Chu Ke slammed the invitation to the Wangchun Garden literary gathering heavily on the table.

“Father, Mother, look, I got it.” He said proudly.

Chu Lan and Jiang Shi went to look at the invitation together. A round-faced maid held up tea for Chu Ke.

Chu Ke didn’t take it, but drank the tea directly from the maid’s hands. The round-faced maid stood on her tiptoes to feed him, and the two exchanged sweet smiles. When Chu Lan saw this, he threw down the invitation and coughed heavily.

Chu Ke choked and coughed. The maid hurriedly lowered her head and stepped back. Jiang Shi glared at Chu Lan, blaming him for startling their son.

Chu Lan stopped scolding and asked, “How did you get this?”

He naturally knew about Wangchun Garden. Some friends had even said that as a renowned scholar under Minister Ouyang, he should go.

Of course he refused—if they had invited him, he would have considered it, but the literary gathering was being held by the noble Third Prince. Not only did he not invite people, he had also set up a threshold: one had to pass three examinations at the entrance to be allowed to participate.

Of course, it wasn’t that he couldn’t pass them—it was just a bit too undignified.

He had secretly looked at copies of the examination questions that friends had transcribed, and they weren’t easy at all.

Given Chu Ke’s qualifications—

Hearing his father’s inquiry and seeing the scrutinizing look in his father’s eyes, Chu Ke felt somewhat embarrassed and annoyed: “I naturally answered the questions and got it.”

Chu Lan remained skeptical and asked, “You answered them that well?”

This time Jiang Shi was also displeased: “What kind of talk is that? Ah Ke has been studying with you for over ten years!”

If he wasn’t good, did that mean he wasn’t good either? Chu Lan frowned and coughed lightly: “Learning requires questioning—am I not allowed to ask questions now?”

Chu Tang, standing to the side, clapped for her brother, saying “Brother is so impressive,” then asked with a smile, “Can I go? I’ve also been studying with Father for over ten years.”

Chu Ke quickly said, “I actually asked about that for you, sister, but they said it’s a literary gathering for scholars and women aren’t allowed to participate.”

Chu Tang sighed: “Women also study—can’t they be scholars too?”

“Don’t cause trouble,” Chu Lan instructed. “That’s the Third Prince.”

Chu Tang smiled: “I won’t. I’m not Ah Zhao after all.”

Jiang Shi smiled and pulled her to sit beside her, looking at her daughter and then her son, completely satisfied. These two children she had raised were both the very best.

Chu Lan began instructing Chu Ke to work even harder from now on. He didn’t expect him to stand out at the literary gathering, just as long as he didn’t embarrass himself.

Chu Ke mumbled his agreement while inwardly breathing a sigh of relief. Actually, he didn’t know how he had gotten the invitation either. To be honest, of the three examinations, he had only completed two—

He had only come to try this time, since there was still a month left.

Unexpectedly, he had actually been given an invitation.

Of course, he couldn’t tell anyone this. He could only say that he, Chu Ke, had exceptional talent, and the Third Prince had a discerning eye for talent.

“Oh yes, I went to visit the Prince of Zhongshan’s heir apparent,” Chu Ke interrupted his father’s lecture, saying excitedly, “But I didn’t see him. The people at the postal relay station said he wasn’t there. However, the heir apparent will definitely participate in the literary gathering. Since I got the invitation, I’ll be able to see him at the gathering then.”

When the time came, he would go talk to the Prince of Zhongshan’s heir apparent, and let more people see that he had connections with the Prince of Zhongshan’s heir apparent. Moreover, the Prince of Zhongshan’s heir apparent would surely sit together with the Third Prince, and then the Third Prince would also exchange a few words with him—

Then he, Chu Ke, would be famous in the capital.

“Father, you should have let me return to the capital earlier. I was wasted at Qiaoshan Academy.”

Saying this, he sneezed and rubbed his nose.

“See, just from receiving the invitation, many people are already thinking of me! I can’t stop sneezing.”

……

……

“Chu Ke.”

Deep within Wangchun Garden, in a small pavilion atop a hill formed from excavated lake soil, two fingers pinched a piece of paper, shaking the name written on it.

These fingers were pale to the point of grayness, the same as the Third Prince’s face, displaying a frailty that seemed to come from years without sunlight.

“Ah Xun.” The Third Prince used his other hand to lift the hair that had fallen to cover his eyes, looking at Xiao Xun sitting nearby. “Do you know him?”

Earlier, when the eunuchs had brought today’s submissions, Xiao Xun had been present and had glanced at them as well. When he saw a paper with the name Chu Ke written on it, he paused slightly, smiled, then turned his gaze away.

