When Luo Yan saw Ying Wuji, his heart was quite complicated.

He had seen Ying Wuji several times before, after all, he was the only son of King Qian. Although he had not been crowned as the Crown Prince yet, Ying Wuji always acted as if he were the Crown Prince, frequently attending various diplomatic events. No matter how well he did his diplomatic work, he never let go of his "Prince of a Friendly Nation" demeanor.

Luo Yan was actually happy to see this scene. Even though there were various rumors about the Ying family causing trouble, he truly hoped that Ying Wuji could safely return to the country.

After all, the Ying family had produced several talented young individuals. If Ying Wuji couldn't return, it would most likely be one of them who would become the ruler, and they would be difficult to deal with.

So Luo Yan always had a thought: this child must be sent back to Qian Kingdom.

However, he never expected that Ying Wuji was actually pretending. He only revealed his business talent when Ying Wuque slightly pressured him. Not only did he monopolize the printing industry, but he also took away his precious daughter.

And he even wrote "The Beheading Beauty Case," almost cursing at himself.

And what about himself?

He still had to politely address him as "Young Master Wuji."

Ying Wuji glanced at Hua Wanqiu beside him.

Hua Wanqiu noticed his gaze and nodded with a smile, "The stability of Hua Chao Bookstore relies on Young Master Wu..."

Ying Wuji interrupted directly, "This sister looks very familiar, she must be Hua Chao's sister. Luo Xiang is getting stronger with age, this young master admires you!"

Hua Wanqiu: "???"

Luo Yan: "???"

Zhao Ning: "......"

【Hint】: Emotion fluctuation value exceeds 90, randomly obtain the Yellow Rank technique "Gentleman's Six Arts: Etiquette."

Ying Wuji curled his lips, thinking that this skill was really useless.

Do I look like someone who talks about etiquette?

It must be said that Luo Yan, who had held a high position for many years, had excellent self-control. Even though his emotions were so agitated, he only twitched his eyebrows for a moment and quickly returned to normal. He didn't explain to Ying Wuji, he just said "please" and gestured for him to sit in front of the stone wall.

Ying Wuji wanted to continue provoking, but he couldn't do it forcefully, so he signaled for Zhao Ning to leave together.

It was only at this time that Luo Yan noticed Zhao Ning and couldn't help but show a puzzled expression. This person should be a member of the Zhao family, judging from his appearance, and he seemed to have a distinguished demeanor. Why had he never seen this person before?

Zhao Ning glanced at him, didn't say much, just nodded slightly, and prepared to leave.

But at this moment, the door in the backyard creaked open, and a hearty voice came.

"There are so many people today!"

"Fortunately, we have Luo Xiang!"

"Luo Xiang, I heard that you are about to marry a beautiful wife. I wonder if I have the honor to meet my sister-in-law!"

"Hey? Brother Ying?"

Ying Wuji turned his head and couldn't help but pause, "Brother Jiang? What is..."

He took a closer look and realized that Jiang Taiyuan was wearing different clothes today. He had changed out of the casual coarse linen robe from yesterday and was now wearing an official robe from the Zhou Royal Court, embroidered with exquisite patterns.

The "Gentleman's Six Arts: Etiquette" that he had just learned from Luo Yan instantly came in handy.

These patterns were actually... the insignia of the Zhou Royal Court!

Ying Wuji was shocked. He didn't expect that Jiang Taiyuan, the senior brother who helped him catch the culprit, had actually become the Zhou Royal Court's official. Moreover, he was co-hosting today's literary gathering with the Prime Minister.

This... was simply unbelievable!

Luo Yan smiled slightly, "Greetings, Lord Prefect!"

The Zhou Royal Court placed great emphasis on ritual and music ceremonies. Although the position of the Prefect of the Zhou Royal Court only managed music and dance, the rank was quite high. In name, they could sit on an equal footing with the various lords and kings. As the Prime Minister, Luo Yan naturally had to show a lower level of respect first.

