[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-top-scholar-of-da-ling":3,"chapter-the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-5":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Top Scholar of Da Ling",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2288840,4475,"Chapter 5: The Crane Minister Receives","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-5",5,"\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu, Zhang the steward, and Magistrate Tu arrived at the west city in a sedan, stopping before the grand, bustling entrance of a luxurious tavern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu looked up at the plaque hanging above the gate, where elegant, flowing cursive script read “Drunk Eight Immortals”; beneath the left corner was the signature: “Taiji Bai Xi presents.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the three entered the main hall, the old shopkeeper, Old Li, immediately recognized them as regular patrons—Zhang the steward and Magistrate Tu had arrived! He dared not delay, ordering staff to rush forward and attend to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Li was well acquainted with both Zhang the steward and Magistrate Tu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a round of polite exchanges, the three followed the young waiter’s lead, leaving the front hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the walk from the front to the back section, Jiang Mingyu once again broadened his horizons! In the past half-month, he had visited many restaurants and taverns, but none matched the opulence and elegance of Drunk Eight Immortals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the courtyard between the front and back buildings—with its carved railings, jade steps, and spring blooms—was far superior in design, outclassing competitors by several tiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to Drunk Eight Immortals, every restaurant and tavern Jiang Mingyu had ever visited before seemed crude and insignificant; only now did he realize how limited his horizons had been, and how vastly grander the luxury and entertainment of the capital were than he could ever have imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This visit had shown Jiang Mingyu the pinnacle of capital taverns, filling him with an indescribable joy and excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After winding through the premises, they reached the second floor of the back section, seated in a private room, and immediately several beauties entered to attend them—each as radiant as celestial maidens, with extraordinary grace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A line of servers entered in sequence to serve dishes; soon, the eight-immortal table was piled high with chilled teas, fine wines, and hot and cold delicacies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the private room, beauties abounded, and fine food and tea were all present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Eight Immortals Tavern truly lived up to its name, exhausting every luxury, leaving Jiang Mingyu awestruck—he could scarcely imagine a tavern could reach such magnificence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hurry and serve Lord Jiang wine...” Magistrate Tu instructed the beauties flanking Jiang Mingyu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beauties on either side gracefully filled his cup, presented it to him, then poured their own, raising theirs first in toast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Jiang Mingyu could react, Magistrate Tu across the table had already begun fondling the beauties beside him, drinking and eating meat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The graceful dancers and peerless singing courtesans made Jiang Mingyu’s blood surge—he couldn’t tear his eyes away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re not hungry yet, are you?” asked Zhang the steward beside him, sipping tea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This humble student... is still not hungry?” Jiang Mingyu replied; his lunch had yet to digest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang the steward glanced out the window and said: “We arrived a bit early—the sun hasn’t even set yet...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are we eating dinner so early today?” Jiang Mingyu asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who said this is dinner?” Magistrate Tu replied. “This is just a snack—the real meal comes later!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why are we here now?” Jiang Mingyu frowned, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang the steward: “To show you the world, and introduce you to friends...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later, a waiter entered with a message, then led away the beauties attending them. Before Jiang Mingyu could make sense of it, two more people entered one after another!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first was a woman dressed in lavish robes, heavily made-up, her hair adorned with countless ornaments, extravagantly flamboyant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second, wearing leg bindings and wrist wraps, appeared as a martial artist—yet his features were delicate, gender-ambiguous, beardless, short, with a solid, grounded stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the five exchanged formal greetings, Zhang the steward began introductions. He first pointed to the flamboyant woman: “This is the madam of Drunk Eight Immortals...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he finished, the woman coughed sharply twice! Zhang the steward quickly corrected himself: “Er—no... this is the owner of Drunk Eight Immortals, Huo Mingshuang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Greetings to the three esteemed officials...” Huo the owner bowed respectfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang the steward slapped himself twice on the cheek and exclaimed: “My apologies! My tongue slipped—I’ll punish myself with two cups! Hehehe...” With that, he downed two cups of wine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Serves you right, Old Zhang!” Magistrate Tu added. “Madam Huo is one of the top two most renowned figures in the capital’s streets and alleys—known in the martial world as ‘Iron Palm Queen’—that’s her!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing “Iron Palm Queen,” Jiang Mingyu instantly recognized the name!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the past half-month, the name “Iron Palm Queen” had been mentioned frequently; he had heard tales of her deeds, and now, to meet her in person, he felt deeply honored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu immediately rose and raised a cup in toast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This one is...” Zhang the steward continued, introducing the other. “Chief escort of the Lu Family Escort Agency, and also the Lu family’s eldest daughter—Lu Xiongying, Master Lu!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing the name of the famed, martial-world-shaking Lu Family Escort Agency, Jiang Mingyu immediately bowed in respect; upon learning she was both chief escort and eldest daughter, he rose again, bowed, and drank his cup dry as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu studied Lu Xiongying more closely, then understood—he had felt her gender ambiguity earlier precisely because of this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they drank and chatted, exchanged pleasantries and small talk, they became friends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu now realized that Zhang the steward, Magistrate Tu, Iron Palm Queen, and Lu Xiongying had known each other for years!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also learned from their conversation that Zhang the steward had once served in court, rising to Vice Minister of Personnel, until he committed an offense and nearly faced execution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During his time under sentence, he had been aided by Iron Palm Queen and Lu Xiongying, sparing him from death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When will the Crane Minister arrive?” asked Iron Palm Queen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang the steward: “At the third watch of the You hour.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Iron Palm Queen gazed out the window; the sunset had just set, and twilight slowly descended, a faint blue-gray light covering the land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your people... should be here by now?” Iron Palm Queen turned to Lu Xiongying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiongying rose, walked to the western window, looked down, and said: “They’ve arrived!