Fu Xiaoguan left the cold palace. He did not notice that when the door closed, Empress Xiao suddenly smiled meaningfully and said something from A Dream of Red Mansions:
“Those who see through the truth become monks, while those who are obsessed with it lose their lives in vain!”
…
March 25th is Cold Food Festival.
Fu Xiaoguan and others got up early because Deng Xiu came to tell him last night that they had to gather at the viewing hall at 3:00 am today.
At that time, the arrangements will be presided over by the Minister of Ceremony Chongshan and the Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy Wen Canghai, and it is said that Emperor Wen will also come.
So after Fu Xiaoguan and the others washed up, they took Dong Shulan, Yu Wenyun, the second senior brother Gao Yuanyuan from the Taoist temple, the third senior sister Su Rou, and Su Su and left Jinghu Villa and went to the viewing hall.
As for the other brothers, they also left Jinghu Villa, but not to the viewing hall, but to the harem of the imperial city.
Since the Empress Dowager had the Emperor Wen's daily records for the past three years, Fu Xiaoguan asked his senior brother and others to try to take a look. What he said to Empress Xiao yesterday was just his own speculation. He wanted to know who he really was.
At this moment, many students have gathered in the viewing hall.
The Wu Dynasty students, led by Zhuo Donglai, occupied the largest area. Opposite Zhuo Donglai, Miss Tang San, the granddaughter of Tang Zhuguo, was talking to Zhuo Donglai:
"I think there's something fishy about this. Think about it, just as the literary gathering is about to begin, word spreads in the palace that Fu Xiaoguan is a prince of the Wu Dynasty... How could it be such a coincidence? If he really is a prince, wouldn't this literary gathering be held specifically for him? So, how can we convince everyone to give it a try?"
Competing with a prince for the top spot seemed a bit too much. Many students looked at each other, and finally their eyes fell on Zhuo Donglai.
Zhuo Donglai stood with his hands behind his back, his face stern.
"Remember, as long as His Majesty doesn't issue an order, he... is Fu Xiaoguan from the Yu Dynasty!"
This statement was final, and the Wu Dynasty students around him immediately understood. This meant, of course, that Fu Xiaoguan's identity was still a mystery, so they could perform as they pleased in this literary gathering, without any constraints.
Miss Tang San, however, gave Zhuo Donglai a meaningful look, thinking that the rumor, based on Grandpa's analysis, might be true. And the Right Prime Minister would probably tell Zhuo Donglai, because this was an extremely sensitive moment. Even Xiao had been stripped of her title of empress and banished to the cold palace. This meant that if Fu Xiaoguan was truly His Majesty's illegitimate son, then everyone needed to avoid him and avoid offending His Majesty.
Zhuo Donglai ignored Miss Tang San's look. His sight fell on the gate. At this time, Wu Linger, one of the Seven Sons of Lanxi, had not arrived yet.
That night he witnessed Princess Taiping carrying Fu Xiaoguan into the palace. That night he sat in Lanxi all night and realized that he had been worrying about nothing.
Since Fu Xiaoguan is His Majesty's illegitimate son, he is Wu Linger's brother. There is no possibility between them anymore. Why should I bother about the past?
What he had to do now was to shine at the literary gathering. As for Wu Linger, she would eventually accept this brother and would eventually find someone to marry. He only needed to accompany her silently, and everything would fall into place naturally.
Of course, Zhuo and his entourage had told him about Fu Xiaoguan's identity, and they had spoken very cautiously.
But this is a literary gathering. In Zhuo Dong's opinion, His Majesty did not explicitly announce Fu Xiaoguan's identity for the sake of fairness and justice in this literary gathering.
Then give it a try.
Let's take a look at the real talents and knowledge of Fu Xiaoguan, and see how capable he is!
…
Fu Xiaoguan and his party's carriage was the last to arrive at the viewing hall.
When he got off the carriage, the first people to surround him were naturally the one hundred students from the Yu Dynasty.
There was undisguised worry in their eyes - their mentor had taught them a lot of knowledge and principles along the way. They originally thought that they would be able to listen to his lectures after returning to the Yu Dynasty, but they did not expect that his mentor was actually the prince of the Wu Dynasty!
Doesn't that mean that the Wu Dynasty is my mentor's hometown, and the imperial palace in Guanyun City is my mentor's home?
What should the Yu Dynasty do?
What should we do with the Jixia Academy?
What should we students do?
When questions rang in Fu Xiaoguan's ears, he smiled calmly and simply replied, "I am just a small landlord in Linjiang!"
This sentence was also heard by students from other countries, and whispers began to arise.
"He said he was just a small landowner in Linjiang."
"I think so too. Think about it, if he really is Emperor Wen's son, and he hasn't seen him for seventeen years, how much longer would he miss him? He would have been taken to the palace long ago. How could he still be living outside?"
"Tell me what happened to Empress Xiao?"
"This is the strategy of luring the snake out of its hole. Using Fu Xiaoguan to lure out Empress Xiao, Empress Xiao's move... has only shot herself in the foot."
"oh……"
Many students seemed to be thinking about it, and then agreed with it deeply. When they looked at Fu Xiaoguan again, the envy in their eyes had disappeared, and there was even a hint of sarcasm on their faces - after all, he was just a small landlord in Linjiang, how could he become a dragon overnight!
At this moment, Fan Tianning brought the withered cicada to Fu Xiaoguan.
He looked Fu Xiaoguan up and down carefully, which made Fu Xiaoguan feel terrified. Could this guy have some problems with his sexual orientation?
"What? Is there a flower on my face?"
Fan Tianning shook his head, "No, there's a domineering aura on your face!"
"Get lost!"
"Hahahaha..." Fan Tianning laughed, then asked doubtfully, "Is that true?"
"Bullshit! You're the Thirteenth Prince, why did you believe those gossips?"
"In my opinion, I'm afraid it's not a rumor."
Fan Tianning said this very seriously, with no trace of the playful look on his face.
Fu Xiaoguan asked in surprise, "Can you produce any evidence?"
Fan Tianning pondered for a moment, "It's not evidence, but you and Emperor Wen do bear some resemblance."
"roll!"
"I'm telling the truth!"
Unfortunately, paternity testing is not possible these days, and the idea of using blood to identify paternity is not reliable at all. Fu Xiaoguan certainly did not take Fan Tianning's words to heart.
Then, Shangshu Chongshan and Hanlin Academy Grand Secretary Wen Canghai came out from the Guanli Hall. They gave a speech to encourage the students on the high platform, and then Emperor Wen appeared in full attire.
He glanced at all the students in the room with great dignity, then his gaze lingered on Fu Xiaoguan for two breaths before he said:
"It has been over five hundred years since the founding of the Wu Dynasty. During this period, the literary world of the Wu Dynasty has gradually flourished. Therefore, I have decided to hold this literary gathering to allow the top talents of the four countries to discuss literature at Hanling Temple."
"I earnestly hope that this literary gathering will produce brilliant essays. I also wish all students in advance that they will take first place and gain both fame and fortune..."
Fu Xiaoguan, who was behind him, didn't hear anything. His eyes wandered among the crowd, but he didn't see Wu Linger. However, his eyes happened to meet Zhuo Donglai's.
Fu Xiaoguan grinned at Zhuo Donglai. Zhuo Donglai trembled all over and suddenly felt like peeing. He thought to himself that this guy was smiling but hiding a dagger!
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