VIP Chapter Is Here

"So touching, Zixu is so pitiful!"

Inside the main hall, Han Yan found the first bamboo scroll and read it aloud with great expression.

The new emperor was simply amazed that there were such tragic people within the borders of the Great Han Dynasty, and his face grew somewhat gloomy. Han Yan's eyes were already red from crying.

"It's truly touching that Zixu has suffered so much at such a young age," Sang Hongyang nodded.

Han Yan emotional, while Sang Hongyang is rational.

At least Sang Hongyang felt that Zixu's situation when he was young was acceptable, and there were many people like him. In his Luoyang City, there were many beggar children who lost their parents at a young age and could only grow up like weeds.

Anyone who has met these people will not feel any turmoil in their heart.

The reason Han Yan rarely saw people was simply because Han Yan lived a very comfortable life, frequently entering and leaving the palace, where he encountered many noble people.

It would not be easy for the new emperor to see these things. On the one hand, the living conditions of the emperor were the best in the Great Han Dynasty, and on the other hand, the court officials would not report such things in detail.

They could generally just give the assessment that 'dozens of people starved to death,' and then the matter was dismissed like a piece of trash.

In the various memorials to the throne, the numerous tragedies were nothing more than cold, hard numbers; after hearing them, one would think that things were nothing special.

Now, there are people who are truly describing the lives of those at the bottom of society.

"But how is Brother Dongfang going to seek an official position after writing all this?"

Sang Hongyang didn't understand Zhang Xuezhou's logic; this wasn't a typical essay for seeking an official position.

If Sang Hongyang had known Zhang Xuezhou was such a poor writer, he would have believed that his own writing would have been a hundred times better than this inarticulate mess, had he simply asked Zhang for help.

"This Zixu has had a terrible life, maybe we shouldn't read it," Sang Hongyang said in a low voice. "Let's sweep these bamboo slips out!"

"Read it? Why not read it?" The new emperor frowned. "I want to see just how many more horrific things he has written down, and how many tragic events outside the court have gone unreported."

"I want to read... I also want to see what happens to Zixu, whether he'll starve to death, whether he'll freeze to death, boohoo~"

Han Yan wiped his eyes repeatedly with his sleeve, and several other eunuchs wiped away their tears, while some others lowered their heads and remained silent.

Han Yan was merely reminiscing, but for the eunuchs, these experiences all seemed familiar.

They may not have experienced such tragedy, but they did witness similar people who disappeared from their lives and were never seen again. Now, thinking back, those friends might be dead.

The eunuchs sobbed a few times, but quickly composed themselves in response to the new emperor's anger, bowing their heads and not daring to utter a sound.

In the main hall, only Han Yan's intermittent recitation remained.

But the more Han Yan recited, the lighter and more cheerful his voice became, even beginning to carry a hint of joy.

The typical novel formula is to depict the most tragic situation in the first chapter, but the second chapter must inevitably begin to address the problem.

Having experienced tragedy before, even if one is living under Zixu's roof or suffers some bullying, it doesn't matter anymore. It's still an extra chance to survive and it can help the other person grow up.

"Your Majesty, may I read Volume Three?"

After finishing reading the second volume, Han Yan felt much better.

He couldn't help but wonder how Zixu was living from now on, and whether there were any other possible ways to improve the situation.

Read it!

The new emperor's gloomy expression softened somewhat.

Although Zixu's situation was tragic, it wasn't so tragic as to be unacceptable.

Compared to the first chapter where his parents died, the second chapter at least had his older brother and sister-in-law to help him, so he didn't end up starving to death.

The new emperor also became a little curious, wanting to see what would become of this Zixu.

This prompted Han Yan to resume her expressive reading.

The third volume begins with Zixu's search for a way to escape his fate through reading. This chapter is rather bland, but it made the new emperor nod repeatedly.

"Reading is indeed a way to change one's destiny," said the new emperor.

"His elder brother and sister-in-law are also remarkable. Not only do they have a collection of books at home, but they also support him in learning to read and write," Sang Hongyang praised.

