A loyal servant laid his heart bare; his imperial brothers' abacus beads flew straight into his face!

Lin Qingdai didn't say anything more, and got up to walk into the courtyard.

She took three steps, then turned back.

"Sharpen my short sword; I'll use it for practice tomorrow."

Zitang lowered her head, suppressing a laugh.

"I'll go polish it right away, make it as shiny as possible."

Misty Waters Courtyard.

Liu Ruyan sat at the table, holding the ten-year-old pine soot ink that Gu Moran had given her, and twirled it around in her hand a few times.

She didn't go to the poetry gathering.

But the news spread too quickly within the Prince's residence.

The servant in the front hall said so, the old woman in the kitchen said so, and even the maid who brought water could recite a couple of lines.

Xie Wanqing took the stage.

Ye Qingyun was defeated and forced to retreat.

Prince Yi sat in the corner eating cake.

Liu Ruyan placed the Huizhou inkstone next to the inkstone, ground the ink, laid out the paper, and dipped the tip of her brush in the ink.

She wrote one word on the paper.

respect.

The brushstrokes are sharp and clean, with each stroke ending precisely.

A maidservant outside the door asked, "Madam, everyone outside is saying that Madam Xie won today. Would you like to go and congratulate her?"

Liu Ruyan stared at that word.

"I'm not going."

The maidservant was stunned.

"Does Madam dislike crowds?"

Liu Ruyan put the pen back on the pen holder.

"She's had enough fun today."

The maid dared not ask any more questions.

Liu Ruyan pushed the paper to the edge of the table, leaving it to dry with the ink facing upwards.

During her years at the Flower-Between Pavilion, she saw far too many men.

Those who pay have pride.

Poets want fame.

Those who give gifts should expect something in return.

Gu Moran gave Xie Wanqing the best opportunity, letting her stand in the spotlight.

He, however, sat in the corner eating cake and casually stirred the water.

This kind of man is troublesome.

It's interesting too.

In the study.

Uncle Fu brought in hot tea and placed the teacup on the right side of the desk.

"Your Highness, all six academies are peaceful today."

Gu Moran picked up the tea, the steam carrying a bitter fragrance.

"Peaceful?"

Uncle Fu thought about it carefully.

" The Azure Wolf Courtyard cut down two wooden stakes."

" The Iron Plum Courtyard has people sharpening short knives."

" Green Vine Courtyard wants to make white fungus soup."

"The lights in Clear Frost Courtyard were turned off early this morning."

Gu Moran took a sip of tea.

"That's certainly safe."

Uncle Fu added, "Later, Misty Waters Courtyard sent some tea to Tranquil Ink Courtyard."

Gu Moran's hand holding the cup stopped.

" Liu Ruyan?"

"Yes."

Gu Moran put down the teacup.

She didn't go to the poetry gathering.

Uncle Fu said, "But she can guess."

Gu Moran looked out the window.

The bamboo leaves in the courtyard rustled in the wind.

"People from the Flower-Between Pavilion know best how to judge men."

After he finished speaking, he looked up again.

" Uncle Fu, you've seen quite a few people today. What did you see?"

Uncle Fu straightened the teacup and paused for two breaths before speaking.

When Ye Qingyun looked at Madam Su, his toes shifted forward half an inch.

When Madam Xie asked him if he was resentful that a woman had won against him, his right shoulder sank first.

"When Zhou Wenyuan presented the process sheet, Xu Wenli drank empty tea twice."

Gu Moran looked at him.

" Uncle Fu, you're standing quite far away today."

"With that kind of eye, if you took it to a gambling den and rolled the dice, the dealer would have to kneel down and call you his ancestor."

Uncle Fu lowered his head.

"This old servant is old and has poor eyesight; I just looked at it a few more times."

Gu Moran chuckled.

"Your eyesight is so bad, how can you see toes?"

Uncle Fu did not respond to that sentence.

He raised his hand to add tea for Gu Moran, the tea falling into the cup with a steady stream of water.

"This old servant has only been watching for a long time. When Your Highness was young, you would lie, and your right hand would touch the jade pendant."

Gu Moran's fingers stopped on the fan ribs.

Uncle Fu continued, "When you were really acting recklessly these past years, you'd walk unsteadily, smell strongly of alcohol, and the first thing you'd do upon returning home was find water."

