Chapter 2 That is His Highness the Crown Prince
When Gao Han returned, his back was soaked with sweat; he was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat.
The moment he saw Ye Jieyuan, he almost couldn't help but kneel down.
How could that face look so similar?
Not only does he resemble that one, but he also bears a striking resemblance to the one in the Golden Palace.
Could it be a descendant of one of the two who was left behind abroad?
That can't be right. He just asked both openly and subtly. Ye Jieyuan was born and raised in Qinghe County, and the farthest place he has ever been is Qingyang Prefecture.
Ye Jieyuan's mother was just an ordinary peasant woman.
The two people mentioned above had never been to Qingyang more than a decade ago.
That's really strange.
Gao Han began to doubt whether he had seen it wrong. He had only met those two once, and only from a distance. He really didn't know what they looked like.
But the first impression he got of Ye Jianshan was that it was as if the younger version of him had come directly to him; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so frightened that his legs went weak and he knelt down.
But Gao Han still wrote a letter overnight, saying that he would have someone send it back to the capital the next time they landed, so as to tell his master about this discovery as soon as possible. Maybe the Gao family patriarch knew some inside information.
The most important thing is that if there really is some blood connection, wouldn't Gao Han have caught their eye with that?
Unexpectedly, he was nearly fifty years old and still had such an opportunity. We should treat Ye Jieyuan well along the way. Regardless of whether he is or not, his achievement of passing the imperial examination and taking first place within three years shows that he will definitely not be ordinary in the future.
Making friends with him wouldn't hurt.
Even Master Wen found it a bit strange that Gao Han was so kind to Ye Jianshan. When he came to Ye Jianshan's place, he asked if Ye Jianshan had any connection with Gao Han.
Ye Jianshan was completely bewildered. He really didn't know Master Gao, and he even thought the old man was a pervert.
Ye Jianshan, with a pained expression, said hesitantly, "Uncle Wen, can you tell your nephew about that Master Gao? I've been studying in my room lately, and Master Gao has come in several times to try and find out about my family. You know about my family; my maternal grandfather was a butcher who supported us, and my father was an orphan who died before I was born. Why is he so curious about the Ye family?"
Ye Jianshan really didn't understand why Master Gao was so interested in his ordinary background.
Master Wen was also baffled: "Don't even mention it. He asked me about your family's affairs, just like you said. I don't know why he's asking about this. Your eldest uncle is the only official in your family. Did he meet Lord Gao before?"
Ye Jianshan shook his head: "My eldest uncle is just a constable. The farthest he's ever been is to take my mother and me to the prefectural city for the exam. How could he possibly have met a high-ranking official from the capital?"
Master Wen said, “Then I’m puzzled. Just stay in your room and take the exam. Your third uncle and I will handle the rest. Don’t worry about anything else. We have a clean background. I’ll have Wenzhang come over to keep you company. Call him if you need anything.”
Master Wen still wanted to curry favor with Ye Jianshan. His son was useless, but Ye Jianshan was successful, so he, as the uncle, would also benefit. Therefore, Ye Jianshan must not be allowed to get into trouble.
Forget about tall or short people, they're all outsiders.
Ye Jianshan felt much more at ease after hearing his words: "Thank you for taking care of me, Uncle Wen. With Wenzhang by my side, I feel more at ease."
Wen Wenzhang's sense of responsibility instantly kicked in. He was already bored on the boat, but his father found him something to do, and he immediately perked up. He followed Ye Jianshan around inside and out, and even studied with him. This made Master Wen extremely happy.
The ship stopped for a day to load cargo in Qingyang Prefecture, and then headed north until it finally caught sight of the capital city half a month later.
"We've finally arrived."
Ye Jianshan came out and stretched on the deck.
Wen Wenzhang was in no mood to come out. He called out from afar, "Stop looking! Hurry up and pack up, we need to disembark!"
He's been so bored these past few days.
Ye Jianshan responded, "Understood."
He had already packed his things.
At this moment, Gao Han came over and said, "Has Ye Jieyuan found a place to stay while preparing for the exam? The weather is getting colder and the conditions at the guild hall are not good. Why don't you stay at my residence for a while?"
Ye Jianshan had already refused, but the old man was still persistent. Even with the protection of his third uncle, Uncle Wen, and Wen Wenzhang, the old man still managed to find an opportunity to get close to him and invite him to stay at his residence.
Ye Jianshan wasn't without money; his mother had given him a bundle containing silver notes, so he wasn't worried about finding a good place to stay.
"Thank you for your kindness, sir. Jianshan has already made arrangements, and I will visit him when I have the opportunity."
Of course, this is just polite talk; he won't actually come to your door on his own initiative.
He was really scared of this old man. He was nearly fifty years old and looked quite arrogant, so why did he turn into a sycophant when he saw him?
Ye Jianshan looks in the mirror every day and doubts his own appearance.
He knew he was likable, but he didn't want that kind of liking.
Wen Wenzhang rushed over as soon as he saw Gao Han approaching Ye Jianshan. When he arrived and saw Gao Han looking dejected, he knew what had happened. Standing in front of Ye Jianshan, he said apologetically, "Sir, we will settle things in Jianshan before we go back. Please don't worry."
