Chapter 16

When Zhao Yougong made his first move, he struck a blow to the arrogance of these students. At this moment, no one stepped forward, and he found it rather boring. These students had less patience than the ruffians on the street. Of course, no one continued to voice objections, and no one came forward to offer a poem. However, Zhao Yougong was not worried about this. As the saying goes, money can make the devil grind the mill, and with more money, the mill could grind the devil. As long as the reward was high enough, would there be a lack of brave souls to step forward?

"Thirty guan for a new poem, is there any elegant scholar willing to offer one? Rest assured, I, the Prince, will not go back on my word!" To dispel some people's concerns, Zhao Yougong smiled and reached into his robe to pull out a few jiaozi (banknotes). "Everyone, take a good look. Here are three hundred guan. Whoever has the ability, come and take it. A new poem for thirty guan, no cheating, no favoritism, money and goods exchanged on the spot. Don't say I have wronged you!"

Zhao Yougong's call made some people feel embarrassed. Was he treating the Imperial Academy like a market in the West City? It was shameful, truly shameful. But what could they do? This young prince seemed to have no sense of shame.

Zhao Yougong fully utilized the skills he had learned from the market. Surprisingly, his shouting did touch many hearts. After all, not all students at the Imperial Academy came from wealthy families; some poor students were in dire need of the money. Thirty guan could cover their expenses for several months or even a year. However, due to their camaraderie and fear of repercussions from the Imperial Academy, no one stepped forward.

In fact, it didn't take long. When Zhao Yougong raised the price to fifty guan per poem, the crowd finally became restless. With such a large sum of money as bait, there would inevitably be someone willing to take the risk. A student in a blue robe stepped forward, still somewhat hesitant, and asked, "Prince, are your words true?"

"Absolutely true!"

"Then, after the money is paid, you won't... send someone to take it back...?"

"..." Zhao Yougong finally understood what the students were worried about. It turned out his reputation was so bad that the students feared he would send his lackeys to reclaim the money after giving it. Taking a few deep breaths, Zhao Yougong glared angrily, "What do you mean by that? Am I that kind of person?"

The student in the blue robe rolled his eyes secretly. The meaning was clear: wasn't Zhao Yougong that kind of ruffian?

After much persuasion, the student in the blue robe finally sat down at the desk and left his calligraphy. A poem titled "Youthful Wanderer," with neat and beautiful handwriting.

"Spring breeze and green grass, the moon on a clear night, my dream returns home. Green leaves and flying flowers, drifting with the waves, a glance breaks the horizon. Many sorrows in the passing years, all wrapped in brocade and silk. A lone bird crosses the gorge, a long corridor and an ancient path, who is chasing her?" After reading it in one breath, Prince Zhao Yougong clapped his hands heartily. For the first brave soul to step forward, he would not be stingy with his praise, "Good poem, good poem! If Nian Nu wins the competition with your poem, I will have more rewards!"

The student in the blue robe stood respectfully to one side, not daring to speak. He didn't dare to hope for the additional reward; he just hoped the fifty guan wouldn't be taken back by the young prince.

Sometimes, once the first person takes the step, others follow. Seeing the queue forming, Zhao Yougong's face lit up with joy. It seemed he would become famous again today, causing a commotion at the Imperial Academy and offending all the scholars in the land. He was sure his royal uncle would be very pleased to hear about it.

The process of buying poems went smoothly, but there was a small mishap. Zhao Yougong was sitting behind a rock, playing with a small mastiff, when he heard a clear, cold snort. Then, a pair of white, delicate boots appeared before his eyes.

"Ling Ge, how can you do this? The Imperial Academy is not a place for such frivolity. You will anger the court officials!" The voice was clear and pleasant, yet still somewhat childish.

Zhao Yougong looked up at the speaker and shrugged indifferently.

To be precise, the person who arrived was a very beautiful woman. She wore a light green long dress, with a few white peonies embroidered on the cuffs and the edges of her jacket. She had a small, cherry mouth, eyebrows like clouds, and eyes like water. If there was a flaw, it was only that she was still somewhat young. At least in terms of appearance, she was no less beautiful than Ying Su and Nian Nu.

Some people's beauty is truly indescribable. As the most beautiful woman in the imperial family, did Zhao Fukin, the Princess of Maode, need any further description?

"It's you, Fourth Sister. I thought it was someone else. Ha, why bother with those people? I, your brother, have no official position. What do I have to fear from them?"

Zhao Fukin was truly angry at Zhao Yougong's words. She lifted her delicate boots and kicked his knee forcefully, "Ling Ge, how can you be so unmotivated? In a few days, it will be time to find you a position. How can you still act like this without any care?"

If there was anyone in the royal family who truly cared about Zhao Yougong, it was this pure and kind Zhao Fukin. Since Zhao Fukin was the fourth in line, Zhao Yougong always called her "Fourth Sister." Seeing Zhao Fukin's anger, Zhao Yougong felt embarrassed and stood up, "Fourth Sister, don't be angry, don't be angry. I'll leave soon, okay?"

