Seeing that Jing Zhe had rendered Qi Junguang speechless, Emperor An was pleased. He thought that the wicked must be dealt with by the wicked. At the same time, he couldn't help but fantasize that in the court, he was often rendered helpless by the ministers who held real power. If he had such a powerful general with a silver tongue by his side, the situation would be much better.

Once the idea popped into my head, it wouldn't go away.

With the three judges declaring "I am not as good as him," coupled with Qi Junguang's exasperation, the outcome of the second competition was already obvious.

At Zhu Xinning's instruction, Wang Yingqiu read out the results of the advancement, then looked at the three of them and asked, "Does anyone have any objections?"

The only person eliminated was Zhou Zhiwei. Ever since he saw Jing Zhe's calligraphy, he has become a fanboy. He would say things like, "Brother Jing, your calligraphy is so good," or "Brother Jing, teach me cursive script, and when we get back to Jinxi, watch me show off." How could anyone object?

Seeing this, Wang Yingqiu smiled and said, "In that case, please wait a moment while we rest for a bit before boarding the ship!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the many talented scholars who had just gathered in the back courtyard erupted in a frenzy, rushing out one after another.

It turned out that although the pleasure boat was large, very few people could board it.

Besides the two finalists, members of the royal family, three judges, and Wang Yingqiu as the host, the rest were the female disciples from Wuxian Garden and the personal guards led by Sui Shouren, one responsible for singing and dancing, and the other responsible for protecting the safety of the people on the ship.

The other talented men rushed out in a swarm, intending to seize the most advantageous positions on both sides of the river so they could hear the lyrics and music coming from the pleasure boats as they passed by.

In an instant, the backyard, which had been somewhat crowded just moments before, became empty and deserted, with only Zhang Xiaoyu standing there alone, looking pitifully at Jing Zhe.

Since he had said he would bring her to the poetry gathering, Jing Zhe naturally wanted to stick to his word and pleaded with Emperor An, "Your Majesty, this is Zhang Xiaoyu, the eldest daughter of the Zhang family's winery. She has come with me to attend the poetry gathering. May she come aboard with me?"

At this moment, a corner of the screen was pulled open, and a small head peeked out. Before anyone noticed, it quietly retreated back inside.

"Your Highness, you're not even as good-looking as me!"

Seeing Su Mochen glare at her, Guizhi realized she had misspoke and quickly waved her hands, "No, it's that she's prettier than you! Oh, no, it's just... anyway, she's not pretty!"

Su Mochen didn't believe her either. He pulled a small corner open and peeked outside, then glared at Guizhi: "Isn't this pretty? How much prettier do you want it to be?"

But inwardly he cursed: That bastard…

Seeing that Jing Zhe actually pleaded with Emperor An for a woman, Zhu Xinning was quite jealous, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily pouted.

Emperor An hadn't expected Jing Zhe to be such a romantic. He thought it wouldn't hurt to have another woman on board and was about to agree when Zhang Xiaoyu tugged at Jing Zhe's arm and whispered, "No need, young master! I'm already very happy to have come here with you! I'll go home now, so you can go to the poetry gathering in peace!"

Zhang Xiaoyu was already satisfied that Jing Zhe had pleaded with Emperor An in front of so many people for her sake, and she didn't want to affect him any further. After saying goodbye, she prepared to leave.

But Jing Zhe stopped her, saying, "It's so late, how can anyone feel at ease letting a woman like you go back alone?"

He then pleaded with Emperor An, "Your Majesty, could you please have General Sui send a personal guard to escort her back?"

Emperor An thought for a moment, "Alright, and while you're at it, bring back a few jars of strong liquor from the Zhang family. How can a boat trip to admire the moon be complete without fine wine?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Then, Sui Shouren summoned several of his personal guards and sent Zhang Xiaoyu back.

Feeling cheated that someone would take several jars of strong liquor with them as a gift, Jing Zhe looked at Emperor An and asked, "Your Majesty, what about the cost of the liquor...?"

Although it's said to be doing business with the royal family, Jing Zhe has never seen a single penny of the royal family's money. He won't allow anyone to get something for nothing.

Emperor An immediately glared at him, "I didn't even ask you for the two thousand taels of silver you extorted from Wu Yong, and after drinking a few jars of strong liquor from you, you're still thinking about asking me for money?"

"Uh~"

Jing Zhe scratched his head, "Your Majesty misunderstood. I originally wanted to say that the cost of the wine should be waived, but since Your Majesty brought it up, this humble subject must have a proper explanation!"

"That two thousand taels of silver was compensation for the government's seizure of the Zhang family's property and the delay in the production of the spirits. It wasn't stolen or robbed; it came from a legitimate source, and it didn't end up in my pocket. Spirits are a royal business, and transactions should be conducted according to regulations. Taking things casually would easily break the rules. Therefore, if His Majesty doesn't want to pay for these few jars of spirits today, this humble subject will pay!"

Jing Zhe said generously.

"..."

Emperor An was stunned for a moment. He wanted to expose him several times, but he held back in the end. He thought to himself, "When did I, a dignified emperor, have the mindset to argue with such a rogue?"

Yes, at this time, in Emperor An's eyes, Jing Zhe was like a rogue, only not so annoying.

He thought to himself, "Never mind. I'll need him to write lyrics when we board the ship. I can teach him a lesson later when he enters the palace!"

Having made up his mind, Emperor An waved his hand and said with a wry smile, "I don't need you to pay for me. If word gets out, people will think that such a large royal family is short of your little bit of money!"

Jing Zhe beamed with joy: "Your Majesty is right! That's what I think too!"

"..."

Those around them exchanged bewildered glances, thinking to themselves, "One dares to give, and the other dares to take."

Only Zhu Xinning pursed her lips, thinking of the child who used to chase after her mother for money after her New Year's money was taken away, and who was beaten but still wouldn't give up. She couldn't help but smile: The greedy habit is still there. This is indeed my Zhe'er!

But thinking of Mr. and Mrs. Jing makes me feel sad.

Zhe'er has come to Jingzhou. Are they doing alright, left alone in Pengzhou?

Then she thought of her current mother—the Zhu family's mother. If her mother were here, why would she force her to get married?

His eyes became somewhat dim.

The two guards were quick and returned in no time, bringing ten jars of strong liquor. Jing Zhe quickly jotted them down in his mental notebook, intending to ask Emperor An for the money later.

At this moment, Emperor An got up and began to prepare to board the ship.

When Jing Zhe turned around, he realized that the cloak that had been standing behind him had disappeared. He immediately understood why Wang Yingqiu had told everyone to rest for a while. This time was probably to allow Su Mochen to board the ship first.

It seems unlikely that Su Mochen will show up at tonight's poetry gathering. Will she find it boring, given her love of excitement?

Outside the back gate of Wuxian Garden is a man-made riverbank. At this moment, a large boat made up of six painted boats is quietly moored on the shore. The boats are dimly lit, and you can vaguely see young women dressed in white Wuxian Pavilion uniforms holding pipa and playing guzheng. The sounds of silk and bamboo instruments are carried by the breeze.

Every sound is captivating and moving.

————