Stop inviting people to stay at our house. It's already like this. Once he and his father are gone, only poor Ye Jianshan will be left.
If they fall into Gao Han's hands, they'll be left with no one to turn to for help.
Gao Han walked away dejectedly, his hands behind his back.
He has already received a reply from the capital. The Gao family's main branch did not expect Gao Han to encounter such a thing, but it is definitely a good thing.
After all, everyone knows that the current emperor dotes on the crown prince. Even though the crown prince is a romantic who has stayed with his deceased wife and refuses to remarry, and has no children, the emperor still refuses to appoint any other princes.
Moreover, the Crown Prince's abilities far surpassed those of the other princes.
How can it not be surprising to suddenly see a young man who looks exactly like the Crown Prince?
This might be the bloodline of the Crown Prince who was separated from his family when he was young.
Wasn't the Emperor worried that the Crown Prince had no son? This Imperial Grandson has delivered himself to the Emperor's doorstep.
Even if they aren't the crown prince's children, they're still connected to the royal family.
Therefore, the Gao family repeatedly urged them to maintain a good relationship with Ye Jianshan.
As it turns out, Gao Han seems to have messed things up. Ye Jianshan avoids him whenever he sees him, and the invitation to stay at his residence has also fallen through.
Gao Han didn't understand what she had done wrong.
In Ye Jianshan's eyes, he hadn't done anything right.
As soon as the boat docked, Ye Lei led Ye Jianshan off the boat. A carriage was already prepared. Ye Jianshan turned to thank Master Wen and said, "Uncle Wen, I live at the Qingyang Guild Hall. You can come find me when you're done with your work."
"Okay, be careful on your journey. Let Shuanzi take you there. We'll go after we unload the goods."
"good."
They split into two groups, and by the time Gao Han discovered it, only the Wen family father and son remained on the boat; Ye Jianshan had already left.
Gao Han could only offer a disappointed explanation to the people who came to pick them up.
The person who came was furious. He hadn't expected Gao Han to be so useless, unable to even handle such a simple matter.
It seems that Ye Jieyuan had already noticed the anomaly and was on guard.
"Let's go back first. You didn't offend him, did you?"
Gao Han explained, "No, it's just that I kept talking to him and disturbed his studies, which was a bit annoying."
Gao Han had already realized it, but there was nothing she could do. Things had already come to that point, and she couldn't just abandon Ye Jianshan and leave him to his fate.
"Forget it, let's go back first. He's staying at the clubhouse?"
"Yes, Qingyang Guild Hall. I've never even heard of such a place in the capital."
Gao Han didn't understand why she would rather stay in such a poor-quality clubhouse than go back to his mansion with him.
"I'll bring some books and winter warmers to visit him tomorrow."
"OK."
So, the Gao family also took action.
The Gao family's actions also attracted the attention of some people, but no one paid much attention to them, assuming that they valued talent and wanted to buy shares in this promising young scholar.
Ye Jianshan was a well-known figure among the students taking the imperial examinations.
He was the youngest successful candidate in the imperial examinations, not to mention that he had ranked first in the previous examinations.
Who knows, their graduating class might produce a top scholar who achieves the highest score in all six levels and will be remembered in history.
Of course, there are always mountains beyond mountains and people beyond people. He is not the only one who is capable. The Cui family of Jiangnan also produced a sixteen-year-old Jieyuan (top scholar in the provincial examination), who may be able to compete with Ye Jianshan for the prestigious title of "Six Top Scholars".
Ye Jianshan had only just arrived at the entrance of the Qingyang Guild Hall when he became unaware that he had already become the subject of discussion among the students.
He looked at the dilapidated clubhouse with a sense of helplessness.
Ye Lei was also extremely worried: "Third Uncle, go find another place to rent. This place is too run-down."
Although it was also on a bustling street, they had just passed by the guild halls of two other major regions, both of which were incredibly grand, and they had assumed that the Qingyang Guild Hall would be the same.
Who knew the signboard at the entrance was almost falling off?
Shuanzi hesitated for a moment, but Ye Jianshan made the decision: "Let's go in and take a look first."
Stay if you can, leave if you can't.
While they hesitated at the door, the shopkeeper and waiter came out to greet them: "You're from Qingyang, right? Come in quickly. Don't be fooled by our shabby exterior, we're very well-equipped inside. We have everything you could want. Come and see for yourself if you don't believe me."
Ye Jianshan was pulled inside to take a look, and the conditions inside were indeed acceptable: "Are there any rooms available? We'd like two."
Ye Lei's expression relaxed. It was habitable and very clean, but the exterior was a bit unkempt.
"The signboard was damaged by the tree next to it yesterday because of the rain. The fallen tree was just cleared away, and the signboard hasn't been repaired yet. I'm sorry you had to see this."
With this explanation, Ye Jianshan and Ye Lei were completely relieved and knew they could stay.
"These are all empty rooms. Please choose whichever you prefer, sir. Which two rooms would you like to stay in with your young master? They've all been prepared."
