After Lin Yuqiao left, Lin Yucheng watched as the maid cleared away the snacks and the kang table. The originally rich and sweet aroma of the desserts in the room was gradually covered by the refreshing fragrance of plum blossoms in the incense plate.
Holding the tea, Lin Yucheng fell into deep thought.
Lin Yuqiao's words were indeed spot on. He had been worried about getting married before passing the exam, and Lin Yucheng knew that his future wife would definitely not come from a higher social class than Lin Yuqi. Of course, a lower social class wasn't a big deal; the key was that she wouldn't hold him back.
If he were to marry an unreliable person, it would not only waste his energy but also cause his mother a lot of trouble. Therefore, he must resolve this matter in advance.
What worries Lin Yucheng is that Lin Yuqi is now getting close to Feng Jin, the eldest son of Feng Cheng, the tutor of the Crown Prince's residence, after she stops going to the academy. After they get married, she may formally join the Crown Prince's faction through Feng Cheng's introduction and seek a position in the Eastern Palace.
The titles of Earl and Marquis in the Qin Dynasty were all bestowed at the beginning of the dynasty. They were of the second rank, enjoying a fief of a thousand households and receiving food, clothing, and taxes, but without any real title. Those who aspired to an official career could obtain a substantive position through their own efforts, which would not conflict with their noble title.
The Crown Prince is the heir apparent of the country and the legitimate son of the Empress. He was appointed Crown Prince at the age of eight and moved into the Eastern Palace. His position has always been stable. Lin Yuqi's association with the Crown Prince can be considered as finding a safe direction for development.
Moreover, the Crown Prince has his own Eastern Palace, which is similar to the imperial court. The officials in the Eastern Palace are arranged exactly like the imperial court, and he even has a private guard called the "Crown Prince's Guards," which is similar to the emperor's imperial guards.
If Lin Yuqi can gain the Crown Prince's trust and successfully secure a position in the Eastern Palace, she will naturally become a close advisor to the Emperor when he ascends the throne.
Lin Yucheng knew that if Lin Yuqi's official career was successful in the future, he and his younger brothers would inevitably have mediocre development and would always be suppressed by him and Chen Lianghou.
A marquis's mansion cannot lack promising offspring, but for the sake of harmonious distribution of benefits, it will not allow two people in the mansion to gain power at the same time.
Because Lin Zirong, the Marquis of Chenliang, had experienced a political crisis in his youth, he lost all interest in officialdom, so all the resources of the mansion were given to the Second Master. Although the Second Master now holds the rank of a third-grade official, he still treats the Marquis of Chenliang with great respect, and the Marquis of Chenliang is still in charge of the entire mansion.
Originally, Chen Lianghou planned to let Lin Yuqi and Lin Yucheng develop in the same way he and the Second Master did. However, Lin Yuqi was always proud and could not accept that she was inferior to her younger brother. Moreover, he knew that Lin Yucheng would never be as subservient to him as the Second Master.
Now that Lin Yuqi has started to scheme for a career in politics, Lin Yucheng has clearly lost the initiative and can no longer try to join the Crown Prince's faction.
However, everything has its risks, and Lin Yuqi may not be able to get what she wants, since the Crown Prince does not have a particularly good reputation among scholars.
Lin Yucheng also made many friends among his teachers and peers at the academy. In his opinion, at least the Qingliu faction in the academy held a neutral attitude. His teacher, Guo Hong, had also said that the Crown Prince was too nitpicky.
When the Crown Prince was first appointed, he studied under Grand Tutor Zhou Zizhen. Although Zhou Zizhen was old, he was always upright, but a little inflexible. Once, the Crown Prince had not rested well at noon and asked him to leave early in the afternoon. Grand Tutor Zhou refused and gave him a long lecture. As a result, the Crown Prince had no choice but to endure the class and finish it, and he couldn't help but feel a little resentful.
One day, Zhou Zizhen arrived late because of the cold weather, which gave the Crown Prince a handle to use against him. When the Emperor asked about his teacher, the Crown Prince mentioned that Zhou Zizhen had arrived late for his lecture.
Upon hearing this, the emperor was displeased with Grand Tutor Zhou, feeling that he had honored Zhou by appointing him to tutor the crown prince, yet Zhou had failed to repay the emperor's favor with such indifference. The emperor issued an edict reprimanding the Grand Tutor. Grand Tutor Zhou, a man of integrity and utmost pride, was filled with shame upon hearing the imperial reprimand and committed suicide that very night.
Although the Crown Prince was still young when this incident occurred, its impact was very negative. As he grew older, news of the Crown Prince punishing the servants of the Eastern Palace continued to circulate. Eventually, the story came to be that the Crown Prince was tyrannical, disrespectful to his teachers, and cruel and ungrateful.
Lin Yucheng can no longer follow the Crown Prince's path, but there are still other paths he can take.
