Guo Baokun did not dare talk back to Zhou Cheng. However unwilling he felt, he could only bow his head and admit defeat before everyone. "Your subject... was outmatched."
Zhou Cheng nodded and rose, startling Guo Baokun into taking half a step back.
"Good. A wager must be honored," Zhou Cheng said. "I witnessed your bet, so settle the stakes between yourselves later. I've grown tired of sitting and will stretch my legs in the rear courtyard. Please, carry on."
The moment Zhou Cheng mentioned the rear courtyard, Li Hongcheng's eyelid twitched.
The others might not know who was there, but he knew perfectly well.
One poetry gathering, and he had to serve three different sides at once. His life was far too difficult!
Li Hongcheng instinctively tried to find an excuse to stop Zhou Cheng.
But Zhou Cheng glanced at him, seemingly seeing straight through every thought in his head.
"Don't worry, Hongcheng. I'm only going to meet someone in the rear courtyard and exchange a few words. Nothing will come of it."
Li Hongcheng's heart jolted. What more could he say? All he could do was silently pray that these illustrious gentlemen would not cause trouble in his residence when they met.
Zhou Cheng took Sang Wen by the hand and left the Silver Peace Hall.
They had just rounded the covered walkway when they saw a slender figure in a pale, moon-white dress pacing beneath the eaves, hesitation evident in her steps.
As soon as they appeared, she heard their footsteps and glanced back, instinctively moving to hide.
But Zhou Cheng's gaze had already found her. Their eyes met, leaving her no choice but to stop, compose herself, and approach.
"Wan'er greets you, Third Brother."
It was Lin Wan'er.
Zhou Cheng looked her over and feigned surprise. "What brings you here, Wan'er? Why didn't Hongcheng mention that he'd invited our cousin?"
Lin Wan'er replied sheepishly, "I came here in secret. The heir doesn't know."
At that, Zhou Cheng gave her another look, then seemed to realize something. His eyes immediately filled with teasing amusement. "I see! Now I understand! You must have slipped in here to meet someone, Cousin Wan'er. And you're avoiding everyone else because you don't want anyone to know... Could you be meeting your sweetheart?"
The moment he finished speaking, a notification sounded in Zhou Cheng's ears:
[Negative emotions from Lin Wan'er +22!]
Lin Wan'er's expression soured, but she forced herself to remain composed.
"Please don't tease me, Third Brother. What sweetheart could I possibly have? I'm sure you can guess why I came. I only wanted to... have a look at Fan Xian first!"
Zhou Cheng sounded puzzled. "Father personally chose Fan Xian as your fiancé. How does that not make him your sweetheart?"
[Negative emotions from Lin Wan'er +233!]
Lin Wan'er took a deep breath, only to break into a fit of coughing. She hurriedly covered her lips with a handkerchief.
Once the coughing stopped and she had recovered a little, she looked Zhou Cheng squarely in the eyes. "Even if His Majesty has decreed the marriage, Fan Xian and I have never met, and my heart is not yet decided. Please choose your words carefully, Third Brother."
Lin Wan'er was in poor health, and Zhou Cheng had no wish to tease her further. He nodded. "Don't be angry, Wan'er. I misspoke."
Her expression eased considerably at his words.
Zhou Cheng changed the subject. "Have you seen Fan Xian yet?"
Lin Wan'er steadied her emotions. "I came straight here after entering the residence. I haven't been to the Silver Peace Hall. Since you came from there, Third Brother, you must have met Fan Xian. What do you think... of him?"
Zhou Cheng considered briefly. "Fan Xian seems a decent fellow. It's a shame you didn't go straight to the front hall, Wan'er. You missed quite a spectacle. He just composed an extraordinary seven-character regulated verse, and every scholar in the hall applauded it."
"An extraordinary seven-character regulated verse?" Lin Wan'er was startled, wondering what sort of poem could deserve such praise.
She was about to ask more, but Zhou Cheng waved a hand. "For the details, why not go and see for yourself? I still need to meet someone in the rear courtyard."
