Chapter 1778

Zhao Fu stood up and said with a smile, "Alright then! I have something to attend to, so I'll be on my way."

The village chief hurriedly stood up and wanted to keep Zhao Fu, as he was a person who had done a great favor for their family and they should show their gratitude properly.

However, Zhao Fu directly turned into a stream of light and shot out of the door, disappearing into the horizon.

The little boy exclaimed in surprise, "Grandpa! That grown-up can fly, he's so powerful!"

The village chief felt a bit disappointed that he couldn't keep Zhao Fu, but upon hearing the little boy's words, he smiled kindly and said, "You should work hard from now on and become a strong person like him, serving the Great Qin Empire."

"Also, when you go to the Rising Qin Academy in the future, you might meet this grown-up again. At that time, you should thank him properly. If you have any problems, this grown-up will also help you."

The little boy nodded earnestly upon hearing this.

However, the grandfather and grandson didn't know that they would be shocked to learn that Zhao Fu was the Emperor of the Great Qin Empire the next time they saw him.

As Zhao Fu flew in the sky, he didn't immediately return to the Great Qin Empire. Instead, he wanted to visit a few more places to check on the situation.

At this moment, he saw a beautifully crafted ship slowly sailing on a river. There were many scholars in Confucian robes standing on it, some admiring the scenery by the river, some writing or drawing at the table, and some drinking and chatting, creating a lively atmosphere.

Curious, Zhao Fu landed on the ship.

The people around him frowned slightly at the sight of a stream of light landing on the ship, indicating that they were somewhat displeased by the interruption of their elegant enjoyment.

However, when the light dissipated, revealing Zhao Fu's appearance, the crowd saw his extraordinary bearing and became a bit more interested.

A graceful and beautiful woman walked out of the ship, with a hint of a smile on her face, and said, "I am the owner of this ship, named Nalan Ruo. May I ask who you are, sir?"

Zhao Fu chuckled and said, "My surname is Zhao, and I'm not anyone important. I was passing by here and saw that it was quite lively, so I came down to take a look out of curiosity."

Nalan Ruo smiled and said, "Most of the people on the boat are well-known literati from this area, but most of them are unappreciated. So I invited them to the boat to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the river and relieve their frustration."

"Unappreciated?"

When Zhao Fu heard this word, he felt very surprised, because he had often heard of poets and scholars who were very talented and wanted to serve the country, but were not valued. In the end, they wrote many famous articles and poems, and lived in poverty and hardship.

This mostly reflected the darkness of the court, which was filled with intrigue, factionalism, and an incompetent monarch who was manipulated by others, lacked any insight, and did not know how to recognize talented people, which led to those who were originally very talented not being valued.

Now, hearing the phrase "unappreciated," he was very surprised. Was he the incompetent monarch who lacked insight and didn't know how to recognize talented people, allowing those who were talented to be unappreciated?

Was the court of Great Qin really filled with intrigue, factionalism, and a murky atmosphere?

Thinking of this, Zhao Fu chuckled lightly and asked, "Are they really very talented?"

Zhao Fu's words directly caused most of the people present to be unhappy. They were already unappreciated by the court, and now they were being questioned about their talent by someone else. Anyone would be angry in their shoes.

Nalan Ruo was also a little surprised. She didn't expect Zhao Fu to say this. After reacting, she smiled and said, "Of course, everyone present is very talented. I don't know why the young master is asking this."

Zhao Fu smiled and said, "If they really have talent and ability, Great Qin would not overlook them."

A young man dressed in green with a gentle appearance showed a hint of displeasure and said, "You must be a person from the officialdom!"

Zhao Fu heard this and chuckled lightly, "I guess you could say that!"

The young man snorted coldly, "Then there's no mistake. People from the officialdom naturally speak for those in the officialdom."

"Of course, there is no intention to offend our majesty. Currently, he is busy with various wars and has no time to deal with internal affairs. Some matters in the court are handled by certain ministers who have some bias against us and only favor their own faction. If one does not belong to their faction, they naturally won't be favored."

Zhao Fu was surprised by this revelation. He knew that the court was divided into many factions, and such things were bound to happen and couldn't be stopped. But what concerned him was whether they were really biased against talented people who didn't belong to their faction and only favored their own?

If that was really the case, he would have to deal with it properly when he returned to the imperial palace of Great Qin and punish some of the ministers.

A young man in white stepped forward and cautioned, "Brother Li! It's better not to speak out of turn. There is a reason why the court officials act the way they do. Be careful, loose lips sink ships."

The meaning behind his words was clear. He was afraid that Zhao Fu, being a member of the officialdom, would report this matter to the many court officials. In their eyes, they were no more powerful than ants and could easily eliminate them.

The young man in green had a cold expression and spoke proudly, "The gentleman is straightforward. Why be afraid and hesitant? What's wrong with speaking out about something that has been bothering you? If they want to kill me, then so be it."

The young man in white sighed softly upon hearing this, "Brother Li! Even if you don't care about yourself, you should still consider your family and friends. Slandering court officials is a serious crime, and anyone related to you will be implicated."

These words made the proud young man in green hesitate a little, because he didn't want to see such a result either.

Zhao Fu smiled and said, "You don't have to worry about me. I'm just a small official who isn't favored by the court. I'm a little depressed and want to travel to relieve my emotions."

Upon hearing that Zhao Fu wasn't favored by the court, everyone felt a sense of understanding, as they knew what it felt like.

Nalan Ruo interjected, "Such a beautiful scenery by the river, let's not talk about these unpleasant things. Let's continue with poetry and enjoy ourselves. Perhaps the situation will change after we've had some fun."

Her original intention was to value their talents and not let them feel depressed. That's why she invited them onto the boat. But she didn't want to cause any trouble.

If things went wrong, all the talented people here would be implicated, and even she couldn't avoid it. Although her family had some status in this area, they had no power to resist the court officials.

Upon hearing this, everyone understood that things couldn't continue and turned their attention to the river.

Zhao Fu was a little disappointed. He had wanted to hear their opinions on the court officials, but now even if he asked, they wouldn't say anything.