Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

Fortunately, although the latter was a treacherous person, he was extremely talented and quick-witted, and immediately bowed and said: "Please, Your Majesty, grant me pen and ink."

Ouyang Xu picked up his pen and wrote an imperial edict in a flowing, uninterrupted manner, completing it easily without any pause.

Even placed before Zhao Heng, his writing would be considered exceptionally eloquent, prompting Zhao Heng to step down from the dragon throne and stand before Ouyang Xu: "Scholar, where do you wish to serve as an official?"

"In the past, there was Rongchengzi who followed the Yellow Emperor. Now I wish to emulate him. I will obey all orders from the Emperor."

When Ouyang Xu said this, the expressions of the top two scholars next to him practically wrote their feelings on their faces.

At this moment, they even regretted taking the imperial examination this time!

For a dignified third-place scholar to go to a Taoist temple and become a favored official is unprecedented, if not unparalleled.

If future generations talk about this matter, their names will inevitably be mentioned!

To be on scientific expeditions at the same time as such people is simply the biggest stain on their lives!

But Ouyang Xu didn't care about any of that. Since he had already made a decision, he might as well go all out and make a good impression on the emperor.

Sure enough, Zhao Heng's smile deepened: "How about this, I will appoint you as the Assistant Envoy of the Purple Palace Ritual, and send you to the Western Capital to request the Immortal Master Baoyi to come out of seclusion."

"Your subject will certainly not fail in his mission. Now that I have been appointed as an imperial envoy, I am willing to leave the capital tomorrow to assume my post and serve Your Majesty with utmost loyalty!"

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Xu was overjoyed and immediately bowed again.

Zhao Pan'er gave him three days, so he accepted the imperial order and left the capital city of Tokyo to avoid trouble.

With the emperor's decree on his side, who would dare to stop him?

If Zhao Pan'er and the others really wanted to take action, then he could just accuse them of disobeying imperial orders.

"Okay, okay!"

Seeing Zhao Heng burst out laughing, the top two scholars exchanged a glance and immediately understood what the other was thinking.

How could Ouyang Xu be a favored minister?

This is clearly a sycophant and a flatterer!

The thought that they had called this person brother at the Deer Cry Banquet made them both feel nauseous.

Following the usual practice, after bestowing official titles upon the top two scholars, Zhao Heng patted Ouyang Xu on the shoulder with a smile: "Please wait a moment, Third Scholar. I have other matters to discuss with you, and I will also introduce you to a celestial master."

The meaning behind these words was quite clear. After glaring angrily at Ouyang Xu, the top two scholars stood up, bowed, and left.

To this, Ouyang Xu could only sigh inwardly.

After today, he will probably have to cut himself off from the literati and scholars.

But Zhao Pan'er and the others forced him to do this. If one day Ouyang Xu is in power, he will definitely take revenge for all these humiliations!

"Please wait a moment, my esteemed scholar. I will have someone introduce you to him."

At Zhao Heng's signal, the eunuch who had been waiting came to the back of the hall and brought out Zhou Feng and the other two.

Originally, Ouyang Xu had a hint of pride on his face. After all, he had only spent one night learning and memorizing the text to fool the emperor, which could be considered a kind of quick wit.

But the moment Zhou Feng and the other two walked out, Ouyang Xu was completely dumbfounded.

Isn't this...the person behind Zhao Pan'er?

How did he end up in the emperor's palace?

"My lord, let me introduce you. This is Immortal Master Zhou Feng, the Palace Master of Shenxiao Yuqing Palace, the Immortal Envoy of Penglai, and the Celestial Master Protector of our Great Song Dynasty. All temples and monasteries are under Immortal Master Zhou's command!"

Zhao Heng didn't notice that with each additional word he spoke, Ouyang Xu's lips grew even paler, losing all color.

He now feels like a joke.

Last night, he pondered for so long, racking his brains and cutting himself off from the literati and scholars, before finally winning over the official's heart.

He had originally planned to take another path to rise to prominence and then avenge the humiliation, but unexpectedly, he ended up right in the palm of his enemy's hand.

What else could this be but walking into a trap?

If he had entered the court as an official, he and Zhou Feng would have belonged to two different systems. The Qingliu faction and the Daoxue faction were inherently irreconcilable.

Even if Minister Ke is demoted, the other upright officials will not stand idly by and watch him be humiliated by this Taoist master.

But now he has cut off his own escape route, just like a fish desperately jumping onto a cutting board, which is simply a huge joke!

"Master Zhou... it's a pleasure to meet you..."

It took a tremendous amount of willpower for Ouyang Xu to be able to say those few words completely.

