East Palace, side rooms.
At this time, Crown Prince Su Moyan had already entered the palace for court, while Prince Jin's heir, Su Xinping, came over to have breakfast with Qi Junguang, the third prince of Southern Qi.
After the servants finished clearing away the dishes, he spoke up, "Is the Third Prince worried about Ah Kun from last night?"
Since returning to the East Palace last night, Qi Junguang's brow has been furrowed, a fact that is obvious to anyone.
“Anguo is full of hidden talents, and I have witnessed it this time.”
Qi Junguang sighed, but his sigh was more one of acknowledgment that he was outmatched in skill, and not a trace of resentment.
Su Xinping leaned closer and said, "It seems the Third Prince values this Mid-Autumn Poetry Competition very much! If he wants to win first place, it'll be easy!"
"oh?"
Qi Junguang glanced at him, raised an eyebrow, and said, "I'm all ears!"
"The Third Prince has come from afar; he is a distinguished guest of Anguo. Anyone who dares to offend you will be held accountable by His Majesty! If anyone says that Akun is disrespectful to you, His Majesty will definitely issue an order to have him imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison! Hehe, there are only three days left until the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering, then he won't be able to attend!"
Upon hearing Su Xinping's insidious idea, Qi Junguang smiled faintly and said, "Is the young master perhaps grudged against Young Master Akun?"
"To be honest, Third Prince, there is indeed a bit of that. But this idea would be entirely beneficial to you!"
Su Xinping was very frank and readily agreed.
"Hehe, I never want to be someone else's sword. Your Highness, please don't bring up such an idea again! I want to rest, Your Highness, please leave!"
Qi Junguang said in a cold voice.
Su Xinping felt a little embarrassed, but since they had already told him to leave, he couldn't stay any longer.
He stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Then I won't disturb the Third Prince any longer! I'll come back later!"
As he turned away, an undisguised coldness shone in his eyes.
After he left, one of Qi Junguang's attendants said, "Actually, this Prince Jin's heir is not bad. Although his suggestion is flawed, it is still a good idea!"
As an envoy of Southern Qi, he naturally hoped that Qi Junguang could win the Mid-Autumn Poetry Festival, but now even he himself was afraid of Akun. If he could carry out Su Xinping's suggestion, it would be really good.
"Do you really think Su Xinping is a good person?"
"That's my opinion."
The envoy bowed and analyzed, "Since we arrived in Jingzhou, everyone has been hostile towards us. For example, although we are currently staying in the Eastern Palace, has the Crown Prince of Anguo ever shown us a kind look? Only this Prince of Jin's heir is running around for us and greeting us with a smile!"
Qi Junguang shook his head repeatedly after hearing this.
"I heard that the Crown Prince of Anguo and Princess Mochen have a very good relationship. Naturally, he doesn't want to see his sister marry far away, so it's normal that he doesn't like us. But this Prince Jin's heir resides in the Eastern Palace. Even the Empress Dowager doesn't like us, yet he's so enthusiastic towards us. Can you believe it?"
The envoy was stunned upon hearing this.
"Furthermore, last night, he looked strange after seeing that Young Master Akun, and then led his men to chase after him. But Young Master Akun is clearly not easy to deal with. He returned empty-handed last night, and he definitely can't do anything to Young Master Akun, so he came up with this idea to me, wanting to use us as pawns! Do you still think such a person is good?"
The envoy was now covered in sweat.
"Your Highness, I have been foolish!"
"There must be a lot of power struggles involved here. I'm only here to marry Princess Mo Chen. The rest is none of our business, and we don't need to get involved!"
"Your Highness is right, I have learned a lot!"
After bowing and finishing his report, the envoy added with some concern, "Your Highness, what about that young master Akun yesterday..."
Previously, he had always believed that no one could surpass Qi Junguang in poetry competitions, but after last night, his opinion changed.
Qi Junguang also frowned. "I don't believe that young master Akun's trick of writing poetry by drinking strong liquor. But he has written two excellent poems, so he must have talent. If he can write poems of this quality at the Mid-Autumn Festival Poetry Gathering, I really don't have a sure chance of defeating him!"
Upon hearing that even Qi Junguang himself had lost confidence, the envoy's eyes lit up and he thought of other solutions.
"Your Highness, this Mid-Autumn Festival poetry competition is only a condition they have unilaterally proposed. Although we have agreed, we can still propose other conditions!"
"What are the conditions?"
"The Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering is just a test of knowledge; let's add a physical fight to it!"
"A violent confrontation?"
Qi Junguang glanced at the envoy and said, "We didn't bring any experts with us this time, so how are we going to fight?"
The envoy smiled and shook his head after hearing this, "Military combat doesn't necessarily involve one-on-one duels, but rather strategic planning. Over the years, Your Highness has led troops in numerous battles, relying on strategy. In terms of these aspects, no one in Anguo can compare to Your Highness!"
Qi Junguang thought about it and realized that the idea was indeed good, but he quickly realized that if he lost the written test but won the martial arts test, it would still be a draw with one win and one loss.
The envoy immediately leaned over and said smugly, "When the time comes, after we secure a draw, we can say that His Highness participated in both the civil and military examinations, while Anguo can have the military contestants take another civil examination with His Highness, or have the civil examination contestants take another military examination with His Highness. Two rounds become three rounds. How can they possibly win?"
Qi Junguang was taken aback, then patted the envoy on the shoulder and grinned.
"Only now do I understand why my father sent you to Anguo with me!"
"Your Highness is too kind. This is merely my duty."
The envoy lowered his head and listened obsequiously, his face full of flattery.
...
The Imperial Palace, the Golden Throne Hall.
Emperor An recounted Qi Junguang's participation in the Mid-Autumn Poetry Gathering, which sparked much discussion among the princes.
Emperor An coughed and said, "Yesterday during court, my esteemed ministers were worried that directly refusing the Third Prince of Southern Qi would cause Southern Qi to lose face. Now, there is a solution that satisfies both the desire to prevent Mo Chen from marrying out and to convince the Third Prince of Southern Qi. What do you all think?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Tong stepped forward.
"Does Your Majesty already have a plan that guarantees victory?"
"No."
Emperor An shook his head.
"..."
The ministers remained silent, while Grand Tutor Bai Qingyuan, who stood at the very front, lowered his head, his eyes full of smiles.
"In my opinion, what need is there for planning a poetry gathering?"
Emperor An waved his hand and said domineeringly, "From ancient times to the present, An Kingdom has been renowned for its literary culture, which is unmatched by other countries! Especially since I ascended the throne, the literary culture has reached its peak. Not to mention Jingzhou, countless talented people have emerged in other states and cities. How could a third prince of Southern Qi possibly stir up any trouble?"
Upon hearing this, some of His Highness's ministers gloated, while others looked utterly helpless.
Emperor An is right. In recent years, Anguo's literary style has indeed reached its peak. Their neighbor, Southern Qi, is currently catching up, and the overall literary style in the country cannot yet compare with that of Anguo.
But what he didn't know was that the third prince of Southern Qi was an unusual individual!
————
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