The Flag Had Been Planted [Please Vote Monthly Tickets]

The Mourning Hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Even the few young children who had been weeping at the memorial were infected by the atmosphere and fell silent. Everyone's eyes shifted back and forth between him and Luan Xin, and not a single person dared breathe too loudly. He regretted letting his mouth run, but once words were spoken, they were like water poured out—impossible to take back. "Did I say anything wrong? Isn't Luan Gongyi a cripple? Without Duke Wen Yan's appreciation and promotion, what would he amount to?"

Though Luan Xin's ancestors had once been prosperous, by his generation the grand gates had given way to bamboo doors. Did Luan Xin still hope to bring glory to his family? Even plain-looking men struggled to enter government service—Zhang He was a prime example—let alone someone with a severe physical disability.

The disability in his leg was a taboo he could never speak of.

Luan Xin's face was gloomy, but he did not pick a fight with the man. His eyes were devoid of emotion as he silently sized him up. After a long while, he coldly reminded the other man that even if he was going mad, he ought to mind where he was: "Do you really intend to make a scene in Duke Wen Yan's Mourning Hall?"

"I—" Of course he couldn't make a scene, but with all that anger trapped inside him and nowhere to vent it, Luan Xin had happened to walk right into his line of fire. He couldn't help snapping back another couple of times. "If that counts as making a scene, then isn't your presence in Duke Wen Yan's Mourning Hall an eyesore?"

Then he added, "No, not an eyesore—bad luck!"

Only after hearing their exchange did the First