Now, he even had the urge to bite Zhou Feng to death, but he could only maintain his humble attitude and obediently bow to him.

Fortunately, it was in front of the officials, which made it easier to accept than being forced to apologize to Zhao Pan'er.

Seeing Ouyang Xu's gritted teeth and hearing the indignation in his voice, and then glancing at his own rising emotional value, Zhou Feng almost burst out laughing.

No wonder people say they love the feeling of you hating me but being unable to do anything about it; it's so satisfying.

Zhao Heng sensed that something was off between the two of them, and after looking around, he remained silent.

On the contrary, Ouyang Xu quickly adjusted his mindset, barely maintaining a humble posture, bowed to Zhou Feng, and then left with the imperial edict he had just written.

"Master Zhou, you and this third-ranked scholar..."

As an official, he didn't need to ask anything clearly; he only needed to express a question, and Zhou Feng would naturally answer it for him.

"Your Majesty may not know this, but Ouyang Xu once received financial assistance from a woman in Qiantang, and they agreed to marry after he passed the imperial examination. However, after he achieved the highest honors in the examination, he chose to break his promise and sent her servant with money to Qiantang to cancel the engagement."

"This woman was also intelligent and decisive. Although she had been a courtesan in Hangzhou, she managed to run her own tea shop after leaving the profession, which became a unique sight in Qiantang."

"Now that she has come to Tokyo and come to my door, it just so happens that we have fallen in love and entered into a marriage agreement. That is why the third-ranked scholar is so uncomfortable when he sees me."

"This…"

Zhao Heng's eyes widened; he was completely shocked.

He wondered if Zhou Feng had judged that Ouyang Xu was not sincere in his pursuit of Taoism, or if Ouyang Xu was being disrespectful to Zhou Feng because of his age.

It was truly unexpected that the conflict between the two was caused by a woman, a woman who had renounced her lowly status!

In that instant, Zhao Heng's gaze towards Zhou Feng became much more affectionate.

After all, there was such a woman in his harem, whom he had even insisted on placing in the position of Empress.

Now Zhou Feng has also found a woman who used to be a musician and made an engagement to marry her. Isn't she just a carbon copy of him?

"Master Zhou, are you sure you want to marry this woman who was once of lowly status?"

Zhao Heng's lips trembled slightly.

Compared to Ouyang Xu's agreement with Zhao Heng's aspirations as a scholar, Zhou Feng's actions struck a chord with him, leaving Zhao Heng utterly overwhelmed with excitement.

Zhou Feng nodded seriously.

The Zhuangzi, in the chapter "Virtue is Complete," says: "Virtue has its strengths, while form has its limitations. One should not harm oneself because of likes or dislikes, but always follow the natural order."

"What is truly admirable is not social status, but inner virtue. Because she is who she is, I wish to marry her."

"Good! Well said!"

Zhao Heng slapped the armrest beside him, a bright smile spreading across his face.

Zhou Feng's approach pleased him greatly. His use of Taoist scriptures and classical allusions to explain this behavior hit Zhao Heng's sweet spot.

Because she is who she is—how well that is said!

Seeing that Zhou Feng seemed about to leave, Zhao Heng didn't try to stop him. Before he departed, he looked earnestly into Zhou Feng's eyes and said, "On the day of Immortal Master Zhou's wedding, I will personally attend and officiate your marriage!"

After speaking, he instructed the eunuchs to escort Zhou Feng and the others out of the palace gate, and then ran towards the inner palace as fast as he could.

At this moment, the Empress was handling palace affairs in the Kunning Palace when she saw the Emperor rushing in, even somewhat rudely, and her expression immediately changed.

Empress Zhangxian, Liu E, although of humble origins, managed the entire harem in an orderly manner since entering the palace.

Although Zhao Heng's attire was somewhat disheveled, she still calmly and meticulously straightened his coat before smiling and asking, "What good news has Your Majesty received that makes you so happy?"

"Empress, do you remember the guardian celestial master who summoned divine thunder and exorcised evil spirits for me in the Imperial Garden some time ago?"

Zhao Heng gripped Liu E's hand, his face beaming with excitement.

The latter nodded.

In front of all of them, several bolts of divine lightning struck down the massive Taihu rockery. It was something they would never forget, not just a few days ago, but for the rest of their lives.

"This Master Zhou is about to get married. His bride was once a courtesan in Hangzhou, but although she has been freed from her lowly status, she is now a merchant. Do you know what Master Zhou said about her?"

"How did you say it?"

Liu E also became interested.

Given her status, it was already against etiquette for the emperor to unilaterally elevate her to the position of empress.

