Chapter 68

On that day of the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering, the young scholars from Daliang who participated finally had a preliminary understanding of the Eighth Prince, Zhao Hongrun.

If one were to say he was arrogant and haughty, Zhao Hongrun was always very humble, just like the Sixth Prince, Zhao Hongzhao, neither of them put on the airs of a prince, and they were approachable and could chat well with the scholars at the poetry gathering; but if one were to say he was humble and polite, once this Eighth Prince got angry, he would reveal his sharpness, as if he would not stop until he had thoroughly humiliated you. Scholar He Song, who had been quite awkward at this poetry gathering, was a cautionary example.

They had to admit that this Eighth Prince was indeed as rumored, a rebellious and unruly prince, but it could not be denied that if one did not provoke him, this Eighth Prince was quite easy to talk to.

Realizing this, the scholars gradually became less restrained, drinking and composing poetry, or playing music and singing, as they usually did at poetry gatherings. To Zhao Hongrun's surprise, these scholars, whom he had always thought only engaged in lofty discussions, were not all impractical literati. They also commented on the pros and cons of various state affairs, but these people were either still scholars who had not entered officialdom or minor officials like He Xinxian, who served as a secretary in the Hanlin Academy, with little influence.

However, it could not be denied that these scholars were also ambitious people.

Unfortunately, his Sixth Brother had no interest in the throne; otherwise... the scholars of the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering would surely become his capable assistants in the future!

Zhao Hongrun, secretly observing the members of the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering, felt a bit regretful. Although he did not know how the companions and advisors in the Eastern Palace compared, he thought that since the original team in the Eastern Palace could assist Crown Prince Hongli in compiling a new book, they must be quite capable. Even so, Zhao Hongrun still believed that the level of the members of the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering could match that of the Eastern Palace, but their talents were still limited to theory, lacking practical experience.

However, considering the backgrounds of these scholars, it was not hard to guess the potential influence of the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering. Unfortunately, the Sixth Prince, Zhao Hongzhao, treated the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering merely as a gathering of scholars with similar interests, with no intention of using these companions to vie for the throne.

This could not help but make Zhao Hongrun feel regretful. After all, in his mind, the Yong Prince, Hongyu, and this Sixth Brother, Hongzhao, were the princes who could make the Great Wei prosperous and strong.

Speaking of which, it was the first time both Zhao Hongrun and Princess Yulong attended the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering. Zhao Hongrun's focus was on the literary standards and family backgrounds of the poetry gathering members, while Princess Yulong was simply impressed by the literary talent of these scholars of similar age.

Although the princesses of the Great Wei were also required to be well-versed and literate, knowing how to read and write, play music, and paint, compared to the young scholars of the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering, who treated these arts as entertainment, Princess Yulong was clearly a step behind.

After all, the members of the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering were the best of the many noble and prestigious families in Daliang, and only those with outstanding literary talent and good character could be invited.

Even He Song, the grandson of the Minister of Personnel, He Mei, who had been tricked by Zhao Hongrun, did not react under Zhao Hongrun's half-serious, half-joking reprimand. Although his expression showed that he was still somewhat不服气 (unconvinced) and felt indignant about Zhao Hongrun's use of unconventional questions to challenge him.

However, what made Zhao Hongrun speechless was that although He Song was不服气 (unconvinced) with him, he was quite respectful to Princess Yulong when she bravely expressed her opinions on certain topics, even if her words were somewhat off, he did not jump out to criticize her.

To be precise, not just He Song, but the members of the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering were generally quite tolerant of Princess Yulong. Even if they heard something amiss in her views, they would only subtly remind her, correcting her with a gentle demeanor, especially He Song, who treated her completely differently from how he treated Zhao Hongrun.

This differential treatment made Zhao Hongrun roll his eyes, but seeing that Princess Yulong seemed very happy, he did not bother to argue with them.

Opposites attract, and apparently, these people were like magnets.

Since the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering lasted until around the hour of Si (9:00 AM to 11:00 AM), Zhao Hongrun got up to take his leave at dusk, preparing to send Princess Yulong back to the Jade Crystal Pavilion.

The scholars like He Xinxian, Yang Cheng, and He Song seemed somewhat regretful, but they could understand. After all, the restrictions on the princesses of the Great Wei were much stricter than those on the princes. For a princess to secretly attend their Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering was already quite out of the ordinary, and they could not ask for more.

However, seeing these people subtly invite Princess Yulong to attend the poetry gathering again next month, Zhao Hongrun could not help but feel speechless, thinking that this was blatant differential treatment.

The palace guards, led by Shen Yu, belched as they came out of the side hall. It was clear that while Zhao Hongrun and Princess Yulong were attending the poetry gathering in the main hall, these people were drinking with the guards of the Sixth Prince, Hongzhao, in the side hall, all flushed and spirited, though it was unclear how much they had drunk.

On the way to send Princess Yulong back to the Jade Crystal Pavilion, seeing that she seemed very happy, Zhao Hongrun curiously asked, "How did you find the Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering, Brother?"

