Chapter 246

"Arrogant due to his talent, disdainful of the world—that was Yu Zhaoan before he was sent to the Imperial Prison."

Chen Guanlou nearly slipped and said "before his leg was broken," but luckily he caught himself in time and changed it to "before he was sent to the Imperial Prison."

Speaking of a broken leg in front of a cripple risks reopening a wound.

The Master grunted, casting a meaningful glance at Chen Guanlou: "From your tone, Yu Zhaoan has changed since returning to the Imperial Prison."

"Changed greatly! He's willing to lower his stance, adapt to circumstances, and clearly no longer cares about his reputation or past—he now seeks tangible gains."

"Much as I suspected."

The Master pondered a moment, then asked:

"Has he said what exactly he intends to do?"

"He says he wants to please the Emperor, even replace Jiang Tu. He believes those who seek great deeds must not be bound by trivialities," Chen Guanlou said slowly.

Upon hearing this, the Master burst into laughter.

"Not being bound by trivialities is fine!" He seemed to recall something amusing, then suddenly asked: "I hear Yu Zhaoan holds you in high regard. With his career now flourishing, would you be willing to serve at his side?"

Huh?

Chen Guanlou was startled—was this a test, or had the Master always planned this?

After a moment's deliberation, he decided to speak truthfully: "Your Excellency, your nephew is doing quite well in the Imperial Prison."

"You don't wish to serve at his side—is there some concern?" the Master asked curiously.

Chen Guanlou thought a moment, then said plainly: "Yu Zhaoan is not an easy man to get along with. I only seek freedom—I don't want to be under anyone's control."

"Oh!" The Master studied Chen Guanlou for a moment longer. "So you truly are thriving in the Imperial Prison. No need to force it—don't give it another thought."

With that, he lifted his teacup.

Chen Guanlou took the hint and took his leave.

Inside the study, the Chief Steward watched the Master, awaiting instructions.

The Master set down his teacup and said slowly: "Since Yu Zhaoan wishes to take full civil authority over the northwest, we may grant him that."

"What?" The Chief Steward was taken aback. "Yu Zhaoan never relinquishes power—he's always been harsh in his methods."

"Precisely why we need him—to stir up the northwest. The ground has hardened into a solid mass; it needs a sharp hoe to break it open."

"Won't you worry he'll become an obstacle?"

"I'm not afraid he'll become an obstacle—I even hope he does. Aside from Jiang Tu, the court needs a target, an unshakable one. Yu Zhaoan fits perfectly. He clearly understands this himself. He wants power? Give him power. I'm curious to see how far he'll go."

The Master laughed—a true old fox.

After leaving the Hou Fu, Chen Guanlou went to drink with Master Du.

Since the Dongzhou civil unrest began, the clan school had opened naturally. Teaching every day brought Master Du deep satisfaction—he no longer felt like he was eating without earning his keep.

The moment they met, before either could ask, Chen Guanlou volunteered: "The Master asked me about Yu Zhaoan. He's been quite fiery lately!"

"That's it?"

"Yes, just that. We talked a bit, then I left. I felt the Master already knew the answer—he was just verifying it with me."

"Why would the Master care about Yu Zhaoan?"

"I don't know. Probably related to the rebel uprisings in Jin and Ping prefectures. Court affairs are always behind the news to us small folk—we're always late to react. The Master sits at the center—he must have inside information."

Chen Guanlou invited Master Du to drink, and they spoke of his poor business. The prisoners in the Imperial Prison either had no lack of money, or had been forgotten by their superiors and no longer needed bribes, or were just poor officials. Chen Guanlou's trade in antiques and calligraphy had been stalled for a long time.

Recently he'd met Li the Shopkeeper from Sitong, who seemed to have revived his fortunes and even hinted at stealing treasures from the imperial palace. Of course, the man spoke vaguely—he couldn't report him to the authorities and let Qi Wuxiu send the Embroidered Uniform Guard after him.

Fortunately, both he and Master Du had the habit of saving—so they weren't short on cash yet.

Guests like Liu Daowen are rare finds indeed!

After drinking, he walked home beneath the autumn wind.

Upon arriving home, he saw a two-man sedan chair parked outside Chen Ergou's gate. A frail young woman stepped down, supported by a maid as she entered Chen Ergou's courtyard.

The cloth merchant Master Qu still rented the courtyard from Chen Ergou—was this woman here to buy cloth?

Two days later, he heard that Master Qu now had a woman with him. He apparently planned to host a banquet to introduce her to the neighbors.

Chen Guanlou's curiosity stirred—he went to Spring Fragrance's house to beg a flatbread and asked about the situation: "Is Master Qu planning to take a concubine?"

Was it that frail woman from before?

Spring Fragrance's gossip was always sharp: "I asked. Master Qu's wife from the countryside died years ago—he's never had a proper woman beside him. This time, he's planning to remarry, not take a concubine."

"What? If he's remarrying, why is she living with him before the wedding?"

Are people so careless these days?

"Her situation is unusual—it seems…" Spring Fragrance hesitated, then added: "I heard she's the family of a disgraced official."

Huh?

He knew that well!

Chen Guanlou pressed: "Tell me the details."

"How would I know? Family shame is not spoken of—she's kept silent, and I can't pry. We're neighbors—we'll have to keep seeing each other. It's not right to be so blunt. Master Qu is a good man, runs a big business—he truly needs a woman to care for him. Matchmakers have proposed to him before, but he turned them all down. Who'd have thought he'd choose the family of a disgraced official? I wonder how beautiful she must be to have stolen his heart."

Chen Guanlou recalled the woman's back—just from the silhouette, she was indeed beautiful. But he wondered if her face matched such a stunning back.

"When's the banquet? If I'm free, I'd like to come for a drink."

"They're consulting a fortune-teller for an auspicious date—should have news in two days."

"That's perfect."

On the day of Master Qu's banquet, the Imperial Prison had an emergency—Chen Guanlou missed the wedding feast. A disgraced official had been vomiting and diarrhea—suspected food poisoning. The entire prison was on high alert. After hours of investigation, they discovered the man had tried to kill himself.

By the time he got home, the banquet at the opposite house had long ended.

Though he hadn't seen Master Qu's new wife, he had good news: the third chapter of The Ascension Record had reached perfect completion—smoothly, effortlessly—and he had entered the fourth chapter without hindrance.

Suddenly, he felt his great sword was unnecessary. His understanding of swordplay had risen another level—he no longer needed a blade in hand, for the sword lived within him; all things could become blades, petals and falling leaves were swords.