The shopkeeper glanced at the sparsely decorated poetry wall outside the door, sighed, and agreed: "That's right, it was just a stroke of luck. It's just putting up a poetry wall, trying to curry favor with someone powerful, it's not like anyone can't do that."

A single sentence awakened me from my reverie.

The owner of Shuhaige said, "Yes, yes, yes, we must find a way to get to know that Young Master Nantang. I heard that Zhang Hanlin and others are trying to get to know him, and those noble ladies are copying his poems. Once Shen Changle publishes his poetry collections one after another, I'm afraid he will become famous throughout the capital. At that time, it will be even more difficult to befriend him."

The shopkeeper looked distressed.

"I heard that Princess Fuyun personally inquired with the Lady of Dingbei and said that this person dislikes seeing people. After instructing Scholar Qin on poetry this year, he will not come out to see guests or friends for a whole year. Scholar Qin is also the Lady of Dingbei's cousin. How could Young Master Nantang join forces with us?"

The owner of Shuhaige disagreed.

"Isn't it said that this person is a good friend of Mr. Songshan? Mr. Songshan used to tell stories in the Wazi, and was invited back to the Dingbei Marquis's mansion to tell stories. Unexpectedly, he turned out to be a talented person, so he stayed at the Dingbei Marquis's mansion. That's how Sixth Master Gu and the others got to know Young Master Nantang. If we can find a way to befriend Mr. Songshan, we can also get in touch with Young Master Nantang."

The shopkeeper was having second thoughts.

"We have signs here too..."

Before he could finish speaking, the owner of Shuhai Pavilion interrupted him: "We couldn't even beat them in our challenge, so what's the point of saying all this? Shuhai Pavilion has been writing essays for many years, are we really inferior to them? Those people admire Young Master Nantang's poems not only because they are good, but also because his poems have been praised by the Emperor. Otherwise, why do you think Princess Fuyun and the others would try to find out information?"

The shopkeeper suddenly realized: "You mean..."

The owner of Shuhai Pavilion nodded. "You only saw that Empress Lin betrothed Princess Fuyun to Zhang Hanlin, who came from a humble background, but you forgot that Princess Fuyun is the younger sister of Prince Qi. Did Princess Fuyun inquire about the young master of Nantang just for Zhang Hanlin? I'm afraid it's more for His Highness Prince Qi."

The shopkeeper's eyes widened as he pressed, "Is Princess Fuyun searching for talented individuals for His Highness Prince Qi?"

The owner of Shuhai Pavilion nodded and said, "Prince Qi has many ministers. These people previously sided with the late Empress and the late Crown Prince, and most of them came from aristocratic families. Prince Qi's maternal family has declined and can no longer exert its influence. Furthermore, the Emperor has been suppressing aristocratic families, so they have been lying low. Now, Empress Lin's marriage of Princess Fuyun to Zhang Hanlin seems to be another way of suppressing Prince Qi, but in reality, it is a bad move. It has given His Highness Prince Qi an opportunity to win over scholars from humble backgrounds. Zhang Hanlin is from Jiangxi, and the current Grand Secretary is also from Jiangxi. Moreover, how many Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) have been produced in Jiangxi in recent years? They have a Jiangxi hometown association and have formed a secret alliance, which is quite powerful."

The shopkeeper gave a thumbs-up and sighed, "It has to be you. How could we fools see things clearly?"

The owner of Shuhai Pavilion laughed and said, "You are all so focused on doing business, how would you know about these matters of the court? I only came to understand this after being enlightened by a few friends."

These friends were naturally high-ranking officials in the imperial court who passed the imperial examinations at the same time as him.

The shopkeeper flattered her a few times, then asked, "Is it because Marquis Dingbei is unwilling to bet on Prince Qi that Princess Fuyun couldn't get any information about Young Master Nantang?"

The owner of Shuhai Pavilion laughed and said, "I don't know about that. It's just that the relationship between Marquis Dingbei and His Highness Prince Qi is too deep. No matter how much we try to avoid it, that person won't feel at ease."

