However, Ji Yuan didn’t need to pay particular attention to the Third Young Master’s matter. He could let Master Yin handle with it himself.

Ji Yuan walked a few steps away from the stall and bowed to the approaching figure of the Old Dragon, but did not speak.

After the Old Dragon grew close enough, he bowed to Ji Yuan once again, and the latter extended a hand to invite him. The two of them walked to a corner of the street in tacit understanding. Their gaze turned to Yin Zhaoxian’s crowded stall on Wenqu Street.

“Mr. Ji, you will not leave the Capital Province until after the spring examinations, correct?”

Just as with the terms for the list of top examinees,¹ the term Spring Imperial Examination was used to refer to the imperial examinations both at the provincial and palace level. Originally, it specifically referred to the palace examination, but it had been expanded to now refer to all final results, such including those of the palace examination.

Ji Yuan looked at the “Third Young Master” who had approached Yin Zhaoxian’s stall. He did not use his authority to drive away the crowd, but instead stood and watched Master Yin write with great interest

Hearing the Old Dragon’s question, Ji Yuan pointed to the “Third Young Master” and asked something on a completely different topic.

“Mr. Ying, do you know who the newly arrived man is?”

Lao Long in the direction that Ji Yuan was pointing in. He saw a somewhat imposing man, with several mortal warriors who had strong vigor and powerful physiques standing beside him on all sides. Looking more closely at his energy, he could see that the man’s aura was rising, with a hint of purple hidden inside it.

“Looks like he might be a royal family member?”

“Yes, this man likes to go by “Third Young Master” when he travels incognito. In truth, he is “Prince Jin,” the third son of the current Emperor of Dazhen.”

“Oh, the third son of the Emperor of Dazhen.”

The Old Dragon had little interest in these matters. Even though the Tongtian River bordered the Capital Prefecture, the rise and fall of the dynasties of Dazhen were of no significance to him. In comparison, the Old Dragon found Yin Zhaoxian much more intriguing.

Ji Yuan looked at the Old Dragon and said:

“Although the Emperor of Dazhen has often established the eldest son as the crown prince, the current emperor is still young and strong, and has a unique personality. He has been reluctant to appoint a crown prince, and he finds the eldest son a bit irritating.”

The Old Dragon grew a little more interested.

“Mr. Ji, do you think that this Prince Jin might be the future crown prince, or even the next Emperor of Dazhen?”

“Haha, I can only say that it is possible. However, he is too aggressive,² and danger lurks everywhere on his path.”

The Old Dragon frowned and looked at his good friend. It wasn’t that he thought there was anything wrong with that declaration, but he sometimes felt that Ji Yuan was inscrutable. The man seemed to take interest in everything, yet at the same be interested in nothing at all.

“Mr. Ji, today is New Year’s Eve, the last day of the Lunar Year. It is a very important day for mortals, and it also has special meaning for us. Why don’t we go back to the underwater palace and have a chat? Of course, you may also bring Yin Zhaoxian with you, this scholar is not bad.”

Ji Yuan saw the Old Dragon’s serious expression and hurriedly shook his head.

“Confucian scholars are dedicated to the country, so it would be better not to let Master Yin have too much contact with things outside the mundane world. Besides, I am also somewhat interested in this matter here. If Prince Jin is not planning to attend the palace banquet, so why did he come here to find Yin Zhaoxian? Oh, right, the current emperor does not like to hold palace banquets…”

At this sentence, Ji Yuan invited the Old Dragon.

“It would be boring to go back to the underwater palace just to eat and drink. Why don’t Mr. Ying and I go see the festival in the human world today? There must be something worth seeing at the turn of this new year, particularly in the imperial city.”

The Old Dragon smiled at his words. What one did depended on who one was with. He naturally had no strong feelings about these things in the past, but since Ji Yuan was interested, so was he.

“Since Mr. Ji is curious, this old man will accompany you.”

In that case, Ji Yuan had no intention of appearing in front of Yin Zhaoxian anymore. He smiled and stretched out his hand, and, together with the Old Dragon, they approached Yin Zhaoxian’s stall. However, their figures gradually blurred and faded away, until they were completely ignored in the eyes of ordinary people.

At this moment, many other scholars on Wenqu Street had gathered around Yin Zhaoxian’s stall to watch.

Yin Zhaoxian is indeed very talented. The Spring Festival couplets and poems he had written were not only outstanding in their calligraphy, but were also well-balanced and had beautiful meanings. He was clearly superior to the other scholars. Shi Yusheng, to the side, had become a person specializing in helping collect copper coins.³

However, his hands were bound to be sore after writing so much. Yin Zhaoxian had already rubbed his wrists several times. Fortunately, although there are still many people watching, not many people actually bought calligraphy.

“As ice and snowfalls melt, the mountains and rivers fill with color. As winter turns to spring, the land regains its thousands of faces.”⁴

“It’s really well written!”

“Yes, I heard that this person is the Jieyuan of Ji Province, his name is Yin Zhaoxian!”

“Really? No wonder!”

……

No one knew who spread the news, but despite only having set up his stall here for two days, Yin Zhaoxian have become very well-known, and was particularly popular today.

After finishing this couplet, no one else came forward to ask for calligraphy. Then, the “Third Young Master,” who had been watching on the side for a while, finally spoke.

“Yin Jieyuan, do you still remember me?”

As they began talking, the servants nearby had quietly begun separating the crowd, driving out the scholars and the other individuals who were watching. At this sight, the bystanders did not dare say anything.

“How can you chase people away…”

“That’s right, I still want to buy some calligraphy!”

