Just past noon, the Moon Gazing Pavilion was already showing signs of being too crowded to hold everyone.

Normally, after noon, even though Wangyuelou is the best restaurant in the capital, it is no exception and becomes empty. After all, once the mealtime is over, no matter how good the restaurant is, no one needs it!

News of Liang Jiugong's power spread very quickly, and scholars, more or less, felt that their talents were not being recognized, so they all wanted to come and join in the fun.

It's fine to join in the fun, but the restaurant is only so big, and if too many people come, it will naturally become noisy.

"What's going on? Why is it so noisy?"

Liang Jiugong: "Your Majesty, quite a few scholars have arrived in the main hall downstairs. They all want to join in the fun and exchange a few words with acquaintances. With so many people, it's naturally getting a bit noisy."

Kangxi understood and said to Yinzhen, "This is your restaurant, you go and solve this problem."

As for how to resolve it, Kangxi didn't say; he gave his son a chance to prove himself.

Upon hearing this, Yinzhen accepted the order and left the private room.

About fifteen minutes later, the restaurant quieted down, and Yinzhen came up.

What did you do?

Although he had confidence in his son, he was a bit too hasty. It had only been a short time since he left, but the once noisy hall had suddenly become quiet. Kangxi was curious about what method he had used to do it.

"Your Majesty, I simply had the manager set up a separate competition venue outside the door. There are limited spots available, so I'm giving them a chance to practice their writing and get a feel for it. Besides, we can't have everyone come for the competition later, so we'll weed out those who are just trying to get by first, which will make the competition easier later."

Kangxi nodded, quite satisfied. This son had indeed not disappointed him: "Well done, sit down and wait!"

Tong Cheng'er watched this unfold and was somewhat impressed by the Fourth Prince's efficiency. If the maids around her could be as efficient and effective, she felt she could live a comfortable life and die peacefully.

What a pity! It's such a shame that such a brilliant mind doesn't belong to her maid.

Yinzhen paid special attention to Tong Cheng'er, so even though her scrutinizing gaze was extremely subtle, Yinzhen still noticed and felt it. Then he felt strange. What was that look in her eyes? What was there to regret? What did he have to regret?

This left him completely bewildered and utterly clueless.

It was still early before 3:45 PM, so Kangxi had a chessboard brought over: "Xuewen, do you know how to play chess?"

"Your Majesty, this servant knows a little about it."

"Play a game with me."

"yes."

Being with the emperor, even though there were other people in the private room, made Tong Cheng'er feel extremely uncomfortable. She couldn't move around or speak freely, which made her feel suffocated.

Emperor Kangxi and Tong Xuewen were engrossed in their game of chess. Tong Xuewen was quite skilled at chess, and while Kangxi wasn't bad at it either, as an emperor, he had too many other things to attend to, so his chess skills were only considered decent. The two were evenly matched.

After finishing the game of chess, Kangxi narrowly won.

Emperor Kangxi ordered the chessboard to be taken away, and then exclaimed, "The younger generation is truly formidable; they played very well."

"It is your humble servant who has made a fool of himself."

Kangxi noticed that the room was quiet and realized that he had been so engrossed in playing that he had left everyone waiting.

"It's almost time, Xuewen, go and get ready!"

Tong Xuewen then took his leave, and Tong Cheng'er and Shu Yu naturally followed him.

The three of them breathed a sigh of relief as they left the private room.

Even though it wasn't the first time Tong Cheng'er had met Kangxi, she was still nervous. The emperor's majesty was indeed suffocating.

The three of them exchanged glances, and then Tong Cheng'er said, "Second Brother, would you like to read for a while?"

Tong Xuewen shook his head with a smile: "What books would I have to read? Are you out of your mind?"

Tong Cheng'er: It seems so.

The three of them returned to the private room, and considering its soundproofing, they didn't talk much anymore.

Anyway, Tong Cheng'er was really scared. What kind of luck did she have? This was the third time she had come to Wangyue Tower. She had run into Emperor Kangxi twice and met the Fourth Prince three times. She felt that she had an inextricable karmic connection with this restaurant.

She will definitely never come to this restaurant again, no matter who invites her; she'd rather die than come.

This is incredibly bizarre.

Emperor Kangxi sent Liang Jiugong to deliver the message. Not only did the scholars in the capital receive the news, but Zhang Ying himself also heard it. He never expected that someone would use his name as a pretext and create such a big commotion.

Having risen to such a high position, and with no shortage of sons in his family, he knew that the Emperor was wary of officials of Han Chinese origin. He dared not take on any disciples, let alone make such a grand display.

When Zhang Ying heard the steward report this matter, his first reaction was whether his political enemies were trying to get rid of him. He was afraid that this matter would reach the ears of Emperor Kangxi, so he immediately sent someone to Wangyue Tower to investigate.

Since Kangxi used his name, he wouldn't hide it from him. When Liang Jiugong told him that Zhang Ying had sent people to investigate, he asked Liang Jiugong to tell him the whole story. After Zhang Ying learned about it from the steward, he changed into some light clothes and went to Wangyue Tower.

Since it's His Majesty, then there's nothing to worry about. He'll go see if His Majesty has any plans.

As a loyal subject, if you want to do well in the court, you must have a basic understanding of the Emperor's mind.

Although His Majesty's actions were a bit "flashy," he is His Majesty.

Zhang Ying not only couldn't be angry, but he also had to be grateful, since it was an honor for him as a subject that His Majesty needed him.

Forget about the integrity of scholars; that won't get you promoted. Besides, integrity is for colleagues to see. His Majesty needs ministers who can share his burdens, not scholars with integrity.

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