Ye Jianshan and Ye Lei were both taken aback by what the shopkeeper said. Ye Lei smiled and said, "I am not a scholar, this is the one. He is only sixteen years old and has already become a scholar. I have never been to a private school, so I am not worthy of being called a scholar."
The innkeeper immediately realized who it was and was so happy he almost jumped for joy: "This young master must be Ye Jieyuan! I never expected the guild hall to have a Jieyuan from Qingyang staying here, truly..."
The innkeeper was so happy he almost cried. With Jie Yuanlai here, their guild hall would no longer be deserted; many people would surely come to stay.
"A sixteen-year-old scholar who has achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations is truly an eye-opener for this old man. Scholar Ye, please rest assured that you will stay here without paying any fees. All you need to do is write a couplet for the guild hall so that the Qingyang Guild Hall can benefit from your honor."
There's no problem with Ye Jianshan writing the inscription, but the accommodation fee still needs to be paid.
After a struggle, the shopkeeper finally gave in, but everything in the room was replaced with new ones, even the charcoal brazier. They had to take good care of this Ye Jieyuan, who was so promising at such a young age. He had achieved so much at only sixteen years old; it was as if he had been given a cheat code.
Who knows, their club might even become the top scholar's club this year.
After settling things in, Ye Jianshan and Ye Lei saw Shuanzi off, letting him drive the carriage back to pick up the Wen family father and son, while the two of them went out for a meal.
After finishing his meal, Ye Jianshan asked where the nearest library was, as he had almost used up the paper and ink he brought on the ship and needed to replenish them.
Moreover, he wanted to visit the bookstores in the capital to see how they differed from those in Qingyang.
Upon arriving at the bookstore, Ye Jianshan was delighted. The bookstore looked quite large: "Third Uncle, you can have some tea here. I'll come find you after I've finished shopping."
"OK."
Ye Lei also dislikes going to places like libraries, fearing he might get hurt and have to pay compensation, especially since books are expensive these days.
Ye Jianshan spent a long time browsing and discovered that the paper here was divided into many types, some of which even had patterns and fragrances, which broadened his horizons.
In the end, he only chose ordinary Xuan paper.
When I turned around after getting the ink, I accidentally bumped into someone and spilled some of the scattered ink from the shelf onto their shoes, leaving a black ink stain on their clean shoes.
Ye Jianshan quickly said, "I'm sorry."
He had barely finished speaking when the man exploded: "Are you blind? Can't you see there are people here? These are brand new shoes that I just made..."
Feng San was used to being arrogant. This time, he had come with the heir of the Marquis of Weiyuan, but he ended up being so humiliated. He lost face in front of the heir and immediately became aggressive in order to regain his dignity.
"What's wrong?"
A cool, questioning voice came from the other end of the bookshelf.
"Your Highness, this country bumpkin is blind and got ink on me."
Feng San immediately filed a complaint.
Ye Jianshan's face turned red as he was yelled at and people gradually gathered around him.
He apologized, and this person even called him a country bumpkin.
The clothes he wore were all handmade by his mother.
Ye Jianshan, who had initially intended to apologize and settle the matter peacefully, also became furious: "I've already apologized, now you want to apologize to me? You called me a country bumpkin! Apologize to me!"
Only then did Feng San turn his head to look at Ye Jianshan properly, but the moment he saw his face, his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground, trembling and unable to speak: "Madam, Madam, Prince..."
Ye Jianshan was so frightened by his movement that he took a step back, afraid that he would make a move.
He wasn't very strong, and he was only sixteen years old, not fully grown yet. The person in front of him was half a head taller and incredibly strong.
Ye Jianshan quickly made a decision in his mind.
A wise man knows when to yield; Ye Jianshan threw down his things and ran away.
We're all strangers who've just met, and this guy is so arrogant, he might be some rich kid. He's definitely a country bumpkin, better to avoid him than to mess with him.
Ye Jianshan ran away, and the onlookers gathered around and saw Feng San kneeling there alone, trembling. They were all very puzzled.
The heir of the Marquis of Weiyuan also came over, only to see a figure dart out and run away before he could see who it was. He looked down and noticed Feng San, who was kneeling in a ball and didn't dare to lift his head.
"Why are you kneeling down for no reason? How did the person who got your clothes dirty run away?"
Those around him were completely bewildered. Just moments ago, Feng San was arrogantly shouting, but now he was kneeling down? Who had he offended?
Feng San lay on the ground for a long time, trembling, unable to utter the words "paying respects to His Highness the Crown Prince." After being helped up by the crowd, he weakly said, "That was His Highness the Crown Prince..."
He yelled at His Highness the Crown Prince.
That's it, Feng San's time to die has come.
Seeing his ashen face and hearing him speak as if it were the truth, the crowd was quite frightened.
But even after realizing what had happened, they were still very confused: "We were all standing there just now, and we didn't see His Highness the Crown Prince coming over."
How could His Highness the Crown Prince possibly appear alone in this small library? It's completely illogical. Feng San is talking nonsense.
"Yes, I saw her face..."
That is His Highness the Crown Prince.
He was absolutely not mistaken.
A note from the author:
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