Zhao Mian and his party temporarily settled down in Benquan Academy.
Zhao Mian stayed because he wanted to find a way to invite the prime minister's favorite talent to work for Nanjing. Once he stayed, Wei Zhenfeng, who was tied with him by a red string, naturally could not leave.
Zhao Mian and Wei Zhenfeng lived in adjacent Fengzhai, so they could visit each other just by walking a few steps. However, they had never met again since Wei Zhenfeng got Concubine Mei's posthumous calligraphy.
Hua Ju brought the almost untouched lunch and went to Zhao Mian for help: "Master Xiao, our prince has been locking himself in the room, not eating or drinking. I am so worried. Can you help persuade him?"
Zhao Mian remained silent.
He comforted her and even took the initiative to throw himself into her arms, but it seemed to have no other effect except giving Wei Zhenfeng something to hold on to while he cried.
Hua Ju thought Zhao Mian didn't want to agree, and said anxiously: "If the prince really intends to starve himself for three or four days, what will he have the energy to do on the fifteenth day?"
Zhao Mian: "...Okay, I'll go change my clothes."
In fact, it doesn’t matter how the fifteenth day is spent. The worst that can happen is that he can take control of the situation again.
Anyway, he is already an expert in bed and has seen all kinds of situations.
But Wei Zhenfeng really couldn't go on like this. The truth about the imperial concubine's death was a pain that ordinary people couldn't accept. Wei Zhenfeng could be depressed, but he couldn't be depressed for too long. The sooner he cheered up, the sooner he could avenge his mother in the future.
Bai Yu packed Zhao Mian's luggage for him. He found that Bai Yu had packed the gorgeous dress that he had prepared for him during the Chinese New Year, along with the matching hair crown, necklace, and jade earrings.
He originally wanted to wear this gorgeous dress on the fifteenth day, but now it seems that there is no need.
It took Zhao Mian half an hour to put on this set of gorgeous clothes. He opened the door and prepared to go out. A student who was about to be late and was rushing to the lecture hall happened to pass by and looked at him.
The young man suddenly opened his eyes wide, braked abruptly, and the book in his hand fell to the ground with a bang.
Zhao Mian raised his eyebrows slightly.
Aren’t students at Benquan Academy said to be extremely smart? How come some of them look as clumsy as Zhou Huairang
Zhou Huairang was standing behind Zhao Mian, and he almost couldn't breathe when he saw this scene. The boy's cheeks suddenly turned red, and he said angrily while frantically picking up things: "How can you dress like this in the land of saints! I'll call my brothers to condemn you together!" After saying that, he ran away.
Zhao Mian didn't take this little thing seriously. He dragged his clothes to the ground and came to Wei Zhenfeng's room. After knocking on the door without getting a response, he pushed the door open. Before going in, he did not forget to ask Zhou Huairang to prepare some food.
It was afternoon, and the room was still lit. The candle had been burning for a whole day, and the wax was falling silently from the candlestick. The remaining light was about to go out, but the people in the room were still awake.
Wei Zhenfeng sat in the candlelight, his clothes loose, thinking over a half-finished chess game. There were pieces of wasted paper scattered around, Zhao Mian picked up one and spread it out, and saw several names written on it, all of whom were officials in important positions in Beiyuan.
Zhao Mian walked up to Wei Zhenfeng and first glanced at his pale face. He was quite dissatisfied with the pale eyes under his eyes. Then he looked at the chessboard and said, "You locked yourself up here just to think of a way to break the game?"
Wei Zhenfeng murmured in a low voice: "Heizi is me."
The black piece is Wei Zhenfeng, and the white piece should be his current opponent. The black and white pieces are densely intertwined. The black pieces seem to be attacking fiercely, but the white pieces still occupy more territory because of their accumulation of advantages in the early stage. If the black pieces want to win this game, they can only play steadily and steadily, nibbling away at the advantage, and must not act too hastily.
But Wei Zhenfeng is obviously too impatient now, and he becomes impatient when his mind is in a mess.
Zhao Mian said: "You should rest."
As if Wei Zhenfeng couldn't hear him, he continued to talk to himself: "Wei Zhaoxiu and Wei Changdu, is it possible that they would turn against each other?"
Zhao Mian interrupted him: "Stop talking, eat something and have a good sleep."
Wei Zhenfeng seemed to have thought of something and curled his lips: "Zhao Mian, do you know? When I was twelve years old, it was my mother who insisted that I apologize to you. That Youxian pillow was also my mother's idea."
When Wei Zhenfeng was six years old, he went to Nanjing for the first time. He was young and ignorant and did some stupid things, which frightened the Crown Prince of Nanjing and made him cry. When Concubine Mei learned about this, she gave her son a good scolding and kept thinking about it.
Six years later, Wei Zhenfeng had forgotten what he had done, but his mother still remembered. Before his second visit to Nanjing, she repeatedly urged him to apologize to the Crown Prince of Nanjing in person.