Jiang Taiyuan stopped him with a smile, "Lord Prefect, you are too polite. This must be the sister-in-law, right? The sister-in-law is really beautiful. By the way! Don't you have a daughter who is good at drama?"

Luo Yan looked towards Luo Ming beside him, "Third son! Quickly call your sister over and say that the Prefect is here!"

"Okay!"

Luo Ming sighed and reluctantly agreed. He didn't want the father and daughter to meet right now.

But he also knew that Hua Chao really wanted to have her dramas recorded in the Zhou Royal Court. After hesitating for a moment, he went to find her.

It seemed that this Prefect was also quite familiar with Ying Wuji and should not have any taboos!

Soon, Luo Ming brought Hua Chao over.

Hua Chao had originally come with great expectations to meet the Prefect, but she didn't expect to see Luo Yan at first glance, and the smile on her face disappeared instantly.

Luo Yan waved at her with a smile, "Hua Chao, come and meet the Lord Prefect!"

Hua Chao didn't even look at him and walked past Luo Yan directly, bowing to Jiang Taiyuan, "Greetings, Lord Prefect!"

Jiang Taiyuan laughed heartily, "Miss Hua Chao, I have long heard of your name. I heard your song, 'The Beheading Beauty,'..."

He choked for a moment, glanced at Luo Yan, and quickly added, "We shouldn't mention that play, right? It's a pity, a pity. If it hadn't been banned, it would have had a good chance of being recorded in the Zhou Royal Court. It's a pity. I don't know if I will have the honor to witness the birth of another masterpiece today!"

Luo Yan: "......"

Hua Chao smiled faintly, "Lord Prefect, rest assured. With the help of Young Master Wuji, I will definitely present a better drama today."

"Then I'll look forward to it!"

Jiang Taiyuan laughed heartily, secretly giving Ying Wuji a thumbs up, and said, "But it's not easy to be included in the Royal Court. Miss Hua Chao must take it seriously. I'll go ahead now. You all can chat!"

This was not an exaggeration.

Although Xie Wang had destroyed Ping Wang and saved the capital city of Jing, the decline of the royal family was irreversible. Following the advice of his ministers, Xie Wang decisively implemented the political and ceremonial dualization reform. Now, the Zhou Royal Court no longer had the power to intervene in the internal affairs of the various feudal states, but it still held a transcendent position in ceremonial rituals.

Although the Music Bureau was a newly established organization that had only been around for a few years, the rules were quite strict. It was not easy to include a new genre.

Jiang Taiyuan bowed to everyone and went straight to the stone wall.

As soon as the outsider left, it became much quieter behind the stone wall.

Hua Chao felt uncomfortable all over and wanted to leave: "I'm leaving first!"

"Hold on!"

The Prime Minister couldn't bear it anymore: "Hua Chao! How long do you plan to make a fuss? Come and meet your mother!"

"Mother?"

Hua Chao's delicate body trembled, her eyes full of disbelief.

Hua Wanqiu was also taken aback when she heard this term, as if she was somewhat shocked. She subconsciously wanted to wave her hand to refuse, but after looking at Hua Chao, she couldn't help but show a gentle smile.

This smile was strikingly similar to Hua Chao's.

Seeing this smile, Hua Chao felt an intense disgust: "You want me to call her mother? Did you ask my mother if she agrees? Luo Yan, don't go too far!"

"How dare you! How dare you call your father by his name? She is..."

Luo Yan paused, gritted his teeth and said: "She is the woman your father remarried. What's wrong with calling her mother? Your mother was gentle and generous all her life, how could she give birth to such an unfilial daughter like you!"

"You!"

Hua Chao was so angry that she almost crushed her teeth, her eyes instantly reddened, and she looked like she wanted to fight Luo Yan.

"Damn!"

