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

Fan Jian had already told Fan Xian about the situation in the court and the current power struggle between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince.

So Fan Xian had already realized that the Second Prince was trying to win him over by speaking well of him.

Although the Crown Prince must help him restore his reputation, Fan Xian is ultimately an enemy of both the Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess.

Li Chang'an seemed unconcerned, saying, "It's alright, everyone, please don't stand on ceremony."

The Second Prince and I are just here to look around and listen casually, so please don't be shy.

Fan Xian could choose to kneel or not, but according to the rules, when a commoner meets a prince, he must kneel.

However, he had a "Tisi" badge, and the Supervisory Council was directly under the Emperor. Although he did not have an official rank, he wielded enormous power.

The Director of the Censorate is the second-highest-ranking person after the Director of the Censorate; if he doesn't kneel, no one can do anything to him.

Those present at the poetry gathering had their own interpretations of Fan Xian's refusal to kneel.

Guo Baokun said, "Brother Fan, it's fortunate that the two princes are so magnanimous, otherwise you would have been severely punished for your rudeness!"

He Zongwei said, "Young Master Guo, there's no need to worry too much about Brother Fan. You've forgotten that Brother Fan is Miss Ruoruo's brother."

Guo Baokun slapped his forehead. "Oh dear, how could I forget about that?"

"Given the relationship between Prince Yong and Miss Ruoruo, why would they be bothered by such a trivial matter?"

Fan Xian felt a little uneasy, because his kneeling was not from his own heart.

He secretly vowed to himself that he would stay far away from Li Chang'an so that he wouldn't have so many worries.

As the poetry gathering began, Fan Xian turned his attention to Lin Wan'er.

In fact, Lin Wan'er had already seen Fan Xian when he hesitated to kneel down.

After seeing Fan Xian's appearance for the first time, I never paid any attention to him again.

Lin Wan'er had made up her mind that she would never marry someone she didn't like. At worst, she would remain unmarried for life, since her mother had set a precedent.

She glanced enviously at Fan Ruoruo beside her; Fan Ruoruo was already able to go out with Prince Yong as a couple.

When Fan Xian saw Lin Wan'er, he was completely stunned, because Lin Wan'er was even more beautiful than in the portrait!

She possesses an elegant and graceful demeanor, and a charming and sweet appearance—exactly his type!

With just one glance, Fan Xian felt himself falling in love.

It now appears that the emperor's attitude toward bestowing the marriage was quite firm.

So, my chances are still pretty good!

The maid Sisi can be taken as a concubine in the future, which will not affect his marriage to his principal wife.

The poetry gathering soon began, and Guo Baokun, who was always active, proposed the idea of ​​composing a poem in ten steps.

"Your Highnesses, gentlemen, I have a plan for today's poetry gathering."

“Each of us will walk ten steps in the corridor, then write a poem, and then recite it aloud to the public!”

"After the poems are completed, I would like Your Highnesses to judge their merits."

After Guo Baokun finished speaking, Li Chengze, who was behind the curtain, quickly said, "With Uncle Yong here, how dare I presume to teach him? I will listen to Uncle Yong in everything."

Li Chang'an said irritably, "I'll do whatever you say. What do you need me for?"

Li Chengze was speechless with anger. "Didn't you drag me here?"

However, there was nothing he could do. Li Chang'an was deeply trusted by the Emperor and had a great reputation. It was common for him to bully his nephew.

Then, Li Chang'an said to Li Hongcheng, "Hongcheng, you are still the host of this poetry gathering. My second brother and I are just here to take a look."

Li Chengze gave Li Chang'an a resentful look. Was it really appropriate to call him, a hot favorite for the throne, "Little Second Brother" in public?

Li Chang'an didn't care at all; Prince Jing was the eldest son, so Li Chengze could only be the youngest son.

"Gentlemen, Young Master Guo's suggestion was good, but the final evaluation is up to you to decide."

"Finally, Your Highness and I will evaluate the three best poems. How does that sound?"

If Li Chang'an were to personally rank the poems, wouldn't the top-ranked poems become incredibly valuable and famous?

However, the scholars of Nanqing were generally unable to produce any good poems, so Li Chang'an was unwilling to rank them.

Evaluate the better poems, offering both praise and criticism; this would be a way of repaying the favors done to Prince Jing and the Second Prince.

Li Chang'an's words were already a great gesture, and Li Hongcheng nodded repeatedly in thanks.

Then, Li Hongcheng ordered someone to bring over a table and bring out writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

When Fan Xian saw the Four Treasures of the Study being brought out, he was startled.