Zhao Mian had never thought that he and Imperial Concubine Mei had such a fate. At that time, he was still wondering why the young prince suddenly became so elegant. It turned out that Imperial Concubine Mei taught him well.
Zhao Mian couldn't help but develop a fondness for the woman he had never met before, but that didn't stop him from "scolding" her son.
"I like the apology gift your mother chose." Zhao Mian said condescendingly, "But I don't like you now. You are too weak and useless. Wei Zhenfeng, look at what you look like now. Your mother went to great lengths to let you know the truth, not to see you rush to avenge her. You have endured for three years, so why not lie dormant for another three years? More haste makes waste. Do you need me to teach you this principle?"
Wei Zhenfeng was stunned, and then laughed in self-abandonment: "It doesn't matter, you didn't like me that much anyway."
Zhao Mian: “…”
So he talked for a long time, but Wei Zhenfeng only heard one of his sentences
Zhao Mian blurted out: "Nonsense, I really liked it."
Wei Zhenfeng looked up at him, his dark eyes lit up by the candlelight at this moment.
"You locked yourself up and refused to eat or drink, throwing a tantrum like a child. Do you think you are only six years old?" Zhao Mian asked in a questioning tone, "What can you come up with with a chessboard and a pile of waste paper?"
After a while, Wei Zhenfeng suddenly had the strength to refute: "Don't say that, I did come up with something, such as how to use the prince's party..."
"Impossible." Zhao Mian interrupted without allowing any room for argument. "You are restless, hungry and cold now. Even if you come up with something, it must be wrong. Those who work hard will succeed. Wei Zhenfeng, don't let me feel that I was slept with four times by a weakling whose strength does not match his ambition, okay?"
Wei Zhenfeng was stunned for a long time, nodded slightly, and said in a hoarse voice: "...Okay."
Zhao Mian said arrogantly, "Very good, I will ask someone to bring you something to eat. Even if you don't have an appetite, you have to stuff it in for me."
"… good."
Zhao Mian took two steps, then suddenly turned around and complained, "You didn't even notice how nicely I looked today. Do you know how long I spent getting dressed like this? And you didn't even praise me."
Wei Zhenfeng was stunned again. He hadn't slept or eaten for several days, so his reaction was much slower than usual. He walked in front of Zhao Mian and looked down at the Crown Prince in his new clothes: "I found it now, is it okay?"
Zhao Mian said indifferently: "It's too late."
"You look even more noble than usual. Are you trying to highlight the Crown Prince's majesty so that you can scold me?"
"Yes. But on the one hand, I want to show my dignity. On the other hand, I also want to make you happy." Zhao Mian used a proud look to cover up his lack of confidence. "You said it yourself. I am good-looking and you like to look at me. But you didn't react even after I showed you for a long time."
Wei Zhenfeng's Adam's apple rolled, and he couldn't help but raise his hand to touch the golden earring on Zhao Mian's earlobe, and smiled: "Sorry, I will appreciate it in the future."
Being immersed in the irreversible past often makes people ignore the beauty of the present. Revenge must be taken, rebellion must be created, food must be eaten, sleep must be taken, and beauty must be looked at.
After lunch, Wei Zhenfeng had a good sleep. The next day, he woke up refreshed, with no dark circles under his eyes, his face regained its luster, and his teardrop mole became more obvious. The boy's beauty regained its dominance.
The first thing he did when he got up was to look for Zhao Mian. The Crown Prince was not in the room, and Zhou Huairang was helping him sort out a pile of ancient books that he had just borrowed from the Imperial Library.
Zhou Huairang greeted Wei Zhenfeng with a smile: "Hey, little prince, are you cheering up? Congratulations."
Zhou Huairang said: "Your Highness has been invited to attend an elegant gathering."
Elegant gatherings are gatherings of scholars and literati who recite poems and discuss the past and present, and they are common in major academies.
Wei Zhenfeng was a little puzzled: "The people of Benquan Academy don't like us very much, so why would they invite Zhao Mian to attend the gathering?"
"It is Beiyuan that Benquan Academy dislikes, not us." Zhou Huairang said cheerfully, "When the students knew that His Highness was not from Beiyuan but from Nanjing, they were all very happy."
Wei Zhenfeng: “…Oh.”
Wei Zhenfeng found Zhao Mian in the pavilion by the water.
The Crown Prince, who usually looks high and mighty, seemed to be in a good mood today to have fun with the people. He did not wear his expensive and gorgeous clothes, but wore white like the students of Benquan Academy, and did not wear too many jade ornaments, looking extremely elegant and simple.
When the wind blows, her clothes flutter, and the wind and snow turn into snow, making her look like a banished immortal.
The students were composing poems while looking at the green mountains and drinking wine while facing the waterfalls. Zhao Mian seemed to enjoy it. When he was approached by students one after another, he did not have the look of "How dare you talk to me?"
Zhao Mian didn't say much, he mostly listened. But even so, he attracted everyone's attention.
