Chapter 34 I Want to See You More

Tang Xinuan always felt that Zhou Chuanxing wasn't smart enough.

Even if you give him three chances, he still can't guess what place he got.

"No, no, none of that is right. I got the highest score, I'm number one."

Zhou Chuanxing was infected by her bright smile, and his mood also improved.

"I knew our Nuannuan was the smartest girl in the world."

Tang Xinuan was even happier after being praised. "Today is only the preliminary round. There's a final round tomorrow. If I get first place tomorrow, I'll get a reward of one hundred taels of silver. Erlang, how about I give it all to you?"

Zhou Chuanxing's eyes were full of doting smiles, "You didn't keep any for yourself?"

Tang Xinuan nodded. "You are the first friend I've ever made, so I'll give you everything."

"It is my greatest honor to be Nuannuan's first friend," Zhou Chuanxing said sincerely.

Tang Xinuan also had something to share: "By the way, I made a second friend, his name is Sun Qingzhao."

Zhou Chuanxing, who had been sitting upstairs, naturally noticed the young girl's interactions with Sun Qingzhao.

Prince Duan also reminded him not to let someone steal his wife.

He always believed that the young girl had her own principles for dealing with people and situations.

She knows how to maintain appropriate boundaries with different types of people.

But no one gave her a chance to discern the truth.

"Nuan Nuan," Zhou Chuanxing was naturally uncomfortable; men have a strong possessive desire for the girls they like.

He was no exception.

But he had to teach her about human relationships and how to survive.

"When you make new friends, will you forget about me?"

Tang Xinuan replied without hesitation, "How could that be? You are my most, most important friend, and I will never forget you."

Zhou Chuanxing felt somewhat comforted.

"If we both fell into the river, who would you save first?"

Tang Xinuan said regretfully, "It's such a pity, I couldn't save either of them, I can't swim."

Zhou Chuanxing: "..."

"If you only have one piece of candy, who should you give it to?"

Tang Xinuan countered with, "Do you like sweets?"

Zhou Chuanxing doesn't particularly like sweets, but that's not the answer he wants right now.

I like whatever you give me.

Tang Xinuan took one out of her small pouch, opened it herself, and fed it to him. "There's only one, it's for you."

Zhou Chuanxing opened his mouth to take the candy from her, his thin lips touching her soft fingers, a fiery feeling flashing in his heart.

He was in the prime of his life, full of youthful vigor.

But all they could do was endure it...

Tang Xinuan suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, Sun Qingzhao just accused me of cheating. Xiaoqian and Lianqiao both dislike him, but I don't think he's a bad person."

Following her train of thought, Zhou Chuanxing asked, "Why do you think that?"

Tang Xinuan was somewhat troubled: "He asked me if I had an official position, saying he was giving me a 'ladder to the clouds.' What does 'ladder to the clouds' mean?"

Zhou Chuanxing had just noticed that Tang Xinuan was very friendly to Sun Qingzhao, who had framed her, and he figured there must be a reason for it.

That's how it is.

This Sun Qingzhao is no simple character.

"What he meant was that if you wanted to become an official, he would make you famous in the capital through this method, which would attract the attention of the imperial court, and you might be able to become an official without taking the imperial examination."

Such a profound strategy was clearly beyond Tang Xinuan's comprehension.

"Why is it that if you become famous, the imperial court will take notice and you can become an official?"

Zhou Chuanxing continued to explain to her: "Our Great Zhou Dynasty has been fighting for decades, and we haven't held the imperial examinations for more than a decade."

In recent years, the imperial court has selected officials through recommendations from court officials.

The people recommended by the court officials were either their relatives, their students, or very famous scholars, or those with special connections.

If you become famous, court officials will take notice, and they might recommend you for a government position.

Tang Xinuan understood. "So that's how it is. I said he didn't seem like a bad person, so why did he suddenly frame me? So this is the Qingyun Ladder."

She sincerely praised him, "He's so smart."

Zhou Chuanxing felt as if he had been stabbed hard in the heart.