"No, you must leave with me now. Humph, don't think I don't know. Aren't you doing this for Cui Nian Nu? Is Cui Nian Nu really worth it? You are a prince!"

Zhao Yougong had always thought of Zhao Fukin as a pure angel. Her face was like a delicate porcelain doll, making one want to protect her. Now, with Zhao Fukin on the verge of tears, Zhao Yougong was truly at a loss. Prince? Who really treated him like a prince? He was just a nominal one, but Zhao Fukin didn't understand this, and Zhao Yougong wouldn't tell her.

Letting go of the dog's leash, Zhao Yougong took Zhao Fukin's shoulders with both hands. He lowered his head and made a somewhat imperfect funny face, "Alright, Fourth Sister, don't be angry. I'll listen to you, I'll listen to you!"

Zhao Yougong wouldn't offend Zhao Fukin for two reasons: he didn't dare to, and he didn't want to. As the most beloved daughter of Emperor Zhezong, could Zhao Yougong afford to offend her? He might need her help to leave the capital alive one day.

Seeing Zhao Yougong's handsome face contorted into a funny face, Zhao Fukin couldn't help but laugh. She poked his forehead with her delicate fingers and walked away with her hands behind her back, "Ling Ge, you are truly a troublemaker. I won't talk to you anymore!"

Zhao Yougong's reputation was always bad, and none of his royal siblings respected him. But Zhao Fukin had a different feeling. Whenever she was with Zhao Yougong, she felt no pressure and could do anything freely. Perhaps because Zhao Yougong was a good-for-nothing ruffian, he had no rules to follow.

Due to Zhao Fukin's intervention, the activity of buying poems ended early. However, Zhao Yougong still had a good harvest, buying over twenty poems, which was enough.

Outside the Imperial Academy, Zhao Yougong was pulled by Zhao Fukin to fly kites by the Cai River, while news of his actions had already spread throughout the capital.

In the Xie Fang Tower, Nian Nu held a red-tasseled spear and wore a phosphorescent chainmail. Her long hair was styled in a male fashion, and she stood there, looking like a dignified and handsome general. After assuming a pose, she asked in a soft voice, "Master Zhang, is this pose correct?"

Master Zhang, whose name was Zhang Gong, was a former instructor of the Eight Hundred Thousand Imperial Guards, especially skilled with a long spear. He had retired many years ago, and if not for this, Nian Nu wouldn't have been able to invite him. She was able to invite Zhang Gong because two years ago, when he was injured, Nian Nu had unintentionally helped him. Otherwise, with Zhang Gong's bad temper, no amount of money from the Xie Fang Tower would have brought him here.

At first, Zhang Gong thought Nian Nu was just doing this for fun, but when he saw her seriousness, he no longer treated it lightly.

"Press your left leg down a bit, look straight ahead, and stab the spear steadily. Even if the strength is not enough, the momentum must be sufficient!"

"Um, Master Zhang, can we practice the next pose now?" Nian Nu put away her spear and, before Zhang Gong could answer, heard hurried footsteps.

Xiao Tan raised her eyebrows, opened her mouth, and looked delighted. When she entered, Nian Nu frowned and said coldly, "You, what are you up to now?"

"Ah!" Only then did Xiao Tan remember that Master Zhang was still there. She quickly stuck out her tongue and bowed, then said urgently, "Sister Cui, you don't know, the young prince did something big today!"

Big? Nian Nu frowned slightly. Seeing Xiao Tan's delighted expression, she knew it wasn't good, "Humph, speak up. If you don't, how long do you plan to keep it in?"

"Hehe, Sister Cui, this is really big. The young prince went to the Imperial Academy to buy poems, fifty guan each. He really put in a lot of effort to help you, hehe..."

Going to the Imperial Academy to cause trouble? Nian Nu smiled faintly but didn't react as Xiao Tan expected, neither angry nor laughing. Xiao Tan was very disappointed. The young prince had done this for her, so why didn't Sister Cui even say a word?

Nian Nu continued to practice with Zhang Gong and didn't take the Imperial Academy incident to heart. Since it was all an act, why be serious about it? The young prince had clearly left the poems for her, yet he still went to the Imperial Academy to buy more, clearly just for show. This act had fooled many people.

Causing a commotion at the Imperial Academy would offend all the scholars in the land. Offending the scholars was like offending the high officials in the court, which was equivalent to cutting off one's own political future. Such a foolish act would surely please the emperor, wouldn't it?

In the De Yue Tower, Li Shishi held an ancient zither but didn't play. After hearing about Zhao Yougong's commotion at the Imperial Academy, she initially laughed, but then felt envious. No matter what, Zhao Yougong had truly made an effort for Nian Nu. In contrast, the emperor was too afraid of others' opinions. He had always kept their relationship a secret, not realizing that every high official in the court knew about it. His name was even listed in the imperial pleasure bureau. How could he hide it from others? Most importantly, Li Shishi didn't want to hide it.

Zhao Yougong, despite his flaws, was still a prince. He was willing to bear so much criticism for Nian Nu. Why couldn't the emperor make a sacrifice for her, Li Shishi? Perhaps, the emperor had never truly liked her. If he did, it was only for her beauty and novelty.

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