All Heavens: From Joy of Life to The Great Feng Night Watchman

The Prince Jing's residence was a long-time friend of the Fan family, and the Crown Prince had promised to help Fan Xian make a name for himself, so Fan Xian went out.

The prince's retainers even sent over the poems they had written, eagerly awaiting his fame at the poetry gathering.

The current crown prince, though he desperately wants to kill Fan Xian, is also forced to help Fan Xian restore his reputation, making him incredibly conflicted.

Fan Xian is also very much looking forward to seeing Lin Wan'er in person at today's poetry gathering.

The three of them walked to the street corner near the entrance of Prince Jing's mansion and were met by two young scholars.

One of them, with a complicated expression, cupped his hands in greeting. "Greetings, Young Master Fan. I am Guo Baokun, son of the Minister of Rites and a compiler in the palace."

Another scholar, slightly older than Fan Xian, also greeted him, saying, "I am He Zongwei, a humble scholar, and I greet Young Master Fan."

The Crown Prince's retainer who came to see Fan Xian a couple of days ago mentioned that Guo Baokun is a retainer of the Crown Prince and has quite a reputation in the Kyoto literary and artistic circles.

Fan Xian was almost certain that this person might not be very capable, but his father was powerful!

Guo Shao's purpose in attending the poetry gathering was, of course, to help Fan Xian restore his reputation on the orders of the Crown Prince, and He Zongwei was the helper he had found.

"Young Master Guo, Young Master He, I, Fan, greet you."

Fan Xian was inevitably a little reserved as he participated in the gathering of Kyoto literati for the first time.

Guo Baokun, with an air of superiority, put his arm around Fan Xian's shoulder.

"Brother Fan, leave today's matter to me!"

"Guo has been well-versed in poetry and literature since childhood, and has also studied military strategy and tactics. Today's poetry gathering has been planned for a long time!"

"I've visited most of the talented men attending the conference, and they're all willing to speak well of you!"

With so many people helping you, you have the advantage and victory is assured!

"Brother Fan will surely win first place at today's poetry gathering and become famous overnight!"

Chapter 71 The Poetry Gathering at Prince Jing's Mansion, The Dark Jungle Law of the Transmigrators

Fan Xian did receive a poem, but it was only barely presentable.

Although he was a liberal arts student in his previous life, he was certainly good at appreciating and discussing poetry, but he didn't have the ability to write good poems himself.

If Li Chang'an weren't around, he could easily become famous with any famous poem he wrote.

Once he gains literary fame, someone will naturally come to clear his name.

With power in hand, great scholars will naturally come to debate the classics; Fan Xian understood this principle all too well.

However, with Li Chang'an around, or the time traveler behind Li Chang'an, Fan Xian really didn't have the guts.

"In that case, thank you very much, Young Master Guo."

Guo Baokun then changed the subject and revealed another piece of news that shocked Fan Xian.

"With His Highness Prince Yong present today, the poetry gathering will have an even greater impact!"

Fan Xian asked in surprise, "Your Highness Prince Yong...why have you come?"

Li Chang'an is Fan Xian's biggest taboo right now, and he subconsciously wants to avoid this person.

Before coming to Kyoto, he had already made up his mind never to reveal his identity as a time traveler.

If exposure is truly necessary, it must be done only when one has gained power and military strength equal to Li Chang'an's; that would be the safest time to expose oneself.

However, for Fan Xian at present, it is simply impossible to be on par with a prince in terms of power.

The suspicion among time travelers is mutual. If Li Chang'an had just arrived when Fan Xian was at the height of his power, he would never have revealed his identity as a time traveler.

This chain of suspicion among time travelers is somewhat like the law of the dark jungle: whoever gains immense power first will never allow another to emerge.

If both people are powerless or have no influence, or if they are on equal footing, share similar views and personalities, they might even reveal their identities to each other.

However, Li Chang'an now owns the Dragon Mountain Villa and has hundreds of experts under his command. He is not only a literary giant but also has the power of life and death to suppress the martial arts world.

Moreover, Li Chang'an was known in the martial arts world for his ruthless practice of exterminating any sect that disobeyed the imperial court. Fan Xian found this approach too cruel.

The information Wu Zhu overheard on Mount Da Dong suggests that Prince Yong is very likely a puppet, and the time traveler behind him may be even more powerful and ruthless.

Fan Xian was a smart man; he understood the implications of this matter and therefore decided to resolutely conceal his identity as a time traveler.

Li Chang'an had figured this out when he was a child: whoever gains immense power and wealth first between him and Fan Xian will enjoy the greatest benefits of being a time traveler.

Li Chang'an was a very pragmatic person. Although he outwardly complied with Emperor Qing's wishes but inwardly opposed them, he felt that Emperor Qing's plan to eliminate the Grandmasters and seek to unify the world was not wrong.

He did think Ye Qingmei's approach was somewhat naive. Her grand declaration at the entrance of the Supervisory Council was as absurd as posting "Upholding judicial fairness, everyone in the Ming Dynasty is equal" at the entrance of the Eastern Depot.

Secret service agencies were the most powerful arm in maintaining feudal imperial power, and their internal power structure was far less stable than that of the Three Departments and Six Ministries system.