"You heartless brat, I know what the Azure Cloud Ladder means. Am I not smart?"

Tang Xinu deliberately poked at his sore spot, "You would never guess that I won first place."

Zhou Chuanxing gave a helpless, bitter smile.

Tang Xinuan added, "You're also very petty."

Zhou Chuanxing was speechless. "What kind of talk is that?"

Tang Xinuan: "You said you'd give me a book, but now you want to take it back. You're not being petty."

“This matter can’t be let go,” Zhou Chuanxing breathed on her and tried to tickle her, but Tang Xinuan was so frightened that she quickly dodged away. “Did I say something wrong?”

Zhou Chuanxing pulled her over and let her lean against him. "I wanted to see you more often, but unfortunately you're so ungrateful. You've never come even once. I've worn out those books from reading them."

Tang Xinu blinked her innocent eyes, "Really?"

Zhou Chuanxing nodded, looking aggrieved. "Of course it's true."

Tang Xi felt a sharp pain in her heart, "I forgot."

Zhou Chuanxing was worried that she would recall unpleasant things from the past, so he changed the subject, "Are you hungry?"

Tang Xinuan suddenly heard her stomach rumble, and she looked at Zhou Chuanxing pitifully, "I'm so hungry."

Zhou Chuanxing handed her the food box next to him, saying, "Have something to eat first, we'll go home for dinner today."

Tang Xinuan naturally assumed that "home" referred to the imperial palace.

But she was wrong.

The carriage quickly entered a large mansion. She got out and realized it wasn't the palace. "Where is this?"

Zhou Chuanxing replied to her, "This is the Prince's Mansion. The Imperial Palace is just a place we occasionally stay. This is our true home."

Tang Xinuan still thought that living in the palace was a matter of course.

"Then why did we live in the palace before?"

Zhou Chuanxing patiently explained to her, "There are imperial physicians in the palace, which will make it convenient for them to take care of you."

"So that's how it is," Tang Xinuan quickly looked around the palace and thought it was beautiful everywhere. "I like it here."

Lunch had already been prepared, and it was all to Tang Xinu's liking.

She ate with Zhou Chuanxing.

She went out and did a lot of physical activity today, and since she's not fully recovered, it was far beyond what her body could handle.

After lunch, she went back to her room to sleep.

I slept soundly until dark.

After waking up, Zhou Chuanxing took her to the hall.

"The garden is large, so we can take our time to explore it. Now, let me introduce you to the people in the manor."

Eunuch Wei, the head steward of the Prince's mansion, summoned all the palace maids and eunuchs of high status in the mansion to the main hall.

Upon seeing the prince, they bowed respectfully and cautiously.

Zhou Chuanxing only said one sentence: "From now on, Miss Tang will be your mistress. Treat her even better than you would treat me, or you will know what I can do."

Eunuch Wei and the others hurriedly knelt down to pay their respects.

This was the first time Tang Xinuan had faced such a large-scale event, and she was somewhat at a loss. "How should I respond to them?"

Zhou Chuanxing said gently, "You can do whatever you want. You are the rule in our family."

That's comforting to hear.

Tang Xinuan pondered for a moment, then waved her hand: "Get up, go do what you need to do. I have Xiaoqian here."

Zhou Chuanxing complied with her, saying, "You may all leave."

Eunuch Wei was kept to serve him.

"Your Highness, Miss Tang, the meal is ready, please have some."

Tang Xinuan wasn't hungry yet, but Zhou Chuanxing urged her to eat something.

You should eat something before going to sleep, as eating too late can easily lead to indigestion.

Tang Xinuan readily agreed and went to the restaurant with Zhou Chuanxing.

The meal wasn't much, but everything was exquisite.

Tang Xinuan ate quite a lot again.

After the meal, the two took a casual stroll.

When Physician Zhang came to take his pulse, Zhou Chuanxing escorted him back to his room.

