Xiao Yong and Baili Xin calmed down and looked at the man. It turned out to be a city patrol guard.
Xiao Yong released Chen Fu's ankle and gave Baili Xin a look, signaling him not to move for the time being.
"Hey, isn't this Brother Sun? Don't you recognize me? It's me!" Xiao Yong put on a smiling face, walked up to the city patrol guard, pulled him, and took two steps to the side.
The two men murmured for a few words, and the patrol officer changed his tone and said gently, "Forgive my poor eyesight. It was too dark just now and I didn't recognize you. Mr. Xiao, please do as you please. I will continue my patrol."
After the patrol officer finished speaking, he leaned over and said to Chen Fu, "Don't hang around when you're drunk. Look how much more you're causing your friends to suffer!"
Immediately afterwards, the city patrol guards left with torches.
"Don't go!" Chen Fu was stunned for a moment.
“Help…”
Chen Fu's cries were soon drowned out by the night.
A "splash" sound of falling into the water was heard, and Chen Fu's voice stopped completely.
After a cup of tea, Baili Xin took a bamboo pole and pulled Chen Fu out of the water.
Chen Fu was like a drowned rat and no longer had the strength to scream.
"How is it, Mr. Chen, are your clothes clean now?" Xiao Yong asked with a smile while sitting on the shore.
Chen Fu lay weakly on the ground, spitting out water in big gulps.
"If you don't say anything, it means you think the clothes are not clean enough!" Baili Xindao said.
"Cough cough cough..." Chen Fu wanted to speak but was choked by the water. He waved his hands anxiously.
After coughing for a long time, he raised his purple face and said, "No, no, no! It's clean! Very clean!"
Xiao Yong and Baili Xin covered their mouths and laughed so hard that their shoulders twitched.
Zhu Qi waited in the inn all night, but Chen Fu, Baili Xin, Xiao Yong and others did not come back. Later, he could not hold on any longer and fell asleep.
The next morning, Zhu Qi went downstairs to have breakfast and bumped into Chen Fu.
"Chen Fu, what's wrong with you?" Zhu Qi asked in surprise.
Chen Fu's clothes were all wrinkled and he exuded a sour smell.
Looking at his face again, it was dark and yellow, with two big dark circles under his eyes, as if he had not slept all night.
When Chen Fu discovered that the person opposite him was Zhu Qi, he was frightened all over.
"Chen Fu, where did you go last night? What about the robe incident?" Zhu Qi looked confused.
Chen Fu waved his hands out of the shadows and mumbled, "It's okay, it's okay! The robe is solved!"
Having said that, he picked up his robe and ran back to his room.
Zhu Qi scratched his head. "What happened? What did Xiao Yong and Baili Xin do to him?"
…
At this time, the streets were bustling with noise.
The waiters at Tianxiang Restaurant took a gong and started beating it on the street.
He shouted, "Welcome to the Lanting Club! Students can attend for free, and the winner will receive a prize of 100 taels of silver!"
There were many students preparing for the imperial examinations staying in the inns on both sides of the street. When they heard the noise, they curiously opened the windows and looked down.
"Little brother! What are you talking about? There's a two hundred taels of silver prize for winning?"
A curious student leaned out of the window and asked.
"Yes, tell me, what exactly happened?" someone echoed.
The waiter who had been beating the gong immediately stopped the gong and, looking up, replied, "Our boss is kindhearted and appreciates scholars the most, so he has organized a Lanting gathering for everyone to exchange calligraphy, poetry, and other things."
"If you win the top three places in the Lanting Club competition, our boss will pay out of his own pocket to give them bonuses. The first place prize will be three hundred taels of silver, the second place one hundred taels, and the third place fifty taels."
"The Lanting Festival consists of three competitions: calligraphy, poetry, and couplet writing. The top three in each competition will receive a prize."
As soon as the waiter introduced the settings of the Lanting Club, a huge noise immediately sounded on both sides of the street, and the students began to discuss it excitedly.
"That is to say, nine people who participate in the Lanting Club will receive prizes!"
"Let's go, maybe we can win a prize!"
"With so many students, it's not that easy to get the prize money!"
Some highly educated students immediately showed great interest.
Most of the students come from humble backgrounds, and the prize money is extremely attractive to them.
Even the bottom prize of fifty taels of silver is an amount that an average family cannot earn in a year.
However, there are also a large number of students with average academic qualifications who believe that they will definitely not be able to get the prize based on their level, so they are not very willing to go.
Seeing this, the waiter looked up and shouted, "Even if you don't win the prize, you can still enjoy free refreshments! Admission is free, and the tea and snacks are all free!"
After the waiter said this, the students who originally didn't want to go changed their minds.
"Since admission is free and there are free refreshments, why not go and join in the fun!"
"Yeah, even if we don't win the prize, we can still join in the fun! Just think of it as a free snack!"
The students all expressed their desire to join in the fun.
At this time, Zhu Qi leaned against the window, looking downstairs silently, as if thinking about something.
"Zhu Qi, there will be a Lanting meeting tomorrow night. Are you going?" asked a student named Wei Chong who shared the same room with him.
Zhu Qi's eyes rolled: "Go!"
Wei Chong said loudly: "Okay! Let's go together when the time comes!"
…
Prince's Mansion.
Xia Miaoyuan pestered the prince to tell her stories last night and didn't go to bed until very late. Today, she slept until noon before getting up.
The maids gently washed her, changed her into a pink dress, and combed her hair into a double bun.
"You were clamoring to go shopping yesterday, but you got up so late today!" The prince joked as he looked at his sleepy sister.
Just then, the prince's guard Awen walked in. When he reached the door, he looked at Xia Miaoyuan who was sitting on the couch rubbing his eyes, and stopped again.
The prince waved to the maids, asking them to leave, and then called Awen in.
"The little princess is still just a baby, just say it." The prince said lightly.
Upon hearing this, Ah Wen reported, "Tianxiang Restaurant is hosting a Lanting Club tomorrow night. Students are invited to attend for free. Those who place in the top three in each round of the competition will receive a prize."
The prince asked, "What are the students' reactions? Are there many who are interested?"
Ah Wen frowned. "A lot, a lot. They heard there were free refreshments and a chance to win a prize, so they all clamored to go."
"Oh? It seems they are really restless!" The prince murmured, waving his hand to let Awen leave.
[Wow! Back to the Lanting Club! Yao Jinse and Liang Chaozong are such a creative couple!]
[The free teahouses and free meals before, and now the Lanting Club, are all aimed at recruiting talent.]
What Xia Miaoyuan was thinking was exactly what the prince was thinking.
Both the brother and sister became worried.
Previously, free tea stalls and free meals had little effect and were not a big deal, but the current Lanting Club has attracted many students.
If Liang Chaozong managed to attract talents with the help of the Lanting Society, wouldn’t it be a serious loss to the court!
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