"Although my elder brother and sister-in-law were a bit harsh on Zixu, they had a strong sense of righteousness. Their harshness made Zixu realize that anger should be tempered with courage, and he did not indulge in useless things," the new emperor commented.

That's exactly right!

If the first chapter left you feeling heartbroken, the second chapter brought a sigh of relief, and the third chapter made you feel convinced, even certain that Zixu had escaped his struggles for survival and would not be an ordinary person in the future.

"Zixu has actually started practicing martial arts!"

If the third chapter was about learning cultural knowledge, the fourth chapter began to involve strengthening the body and practicing martial arts to lay the foundation, and there was even a little bit of a lucky encounter, which made Zixu's body become strong and powerful.

"Keep reading!"

The new emperor waved his hand, indicating that he could listen to what this boy could do when he grew up, and why someone was writing a biography for him.

"Zixu finally came of age. He was nine feet three inches tall, with bright, piercing eyes like shining pearls, teeth as white and even as woven seashells, brave like Meng Ben, agile like Qing Ji, frugal like Bao Shu, and trustworthy like Weisheng..."

"Wait, I remember the story of Weisheng making an appointment with a woman under a bridge. The woman did not come, and he did not leave even when the water rose, but he died embracing the bridge pillar. Isn't Weisheng's sense of honor a bit pedantic?"

Chapter Five begins by introducing Zixu's appearance, personality, qualities, and strength after he came of age. While this was enjoyable for everyone, the new emperor couldn't help but nitpick and felt that it was somewhat lacking.

"Your Majesty, if this man possesses the integrity and loyalty of Weisheng in serving the court, it would be a great blessing for Your Majesty," said Sang Hongyang.

"Hmm, you're right!"

The new emperor thought about it and finally agreed.

If Zixu, like Weisheng, refused to leave even when the water rose and died because he wanted to meet a woman, the new emperor would find such character utterly absurd and unusable.

However, if the other party's integrity is demonstrated in serving the court and being willing to keep their promise to the monarch, then such a person can definitely become the monarch's most trusted person.

As long as the object of the action is different, the new emperor feels he can still accept it. He even feels that he is starting to have a great need for trustworthy people like Zixu.

"Then what?"

After reading for a while, Han Yan's mouth became dry, but everyone's interest remained high.

This prompted Han Yan to pull out the sixth scroll of bamboo slips and begin reading it word by word.

"I never expected Zixu to start wandering the world and become a righteous and helpful person. He's truly a good person. Listen... Han Yan, why did you stop reading!"

"I don't recognize the characters below. These characters seem to be from the Xiong State!"

"It really is the script of Xiong State?"

Zhang Xuezhou's VIP chapters are free, but he charges a fee; those without a certain level of literary skill cannot understand the Xiong State's script.

Of course, the imperial court has no shortage of talented people.

Zhang Xuezhou was not the only one in Chang'an City who knew the script of the Xiong State; many officials in the Court of State Ceremonial of Xiong State also knew the script.

If two officials were summoned, they would certainly be able to translate and read through the contents of this bamboo slip.

"But the Empress Dowager repeatedly scolded me for not studying properly and for reading only useless books. She doesn't even approve of classical Chinese prose, let alone these Zixu things. It would be very troublesome if the Empress Dowager found out!"

The new emperor glanced at Sang Hongyang, then at Han Yan, and then at the numerous junior eunuchs, and couldn't help but feel troubled.

If these bamboo slips were empty and meaningless, that would be one thing, but since everyone was in high spirits, they ended up writing them in the script of the Xiong State, which is quite unpleasant.

In particular, the content involves Zixu act, while the villain seems to be quite wealthy.

"Hongyang, do you think Zixu can get money by defeating the Thirteen Heroes of the Black Wind?" the new emperor asked.

"Perhaps Zixu was injured by this bad guy," Sang Hongyang said. "After all, his skills haven't been used in actual combat; they're only at the practice level."

Sang Hongyang dared not agree rashly, because if he did, he would have to guess the data. If he guessed correctly, that would be fine, but if he guessed wrong, he would undoubtedly be embarrassed.

This led him to propose a hypothesis.

This assumption immediately made the new emperor feel uneasy.