He then put away his folding fan and pointed upwards.

This refers to the current emperor.

The shopkeeper was taken aback.

"No way, isn't the Marquis of Dingbei highly valued? He's the one who oversees the important matters of the capital inspection."

"You people are only seeing the surface. What kind of merits did the Marquis of Dingbei establish? He wasn't even granted the title of Duke. The important matter of the capital inspection was just that the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers were unwilling to marry their eldest daughters to the Crown Prince, thus offending the Emperor. The Emperor used him as a tool."

The shopkeeper gasped.

"The entire household of the Marquis of Dingbei, no matter what..."

"That's where his folly lies. A wise person knows that nurturing an enemy is a way to maintain one's own importance. He drove away the Yelü clan, and with no more war in the north, who would value him? Besides, he grew up with the former crown prince, so many people don't trust him at all."

The owner of Shuhaige was in high spirits and opened his folding fan, shaking it.

The shopkeeper looked at him with admiration: "He really needs to read more books. Military officers just don't think things through enough."

The owner of Shuhai Pavilion laughed and said, "We only care about money and don't concern ourselves with these trivial matters. It's actually a good thing that Young Master Nantang doesn't like socializing. He doesn't have deep ties with any of the various factions and only relies on his poetic talent to gain fame. If we get on his good side, we can naturally stay with him for a long time."

The shopkeeper said with a bitter face, "I'm afraid they won't agree to our request easily."

The owner of Shuhai Pavilion said solemnly, "Since ancient times, wealth has been a powerful motivator. Even those who dislike gold and silver have their weaknesses. Furthermore, most of these people who dislike entering officialdom do not care about important political affairs. As long as we find Mr. Songshan and explain the situation of the Marquis's mansion, they will stay away from the Marquis's mansion or leave themselves a way out in order to protect themselves."

The implication is that Shuhai Pavilion is the backup plan for Young Master Nantang and Mr. Songshan.

If they do not want to be firmly tied to the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion and the Prince of Qi, they should accept the invitation from Shuhai Pavilion.

The shopkeeper looked at him with admiration and said with a smile, "Sir, you are truly brilliant."

The owner of Shuhai Pavilion proudly shook his fan and laughed, "Although I have never served as an official in the court, I still have some strategic acumen."

The shopkeeper flattered, "If you were to enter the court, there would be no place for these people to stand."

The owner of Shuhaige chuckled a few times, then changed the subject, asking, "Is the revolving lantern in front of our gate ready for the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration, so that the people from the Five Cities Garrison won't come to urge us?"

The shopkeeper said, "The people from the Five Cities Garrison are coming and going, checking household registrations and merchant registrations. Now they want us to put up lamps in front of the shop, saying that if the street appearance is not neat, they will have to replace them. It's really troublesome."

"The Empress Dowager has always kept things simple. She only celebrated her birthday once this year, and it happened to coincide with the Mid-Autumn Festival, so it's not much of a hassle. If we put in a little more effort and make it a good one, not only will the Five City Garrison Command appreciate our efforts, but the Prefectural Governor's Office will also appreciate our efforts."

The shopkeeper immediately said, "Then why don't we go and invite the Nine Lotus Lanterns back?"

The owner of Shuhaige pondered for a moment and said, "If there is enough time, then we should go and invite them. I suddenly have an idea. Let's get some nice lanterns and have a poetry contest at the entrance of the shop. The top three will give away the most expensive lantern in the shop... Let's use the theme of watching the lanterns on the Empress Dowager's birthday. Haha, I'm afraid Shen Changle will not be able to beat us this time."

The shopkeeper rolled his eyes, clapped his hands, and said, "Brilliant! Let's invite some court officials to help us out. If we can get Young Master Nantang and Mr. Songshan to come, this poetry collection will sell like hotcakes! This method is excellent. The Empress Dowager and the Emperor will remember us. Shen Changle's happiness won't last long."