Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

As Chen Chang'an walked out of the county government office, the people began to discuss it.

"I knew it, Young Master Chen is innocent."

"This Zhao Wan'er isn't even worthy to be Miss Qingcheng's maid. I wouldn't even molest her if she offered herself to me!"

"His stepmother must be behind all of this!"

……

After this public trial, those rumors could no longer be spread.

The lawsuit with Zhao Wan'er ended with her eventually apologizing and secretly withdrawing the lawsuit.

Chen Chang'an and Qing Shuang returned to Qing Shuang Fang and sat down on the stone bench in the backyard.

Recalling the young man from the Wannian County government office, a hint of curiosity appeared on Chen Chang'an's face. He looked at Qing Shuang and asked, "Who exactly is that Commander Yun? The Wannian County Magistrate seemed quite afraid of him."

Qing Shuang sat opposite Chen Chang'an, legs crossed, toying with a bar of soap in her hand, examining the petals on it. Without looking up, she said, "His name is Yun Zhan, the commander of the secret guards, the closest person to His Majesty. He has the power to execute first and report later. No one in the court is not afraid of them."

This Commander Yun left a deep impression on Chen Chang'an today, and also made him witness the allure of power once again.

Having experienced various events, Chen Chang'an's desire for power grew ever stronger.

He doesn't want to use his power to oppress others, but at the very least, he can't let others use their power to oppress him.

He thought of something, looked at Qing Shuang again, and asked, "Between you and Commander Yun, who is more capable?"

Qing Shuang, who was always very confident in her skills, shook her head decisively this time and said, "I can't beat him."

Chen Chang'an was somewhat surprised: "You can't beat him either?"

Among the people he knew, Qing Shuang was already considered very powerful; she could easily defeat ten opponents at once.

Chen Chang'an really couldn't imagine how powerful someone could be compared to Qing Shuang.

Qing Shuang pursed her lips and said, "The Yun family is also a family of generals. He joined the army at the age of fourteen and honed his skills on the battlefield for ten years. Later, he was valued by His Majesty and transferred back to the capital. He became the commander of the secret guards in just two years..."

She shrugged again and said, "Although I've never lost to anyone of my generation, Yun Zhan is eight years older than me. Compared to him, I'm still a step behind. He should have already opened up his Ren and Du meridians and circulated his Qi throughout his body, making him a top-tier expert..."

"A top-tier expert?"

Chen Chang'an had only heard Qing Shuang say that becoming a top-tier master meant being able to break a tree as thick as a bowl with a single palm strike, to walk on walls and rooftops as if on flat ground, and to walk on roof tiles without difficulty. He also meant that more than ten armed men could not get close to him.

Taking this opportunity, he smiled and asked Qing Shuang, "So, what level of expert are you?"

Qing Shuang rolled her eyes at him and said, "Peak second-rate, I guess..."

With nothing else to do, Chen Chang'an carefully inquired about the strength classification of martial artists from Qing Shuang.

Those who haven't cultivated internal energy can't be considered martial artists at all.

Once you develop internal energy, you've entered the first stage. With the support of internal energy, your strength increases exponentially, allowing you to lift dozens of kilograms of weight with one hand, making it impossible for three or five strong men to get close to you.

Chen Chang'an is now considered a beginner martial artist, and on the battlefield, he can be regarded as an elite soldier.

Beyond the beginner level, one becomes a third-rate expert.

These people have already channeled their internal energy into more than half of the twelve meridians, and can hold their own against ten ordinary strong men.

Above the third rank is the second rank. Second-rank masters are already rare among the younger generation. Their internal energy flows through all twelve meridians, and their blood and qi are abundant. They can leap across rooftops like Qing Shuang. In the Da Ning army, such masters can serve as centurions.

As for top-tier masters, like Yun Zhan, their inner energy is incredibly vast, flowing through the Ren and Du meridians, and can be called true qi.

A top-tier master at the peak can be worth a hundred elite soldiers; only a few sect leaders and elders can reach this level.

Above the first-rate, there are grandmasters.

These are true peak experts. Their true energy can travel three feet beyond their bodies. They can injure people by plucking flowers or flying leaves. One person can be worth more than a thousand elite soldiers. There are fewer than twenty such people in the entire world, and each one of them is a renowned expert.

Legend has it that above the Grandmaster, there is the Great Grandmaster. Their inner energy is incredibly vast, and it can travel a full zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) away from their bodies, allowing them to injure people from a distance. Taking the head of an enemy general amidst a vast army is no problem for them.

There are only a handful of Grandmasters in the entire Divine Continent.

Speaking of grandmasters, Qing Shuang's face showed a hint of longing as she murmured, "When will I be able to become a grandmaster...?"

Chen Chang'an patted her shoulder and comforted her, "You're not even twenty years old yet, and you're already at the peak of the second-rate level. What's a grandmaster? Maybe you'll have a chance to become a great grandmaster in the future..."

Qing Shuang rolled her eyes at him and said irritably, "Do you think Grandmasters are as common as cabbages? Grandmasters can establish their own sects, but as for Grandmasters, even emperors of various countries have to show them respect..."

Chen Chang'an's gaze shifted.

A Grandmaster? Does that mean he can disregard even the emperors of various countries?

……

The Chen residence.

The inner quarters.

Inside the main hall, a series of crackling sounds came from the porcelain breaking, and tea slowly seeped out along the cracks in the threshold, but no one dared to clean it up.

Zhao sat in the chair, her chest heaving.

Just now, three maids from the Chen household, including one of her trusted maids, were banished to the Jiaofangsi (a brothel) by the commander of the secret guards for spreading rumors about Chen Chang'an.

Even Zhao Wan'er admitted in court that the person who assaulted her was not Chen Chang'an.

When the maids confessed, they also implicated her.

Zhao knew that the only reason she was able to sit here safely without being taken away by the secret guards or government officials was because of her father.

But she still couldn't swallow her anger.

Zhao Wan'er stood beside her, her body still trembling slightly, and said in a trembling voice, "Aunt, the commander of the secret guards said he would take me back to the Heavenly Prison for questioning, I... I dare not not tell."

Madam Zhao knew that Zhao Wan'er wasn't to blame for this, and after a long while, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Never mind, you should go back now. Don't mention this to anyone, including your parents..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wan'er felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and quickly retreated with her head down.

Inside the main hall, Madam Zhao sat alone, lost in a long silence.

The fact that the secret guards took action this time means that Chen Chang'an, that bastard, has completely caught His Majesty's eye, and it will probably be impossible to use this method to deal with him again in the future.

Even now, Zhao still can't understand it.

How did he become a hero of Da Ning and catch the attention of His Majesty?

After a long while, she let out a long breath, looked at Chen Changxuan standing in the corner, and said in a deep voice, "You've seen it too, that bastard is now His Majesty's favorite. If you don't live up to his expectations, you'll never be able to become the imperial consort. You must pass the provincial examination in two months. Not only must you pass, but you must also get into the top rank and enter the Hanlin Academy. Make sure you get back all the face the Chen family has lost..."