Chapter 288 Determined to Win
Everyone bowed respectfully, and the once bustling garden fell silent, with only the sound of the babbling brook.
Surrounded by the crowd, Princess Pingyuan walked leisurely to the main seat of the waterside pavilion and sat down. Her slightly dignified voice rang out: "No need for formalities, everyone. Please rise."
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
The male and female guests all stood up and returned to their seats, becoming much more reserved in their behavior.
Princess Pingyuan inherited the beauty of her birth mother, Empress Wei. Even though she was over forty, she looked like she was twenty-five or twenty-six, with no signs of aging on her face.
Princess Shanmin sat next to her, and the two looked more like sisters.
Unlike the arrogant, domineering, violent, and sinister Princess Shanmin, Princess Pingyuan had a peaceful demeanor, with a hint of compassion in her eyes, and a faint fragrance of sandalwood lingered around her.
A maidservant silently stepped forward to serve tea. Princess Pingyuan glanced at the crowd below the stage and casually asked, "Where is the newly appointed third-ranked scholar?"
Princess Shanmin perked up and immediately looked around. She spotted the trio not far away and spoke before the accompanying Prince Wei could, "Mother, they're over there!"
Princess Pingyuan followed her daughter's gaze and saw a young man with outstanding looks and extraordinary temperament amidst the swaying flowers.
Her expression faltered for a moment, as if she were seeing another person through Xu Jinnian.
"Mother, what do you think? Shanmin didn't lie to you, did she!"
In front of Princess Pingyuan, Princess Shanmin acted like a pampered young lady, clinging to Princess Pingyuan's arm and smiling sweetly.
"It looks good."
Princess Pingyuan suppressed her unusual thoughts, not letting anyone notice anything amiss, and instructed her cousin with a slight smile: "I have not yet seen the new top scholars. Tell them to come over and let me take a look."
Prince Wei respectfully accepted the order: "Yes, Your Highness."
Lord Meng was discussing poetry and literature with Xu Jinnian and Song Zhihang, his saliva flying everywhere, when he suddenly heard that Princess Pingyuan had summoned them first. He was so excited that he almost choked on his own saliva.
"Lord Song, Lord Xu, His Highness summons us. Let's go quickly!"
Lord Meng could not contain his joy and urged the two people in front of him who did not seem to be in a hurry at all.
Xu Jinnian and Song Zhihang exchanged a glance, then stood up and politely thanked Prince Wei: "Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness."
Prince Wei looked Xu Jinnian up and down several times, a cryptic smile on his face: "Lord Xu is indeed a rare beauty in this world, and I'm afraid he has captivated many young ladies."
Xu Jinnian replied calmly, "Your Highness flatters me."
Wei Shizi found it boring, glanced at him, and turned to leave.
Amidst the curious, envious, and subtly amused gazes of the other guests, Xu Jinnian and his two companions followed Prince Wei toward the waterside pavilion.
Princess Shanmin sat on the high platform, watching the person approaching, her eyes fixed on Xu Jinnian's face in the middle with infatuation.
Princess Pingyuan's voice rang out: "My son likes this person so much?"
Princess Shanmin never hid her preferences from her biological mother, saying without turning her head, "Mother, I want him!"
Princess Pingyuan affectionately patted her daughter's head: "Alright, I will grant you your wish."
She couldn't let her daughter repeat the same regret that haunted her life.
Princess Shanmin was overjoyed: "Thank you, Mother!"
After saying that, she looked at Xu Jinnian, who had already walked off the stage, her eyes revealing her determination to win.
Three years ago, when she first saw the man at Shenhu Mountain in Qingzhou, she wanted to keep him for herself and was willing to have people dig three feet into the ground to find him.
Unfortunately, Wei Ming was incompetent and failed to find the person even after searching the entire city of Qingzhou, causing her to miss out on Xu Mingyu.
Fortunately, during the prefectural examination the following year, she unexpectedly met Xu Huaining, who looked seven or eight parts like Xu Mingyu, and learned about Xu Mingyu's identity from him.
If she weren't worried that the man surnamed Jiang would make a scene out of desperation, she would have already had Xu Mingyu taken to the capital and hidden away for her own enjoyment.
Prince Wei led Xu Jinnian and the other two to the outside of the waterside pavilion, then went inside to report to Princess Pingyuan: "Your Highness, the person has been brought."
Princess Pingyuan nodded: "Let them come over."
After receiving a signal, Xu Jinnian and the other two slowly approached Princess Pingyuan and said, "Your Highness, we pay our respects."
Princess Pingyuan smiled kindly and gently raised her hand, saying, "No need for formalities."
Once the three of them had straightened up, Princess Pingyuan's gaze fell on Xu Jinnian's slightly lowered face, and she said with a hint of reminiscence, "You and your teacher are very similar."
The moment these words were spoken, the air fell silent.
All eyes turned to Xu Jinnian's face, especially those from the Cheng'en Duke's Mansion, as if they wanted to find something on his face.
Xu Jinnian's eyes flickered, revealing a look of confusion, as if he didn't understand.
Seeing this, Princess Pingyuan chuckled and rubbed her forehead: "I'm getting old, and my eyesight is getting worse. Lord Xu, please don't take my words to heart."
Xu Jinnian cupped his hands and said, "This humble official dares not."
Princess Pingyuan glanced at him again, then looked away at Song Zhihang, a smile returning to her face.
"As expected of the most valued son of Marquis Yongyi, he became the top scholar at a young age. The Marquis Yongyi family has a worthy successor."
Song Zhihang looked delighted, but said modestly, "Your Highness is too kind."
Princess Pingyuan praised him a few more times, and finally bestowed upon each of them a set of writing implements. Then she gestured for Xu Jinnian and the other two to leave.
Princess Shanmin was reluctant to part with him and wanted to ask Xu Jinnian to stay, but Princess Pingyuan glanced at her and she could only watch helplessly as he left the waterside pavilion.
Lord Meng was quite disappointed that he had come all this way but had not received a single word from Princess Pingyuan.
He glanced at Song Zhihang, then looked past Song Zhihang at Xu Jinnian, reached out and touched his wrinkled old face, and silently sighed in his heart.
Twenty years ago, Meng Xingfa was also a handsome young man!
Lord Meng was secretly grieving over the passing years, completely unaware of Song Zhihang's thoughts. He nudged Xu Jinnian with his elbow and asked in a low voice with a gossipy look:
"Your Highness and your tutor are old acquaintances? They seem to have a close relationship!"
Xu Jinnian glanced at him: "Nothing of the sort, you're overthinking it."
To implicate the Master in relation to that woman is the greatest harm and insult to him.
Seeing that Xu Jinnian was clearly unwilling to talk more, Song Zhihang wisely did not press the matter and planned to ask his elderly father after the banquet.
He was extremely curious about the complicated relationship between Jiang Tanhua, who was once famous in the capital, and Princess Pingyuan. He wouldn't be able to sleep tonight until he found out.
When the other guests saw that Xu Jinnian and his two companions had returned so quickly, each holding a reward from Princess Pingyuan, their gazes toward Xu Jinnian became increasingly strange.
Among them, Xu Huaining's gaze was the most blatant.
Xu Jinnian ignored him, sat back in his original seat, and lowered his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
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