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

When Su Shi left the Grand Tutor's residence, it was still early.

He carried in his arms a copy of the memorials from the previous dynasty with annotations by Kong Yan, and a packet of new tea was tucked into his sleeve.

The master said this was a Longjing tea from before the Qingming Festival this year, and told him to take it back to the Hanlin Academy and drink it slowly.

He was in a great mood, walking with a lighter step than usual, and humming an unknown tune.

Today, the Grand Tutor not only instructed him on the essentials of compiling the Hanlin Academy's classics.

They also tested his righteous energy after he broke through to the sixth rank, and finally praised him for the first time, saying, "You have a solid foundation and have not lost the spirit of our school."

Su Shi knew better than anyone how rare Kong Yan's praise was.

The last time Kong Yan praised someone was three years ago when the eldest prince wrote a policy essay that received a standing ovation in a class on classical studies. Kong Yan's evaluation was "acceptable".

Therefore, the phrase "solid foundation" was considered the highest honor among Confucius' disciples.

He returned to the Hanlin Academy in high spirits.

First, he went to his own duty room to put away the copy of the memorial and the tea, and then turned around and went to Wang Anshi's duty room next door.

The door was ajar, and Wang Anshi was sitting at his desk, engrossed in proofreading a land tax file sent by the Ministry of Revenue. His brows were furrowed, and his vermilion pen made a scratching sound on the paper.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw it was Su Shi, then lowered his head again to continue reviewing his files.

Su Shi didn't stand on ceremony. He dragged a chair over and sat down opposite him, took out the packet of Longjing tea from his sleeve, and waved it in front of him: "This is a pre-Qingming Longjing tea gifted by the Grand Tutor. You don't even have a pot of hot water in this room. Come to my place for some later."

"You're actually willing to share the tea that the Grand Tutor bestowed upon you." Wang Anshi didn't even look up.

"Isn't tea meant to be drunk? Besides, I can't finish it all by myself. If it sits for too long, it'll get damp and ruin good stuff."

Su Shi placed the tea leaves on the corner of his desk, leaned back in his chair, and casually said, "By the way, I ran into the First Prince at the Grand Tutor's residence just now."

Wang Anshi paused for a moment, raised his head, and frowned even more, clearly waiting for Su Shi to finish speaking.

Su Shi waved his hand: "Don't be nervous, we just happened to run into each other and chatted for a bit."

"His Highness asked me if I would like to visit him often, and I replied that I was new to the Hanlin Academy and had not even mastered the classics, so I dared not presume to teach him."

Wang Anshi put down his vermilion pen, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Su Shi.

He didn't speak, but his eyes clearly conveyed a message.

The eldest prince is trying to win you over.

Su Shi understood, of course, and added with a smile: "Your Highness also said that I will be able to make a name for myself under the Grand Tutor's tutelage in the future, and have students all over the world."

Wang Anshi remained silent for a long while, then gently exhaled.

Although the three students from the same cohort each had their own paths, Su Shi, having spent decades in officialdom in his previous life, was accustomed to the art of currying favor and choosing sides, and was adept at handling such matters.

Now that the eldest prince has spoken to Su Shi, he probably won't let Yao Guangxiao, the top scholar, off the hook either.

He lowered his voice, his tone clearly showing his unease: "Since the Crown Prince has spoken to you about this, he probably won't let Dao Yan off the hook either."

Su Shi waved his hand dismissively: "Don't worry, Daoyan is better at handling this kind of thing than either of us."

He turned his head and glanced outside the door. Just then, Yao Guangxiao walked slowly from the other end of the corridor, carrying a cup of tea in his hand. His steps were unhurried, as if the hustle and bustle of the entire Hanlin Academy had nothing to do with him.

Su Shi gestured with his chin at him: "Speak of the devil, and he appears! Senior Brother Daoyan, come in and sit down. I have something to tell you."

Yao Guangxiao stepped through the door with his usual calm smile on his face.

His gaze swept over the two faces, then he slowly turned around, half-closed the door, bolted it, walked to the window, closed the half-open window, and casually drew the curtains.

The light in the duty room suddenly dimmed, with only a thin layer of twilight filtering through the paper window, casting the three faces in half-light and half-shadow.

