Chapter 44 Pouch and Flowers
"So this is Ye Jianshan?"
"Is this what the Crown Prince looks like?"
"I'll tell you a secret, I've seen the Crown Prince. He looks exactly like him. That day at the entrance of the examination hall..."
"Really?"
"Of course it's true, this is the Crown Prince's son."
"No one is allowed to speak ill of the Crown Prince!"
A voice rang out, and everyone realized that the current top scholar had become the Crown Prince.
So everyone knelt down and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Ye Jianshan hadn't expected this turn of events, and his amiable manner made everyone stand up, as today was his special day and everyone should be happy.
The women sitting in the private room never expected that Ye Jianshan would actually become the Crown Prince.
"Is this top scholar really His Highness the Crown Prince's son?"
"Shh, it's His Highness the Crown Prince, keep your voice down."
"It's really unexpected that the rumors are true."
The Gao family was also sitting in the private room. Gao Han was filled with regret: "I never thought he would really become the Crown Prince. If I had known, I would have talked to him more when I was on the ship."
Everyone was also disappointed in him. Logically speaking, the Gao family should have been the first to discover the top scholar's identity, so why didn't they seize the opportunity?
Gao Han is now filled with regret after learning that Ye Jianshan is the young prince.
I heard that the Crown Princess thinks highly of the second daughter of Minister Jiang's family, and she might even be chosen as the Crown Prince's consort.
Gao Han also has a daughter of marriageable age. If he had known, he would have asked the Wen family again.
Ye Jianshan was enjoying the scenery and had no idea what the others were thinking.
He sat on his white horse, full of vigor, and the girls on both sides of the street blushed.
He's not only the top scholar in the imperial examination but also the crown prince. If she marries him, her future will be limitless; she might even become empress someday.
Moreover, Ye Jianshan is handsome and knowledgeable.
As a talented man, it is only natural for him to attract beautiful women.
Those who came to see Cui Jianbing also threw the flowers and purses they were holding at Ye Jianshan.
No one noticed that the two people next to Ye Jianshan were not Cui Jianbing at all. As the top student in the second class, Cui Jianbing could only follow behind.
Ye Jianshan turned his head to dodge the girls' enthusiastic red envelopes. When he heard someone call his name, he quickly looked up and saw that it was his maternal grandmother.
Ye Jianshan smiled and waved to them; unsurprisingly, the whole family had come today.
As a result, Ye Jianshan also saw Jiang Song.
Jiang Song was extremely nervous, holding the purse and flowers in her hands.
Seeing this, Ye Jianshan smiled at her and patted his waist, where the purse Jiang Song had given him was hanging.
Ye Yun noticed their subtle interactions. She liked Jiang Song very much; the girl had a good temper and was generous. Moreover, her son didn't need powerful relatives to help him. He had the Emperor, Empress, Empress Dowager, and the current Crown Prince behind him, so no one had a stronger background than him.
Now, she's being treated like a precious darling by the Emperor and his men; who wouldn't want to marry Ye Jianshan?
Ye Yun gave Jiang Song an encouraging look, and Jiang Song took a deep breath: "Brother Jianshan!"
Jiang Song called out with a bright smile, then threw the flowers and purse in her hand toward Ye Jianshan. After throwing them, she immediately looked on nervously, afraid that she might miss and drop them on the ground.
Ye Jianshan had been watching this way the whole time, and he was determined not to let Jiang Song's gift fall to the ground. The gift was thrown a little off course, but he controlled his horse slightly and took two steps forward to catch it.
Ye Jianshan, holding a purse and flowers, wandered around the second floor of the teahouse where Ye Yun and Jiang Song were, then put the flowers on his head and continued walking forward.
Although he looked calm, people nearby could see that his ears were red.
Is the top scholar shy?
Is the girl in the teahouse the top scholar's sweetheart?
The noble ladies of the capital were heartbroken; this news was terrible.
But I still held onto a sliver of hope, just in case it was the Crown Princess.
However, quite a few people recognized Jiang Song.
Especially Jiang Chan and his wife, who were on the opposite side, changed their expressions when they saw the top scholar Ye Jianshan treating Jiang Song like this.
Unexpectedly, the two were truly in love. They even presented the purse, and the Crown Prince eagerly accepted it. It was truly an eye-opener.
It seems there's going to be another joyous occasion in the palace.
Ye Jianshan only accepted Jiang Song's purse. He knew what this meant. He had already decided on Jiang Song, and that hadn't changed before. Now, he was even more determined.
Jiang Song bravely handed him the purse in front of so many people, so there was no need for him to avoid suspicion.
