Chapter 66

"Is it that the Eighth Prince looks down on us?"

A dissatisfied and slightly accusatory remark interrupted the conversation between Zhao Hongrun and He Xinxian about the new imperial examination.

"Why do you say that?"

Zhao Hongrun replied with a smile.

The scholar frowned and said, "The Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering does not discriminate based on family background; it values only literary talent and character, regardless of who arrives first or last. ... We, out of respect for the Eighth Prince as a prince, stood up to welcome you, but since you entered the hall, you have shown no response, not even a word to us. Isn't this looking down on us?"

Zhao Hongrun frowned and thought for a moment, feeling that the other party had a point. After all, he had been so curious about the top three in the new imperial examination that he had only been talking to He Xinxian and had ignored everyone else. Therefore, what the scholar said was not wrong.

However, this accusatory tone made Zhao Hongrun very unhappy.

"What's your name?" Zhao Hongrun asked with a faint smile.

The Sixth Prince, Zhao Hongzhao, frowned slightly. After all, "What's your name?" was not a polite way to ask. Normally, Zhao Hongrun should have said something like, "May I ask for your esteemed name?" instead of "What's your name?" in such a condescending manner.

Indeed, the scholar's eyes showed a hint of anger, and he said resentfully, "I am He Song."

He Xinxian, who had likely heard about Zhao Hongrun's "great achievements" from his grandfather, He Xiangxu, quickly whispered, "This young man is the grandson of the Minister of Personnel, He Mei. His character is not bad, Eighth Prince..."

Zhao Hongrun nodded kindly at He Xinxian and then smiled at He Song, "Alright, Mr. He. ... Do you want me to apologize for what happened just now?"

He Song was taken aback. He was dissatisfied with Zhao Hongrun only chatting with He Xinxian and ignoring them, but he hadn't thought about making Zhao Hongrun apologize, after all, Zhao Hongrun was a prince.

"There's no need to apologize..." He Song's气势一泄 (momentum was deflated).

"Since that's the case..." Zhao Hongrun nodded and turned back to He Xinxian, smiling, "Mr. He, let's continue our conversation."

While He Xinxian was stunned, He Song was almost furious, pointing at Zhao Hongrun and unable to speak from anger.

The Sixth Prince, Zhao Hongzhao, rubbed his forehead with a bitter smile. Although he knew his eighth brother, Hongrun, was a peculiar person, he was really getting a headache now.

"The Eighth Prince is too overbearing!" He Song took a deep breath and said indignantly.

Zhao Hongrun laughed and pretended to be confused, "Didn't Mr. He say you didn't want me to apologize? So, isn't that settled? You talk among yourselves, and we'll talk among ourselves." As he said this, his eyes turned cold, and he said coolly, "Who I talk to is my freedom. No one has the right to dictate that I must talk to you!"

Not good...

The Sixth Prince, Zhao Hongzhao, frowned immediately. He had already figured out his eighth brother's personality and knew that once Zhao Hongrun used "this prince" instead of "I" to refer to himself, it meant he was quite annoyed with the other party.

If I had known this, I should have introduced him first.

Zhao Hongzhao couldn't help but feel regretful. After all, he had seen Zhao Hongrun and He Xinxian discussing the top two scholars in the new imperial examination, so out of politeness, he hadn't interrupted, but now he had caused trouble.

"Hongrun, Hongrun."

He quickly signaled his eighth brother with his eyes, knowing that once his eighth brother disliked someone and decided to retaliate, someone would definitely suffer. The Crown Prince was a clear example.

...

Glancing at his sixth brother, Zhao Hongrun huffed lightly and fell silent, giving his sixth brother some face.

He Song seemed to be intimidated by Zhao Hongrun's last glance, though his face was full of anger, he didn't act out.

Seeing this, Zhao Hongzhao quickly tried to smooth things over, "It was my fault for not considering it well. Please don't mind. ... The purpose of the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering is to exchange ideas and enjoy literature together. Let's not ruin the mood." He frequently signaled to a few young scholars he was close to.

One of the scholars understood and smiled, changing the topic, "The Sixth Prince is right. ... We were quite surprised to see the Eighth Prince at our Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering today. When the Eighth Prince was talking with Brother He, we couldn't join in, which was a pity... Recalling the Dragon Boat Festival at the Wende Hall, the Eighth Prince's feat was truly awe-inspiring."

Zhao Hongrun knew that this scholar was trying to smooth things over for his sixth brother's sake, not because he didn't mind being ignored earlier.

Thinking of this, Zhao Hongrun also clasped his hands and asked politely, "What's your name, brother?"

The scholar was taken aback and quickly replied, "I don't deserve to be called brother. I am Yang Cheng."

"Brother Yang, don't be upset about my rudeness earlier," Zhao Hongrun said with a smile.

Seeing Zhao Hongrun treat him so politely, Yang Cheng's slight resentment vanished, and he waved his hand, "Not at all, not at all. If anyone is to blame, it's Brother Xinxian, who has the advantage of being closer to the Eighth Prince."

