“How can we treat Lord Zhang with such rudeness!”
“That is the left general of the Jinwu Guard!”
“So what if he’s the left general? Even the Princess of Zhaoyang and the King of Yunnan treat Lord Zhang as a distinguished guest! This left general is truly disrespectful!”
Left General: …
The Right General felt relieved that he hadn’t called out for Zhang Fang.
Seeing how fiercely everyone defended Zhang Fang, the Right General smiled and shouted to the carriage, “I am the Right General of the Jinwu Guard. Could it be that Lord Zhang is in the carriage? May I come aboard to have a word?”
The Left General rolled his eyes with dissatisfaction. He regretted his hasty temper and wished he had been more courteous to the person in the carriage. Now, he ended up looking foolish in front of everyone!
Storekeeper Wang stepped out of the carriage and, under pressure from the crowd of eminent figures, wiped his sweat and invited the Right General to board.
When the Left General attempted to enter the carriage, he was politely stopped by Storekeeper Wang, “Apologies, General, but the carriage is rather small and can’t accommodate so many people…”
What more could the Left General say? Even if he was unhappy, he had to endure it. After all, there were passionately enthusiastic fans present; if he said anything wrong or if these people saw him making things difficult for Zhang Fang, they would undoubtedly turn on him!
Once inside the carriage, the Right General immediately spotted Zhang Fang. Despite his simple attire, Zhang Fang’s ethereal and dignified presence was impossible to ignore. He smiled and asked, “So this is Lord Zhang?”
In the cramped carriage, Zhang Fang simply nodded at the Right General with an expression of helplessness and said, “I apologize for causing the traffic jam outside. I’ve troubled the Jinwu Guard!”
How could the Right General blame him? After all, Zhang Fang was a celebrity with legions of devoted fans, and his influence was formidable! Chuckling, he shook his head and replied, “This is the Jinwu Guard’s responsibility. Does Lord Zhang have a place to stay? The Jinwu Guard will escort you.”
Zhang Fang looked at Yuan Chun, who quickly informed the Right General of the lodging arranged for Zhang Fang.
Due to the chaos outside, the Right General couldn’t speak much more with Zhang Fang in the carriage. After a brief exchange, he stepped out.
At the outset, he loudly announced to the crowd of fervent fans to clear the way, stating that the Jinwu Guard would escort Zhang Fang back to his residence.
However, the people outside could not hear the Right General over the din, so it was Zhang Fang who suggested preparing signs and banners to hold high so that literate individuals could understand the situation.
Indeed, when the Jinwu Guards held high the signs and banners, and shouted messages, the crowd naturally gave way, allowing the guards to clear a path. However, that path was too narrow! The carriage couldn’t fit through, and soon there would be more people stepping forward out of curiosity.
The Left General hurriedly instructed the Jinwu Guard to create a gap, directing the crowd to disperse, and temporarily moved away barricades to restore normal passage.
With the protection of the Jinwu Guard, Zhang Fang’s carriage slowly entered the capital, flanked by crowds on both sides. The guards held back the throngs of people at the roadside, preventing them from advancing.
As the carriage passed, many people threw prepared flowers at it.
The Third Prince watched this scene from above a tea house. A feeling of wariness brewed in his heart towards this person, Zhang Fang. Such influence was truly intimidating. Zhang Fang could assist him now, but once he ascended the throne, this person had to be removed! Otherwise, he could become a future threat to the realm!
The Crown Prince stood high above the Imperial City, surveying the situation on the royal street. Though he couldn’t discern details, he captured the general situation.
Clenching his fists behind his back, the Crown Prince took a deep breath. Neither he, as the heir apparent, nor the Emperor sitting on the dragon throne could garner such deep affection from the common people. Yet, Zhang Fang, a humble scholar from a poor family, had this kind of influence!
If the Emperor were to see this scene, he would undoubtedly feel jealousy!
As the Crown Prince was lost in thought, someone beside him suddenly reminded him, “Your Highness, someone has been sent out from the palace.”
Hearing this, the Crown Prince looked down at the base of the royal city and indeed spotted attendants of the Emperor leaving the palace. Could they be on their way to Zhang Fang?
Of course, with someone possessing such influence, the Emperor couldn’t allow Zhang Fang to wield the hearts of the populace freely.
The Crown Prince realized that the Emperor would never allow Zhang Fang to join any faction of the princely camps!
The Crown Prince was right—the Emperor had underestimated Zhang Fang’s influence. Initially, he planned to use Zhang Fang as bait to incite a fiercer rivalry between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince. However, since Zhang Fang’s arrival in the capital had caused a citywide congestion, only this one person could rally thousands, an alarming power that the Emperor could not ignore!
Such a person must never enter court; he could not be granted an ounce of power! He either had to be kept under control as a loyal dog or must be eliminated! But now that Zhang Fang had become the focus of countless eyes, it wasn’t the right moment to dispose of him.
Having occupied the throne, the Emperor certainly possessed the patience and steadiness. He wasn’t going to rush things. He directly sent someone to bring Zhang Fang into the palace. If this person was willing to obediently serve, listening to his every command, he could be allowed to continue living in this world.
As the carriage was about to turn toward the west of the city, a squad of Thousand Bulls Guards was dispatched to escort Zhang Fang into the palace.
Faced with this situation, everyone was taken aback. Storekeeper Wang and Yuan Chun were compelled to disembark, while the Right General was glad he had been relatively courteous to Zhang Fang. Being summoned by the Emperor was a sign that Zhang Fang’s future was bright! The Left General, however, felt less pleased and began to ponder what kind of good gift he should send to Zhang Fang to change his impression of him.
Zhang Fang offered brief instructions to Storekeeper Wang and Yuan Chun before following the Thousand Bulls Guards into the palace.
“Lord Zhang has been summoned by His Majesty!”
“His Majesty also admires Lord Zhang!”
“His Majesty is a wise ruler; how could he not cherish such great talent as Lord Zhang?”
“His Majesty is a good Emperor!”
In the hearts of countless literary fans, anyone who liked Zhang Fang was a kindred spirit and a good person! The Emperor summoning Zhang Fang = The Emperor likes Zhang Fang = The Emperor is a good Emperor!
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