Ying Wuji stepped forward and stopped Hua Chao. He couldn't understand why Luo Yan, who was always measured in handling major affairs, became so irrational when it came to family matters. It was as if he was under a spell, doing whatever he was told.

You could say he didn't love his daughter, but even when she was treated as an enemy, he still took care of Hua Chao in secret.

You could say he loved his daughter, but he bullied her like this, doing one disgusting thing after another.

Or was it Hua Wanqiu who cast the spell? What kind of tricks did this woman have? She didn't seem to have any special abilities...

Luo Yan frowned slightly: "Does Young Master Wuji have any advice on my family affairs?"

Using family affairs to block me?

Ying Wuji smiled: "Nothing much. I heard that the old lady in your family is about to celebrate her eightieth birthday. As a junior, I have a gift I want to give to the old lady."

"Oh?"

Luo Yan frowned slightly: "What gift does Young Master want to give?"

Ying Wuji secretly patted Hua Chao's hand to comfort her, but his smile became even brighter: "I have nothing valuable, only a few sour poems that I can show off. So I want to give the old lady a poem, please convey it to her, Prime Minister Luo!"

Luo Yan felt something was wrong and directly refused: "Unfortunately, there is no pen, ink, paper, and inkstone here. Young Master Wuji's kindness, I..."

Before he could finish saying "I appreciate it", he was interrupted by Ying Wuji.

He took out a package from his arms, opened it, and it turned out to be the four treasures of the study.

"No problem, I brought my own!"

Luo Yan: "......"

Zhao Ning: "......"

Bringing your own four treasures of the study to a literary meeting, how afraid of being targeted are you?

Seeing Ying Wuji take out the four treasures of the study, Luo Yan was distressed. He regretted that his excuse was too casual. He should have just refused directly. Why did he have to come up with such a reason?

This hostage is now like a hot potato. Anyone who wants to give him a little face might be shamelessly entangled.

But since he has taken out the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone, refusing now would make him seem petty.

Luo Yan could only shake his head and let Ying Wuji grind the ink. He wanted to see what kind of poem he could come up with!

Zhao Ning also came over. She knew that the poem Ying Wuji wrote couldn't be a good one, but she couldn't guess what he wanted to write in the name of the eightieth birthday.

Under everyone's gaze, Ying Wuji was very efficient and quickly ground the ink.

Then he started writing: You were born before me, and when I was born, you were old. I regret not being born at the same time, so I could spend every day with you!

"Huh?"

Everyone was taken aback. Wasn't he supposed to express dissatisfaction? Why did he write a love poem, and it seemed that there was a big age gap.

Wait!

There's a big age gap?

This poem seems to be for Luo Yan's old mother. What does Ying Wuji mean?

Luo Yan's face suddenly darkened: "What do you mean, Young Master Wuji?"

Ying Wuji smiled slightly: "Just now, Prime Minister Luo said that this young woman married you, so she is Hua Chao's mother. Then my meaning is also very clear!"

He made a mouth shape: I want to be your dad!

Everyone: "......"

【Essence】:+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1……

【Energy】:+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1……

【Spirit】:+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1……

Although there were no other participants in the literary meeting, it was still a big event. There were many small officials busy with preparations. Even though they didn't hear Ying Wuji's last sentence, they could guess what he meant.

This...

He wants to be Prime Minister Luo's dad?

Zhao Ning was also stunned. Looking at Ying Wuji's unabashed smile, she felt a little dazed for a moment.

Why could he, a prince of a feudal state, be so arrogant and vulgar? She was so envious...

But on second thought, this prince of the Kingdom Qian even dared to curse his own father, the King of Qian, as "old fart". It didn't seem strange that he wanted to be Luo Yan's father.

Luo Ming was also shocked, secretly glad that he didn't continue to argue with Ying Wuji. This man had no shame, and he only targeted the lower three roads. The less bottom line this game had, the stronger it was.

