Chapter 65

The elegant poetry gatherings hosted by the Sixth Prince Hongzhao have gradually become a prominent trend in the capital city of Chen. Every scholar and young noble in Daliang aspires to receive an invitation letter bearing the words "Elegant Wind."

However, not everyone can receive such an invitation, even if they are truly learned.

It's not because the Sixth Prince values family background; the issue lies in the palace restrictions.

After all, the Sixth Prince Zhao Hongzhao has not yet left the palace. His residence, the Elegant Wind Pavilion, is inside the imperial palace, which means that talented scholars from outside cannot participate in the poetry gatherings because they cannot even enter the palace gates due to their unclear backgrounds.

Therefore, only the local young nobles of Daliang or those from other counties who have lived in Daliang for a long time and have gained some reputation, and are no longer suspected of being suspicious individuals, can receive this honor and enter the palace to participate in the poetry gatherings at the Elegant Wind Pavilion.

Due to these restrictions, the regular attendees of the Sixth Prince's poetry gatherings are mostly the children of local nobles and officials in Daliang, or the nephews and cousins of high-ranking officials. These young nobles come from distinguished families and naturally do not arouse the suspicion of the palace guards.

Following the Sixth Prince Zhao Hongzhao, Zhao Hongrun and Princess Yulong entered the front hall of the Elegant Wind Pavilion.

Since Zhao Hongrun had been there several times before, he was not surprised. However, Princess Yulong was completely awestruck. The walls of the front hall were adorned with the paintings and calligraphy of this prodigy, depicting mountains, rivers, buildings, landscapes, and ladies, all in a dazzling array that left Princess Yulong speechless.

She found it hard to believe that one person could create such diverse landscapes and calligraphy in different styles.

Last month, Princess Yulong had painted many scenes based on Zhao Hongrun's descriptions of the outside world and her own observations during the Dragon Boat Festival. When she compared her paintings to those of the prodigy in the front hall of the Elegant Wind Pavilion, she felt so ashamed that she wished she could rush back to the Jade Crystal Pavilion and tear up all her paintings.

"Is the Sixth Prince truly a prodigy!"

Seeing Princess Yulong standing there, wide-eyed and speechless, Zhao Hongrun knew exactly what she was thinking and whispered in her ear to comfort her.

Actually, not only Princess Yulong, but Zhao Hongrun himself had once marveled at the Sixth Prince's skills in painting and calligraphy, feeling inferior.

At that moment, about a dozen young scholars, roughly the same age as Hongzhao and Hongrun, were seated in the hall, tapping their chopsticks lightly on their bowls and teacups, singing aloud.

Surprisingly, their tapping was quite in tune, not random. It was clear that they were skilled in music, and even with bowls and teacups, they could produce a fine melody.

"Everyone, everyone," the Sixth Prince Hongzhao clapped his hands and introduced, "Today we have a distinguished guest joining us..."

The young scholars in the hall looked up curiously and saw the Sixth Prince Hongzhao pushing Zhao Hongrun forward, smiling as he introduced him, "This is my eighth brother, Hongrun!"

"Oh, oh—"

The hall erupted in a chorus of exclamations, coming from a few of the young scholars, while the others looked at their companions in confusion, not understanding why they were so amazed.

"It's the Eighth Prince, whom the Eastern Palace's tutors couldn't teach!"

A young scholar, about the same age as Zhao Hongzhao, immediately stood up and bowed to Zhao Hongrun, "On that day in the Wende Hall, Your Highness truly opened our eyes!"

Who is this?

Seeing that the other party was several years older but still bowed deeply to him, Zhao Hongrun was slightly taken aback and turned to look at the Sixth Prince for an explanation.

The Sixth Prince Hongzhao whispered, "This is the grandson of the Chancellor He, He Xinxian."

The Chancellor He?... The grandson of Chancellor He Xiangxu? Oh, He Xinxian... Isn't he the third-place winner of the new imperial examination?

Zhao Hongrun was slightly surprised and politely returned the bow, "Not at all... How can I compare to He Xinxian, who ranked third in the new imperial examination?"

This was a sincere compliment from Zhao Hongrun, but He Xinxian's expression became slightly awkward upon hearing it.

Seeing this, the Sixth Prince Hongzhao interjected, "Xinxian, don't misunderstand. Hongrun isn't mocking you; he doesn't know what happened during last year's poetry gathering."

"Mocking?" Zhao Hongrun looked puzzled.

So, the Sixth Prince Hongzhao explained to Zhao Hongrun.

It turned out that as the grandson of Chancellor He Xiangxu, He Xinxian didn't need to take the imperial examination so early. However, last year, a few sons of powerful families in Daliang, who were denied entry to the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering due to their lack of literary talent and poor reputation, spread rumors that the gathering was just a self-entertainment event by the Sixth Prince and a few pretenders, with no real talent.

Therefore, as one of the earliest young scholars to participate in the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering and a veteran, He Xinxian, the grandson of Chancellor He Xiangxu, volunteered to take the local examination last autumn, hoping to win the top place in the national examination this year, to enhance the reputation of the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering and to discourage those who were not qualified to attend but still slandered it.

