The Red Mansion in its bustling glory

Zhao Xing and Jia Jue walked side by side at a relatively slow pace, exchanging words as they went.

Suddenly, a large group of people surged out in front of them.

Jia Jue looked closely and saw that among the group of people, there were guards, eunuchs, and palace maids following closely behind.

In the very center of the procession was a magnificent eight-treasure carriage, made of black wood and painted with gold, pulled by four black horses!

"It's the royal family."

Jia Jue thought to himself, and immediately dismounted with Zhao Xing and stood by the roadside.

The procession moved very slowly, and came to a stop when it reached Jia Jue.

A young man stepped out of the carriage. Judging from his age, he was about the same age as Zhao Xing, around fifteen or sixteen years old. He wore a wide robe with a black background and gold embroidered dragons, and a jade pendant with five dragons and a pearl hanging from his waist. Although his appearance was outstanding, his temperament was calm and reserved.

The moment the man stepped out of the carriage, Zhao Xing bowed and greeted the Third Prince.

"So this is the Third Prince." His mind raced, and Jia Jue thought of many things. "His Majesty has four sons, not counting daughters. His eldest son, Li Qian, his second son, Li Kun, and his third son, Li Ren, were all born to the late Empress. After their deaths, a new Empress ascended the throne, but she had no children. His youngest son, Li Miao, was born to a concubine; he is still young and of low status, and is generally considered unfit to inherit the throne."

"As for the remaining three princes, from what I understand, the eldest prince, Li Qian, is decisive and has great courage; the second prince, Li Kun, is intelligent and resourceful; as for this third prince... he seems to have always kept to himself, possessing only the reputation of being 'humble,' and his abilities are mediocre." Jia Jue thought to himself, "It's a coincidence that I happened to run into the third prince today. Why did he specifically get out of the carriage to meet me and Zhao Xing? He could have just answered from inside the carriage. This humility is excessive..."

Jia Jue glanced at Zhao Xing beside him again. "He invited me out for a spring outing today, and deliberately led me out through the east gate of the city. When we met the Third Prince, he didn't address me as 'Your Highness' but as 'Third Prince,' as if he specifically wanted me to know. Moreover, his words to me in the past few days have been full of probing..."

Although he had many thoughts in his mind, Jia Jue could only immediately follow Zhao Xing—"This humble commoner, Jia Jue, greets Your Highness."

"So you are Jia Jue?"

Li Ren's words seemed to contain a great deal of surprise, "Is she a descendant of the Duke of Rong?"

"It is indeed I, a humble commoner," Jia Jue replied.

Li Ren carefully examined Jia Jue and thought, "Indeed, he is noble and refined; a family bound to uphold propriety and law must produce pillars of society!"

Jia Jue quickly cupped his hands in greeting and said, "I dare not."

Li Ren then asked, "Are you two here for a spring outing today?"

Although he addressed the two of them as "you two," his eyes were fixed on Jia Jue, clearly indicating that he wanted Jia Jue to answer.

"Now that spring has arrived, all things are flourishing and full of vitality. We two wished to see the scenery of the capital, so we came here to enjoy the spring scenery," Jia Jue replied.

Li Ren nodded. "Brother Jue—I'm two years older than you, so may I take the liberty of calling you 'Brother Jue'?"

"It is truly my honor," Jia Jue said.

"Jue, you just finished the county examination a few days ago. With your talent, you were sure to pass with flying colors. It's good for you to come here for a spring outing and relax. But after the results are announced, you will also need to prepare for the upcoming prefectural examination."

Jia Jue's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but feel shocked—first, he was surprised that the Third Prince was actually paying attention to his upcoming county examination; second, the Third Prince's words implied that he was certain to pass, if that were the case...

Although the imperial examinations in this dynasty were graded anonymously, there was still room for intervention.

Jia Jue bowed and replied, "Thank you for your kind words, Your Highness. I will do my utmost."

Li Ren glanced at him and nodded in satisfaction. "Brother Jue, why be so formal? If you don't mind, just call me 'brother.' That's what Brother Xing has always called me."

Zhao Xing smiled and nodded.

Jia Jue sighed inwardly, "Looks like I'm stuck on this ship." He thought to himself, "Did I catch the Third Prince's eye for some reason, and that's why he's trying to win me over... No, it's Zhao Xing who's trying to catch my eye."

Alas, once he's been targeted, given his status, it's impossible for him to escape even if he wanted to.

Moreover, he might be able to use this to break the deadlock and save that family from ruin.

Having made up his mind, Jia Jue said, "Since that's the case, I'll accept it without hesitation. But I must thank Brother Zhao."

Li Rendao: "Oh? Why?"

"Of course I thank Brother Zhao for the recommendation."

"Hahahaha." The three of them laughed, clearly understanding each other's meaning and having reached an agreement without tacit consent.

"My two brothers, why don't you come to my carriage? The three of us brothers can go for a spring outing together."

"Of course," the two replied, and then followed Li Ren into his luxurious carriage.

Once inside, Li Ren dropped the pretense and went straight to the point: "My father has not yet decided on the title of Crown Prince, and I wish to compete for it."

Jia Jue simply nodded and said, "Now that I am my brother's man, I should naturally do things for him."

"Oh?" Li Ren was somewhat surprised. "Brother Jue is so calm?"

"Brother, don't you want to see me calm down?" Jia Jue countered. "At the literary gathering a few days ago, although it was hosted by Li Wen, the son of the Grand Secretary, Li Wen didn't speak much. He often looked at everyone with a scrutinizing eye. Although he tried to cover it up, he is still young and made mistakes. Considering what happened today, I dare to guess that Li Wen is also under the command of some prince, and his purpose in holding the literary gathering is probably the same as Brother Zhao's."

After a pause, Jia Jue continued, "But whether he is the First Prince's man or the Second Prince's man, I do not know. In addition, there were two other people present that day with ulterior motives. One was Wei Ming, the son of the Minister of Personnel; the other was Prince Bei Jing, Shui Rong."

"Wei Ming's purpose is probably similar to that of Brother Zhao and Li Wen; they are also people of a certain prince, and their main purpose in coming here is to select talents. Moreover, the two of them should have already discovered each other at the meeting, and there was bound to be some tension when their eyes met. As for Prince Bei Jing, his purpose in coming here is probably to contact the people of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes."

"Jue has always been sincere in his dealings with others. Now that he has become an underling of his elder brother, he will certainly speak frankly with him. In the past, the Four Kings and Eight Dukes regarded our family as the leader, but I am not afraid of your ridicule. Although our humble family has a large population, almost none of us hold positions of power in the court. Our ancestor passed away early, and education has not flourished. Most of the children in our family are indulging in frivolous pursuits and have little to show for their talents. Now, through this literary gathering, the other families are also observing whether our Jia family can rise again. If so, we will remain still and wait for the right opportunity. If not, we will abandon our family and seek new talents. Prince Bei Jing is young and promising, with exceptional talent and noble status. He is the best choice."

Li Ren nodded inwardly as he listened to Jia Jue's speech, knowing that Jia Jue was demonstrating his value to him. Although straightforward, it was very effective.

From Jia Jue's speech, he understood that the man before him was observant, good at summarizing, thoughtful, and wise. Given time, he would surely be a great help.

No, it's already a great help now!