Around noon, five or six hundred visitors from afar flocked in.

Zhang Jin’ao, the vice leader of the Beggars’ Sect, Xia, the old boxer from the Zhengzhou Liuhemen, led his three sons-in-law, Tie Laolao from the Goddess Peak of the Three Gorges of Sichuan and Hubei, Pan Hou, the leader of the East China Sea Sand Gang, Bai Ke, the two friends from Qujiang, and Lu Xisi, the master of the divine brush, arrived one after another.

Some of these people knew each other, while others had only heard of each other but had never met before. For a time, the hall was filled with greetings and introductions, and a great deal of noise arose.

Daoist Tianmen and Abbess Dingyi rested in their respective rooms, not greeting the others. They both thought, “Among the guests today, some are indeed quite famous and influential in the martial arts world, while others are clearly disreputable. Liu Zhengfeng is a master of the Hengshan Sect, how can he be so shameless and make such indiscriminate friends? Doesn’t this tarnish the reputation of our Five Mountains Sword Sect?”

The disciples of the Liu family directed the cooks and servants to set up about two hundred tables inside and outside the house.

Liu Zhengfeng’s relatives, retainers, accountants, and disciples, including Xiang Danian and Mi Weiyi, respectfully invited the guests to take their seats.

According to their status and prestige in the martial arts world, the Taishan Sect leader, Tianmen Daoren, should have sat in the chief seat. However, since the Five Mountains Sword Sects had formed an alliance, Tianmen Daoren, Ning Zhongze, and Master Dingyi were half of the hosts and it was inconvenient for them to sit in the chief seat. As a result, the senior masters all declined to sit in the chief seat, so the seat was left vacant.

Suddenly, two gunshots rang out outside the door, followed by loud drumming and music, and the sound of gongs and shouts, indicating that some government officials had arrived at the door.

The assembled heroes were taken aback when they saw Liu Zhengfeng, dressed in a brand-new silk robe, rush out of the inner hall.

The assembled heroes cheered and offered their congratulations. Liu Zhengfeng gave a slight bow and walked towards the door. After a while, he was seen respectfully accompanying an official in official robes as he entered. The heroes were all puzzled: “Could this official also be a martial arts master?”

Although he was dressed in fine clothes, his eyes were glazed over and he had the air of a womanizer, which showed that he did not possess any martial arts skills.

Yue Buqun and the others thought, “Liu Zhengfeng is a prominent gentleman in Hengshan City. He inevitably has to associate with government officials. Today is his big day, so it’s not surprising that local officials come to pay their respects.”

The official strode in, took the center position, and the yamen attendant behind him knelt on his right knee, raised his hands above his head, and presented a tray covered with yellow satin, on which lay a scroll.

The official bowed, accepted the scroll, and announced loudly, “Imperial edict has arrived. Liu Zhifeng, receive the decree.”

Upon hearing this, the assembled heroes were all taken aback: “Liu Zhifeng has retired from the martial world and gone into seclusion. That’s a matter for the martial arts world. What does it have to do with the imperial court? Why is the emperor issuing an imperial edict? Could it be that Liu Zhifeng is plotting a major rebellion and the court has discovered it? That would be a capital offense, punishable by beheading, confiscation of property, and extermination of nine generations of his family.”

Everyone thought of this at the same time, and immediately stood up. They couldn’t contain themselves and grabbed their weapons. They figured that since the official had come to deliver the imperial decree, Liu’s mansion must have been surrounded by soldiers. A big battle was inevitable. Since they were on good terms with Liu Zhengfeng, they could not stand idly by. Besides, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. Since they had come to Liu’s mansion for the meeting, they were members of the rebel party. Even if they wanted to stay out of it, how could they?

As soon as Liu Zhengfeng changed color and started cursing, the crowd drew their blades and were about to chop the official into mincemeat in an instant.

To everyone’s surprise, Liu Zhengfeng remained calm and composed. He bent his knees and knelt down, kowtowing three times to the official, and said loudly, “Your humble servant Liu Zhengfeng obeys the decree. Long live the Emperor!”

Upon seeing this, all the heroes were astonished.

The official unfurled the scroll and read: “By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: According to the report of the Governor of Hunan Province, Liu Zhengfeng, a commoner from Hengshan County, is public-spirited, has made great contributions to his hometown, is skilled in archery and horsemanship, and is of great talent. He is hereby appointed as a military officer. He will serve the court in the future and live up to the Emperor’s expectations. This is the imperial decree.”

“That’s not right, Shangguan Xiong, I remember the imperial edict wasn’t like this, was it?” Zhang Weihao, who had been sitting next to Ning Zhongze watching the show, suddenly joked with Shangguan Haitang, who was sitting with her.

Zhang Weihao was not born into an ordinary family in this life. His uncle was the second prime minister, a true first-rank official. Even if he didn’t control the court, he was still a very important figure. Moreover, the Zhang family was not an ordinary poor family. They were one of the top families in the Ming Dynasty. You know Zhang Juzheng, right? He was his cousin.

While there weren’t countless imperial edicts in the house, there were still quite a few, and Zhang Weihao had read through them.

Top families like theirs would place an imperial edict during a child’s first birthday celebration. Whoever grabbed the edict was destined for a successful official career. For example, his cousin Zhang Juzheng, who already held the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination), grabbed the imperial edict.