The Third Prince had noticed this and immediately set that paper aside. Without even looking at it, he directly had a eunuch send this person an invitation.

“Your Highness,” Xiao Xun said with a smile, “you’ve misjudged this one. What this person wrote was complete nonsense. I was just laughing at that.”

The Third Prince pointed at him: “Ah Xun, you’ve been putting on acts since childhood. If you didn’t know this person, even if he had drawn a giant bastard, you wouldn’t have given it a second glance.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice, “Don’t worry, there are no Crown Prince’s people here. Tell me, what connections have you secretly made in the capital?”

Xiao Xun put his arm on his shoulder and said in a low voice, “This person is not simple. His surname is Chu, given name Ke—young and ignorant.”

The Third Prince was stunned. Not simple? Yet young and ignorant?

Xiao Xun laughed heartily: “I’m just teasing you. This is Chu Ling’s nephew.” He pointed at the name on the paper. “I entered the capital together with him. You’re cooped up in the palace reading all day, so you might not know why I came to the capital.”

The Third Prince smiled: “I may be cooped up at home, but there’s nothing I don’t know. So it’s Chu Ling’s nephew. For this kind of person, you actually paid attention?”

Xiao Xun said helplessly, “It’s precisely because even this kind of person dared to submit an entry that I took a second look. Your Highness, you can’t blame me for this—you were the one who put out the invitations. You should take this one back yourself.”

Saying this, he smiled with a bit of schadenfreude.

Seeing his schadenfreude smile, the Third Prince wasn’t angry at all.

“What does it matter if he’s this kind of person? If he dares to submit an entry, I dare to let him come.” He leaned back lazily, “If he disgraces the scholarly community, I’ll let him be utterly humiliated.”

“Why must you be like this?” Xiao Xun said in a low voice. “You’re intelligent and quick-witted. If you were a little less willful, you’d surely be more beloved.”

The Third Prince pointed at him: “Xiao Xun, you’re being very bold with those words! To actually want me to gain more popular support—if the Crown Prince heard this—”

He let out a hearty laugh.

Xiao Xun wasn’t afraid at all and said with a smile, “If Crown Prince brother hears it and is unhappy, he’ll just give me a beating. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s beaten me.”

The Third Prince’s smile faded, his expression becoming languid: “Whether I’m willful or not, he’s unhappy either way. Since that’s the case, I naturally want to make myself more comfortable.”

Xiao Xun stood up with a smile to take his leave: “Then I’ll invite Crown Prince brother to come to the literary gathering, to make you more comfortable.”

The Third Prince laughed heartily, grabbed a shoe and threw it at him: “Do you believe I won’t let the Crown Prince through the door?”

Xiao Xun caught the shoe: “I believe it. Is there anything you wouldn’t dare to do?” He threw it back and walked away with a smile.

The Third Prince watched Xiao Xun’s retreating back, the corners of his mouth curving into a smile as he muttered to himself, “That’s right, there’s nothing I wouldn’t dare to do.”

……

……

Tie Ying drove the carriage carrying Xiao Xun back to the postal relay station. The officials at the station greeted him with smiles and were about to recite who had come to visit that day.

Xiao Xun stopped them.

“I came to the capital to report for duty and plead guilty. Apart from His Majesty’s summons and the Crown Prince’s invitations, I won’t associate with others,” he said. “So I trouble you gentlemen to decline on my behalf. I also don’t need to know who they were.”

The officials smiled helplessly: “The heir apparent is being too cautious.”

Xiao Xun raised his sleeve and leaned in to say in a low voice, “Actually, I don’t like social engagements either. This is what you’d call going with the flow.”

The officials laughed heartily and indeed stopped reporting visitors to him. Watching Xiao Xun go inside, they looked satisfied. Good—this was the proper awareness for an heir apparent. With proper awareness came proper dignity.

Leaving these officials behind, Xiao Xun entered the inner courtyard where a scholar in blue robes was already waiting. Tie Ying made a circuit and nodded to Xiao Xun, signaling: “It’s safe to speak freely now.”

With that, he walked out and stood guard at the door.

“That Chu Ke came to visit the heir apparent today,” the scholar in blue said. “His Highness wants to find an opportunity to meet him.”

Xiao Xun said, “I’ve already made arrangements. I’ll meet him at the Third Prince’s literary gathering, and—” he smiled slightly, “save him.”

The scholar in blue smiled and nodded with satisfaction: “That’s even better. The heir apparent truly handles things reliably.”

Xiao Xun pressed down on the gold clasp on his sleeve cuff and extracted a note from within, looking at its contents: “Why does Father want me to get closer to the Chu family?”