"Lately, you've been pretending to be drunk, your steps are steady, and your sleeves don't get wet with alcohol."

"Also, the study light is often on until the wee hours of the morning."

Uncle Fu glanced at the folding fan on the table.

"His Highness's grip on the fan was also very steady today."

The study fell silent.

The candlelight burned the wick, and the aroma of tea lingered on the table.

Gu Moran put down the folding fan.

"So you knew all along?"

Uncle Fu bowed deeply, speaking in a very humble tone.

"This old servant only knows that Your Highness does not want anyone to know."

Gu Moran at him for a long time.

"Did your mother order you to keep an eye on me?"

Uncle Fu did not answer.

Gu Moran rested his fingers on the edge of the table.

The Sixth Rank martial artist hadn't yet released his force, and the wooden surface made a soft sound as it was pressed down.

The scenes from the original book came flooding back to my mind.

On the night the house was ransacked, half the sky in the front courtyard of Prince Yi's Residence was ablaze with fire.

The plaque crashed to the ground, sparks rolling down the stone steps.

Uncle Fu knelt at the bottom of the steps, two arrows stuck in his back, and clutching a charred account book in his hand.

The people confiscating his property stepped on his shoulders, asking where the secret passage to the storeroom was and where Prince Yi had hidden his belongings.

He knew perfectly well.

The secret passage in the Prince's mansion was built by craftsmen he personally commissioned.

He always kept the key.

But Uncle Fu coughed up blood and only managed to utter one sentence.

"My lord never uses secret passages."

The man called him an old dog.

When the knife came down, Uncle Fu did not beg for mercy.

His body was later dragged outside the mansion gate.

His face was still turned towards the study.

I read that chapter very quickly in my past life.

I even cursed at the time.

That old man is really foolish.

The images now linger in my mind: the smell of blood, ashes, and burnt wood—all are vividly clear.

Gu Moran looked up at the butler in front of her, who was already somewhat hunched over.

" Uncle Fu."

Uncle Fu responded.

"This old servant is here."

Gu Moran looked at him.

"If you are one of my mother's people, then disregard what I said today."

Uncle Fu raised his eyes, then lowered them again.

"This old servant obeys; it is Her Majesty's order."

"But we are guarding His Highness's gate."

Gu Moran's fingertips hovered over the edge of the table.

That's enough.

" Uncle Fu, I believe you."

Uncle Fu's waist dropped half an inch.

"This old servant remembers."

Footsteps could be heard outside the door.

The servant boy stopped outside the threshold.

"Your Highness, an invitation has arrived."

Gu Moran looked away.

Whose post was this?

The servant boy brought in a tray.

Uncle Fu took it and placed it on the desk.

Two portions.

He opened the first package.

" From the Crown Prince's Residence's residence."

He picked up another letter.

"From the Second Prince's Residence."

Gu Moran picked up the first letter, flipped through it, put it down, and then picked up the second one.

"The Crown Prince and the Second Prince both invited me on the same day."

He placed the two posts side by side on the table.

The gold lettering gleamed in the candlelight.

Gu Moran pointed to the left with his fingertip.

"The Crown Prince has invited me to a small banquet at the Eastern Palace."

Then point to the right.

"My second brother invited me to listen to music and appreciate paintings tomorrow."

Uncle Fu said, "One is presenting gifts, the other is idly chatting."

Gu Moran smiled.

"One is afraid I'll side with the second son."

"One fears I've already sided with the Crown Prince."

Uncle Fu asked, "Which prince is going to?"

Gu Moran didn't answer immediately.

Going to the Eastern Palace, one might easily be dragged onto the stage by the Crown Prince.

Going to the Second Prince's Residence might lead to him dragging you into trouble.

If you don't go to either of them, today's poetry gathering will be seen as an act of ungratefulness.

These two imperial brothers are quite shrewd.

Unfortunately, the abacus beads bounced onto his face.

Gu Moran closed the two letters again.

" Uncle Fu, when was the last time these two imperial brothers invited me on the same day?"

Uncle Fu thought for a moment.

"Never."

Gu Moran pushed the teacup away.

That's good.

Uncle Fu looked at him.

Gu Moran leaned back in his chair, smiling casually.

What does this mean?

Uncle Fu asked in response, "What does that mean?"

"This means I've gone from being a laughingstock in the capital to becoming a variable in the capital."