“Shh…stop talking.”

“Let’s go, let’s go…we can’t afford to offend them…”

……

Yin Zhaoxian turned his head to look at Prince Jin, and was stunned for a moment. Of course he remembered this man. However, he didn’t know his name, so he could only reply with a short sentence.

“I remember.”

“Haha, so you do remember. I finished reading your ‘On the Subject of Birds’ and ‘Understanding Justice.’ They are very well-written. When my teacher came to my house at that time, he also caught a glimpse of the “On the Subject of Birds.” He, too, found it very interesting after reading it. Today, my family is hosting a banquet; Yin Jieyuan must be lonely thousands of miles away from home, I hope Yin Jieyuan might do me a favor and accompany me to the banquet?”

“I…”

Yin Zhaoxian looked at the situation around him and seemed to be afraid of saying “no.”

“It’s better to obey than to stand on ceremony!”

As they were talking, Yin Zhaoxian looked around for Shi Yusheng, and finally found that the other party had also been driven aside by the servant of the “Third Young Master,” who seemed to have no intention of compromising.

“Then let’s go now. Let that scholar surnamed Shi clean up your stall for you.”

Prince Jin directly made the decision for the two of them, then turned and left. Yin Zhaoxian had no choice but to put down his pen, apologize to Shi Yusheng, and leave with the two guards.

The more Shi Yusheng thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. Wasn’t this blatant kidnapping?

He grit his teeth, asked someone to look after the stall, then ran away quickly to report to the police.

. . .

Yin Zhaoxian never thought that this so-called family banquet would actually be held in the palace, let alone that this “Third Young Master” was actually Prince Jin.

The current Emperor of Dazhen had a strange habit. He liked to hold a family banquet in the palace at noon. At night, when there was nothing to do in the palace, he would sometimes bring his concubines to visit the homes of his close sons. He believed that while his palace was large and his gardens expansive, they lacked family affection, and were not as interesting as his sons’ palaces.

This year, the emperor went to Prince Wu’s palace, while Prince Ji held a small-scale banquet in his own home. There were no princes nor ministers attending the banquet, only close confidants.

The magnificence of the palace still made Yin Zhaoxian a little dizzy. He couldn’t understand how he, a mere Jieyuan of Ji Province, could have the honor of attending such a gathering.

However, Ji Yuan, who had arrived along with the Old Dragon, had an inkling.

Yin Zhaoxian walked into the palace admist servants’ greetings of “Hello, Your Highness!” repeating all the way down. Just like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Gardens,⁵ he didn’t dare say a word, and just followed along.

“This must be Yin Jieyuan!”

A loud shout came from the palace, startling Yin Zhaoxian, but Prince Jin had already bowed to the newcomer.

“Teacher! May I introduce Yin Zhaoxian, Yin Jieyuan, the literary leader of this generation of Ji Province.”

“I don’t deserve these words, I don’t dare!”

Yin Zhaoxian broke into a sweat at his praise.

“Yin Jieyuan, this is my teacher, the prince’s tutor Li Mushu!”

An old man in Confucian robes had already drawn near. Prince Jin introduced him to Yin Zhaoxian, who hurriedly bowed.

“I greet Master Li!”

“Hahaha, no need to be polite. I have already read ‘On the Subject of Birds’ and ‘Understanding Justice.’ I admire Yin Jieyuan’s talent! At that time, I told Prince Jin that he had to grab such excellent talent, otherwise someone else would grab it first.”

At his words, Yin Zhaoxian broke out into a cold sweat once more. The prince’s faction was no joke, but they were currently in a difficult situation.

“Master Li, you are overpraising me!”

As Prince Jin saw that his teacher and Yin Zhaoxian were chatting, he was about to leave again. It was customary for him to enter the palace before dusk to pay his father a visit.

“Teacher, feel free to talk with Yin Jieyuan for a while. I will head to the palace first.”

“Your Highness, please go ahead. I will take care of Yin Jieyuan on your behalf. He will not be able to escape! Hahahaha…”⁶

Prince Jin left with a smile, while Yin Zhaoxian smiled awkwardly.

“Hahaha, Yin Jieyuan, no need to be nervous. Today is Prince Jin’s family banquet. There are no high-ranking officials from the court present. Prince Jin appreciates Jieyuan’s talent, so he invited you to come. You can come sit next to me for a while!”

“Thank you Master Li. To be honest, my back is soaked with sweat.”

Yin Zhaoxian’s sincere and unexpected answer amused Li Mushu.

“Hahaha… Please, let’s go to the side hall to chat about “On the Subject of Birds”.”

“Master Li, please lead the way!”

By this point, Yin Zhaoxian had no choice but to go along with it.

Ji Yuan and the Old Dragon were standing in Prince Jin’s mansion, watching Yin Zhaoxian’s discomfort from beginning to end, but they didn’t show up to rescue him.⁷ The Old Dragon laughed.

“This Master Yin is quite popular. His upright character doesn’t work all that well on such polite occasions!”

1. 桂榜 (guì bǎng) See chapter 111, footnote 8
2. Lit: his sharp edge is too exposed
3. T/n: LOL he’s helping Yin Zhaoxian collect the payment so YXZ can focus on writing
4. 冰消雪化江山又呈五光十色，冬去春来神州再现百态千姿, 12/12, matched syllable count and word count.
5. Granny Liu, a character from “Dream of the Red Chamber.” This expression specifically is used for someone unsophisticated/rustic overwhelmed by new surroundings/experiences
6. T/n: RIP YZX, you can’t escape Politics
7. T/n: True friendship would be taking a video to tease him with later

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read