The fourth prince said: "You are so unreasonable, but he just tries to please you..."
"Hey!" Yan Shiyue interrupted him: "Sir is my family, my elder, my teacher. We met when we were little, so it's natural for us to get along with each other. I also talk to you like this, and talk to Aye! Sir is pampering me, how can it be called flattery?"
"Oh?" The fourth prince said seriously, "You are wrong. This man is your teacher, so you should not break the rules no matter how casual you are. Moreover, he is an adult man after all, and he is not married. You should know that being too close to him will lead to intimacy, and being too close to him will lead to disrespect..."
Yan Shiyue was a little helpless, but had to admit that what he said made sense.
Moreover, the Fourth Prince is a person who attaches great importance to rules. He also requires himself to follow such rules. In fact, he is even more strict with himself than with others. This is very respectable.
The reason why he told her all this was because of the Jianyusi matter, and he put himself in the position of an older brother.
Yan Shiyue then held the book, paused, and said seriously: "Thank you, Fourth Brother, I understand."
The fourth prince was somewhat satisfied and nodded: "But this man is indeed talented. His previous article on foot binding was also brilliant."
The two were chatting when Ding Xiaoyan walked in quickly: "Master, the Fourth Master."
Yan Shiyue hummed.
...
...
Ding Xiaoyan said, "Mr. Meng sent someone over here, saying that someone was found gambling at Deshan Garden, and they are quite powerful, so he wants you to go over and take a look."
Yan Shiyue responded and walked out. The Fourth Prince said, "I'll go with you to take a look!"
He followed Yu Wen into the car.
On the way, the servant sent by Meng Dan explained to her.
It is said that before the annual imperial examinations, gambling games would be held privately in many places in the capital. This was called the "Wei Xing Gambling" or "Bang Hua Gambling". It was a game in which the winner was determined by guessing the surnames of those who had passed the imperial examinations.
It is said that gamblers place bets first to predict the surnames of the candidates who will pass the exam, and each guesses a certain number. After the list is announced, the winner is determined by the number of correct guesses.
Originally it was just guessing the surname. For example, people with five surnames would get very little payout, while people with small surnames would get higher payout.
In Yan Shiyue's understanding, this was more like some kind of lottery, but it gradually evolved into a gamble of guessing people.
Betting directly on the Jinshi degree, or even directly betting on the top three winners, this is really the way to become rich overnight if you win, and lose everything if you lose.
Under the emperor's feet! How could such a thing happen! Gambling on the important matter of selecting officials for the imperial court!
The Fourth Prince's face had turned dark.
Yan Shiyue asked: "Are there many people participating?"
The servant said, "A lot, a lot."
Yan Shiyue asked again: "Mr. Xu and my brother..." She gradually fell silent under the stare of the Fourth Prince.
The servant knew who his master was, and despite the Fourth Prince's intimidating gaze, he still answered, "Mr. Xu bet a lot, but Young Master Rong... the odds are quite high."
Yan Shiyue couldn't help but ask, "But my brother is also Little Four Yuan!"
The servant said, "There are so many champions in different places that it is hard to show them all."
Yan Shiyue nodded. To be honest, even she wanted to try her luck after hearing this. No wonder so many people participated.
The Fourth Prince and Yan Shiyue got off the Yuwen carriage at the door.
Meng Dansui hurriedly came forward and bowed, whispering, "I didn't alarm him. He looks like someone powerful, and I'm afraid it will get out of hand. Do you want to investigate first? Then I can quietly ask him to leave."
She must be someone of some importance! After all, the owner of Deshan Garden is a princess! Anyone who dares to come here must have some confidence.
Gambling is strictly prohibited in Deshan Garden. She didn't want to make such a good place dirty and chaotic, but she didn't expect that someone would come and slap her in the face.
But this place is a sign of "virtue and kindness" for the court. What's the difference between this and destroying the place? If they are not afraid of her, then are they not afraid of the court? How big is this background?