Luo Yan was so angry that he almost couldn't breathe, and his speech was not smooth: "How dare you! You are also a prince of a country, how can your words and deeds be like a rogue in the market? Such behavior is simply a disgrace to the dignity of a country, I..."

Ying Wuji snorted and said in a strange tone: "I didn't say anything. Prime Minister Luo, you wouldn't want to use the power of the Kingdom Li to punish the prince of a friendly country because of your personal anger, would you? If word gets out and people say that you are intolerant, it won't be good!"

Luo Yan: "???"

【Prompt】: The target's emotional fluctuation value has exceeded 90, randomly obtained the Xuan-level spell "Qi Cultivation Technique".

Qi Cultivation Technique!Ying Wuji's heart skipped a beat. Although this spell was only at the Profound level, it was a miraculous technique created by Meng Sheng.

By practicing the Qi Cultivation technique, one could cultivate a righteous energy in their chest. The more they benefited the country, the more broad-minded their heart became, and the more righteous energy they cultivated.

Righteous energy could clear the mind, sharpen the eyes, ward off evil, and resist all poisons. If one achieved the status of a Great Scholar, even ordinary demons and evil beings wouldn't dare to look at them. When this spell reached its later stages, it could even rival Heavenly level spells from certain perspectives.

However... Luo Yan had such a narrow mind, would this cultivation be useful for him?

"You!"

Luo Yan was so angry that his face turned black, and he took a step forward uncontrollably towards Ying Wuji.

Hua Chao immediately became anxious and stood in front of Ying Wuji, stubbornly looking at Luo Yan. "Don't touch him!"

Luo Yan: "..."

Seeing Hua Chao protecting Ying Wuji, he felt even more uncomfortable. He took a few deep breaths and suddenly covered his chest.

Seeing this, Hua Wanqiu was shocked. She quickly took out a bottle of medicine from her pocket and fed a pill to Luo Yan. His complexion quickly returned to normal, and she wiped the sweat from his forehead. However, his breathing was still somewhat rapid.

Hua Wanqiu wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. "Don't be angry, Brother Yan. You scared me!"

Although she felt relieved, her face was still pale.

Luo Yan worriedly patted her hand and then coldly glanced at Ying Wuji before walking towards the stone wall.

Ying Wuji turned to look at Hua Chao and grinned, but her expression was strange. She didn't have the indignant look from earlier, nor the satisfaction of revenge. Instead, she looked lost and confused, staring blankly at the direction the old man and young woman had left.

He couldn't help but ask, "Hua Chao, what's wrong with you?"

Hua Chao finally lowered her head and said gloomily, "Maybe he really thinks she's my mother..."

Ying Wuji: "..."

In the past, whenever Hua Chao mentioned Luo Yan, it was mostly with indignation and disdain. But this time, he could hear a touch of bitterness in her emotions.

He probably understood Hua Chao's thoughts. After all, the genuine concern shown by Hua Wanqiu just now was convincing enough for anyone's eyes.

But she wasn't really Hua Wanqiu.

And Ying Wuji still felt that this person had ulterior motives...

Zhao Ning sighed, "Brother Ying, let's take our seats!"

Ying Wuji nodded, "Okay!"

As he spoke, he walked forward.

Zhao Ning quickly caught up, feeling a bit resentful in his heart. He had only known Ying Wuji for a short time, but he had already witnessed so many scenes. It was truly magnificent.

The Prime Minister did indeed handle this matter poorly, but if you angered the Prime Minister to death, who would do the work for His Highness in the future?

Zhao Ning felt a bit frustrated, but he couldn't say anything, so he became even more frustrated.

Hua Chao also followed closely behind Ying Wuji. After sitting down next to him, she lowered her head and remained silent.

The literary gathering was grand, with full ceremonial etiquette, completely following the scale of Confucius' lectures.

In the middle two rows, important scholars and officials sat facing each other, while the younger generation sat behind them. No matter how high their status was, they couldn't enjoy any privileges.

