Both the Crown Prince's and the Crown Prince's poetry gatherings were the busiest social occasions in the capital. They were held once a month, rain or shine. Who knew how many scholars from poor families and poets from poor families tried their best to get involved, hoping to make a name for themselves with a poem or phrase, and find a way to rise in status.
The Crown Prince was fond of literature, and this was something everyone knew. Although Crown Prince Jing was the Emperor's younger brother, he had always aspired to be a wealthy and idle prince, so he did not have much power. Comparing the two, those with clear goals were naturally more willing to go to the Crown Prince's side.
But if they could get a compliment from Crown Prince Jing, it was also a good way to make a name for themselves. So every time the poetry gatherings were held, the Crown Prince's manor, not far from Shixin Gate, would always welcome many guests. Some of these guests came in palanquins, some in carriages, and some on foot. But the old housekeeper at the gate treated them all the same. After checking their name cards, he respectfully invited them in.
Fan Xian sat in the palanquin, his face very ugly, alternating between green and white. From time to time, he covered his mouth to suppress the urge to vomit.
Because he had come to attend the poetry gatherings, which was a scholarly event, sitting in a palanquin with green curtains would have been more appropriate, he had requested to sit in a palanquin with his sister. But having lived by the Danzhou coast for so long, he did not feel dizzy from the swaying of the boat, but the palanquin did. As he struggled, he pulled open the side curtain of the palanquin and asked Teng Zijing weakly, "How far is it?"
Teng Zijing held back his laughter and replied, "Just past the intersection."
Fan Xian grunted and sat back down. His fingers opened like orchids, and he put his thumb and ring finger together, allowing the zhenqi to slowly flow out and cleanse his internal organs. The nausea was somewhat gone, but it could not cure the palanquin dizziness.
At that moment, there were many questions lingering in his mind, and his body was not feeling well, so he furrowed his brows. These days living in the manor, he felt that his father was very different from what he had imagined, and there were many things that he could not explain. For example, why did he care so much about his illegitimate son? Was it really because of his mother that he loved him as well?
He turned his head to look out of the sedan chair. Through the thin green cloth, he saw the figure sitting on the horse. He knew that although Teng Zijing was currently leaning towards him, he was still his father's man, and he could not completely trust him. He sighed and thought to himself that he had to find some trustworthy subordinates. Uncle Wu Zhu was like a ghost and was not someone he could casually order around.
Fan Xian really wanted to know what his mother had done in Jingdou, how she had met his father, and how she had left this world. This wasn't just out of pure curiosity and admiration. He believed that only by knowing his history would he be able to better grasp his present and future.
In the royal prince's estate, a few scholars were bowing to a young man in front of a garden gate. They had never expected that Crown Prince Jing's heir would personally welcome them at the gate for today's poetry meet.
Two small green curtain sedans slowly swayed over. Crown Prince Jing somewhat impatiently cupped his hands at those fellows who were bowing to him, and then went forward to greet them. Only now did the scholars realize that they had misunderstood, but they did not dare to show any expression on their faces. They continued to smile proudly and elegantly cupped their hands in salute. Led by the housekeeper, they went to the back garden.
The servants at the gate of the manor were curious as well. What kind of distinguished guest could make the Crown Prince personally come out to welcome them?
When they saw the girl in the yellow dress step down from the first sedan chair, they realized that it was the young lady of Fan Manor. Not to mention the relationship between King Jing's manor and Fan Manor, considering the personal relationship between Princess Rou Jia and Miss Fan, it was inconvenient for a girl to show her face in public, so it was only right for her to be welcomed outside the garden.
"Sister Ruoruo." Crown Prince Jing's surname was Li, and his name was Hongcheng. In the capital, he had always been inseparable from places like brothels. But in front of Miss Fan, the Crown Prince kept his head down and appeared very polite.
Fan Ruoruo bowed slightly and greeted the Crown Prince. She then smiled and said, "What topic did Rou Jia set today?"
The Crown Prince smiled and replied, but his eyes occasionally glanced at the sedan chair behind him. It had been half a day, so why hadn't that man come down yet? A servant had already come forward and very respectfully lifted the curtain of the sedan chair. Unexpectedly, the sedan chair was empty. For a moment, everyone in the manor was shocked. What was going on?
Fan Ruoruo covered her mouth and laughed. She explained, "Brother is in the back."
As they spoke, they saw a young man of sixteen or seventeen rushing over from not far away, panting. He was followed by an attendant. This young man was wearing a light maroon unlined shirt, and his collar buttons were not fastened properly, which inevitably made him look a little frivolous. However, when paired with his cute, friendly, and clean face, others would feel that this person should be dressed in such a relaxed manner.
"Sorry, sorry." Fan Xian cupped his hands and bowed to the Crown Prince. He said awkwardly, "I was dizzy in the sedan chair, so I walked all the way here. The weather was a bit hot, so I drank a bowl of sour berries outside the manor before coming here. I'm late, late."
"You're not late, you're not late." As soon as Li Hongcheng saw the young man he had met once before, he was overjoyed. He laughed and said, "It is good that Brother Fan is here."
Fan Xian heard the way he addressed him, and noticed that there was an extra "Fan" in it. For a moment, he didn't know what attitude the Crown Prince was trying to express. He paused, and a smile appeared on his face. "The sour berries outside the manor are better than anywhere else, so of course I came to see."
The Crown Prince, Li Hongcheng, smiled slightly. Seeing the conversation drift off into the distance, he found it even more interesting. He led the way, and the two of them entered the garden.
When Fan Xian was in Danzhou, he knew that his sister was a good poet. Although in his opinion, these poems were often just sentimental and couldn't escape certain conventions. There were still good poems in this era, but it was clear that the young scholars who often attended the poetry gatherings didn't have much attainment, so Fan Ruoruo still had a small reputation as a poet.
So he was very curious about how his sister would behave on such an occasion, and what Princess Ruojia, who had caused the outflow of Dream of the Red Chamber and sold it to the bootleg bookseller, would look like.
But as he followed Li Hongcheng into the back garden, with its winding corridors and flowing water, he realized that in this seemingly open country, men and women still sat separately. The women sat in a pavilion across the lake, with layers of white muslin hanging in front of them, dancing in the wind.
Fan Xian followed the Crown Prince to the other side of the lake, a little disappointed. Looking at the muslin in the distance, he couldn't help but think of Zhou Xingxing, whom he had loved the most in his previous life. He sighed to himself, "It really feels like first love."
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