the five senses."
“…”
Xu Chong was silent.
Wuguan Baozhangzheng was a subordinate position in the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, whose duty was to record changes in celestial phenomena and predict good and bad luck.
"Um?"
Seeing Xu Chong's expressionless face, Su Ruochen thought for a moment and thought that Xu Chong didn't know what this official meant, so he added word by word: "Official, eighth, rank."
The character "eight" was deliberately emphasized.
"...It turns out that it was the official himself. I have heard of him for a long time."
Xu Chong had no choice but to bow perfunctorily.
Then he saw Su Ruochen suddenly become serious.
"Long time no see?"
Su Ruochen stared at Xu Chong's eyes, "Where are you from, brother?"
"Uh, Zhang Huafu, what's wrong?"
Xu Chong was stunned.
"Zhanghua Mansion... thousands of miles away?!"
Su Ruochen's eyes suddenly widened, and his voice began to tremble, "My name, Su Ruochen, has spread so far?"
"this……"
Xu Chong was stunned.
He had never seen such a shameless person!
"Brothers!"
Su Ruochen hooked Xu Chong's neck, as if they were old friends: "I want to thank you, it's you who made me recognize myself... Tell me, what do you want, money? Beauty? Good wine?"
"Thank you for your kindness, Brother Su..."
Xu Chong struggled to break free calmly.
"What? Do you think I'm bragging?"
Su Ruochen frowned and said, "You probably don't know how important I am in Zhentian City. It's no exaggeration to say that even the chief supervisor has to give me some face."
"Supervisor?"
Xu Chong's heart moved slightly, and he asked, "If I remember correctly, the director of the Imperial Observatory seems to be only a fifth-rank official, right? From what Brother Su said, how come the director seems to be higher than the six ministries?"
"You don't know that."
Su Ruochen smiled inscrutable, "In terms of rank, the six ministries are naturally more prestigious, but in terms of status, the six ministries in the secondary capital combined may not be as prestigious as the Chief Supervisor, but I can't tell you this."
"Oh, is it so?"
Xu Chong looked at him calmly, with a strong doubt in his tone.
“…”
How could Su Ruochen bear this injustice? He looked around and whispered, "I'm only telling you this, you can't tell anyone else... Yuan Jianzheng's mother was the current emperor's wet nurse. They ate and drank together since they were young, and later she became the emperor's study companion."
"I know this."
Xu Chong continued to look at him calmly.
“…”
Su Ruochen was speechless, and then he felt angry.
I just don't believe it. I've been following the supervisor for so long, but I'm not as good as you, a foreigner?
Su Ruochen gritted his teeth and lowered his voice a little: "Then you must not know why Yuan Jianzheng came to Zhentian."
"Isn't this a normal transfer?"
Xu Chong frowned.
It was true that he was trying to trick Su Ruochen into talking for so long, but even Prince Qian and Dou Tianyuan didn't know the reason why Yuan Shouyi left Beijing. How could Su Ruochen know?
"Hehe, they told the public that it was a normal transfer, but in reality... it wasn't."
Su Ruochen regained his dignity, his expression brightened up again, and he even put his hands behind his back.
Standing on the edge of the cliff, with long hair swaying in the wind, he looks like a master... if not for that look of 'ask me quickly' on his face.
Xu Chong resisted the urge to push him off the cliff and asked, "Why is that?"
"hey-hey."
The master lost his composure in a second, came over frivolously, pointed his index finger to the sky and said, "He broke up with that guy because of a woman."
“…”
Xu Chong was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "I don't believe it."
"You don't believe it?! How can you not believe it?!"
In an instant, Su Ruochen became anxious, his voice breaking. "How can I, Su Ruochen, who is famous all over the world, lie to you? I don't want fame anymore?"
"Although I am not as well-connected as Brother Su, I have heard about the affairs of the court."
Xu Chong said with a righteous look on his face, "As far as I know, Yuan Jianzheng has never been close to women in his life and has always been a clean man. He has never even touched a place of prostitution. How could he have a rift with Your Majesty because of a woman?"
Half a month ago, Dou Tianyuan stopped him again through "space teleportation" and brought him customs clearance documents, appointment documents and other formalities, as well as Yuan Shouyi's files.
Now he knows more than just the name Yuan Shouyi.
After a pause, Xu Chong said, "Brother Su, please stop talking nonsense. Be careful of your words."
“…”
Su Ruochen's face suddenly turned the color of liver.
Xu Chong looked at the sea of clouds, calmly waiting for what was to come.
Suddenly, a chaotic atmosphere came from beside me.
Xu Chong's expression changed, and he looked at Su Ruochen, and suddenly found that the other's eyes became extremely confused.
Humiliation, regret, resentment, resentment...
He no longer had the cheerful and arrogant look he had just now.
"This is!"
Xu Chong remembered Dou Tianyuan's words, and immediately used his strength on the tip of his tongue, shouting like thunder: "——Brother Su!"
"……Um?"
Su Ruochen's body froze, but his eyes quickly regained clarity: "Where were we just talking about? Oh, woman, yes."
Xu Chong: “…”
"I didn't believe this in the first place. I just regarded it as gossip in the capital and listened to it for what it was."
Su Ruochen seemed to have completely forgotten the chaos just now, and he kept talking to himself, "Until I was appointed to the Imperial Observatory... One time, the Minister of Rites came to visit me, and I waited for a long time but the director didn't come down, so I went to the Observatory to call him, and I happened to see him looking at a portrait of a woman!"
"Portrait of a woman?"
Xu Chong opened his mouth wide, "Who is this painting of?"
"I don't know. I don't know him. Judging from his portrait, he looks very ordinary."
Su Ruochen scratched his head in frustration, "The supervisor hung me up in the Observatory for a few days, saying that the woman had nothing to do with His Majesty..."
