In the back garden of Prince Jing's manor.
Remembering that the two families were familiar with each other, the Crown Prince asked Fan Xian to make himself at home and went to greet the other guests. After all, there were a few eye-catching people here today.
Fan Xian did not know of the undercurrents beneath the calm surface. He walked casually, and among the seemingly scattered seats, he found an isolated spot that suited his temperament and sat down. Seeing that there was wine on the table, he very consciously poured a cup and took a sip.
Fan Xian sighed in his heart and looked up at the sky. It was fortunate that the sun was not too hot today. Otherwise, he would not be able to see any beautiful women at this poetry gathering, and he would have to listen to sour poems. With the sun roasting him, he would become a vinegar dried chicken.
The scholars seemed to be sitting casually, but in reality they were all surrounding a small table in the middle of the grass, so not many people noticed him. A few noblemen near him saw that he was unfamiliar, but he had been personally brought in by the Crown Prince. They curiously stepped forward to greet him, ready to ask about his background.
Unexpectedly, Fan Xian smiled wholeheartedly and spoke seamlessly. After a long time, they still did not know which family this beautiful young man was from. After chatting for a while, they could not help but feel a little bored, so they all retreated and quietly waited for the poetry gathering to begin.
It was said that this day was different from the previous few days. The sun was gentle, the willows were fluttering, and the spring breeze was strong enough to drill into people's collars. Of course, the wind at the end of spring did not have any cold power. It was like an invisible little hand gently moving, very comfortable. It was the perfect time to sleep. Fan Xian was not a dissolute madman, so at first he put on a smile and forced his eyes open, listening to the poetry and watching the wine being poured. But with the spring breeze and the little sun, he felt that the poetry gathering was really boring, so he gradually felt dizzy and wanted to sleep.
He could only vaguely hear a few sentences, such as "In the dream of Leizhou road, here we go again. If not for the mountain man asking for a high price, he would laugh at himself... "and" The wine cup is thick, a gourd drunk Liu Weng, a gourd of wine pressing down on the tip of a flower... "and" The Dongyi people are all wandering, thanks to this man's maturity... "
Fan Xian pinched the web between his thumb and index finger to wake himself up. Although he did not like reciting poetry, in this kind of situation, he could not reveal the personality of his past life that had not been washed away after sixteen years. So he smiled, but looked at the scene somewhat woodenly.
As he looked, he saw a few people he was not familiar with. These people were sitting in the most comfortable seats by the lake. They were Guo Baokun, He Zongwei, and the others who had a conflict at the restaurant the day before yesterday. Fan Xian frowned slightly. Crown Prince Jing clearly knew about the dispute between Fan Manor and the Guo family that day, so why did he call both sides over today?
As if sensing his gaze, Guo Baokun, who had been showing off his mature and steady demeanor to the beauties across the lake, turned his head. When he saw that it was the Fan family's black boxer, his expression changed. He could no longer maintain his scholarly demeanor, and subconsciously threw the fan in his hand onto the table.
There was an Imperial College student explaining the meaning of the scriptures, so not many people noticed Guo Baokun's son's reaction.
The people at Guo Baokun's table followed his gaze, and immediately found Fan Xian hiding in a remote corner. Their expressions changed, thinking that they were all scholars, and they had not brought any guards with them today. If that Fan Manor boy used another black boxer, who would stand up to him?
Fan Xian looked at them with a smile and nodded, greeting them as if they were friends.
The people at the table discussed something in low voices, and a slightly gloomy smile gradually appeared on their faces. Guo Baokun's face, which had always been gloomy, had an additional hint of joy. Only He Zongwei seemed to have a disapproving expression.
— — —
It was unknown what the girls on the other side of the lake were doing under the white silk, but the court lady had long since copied the poems that the girls had composed and sent them here for the scholars to evaluate.
The Crown Prince laughed heartily. "Although women are not inferior to men, literature is not a battle of brute force. Do not be courteous; you cannot lose to those weak women."
Everyone agreed in unison, and laughter gradually arose. Someone suggested using something as a topic to compose a poem, and then choosing the three best ones to match with the one on the other side of the lake.
A scholar at Guo Baokun's table rolled his eyes, and cupped his hands in salute. "I am not talented, how about using the lake as a topic?"
"Excellent, today's blue waves are floating gold …" Someone else suggested.
"Absolutely, look at the lake and the mountains …" Someone else suggested.
Guo Baokun rolled his eyes and looked at Fan Xian. "I did not expect Young Master Fan to come today," he said in a loud voice. "Why don't we start with Young Master Fan?"
Fan Xian had come today on his father's orders, to show off in front of the people of the capital. Hearing that he was being asked to compose a poem, he smiled and shook his head. "I do not have that ability. Everyone, please."
Seeing him concede, Guo Baokun increasingly felt that he really was an embroidered pillow. He laughed coldly. "A few days ago, Brother Fan was talking big in Yishi Tavern, looking down on all the scholars of the world. Today, I see that you are stingy with your advice. It seems that your standards are indeed very high."
Hearing him say this, everyone present realized that there had long been animosity between the two sides, and that he was using poetry to pick a fight. Most of the people in the manor were guests of King Jing's manor. Although they did not know who Fan Xian was, they saw that he seemed to be familiar with the Crown Prince, so some people guessed that he might be a descendant of the Fan clan. Few people guessed that he was the son of Count Sinan, Fan Jian.
Seeing the people around him talking, Guo Baokun took a sip of tea and laughed darkly. "Brother Fan is the one who recently entered the capital. Everyone should have heard of him."
None of the people present were idiots. They immediately knew who Fan Xian was, and when they looked at him again, their gazes were filled with pity, disdain, and many other complicated emotions.
Fan Xian's expression did not change. He still wore a faint smile, but he insisted on not composing a poem. Crown Prince Jing looked at the smile on Fan Xian's face and found it increasingly difficult to see through him. A strange look flashed in his eyes, and he tried to smooth things over. "Poetry is poetry. Brother Fan has no intention of doing so today. Everyone, please recite."
Fan Xian leaned lazily on the table, watching everyone go back and forth, listening to each other's lackluster sentences. He felt very bored. In the eyes of the bystanders, this appearance was somewhat presumptuous. Inevitably, someone mocked, "Miss Fan is famous in the capital for her poetry. Who would have thought that the young master of the Fan family would speak in silence? How unexpected."
Guo Baokun lowered his voice and laughed. "After all, he was not raised in the manor. Of course he has to be different." Although he lowered his voice, he deliberately made sure that everyone around him could hear. Although the Kingdom of Qing was liberal, the status of an illegitimate child was not something that could be revealed in public. And Fan Xian's status was even more sensitive. Hearing him deliberately say this, for a moment, a strange atmosphere filled the air.
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