“Miss Tang is recovering quite well,” said Physician Zhang, who brought the medicine. “I will prepare the medicine for her tomorrow morning and give it to her. She should take this prescription for the next seven days. After seven days, I will adjust it according to her condition.”

Zhou Chuanxing asked, "In that case, we won't have to live in the palace anymore, right?"

Physician Zhang cautiously replied, "Miss Tang's condition has stabilized. It's the same whether I come to check her pulse every day."

The palace was full of the emperor's concubines, and it was inconvenient for Zhou Chuanxing, an adult male, to live there.

"Then I'll have to trouble Physician Zhang."

After Physician Zhang left, Tang Xinuan asked Zhou Chuanxing, "Are we no longer living in the palace?"

Zhou Chuanxing asked her for her opinion, "If you like, you can still stay."

Tang Xinuan shook her head: "I don't like it. I like it here."

She was just a little reluctant to part with her three head palace maids.

"What about peony, angelica, and pinellia?"

Zhou Chuanxing smiled: "You like them?"

Tang Xinuan did like them. "Yes."

Zhou Chuanxing generously replied, "It's not a difficult matter. I'll bring them back tomorrow."

As Tang Xinuan gradually integrates into normal life, she naturally becomes more thoughtful.

"Will they receive the same treatment when they come to the Prince's residence to perform duties as when they serve in the palace? What if they are unwilling?"

Zhou Chuanxing was pleased that the girl thought that way, even though it might raise doubts about his abilities.

Since leaving the Marquis's residence, he has noticed that the little girl has grown up rapidly.

How could someone as smart as this girl be mistaken for a fool?

There is only one reason.

That means being overly controlled, becoming disconnected from society, and completely unable to integrate into the world.

In just a few days, she has already learned to think from the perspective of a palace maid.

“You’ve thought about quite a lot,” Zhou Chuanxing tapped her little head.

"I will ask for their opinion, and I will not force them if they are unwilling."

Moreover, the monthly salary is the same in the Prince's Mansion and in the Palace, but there are fewer opportunities for promotion in the Prince's Mansion than in the Palace.

In addition, I allow them to go home once a quarter, a privilege they cannot enjoy in the palace.

It's an opportunity to go home often, an opportunity that no amount of money can buy.

If Tang Xinuan put herself in her parents' shoes, she would still be willing, even if the monthly salary was lower.

"You're so kind, Erlang."

Zhou Chuanxing had been busy for so many days, all for this one sentence.

"How about... a hug?"

Tang Xinuan blinked and took a sly step back. "No, you said I can't just have contact with men."

Zhou Chuanxing: "I'm different."

Tang Xinuan didn't believe it. She bent down, tilted her head back, and leaned closer to Zhou Chuanxing to examine him carefully. "He has two eyes, one nose, and one mouth. What's different about him?"

Zhou Chuanxing was just joking.

Even if the girl's body didn't allow it, he couldn't indulge himself, even considering their relationship.

Once there is physical contact, it's easy to lose control of impulses.

Let's try to keep our distance.

"Are you tired? You have the finals tomorrow. Go to bed early."

Tang Xinu slept all afternoon, but she wasn't sleepy at all.

However, she needs to be in top form for the final tomorrow.

"Then, you should go to bed early too."

Zhou Chuanxing watched the little girl leave, looking somewhat disappointed.

Men his age are usually married and have children running around the streets.

But his little girl isn't mature yet.

However, there was a surprise: Tang Xinuan returned and suddenly hugged him and patted his back.

Then he ran away quickly.

Zhou Chuanxing smiled helplessly.

I wonder how long God will torment him.

"Second Brother, what are you grinning about!" Prince Duan suddenly appeared, looking at his brooding second brother with a hint of sarcasm.

Zhou Chuanxing's smile faded. "Chao Li went back?"

It can be said that Chao Li was raised by Prince Duan, and he cared for this younger sister even more than he cared for himself.

"It's been sent back."

Zhou Chuanxing then asked, "Have you seen your elder brother, the Emperor?"

Prince Duan nodded. "It's still the same as always. I don't know when it will get better."

