Your Highness, your wife has had her virginity mark applied and married someone else.

Lu Yanzhi prepared a banquet, and the guests were either great scholars or nobles. Shen Mingshu had read many of his articles and was very interested in the banquet.

"Ah Yuan, are you going?" Shen Mingshu smiled sweetly, "If Ah Yuan goes, I'll go too."

Looking at the clean and pure smile on her face, Wei Yuan smiled and nodded, "Then let's go together."

……

The main reason the Lu family was able to rise from a lowly noble family to prominence under the emperor's patronage was because of his virtuous character, which had produced numerous disciples.

The head of a civil official must gain the trust of scholars, and the Lu family stands out from the crowd in this regard.

It was a simple banquet, attended by members of Qingyun Academy—not many, but none of them were ordinary people.

Contemporary literary giants are secondary.

The most important person was the former Grand Tutor sitting next to him, whose essay "Pacifying the People" written in his youth still earned him the favor of the late emperor.

Now that he is old and retired to Qingyun Academy, he is still a testament to his strength that this banquet cannot match.

These people are not usually seen at the academy, and some are even hermits who are not at the academy for most of the year.

But today, they were all summoned by Lu Yanzhi.

Lu Yanzhi, the head of the table, raised his wine glass and stood up. The room fell silent instantly, with only his clear and gentle voice heard.

"The Lu family has cultivated the literary path deeply, with students all over the north and south, all thanks to the support of you fellow practitioners. Today, let us not discuss official careers or power, but only share our literary friendship. With a cup of wine, may the literary path flourish forever, and may talented individuals never cease to emerge!"

"Haha, well said!" Everyone laughed and raised their glasses: "May literature flourish forever, and may talented people never cease to emerge!"

Shen Mingshu stood behind Wei Yuan's seat and saw Lu Yanzhi's wine glass gently gesture towards her for a moment.

She was somewhat surprised, and with a smile, she curtsied to him, quietly offering a bow.

At this moment, Dr. Yuan, the former Grand Tutor of the previous dynasty, suddenly made a suggestion.

"I am old and have no children. I thought I had seen through the world, but there is still one question I cannot answer. Since we are having this banquet tonight, why don't I test the students here?"

Lu Yanzhi cupped his hands in greeting: "It is an honor for us students that you, Elder, can offer your guidance. Please speak."

"Hmm..." Dr. Yuan slowly stroked his beard.

Whether it was a misperception or not, Shen Mingshu felt that he seemed to have glanced in Wei Yuan's direction.

Dr. Yuan: "People generally say that the integrity of recluses in the mountains and forests surpasses that of officials in the court. In your opinion, for scholars, is it more fundamental to remain detached from the world or to engage with it?"

The moment this topic was brought up, the relaxed atmosphere on the field vanished instantly.

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, wondering if Dr. Yuan had asked this question because he was getting old and wanted to leave the academy.

If that's the case, who dares to answer?

Shen Mingshu thought differently. A pure person who can disregard the monarch and dedicate his life to the common people would not only focus on himself.

Thinking of Dr. Yuan's look just now, Shen Mingshu stepped forward to pour tea for Wei Yuan and whispered a reminder.

"To transcend worldly concerns is to preserve cultural heritage; to engage with the world is to bring peace and prosperity to the people. Neither is superior to the other; morality is the foundation."

Dr. Yuan wanted to see the true nature of the second young master of the Wei family, so Shen Mingshu helped him to raise his moral character even higher. After all, it was just a matter of talking; the important thing was who had the courage to answer quickly.

Unexpectedly, Dr. Yuan had superhuman hearing and could hear her voice from so far away.

A glint flashed in Dr. Yuan's eyes: "Are those your thoughts just now? Explain them in more detail."

Instantly, everyone's attention was focused on it.

Shen Mingshu paused in pouring tea, flicking out a few tea droplets that landed on Wei Yuan's hand.

"It's nothing," Wei Yuan reassured gently. "If Dr. Yuan calls you, just tell him what you want to say."

Shen Mingshu's essays written in her youth were already worthy of being included in the Wenlin Hall of the Imperial Library, and her knowledge far surpassed that of ordinary scholars.

However, only Wei Ziye knew this.

Shen Mingshu cannot show her true face to others, but she doesn't mind making "Mingzhu" more valuable.

She put down the teapot, bowed, and stood beside the table, her tone neither humble nor arrogant: "To simply avoid the world is to disregard the well-being of all people, while to be obsessed with fame and fortune makes one easily swayed by the lust for power."

"A true scholar, if talented, enters the court to implement benevolent policies; if the path is blocked, he returns to the academy to pass on the teachings of sages. With unwavering resolve, wherever one is, one is on the right path."

After saying that, she didn't forget to flatter the Lu family: "The Lu family established the academy and accepted many students. They are impartial and unwavering in their original intentions, which is admirable."

His words left the room in silence. Dr. Yuan's eyes were full of appreciation as he stroked his beard and sighed in admiration.

"Even the pageboys in the Wei family have such a profound understanding of the world. No wonder the Second Young Master Wei's strategic thinking is so refreshing. Not bad, not bad at all. The younger generation is truly formidable."

"..." Shen Mingshu's answer, however, placed the blame on Wei Yuan, and even the Wei family.

Shen Mingshu's body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment, then she bowed and silently retreated to her original position.

It is perfectly reasonable that a servant's honor and disgrace depend on the master's household.

She gave the host face, so she can be considered valuable, and that's fine.

Everything seemed reasonable, yet it concealed the Lu family's favoritism.

Shen Mingshu was amazed. As expected of the head of the civil officials, even his favoritism was so appropriate.

But... she looked up at Wei Ziye.

Knowing that the entire banquet was designed to benefit Wei Yuan, why would Wei Ziye come and suffer such humiliation?

Wei Ziye drank a glass of wine, lazily and casually opened his eyes, and looked at her.

The calmness in her eyes concealed a familiar nonchalance, and Shen Mingshu's heart stirred uncontrollably. She quickly lowered her eyes again.

……

While everyone was socializing freely, Wei Ziye briefly chatted with a few elders before going to Pingzuo alone to enjoy the night view.

In contrast to his leisurely lifestyle, Wei Yuan was extremely busy.

As Wei Yuan's page, Shen Mingshu could only stand by and pour him wine. The delicious food and wine were right in front of her, but she could only look at them and not eat them.

In the past, Wei Yuan would have secretly given her some food to fill her stomach, but tonight, he was busy entertaining everyone and was being forced to drink one glass of wine after another, completely neglecting her.

Shen Mingshu was overwhelmed by the smell of alcohol, but Wei Yuan drank it down as if it were water, enjoying it immensely.

"Second Young Master..." Shen Mingshu felt sorry for him and tugged at his sleeve to remind him, "You've already drunk a lot."

Wei Yuan's cheeks were flushed from the smell of alcohol. Seeing that Shen Mingshu was feeling unwell, he called over the other servants and handed the wine pot from Shen Mingshu's hand to one of them, saying, "Mingzhu, you should go and rest."

Seeing this, onlookers laughed and teased, "If Brother Yuan is so gentle with Mingzhu, he'll surely treat his wife at home like a precious gem!"

"Indeed, in the entire capital, only Brother Yuan has caught Miss Youyou's eye. His future career is sure to be smooth sailing and worry-free!"

Shen Mingshu thought to herself: Compared to Wei Ziye, Wei Yuan has the Lu family, so his career can indeed be described as soaring.

Her gaze involuntarily followed Wei Ziye again.

Three years ago, he was a prodigy, surrounded by admirers; he never had this kind of "leisure".

Watching the Wei family fall into such a state of desolation, what must he be feeling now?

"I can't wait to attend Brother Yuan's wedding! Have you set a date yet?"

Wei Yuan chuckled: "The marriage is arranged by parents and matchmakers; these things depend on how the elders in the family discuss them."

Wei Yuan was clearly right, but Shen Mingshu only felt annoyed listening to him.

Just as she was about to leave, a servant stepped forward to remind her, "Young Master Wei, Miss Lu has arrived."

Shen Mingshu's fingers tightened, and she looked up at Wei Yuan.