However, this year's national examination produced two outstanding talents, Kou Zheng and Luo Rong, who pushed He Xinxian, who had hoped to win the top place, to third place. This is why He Xinxian felt embarrassed.

Now I understand.

Zhao Hongrun finally understood and shook his head, smiling, "I was a supervisor during the examination and know the number of candidates. For He Xinxian to rank third among over 2,600 candidates is a testament to his extensive knowledge and the prestige of the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering. Why should you be troubled by it?"

"I also advised him so," the Sixth Prince Hongzhao added, "Ranking third among 2,600 candidates is a very proud achievement. Xinxian, don't worry about it."

With that, Zhao Hongzhao invited his brother Zhao Hongrun to sit in an empty seat. He had intended to set up a seat for Princess Yulong, but she followed Zhao Hongrun and sat down, so he didn't make a fuss.

Honestly, he didn't know how to introduce Princess Yulong to his friends, so it was better to leave it at that.

"Does He Xinxian already have an official position?"

After sitting down, Zhao Hongrun curiously asked He Xinxian, who had bowed to him, making a good impression.

"I am temporarily serving as a clerk in the Hanlin Academy, responsible for copying documents," He Xinxian replied modestly.

"A clerk?" Zhao Hongrun was puzzled, "As the third-place winner of the new imperial examination, you are serving as a clerk?"

A clerk in charge of copying documents is essentially a low-ranking official with no real power. Normally, a talented scholar like He Xinxian would at least be a junior official under one of the 24 departments, and with some connections, he could even become a senior official. Who would have thought he would be just a clerk?

The Hanlin Academy has over a hundred clerks responsible for copying documents, and while they are part of the official system, they are essentially minor officials.

"My grandfather and father both hope that I will serve as a clerk for two years," He Xinxian explained tactfully.

Zhao Hongrun nodded in understanding, but before he could speak, the Sixth Prince Hongzhao squeezed in, winking and smiling, "Actually, Xinxian is just不服气 (unwilling to accept defeat). He plans to stay as a clerk and retake the national examination in three years."

Being exposed by the Sixth Prince, He Xinxian blushed and looked embarrassed.

In the Great Wei, officials are allowed to retake the national examination. However, those who do so are usually young and proud. After all, three years is a long time. For He Xinxian, it would be enough to climb to the position of a senior official. Why would he need to retake the examination? Even if he won the top place, he would still be a senior official, so what's the difference?

In essence, it's about honor and pride, willing to balance a career and studies to achieve the glory of winning the top place.

Thinking of the top place, Zhao Hongrun couldn't help but think of Kou Zheng, the new top scholar from a humble background.

"Is the scholar named Kou Zheng also in the Hanlin Academy?"

He Xinxian shook his head, "Kou Zheng, the new top scholar, was initially a candidate for a senior official position, but he seems to prefer an external posting. As far as I know, he hopes to be appointed as a county magistrate in Shangdang... This shows that Kou Zheng is a man of great ambition."

Zhao Hongrun was somewhat speechless. As far as he knew, most scholars in the Great Wei aspired to serve in the capital, Daliang. Who would want to be a county magistrate? After all, the opportunities for promotion in Daliang are much higher than in the provinces. Once a scholar meets a powerful patron, they can quickly rise to a high position. However, the new top scholar and second-place winner both chose to serve in the provinces, as He Xinxian praised, truly showing their ambition and genuine desire for the Great Wei to become stronger.

Suddenly, Zhao Hongrun thought of something and asked in a low voice, "Brother, the second-place winner joined the Eastern Palace. What's that about?"

Before the Sixth Prince Hongzhao could speak, He Xinxian whispered, "Is it the scholar Luo Rong? I've heard about this. Initially, the Eastern Palace tried to recruit Kou Zheng, but Kou Zheng insisted on an external posting as a county magistrate. So, the Eastern Palace turned to Luo Rong, who resigned from his senior official position and joined the Eastern Palace as a companion to the crown prince... I have met him, and he is indeed a very learned and talented scholar." He noticed Zhao Hongrun staring at him with a puzzled look.

"Mr. He, you didn't resign from your senior official position because these two did, did you?" Zhao Hongrun teased.

He Xinxian blushed, confirming Zhao Hongrun's guess.

However, it's not hard to understand. The top scholar and second-place winner both resigned from their senior official positions, one to serve as a county magistrate and the other to join the Eastern Palace. In such a situation, how could the third-place winner, He Xinxian, accept a senior official position? So, he chose to be a clerk and copy documents in the Hanlin Academy, planning to retake the examination in three years to win the top place.

As they chatted and laughed, Zhao Hongrun and He Xinxian gradually became more familiar. After all, He Xinxian is the grandson of Chancellor He Xiangxu, who is a "long-time acquaintance" of Zhao Hongrun. Therefore, it's not surprising that Zhao Hongrun treated him politely.

However, while Zhao Hongrun was engrossed in his conversation with He Xinxian, he neglected the other young scholars in the hall.

One of the scholars, with a hint of dissatisfaction, said, "Is the Eighth Prince looking down on us?"

...

Zhao Hongrun frowned and glanced at the speaker.

...