The fourth prince asked coldly: "Where?"
Meng Dansui said, "In Moxiangzhai."
There are several places in this garden where scholars gather, but Moxiangzhai is not one of them. Moxiangzhai is actually a place selling study items. The owner's surname is Du, and it is also a time-honored brand in the capital.
The fourth prince asked directly: "Who is it?"
These business people are very clear about their relationships with each other. Is there any need to investigate who this Moxiangzhai is relying on for support?
Meng Dansui had known about this cold-faced Fourth Master for a long time, and did not dare to pretend to be ignorant: "I only know that this man seems to have some relationship with Princess Shouning's consort."
Princess Shouning was the daughter of Empress Su and the elder sister of the third prince. Princess Shouning's consort was named Pan Yun, who was said to have been praised for his "beautiful appearance" since childhood and was known as "Little Pan An" in the capital.
What kind of evil fate is this...
Yan Shiyue considered whether he should change his name to Yan Songyu or Yan Weijie?
The Fourth Prince was a fearless person and he took the lead in walking in front. However, before he arrived, he heard the sound of a dispute ahead.
A man's voice said loudly: "The imperial examination is a way for the court to select talented people, but I didn't expect you to use it for gambling! That's not all, you even colluded with each other and committed fraud for personal gain. Could it be that the people on the list in the future will all be those who were not bought by these gamblers?"
The Fourth Prince’s face suddenly darkened.
Even though Yan Shiyue didn't know anything about betting on surnames, she could still understand what he meant. Could these people influence future admissions? If more people bought, they would not win, but if fewer people bought, they would win?
As they were talking, they had already reached the front. Quite a few people had gathered in front of them, and more than half of them looked like candidates for the imperial examination.
A young man in a brocade robe, protected by several servants, was confronting several people.
Those people laughed along and kept trying to pull this person in, but he refused. People from both sides pulled and tugged at each other, and there was also someone wearing Deshanyuan clothes nearby trying to stop them. It seemed that a fight was about to break out.
The Fourth Prince raised his hand and told his followers to surround the courtyard first, then he stepped forward and shouted, "Stop!"
Everyone turned around at the same time. The people in Deshan Garden had been very anxious for a long time. When they saw them coming, they were immediately overjoyed. The leader knew the Fourth Prince and hurried forward to salute: "Your Highness the Princess! Your Highness the Fourth Prince!"
The faces of several people over there changed immediately.
The candidates outside all came to greet him.
Yan Shiyue asked: "What's going on?"
The people from Moxiangzhai said anxiously, "We have some misunderstandings with this young master, and we dare not disturb His Highness..."
"No! It's not a misunderstanding!" The young man stepped forward and bowed, saying proudly, "I, Tang Heng, greet the two princes!"
He pointed at those people and said, "I came here to take the imperial examination. I heard of the name of Deshan Garden, so I stayed there. But today, my fellow townsman insisted on dragging me out to see the world. I didn't know until I got here that there was a gambling game behind this shop! These people may have seen that I was dressed luxuriously, so they tried every means to get me to place a bet. I didn't think it was right, so I asked them secretly. They even hinted to me that they would guarantee that I would win, saying that their master had someone above them and knew who the examiner was. They could make anyone they wanted win!"
Yan Shiyue nodded seriously, and said, "I wonder if Mr. Tang Lang can come with me and explain the matter clearly?"
Tang Heng agreed generously, and he pointed out the fellow villager and invited Yan Shiyue as well.
At this time, the Fourth Prince's entourage also came out to report that there was indeed a private gambling house behind Moxiangzhai, so the Fourth Prince ordered people to seal it up first.
He bowed to everyone and said solemnly: "The chief examiner of the imperial examination has not yet been decided. The gambling house's remarks are all nonsense. They are just to entice you to place bets. After I verify this matter, I will give you an explanation."
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