"Hanging on the observatory... because you told everyone about it?"
Xu Chong asked.
"if not?"
Su Ruochen looked at Xu Chong as if he was a fool, and continued: "Anyway, I think that the more he says this, the more it proves that he has something to hide. You don't know how engrossed he was in looking at the portrait, he didn't even notice me approaching... I was standing behind him and watching for quite a while."
Didn't he kill you directly?
It seems that Prince Qian and Dou Tianyuan did not lie, Yuan Jianzheng is really a good person.
Xu Chong seemed to be thinking about something.
"Okay, that's all I'll tell you for now."
Su Ruochen patted Xu Chong on the shoulder and said, "If you want to know more details, come to the Imperial Observatory to find me."
After saying that, he walked towards the city gate, shaking his head.
After walking a few steps, he turned back.
Xu Chong thought he wanted to ask his name, but...
Su Ruochen once again brushed off the non-existent dust on his collar: "I forgot to tell you that an official of the eighth rank like me does not need to queue up to enter the city."
Having said this, he walked away leisurely.
This time he really left.
“…Awesome!”
Xu Chong gave a thumbs up to Su Ruochen's back.
When I went to see the sea of clouds again, I suddenly felt that it wasn’t so great…
"Forget it, let's go into the city."
Xu Chong shook his head and also walked towards the city gate.
Since the formalities were complete, there was no difficulty and I was able to enter the city smoothly.
Once you enter the city, that "high-end" feeling decreases again and again.
Chess boards and gambling tables can be seen everywhere.
They were placed so brightly on both sides of the main road, attracting many men of all ages to stop and take a look.
In addition, whether it was pedestrians or vehicles, they all moved slowly, as if they were taking a stroll.
In contrast, the ones who accelerated the fastest were the children who were playing and fighting.
"I understand. The main point is the word 'leisure'."
Xu Chong seemed to understand something, and immediately stopped and quickened his pace towards his destination.
Not long after, the Imperial Observatory arrived.
From the outside, apart from a seven-story building protruding from the backyard, the Imperial Observatory is no different from a normal government office, with a ceremonial gate, front yard, and main hall.
Unexpectedly, just as Xu Chong stepped forward and before he could speak, a man in a sky-blue shirt approached him: "Are you the new deputy supervisor, Master Xu Chong?"
"Exactly."
Xu Chong nodded.
"The supervisor has been waiting for a long time. Please follow me."
The man bowed and turned to go inside.
Xu Chong followed behind, and as soon as he entered the Imperial Observatory, a fresh breath instantly enveloped him.
The same aura as Lingyuan!
Although it is far less concentrated than the spiritual source, it is clear enough to be clearly felt compared to the Qianhu Suo or the government office.
At the same time, Xu Chong's mind also calmed down, without any sadness or joy, as calm as an ancient well.
"Is this the rule of the blessed land? It's really magical."
Xu Chong felt the power acting on his mind and followed the man through the halls and corridors.
Finally we arrived at the seven-story building.
"The supervisor is on the roof of the Observatory, and Deputy Supervisor Xu can go there by himself."
The man said this, clasped his fists and left.
Xu Chong didn't think much about it and went straight up the stairs.
The area of the Observatory is not large, and it decreases from bottom to top. By the seventh floor, it is only about thirty square meters.
There were only a few bookshelves, a few tables and chairs inside, but no one was seen.
"Still up there?"
Xu Chong remembered the shape he saw outside the yamen, jumped out of the window, and flew upwards.
Sure enough, the roof was not covered with the usual sloping tiles, but was flat.
An old man stood with his hands behind his back, quietly watching the sea of clouds.
A young man sat beside a charcoal stove, apparently making tea.
"Your humble servant Xu Chong greets Supervisor Yuan."
Xu Chong fell down lightly.
The young man looked up in surprise, and his expression changed instantly with just one glance.
It was Su Ruochen.
"You go down first."
Yuan Shouyi flicked his sleeves.
Su Ruochen felt as if he had been pardoned. He raised his sleeves to cover his face and jumped.
He didn't even have time to say goodbye.
Xu Chong frowned.
"Do you think he's different from when he was outside the city?"
Yuan Shouyi turned around and asked.
Square face, thick eyebrows, and piercing eyes.
Just like in the picture.
Xu Chong nodded: "I thought he would ask who I am."
"A month ago, Su Ruochen started practicing martial arts and is now at the third level of Tongmai."
Yuan Shouyi looked at Xu Chong calmly, "This caused him to have a flawed state of mind, and he was very fond of showing off in front of others. His father had no choice but to send him to the Imperial Observatory to use the rules of calming the mind to slow down the collapse of his state of mind."
"No wonder……"
Xu Chong thought to himself that it was indeed so.
In addition, within one month, he went from zero to the third level of Tongmai. This aptitude is really exaggerated.
"You provoked him with your words and actions outside the city. Although it is not a crime for those who are unaware, this action almost cost him his life."
Yuan Shouyi continued, "If his father, the prefect of Zhentian Prefecture, knew about this, he would never let you go."
"This... is indeed my fault for not thinking it through."
Xu Chong looked ashamed and asked, "Is there any way to solve his problem?"
It’s not that he is afraid, as his identity as the descendant of Taizu is his greatest shield.
A mere prefect of the third rank, even if he is in a secondary capital, cannot be higher than a prince.
The main thing is that this matter is indeed my own fault. I have to admit my mistake and make amends for it.
"The theory of state of mind is too profound. There is no direct and clear method. You can only rely on yourself."
Yuan Shouyi smiled maliciously, "But you can try. If you can solve his problem, I can tell you the reason for the rift between me and His Majesty."
???
Xu Chong was stunned.
Does this trigger the pre-quest for the main storyline?
