The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

The 7th day of the fourth month in the 23rd year of Yonghe.

The bamboo grove at the Grand Tutor's Mansion was a vibrant green after being washed by the spring rain.

The water stains on the bluestone slabs had not yet dried completely, and the air was filled with the scent of damp earth.

Su Shi has come to the Grand Tutor's residence today on his teacher's orders to retrieve a copy of a memorial submitted by a famous minister of the previous dynasty.

Kong Yan said that compilers of the Hanlin Academy should not only read the books of sages and worthies, but also read about how predecessors did things.

He walked through the moon gate and along the corridor toward the study, carrying a box of osmanthus cakes he had just bought on his way from the Heshengyuan branch, intending to offer them to his master.

At the corner at the end of the corridor, a person walked towards us.

Wearing a moon-white scholar's robe and a jade belt, he walked with composure and exuded a gentle demeanor.

It was none other than the eldest prince, Zhou Cong.

The two met in the corridor and stopped at the same time.

Su Shi was slightly taken aback, then bowed and said, "Su Shi, compiler of the Hanlin Academy, greets Your Highness."

Zhou Cong reached out a hand to help him up, his gaze sweeping over Su Shi.

He came to the Grand Tutor's mansion today as a routine visit to seek instruction on the classics, but unexpectedly he ran into this newly appointed third-ranked scholar who had recently become famous throughout the capital.

His status as the last disciple of Grand Tutor Su Shi is now common knowledge throughout the court.

His astonishing feat of being promoted from the third rank to the sixth rank at the Grand Tutor's mansion that day caused a great stir among civil officials.

Some people praised him as a reincarnation of the God of Literature, while others envied him for his incredible luck.

Some people were secretly plotting how to win over this newly promoted sixth-rank scholar.

"No need for such formalities, Su Xiuzhuan." Zhou Cong's smile was gentle and appropriate, and his tone carried just the right amount of intimacy. "At the Yuyuantan Flower-Picking Banquet that day, I felt that Su Xiuzhuan was no ordinary person."

"Indeed, it hasn't been long, and the compiler has already become a sixth-rank Hanlin scholar and a disciple of the Grand Tutor. I should congratulate the compiler."

"Your Highness flatters me. I have only been fortunate enough to gain the favor of the Grand Tutor. I am truly unworthy of such high praise from Your Highness."

Su Shi straightened up, a smile on his face as usual.

In his previous life, he had spent decades navigating the ups and downs of officialdom, and he had heard this kind of opening line countless times.

Let me praise you a few times first, and then I'll slowly get to the point.

He didn't rush to leave, nor did he show any sign of unease. He simply stood quietly in place, waiting for the eldest prince to finish speaking.

Zhou Cong, however, did not rush to get to the point.

He turned to look at the bamboo grove outside the corridor, washed by the spring rain, stood with his hands behind his back, and his tone suddenly became sentimental: "As you know, I have been taught by the Grand Tutor for many years. Although we are not in the name of master and disciple, we are in fact master and disciple."

"The Grand Tutor often told me that what the court lacks most is not capable ministers, but virtuous ministers."

"A capable minister knows how to get things done, and a wise minister knows how to conduct himself; I have always firmly believed this."

He paused, then looked away at Su Shi, his eyes filled with a deeper meaning. "Now that you, the compiler, have entered the Grand Tutor's tutelage, you and I are fellow disciples."

"I have recently been observing the administration in the cabinet and have often felt that there is a lack of truly talented and insightful people around me. If you have any free time, you might as well come and visit me more often."

Su Shi understood.

The eldest prince's words were roundabout, actually concealing his intention to recruit the prince beneath the polite formalities of camaraderie.

The real message is the phrase "Come visit often."

He did not reply immediately, but bowed slightly and said with a smile, "Your Highness's kindness is too much for me. I am just starting out in the Hanlin Academy and haven't even mastered the classics yet. I really dare not presume to teach you my humble skills in front of Your Highness."

"You are too modest, Your Excellency." Zhou Cong's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes deepened. "I still vividly remember Your Excellency's statement in the palace examination essay, 'The world does not belong to one person, but to all people.'"

"With such a broad mind, one has the talent of a prime minister. Many famous ministers have emerged from the Grand Tutor's school, but I believe that the compiler will surely make a name for himself under the Grand Tutor's tutelage in the future, and may even have students all over the world."

Su Shi's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes had subtly softened.

The phrase "students all over the world" came out of the eldest prince's mouth, and the position of Grand Tutor was just a pie in the sky he was making.