"...Very well. Sorry for troubling you, Brother."
Looking slightly disappointed, Lin Wan'er raised her eyes to him with a pleading gaze.
"Third Brother, please don't tell anyone I came here to look for him! My reputation is at stake. Please!"
As she spoke, her eyes filled with hope.
Zhou Cheng had no objection and nodded his agreement. Lin Wan'er immediately brightened and gave him a formal curtsy.
After parting with Lin Wan'er, Zhou Cheng continued toward the rear courtyard with Sang Wen.
Lin Wan'er watched their retreating figures, then turned toward the Silver Peace Hall. Making up her mind, she stamped her foot and hurried off.
In the rear courtyard.
Li Chengze openly admitted that he was at odds with the Crown Prince. He even threatened to take Fan Xian's head and use it to mend their relationship.
Fan Xian remained utterly unconcerned. Even with the Eighth Rank swordsman Xie Bi'an holding a blade against his neck, he casually picked up a bunch of grapes from the table, sat down on the steps, and began eating.
Li Chengze motioned for Xie Bi'an to lower his sword, then sat casually beside Fan Xian on the steps.
"The Crown Prince will find out about our meeting sooner or later. Aren't you worried?"
"Worried? About what?" Fan Xian plucked a grape and popped it into his mouth. "That the Crown Prince will think you've recruited me and target me because of it? Prince Cheng is here too. Rather than worrying about you recruiting me, shouldn't the Crown Prince be more worried about you recruiting him?"
At the mention of Zhou Cheng, Li Chengze's brows drew together slightly. "He's different. Our third brother..."
As he hesitated, a clear voice rang out. "Your third brother? Were you thinking of me, Second Brother? I'm truly flattered!"
Li Chengze abruptly stood. Seeing the two newcomers, he silently cursed Li Hongcheng.
He put on a smile. "Why aren't you enjoying the fine poems at the gathering, Chengcheng? What brings you here? Hongcheng told me you'd come to join the fun, so I deliberately kept out of the way to avoid spoiling your enjoyment."
Holding Sang Wen's hand, Zhou Cheng entered the courtyard. "Surely you've heard, Second Brother. Young Master Fan composed a stunning seven-character regulated verse in the Silver Peace Hall. Once it was finished, everyone fell silent, with no desire left to compete. Our gathering's star showed no sign of returning, and I grew bored waiting, so I came out for a stroll. I never expected to find you the moment I entered the rear courtyard."
Li Chengze laughed. "You're quite right, Third Brother. A servant brought me a copy of Young Master Fan's poem. I must say, it truly is a masterpiece. It was precisely because of his astonishing talent that I couldn't resist inviting him over for a chat. We were so engrossed in our conversation that I forgot the time, and the poetry gathering in the front courtyard. The fault is entirely mine."
Zhou Cheng nodded like an elder addressing a junior. "There is no greater virtue than recognizing and correcting one's mistakes. Since you understand, Second Brother, simply take more care in the future."
[Negative emotions from Li Chengze +233!]
Li Chengze's smile froze. He forced the corners of his mouth to move, his voice seeming to squeeze out between his teeth. "You're as free-spirited as ever, Third Brother, speaking without restraint and following your own path. How enviable."
Zhou Cheng laughed heartily and said pointedly, "Some things can't be gained through envy. Try too hard, and you may end up drawing a dog when you meant to paint a tiger, making yourself a laughingstock."
Then he pointed at Xie Bi'an. "You there, why haven't you fetched my second brother's shoes? Walking barefoot in broad daylight is unseemly. That hardly qualifies as free-spirited elegance."
[Negative emotions from Li Chengze +666!]
Li Chengze's face instantly darkened.
Xie Bi'an glanced at Li Chengze, then lowered his eyes and stood in silent contemplation, as though he had heard nothing.
Zhou Cheng did not care that Xie Bi'an ignored his order. He casually broke off a small cluster from the grapes in Fan Xian's hand, kept half, and gave the rest to Sang Wen.