Yao Guangxiao sat down opposite Su Shi, placed his teacup on the table, and lowered his voice: "Did Zizhan run into the First Prince at the Grand Tutor's residence?"

Su Shi was taken aback: "How did you know?"

"You hummed a little tune all the way back from the Grand Tutor's residence, and the whole Hanlin Academy could hear it."

Yao Guangxiao picked up his teacup and took a sip. "But after entering, it suddenly became quiet. He left Jie Fu's door slightly ajar and didn't even open the windows. You never close the windows normally. Tell me, what did the First Prince say to you?"

Su Shi's warm smile now carried a hint of seriousness.

He recounted his conversation with Wang Anshi verbatim, and then shrugged, "That's roughly the gist of it. I declined, but did so gracefully, and His Highness didn't insist."

Yao Guangxiao remained silent throughout, only slowly turning the teacup in his hand. He only put down the teacup after Su Shi finished speaking, lowering his voice even further: "The level of decorum you have is probably not something everyone can possess. Do you think it was a coincidence that you met the First Prince at the Grand Tutor's residence?"

"The day the eldest prince went to the Grand Tutor's residence was three days different from the time he usually went to consult on the classics. He had his attendants inquire about your duty schedule in advance."

The study was quiet for a moment.

The playful and sarcastic expression on Su Shi's face slowly faded, and a serious look gradually settled in his eyes.

It's not that he doesn't understand the power struggles in the imperial court; it's just that he's always been unwilling to think the worst of others.

But Yao Guangxiao's words forced him to re-examine the chance encounter that afternoon.

What Yao Guangxiao said next caused both of their faces to darken simultaneously.

The Second Prince Zhou Xun's men sent gifts to him three days ago.

The items included top-quality Duan inkstones, Huzhou brushes, Xuan paper, and a box of South China Sea pearls.

He returned it as is, leaving only a ream of Xuan paper and a thank-you note.

Yesterday, he sent another jar of imperial wine and a pair of jade paperweights. He kept the wine and returned the paperweights and wine as gifts of equal value.

He understood, of course, that the Second Prince was testing his limits, and by returning the favor with an equivalent gift, he was clearly telling the other party what was going on.

The proper etiquette was observed, but the door remained closed.

The three remained silent for a while before Wang Anshi was the first to break the silence.

His voice was muffled, carrying a hint of helplessness, but more so a rare honesty and complexity.

He directly pointed out that Su Shi had the appreciation of the eldest prince and the cultivation of the Grand Tutor, so his future career path could almost be described as a smooth road to the Grand Secretariat.

Yao Guangxiao was secretly courted by the Second Prince. Although it was inconvenient to say it openly, he was clearly regarded as a potential pillar of the Second Prince's faction.

As for himself, neither a prince extended an olive branch, nor did a high-ranking official like the Grand Tutor show him favor.

In other words, he is the only one who has yet to be won over by anyone.

Yao Guangxiao shook his head, his knuckles tapping lightly on the table, his tone firm and calm.

He pointed out that Wang Anshi was not unwanted, but rather that his policies were too sharp and affected the interests of too many people.

Which prince would dare to openly court him before he has chosen sides? That would be tantamount to declaring war on those who have already benefited from the system.

But when the time is right, and they want to address those deeply entrenched problems, the first person they'll look for is him.

Su Shi pulled his chair forward half a foot, rested his elbows on his knees, and lowered his voice to a level that only the three of them could hear, but his face showed a rare sense of relaxation.

He asked what to do next.

Yao Guangxiao got up, walked to the door to make sure no one was outside, and then slowly revealed the strategy he had already thought of after sitting down again.

He didn't use any vague or clichéd language, but instead directly analyzed the situation of each of the three people.

First of all, none of the three can take sides.

If anyone aligns themselves with a particular prince, the other two sides will immediately regard that person as an enemy, and the neutral forces in the court will also consider that person an opportunist.

Secondly, we should take advantage of this brief period of equilibrium to strengthen ourselves.

He searched for records of the previous dynasty's border defenses in the Hanlin Academy's archives and maintained a gentlemanly relationship with the upright officials of the Censorate.

Su Shi, as the closed-door disciple of the Grand Tutor, cultivated extensive connections in the literary world, transforming his talent into real prestige.

