The Crown Grandson's Residence.
As the night deepened, the banquet guests gradually dispersed.
Peace returned to the Crown Grandson's Residence. Zhou Licheng was among the last to leave. Unwilling to go alone, he had arranged to depart with Liu Zhan.
The two walked out one after the other and happened to encounter someone along the way. It was Jian Qu.
He wore only the robes of a Ninth Rank official, yet none of the high officials present dared underestimate him.
He had once served in Prince Dai's Residence. Now that Prince Dai had become the Imperial Grandson, Jian Qu had risen with the tide, flying onto a branch and transforming into a phoenix in a single bound.
For now, he was merely a clerk in the Registrar's Hall of the Heir Apparent's Office, of Principal Ninth Rank. But once the Imperial Grandson ascended the throne, he would immediately become an important minister held in the emperor's favor.
It would have been impossible for the others to claim they were not envious.
Zhou Licheng himself was doing quite well, however, and regarded the entire household's "ascension" with relative equanimity. Seeing that Jian Qu seemed to have something to say, he asked, "Lord Jian, is there something you need?"
Jian Qu stepped forward twice and bowed with his hands clasped, his face all smiles. "His Highness's learning encompasses heaven and man. Back when he was a commoner, he wrote many works, but they remain scattered rather than collected and published. That is truly a pity. I would like to publish a collection of His Highness's writings, recording his essays and verse over the years. What do you think, Lord Zhou?"
Liu Zhan was neither a man of letters nor a civil official, only a Daoist. Faced with such a question, he stood