The thirteenth day of the eighth month.
Auspicious for weddings, meeting friends, and sacrificial ceremonies.
Favorable deities to approach: Heavenly Grace, Four Phases, No General, and Blessing Life.
From the First Prince’s mansion to the Shu residence, red cloth covered the ground, with an eight-bearer sedan chair.
All along the route, taverns and teahouses were extraordinarily lively.
Qu Dubian sat in a private room on the second floor of Ruyi Tower, leaning against the railing, cracking melon seeds while watching the excitement below.
Xia Fuyang lounged lazily beside him. Now fourteen years old, he had grown very tall very quickly, already looking like a young man. Because of his martial arts practice and opened dantian, his body had smooth muscle lines, and with his waist cinched, at a glance, he was a handsome, sunny young man.
“If you like watching the excitement, why not go to the Shu family’s house or your eldest brother’s mansion?”
Qu Dubian: “It’s boring. Everyone who comes in and out greets you, calling you ‘Seventh Prince’ or ‘Seventh Highness,'” he shook his head, “Besides, the food at my eldest brother’s mansion isn’t that good.”
Xia Fuyang looked down, saw the imperial wedding procession’s decorations, and his eyes lit up. He reached out to grab Qu Dubian’s wrist.
“Come here, you-”
Qu Dubian instantly withdrew his hand, instinctively avoiding the touch.
Xia Fuyang paused, looked over with a puzzled expression: “What are you doing? Can’t be touched anymore?”
Qu Dubian flicked some dust off his clothes: “I can walk by myself.”
His meridians were slightly damaged and disordered. This guy had opened his dantian, with true qi contained within. If he grabbed his wrist, he might sense something was wrong, and then he’d have to come up with more lies.
“Oh…”
Xia Fuyang called into the room: “Judge Xi! Come take a look!”
A few seconds later, Xi Zixing emerged with dark circles under his eyes, holding a booklet bound with blank rice paper, labeled: Evaluation Form One.
This ‘One’ referred to the First Prince.
For the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Princes, whenever they established their own households or moved to the princes’ residence, he had created a blank booklet. Inside were evaluations based on his selection criteria.
Originally, this was a secret known only to himself.
Later, when the three of them went out to play together, his booklet fell out, and Xia Fuyang pestered him relentlessly to explain what it was, so he finally told them.
Qu Dubian found it hilarious.
After knowing Xi Zixing for a long time, one would discover that he was actually very intelligent, with a memory even better than Qu Dubian’s-photographic memory, a master among scholars.
But his obsessive-compulsive tendencies had become more pronounced as he grew older, and sometimes he would become stubbornly fixated on things as if he’d gone mad.
He had also told the two of them that he only started seriously studying and taking exams after Qu Dubian turned his “Still Waters Run Deep” calligraphy upside down. Before that, he had mostly just read casually.
At the time, Qu Dubian had asked, if the painting had never been turned upside down, would he have never studied seriously?
Xi Zixing had said with a straight face that he would have paid a servant to bring in a customer to turn the painting upside down. Since he wouldn’t know which customer had been bribed, it wouldn’t count as breaking his own oath.
Flexible yet rigid, with a strong sense of ceremony.
This guy was still taking exams, yet he had already started preparing to choose whom to serve in the future.
He had even used money earned from his bookstore to bribe Qu Dubian to secretly bring him other princes’ exam papers from the academy, wanting to assess the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Princes’ abilities through their answers.
If others knew that a boy whose beard hadn’t even fully grown was selecting among princes, they would certainly mock him.
Qu Dubian didn’t see it that way-what was wrong with someone checking out potential future bosses in advance?
He enthusiastically gave him many of the princes’ discarded answer sheets from the teachers.
Each time he looked at them, Xi Zixing would grade them in his little notebook, acting even more like a teacher than the teachers themselves, marking with a red pen, either check marks or big crosses.
That’s why Xia Fuyang had given him the nickname “Judge.”
Xi Zixing looked at the wedding procession below: “The capital hasn’t been this lively for a long time, has it?”
Qu Dubian: “It’s my eldest brother’s wedding, the first among the sons. The old man at home values it quite a lot, with standards exceeding the norm, following the specifications for a prince.”
Xi Zixing sighed: “I hope there won’t be another accident like when he established his household a few years ago.”