Many people came, with hundreds of scholars present.

Ying Wuji just glanced around and saw many familiar faces.

Han Juan, Luo Ming, Ji Su, Wei Teng, and some other well-known literati. When his gaze swept over Han Juan, his eyes lingered for a moment. Although he had no interaction with Han Juan, he later learned about his background.

Han Juan was the only legitimate son of the Han family, and he was also a disciple of the Daoist Laozi.

A quick look at "pawread.com" will leave you more fulfilled.

Although he appeared indifferent and uninterested in worldly affairs, it was almost certain that he would present a remarkable work at the literary gathering.

Another person also caught Ying Wuji's attention. He was a handsome and elegant young man with distinct facial features. His eyebrows slanted into his temples, but the slightly upturned corners of his mouth gave him a friendly appearance.

This person seemed to be around thirty years old...

The Prince of Pingling!

Zhao Qi!

He came too?

Ying Wuji subconsciously looked at Zhao Ning and found that her expression was quite calm, but her eyes carried a hint of seriousness.

It would be strange if she wasn't serious. The Prince of Pingling had never participated in a literary gathering before, and he only symbolically attended the Hundred Schools Gathering. This time, he appeared on his own initiative, undoubtedly aiming for one of the three spots, and his target was naturally the Hundred Schools Gathering.

Could there be some action this time?

Ying Wuji rubbed his chin. King Li only had two sons, one was the Crown Prince Zhao Ning, and the other was the Prince of Pingling Zhao Qi. Zhao Ning was the only legitimate son and was undoubtedly designated as the Crown Prince.

But Zhao Qi, the eldest son from a concubine, was also exceptionally talented. At a young age, he had already broken through to the Embryonic Breathing realm and formed a third-grade Spirit Embryo.

He had once gone to the military for training, but was recalled to Jiangcheng after just one year. It was clear to anyone with discerning eyes that King Li didn't want him to have too much influence in the military.

After returning to Jiangcheng, the Prince of Pingling was assigned to an idle position, but because of his respect for the virtuous and talented, he had recruited many followers. He had even offered many good suggestions to the royal court, both in terms of the number and quality of his followers, which could rival Prime Minister Luo Yan.

With such a nobleman, everyone could see his intentions.

However, apart from his followers, he had never made any moves to seize power. He seemed to only want to prove to his father, the king, through his actions: you made the wrong choice.

Unfortunately, since King Li closed his doors and the young Zhao Ning took over as regent, he also showed strong talent in governing the country. This put Zhao Qi in an awkward position.

But... did Zhao Qi really only have those cards on the surface?

Ying Wuji didn't think so. If you kept proving how outstanding you were but didn't touch power at all, what was the difference between hoarding food and not hoarding weapons? Were you afraid of dying late?

But the fact was that for many years, Zhao Qi had been doing well, and Zhao Ning hadn't shown any intention of suppressing him.

Ying Wuji didn't know much about the deeper secrets of the Li Kingdom, but he could almost be certain that Zhao Qi had some cards up his sleeve.This card, it's either a card that Zhao Ning is extremely wary of, or it's a boarding pass to the underworld...

However, these messed-up matters should have nothing to do with me in the short term.

A lot of time has passed, those who should have taken their seats have done so, and the time for the literary meeting has finally arrived.

"Ding..."

The bronze bell rang, and the atmosphere on the scene instantly became solemn and serious.

This literary meeting was hosted by officials from the Zhou Music Bureau and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom Li, so it was naturally more grand, and it had to be held in accordance with Zhou's rituals.

Jiang Taiyuan may look like a rough man, but he seems to be quite familiar with Zhou's rituals, following the rules step by step, looking quite proper.

After the ceremonial prelude was completed, he took out the imperial edict of Zhou Tianzi and read it aloud, expressing his care for the people of the world, and then recited the original intention of the establishment of the Music Bureau. After the recitation was completed, he said loudly:

"This literary meeting is also of great significance to the grand gathering of all families. I hope you all will not be stingy with your literary talents. The Prime Minister and I are looking forward to your excellent works!"

