spoiled brat

Chapter 126, Section 125: The Sharp Arrow (Part 5)

Xie Xiaoqing fastened his clothes, turned to the chubby boy behind him, and asked, "When did the Ning Prince's Mansion ever have a young master? That young master is clearly not one of us, so how can we have any connection with him?"

The chubby boy struggled to put on his cloth shoes and laughed, "Brother Xie, you really can't guess who he is?"

Seeing Xie Xiaoqing's doubt, he lowered his voice and said, "The imperial court has issued an official decree that both noble families and commoners can enroll in the school. That clerk is just a minor official of the seventh rank. Where did he get the audacity to go against the higher-ups?"

Having said all that, Xie Xiaoqing would be naive if he still didn't understand: "You mean, he's playing the bad cop to pave the way..." He pointed downstairs, "so that others can play the good cop and show up to 'burn the pot' for us, the ones who are left out?"

"The first half is correct, but the second half is a bit too self-important." The chubby boy laughed. "Brother Xie, our family has no power, no money, no soldiers. What kind of backyard are we? If we win you over a little, you'll probably just side with other families."

Xie Xiaoqing had long heard of factions within the court, but he never expected to be targeted so soon after arriving in the capital: "In that case, their attempts to curry favor with us are no different from walking a dog or leading a sheep."

"Hey, you can't say that."

The chubby boy pulled him to the window, where they saw more than a dozen carriages parked downstairs. Several richly dressed young men were leading their entourages inside. Some of the entourages carried eagles on their shoulders, while others carried fighting cocks in their hands. They rushed towards the flower hall like a whirlwind.

No need to guess, these people are all here for the banquet, just like the poor students, attending the young master's feast.

"Guess who brought us here?" the chubby boy whispered. "The only young master in the capital with such wealth and pomp can be the second son of Minister Wu, the younger brother of Consort Wu, and the Crown Prince's uncle, Wu Jiu."

Xie Xiaoqing frowned: "His father is ruining the country and its people, his elder brother is suffering repeated defeats on the front lines, and he still has the nerve to squander money recklessly in the rear?"

"Why do you care so much? Now that it's out in the open, he's trying to be friendly with us, letting us dine at the same table as these young masters..." The chubby boy straightened his collar: "Just by making some connections, we can make a fortune in the capital."

"How can you be so worldly?" Xie Xiaoqing brushed his hand away. "I thought you had backbone, were willing to endure hardship, and were a good man who didn't covet power and was wholeheartedly devoted to serving your country!"

"Brother Xie, that's the question I should be asking you—how can you be so naive?" The chubby boy wasn't angry at all, and laughed: "If you want to serve your country, shouldn't you first establish yourself in the capital? Being aloof doesn't necessarily make you a gentleman, and being shrewd and worldly-wise doesn't make you a villain!"

Xie Xiaoqing couldn't argue with him, so he picked up his luggage to leave, but the chubby boy stopped him: "Hey, you've given all the pancakes in your bag to everyone. What are you going to eat for the next few days?"

Having run out of money and provisions, Xie Xiaoqing stopped in his tracks. The chubby boy laughed:
"Brother Xie, you look pale and thin. How long has it been since you've had meat? You should take advantage of this feast tonight to nourish yourself and eat your fill before you leave, wouldn't that be better?"

Xie Xiaoqing was aloof, but he was eager to try his hand at meat. In the end, he unloaded his luggage and went to the flower hall with the chubby boy.

They arrived rather late; a large crowd had already gathered outside the hall, making a ruckus, and it was unclear what they were looking at.

Upon closer inspection, I saw two roosters fighting fiercely in the arena, tumbling, flapping, pecking, scratching, kicking, and tearing, with feathers flying everywhere and blood dripping all over the ground.

This is called cockfighting. It's a must-have opening act for any banquet hosted by wealthy young men in the capital, and they'll also set up small gambling games to add to the fun.

Xie Xiaoqing turned around and saw that a small table had been set up outside the crowd, with a gambling game and a servant in charge of collecting money. Seeing that the two of them had just arrived, he snorted and asked, "Do you two want to play?"

Xie Xiaoqing was about to shake his head when the chubby boy readily agreed. He glanced at the poor students cheering in the crowd and whispered, "Brother Xie, we have to fit in."

When they got closer, they discovered that the group was difficult to work with, and the table was covered with gold and silver ingots.

The chubby boy pulled out a few copper coins and handed them over. Before he could even say which side to bet on, the servant sneered and put the coins into his pocket: "Small change won't get you anywhere."

The other poor students who bet their coins must have suffered the same fate. It's alright, just consider it a token of their gratitude.

Suddenly, several slaps rang out from the crowd, and a poor student was kicked out of the crowd, rolling a long distance on the bluestone ground.

A rich young man chased after him, kicking him a few times and cursing, "You damned bastard! My mighty general never loses, it's all your fault for cheering!"

That's so unreasonable!

Xie Xiaoqing was about to go up and argue, but was pulled back by the chubby boy. Only then did he notice that there were people watching coldly all around, and no one was willing to offend the officials for the sake of morality.

The poor student was in great pain, clutching his head and admitting his mistake. But the rich kid wasn't satisfied and wanted to hit him again. From outside the crowd came a light voice: "It's just a little money, why resort to violence?"

The crowd parted to make way for Wu Jiu, who had organized the gathering.