Wang Anshi consolidated his influence in the Ministry of Revenue and local affairs, waiting for the right opportunity.

Finally, we need to wait for the right opportunity, until a situation arises where no one can avoid the three of them making a joint statement. At that time, their value will be incomparable to what it is today.

After listening, Su Shi remained silent for a while, then suddenly burst out laughing, breaking the oppressive atmosphere.

He looked at Yao Guangxiao, his tone slightly mocking, and said that the top scholar had turned the imperial court into a marketplace, waiting for the best price to be paid. He then added that he liked the metaphor.

In his previous life, he suffered because he didn't know how to negotiate and sided with Sima Guang early on, resulting in him being repeatedly ostracized by both the old and new factions throughout his life. This time, he has learned his lesson.

Wang Anshi's gaze lingered on the bamboo branch that Su Shi had recently broken off from the Grand Tutor's residence and was pinned to his lapel.

Kong Yan folded it for him by hand in his study, saying that the Hanlin Academy was too dusty and that it would be good for his eyes.

Wang Anshi certainly knew the weight of this bamboo branch. With the Grand Tutor as a powerful figure, Su Shi's path to the Grand Secretariat was guaranteed, and he didn't need any princes to pave the way for him.

His voice was muffled, but there was no resentment in it; he was simply stating a fact.

Su Shi neither denied it nor felt proud of it.

He glanced down at the bamboo branch on his clothes; the bamboo leaves were still damp with the morning dew from the Grand Tutor's residence. He recalled the words his master had spoken to him earlier that day.

"Zizhan, the way of literary cultivation is not to compete with others for superiority, but to compete with heaven and earth for righteousness."

He knew he was indeed luckier than his two colleagues.

But he knew even better that this good fortune wasn't meant to be flaunted, but rather to protect those who weren't so lucky.

He raised his head again to look at Wang Anshi: "Jiefu, what Grand Tutor can give me, I can also give to you in the future."

"The Grand Tutor read your essay on land tax three times. After the third reading, he said four words: 'What a pity about this person.' It's a pity you're not his disciple, but don't worry, the Grand Tutor won't steal people. Vice Minister Pei is keeping an eye on you in the Censorate."

Wang Anshi was stunned for a moment, then his expression softened slightly.

Pei Du, Left Censor-in-Chief, an eighth-rank civil official, was the second most important figure among the upright civil officials.

He had never imagined that he would be noticed by Pei Du, but since Su Shi said so, it must be that the Grand Tutor had mentioned his name to Pei Du in private.

He remained silent for a while, then lowered his head, picked up his vermilion pen again, turned to the next page of the land tax file in front of him, and gently stroked the paper with the pen tip, his voice returning to its usual upright tone.

"Alright, you guys go do what you need to do. I still have half a stack of files to process." Although his words were as cold as ever, the barely suppressed smile on his lips betrayed his true feelings.

Yao Guangxiao stood up, straightened his clothes, walked to the door, unlatched it, and as he pushed the door open, he turned back and casually tossed out a sentence: "After the results of the imperial examinations were announced, the court in the capital was like a hornet's nest that had been stirred up."

"The princes are busy recruiting people, the adults are busy taking their positions, and the three of us are the three fat sheep that have been targeted."

"If a fat sheep wants to avoid being eaten, it either has to run faster than a wolf or grow horns. Right now, it can't run away, so it might as well grow horns."

He opened the door, and dusk poured in from the courtyard, casting a pale golden halo over his silhouette.

Su Shi also stood up, and as he walked to the door, he glanced back at Wang Anshi, then suddenly grinned, took out the packet of Longjing tea from his sleeve, and shook it: "The hot water is ready, come and have some tea."

Wang Anshi grunted in response, without looking up, but the vermilion brush in his hand paused on the paper, leaving a slightly larger ink dot than usual.

As dusk deepened, the corridor lights of the Hanlin Academy lit up one by one.

The few new bamboo stalks in the courtyard swayed gently in the evening breeze, their leaves rustling as if they were whispering to each other.

Occasionally, footsteps could be heard passing by outside the duty room, then gradually faded away.

Deep within this seemingly tranquil government office, three souls from different eras are quietly preparing for the coming storm in their own way.