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, a waiter announced that the Chancellor had arrived. The three left the second-floor private room and moved to another location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu had no idea where he was being taken, and dared not ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relying entirely on his trust in Zhang the steward and Magistrate Tu, he followed them blindly downstairs, out of the hall, and into a southern garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the garden were pavilions over water, jagged rocks, red flowers and green willows, rippling waves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A nine-turn bridge floated atop a mirror-like pond; lanterns lined the bridge in a single row, resembling a small dragon! Jiang Mingyu followed them across the bridge to a pavilion at the pond’s center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the pavilion, a full banquet table was already laid—but no beauties, no servers—only an elderly Daoist, dressed in purple robes and purple cap, with white eyebrows and long beard, sitting alone, sipping wine; behind him stood two sword-wielding guards, watching over him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu looked at the old man and felt his aura was commanding, his white eyebrows flowing, his presence intimidating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two guards behind him were expressionless, alertly standing on either side, their hands resting on sword hilts—Jiang Mingyu could almost sense the killing intent within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu noticed the plain black round-collar robes worn by the guards, embroidered with deer-head totems—he instantly recognized them as Lu Family escort guards!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder Iron Palm Queen had asked Lu Xiongying if they had arrived. Jiang Mingyu thought: Could it be... that the Daoist guarded by the Lu Family escorts was the current Grand Secretary, Crane Minister, Lord Weng?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The splendor of the southern garden complemented Lord Weng’s bearing, enhancing each other—this must be the demeanor of the capital’s most powerful Grand Secretary, Lord Weng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Jiang Mingyu felt some nervousness, he also felt deeply honored—this was an opportunity he would never have in ordinary days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The five took their seats in order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After sitting down, Jiang Mingyu finally had a chance to examine the dishes on the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The table was piled high with countless delicacies, dazzling in variety, nearly covering the entire eight-immortal table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The roast suckling pig was especially eye-catching, its surface glowing with a tempting golden-brown hue, emitting rich aromas that stirred the appetite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The prime meat of the roast suckling pig had been cooked to perfection—crisp outside, tender inside, releasing a natural meat fragrance that made one eager to devour it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The table also held various pastries and snacks, delicately shaped and brilliantly colored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soups were equally enticing—each bowl simmered with thick, rich aroma, drawing the eye irresistibly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All manner of chicken, duck, fish, and crab—roasted, smoked, stewed—were all present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This banquet was not only varied in dishes, but exquisitely refined, with every item matching Lord Weng’s status and dignity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could scarcely imagine that such a luxurious feast could be enjoyed in such an environment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once everyone was seated, servers began pouring wine and serving dishes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu gazed at the dazzling array of delicacies, overwhelmed, his heart swelling with uncontrollable joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through Zhang the steward’s introduction, Jiang Mingyu confirmed that the Daoist before him was none other than the Crane Minister himself!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, this old man’s status was extraordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu could not help but feel profound reverence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seated in the pavilion, he radiated an aura of authority; beneath his white eyebrows, his eyes were sharp and chilling as an eagle’s. Jiang Mingyu felt exposed under that gaze—this was Lord Weng’s power, awe-inspiring and intimidating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The splendor of the southern garden complemented Lord Weng’s bearing, enhancing each other—this must be the demeanor of the capital’s most powerful Crane Minister, Lord Weng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Jiang Mingyu felt some nervousness, he also felt deeply honored—this was an opportunity he would never have in ordinary days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crane Minister treated Jiang Mingyu with great courtesy, repeatedly inquiring about his recent life, family, origins, interests, hobbies, studies, and master. Jiang Mingyu responded appropriately, answering every question truthfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After three rounds of wine and five flavors of dishes, the Crane Minister gained a deeper understanding of Jiang Mingyu and formed a favorable impression; he decided to recruit him into his faction to serve him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Jiang has only recently arrived in the capital; many customs remain unknown to you—the entire city is filled with nobles and all sects; you cannot grasp them all at once...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crane Minister glanced at Jiang Mingyu, then at Zhang the steward, and continued: “From now on, Master Zhang will accompany you as your private secretary—what do you think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing “private secretary,” Jiang Mingyu immediately rose to return the bow, thanking him profusely, then declined: “This humble student is terrified—I fear I cannot afford Master Zhang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A private secretary in ancient times was equivalent to a secretary—not an official post, but a personal hire, paid out of the official’s own pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha...” The Crane Minister laughed, then explained: “Lord Jiang, you misunderstand—the salary need not concern you; I have already arranged it. Besides, Master Zhang is not solely for you—he serves the Crown Prince as well!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu now understood: the Crane Minister assigned Zhang the steward to assist him not merely for his sake, but for the Crown Prince’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Learning he need not pay Zhang the steward’s salary, Jiang Mingyu ceased his refusal and immediately bowed in thanks to the Crane Minister for such a capable companion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, Jiang Mingyu learned that Zhang the steward’s real name was Zhang County Magistrate, courtesy name Gongchang—apparently, his surname “Zhang” was split into “Gong” and “Chang,” hence the nickname “Zhang the steward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After personally interviewing Jiang Mingyu, admitting him into the Crane Faction, and assigning Zhang the steward as his private secretary, the Crane Minister excused himself, citing official duties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the escort of Lu Family guards, the Crane Minister’s party crossed the nine-turn bridge and vanished among the rockeries and artificial hills of the garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The remaining five stayed in the pavilion, continuing to enjoy the feast...\u003C\u002Fp>",2019,"2026-06-20T03:28:17.113Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","59557c4d276f8f51474e5d9e41514fa9b01652e6de516aa241f4ed572740c013","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-6","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-4",392,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-top-scholar-of-da-ling-cover.jpg"]