"All are the young talents of our Great Wei!" Princess Yulong praised sincerely. Perhaps she was considered talented among her sisters, but compared to the scholars from scholarly families, she was clearly a step behind.

This poetry gathering clearly made Princess Yulong realize the gap between her and the young men of similar age.

"If I could also host a similar poetry gathering, that would be great..." Princess Yulong said regretfully.

She could not help but feel regretful, as the restrictions on princesses were much stricter than those on princes. How could she, like the Sixth Prince, Zhao Hongzhao, invite the young ladies from scholarly families in the capital? Not only would the palace rules not allow it, but the families of these talented women would not permit it either.

However, Zhao Hongrun would not dampen her spirits. He deliberately said in an exaggerated tone, "Sister, you have big ambitions. Are you planning to invite all the talented women in the capital to the Jade Crystal Pavilion?... If you really do it, don't forget to invite me, I want to see the daughters of the noble families in the capital."

Although he knew it was impossible, hearing Zhao Hongrun's exaggerated tone made Princess Yulong feel much better. She pouted and said, "Look at you!... Alright, I'll invite you first."

"Then we have a deal."

"Hehe."

Laughing and chatting, Zhao Hongrun sent Princess Yulong back to the Jade Crystal Pavilion.

He did not stay long at the Jade Crystal Pavilion and prepared to go to the Fragrant Condensation Palace. Recently, he had been running around both inside and outside the palace, and his visits to the Fragrant Condensation Palace had clearly decreased. Therefore, his mother, Consort Shen, ordered him to have meals at the Fragrant Condensation Palace these few days, and his younger brother, Hongxuan, also suffered from this.

However, when Zhao Hongrun came out of the Jade Crystal Pavilion, he unexpectedly met someone, the chief eunuch by his father, the emperor, Tong Xian.

Seeing Tong Xian standing on the path with two small eunuchs from a distance, Zhao Hongrun felt somewhat surprised, as Tong Xian should always be by the side of the emperor, Wei Tianzi.

"Tong Gonggong?"

Zhao Hongrun took the initiative to bow to Tong Xian, as he was the chief eunuch by the emperor of the Great Wei, and Zhao Hongrun did not want to offend him easily.

However, what surprised Zhao Hongrun was that Tong Xian's face was full of seriousness.

"What's the matter?" Zhao Hongrun asked curiously.

"Stay here," Tong Xian turned to the two small eunuchs and instructed, then raised his hand and said to Zhao Hongrun in a low voice, "Eighth Prince, please step aside for a moment."

What's so mysterious about this?

Zhao Hongrun was puzzled and instructed his guards to wait where they were, then followed Tong Xian to the nearest garden.

After walking about a dozen steps, Tong Xian stopped, looked around, and seeing no one, he asked in a low voice, "Prince, may I ask, have you been getting close to Princess Yulong of the Jade Crystal Pavilion these past few days?"

Zhao Hongrun frowned, somewhat displeased, and said, "What do you mean, Tong Gonggong?"

Tong Xian clearly saw the displeasure on Zhao Hongrun's face and quickly waved his hands to explain, "I have no other intentions. I am just advising the Prince not to get too close to Princess Yulong. ... This is my advice to the Prince."

"What do you mean?" Zhao Hongrun's frown deepened.

Seeing this, Tong Xian sighed and said in a low voice, "The Prince is a prince whom the emperor increasingly values. I would never harm the Prince. ... Whether it was the Dragon Boat Festival when the Prince secretly took Princess Yulong out of the palace, or today when the Prince took Princess Yulong to the Elegant Wind Pavilion for the poetry gathering, I have covered for the Prince. But paper cannot hide fire, and even I cannot cover it up forever..."

After saying this, Tong Xian bowed to Zhao Hongrun and returned the way he came.

Looking at the back of this chief eunuch as he left, Zhao Hongrun frowned. He did not expect that his carefully arranged plan to take Princess Yulong out of the palace had been discovered by the chief eunuch of the inner court.

This was not good...

Zhao Hongrun exhaled slightly.

To be honest, if it were just him, he would not be afraid of the matter being discovered by his father, the emperor, but since this involved Princess Yulong, he could not help but be cautious. He did not want Princess Yulong to be punished because of him.

The next day, Zhao Hongrun visited the Jade Crystal Pavilion again and told Princess Yulong about the matter.

Princess Yulong was very happy to see Zhao Hongrun, but when she heard about this, she was immediately frightened.

She had been looking forward to Zhao Hongrun taking her to the next month's Elegant Wind Poetry Gathering, but now she did not dare to go anywhere, and could only stay in the Jade Crystal Pavilion, no longer daring to hope for anything.

Thus, on the seventh day of the seventh month, Zhao Hongrun could only go to the Elegant Wind Pavilion alone.

PS: This chapter is to make up for the update for the book friend "靇魻你好". Some people said the title was bad? Well, these titles are actually from a foreign university's test questions, except for the last one. If you think they are bad, I don't really care.

Another PS: Finally got the Three Rivers recommendation! I hope those who are interested can help this book by voting, clicking "Three Rivers," then claiming the Three Rivers ticket on the right, and then voting. It's a simple three-step process, and I am very grateful.

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends