"What's wrong with taking the Wude Palace exam?" The Westerner Osi Han was equally puzzled. "Little Brother Chen is a martial arts master, and he has Duke Chen's letter of recommendation. Taking the Wude Palace exam is only right and proper!"
Just as the Academy of Sciences was closing for the day, Chen Wu and Wang Zhenyi had barely stepped out of its gates when Osi Han warmly grabbed them and insisted on treating Chen Wu to a meal. Unable to refuse, Chen Wu followed him to a Western restaurant nearby.
Before the dishes arrived, they chatted idly and somehow began discussing Chen Wu's arrival in the capital.
"This..."
Wang Zhenyi was at a loss for words. She truly could not say that Chen Wu was a rebel of the highest order, and that Duke Chen letting him into Wude Palace was sheer folly.
Seeing Wang Zhenyi choke on her words, Chen Wu hurriedly smoothed things over. "I never told Deqing about this before. It just caught her by surprise."
Osi Han did not pursue the matter. "Why did Duke Chen write you a letter of recommendation?"
Chen Wu then recounted, from beginning to end, how he had saved Duke Chen's Crown Prince.
The two listened and nodded repeatedly, finding Chen Wu's encounter rather legendary. They assumed Duke Chen had written the recommendation solely because Chen Wu had saved his son.
Of course, it was not that simple!
Chen Wu had merely used a true fact to muddle through the question.
At that moment, the restaurant waiter brought out the dishes: the cheese fondue Osi Han had strongly recommended. A pot of softened cheese sat over charcoal to keep it warm. One could spear a cube of bread with a fork, swirl it in the cheese, and then eat it.