Of course, he should respond to his little girl even more enthusiastically.
Jiang Song was a little worried that Ye Jianshan wouldn't like it after throwing it away, but she didn't expect Ye Jianshan to take the initiative to catch it and even greet her.
Ye Yun was also very emotional, never expecting that good news would come one after another.
She patted Jiang Song's arm to reassure her.
Jiang Song's eyes were red. To be honest, she seemed carefree, but she hadn't slept well lately because she really felt she had no hope of climbing up Ye Jianshan's ladder.
He's currently the top scholar in the imperial examination and also the crown prince; he'll be the emperor in the future...
Brother Jianshan is so good, so good that she wanted to quit, but today Brother Jianshan gave her peace of mind in front of everyone.
Discussions had already begun to circulate about Ye Jianshan's intentions in accepting the flowers, and many people were peering into the room where they were, trying to discern who was sitting inside who could provoke such a proactive response from the current top scholar.
Jiang Song had already hidden behind the screen, not giving anyone a chance to see her.
But this is of no use to people who know her.
Jiang Chan, who was across the street, was completely focused on Ye Jianshan and Jiang Song and didn't notice that Cui Jianbing was watching her.
Jiang Chan also prepared a purse and flowers, but he didn't throw them out at all.
Her friends noticed her unusual behavior: "What's wrong, Jiang Chan? Why aren't you throwing it away? Young Master Cui has already gone over there."
Jiang Chan finally came to his senses, but it was too late.
Cui Jianbing had already accepted the purses and flowers from the other girls.
Jiang Chan's face darkened, but in front of so many people, she didn't dare to throw a tantrum like she did at home, and forced herself to maintain a calm demeanor: "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention for a moment."
The others didn't pay much attention, assuming she was also mesmerized by the interaction between the top scholar and the girl opposite, especially since the room was already buzzing with discussion about the two: "Which girl's purse and flowers did the top scholar accept?"
"Why does this look so familiar?"
"I also feel like she looks familiar. I have a feeling she looks a bit like Miss Jiang."
"Oh dear, now that you mention it, I remember! Isn't that Jiang Song? Miss Jiang the Second!"
"The Jiang family has a second young lady? How come I didn't know?"
"She left the capital when she was young, and I don't know when she came back. By the way, as for Jiang Chan, she is, after all, her sister."
For a moment, everyone was quietly staring at Jiang Chan, but anyone with eyes could see that the two sisters didn't get along well, otherwise Jiang Chan wouldn't be reacting this way.
Someone who didn't get along with Jiang Chan asked directly, "Jiang Chan, tell us how your sister met the top scholar?"
Jiang Chan's face darkened. He was already displeased, and now he could no longer suppress his anger: "You have some nerve! How dare you discuss the Crown Prince in private?"
After saying that, she pulled Madam Jiang away.
Madam Jiang couldn't stay any longer; she was truly heartbroken.
After the two left, before the others could react, someone angrily said, "What? Who owes them anything? Can't they speak properly? It looks like it was Jiang Song. Jiang Chan is so angry, so there's no doubt about it."
"Jiang Song was also fortunate to be able to meet the Crown Prince."
"I wonder how they met? Didn't they just return to Beijing?"
"The Crown Princess visited the Jiang residence in person before, and I also heard that Jiang Song visited the Ye residence several times. I don't know if he was looking for the Crown Princess or the Crown Prince, but he stayed there for a whole day each time."
"It's true? I really didn't know."
For a moment, the atmosphere in the private room became somewhat silent. No one expected that the Crown Prince's consort would fall to Jiang Song.
They had also thrown away flowers and purses in the chaos, but Ye Jianshan didn't even look at them. Instead, he kept hiding and took Jiang Song's flowers.
But originally, no one was very familiar with Ye Jianshan; it was just a matter of fate.
However, the thought that Jiang Chan had left in anger made them feel a little better; they were happy as long as Jiang Chan was unhappy.
She had always considered herself Cui Jianbing's fiancée, but today she didn't even look at Cui Jianbing.
Cui Jianbing was like a completely different person; his cheeks were so thin they were sunken, and he didn't even get the top three spots in the first class. Instead, he ended up getting the top spot in the second class.
Previously, Xuancheng was supposed to have six top scholars in the imperial examinations, but ever since Ye Jianshan's true identity was exposed, the news has never been heard again. Although it has been suppressed, countless people are secretly laughing at the Cui family.
Today, every Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) keeps a low profile; to show off at this time would be a death sentence.
Besides, who can rival Ye Jianshan's glory?
They no longer felt envy, but rather admiration.