Although she was ambitious and shrewd, she had to admit that no one of her status had ever entered the harem before!

In her view, her own emperor's ability to overcome public opinion and withstand pressure from upright officials, meritorious officials, and everyone else was already unparalleled.

Unexpectedly, that immortal master is also a man of strong emotions!

Upon hearing Zhou Feng vouch for Zhao Pan'er from the perspective of ancient texts, his favorability towards Liu E skyrocketed.

This has nothing to do with love, but rather with acknowledging him as a person.

Even though Empress Liu E, sitting on the throne, wouldn't act impulsively based on her own emotions and preferences, the goodwill she currently has towards Zhou Feng will still play a significant role in helping Zhou Feng win over officials from the Empress's faction in the future!

After leaving the inner palace, Zhou Feng knew that his mission to enter the palace was basically complete.

This not only motivated Ouyang Xu to gain emotional value, but also earned him a sense of recognition from Zhao Heng.

After having Chen Xiao deliver a message to Zhao Pan'er, he hurried towards his own courtyard.

He would definitely have to return to the courtyard world in the next few days, so he needed to understand and arrange things here before leaving.

Half an hour later, Zhao Pan'er, Sun San Niang, and Song Yin Zhang met Chen Xiao, who had delivered the message, in the courtyard.

After listening to what he said and watching him leave, Zhao Pan'er could no longer contain her emotions and turned to run towards the bedroom.

As soon as she collapsed onto the bed, Zhao Pan'er's eyes turned red, and large tears slid down her cheeks.

She was an extremely strong-willed person; otherwise, she wouldn't have said something like "I will never be a concubine."

Whether facing the officials, yamen runners, or tea drinkers who had made things difficult for her in the past, or the troubles that came her way because of Ouyang Xu after she arrived in Tokyo, she never had the thought of backing down.

Even though Zhou Feng, who was always by her side, was the one who truly solved the problem, she still had her own sense of pride.

But now, that pride has been easily shattered by the sincerity that Zhou Feng prepared for her!

Not only did the other party not despise her past as a person of low social status, but he also went to great lengths to be with her, and now he has even invited an official to personally officiate the wedding!

What does this mean?

In this era, this must be the ultimate glory a woman can achieve.

Moreover, the official marriage ceremony is the greatest guarantee for her. Even if the two have conflicts or disagreements in the future, with this experience, Zhou Feng cannot do anything excessive to her.

Not to mention Zhao Pan'er, who was still hiding and crying in her room, even Sun San Niang and Song Yin Zhang, who had followed her over, couldn't suppress the jealousy in their eyes as they faced each other at the door.

One of them was abandoned by her husband's family, and the other was cheated out of her money by Zhou She.

Seeing Zhao Pan'er so happy now, I am naturally happy for my sister, but I can't help feeling a little jealous.

However, this emotion was fleeting. The next moment, they went into the house and gently patted Zhao Pan'er's back, who was still crying.

This girl has it so tough.

Originally from an official family, their fortunes plummeted after her father was convicted of a crime, forcing her to become a courtesan.

He was in such a complicated environment when he was young, and he was only able to get rid of the status of a musician by the grace of the prefect. However, he was betrayed by Ouyang Xu.

The three of them left their hometown and came to Tokyo. If it weren't for Zhou Feng's righteous intervention, they would probably have been humiliated.

Now that the sisters have found such good partners, how could they not support them?

After crying for a while, Zhao Pan'er wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, becoming even more determined in her heart.

If Zhou Feng could go to such lengths for her, how could she possibly back down?

Chen Xiao has already explained that Zhou Feng will be leaving Tokyo for a while in the next few days, so she must take the Night Banquet Map back from Ouyang Xu before Zhou Feng finishes his business and returns!

Zhou Feng has done so much for her; all that's left is for her to repay him!

"Third Sister, Yinzhang, I still need to go to Ouyang Xu's place. Although I gave him three days, I'm afraid something unexpected might happen during that time!"

"Pan'er, we're in this together. We'll definitely support you to the end!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Sun San Niang and Song Yin Zhang patted Zhao Pan'er's shoulder with firm eyes at the same time.

The latter pursed her lips, hugged them, and then looked at Su Xiaoya, who was still standing at the door: "Sister Xiaoya, I want to resolve the matter of Ouyang Xu and the Night Banquet Map before Lord Zhou returns. Can you help us?"

Seeing Zhao Pan'er's pleading expression, Su Xiaoya naturally nodded seriously.

She was specifically left by Zhou Feng to protect Zhao Pan'er, so how could she refuse such a thing?