He changed into a set of fine clothes, waving a sandalwood fan adorned with flowers and birds, glanced at the poor student with a bruised and swollen face at his feet, and said to the man who had attacked him:
"Your mighty general is no longer of any use. Come to my mansion another day and get a better one."

The man who had attacked the student dared not cause any more trouble: "Thank you, Second Master." He then pulled out a bag of silver from his waist and threw it at the face of the poor student who had been beaten, coldly snorting, "Consider it a win for you. Get lost, don't get in my way."

Despite such humiliation, the poor student who was beaten said nothing, but bowed, thanked them, and left.

After the opening act, it was time for the banquet. The furnishings in the small flower hall were first-rate, gleaming gold, with seven or eight large tables in the center, some for the wealthy and some for the poor.

The upper class was full of acquaintances and quickly became chatty, but the lower class was quite deserted—because of the farce just now, the poor students were all a bit awkward, not to mention picking up their chopsticks, they didn't even dare to pick up the candy-coated fruit plates to eat.

"Gentlemen, I apologize for the poor hospitality earlier."

Wu Jiu rose from the seat of honor, and the hall fell silent as soon as he spoke.

"Today, all of you are classmates from the official academy. In the future, we will serve the court together, work together with one heart and one mind, and move forward hand in hand. Please do not worry about me."

Classmate?

Xie Xiaoqing coldly surveyed the wealthy young men at the tables above, their lives filled with extravagance and debauchery, each with a frivolous smile on their face... It was these people who had taken away their seats, leaving many more ambitious young people with no way to serve their country.

What is this talk of being of one mind and one heart? What is this talk of progressing side by side? How can these pampered rich kids shoulder the responsibilities of the nation!
He was indignant, and most of the people around him felt the same way. But among the poor students, there were some sensible ones who stood up in twos and threes, raised their glasses to express their gratitude and return the toast.

Compared to these worldly people, sitting there blankly would seem like I didn't know how to be gracious.

Everyone stood up one after another, and Xie Xiaoqing was the last to stand up.

Wu Jiu glanced at him and asked from afar, "Where is that gentleman from, and what is his name?"

This means they've been held a grudge against you.

Xie Xiaoqing's palms were sweating. Knowing he couldn't answer, he still said, "Yongzhou, Xie Xiaoqing."

Upon hearing this, the wealthy young men at the next few tables frowned, wondering if they had ever heard of the name before. Suddenly, someone asked, "Did you ever slap Old Man Jiang in the face before?"

Immediately someone chimed in: "That's him! Old Man Jiang invited him to the capital to become an official, but he refused, which made Old Man Jiang so angry that he was fuming!"

They burst into laughter, while Xie Xiaoqing was bewildered, unsure of what was to come.

Several attendants approached him and gestured for him to sit at the head table: "Young Master Xie, my master invites you to the main table."

Forced into a corner, Xie Xiaoqing had no choice but to go over and was led to sit down next to Wu Jiu.

The golden cups and jade dishes shimmered before his eyes, making him dizzy. He heard Wu Jiu's laughing voice in his ears: "Brother Xie, Minister Jiang doesn't promote people easily. Why did you refuse him back then?"

Xie Xiaoqing was an honest man, and answered truthfully.

Unexpectedly, the playboys didn't take his words about finding solace in nature seriously at all; they just laughed, laughing at the imagined scene of Minister Jiang being humiliated.

Then someone, still drunk, asked, "Brother, what was the content of that poem you wrote back then?"

This wasn't a genuine question, and Xie Xiaoqing didn't want to answer, but everyone around him was egging him on, so he had no choice but to read it aloud. After he finished reading, no one could tell what was good about it, but they all clapped.

Xie Xiaoqing found the place boring and was about to leave when Wu Jiu grabbed him:
"Brother Xie, you are talented. Come work for me from now on."

Xie Xiaoqing withdrew his hand, frowning, and said, "My talent is shallow and I am truly unfit for this task..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wu Jiu suddenly leaned close to his ear and said in an extremely calm voice, "You wouldn't even be willing to be with me, let alone with His Highness the Crown Prince, the future ruler of the world?"

Xie Xiaoqing's eyelids twitched, and he suddenly remembered what the little fat boy had said earlier... The clerk who recorded the records played the bad cop first, so that the good cop would play the bad cop later, in order to win people's hearts and use them.

It turns out that the one playing the righteous role wasn't the Prince Ning's Mansion or the Wu family, but the current Crown Prince.

Ostensibly, it's about selecting talent for the country, but in reality, it's about cultivating factions and engaging in infighting!
"Your future is important, think it over carefully." Wu Jiu patted his shoulder and smiled, "Don't rush to answer me."

Just then, a young man ran up from the side and hurriedly said, "Young Master, people from the Prince Ning's Mansion have arrived!"

Wu Jiu's expression suddenly darkened: "What are you doing here? Just send me away."

Suddenly the hall doors opened wide, and a cold night wind and rain poured in. Two rows of lightly armored guards stood on either side of the hall.

There were a few clanging sounds of scabbards hitting jade pendants, and Zhao Zhao, dressed in dark blue and silver, stepped in. He slightly turned his foot to the side, revealing the person behind him with a bruised and swollen face, who was the poor student who had been beaten earlier.

She asked coldly, "Who hit him?"