"How can you blame me?" He Xinxian feigned surprise, and everyone laughed.

As the saying goes, "Flattery is mutual." The slight coldness at the gathering had dissipated, and they even felt that the Eighth Prince was quite easy to get along with.

The only one who remained unhappy was He Song. Not only did he not receive the respect and attention he hoped for, but it seemed that even his companions no longer supported his actions.

Driven by jealousy, he couldn't help but interrupt the praise for Zhao Hongrun, "Recite a book in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea? Ha! Ridiculous!"

The atmosphere in the Elegant Wind Pavilion became awkward again.

This time, not only the Sixth Prince, Zhao Hongzhao, but also the young scholars like Yang Cheng and He Xinxian looked at He Song with disapproval.

After all, they had just managed to bring the atmosphere back to normal and hoped to move past the earlier incident, but He Song had ruined it again. How could they not be annoyed?

"Brother He, the Eighth Prince recited a book from the Crown Prince's collection at the Wende Hall, which we all witnessed. How can it be false?" He Xinxian said disapprovingly.

"Hmph, you naturally defend him because you were chatting so well just now," He Song sneered.

"What about me?" Yang Cheng frowned, "I also saw it with my own eyes and can vouch for it!"

You...

He Song glared at Yang Cheng, with whom he usually had a good relationship, feeling even more jealous. He said coldly, "I didn't see it, and I don't believe it! ... Unless the Eighth Prince recites it again!"

What right do you have to ask the Eighth Prince to recite it again?

The young scholars at the gathering looked at He Song with strange expressions, some shaking their heads, some sneering.

In their minds, although the Eighth Prince, Zhao Hongrun, had initially ignored them when he entered the hall, he had corrected himself after the Sixth Prince's reminder and had been chatting with them quite well. Why stir up trouble and be so unreasonable?

Seeing He Song pick up a book and place it on the table, challenging Zhao Hongrun, they shook their heads inwardly.

"So, what do you say?" He Song challenged, looking at Zhao Hongrun, "If the Eighth Prince can recite it, I will admit that the Eighth Prince has an unparalleled memory!"

What value does your recognition have?

"Ha ha." Zhao Hongrun laughed, finding it somewhat amusing. He shook his head and said coolly, "I never said I could recite a book. From beginning to end, I said that the new book compiled by the Crown Prince was a theft of an anonymous work."

"See?" Hearing this, He Song looked triumphantly at his companions.

Unfortunately, He Xinxian, Yang Cheng, and others showed no reaction.

The Crown Prince stealing works and deceiving the emperor?

In their view, the Eighth Prince's claim was just to deceive those who didn't know the truth. The Crown Prince, a noble and respected figure, would not risk his reputation for such a trivial matter.

Obviously, the so-called theft by the Crown Prince was just a cover for the Eighth Prince's remarkable memory and a way to counter the Crown Prince.

Especially those who had witnessed the Crown Prince's challenge to the Eighth Prince, like Yang Cheng and He Xinxian, sitting with the Sixth Prince, understood why the Eighth Prince had made such a claim.

It was laughable that He Song thought he had caught the Eighth Prince in a lie and was gloating.

"Seems that even what we see with our own eyes may not be true. I am quite surprised that the Sixth Prince invited the Eighth Prince to the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering," He Song said, not letting up.

What he meant by "quite surprised" was that Zhao Hongrun did not have the qualifications to participate in the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering.

"What do you want, then?" Zhao Hongrun asked, amused.

He Song replied, "I boldly want to test the Eighth Prince's literary talent!"

The Sixth Prince, Zhao Hongzhao, and Yang Cheng, He Xinxian, and others wanted to stop him, but hearing He Song's words, they were somewhat intrigued. They were also very curious about whether the Eighth Prince, Zhao Hongrun, who always kept his talents hidden, was indeed a man of great learning.

After all, although He Song was proud, he was indeed talented.

However, under everyone's expectant gazes, Zhao Hongrun shook his head and said, "Not good."

Hearing this, everyone was surprised: Was the Eighth Prince backing down?

Before they could react, Zhao Hongrun continued, "You keep asking me to recite poems, which is unoriginal. How about this: I'll ask you a few questions. If you can answer them, I'll admit defeat. How about that?"

So, the Eighth Prince wanted to take the lead...

Everyone at the gathering suddenly understood and felt a bit excited about Zhao Hongrun's promise of something new.

It was clear that He Song was a scholar who was confident in his abilities. He said coldly, "The Eighth Prince can ask anything. If I answer incorrectly, I will roll out of the Elegant Wind Pavilion with my head down and never return to the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering!"

Hearing this, Zhao Hongrun's face showed a hint of mysterious amusement.

"Don't be too confident!"

PS: Who cast so many 12,000 votes for an update yesterday? It made me... quite itchy.

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