Qu Dubian: “…”
Xia Fuyang: “…”
He covered Xi Zixing’s mouth, “You really know how to bring up the wrong topics. Just be quiet.”
Qu Dubian sighed: “Don’t worry, Commander Zuo has brought the imperial guards to protect the Shu family and the prince’s mansion. Nothing will happen.”
The first incident had been suppressed. He guessed his cheap father suspected it might have been the Second or Third Prince’s doing, so there had been no follow-up news until now.
But if something happened on the wedding day of the Crown Prince, it would be a slap in the face to the royal family.
His cheap father wouldn’t allow it.
Xi Zixing: “The First Prince hasn’t taken any concubines or bedchamber attendants in these three years. He was the earliest to establish his own household. If he had offspring, it would be more secure.”
Having offspring would mean having the eldest imperial grandson, who, like the First Prince, would bear the character “long” (eldest).
Qu Dubian: “You don’t think that’s good?”
Xi Zixing pondered, objectively saying: “If speaking purely from the perspective of a strategist or advisor, it’s certainly not good. But from the Shu family’s perspective, the First Prince is a good match within the imperial family.”
Xia Fuyang snorted with laughter: “I don’t care about anything else, but if the man my sister marries dares to be unfaithful, I’ll break his dog legs.”
“Hmm… Xiao Qi,” Xi Zixing shuffled over to his side, “Why don’t you take me to the First Prince’s mansion for a look?”
Qu Dubian: “You want to observe my eldest brother up close, huh?”
Xi Zixing: “Well, who else can I use for backdoor connections but you?”
As he spoke, he stepped back, bowed with clasped hands, and said: “I humbly request, Lord Xiao Qi, this humble one here-”
“Hey, hey, stop, stop,” Qu Dubian waved his hands repeatedly.
Xia Fuyang punched Xi Zixing, “Stop teasing him. If you’re in the mood for acting, go perform at Chunfeng House.”
Xi Zixing slowly straightened up, touching his face, “That might earn more than when you perform.”
Xia Fuyang’s face twisted slightly, and Qu Dubian burst into laughter.
Xi Zixing added: “But the two of us combined probably don’t earn as much as Xiao Qi.”
Xia Fuyang instantly redirected his attack: “Exactly, exactly.”
Qu Dubian stopped laughing and started chasing after them to punch them.
–
The First Prince’s mansion.
Qu Dubian followed the wedding procession and, as a friend, brought Xi Zixing inside.
The wedding scene was very lively.
The First Prince was beaming with joy. He didn’t kick the sedan chair or give any “tests” to the bride. Instead, he held one end of the red silk ribbon, leading the Shu family’s daughter through the main entrance.
Consort De sat in the main hall.
The Emperor hadn’t come, but he had sent a plaque inscribed with “Perfect Match of Gold and Jade.”
After the ritual officer’s three announcements, the new bride paid her respects to Consort De.
Consort De smiled so widely her eyes nearly disappeared, “Good, good, good!”
She then looked at the First Prince, with tears in the corners of her eyes, “Finally someone has taken in this troublemaker.”
The people around let out friendly laughter.
Behind the fan, Shu Wenxin also curved her lips in a smile.
After the ceremonies were completed, the bride went to the bridal chamber, leaving only the guests in front to drink.
Xi Zixing immediately became alert, watching the First Prince’s every move from the corner.
Unlike the mansion-establishing banquet, among the officials attending the First Prince’s wedding feast, fifty percent were there to observe, while the other fifty percent had thoughts of offering their allegiance.
If the First Prince handled it well, he could definitely win over several influential officials at court.
The First Prince clearly knew this too.
He called over his former study companion, now his advisor Dou Shun, raised his wine cup, and walked toward the officials.
The first official: “Hahaha, congratulations to Your Highness! Now that you’re married, His Majesty will surely value you even more!”
First Prince: “Hahaha, yes, this prince thinks so too!”
He slapped the official’s shoulder forcefully, appreciatively saying: “Good, you’re quite impressive, just a bit young.”
He emptied his cup and moved on to the next person.
Official Number One: “…”
Advisor Dou Shun stepped up and said: “His Highness means that sir is young and promising, which is excellent. He hopes for more interactions in the future.”
The second official whispered: “Your Highness should have married earlier. Why not take more wives? More in-laws would provide more support, wouldn’t they?” The implication was that he wanted to marry his own daughter into the family.
