Seeing Jing Zhe's shameless attitude, Emperor An was quite moved.

"Truly, the student has surpassed the master! If Wenmao had your thick skin, things would have been completely different back then!"

"..."

This must be a compliment, right?

In the side hall, Su Mochen heard Emperor An's evaluation of Jing Zhe was exactly the same as hers, and she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Inside the main hall, both Emperor An and Jing Zhe seemed to sense something.

Guizhi, who was next to her, tugged at her, and Su Mochen quickly covered her mouth, continuing to eavesdrop.

Because it was business with the royal family, Emperor An asked Jing Zhe some questions about making strong liquor. When he heard that the method of making strong liquor was all his own idea, Emperor An repeatedly expressed his amazement.

It's truly rare to find someone who is not only proficient in poetry but also understands these unusual and ingenious techniques.

Finally, Emperor An became serious and said, "Your biggest rival at this Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering is not Song Jimao."

"Oh? In Jingzhou City, is there someone whose talent surpasses that of the great scholar Song? Of course, besides me."

Emperor An was initially taken aback by Jing Zhe's frank and humble attitude, then said, "The third prince of Southern Qi, Qi Junguang!"

"Oh, him."

Jing Zhe nodded. "Never heard of it."

"..."

Another sneer came from the side hall and then disappeared. Emperor An seemed to be deep in thought.

Next, Emperor An explained to Jing Zhe how formidable Qi Junguang was. In fact, Jing Zhe didn't take it to heart, but he seemed a little troubled. "Your Majesty, I thought that as long as I could defeat the great talent Song, I would be fine. Who knew that the Third Prince of Southern Qi would appear? I can't guarantee the chances of winning!"

Emperor An waved his hand and said, "At worst, I promise you that as long as you win, I will take the Zhang family's winery from the Prince of Jin's heir and return it to the Zhang family!"

"Very well, since Your Majesty is so sincere, then this humble subject can only reluctantly accept defeat!"

"I can't force you; you must promise!"

Emperor An sighed, "Because this not only concerns the dignity of Anguo, but also Mo Chen's happiness!"

"Huh, how is this related to Her Highness the Princess?"

Upon hearing Su Mochen's name, Jing Zhe became interested.

"Because I made a bet with the Third Prince of Southern Qi, if he wins first place in the Mid-Autumn Poetry Competition, Mo Chen will have to marry him!"

For some reason, I felt very uncomfortable when I heard that the third prince of Southern Qi was going to marry Su Mochen.

"It's like a toad trying to eat swan meat!"

"What did you say?"

"What I mean is, why didn't Your Majesty mention the bet sooner? If I had known it concerned Her Highness the Princess's happiness, I would have agreed even without the gold medal and the winery!"

Jing Zhe said solemnly.

"Oh? Why? You care about Mo Chen that much?"

"..."

Jing Zhe was stunned, a little nervous, and was trying to think of a perfect reason to explain.

Therefore, both the main hall and the side halls became unusually quiet, and the people in the side halls were even more nervous than those in the main hall.

"Of course I care!"

Emperor An's smile gradually froze: This guy and Mo Chen are indeed not that simple!

Upon hearing this, Su Mochen, who was in the side hall, felt a buzzing in his head and almost fainted if Guizhi hadn't been supporting him.

"Your Highness Mo Chen is the Princess of Anguo. Not to mention me, anyone you randomly pick on the street would care about Your Highness!"

This answer pulled Jing Zhe out of the predicament.

Emperor An's expression softened considerably; he thought to himself, "At least you can talk."

"That bastard!"

Su Mochen pushed Guizhi aside, stared at the figures in the main hall, and cursed through gritted teeth.

But Emperor An changed the subject, laughing, "However, you just said that the matter of the gold medal and the winery is settled—"

"It's getting late, Your Majesty must be tired. I won't disturb you any longer! I'll come back to ask Your Majesty for the Zhang Family Winery after I win first place in the poetry competition. Farewell, Your Majesty!"

After Jing Zhe finished kneeling and bowing, he immediately made his escape.

...

Antika swallowed back the words that were about to come out of her mouth, stared at his back, and chuckled to herself.

This guy is interesting!

Then he stood up and said, "Come out!"

Su Mochen, who had been hiding in the side hall, came out.

"Father, you've been deceived by him!"

"He loves joining in the fun so much, even if you don't agree to his conditions, he'll still win first place in the poetry competition!"

"Besides, he was obviously just trying to sell hard liquor, and he was deliberately playing the victim. He's a complete liar!"

Looking at Su Mochen's excited chatter, Emperor An asked with a smile, "You know him so well?"

"Of course—"

She blushed halfway through her sentence and said in a coquettish tone, "Father!"

Emperor An didn't care at all, laughed heartily, and asked again, "Mo Chen, did you already know that he would participate in the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering and that he would definitely win, so you made me make a bet with the Third Prince of Southern Qi?"

Su Mochen nodded with a blush, and then recounted how he met Jing Zhe at Chunshui Tower, watched him compose the Chunshui Poem, and a series of strange and interesting events that followed.

Of course, she omitted certain private moments between the two of them. After listening, Emperor An stroked his chin and asked, "So, you've wanted him to come to Jingzhou to assist me for a long time?"

Putting away his shyness, Su Mochen nodded seriously and said, "Those people that Father Emperor recruited from the poetry gathering have no real skills other than being able to compose poems."

But he was different. In terms of poetic talent, no one could surpass him, and he possessed other skills—such as making cool drinks in the sweltering summer, floral water, and strong liquor—all sorts of unusual things. Most importantly, he lacked the worldliness of ordinary people, and there was no need to fear him associating with corrupt individuals!

Emperor An was taken aback by the high praise Jing Zhe received from Su Mochen. After a moment of surprise, he said with delight, "If it is as you say, I am quite looking forward to it! Moreover, he is a descendant of the Jing family. If he can help me, it would be a kind of inheritance!"

Suddenly, he remembered something and burst into laughter.

"And most importantly, if we can use him as a link to connect all his sisters, he will indeed be my greatest asset!"

...

People are in high spirits when they have good news.

Seeing Jing Zhe hopping and skipping out of the council hall like a monkey, Sui Shouren, who was waiting outside, immediately greeted him with a smile.

"Young Master Akun..."

"General Sui, we are all on the same side. From now on, just call me Jing Zhe. As for Young Master A-Kun, please don't call him that anymore!"

With the gold medal in hand, there was no need to hide his identity anymore. As for the nickname "Ah Kun," it still sounded quite shameful.

"Hmm, Young Master Jing, you seem so happy, is everything going smoothly?"

Emperor An summoned many ordinary people, but few were summoned individually. Moreover, in all these years, Sui Shouren had only met with Jing Zhe, and the meeting with Emperor An ended so easily.

This further solidified his idea of ​​cultivating a good relationship with Jing Zhe.

"It went smoothly, so smoothly!"

Jing Zhe smiled and pulled out a gold medal from his clothes, preparing to show off a low-key yet luxurious style.

"General Sui, look at my gold medal, isn't it long and wide?"

"..."

————