“What?”
“Chen Fan, you said you want them all to follow you?”
Lian Yue suddenly froze, her face filled with disbelief.
Not just her—even Xiao Ke and Xiao Ai were stunned, staring at Chen Fan with wide eyes.
The entire brothel, so many women, and Chen Fan actually said he wanted all of them to follow him!
What did he mean?
What did he want to do?
“Exactly!”
Chen Fan smiled slightly, picking up a steamed bun. “Let them follow me!”
In the eyes of others, these women were fallen women, impure and unclean.
No one was willing to take them in, and no one was willing to be the honest man who did.
But just because others didn’t want them didn’t mean he couldn’t take them!
To realize the money-making ideas in his head, he needed a lot of workers. And as his household and business grew in the future, he would also need many maids and servants.
And these women were the perfect candidates, weren’t they?
Moreover, for these women, taking them in would be an act of kindness, making it less likely for them to betray him.
“Chen Fan, what exactly do you mean?” Lian Yue asked.
“You’ll find out later, but not now. It’ll take some time.”
Chen Fan smiled as he spoke, then added, “For now, let’s have breakfast. Later, we’ll go buy a house and settle down first!”
Hearing this, Lian Yue, Xiao Ke, and Xiao Ai all looked puzzled but didn’t ask any further.
Time passed.
By the afternoon, Chen Fan stood before the gate of the new residence, filled with emotion.
Houses were really expensive, whether in ancient times or modern times—damn expensive.
Although this house was quite large, it was located in the outskirts of Jinling City, in an extremely remote area, and it still cost him fifty thousand taels!
Fortunately, it came with a thorough cleaning and a full set of high-quality furniture, saving him a lot of trouble.
But Xiao Ke and Xiao Ai were still confused.
“Young Master! This place is too remote!”
“Chen Fan, there are good houses in the city. Why did you choose this place?” Lian Yue also looked puzzled.
Chen Fan, however, smiled slightly. “You’ll understand in the future. Come on, let’s go inside and see our new home!”
With that, Chen Fan took Xiao Ke and Xiao Ai by the hand and walked inside.
But the three of them remained bewildered, unable to understand what Chen Fan meant.
Chen Fan, on the other hand, was very satisfied with the place—remote and quiet, perfect for developing his ventures.
Little did Chen Fan know, however, that his poem and prose had shaken the entire Jinling City.
In fact, it caused an even greater stir than the Female Emperor’s sudden decree to raid all the brothels.
Moreover, the two pieces were spreading at an astonishing speed, with the potential to sweep across the entire nation and even the world.
Scholars, great Confucians, literati, and talented youths were all discussing Chen Fan’s two works, studying them intently.
The more they studied, the more they realized the unparalleled literary depth and philosophical thought contained within the two pieces.
Some great Confucians even regarded them as divine works.
Some academies even required students to memorize them in their entirety.
Chen Fan suddenly transformed from a profligate in everyone’s eyes into a peerless literary genius.
And inevitably, the news reached the Guogong Mansion.
Chen Guogong looked at the two pieces of writing handed to him by his subordinate, his face filled with shock and astonishment.
Clearly, others didn’t believe it, and neither did he—that such timeless, peerless works could have been written by Chen Fan.
“Is the information accurate?”
“Did that good-for-nothing Chen Fan really write these?” Chen Guogong asked with disbelief.
“Confirmed!”
“After Third Young Master… Chen Fan was expelled from the family, he went to Qingyin Pavilion, where he made a bet with Lin Feng of the Lin family and composed these two pieces on the spot.
The first piece, Ode to the Goddess of Luo, was said to be inspired by his first encounter with the courtesan Lian Yue at Qingyin Pavilion. The second piece, Spring River, Flowers, Moon, Night, was assigned by Lin Feng on the spot, and the entire process took less than half an incense stick’s time.
There were many witnesses present, all of whom saw it with their own eyes! Many scholars and great Confucians have also verified that it was not plagiarized!”
“Moreover, according to those present, he casually added at the end, ‘Drink today’s wine today, worry about tomorrow’s troubles tomorrow.’ This shows Chen Fan’s talent!”
Listening to the servant’s words, Chen Guogong’s frown deepened.
He couldn’t understand how an uneducated profligate could possess such remarkable talent.
And if he had such talent, why hadn’t it been discovered before?
Why did he only reveal it after being expelled from the Guogong Mansion?
Was Chen Fan doing this deliberately?
Was Chen Fan intentionally making the world mock the Guogong Mansion for expelling a peerless talent who could have brought the family eternal fame?
Was this his way of taking revenge on the Guogong Mansion?
As he pondered, Chen Guogong’s brow furrowed even more tightly, his expression growing increasingly grim. Looking at his second son, Chen Hao, who was renowned for his literary talent, he felt a surge of anger.
Why couldn’t he produce masterpieces like Chen Fan’s?
Seeing Chen Guogong’s gaze, Chen Hao knew all too well that his father was blaming him for not even measuring up to a bastard son. He dared not meet Chen Guogong’s eyes, his gaze shifting nervously.
But as Chen Guogong looked at Chen Hao, a sudden thought occurred to him.
Who said Chen Fan didn’t plagiarize?
What if the original author had never published the works?
Thinking this, Chen Guogong’s eyes lit up. He straightened up and threw the two pieces directly at Chen Hao.
“Memorize these word for word within an hour! Convince yourself that you wrote them! Chen Fan plagiarized them from you!”
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned. What did Chen Guogong mean?
But the next moment, Chen Guogong turned to the steward and said, “Spare no effort to create public opinion and spread the word that these two pieces were written by my second son, Chen Hao, of the Guogong Mansion!”
“How dare a bastard son seek revenge against our Guogong Mansion! Who gave him the audacity! This time, I don’t care what methods you use—I want him utterly disgraced. He must not be allowed to tarnish the reputation of our Guogong Mansion! Understood?”
Hearing this, everyone suddenly understood.
That’s right—just because Chen Fan didn’t plagiarize from others didn’t mean he didn’t plagiarize from Chen Hao. It was just that Chen Hao hadn’t published the works, so few people knew about them.
“Understood, my lord. I will see to it immediately!” the steward hurriedly replied.
Seeing this, Chen Guogong turned to Chen Hao beside him and said, “You know what to do. If you’re still outshone by Chen Fan this time, don’t even think about the heir position!”
“Yes, Father! I know what to do!” Chen Hao replied hastily.
…
Meanwhile, in a tavern elsewhere.
Xue Ying returned to Ji Qianxue’s side.
“Female Emperor, Chen Fan has bought a very secluded house in the suburbs with that courtesan and the two young girls,” Xue Ying reported.
“Bringing that courtesan along?”
Ji Qianxue’s brows suddenly furrowed, clearly displeased, yet she was also deeply puzzled—why would Chen Fan buy such a remote residence?
“Perhaps because the brothel was raided, leaving the courtesan homeless, so she followed Chen Fan,” Xue Ying said.
Hearing this, Ji Qianxue’s expression darkened further. If that were the case, did it mean she had inadvertently brought Chen Fan and that courtesan together?
“By the way! The two essays Chen Fan wrote are currently gaining immense popularity, shaking the entire Liangling City,” Xue Ying added.
“My Tianqi has long been weak in literary matters. This is just what we need. If necessary, we can help promote them,” Ji Qianxue said.
“Yes, Female Emperor!”
Xue Ying replied respectfully, then asked, “Should we continue to keep an eye on him?”
“Continue! I want to see what his youthful ambitions are and what he can accomplish!”