Although the Crown Prince is the legitimate son, he is not the only legitimate son in the court. The Emperor has appointed three empresses so far, all of whom have passed away one after another, thus leaving behind a reputation for being unlucky in marriage and bringing misfortune to his wives. Now he dares not appoint an empress anymore, and only one imperial concubine manages the harem.
The third prince was born to Empress Guo, and the fifth prince was born to Empress Liu; both were legitimate sons.
Among them, the Third Prince Liu Heng is close in age to Lin Yucheng, and Lin Yucheng had previously interacted with the Third Prince at the literary gathering, leaving him with a good impression. Furthermore, Lin Yucheng's teacher, Guo Hong, is also related to the Third Prince's maternal family, and in terms of seniority, the Third Prince should address Guo Hong as his uncle.
The Third Prince was gentle and approachable, and at a young age, he was already adept at navigating social situations, earning him the reputation of a true gentleman. He also greatly admired talent, and through Guo Hong's introduction, the Third Prince held Lin Yucheng in high regard.
In addition, given their somewhat similar backgrounds, Lin Yucheng felt a strange sense of trust in the Third Prince.
Lin Yucheng could even sense from his eyes that the Third Prince was definitely not an ordinary person. Although he was not showing it at the moment, he was a hidden dragon in the abyss.
Looking towards the study, Lin Yucheng thought of the invitation letter on the table. Going there would surely allow him to meet the Third Prince again. He thought it was time to make a decision.
While Lin Yucheng was placing bets, Lin Yuqi wasn't idle either. Through Feng Jin's introduction, he made many new friends, all second-generation rich kids from powerful families, and they often gathered together for banquets and games.
Lin Yuqi and Feng Jin became close friends at the academy, and now that they have both left, their relationship has only grown stronger. Lin Yuqi knows that Feng Jin's father, Feng Cheng, is the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince's Palace, having served him since the Crown Prince's inception and now enjoying the Crown Prince's great trust.
He hoped that through Feng Cheng's introduction, he could also be employed by the Crown Prince.
Although Lin Yuqi blocked Lin Yucheng's place in the academy examination, it only relieved him of three years' worth of pressure. He was determined to stand out before Lin Yucheng and suppress him completely.
"Is Big Brother really that afraid of me?"
He recalled that when he visited Lin Yucheng when he was sick, Lin Yucheng looked ill, but he still did not show any weakness when he looked at him.
Lin Yucheng's gaze was too sharp and unruly, which made Lin Yuqi feel very uncomfortable. She would often think of those words whenever she stopped.
Clenching her fist, Lin Yuqi secretly vowed, "I will definitely make you admit defeat willingly!"
After the party ended, the second-generation rich kids, used to having fun, felt it wasn't enough and wanted to move on to the next round. Among them, Lin Youting, the youngest son of the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, put his arm around Lin Yuqi's shoulder and said, "Brother Lin, why don't you come and have some fun with us!"
His breath reeked of alcohol, and Lin Yuqi forced herself not to turn her face away, feeling somewhat hesitant. Although Chen Lianghou and Madam Zhang had doted on him before, they had also been very strict with him, and he still didn't have a wife or participate in the second half of their gatherings.
Now that he was about to get married, he felt he was old enough that continuing to decline would make him seem out of place. He hoped to get on the Crown Prince's good side, and also hoped to make more connections, who knew they might come in handy in the future.
Seeing that Lin Yuqi's attitude had softened this time, and she was not as firm in her refusal as before, Feng Jin found it strange and joined the others in making a fuss.
In the end, Lin Yuqi went to Cuiyueju with Feng Jin and the others. It was her first time in such a place, and she felt a little regretful.
On stage, dancers clad in thin, soft gauze performed, accompanied by the melodious sounds of string and wind instruments. Behind them, beautiful young women poured wine, their clothes scantily clad, revealing glimpses of their fair skin. Lin Yuqi could easily see a bright red bodice beneath the young woman's dress with a quick glance.
"What are you looking at, my lord? I'm so embarrassed I can't stand it anymore." The young woman, dressed in a crimson blue gauze dress, giggled and secretly rubbed her chest against Lin Yuqi's arm while holding a wine cup.
Lin Yuqi was already reserved, and hearing her words made her ears turn bright red. Lin Youting, standing beside her, laughed and pinched the girl's cheek, "See, you're so eager you can't wait!"
Lin Yuqi felt a little uncomfortable listening to such risqué teasing, but Lin Youting immediately pushed the young woman into his arms. These young women were all well-trained; once they touched her, she was like a soft vine, impossible to let go of.
After being repeatedly plied with wine by the beauty in his arms, Lin Yuqi became quite drunk. His breath was filled with the fragrance of cosmetics, mixed with the seductive music, which made him completely forget his pressure and begin to indulge himself.
"Summon a young woman; she must satisfy my younger brother tonight!"
Feng Jin also pulled a young woman close to his chest, waved his hand, and called someone over to give instructions.
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