Ever since Zhou Cheng appeared, Fan Xian had been looking from one brother to the other, silently watching their verbal sparring.
When their exchange ceased and their gazes slowly turned toward him, Fan Xian sighed inwardly. He truly did not want to be drawn into the maelstrom of court politics, but here he was, with little choice in the matter.
He gave a light cough and spoke first. "Since both Your Highnesses happen to be here, there's something this commoner would like to ask."
Li Chengze gave a slight, expressionless nod.
Zhou Cheng teased him. "Not another unfinished poem you want completed, I hope?"
Fan Xian stood with the grapes in hand, waving his free hand repeatedly. "No, no. Not this time."
Then he lowered his voice. "Do either of Your Highnesses... know a girl who loves eating drumsticks?"
Li Chengze was visibly taken aback. He looked at Zhou Cheng, but Zhou Cheng was not looking at him at all.
When neither answered, Fan Xian sighed.
He continued, "Do you believe in love at first sight?"
"I never used to, but now I do."
"That day, I fell in love at first sight with a girl holding a drumstick..."
Chapter 16: The engagement cancellation letter
A gentle breeze drifted among the waterside pavilions, carrying the cool moisture of the water. Afternoon sunlight filtered through the carved railings, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow across the flagstones.
Sitting on the stone steps, Fan Xian gazed out at the shimmering water and recounted his brief encounter with Drumstick Girl at the Temple of Qing.
Li Chengze tilted his head slightly, brows furrowed, fingers worrying his sleeve, his eyes full of bewilderment.
He listened patiently to the entire account and still had no idea what it was about.
Zhou Cheng also sat on the stone steps, perfectly at ease, leisurely eating grapes and spitting out their skins, one after another. Only Sang Wen beside him was more sentimental, allowing herself to become somewhat immersed in Fan Xian's recollections.
When Fan Xian finished, he turned his gaze toward Li Chengze and Zhou Cheng.
Li Chengze was still completely baffled, though he would never admit it.
Meeting Fan Xian's gaze, he gave a slight nod and put on a look of realization. "I understand!"
Fan Xian stared into his eyes, then slowly shook his head. "You don't!"
Li Chengze's expression stiffened.
Zhou Cheng glanced over and burst out laughing.
That finally broke Li Chengze's composure. His face darkened abruptly, his gaze sharp as a blade as he first turned to Fan Xian. "I don't understand! You've spouted a string of baffling remarks and told a baffling story. What exactly do you expect me to understand, Young Master Fan?"
Then he whipped toward Zhou Cheng. "You're laughing for no reason, Third Brother. Are you saying you understood?"
Zhou Cheng nodded. "Of course I did."
Without waiting for another question, he continued:
"Young Master Fan told us all this because he wants us to know that Drumstick Girl is his true love. He wants to marry her, not our cousin Wan'er. Is that what you meant, Young Master Fan?"
Fan Xian's eyes immediately lit up.
It was a shame Prince Cheng was not from his own world, but the prince's manner had already suited his tastes. Now that he had instantly grasped Fan Xian's true intention as well, warmth stirred in Fan Xian's heart, along with the feeling that he had found a kindred spirit.
His voice carried a trace of excitement. "Prince Cheng understands me! Exactly, that's what I meant. Once the engagement is dissolved, the Imperial Treasury will have nothing to do with me. I'll be nothing more than an idle nobody with no value to offer. Neither the Crown Prince nor you, Second Prince, will need to waste time on me."
Li Chengze let out a derisive snort.
He did not believe anyone would give up a commandery princess and wealth rivaling a nation's for a Drumstick Girl he had met only once.
But he did not say so outright. He merely shook his head almost imperceptibly and asked, "How do you intend to dissolve a marriage Father personally decreed?"
At present, Fan Xian had only a half-formed plan in mind.
He intended to tarnish his own reputation so that Lin Wan'er's side would call off the engagement. If that failed, he would approach Lin Wan'er himself and discuss it with her.
Before you continue