The First Prince pondered: “That makes sense, but I’m worried they might fight over me. I’ll think about it, think about it…”
He emptied his cup and moved on to the next person.
Official Number Two: “…”
Dou Shun quickly stepped up, smiling: “I’ve long heard that sir has a precious daughter at home. Perhaps next time when Consort De hosts a palace banquet, I could ask His Highness to send an invitation?”
The First Prince drank cup after cup.
Dou Shun circled around again and again.
Xi Zixing silently read their lips, and the more he read, the more his mouth twitched.
Heavens, although he had heard from Xiao Qi that his eldest brother wasn’t good at being tactful, seeing it firsthand, he felt Xiao Qi had been too euphemistic.
The First Prince wasn’t just untactful; his communication with officials was like a cart and a donkey colliding-completely misaligned.
His gaze couldn’t help but move to the advisor who was constantly patching up the First Prince’s words. He looked about the same age as the First Prince, but his hairline was already dangerously receding.
…Help, is being the First Prince’s advisor this torturous?
Xi Zixing silently took half a step back.
He flipped through his little booklet and changed the original score of 5 in the [Language Comprehension Ability] section to 2.
After the First Prince left the front hall, Dou Shun finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Xi Zixing couldn’t stand it anymore and went to wander around the back garden.
Behind a rockery, he sat down on a random stone and began calculating scores for the First Prince.
The First Prince himself was a bit simple, but not bad. If someone could guide him well, perhaps his character could be molded, and he did have many supporters around him.
Like Consort De.
Known in the palace for her steadiness and dignity, and now the First Prince’s wife-if they could all advise him and strategize, perhaps…
In front of the rockery, a voice sighed: “It’s been so long since I’ve been out of the palace.”
Xi Zixing paused. A middle-aged woman who referred to herself as “this palace”-in the First Prince’s mansion, that could only be Consort De.
Consort De, supported by her personal palace maid, gazed at the setting sun, her eyes full of joy.
She took a deep breath.
“Since entering the imperial palace, it’s been over a decade. Only now can I smell the air outside. The flowers are clearly the same as those in the palace, yet I feel they’re more fragrant than those inside.”
Palace maid: “In a few more years, you can apply to leave the palace and live with the First Prince.”
“That’s still many, many years away. By then, I might already have a head full of silver hair, unable to dance in the square anymore. Moving from a big room to a small room, unable to move at all-freedom or not, there would be no difference.”
Palace maid: “My lady…”
Consort De took another deep breath, as if trying to inhale enough to last.
“If there’s a next life, this consort wants to be a bird, flying here and there, defecating wherever I please.”
Palace maid: “…”
Xi Zixing: “…”
He sighed.
–
Meanwhile.
Qu Dubian had stolen some fruit wine and, avoiding Ye Xiaoyuan, was hiding in a large tree next to the kitchen, sipping it bit by bit.
Xia Fuyang was with him, lying on a branch.
Their silhouettes were hidden by the golden yellow leaves, and the servants coming and going below didn’t notice them at all.
The autumn breeze blew as the sun set in the west, creating a scene of perfect contentment.
Qu Dubian said: “Want some?”
“Be careful, I might tell your attendant,” Xia Fuyang said, “What’s so good about this sweet fruit wine? Strong liquor is what has kick.”
Qu Dubian: “How strong do you like your alcohol?”
Xia Fuyang: “The stronger the better.”
“I’ll give you a jar for your birthday.” Distilled grain alcohol-he had just won the blueprint for the distillation device in a lottery draw. It would be a waste not to use it.
“Really? Then I want the one from His Majesty’s collection!”
“I guarantee it will be even better than those.”
Xia Fuyang lay back down, “Looking forward to it, but my birthday is still a long way off…”
After a while, he said, “Can I ask you something?”
Qu Dubian: “Mm, go ahead.”
Xia Fuyang rested on his arm, looking at the leaves rustling in the autumn breeze above his head, with the moon almost full.
“Why are your meridians so disordered?”
Qu Dubian’s secret sipping of sweet wine paused.
Xia Fuyang: “When you dodged this afternoon, I felt something wasn’t right. When we entered the mansion, I touched you while you weren’t paying attention.”
Qu Dubian was shocked: “You didn’t even pay, what right do you have to touch me!”
Xia Fuyang: “…”
##
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
