Chapter 508: The Thousand-Year-Old (29)
Her father summoned her and questioned her for a long time, but in the end he couldn't get anything out of her and sent Wen Wan away. He seemed quite disappointed about it, and he probably wished he could keep her in a golden house.
It's a pity that she could never keep a mistress in this lifetime. Meiyi's departure was a relief for her, because no matter what, having a wife was still a bit strange.
Soon, the triennial scientific expedition began.
Candidates from all over the country arrived in the capital one after another, and the capital seemed to have changed its appearance. Everywhere was full of scholars. Today, there was a banquet at the Zhuangyuan Tower, and tomorrow there was a poetry gathering at the Jidi Tower.
Originally, this had nothing to do with Wen Wan. Apart from attending court sporadically and occasionally taking the Grand Tutor's classes, she would sometimes skip class. At first, the Grand Tutor thought she could be saved, but he gradually accepted the fact that she was not cut out for success, so he gave up on her.
Wen Wan had Xiao Cui hold Jiu'er while she led the others out to play.
I must say, this bustling, scholarly imperial city is much more interesting than usual.
A restaurant,
Wen Wan requested a private room with a view of the main hall. Gu Li was peeling walnuts for Wen Wan, while Xiao Cui was teasing Xiao Jiu'er.
"Jiu'er is getting cuter and cuter."
“Baba”.
"I'm not your father, why are you calling me brother?"
“Babababa…”
“Master, the young prince is still young. In a few months, he will be able to call you elder brother.”
"Little bean".
“Baba”.
Wen Wan focused most of her attention on Xiao Jiu'er, while paying a small portion of it to the situation in the hall.
What is the spirit of a scholar?
A group of scholars from various places, clearly the chosen ones selected through examinations, were all unwilling to concede to each other. They argued back and forth, and their quarrels were truly entertaining.
These people are truly masters of insulting without using foul language.
"It's a pity. I think these people are not as learned as Gu Li. If you had taken the imperial examination, these people would not have been able to compete."
Gu Li: "You flatter me, Master."
"I'm not joking. Even the Grand Tutor said you have great talent. Don't be too modest."
Wen Wan was caught cheating by the Grand Tutor, so she pushed Gu Li out. The two argued for a while, and in the end the Grand Tutor sighed, "Such a great talent, how can he be confined to this small place?"
The subtext was, "How could he be a servant, a eunuch? If he were just an ordinary commoner, I would even want to take him on as a disciple, a future pillar of the court."
The look in her eyes as she looked at Wen Wan was one of disdain mixed with accusation, as if she felt that Wen Wan had hindered the other's development.
Wen Wan couldn't help but laugh when she thought of the Grand Tutor's appearance.
At that moment, a fight broke out in the hall. Wen Wan had thought that these scholars were all weaklings who couldn't even kill a chicken, but when they started fighting, it was like a shrew cursing in the street.
It was eventually stopped, and the person who came out to stop it surprised Wen Wan.
The system introduction mainly states that, "[This is Liu Yu, the future powerful minister, and Gu Li's mortal enemy. The two of them firmly control the court. Liu Yu is a staunch royalist who despises the male protagonist, a eunuch, for holding power.]"
Wen Wan: "I see."
"So let's get rid of him first. This would solve a huge problem for the male lead." The system continued. Wen Wan shook her head. "What nonsense are you talking about? How can I let him go? He's a whetstone for the male lead's career. If I help the male lead get rid of this enemy, wouldn't the male lead become a hothouse flower?"
System: [Host, do you have some misunderstanding about our handsome, strong, and tragic male lead? He's not some delicate flower in a greenhouse.]
Wen Wan asked Gu Li to invite Liu Yu up.
Gu Li was somewhat reluctant, but he went anyway. The two talked about something in the lobby, and Liu Yu followed him upstairs, where they met Wen Wan.
"I wonder what business this gentleman has with me?"
Wen Wan looked at Liu Yu. She couldn't see him clearly from a distance, but now she could see him clearly. Liu Yu was actually a handsome man.
"I am very impressed by what you just said, and I thought I would like to make friends with you. If you ever need anything in the future, please come to me. I can still get along well in this capital city."
“My surname is Yu, you can call me Young Master Yu.”
My surname is Liu.
"Young Master Liu, do you enjoy drinking? Why don't you come and have some with us?"
Liu Yu wanted to refuse, but Wen Wan didn't give her a chance to refuse and pulled her to sit down.
Little Jiu'er, however, was not shy at all and immediately climbed into Liu Yu's arms, calling out, "Daddy."
Wen Yan: "..."
Liu Yu: "..." Suddenly becoming a father is really confusing.
Wen Wan smiled and said, "This is my youngest brother. He likes good-looking people. His getting close to you means he likes you."
Liu Yu held Xiao Jiu'er, her whole body stiff, afraid of using too much force and hurting the little baby.
How can a child be so small and so soft?
Wen Wan didn't let Xiao Cui bring Jiu'er back. This would bring the two strangers closer and lower their guard. Jiu'er was more effective than a hundred words from her. After all, who could resist a cute little girl who could act adorable?
Sure enough, Liu Yu was quickly won over by the cute child, and her wariness of Wen Wan lessened considerably.
The two chatted for a while, and then Gu Li went to talk to Liu Yu.
When these two were chatting, it was a high-level game. Liu Yu was gradually shocked. This imperial city was indeed the imperial city, full of hidden talents. This follower was so knowledgeable and talented. He had always been proud, but he found a sense of equal strength with Gu Li.
The more they talked, the more they enjoyed it.
They got really into chatting, and Wen Wan teased Jiu'er while listening to the two of them talk.
"Brother Gu is truly talented; I am humbled by his abilities. I wonder if Brother Gu has any intention of taking the imperial examination? If he were to take the examination, there would be no place for me as the top scholar."
Who would have thought that this chance encounter with someone would shatter Liu Yu's confidence by more than half?
Gu Li: "I will not take the imperial examination."
"Why?"
Gu Li's eyes remained expressionless as he said, "I am a slave."
Liu Yu: "..."
Liu Yu was born into a scholarly family and had never experienced any setbacks since childhood. "Why doesn't Young Master Yu help Brother Gu get out of his official status? It would be a loss to the country if such a talented person didn't go to the court to serve the country."
Wen Wan smiled. "I'd like to, but Gu Li doesn't want to! Why don't you try to persuade him?"
Liu Yu looked at Gu Li with a hint of anger at his lack of ambition.
Gu Li: "..."
Gu Li looked at Liu Yu, feeling somewhat annoyed, but there was nothing to blame him for. He was too much like himself, like the naive self he was when his parents were still alive. Gu Li couldn't blame him at all. Gu Li glanced helplessly at Wen Wan, and then explained to Liu Yu, "My ambitions don't lie in officialdom. Besides, even if I don't go into officialdom, I can still do what I want to do."
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