All the students present were about the same age as Zhao Mian. In Wei Zhenfeng's opinion, the way some people looked at Zhao Mian seemed a little intriguing.
He had only not been by Zhao Mian's side for two days.
Wei Zhenfeng laughed: "It's quite lively."
The unexpected visit of the young prince of Beiyuan changed the atmosphere of the gathering. The students stopped talking and cast a wary look at Wei Zhenfeng, but they had to succumb to his status and follow the etiquette to salute: "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Wei Zhenfeng scanned the faces of these people one by one and confirmed that the best-looking one among them was not half as good-looking as himself, which made him feel much better.
"You guys step aside first," he said, "I have something to say to Lord Xiao."
The students retreated reluctantly, but a few brave ones were reluctant to leave and kept looking back.
Wei Zhenfeng sat down beside the stone table, raised his head and asked Zhao Mian: "What were you talking about with them just now?"
Zhao Mian said: "What can we talk about at a gathering? Naturally, we can talk about poetry and writing."
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince has that look of contempt on his face. Why don't you go up?"
Zhao Mian was surprised and said, "These students are all very talented. Some of them may be able to serve Nanjing in the future. Why should I look down on them?"
Wei Zhenfeng laughed and said, "I never knew Your Highness would favor scholars."
Hearing Wei Zhenfeng's teasing tone, Zhao Mian knew that he had almost recovered, and a heavy stone fell from his heart: "It's okay to tell you, but I actually want to take this opportunity to find out about Ji Jinzhi."
"who?"
"Ji Jinzhi," Zhao Mian said, "an old friend of my father. Ji Jinzhi played an indispensable role in my father's success in his bid for the throne."
After his father ascended the throne, Ji Jinzhi should have been a high-ranking official like his father. However, this man seemed to enjoy the process of winning the throne and had no interest in being an official. He left the throne after his work was done, hiding his achievements and fame.
Ji Jinzhi often traveled among the four universities, and ignored the recruitment of Prime Minister Nanjing. When he had nothing to do, he would take two or three students to play. In recent years, he has been a guest at Benquan Academy, just to stay away from Nanjing. Nanjing already has a Prime Minister Xiao, so he won't go to the capital to join in the fun.
After listening to Ji Jinzhi's story, Wei Zhenfeng said with great interest: "I would also like to meet someone who can be admired by Prime Minister Xiao."
Zhao Mian said calmly: "Ji Jinzhi is from Nanjing and will never work for another country. If you also want to recruit him, I advise you to give up as soon as possible."
Wei Zhenfeng said, "Don't worry, I won't compete with you for him. I'll just be an observer, okay? If he is really that capable, I have a few questions I want to ask him."
Zhao Mian reluctantly agreed: "Okay."
Wei Zhenfeng thanked him and changed the subject: "By the way, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also looks very good today."
Zhao Mian didn't believe it. He looked at his white clothes with disdain and said, "I'm definitely not as good-looking as I was yesterday."
"There's no comparison." Wei Zhenfeng said with a smile, "They both have different styles."
Zhao Mian thought thoughtfully: "Which one do you want me to wear the day after tomorrow?"
The day after tomorrow? The day after tomorrow... What day was it
Wei Zhenfeng was stunned for a moment, with an expression as if he had missed out on 100 million silver coins: "What? So I can choose?"
Zhao Mian nodded: "You can give your suggestions."
"Then let me think about it." Wei Zhenfeng was flattered. "Answer me first, can I only choose this time, or can I choose in the future?"
"Later?" Zhao Mian asked back, "What's the later? Isn't this the last time we'll have sex in our lives?"
No matter how slow Bai Yu was, he would definitely be able to prepare the antidote before the fifteenth of next month. After taking the antidote, he and Wei Zhenfeng could stop the monthly detoxification.
Wei Zhenfeng: “…”
"Since this matter has been mentioned, I think we'd better not go to bed in the academy. It's disgraceful." Zhao Mian pointed to a stone tablet standing nearby. The stone tablet was engraved with the precepts of Benquan Academy. The third precept was "abstain from adultery, stop the thoughts as soon as they arise, do not follow the thoughts, be upright and righteous, and integrate knowledge and action."
Wei Zhenfeng was silent for a moment, then asked, "Zhao Mian, are we in the academy?"
Zhao Mian was confused: "Yes."
Wei Zhenfeng sneered, "So I remembered it right. I thought we were in a Buddhist temple. It was so 'righteous'. I almost laughed to death. What's wrong with being a scholar? Can't scholars be involved in the affairs of the world? There are so many talented and romantic people in your Nanjing."
Zhao Mian glanced at him and said, "Anyway, the academy is a place to read books of sages. Let's go somewhere else to get rid of the poison."
He had already asked Shen Buci to explore the route in advance, and there were several very good inns in Yuzhou.
"I want it in the academy." Wei Zhenfeng was rebellious and didn't know where he came from. "I want you to go to bed with me wearing this academy uniform."
Zhao Mian: "…What's wrong with you?"
(End of this chapter)