Fan Xian suddenly gained immense power simply by virtue of a mere official's badge, while Fan Jian, Emperor Qing's childhood friend, took more than a decade to rise to the position of Minister of Revenue.

Li Chang'an's Luo Wang is similar to the Supervisory Council. The purpose of establishing Luo Wang is to seize power and one day replace Emperor Qing.

Seeing Fan Xian looking somewhat dazed and like a country bumpkin, Guo Baokun's sense of superiority grew even stronger.

"Brother Fan, you don't know this, do you?"

"A poetry gathering can only have influence if it can invite literary masters to comment. Prince Yong is not someone that just anyone can invite."

"The heir of Prince Jing pleaded with Prince Jing, and only then did Prince Jing invite Prince Yong over."

"Today, just bring out that poem. His Highness Prince Yong is a literary giant; he wouldn't be mistaken."

Fan Xian didn't want to provoke Li Chang'an, but he didn't expect to run into him so soon.

But now that they're already at the gates of Prince Jing's residence, there's no turning back.

After entering Prince Jing's residence, Guo Baokun warmly introduced Fan Xian to the scholars and talented women.

"Please do not believe the rumors outside. I know Brother Fan's character well; he is by no means a person who disregards etiquette and laws."

"What happened on the day Fan Xian entered the city was a misunderstanding; the courtesan had a fit of hysteria and mistook him for someone else."

Unsurprisingly, all the women looked wary and disgusted, and kept their distance.

Among the women, a girl in red clenched her fists, looking like she was about to rush up and punch Fan Xian.

Lin Wan'er quickly pulled her aside, "Ling'er, there's no need. Fan Xian is an insignificant person. There's no need to get upset over him."

"Listen to me, the best way to handle this is to pretend that he doesn't exist."

I've already met with the two of your uncles; please don't act rashly.

Ye Ling'er always listened to Lin Wan'er, so she could only put away her fists and sit down resentfully.

Almost all the scholars treated Fan Xian with great courtesy, as if they all believed Guo Baokun's words.

Fan Xian couldn't help but sigh, this was the power of authority. With the son of the Minister of Rites endorsing him, everyone had to give Young Master Guo face.

Fan Xian looked around for a long time but didn't see Lin Wan'er or even Fan Ruoruo. There were three empty seats on the side where the talented women sat.

One of the three seats was reserved for Fan Ruoruo, as her younger sister held a prominent position in Beijing's literary circles.

The inner hall of the Prince's Mansion.

Prince Jing, Prince Yong, the Second Prince, Lin Wan'er, Princess Roujia, and Fan Ruoruo are speaking.

Fan Ruoruo and Li Chang'an arrived in the same carriage. The Fan family and the Jingwang family were old friends, so Li Chang'an led her into the inner hall.

Li Chengze said politely, "Uncle Prince Jing, I am extremely grateful to have you hold a poetry gathering on your esteemed occasion."

"Uncle Yongwang, a poetry gathering is only complete with your presence. I am deeply grateful!"

At the poetry gathering, scholars sought to make a name for themselves, and the Second Prince also wanted to recruit some talented individuals to see if there were any outstanding scholars who could serve him.

Of course, the Second Prince had another important goal today: to win over Fan Xian.

Fan Xian is no ordinary person. It's quite unusual that His Majesty insists on bestowing a marriage upon him and marrying Lin Wan'er to him.

Although the Second Prince couldn't help in Kyoto that day, he had already shown his support for Fan Xian. It shouldn't be difficult for him to win Fan Xian over now.

The fact that His Majesty hasn't canceled the engagement despite Fan Xian's reputation being ruined shows that Fan Xian is a very important person and someone we must befriend.

The reason Li Chang'an came was, of course, because both Prince Jing and the Second Prince had invited him, and he had to give them this favor.

Anyway, his presence alone elevates the entire poetry gathering's prestige.

As for commenting on poems, it's even simpler. Since the poems aren't of high quality anyway, you can tell the difference between good and bad at a glance.

Li Chang'an came this time also to see Fan Xian. In the original drama, Fan Xian was very arrogant when he first entered the capital, and he didn't even kneel before the emperor.

Fan Xian has already suffered a setback upon arriving in the capital; it remains to be seen whether he will remain as arrogant as before.

As for Lin Wan'er, she was invited by the Second Prince to have some fun, and it was also to test Lin Wan'er's attitude towards Fan Xian.

After all, the marriage between Lin Wan'er and Fan Xian was related to the ownership of the Imperial Treasury, which was a matter of concern to all parties.

Lin Wan'er deliberately sat next to Li Chang'an and pulled him aside when he had a moment to spare.

“Uncle Yong, you’ve been very busy since you returned to the capital.”

Li Chang'an turned his head and met Lin Wan'er's ambiguous smile.

He then realized that he hadn't climbed through Lin Wan'er's window since returning to Kyoto.

Li Chang'an was very busy every day, having to cultivate, keep an eye on intelligence from all sides, and discuss swordsmanship with his concubines. He really forgot to go see Lin Wan'er.

"Yes, Wan'er, I am very busy with many matters and have countless affairs to attend to every day."