Zhang Weihao himself had already achieved academic success. He would then have to go to Jinling to take the provincial examination, which was the autumn examination in August. This was because his ancestral home was not Yingtian Prefecture, but Jinling, which is commonly known as the Jiangnan Talent.

This is a formidable scientific expedition, and those who manage to break through here are almost all under 20 years old and possess the potential to become top-ranking scholars.

What’s most interesting is that the Zhang family and the Li family have been friends for generations. However, the Li family is not a powerful clan, but a scholarly family. Moreover, Li Xunhuan’s family is known as “seven Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) and three Tanhua (third-place winners) from the father and son”. The Li family is also very influential in the officialdom.

This story is based on a real person. It actually refers to the three generations of famous scholars in the Northern Song Dynasty: Li Zhaogou, Li Gaoqing, and Li Shilian, who all achieved the rank of Tan Hua (third-place scholar in the imperial examination).

Li Zhaogou, courtesy name Fengji, was from Raoyang, Shenzhou (now Raoyang County, Hengshui City, Hebei Province). He came from a scholarly family and a prominent clan.

Speaking of Li Zhaogou, one cannot help but mention his grandfather, Li Fang. Li Fang was a great man, highly talented and from a prestigious family. His father, Li Chao, served as the Vice Minister of Works and a scholar in the Later Jin Dynasty. His uncle, Li Zhao, was the Right Grand Master of the Palace. His cousin, Li Song, was a court attendant. All of them were officials who had passed the imperial examinations.

Growing up in such a scholarly family environment, Li Fang had a natural advantage. Moreover, he was very diligent in his studies. As early as the Later Han Dynasty of the Five Dynasties period, he passed the imperial examination and became a scholar during the Later Zhou Dynasty. Emperor Shizong of Zhou, Chai Rong, valued Li Fang highly.

Later, when the Song Dynasty was established, Li Fang served as prime minister during the reign of Emperor Taizong. He was kind, benevolent, cautious, and diligent. Because of his extensive knowledge and high moral character, Emperor Taizong invited Li Fang to preside over the compilation of large-scale encyclopedias such as “Taiping Guangji”, “Taiping Yulan”, and “Wenyuan Yinghua”. Li Fang was not only a famous prime minister, but also a literary master of his generation.

Then there’s Li Zhaogou, the prototype of Li Xunhuan. Li Fang had four sons, the most famous of whom was Li Zong’e. When Li Zong’e grew up, his father Li Fang was already the prime minister. At that time, the sons of officials could become officials by relying on their fathers’ “patronage” without having to take the exam.

However, Li Zong’e considered this method shameful. He took the initiative to participate in the imperial examination, passed with flying colors, and later became a Hanlin Academician and Right Grand Counselor during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song. Because he was familiar with the system of laws and regulations, he often formulated etiquette for the court and became very famous. He truly lived up to his reputation as a son of a tiger father.

Li Zong’e’s son was Li Zhaogou. Historical records indicate that Li Zhaogou was actually Li Zong’e’s nephew, but he was later adopted by Li Zong’e, so he was considered Li Zong’e’s son.

Li Zhaogou’s talent surpassed that of his father, Li Zong’e.

When Li Zhaogou was a child, a scholar named Yang Danian visited his home. Li Zhaogou composed a poem in front of Yang Danian, who exclaimed, “Truly a child prodigy! The children of your Li family are indeed extraordinary!”

Yang Danian was right. Li Zhaogou later took the imperial examination and became a Tan Hua (third-ranked scholar). He was only eighteen years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning, the same age as Li Xunhuan) when he became a Tan Hua. Li Zhaogou later served as a Zhilongtu Pavilion Academician and the Prefect of Shanzhou.

This shows that Li Garden in Baoding, also known as Xingyun Manor, is only part of the Li family’s property, or even Li Xunhuan’s personal property. Li Xunhuan’s lineage is indeed gone, but the Li family has always had members, and they are part of the Hou Party, which is a political ally of the Zhang family and has a good relationship with them.

Li Xunhuan disappeared on his own initiative and had no desire to enter officialdom. If he wanted to be an official, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to become a vice minister in one of the six ministries. Therefore, Li Xunhuan never considered himself a member of the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world) and never thought about actually joining the Jianghu.

Similar to Zhang Weihao now, he’s only halfway into the underworld.

As the head of the number one manor in the land, Shangguan Haitang had naturally seen the imperial edict before, and replied directly: “Imperial edicts usually begin with ‘The Emperor decrees,’ indicating that this is the Emperor’s decree. The reason and purpose for issuing the edict are usually introduced by beginning with ‘I think of you all,’ indicating that the Emperor’s concern for his subjects is reflected in the edict.”

The main body of the imperial edict contains the core content, typically consisting of commands and instructions regarding a specific matter or issue. The format of the main body is generally “I, Your Majesty, command…”, indicating that Your Majesty has issued…

Putting everything else aside, this opening alone is riddled with flaws. It’s clearly written in the style of folk storytelling and miscellaneous writings, not in the proper format of an imperial edict. You can’t just write whatever you want; there are strict rules and standards. Even the emperor himself couldn’t be willful and act arbitrarily.