After he finished speaking, he took his seat at the main position, subtly wiping the sweat from his forehead.

It seems he's not having an easy time...

Ying Wuji smiled, this Music Bureau official doesn't seem to be very adept at his job, I wonder how he got this position and why he wanted it.

Wait!

The grand gathering of all families is about to begin, and as the Music Bureau official, Jiang Taiyuan might be able to skip the quota and participate in the grand gathering with the elite students.

This... feels a bit overblown, after all, it's like getting a first prize in the Olympiad just to get a discount on spicy strips.

But when it comes to Jiang Taiyuan, it doesn't seem so unreasonable.

After the Zhou official finished speaking, it was Luo Yan's turn. He also said a lot of nonsense, and finally slowly took his seat: "For the preliminary selection, you can choose any object in the field as the topic, the theme and genre are not limited, show your talents."

Just yesterday, the content of the literary meeting was announced.

The whole literary meeting is divided into two parts, the first part is self-selected topics, choose the best to record.

The second part is the topic given by the prince in the Qingjia Palace, we don't know what it is yet, the best two will pass.

Of course, if there is a work with a profound meaning, it's another story, all three places are reserved for works with profound meanings.

Luo Yan glanced at the hundreds of literati present: "The seven-character regulated verse has been included in the Music Bureau in recent years. Our Great Li is a city of cultural prosperity, so let's start with the seven-character regulated verse. Is there anyone who dares to be the first to start with a poem?"

After he finished speaking, the scene was quiet for a while.

Although many people were eager to try, after all, the opening poem is naturally the most eye-catching, and the requirements are naturally much higher. If it's not well done, it will definitely be laughed at by classmates.

Ying Wuji turned his head and looked at Hua Chao, whispering: "Sister Hua Chao, the poem I prepared for you, hurry up and take it out..."

Hua Chao raised her head, her eyes lit up for a moment, but when she saw the gentle girl sitting at the same table with Luo Yan, her eyes dimmed again: "Forget it..."

She had been silent since she came over, her mood extremely low.

Ying Wuji would rather she hate him as before than see her like this.

Feeling extremely heartbroken, he stood up directly.

"I'll do it!"

Hua Chao was startled: "Wuji..."

Ying Wuji patted the back of her hand, signaling her to be at ease.

As soon as Luo Yan saw Ying Wuji stand up, his eyelids twitched. Why is it him again?

Zhao Ning couldn't bear it and covered his eyes.

He's here again!?

There was a murmur on the field.

"Master Wuji, so he's here too?"

"Although he lost the position of the prince, his bookstore business is booming, why can't he come?"

"I still remember that line 'This song should only exist in heaven', it was quite stunning. No matter how his cultivation talent and political ability are, I admire his literary talent very much."

"And that 'Peeping through the Window', at first glance, the lyrics seemed nonsensical, but when I heard it with the opera, it was simply beautiful."

"Huh? You went to listen that day? I had something to do that day and didn't go. When I came back, I heard all kinds of praises from my classmates, and the next day 'Peeping through the Window' was banned along with 'The Case of the Beheaded Beauty'."

"Shh... Luo Xiang is still here, you're discussing these things, aren't you afraid of death?"

"I just don't know what Ying Wuji will write this time, I'm still looking forward to it."

Luo Yan frowned slightly: "Master Wuji's willingness to open with a poem is naturally a good thing, but..."

"There's no 'but'!"

Ying Wuji jumped directly onto the stone wall, his voice passionate: "To maintain the friendly cultural exchange of Qian Li, it is our duty!"

Luo Yan: "......"

Again?

~~~~~

At the request of readers, the ten thousand words will be divided into two updates, at twelve o'clock in the evening and twelve o'clock at noon.

(End of this chapter)