Zhou Chuanxing usually visits the Emperor every day, sometimes staying in the palace, partly to facilitate handling state affairs, and partly to be able to visit the Emperor at any time.

He hoped every day that the emperor would wake up so that he could be relieved of his burdens as soon as possible.

The emperor has been ill for over a year, and in recent months he has been more often unconscious than lucid. The imperial physicians dared not say it outright, but they could tell that the emperor was unlikely to wake up.

"By the way, Second Brother," Prince Duan had just heard some news, "the top three in tomorrow's Caiyue Tower finals have all been decided internally."

Zhou Chuanxing asked, puzzled, "What's going on?"

Prince Duan relayed the news he had heard to Zhou Chuanxing: "I heard that my fourth brother contacted the owner of Caiyue Tower, and the top three are all his men."

Zhou Chuanxing was still puzzled: "What benefit would this bring to Fourth Brother?"

Prince Duan laughed and said, "Even Sun Qingzhao knows to make his sister-in-law famous, how could Fourth Brother not think of it? Especially since you appeared at Caiyue Tower today, he is convinced that the top few will be recruited into the court by you, so he has no choice but to replace you with one of his own people."

Zhou Chuanxing had never wanted to cause trouble among his brothers.

Moreover, his fourth brother was young, and as the older brother, he always felt that he had an obligation to take care of him.

Especially in recent years, having led troops in battles far from home and rarely seeing his family, he has placed particular importance on brotherhood and kinship.

Zhou Chuanxing is upright and honest, but others don't see it that way.

Now that the emperor is terminally ill and has no son, this great empire will surely be handed over to one of his brothers.

As for who will be crowned the emperor, that depends on their own abilities.

Zhou Chuanxing held military power and was the emperor's younger brother by the same mother, so he was the most suitable candidate.

With the support of Consort De, and having grown up in the capital, Prince Rui had long been cultivating his network of connections. The court was a complex place, and after years of planning, he won over many court officials.

Although it can't compare to the real combat achievements of Zhou Chuanxing, it has gained quite a few supporters.

He certainly wouldn't be content to be a prince for the rest of his life.

They could place their own connections in the imperial court at any time and place.

They even interfered with the folk activities organized by Caiyuelou.

Zhou Chuan went to Caiyue Tower purely because of Tang Xinuan; he never intended to find any talented people there to recruit for his own use.

However, after being reminded by Prince Rui's matter, it seems that it's not entirely impossible.

"Who have been chosen?"

Prince Duan replied, "Two of the top ten selected today are from the group, and there is one who didn't make it to the finals. They said there will be an additional revival match tomorrow."

Zhou Chuanxing said speechlessly, "He's playing quite the fancy game."

Prince Duan asked, "What do we do now?"

Zhou Chuanxing would definitely not let Prince Rui have his way. "There has to be a reason for this pre-arranged decision. How did they do it?"

Prince Duan really did investigate this matter. "The topic has been set, and I heard it's quite difficult. Fourth Brother even asked Prince Chu for the Ministry of Revenue's plan to resettle displaced people some time ago."

Such a difficult problem; the Ministry of Revenue spent so long trying to figure it out but still couldn't. It was Miss Tang who revised it.

I doubt anyone will be able to answer this tomorrow.

Even if Miss Tang remembers, it will still take her time, while they've memorized it beforehand, so they'll definitely be fast and accurate.

Zhou Chuanxing asked, "Only one question?"

Prince Duan: "No, there are three issues. The Ministry of Revenue issue is only one of them."

Zhou Chuanxing reassured him, then put his finger to his lips and whistled.

Soon a dark shadow flew over from the pitch-black rooftop.

The dark figure hooked its feet on the roof, hanging upside down like a golden bell, and a face wearing a ghost mask approached Zhou Chuanxing.

"Master, what do you want me to do?"

Zhou Chuanxing whispered a few words to himself and waved his hand: "Go."

The ghost mask seemed to have grown wings, and in the blink of an eye, it disappeared into the thick darkness of the night.