Ye Jianshan is indeed formidable.
You must befriend him; don't end up like Cui Jianbing.
Although they seem to get along well, everyone knows that Cui Jianbing's previous illness was caused by Ye Jianshan's anger.
They will definitely work under Ye Jianshan in the future and will be devoted to him wholeheartedly. Moreover, their relationship as fellow graduates of the same cohort will definitely give them an advantage in promotion compared to others.
Do your job well.
At first, there will definitely be a few people who don't understand, but most of them are Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), and they will understand after listening to others talk for a few minutes.
Once you change your mindset, you'll feel like you have a bright future ahead of you, following Ye Jianshan.
Ye Jianshan, adorned with a large red flower, rode a magnificent horse, showing off to the common people until he was thoroughly entertained, before returning to attend the Qionglin Banquet.
At the Qionglin Banquet, he sat in the seat of honor, second only to the Crown Prince.
The father and son sat on either side of the emperor. The emperor only spoke to Ye Jianshan and ignored the crown prince, which was quite amusing to watch.
But the ministers also understood that the Crown Prince was so favored so soon after his return. The Emperor really liked him. He hadn't cared about the Crown Prince like this before. He practically had Ye Jianshan tied to him, chatting and laughing with him like an ordinary grandfather and grandson.
The crown prince also fantasized about integrating into the close relationship between the grandfather and grandson.
Minister Jiang was truly in no mood to look at these things; he was feeling extremely distressed.
Several people have already come to congratulate him.
Now everyone knows that the Crown Prince and the top scholar received Jiang Song's purse and flowers on Chang'an Street today.
The intention is quite obvious.
Jiang Songzhen may become the Crown Prince's consort.
But these people spoke in a sarcastic tone, and even made a point of mentioning the Crown Princess's maternal family, the Ye family.
Minister Jiang was initially pleased, but the thought of Ye Yu's current predicament sent a chill down his spine.
With the Crown Princess present, Minister Jiang felt that Jiang Song was truly capable of doing such a thing.
I'm both happy and worried.
Ye Jianshan was busy at the banquet, and many people tried to get close to him.
The faces of the princes and heirs were all extremely dark.
The Emperor and the Crown Prince hadn't even told them about establishing the Crown Prince as their heir. At the time, they didn't know what expression to make in the main hall to convey their feelings.
Now he's stealing the show at the banquet again. It's called the Deer Cry Banquet, but the entire audience is only fawning over Ye Jianshan.
Prince Duan thought for a moment, then couldn't help but stand up and bow, surprising everyone around him.
What does Prince Duan want to say?
Ye Jianshan sat above, clearly seeing the expressions on everyone's faces below, and also wanted to know what Prince Duan had to say.
The Emperor was speaking to his grandson with a smile, but when he saw Prince Duan stand up, his expression became somewhat displeased and he didn't want to be interrupted.
He's been preoccupied with Ye Jianshan lately and hasn't had time to pay attention to his sons.
But with so many people around, it wouldn't be right to disrespect Prince Duan, so he waved his hand and asked, "What is it, Prince Duan?"
Seeing the Emperor's attitude, Prince Duan felt a chill in his heart, but he still said, "Your Majesty, I only wish to remind you of something concerning the Crown Prince. I don't know if I should say it?"
The Emperor nodded: "Speak frankly."
He's in a good mood right now and doesn't have time to deal with anything complicated.
Prince Duan then adopted a haughty demeanor, glancing around before raising his voice to ask, "Your Majesty, I would like to inquire when Your Highness the Crown Prince will revert to the imperial surname?"
The surname "国姓" here naturally refers to Chen.
Ye Jianshan raised an eyebrow, not expecting that Prince Duan would come to make trouble for him from this place. He had told his mother that he would definitely change his surname back to Chen.
He's already the Crown Prince, why would he be afraid of changing his surname?
The surname Ye is not that special.
Ye Yun would rather not have the surname Ye; if she really valued the surname Ye, she would have returned to the Ye family in the capital long ago.
Ye Yu huddled in the crowd. He had been standing out so boldly just moments before, but now he didn't dare to show any of his presence.
He dared not say that the Crown Prince should be allowed to use the surname Ye and not be allowed to change it back to Chen.
I've only met Ye Yun once so far, and I won't be able to see him again if I try. I don't know what he's busy with.
But Ye Yu also came to terms with it. As long as he behaved himself, people would not let the Ye family suffer because of Ye Jianshan's sake.
The Emperor was at a loss for words when speaking to Prince Duan.
Making such a big deal out of nothing.
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Author's Note: Back to Work!
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