What mattered most in being a good young commander?
If Chen Wu were asked to answer, it would come down to one word.
Reaction!
As the core of the core of Great Shun's diehard conservatives, a young commander of Wude Palace absolutely had to be a tried-and-tested royalist warrior, an heir to feudal counterrevolution.
But Chen Wu was not merely being modest: how had he, a member of the Yongjiu School, ended up becoming a young commander at Wude Palace through such a bizarre twist of fate?
Reaction, reaction-as the saying went, reversal was the movement of the Dao.
For a rebel to emerge among the most diehard of diehard conservatives was a speck of yang within yin, perfectly in keeping with the way of Heaven.
Now that Chen Wu was playing the diehard conservative, he naturally had to follow the reactionary tide and do a little reacting himself.
Only his reaction would mainly be directed against Great Shun's royalists, in hopes of making two negatives yield a positive.
With feigned sincerity, he held the bronze plaque and shouted his loyalty three times toward the One Heart Society's signboard, then placed the bronze plaque on the table beneath it and respectfully offered incense and bowed. With that, Chen Wu, the acting young commander, had officially taken office.
A full-fledged young commander would also have had to report to Wude Palace's senior leadership and enter his name in the register of the One Heart Society's successive young commanders.
Chen Wu was merely acting in the role; the name being used was still Tian Wenjing's.
As the saying went, an "associate presented scholar" was no presented scholar, and a "madam-like" concubine was no madam!
There was just one final step.
After offering incense, Chen Wu took two steps back, raised his right