What's going on?! Isn't a poetry recital just about reciting poems? Do we have to write them out ourselves?

What a joke!

What Fan Xian didn't notice was that when he looked at Lin Wan'er, Ye Ling'er was glaring angrily at him.

As Lin Wan'er's best friend, she has decided to beat up Fan Xian in public today!

The poetry gathering began, and Li Chang'an and Li Chengze chatted and ate grapes behind a curtain.

The current Crown Prince and Second Prince have lost interest in trying to win over Li Chang'an to seize the throne.

Because Li Chang'an deals with them using only three methods: he neither takes the initiative nor refuses, and he takes no responsibility!

He would treat anyone who came to him as his dear nephew, but he would refuse to associate with court officials or use the Shadow Guard.

Over time, the two nephews also realized that this uncle only listened to His Majesty.

If one day Prince Yong suddenly sides with one side, it means it is His Majesty's will.

So, behind the curtain, the two were talking about the last forty chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber.

When the poetry gathering began, Guo Baokun took the lead again, presenting the same poem with irregular tones and rhymes.

"The clouds are clear and the pavilions are shrouded in dew; the jade boats are like brocade in the wind."

The rising mist obscures the sky, a wisp of thought illuminates the flickering lamplight.

Fan Xian shook his head inwardly upon hearing the poem, but he couldn't voice his criticism.

Although Guo Shao was a bit arrogant, he still tried his best to help him.

Just because he spoke up for him in front of the two princes, Fan Xian had to remember their kindness. Even if Guo Shao was acting on the Crown Prince's orders, helping him was helping him nonetheless.

Li Chengze said in a low voice, "This good-for-nothing, this poem looks like it was prepared for a long time. The flowery language is too obvious. It's just so-so."

Guo Shao received the support of the talented ladies and then happily took his seat. Now that he had made his appearance, it was time for Fan Xian to step in.

Since His Highness Prince Yong has said to let everyone judge and rank the results themselves, it shouldn't be difficult for Young Master Guo to help elevate Fan Xian's ranking, given his influence.

However, when he sat back down, he found that Fan Xian was gone!

Guo Shao ran to the back, pulled Old Zhang aside, and asked, "Where's your young master?"

Old Zhang replied, "I went to the outhouse with Old Zhao!"

Guo Baokun was getting anxious. Why go to the toilet now? It's easier to shine if we go on stage sooner!

Not everyone has to write a poem for a poetry gathering. If you can't write a poem within ten steps, you don't have to participate.

Fan Xian's poems are slightly better than Guo Shao's, but his calligraphy is not good.

Guo Baokun just showed the poem to everyone present. His calligraphy would be laughed at if it were taken out into the world!

In this era, people believe that one's handwriting reflects one's character. If you can't write well, it's like not being able to speak Mandarin in Beijing in your previous life.

Unless you're a top-tier expert and speaking a dialect is your specialty, you'll be looked down upon.

Li Chang'an was meticulous in copying poems, and he didn't copy many famous works, but Fan Xian had long since given up on the dangerous idea of ​​copying poems.

His handwriting is likely to make him look foolish in front of Lin Wan'er.

Fan Xian hid in the pavilion in the backyard trying to figure out a solution, but instead, he was met by the Second Prince, Li Chengze.

"Fan Xian, the Crown Prince only helped you restore your reputation out of necessity; he would have preferred you dead."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Anyway, news of our meeting will reach the Crown Prince's ears sooner or later. Cooperation is the right thing to do."

With even the Second Prince stepping in to win him over, Fan Xian gained even more confidence in his own standing.

He had a badge on his waist, and his father was a prospective Minister of Revenue. He was not intimidated in front of the Second Prince.

The second prince was somewhat disappointed, but Fan Xian deliberately changed the subject and refused to express his opinion.

When Fan Xian met the Second Prince, he saw Xie Bi'an's swift sword and already had an idea in mind.

When he left the Second Prince, he smeared some chicken blood on his hands as he passed the kitchen, and then wiped it off, turning his right hand dark red.

After returning to his seat, he said to Guo Baokun, "Young Master Guo, my hand is injured. Could you help me write in a bit?"

Guo Baokun was getting anxious when he saw that Fan Xian couldn't go up to the front.

"What were you doing in the outhouse? You were so rough, you hurt your hand!"

"I'll write it, it's no big deal!"

Fan Xian inwardly praised Guo Shao, thinking that he was a good person to work with and would truly step up when needed.

Li Chang'an had already noticed when Fan Xian looked at Lin Wan'er that the boy was indeed lustful at first sight.