Prince Duan is not planning to leave; he intends to stay at the Regent's Palace.

They're all bachelors without parents, wives, or children; they'll be alone when they go back.

Prince Duan had his own room in the Regent's Palace, and felt right at home. After chatting with Zhou Chuanxing, Prince Duan headed to his room.

Zhou Chuanxing gave him a disapproving look: "I'm not kidding you, the marriage must be settled within two months."

Prince Duan could tell that his second brother was serious.

It's really not good that none of the three brothers have sons.

The fourth son is getting married soon, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he'll definitely have two children in three years.

With no hope of getting the Emperor to help and his second brother not planning to have children, all the pressure was on him.

"How about... I ask my little sister to arrange something for me and make me a concubine?"

Zhou Chuanxing didn't bother with his relationship problems, saying, "As long as you think it's okay, that's fine."

...

If the Caiyue Tower held a competition to select the smartest person in the Great Zhou Dynasty, only a few people knew about it yesterday, but today even the smallest animals in the nooks and crannies have heard it all.

Some people even organized betting games based on this incident.

He listed the ten finalists who had the best chance of getting into the top three on his drawing board.

All viewers can place bets on their favorite players.

There's a prize for winning.

Tang Xinuan had the highest score yesterday, so naturally the most people bet on her today.

Next was Sun Qingzhao.

Chu Yanqing, as the "only" woman to enter the finals, also received a lot of votes.

Of course, this betting result will continue until the arrival of Prince Rui.

He took out a thousand taels of silver and directly bought the pre-selected first place.

"I will vote for him."

"Your Highness, he only came in ninth place yesterday. He's still a long way from taking first place."

Prince Rui deliberately maintained a certain air of mystery, and smiled, "As far as I know, he deliberately concealed his strength yesterday, and he will definitely take first place today."

The people Prince Rui cast are definitely the right ones.

But people still had doubts.

"Who exactly is this ninth-ranked Li Mingcai? Why did Prince Rui say he was hiding his strength?"

"I don't know, but everyone who goes on stage has some kind of family background."

"That's true, but yesterday everyone was focused on the first place winner and didn't pay attention to this ninth place winner. Does anyone know his background? Tell me."

"I know, I know. This Li Mingcai is a relative of the Emperor's father-in-law and a distant nephew of the current Empress. I heard that he originally came to seek refuge with the Emperor's father-in-law, but unfortunately he couldn't even get through the door."

That's why I came to participate in the Caiyuelou event.

"Since he's from the same clan as the Emperor's father-in-law, he must be intelligent. I'll bet one hundred taels."

“I’ll vote for him too.”

“I’ll vote for him too.”

...

Soon, more people placed bets on Li Mingcai than on Tang Xinuan.

Tang Xinuan didn't care.

However, Sun Qingzhao couldn't stand it anymore.

He quietly pulled Tang Xinuan aside, "Brother Han, I have something to tell you."

Tang Xinuan was unaware that today's competition had already been decided. She had slept well last night and eaten a good breakfast this morning, so she was full of confidence and determined to win first place and give all the prize money to Zhou Chuanxing.

"Brother Sun, what do you want to tell me?"

Sun Qingzhao asked with a troubled expression, "I wonder if there is anyone in your family who holds great power?"

Tang Xinuan didn't understand what he meant. "Does this have anything to do with the competition?"

Sun Qingzhao glanced around warily, then whispered, "Someone contacted me last night, telling me to listen to him and guarantee I'd get first place today. I didn't agree. So many people are betting on Li Mingcai today. I think something's fishy. I'm afraid the winners have already been decided."

A competition is just a competition; Tang Xinu had no idea that so much could happen.

"You mean we can't get a ranking based on our own ability?"

Sun Qingzhao nodded: "That's exactly what I mean. If you have an official in your family, you might be able to invite someone of high status to come and supervise. Otherwise... we'll both just be stepping stones for others."

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Author's note: Sun Qingzhao: It is an honor to fall into the river with the Regent.

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