Do You Know?: Rule the World.

Chapter 34 White Deer Cave Academy

Zhao Han looked up and saw Gu Tingye sitting in the elegant pavilion with a very comfortable look on his face. Serving him was Eleventh Lady, who was second only to Wei Xingshou in Guangyuntai.

As he entered the elegant pavilion, Gu Tingye put down his wine glass, stood up to greet him, and said with a smile: "If you had come a moment later, Brother Zhao, I would have sent Shi Tou to invite you personally!"

Eleventh Lady followed Yingying and stood up. After bowing, she personally poured two glasses of wine for the two of them.

"Zhong Huai, you're joking. How could I be late today?" Zhao Han smiled and bowed as he took a seat.

This is the finest elegant room in Guangyuntai, decorated in a luxurious yet elegant style.

From this location, you can have a panoramic view of the singing, dancing and music in the building.

Those self-proclaimed elegant men of letters and gentlemen, as well as the young men in gorgeous clothes, were all dressed very respectably today. They gathered in twos and threes, and glanced at the stage from time to time.

"Hey, Yuan Ruo is here today too!"

Gu Tingye narrowed his eyes and looked at a young man not far away who was wearing a moon-white brocade robe and holding a folding fan.

He took the initiative to introduce: "Brother Zhao, that is the only son of Duke Qi and Princess Pingning."

"The Princess usually protects him like the apple of her eye. This is the first time I've seen him come to a place like this."

Zhao Han looked in the direction Gu Tingye pointed.

Seeing that Qi Heng looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old this year, his appearance was pretty much as he had expected, and his every move showed his elegance and refinement.

After noticing the gazes of the two, Qi Heng calmly stood up and brought his servant Buwei into the elegant pavilion.

He bowed to Gu Tingye and said, "Second Uncle Gu."

"Calling me 'Second Uncle' all day long has made me feel old."

Gu Tingye scolded him, but there was a smile in his eyes. He reached out and patted Qi Heng on the shoulder, "By the way, this is Mr. Zhao Han. Today's song "Mulanhua" was written by him!"

Princess Pingning was named Gu Tingwan. She was born in the Marquis of Xiangyang's Mansion and was of the same generation as Gu Tingye. When she was young, she was adopted by the emperor and the queen.

The first Marquis of Xiangyang and the Marquis of Ningyuan were brothers, and the two families had close contacts and were as close as family.

By the time of the second generation of Marquis of Xiangyang, he had no children. For some reason, he insisted on bypassing the lineage of Marquis of Ningyuan and adopting a son who was three generations out of the lineage from the Gu clan in his hometown to inherit the title.

Because of this incident, the Marquis of Xiangyang and the Marquis of Ningyuan became estranged from each other, and even stopped visiting each other during the New Year holidays.

After all, according to common sense, the second generation Marquis of Xiangyang should choose a son or nephew from the lineage of Marquis Ningyuan, who is the closest relative.

However, Qi Heng was still very polite to Gu Tingye. Whenever they met, he would respectfully call him "Second Uncle" and did not take the grudges of their ancestors to heart at all. Gu Tingye naturally did the same.

Qi Heng has always loved words. After hearing this, he turned and looked at Zhao Han with a clear and polite look.

"I've long heard that the author of this poem is a scholar from Yangzhou. Seeing it with my own eyes today, it is indeed extraordinary. The writing truly reflects the person. Mr. Zhao, please accept Yuan Ruo's greetings!"

After saying this, Qi Heng actually bowed deeply.
Zhao Han quickly reached out to support him, "I am just a humble student, unworthy of such a generous gift from the young master."

Gu Tingye looked at them with great interest and said quietly, "One of you is extremely talented, and the other is full of knowledge. Why are you refusing here? Come on, sit down and have a drink together."

The two of them then took their seats with a smile.

At three quarters past ten o'clock in the morning, a melodious sound of a piano surrounded the surroundings, calming the noise in the room.

