Chapter 27

That night, Prince Yu still came to Rong Rong's room, but in order to avoid him, Rong Rong went to bed early.

Prince Yu smiled faintly, knowing that he had bullied her too much before. He took the rare care to dispel the chill brought back by the late night before walking to the bedside and lying down, pulling Rong Rong into his arms.

Despite his high position and long-standing loneliness, Prince Yu experienced warmth this year, filling his hardened heart for the first time.

However, behind the happiness always made Prince Yu uneasy. This unease did not come from the love potion, but from Du Shaofeng.

This was something that Prince Yu's long-standing, keen intuition had told him.

Prince Yu subconsciously tightened his arms around her, as if afraid that the person in his arms would disappear. Rong Rong shook her head uncomfortably, changed her position, and continued to sleep soundly.

After that, Prince Yu did not disturb Rong Rong's rest for many days, and Rong Rong gradually relaxed her vigilance towards Prince Yu.

Once she settled down, she started thinking about how to contact Du Shaofeng. It would be difficult for her to run into Du Shaofeng if she left the manor blindly. Moreover, since the last time, Prince Yu had started to restrict Rong Rong from leaving the manor.

In this way, it would be best for Rong Rong to see Du Shaofeng as soon as she goes out, because there are no more opportunities for her to try her luck.

Rong Rong rested her chin on her hand, frowning, and fiddled with the teacup in front of her. Qingluo, who served Rong Rong every day, saw through Rong Rong's thoughts.

The master wants to leave the manor; the master is very bored, and we must relieve the master's worries.

Qingluo quickly came up with a topic, "Tomorrow is the day when the scholars who passed the imperial examinations gather at Hefeng Tower every three years for a debate."

"Not only will renowned scholars attend the event, but also many officials, ladies, young masters, and gentlemen will be there. It will be incredibly lively!"

"Why doesn't Your Highness go and take a look?"

"Oh?" Rong Rong looked up abruptly, her eyes bright. "A lot of people will be going?"

Rong Rong emphasized the pronunciation of "many people" in her speech. What she really wanted to ask was whether Du Shaofeng would also be there. But she couldn't say it out loud, because there were Prince Yu's spies everywhere in this courtyard.

"Don't worry, Your Highness, they will all go!"

This was a grand event held before the imperial examinations. On the one hand, it allowed talented scholars from all over the country to get to know each other, and on the other hand, it allowed high-ranking officials in the court to scout out outstanding talents in advance. If they found someone satisfactory, the great scholars would even take him as their disciple on the spot.

This debate was a rare opportunity for the candidates to make a name for themselves, and they made preparations well in advance before heading to the capital for the exam.

In addition, ladies and young women would also secretly come to the scene to observe, and the debate could be seen as another form of "choosing a son-in-law from among the successful candidates."

After listening to Qingluo's introduction, Rongrong was filled with anticipation.

Would Du Shaofeng, who wants to recruit fresh blood to counter the power of Prince Yu, give up such a rare opportunity to select talent?

“He will definitely go!” Rong Rong whispered to 666.

The next day, Rong Rong got ready early and, taking advantage of Prince Yu's absence, led Qingluo and the others straight to the gate.

"Your Highness, the Prince has instructed you not to go out."

Just as she was about to step out of the courtyard, the guards standing at the gate stretched out their arms and blocked Rong Rong's way.

"Get out of the way!" Rong Rong shouted angrily, glaring at the guard. She didn't stop and went straight for the guard's arm.

The guard was startled and quickly withdrew his arm, allowing Rong Rong to walk out of the courtyard without any hindrance.

"Your Highness!" The guard exclaimed anxiously and hurriedly caught up.

Before anyone could say another word, Rong Rong coldly snorted, "If you say another word, the prince will chop off your head!"

Her usually gentle face darkened, and her stunning beauty added to the majesty of her angry expression, causing the guards to freeze in place, not daring to move an inch.

Besides being intimidated by Rong Rong's imposing presence, the guards were even more afraid of the content of Rong Rong's words.

Everyone in the Prince's mansion used to know that the Prince was like a living Yama, and was the most dangerous person to offend.

But now that the princess has arrived, everyone's opinion has changed. They would rather offend the prince than offend the princess.

Offending the prince might offer a chance of survival, but offending the princess would almost certainly mean certain death.

Thus, the guards dared not stop Rong Rong any longer and could only jog behind her, their faces filled with unease.

Rong Rong ignored him and walked towards the gate. Soon, a very comical scene unfolded in the Prince's Garden.

A stunningly beautiful woman, seemingly a goddess descended to earth, walked through a lush garden, followed by a string of tall, burly guards, all bowing and sweating profusely.

One moment they were whispering persuasion, the next they were pleading bitterly, and then they were desperately begging for mercy. It was both heartbreaking and funny to watch.

Unfortunately, the goddess in front of her was very cold-hearted and refused to stop for even a moment, her face expressionless.

This scene continued until they were close to the gate of the Prince's Mansion. Just when Rong Rong was about to leave the mansion smoothly, before she could even feel happy, Ping An suddenly led several people in from outside the gate and came straight to meet Rong Rong.

Rong Rong's heart tightened, but she remained calm on the surface, her gaze unwavering, trying to force the other party back.

As the two drew closer, Rong Rong was ready to explode in anger, but Ping An suddenly smiled, lowered his head, and stepped aside, saying, "Your Highness, let me accompany you."

I understand, it's what Prince Yu means.

Rong Rong snorted and walked straight past Ping An out of the palace gate. Ping An waved away the guards behind Rong Rong and turned to follow her with his men.

Hefenglou is the largest restaurant in Zhucheng. In previous years, all the candidates who came to take the imperial examinations would scramble to stay there.

Countless scholars have emerged from Hefenglou, including many top-ranking scholars (Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua). To bring good fortune and to make connections with talented individuals, Hefenglou naturally became a highly sought-after establishment.

The debate tournament held at Hefenglou has been held for five sessions, and countless talents have become famous here.

This was the most glorious day for Hefenglou.

To avoid attracting attention, Rong Rong and her group arrived very early, when there were hardly any people in the building.

Under the respectful guidance of the innkeeper, Rong Rong entered the room with the best view on the second floor.

This room was originally reserved for someone else, but as soon as Hefenglou heard that the Prince Yu's Mansion was coming, they quickly arranged to give the room to the Prince Yu. The original owner of the room did not say anything and was very amiable, showing no trace of his usual arrogance.

The innkeeper thought he was going to receive the Prince Yu himself, but instead he met a beautiful woman wearing a veil.

The shopkeeper boldly guessed that this was Princess Yu, and he was instantly overjoyed.

Princess Yu is a living advertisement, and she will definitely bring more topics and attention to Hefeng Tower.

Hefeng Tower has three floors. Although it is not the tallest building in Zhucheng, it is still quite prominent.

The third floor is for accommodation, while the first and second floors are entirely for dining. In addition, the building also has several courtyards, which can also be used for long-term residence.

With the autumn imperial examinations approaching, the three floors and courtyard of Hefeng Tower were already filled with examinees, and they were naturally the first to arrive at the debate.

The conference was held in the lobby on the first floor. In the middle of the lobby was a circular platform, which was usually used for storytelling performances. Today, it was used for speeches.

On the left side of the platform stands a long, rectangular table with the Four Treasures of the Study (writing brush, ink stick, inkstone, and paper) on it.

Below the platform, round tables were arranged all around, with snacks, fruits, tea and water all served on them.

When Rong Rong arrived, there were only a few people below, but after a cup of tea, the area was full of people.

Even in the rooms on the second floor, people gradually began to appear.