Chapter 675: Watching His Tower Collapse
Once the nobles were ushered into Ranxiang Inn by their attendants and maids, the crowd stood up.
Mr. Songshan waved his long and thin arm, saying, "Let’s continue."
The crowd grew even more excited.
If noticed by those nobles, one’s future career would be smooth and easy.
Lin Ziqi’s heart came alive once again.
The big brother of Black Wind Village exchanged furtive glances with his brothers and retreated into the shadows.
...
After Prince Qi and others entered Ranxiang Inn, they separated to rest.
Shen Changle busily attended to them, serving tea, and quickly presented the gifts prepared by Ranxiang Inn.
"Ah, truly exquisite," even through the veil, it was clear Princess Fuyun was very pleased.
The Ninth Princess flipped through the collection of poems in her hand and asked, "Has Young Master Nantang not arrived yet? I followed my sister eagerly, didn’t stay in the palace to accompany Grandmother Emperor and Mother Empress, just to meet this renowned talent of the Capital City. He truly is elusive."
Marquis Gu remained silent.
Prince Qi was also curious and asked, "I’ve heard that Young Master Nantang rarely sees people; will he come tonight?"
Marquis Gu replied indignantly, "Prince Qi asks me, and whom should I ask? Since Young Master Nantang rarely sees people, we would be fortunate to see him tonight; if not, that’s only natural."
Princess Fuyun quickly mediated, "Talented people often have a bit of pride. Young Master Nantang doesn’t chase fame or fortune, and we simply cannot make him. He is indeed difficult to invite."
The Ninth Princess pouted, handed the poetry collection to Brother Ximen, and the two sat together idly flipping through poetry, constantly chatting and laughing, clearly showing little interest in the conversation around them.
Seeing Shen Changle continually winking at him, Marquis Gu stood up and said, "Outside, Mr. Songshan is discussing strategies. Why don’t we go out and listen?"
Princess Fuyun wanted to go to the garden to guess lantern riddles, so Prince Qi followed Marquis Gu outside to listen to the scholars discussing strategies, leaving Gu Baoshu and others with the Ninth Princess.
The hall quickly emptied significantly.
Seeing the Ninth Princess and the others enjoying their conversation, completely unconcerned with others, Xiao Dong bypassed the maid guarding them, slipped into the private room, and soon came out again, calling Shen Changle over.
After quite a bit of fuss, Xiao Dong came over with two incense bags and tossed them into Gu Baoshu’s lap, winking.
Gu Baoshu realized and asked quietly, "This is enough?"
Xiao Dong nodded and gestured twice more.
Gu Baoshu then gave one to Qin Heng and kept one herself.
Qin Heng: "..."
Gu Baoshu exclaimed, "Let’s go outside and have a look too."
So they slipped outside, where the discussion was lively.
It was because a scholar saw Prince Qi standing aside listening and went up to ask Mr. Songshan, "I dare ask, Sir, since scholars are considered the foremost of the four classes, why can scholars not discuss affairs, while all other classes can?"
The implication being, if scholars are esteemed, why are they inferior to other classes?
Could it be that the Grand Ancestor Emperor was wrong?
Prohibiting scholars from discussing affairs is a strict decree from the Grand Ancestor Emperor, inscribed on the stele in the Imperial College for scholars to remember.
Similar steles were in all state, prefecture, and county schools, reminding scholars not to discuss politics.
Since the founding of the empire, there have been scholars who risked submitting petitions, but nine out of ten faced severe punishment, with only a few gaining the court’s attention through this.
Once this question was raised, everyone quieted down slowly, eager to hear how Mr. Songshan would answer.
Prince Qi was also somewhat curious.
Many ministers in the court sympathized with the scholars, believing they should discuss affairs, as there had been scholars who discussed hydraulic matters eloquently, and local officials took the risk to adopt their suggestions, saving their jurisdictions from floods.
Waiting until such a scholar passes the examination as a scholar, would that not be a loss to both the court and the scholars?
Yet the Emperor still insisted on the ancestral teachings.
The reason was simple: the Grand Ancestor Emperor issued many decrees, but only this one was engraved on the stele to signify its eternal unalterability.
Furthermore, scholars played a significant role in the downfall of the previous dynasty.
This question cornered Mr. Songshan once again.
Lin Ziqi looked at the thin figure of Mr. Songshan standing among the crowd with schadenfreude in his eyes.
There’s no such thing as an easy rise to fame.
No sooner has Mr. Songshan, about to be elevated by Dingbei Marquis Mansion, become the target of everyone.
It’s really seeing him rise to great heights, only to watch it all collapse.
Still, his foresight got him to burn the cold stove of Book Sea Pavilion.
Prince Qi whispered to Marquis Gu, "This question is indeed tricky, that scholar is clever."
Marquis Gu didn’t understand this, so he asked, "You’re saying that scholar is deliberately making it difficult?"
Prince Qi laughed, "You pushed him out, isn’t it so he would face the challenges of scholars from all over the world?"
Marquis Gu nodded.
"Right, it’s like a martial contest."
Prince Qi said, "Almost, speaking of this, I’ve always been curious, Third Brother, is your martial arts the best in the world?"
Marquis Gu laughed and scolded, "How could it be? I wouldn’t dare even think so. At most, I’m the best in martial arts among those who understand military strategy, and the best in military strategy among those who practice martial arts."
Prince Qi hid his laughter behind his fan.
Marquis Gu coughed, "You’re a man, why act so effeminately?"
Prince Qi angrily replied, "Third Brother, are you talking nonsense with your eyes open? When did girls laugh behind folded fans?"
Marquis Gu shook his head, "There’s one at home, a little devil."
Prince Qi couldn’t help but smile again.
Marquis Gu was somewhat disdainful, "Stop fooling around, listen carefully."
Prince Qi: "..."
Very mischievous indeed.
But Prince Qi couldn’t keep his mouth closed around Third Brother Gu.
"Third Brother, where did you hide King Jin?"
Marquis Gu withdrew his gaze, coldly staring at Prince Qi, "How did you know?"
Prince Qi felt a bit uneasy and quickly smiled in apology, "I didn’t see Third Brother come, that rascal has ill intentions, so I asked someone to keep an eye on him. I didn’t expect Third Brother to take care of it; have to say, sister-in-law is quite skilled, a perfect match for Third Brother."
Marquis Gu’s mood immediately softened, whispering, "You think so too?"
"What?"
Prince Qi was confused.
"You said... a perfect match!"
Prince Qi realized, "Right. Right. Truly a perfect match."
Unclear of how Dingbei Marquis Mansion produces such fierce women.
He quietly inquired into the background of Qin Yuan, a concubine living under the mistress’s hand at Jiujie Mansion, without fame, transformed entirely upon entering Dingbei Marquis Mansion.
A fitting pair with this cold-faced Rakshasa.
Hearing this, Marquis Gu’s expression melted like ice turning to spring.
Prince Qi watched in a trance, completely unaware that the scholar with the bright red mole on his face felt deeply disappointed by him, believing he lacked the image of a wise king.
Indeed, as the big brother of Black Wind Village publicly asked this question, it was not meant to intentionally make things difficult for Mr. Songshan; as the saying goes, "Xiang Zhuang dances the sword; the idea is to aim at Pei Gong," his main intention was to showcase his outstanding talent and ambition to this graceful and noble prince.