That was indeed a beautifully said statement, conveying the promise perfectly without revealing any sharpness.

Su Shi lowered his eyes, using the act of adjusting his cuffs to avoid looking directly at the eldest prince, and mentally dissected and analyzed those words.

The eldest prince didn't say "I will promote you," but rather "You will have many students in the future."

Promises were disguised as prophecies, and recruitment was masqueraded as appreciation.

If the person standing here were that poor, destitute scholar who passed the imperial examination a month ago, upon hearing these words, he would probably have knelt down, moved to tears.

But standing here is Su Shi, who in his previous life was persecuted and his family was destroyed in the Wutai Poetry Case.

Su Shi, who spent six years cultivating land on the eastern slope of Huangzhou and being exiled to the malaria-ridden land of Hainan.

The things he experienced in his past life had long since polished him from a rough jade into an old jade, still warm and smooth, but so hard that no one could bite into it.

More importantly, he is now Kong Yan's last disciple.

This identity is more valuable than any promise made by a prince.

In the imperial court, Grand Tutor Kong Yan was the leader of the civil officials' pure stream, a ninth-rank scholar, and an old minister whom even Emperor Wu of Zhou had to show deference to.

With this powerful backer, Su Shi didn't need to please anyone.

There is no need to depend on any prince, nor to gamble one's future on political speculation.

He can be promoted in the Hanlin Academy based on his genuine talent and learning.

He gained prestige in the literary world through his literary talent, and stood upright in the imperial court through his righteous spirit.

He lacks nothing, so why would he tie himself to a prince's chariot so early on?

Moreover, he is currently a sixth-rank scholar.

What is the concept of the sixth rank?

In the civil service system, a sixth-rank civil servant is already at the level of being able to independently manage a department.

His righteous spirit can be projected outwards, empowering himself and deterring evil forces.

More importantly, the energy he cultivated in his previous life for so many years has transformed into cultivation in this life, giving him such a solid foundation that even Kong Yan is impressed.

He has a very clear vision for his future.

Given time, reaching the ninth rank is not a dream.

A potential ninth-rank scholar is an independent power base in itself, needing no one's approval.

Wang You'an, from a humble background, rose to the rank of eighth-grade scholar through hard work. He never took sides or formed factions throughout his life, so who could do anything to him?

The former emperor Fan Zhongyan experienced three rises and falls in his life, but he relied on his upright character and his timeless literary works.

Who will remember who he offended a thousand years from now?

Those who take sides early often fall early as well.

Of course, he wouldn't say these words aloud.

He raised his head, his smile still gentle, his tone tinged with self-deprecation and humility: "Your Highness is too kind. I am but a Hanlin scholar who can write a few bad poems. How could I possibly be worthy of such expectations as 'having students all over the world'?"

"I am filled with trepidation and fear since the Grand Tutor accepted me into his family. I am still thinking about how I can live up to his kindness."

"As for the future, I have never been good at planning. I only believe in one thing: what is destined to be yours will be yours, and what is not, you cannot force."

His refusal was extremely tactful.

There was no direct refusal, no blunt rebuttal; he simply placed himself in the lowest position, attributing all the credit and expectations to the Grand Tutor's cultivation and his own fate.

If the eldest prince were to continue pressing him for answers, he would be putting an honest man who "only knows how to study and dares not hope for a future" in a difficult position.

If the eldest prince decides to drop the matter, that would be fine; everyone can save face.

Zhou Cong was an extremely shrewd person, so of course he knew what it meant to see through something but not say it.

His smile remained gentle, but a barely perceptible hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes.

He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "What you say is true. With the Grand Tutor's guidance, you need not worry about your future. You should take my words just now as mere idle chatter and not take them to heart."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Zhou Cong took his leave.

He walked out of the moon gate with a composed gait, but the moment he crossed the threshold, his fingers, which were hanging in his sleeves, clenched slightly before relaxing.

He certainly wouldn't give up just because he failed to get through one attempt.

It's perfectly normal for someone of Su Shi's caliber to refuse once.

He has plenty of time and patience.

Once Su Shi's term of office as an observer is over, he can be given a better position in the cabinet.

You can find an opportunity to say a few good words for him in front of your father, and you can gradually soften his attitude with countless gentle and caring gestures.

He didn't believe that a sixth-rank Hanlin scholar could remain neutral in the imperial court forever.

He just didn't understand that Su Shi wasn't against taking sides, but rather that he didn't need to.

This confidence is not something all newly appointed scholars possess.