Everyone looked up and saw Wei Xingshou sitting upright in the elegant pavilion, with the pearl curtain half-rolled up, and her graceful figure looming.

When the prelude was about to end, she raised her head slightly, opened her red lips, and her voice was not as sweet and soft as that of ordinary singing girls. It was like pearls falling on a jade plate, clear and melodious, hitting the heart directly.

When the song ended, the lingering sound still lingered in the beams, and the guests were intoxicated and unable to extricate themselves for a long time.

After a long while, a scholar in a blue robe clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Wonderful, wonderful! The lyrics are wonderful, and the singing is wonderful too. This song should only exist in heaven!" "As expected of Wei, the head of the brothel, with such a voice, not to mention the brothel, I'm afraid there is no one else like him in the entire Great Zhou!"

"This trip today was truly worthwhile. This song will surely become a hit all over the country."

"..."

Amidst the crowd's praises, Wei Xingtou stood up with a smile on his face, his eyes unconsciously looking towards Zhao Han.

Seeing that Zhao Han also had an expression of admiration on his face, her heart moved, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she gave him a bright smile.

Gu Tingye, holding a wine glass, couldn't help but make a joke when he saw this.

"I see that Wei Xingzu treats you, Brother Zhao, as a close friend. Brother Zhao, please don't let her down!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? You know Chief Wei's personality." Zhao Han said, and quickly looked away.

The servant who had been standing beside Qi Heng bowed and said, "Young Master, we should go back. If the princess finds out that you are not at home, she will be furious."

Among the nobles in Bianliang, many people laughed at the Duke of Qi's Mansion and said it was just a showpiece.

Princess Pingning knew very well that the Qi family had few descendants and that the Duke of Qi had only a title but no real power.

I have no brothers to help me, and my father and the government will get old one day.

So, she placed all her hopes on Qi Heng.

No matter spring, summer, autumn or winter, when other princes and nobles went out to walk their birds and play with their dogs, Qi Heng was always supervised by her and read in the study.

Even now, there is not even a maid in the courtyard, let alone allowing him to come to such a place of brothel.

Qi Heng turned his head to look at Shi Chen, sighed softly, and said in unison: "Second Uncle Gu, Young Master Zhao, I'll take my leave first."

"I'll personally host the party some other day and I'll definitely ask Mr. Zhao for some advice!"

After Qi Heng left, Gu Tingye picked up the wine glass and drank it all, then whispered, "Brother Zhao, I haven't contradicted my father recently, nor have I done anything wrong and been punished."

"I vaguely sensed that Madam Xiao Qin's attitude towards me was no longer the same as before."

"A few days ago, when I went to pay my respects, she claimed she wasn't feeling well and didn't even show up. This has never happened before as far as I can remember."

Zhao Han's eyes darkened. "I had anticipated this."

"After all, if you are on the right track, her years of planning will be undone."

Gu Tingye nodded in agreement.

"To be honest, Brother Zhao, I've been thinking a lot these past few days. I really shouldn't continue to idle around in Bianjing."

"Last night I told my father that I wanted to inherit the Gu family's legacy and pursue a path of military honor, but I never expected him to flatly reject it."

"He told me to study at the White Deer Grotto Academy first. If I failed the imperial examination in a few years, I could come back and pursue military service."

Zhao Han's eyes lit up when he heard this.

Bai Ludong Academy is the most important of the six major academies in the Zhou Dynasty and is the dream study place for countless students.

He said, "Lord Gu is a man of foresight. Even if you prefer the path of military exploits, it's always good to read more books. Besides, the White Deer Grotto Academy is full of talented people, and countless people pass the provincial and imperial examinations every year."

"Since even Brother Zhao says so, I will promise my father when I return home." As Gu Tingye spoke, his eyes were deep, very different from his usual dandy appearance.

Zhao Han continued, "But Zhong Huai, when you go to the White Deer Cave Academy, you must stay away from women and be pure and aloof."

(End of this chapter)