This is the true immortal of the Taoist sect.

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Jin chuckled, but he was not surprised.

That's just Ping An's personality.

Princess Wenrui looked at her and laughed, scolding her:

"Young ladies, stop talking about knives and swords all the time..."

Although it was a reprimand, there was no seriousness in the tone.

Princess Wenrui was clearly very kind to her cousin.

Jiang Ping'an tilted his head and smiled, brandishing the sword in his hand as he addressed Princess Wenrui:

"Sister, you know I've always looked down on these bookish people who only know classical Chinese all day long..."

Princess Wenrui smiled and shook her head, glanced at Prince Jin, and said nothing.

The Prince of Jin laughed and said:

"Ping An, don't judge a book by its cover. That kid is no ordinary scholar..."

Jiang Ping'an still looked disdainful and said:

"It's just winning a debate, nothing more than empty talk..."

The Prince of Jin stopped smiling and said nothing more.

Princess Wenrui glanced at Prince Jin and Jiang Ping'an for a moment, and when she finally looked at Jiang Ping'an, her eyes held a meaningful look.

The gathering lasted until dusk, and everyone submitted their poems and essays. Wang Yangming submitted a parallel prose piece, which mainly described his experiences and observations on his journey from Anyi County to Shangdu City.

Using the full moon as a metaphor, one can express feelings about the affairs of the nation and the longing for loved ones.

Prince Jin and Princess Wenrui, as judges, reviewed each document one by one.

Princess Wenrui's reading speed noticeably slowed down when she read Wang Yangming's article.

After she finished reading the entire document, Princess Wenrui, who was usually calm and composed, couldn't help but raise her head and look at the quiet young man at the end of the seating area. Her eyes showed a clear increase in interest compared to the beginning.

Prince Jin noticed Princess Wenrui's unusual behavior and asked curiously:

"What's wrong?"

Wenrui paused for a moment, then took out Wang Yangming's article and handed it over.

Upon receiving the paper filled with writing, the Prince of Jin's first reaction was to sincerely praise it:

"Beautiful handwriting..."

Then I read it carefully again.

Everyone present looked at Prince Jin with curiosity, wanting to know who wrote the article in his hand and what it contained.

For a moment, the entire attic was completely silent.

Everyone was waiting for the Prince of Jin's reaction.

The Prince of Jin did not keep them waiting in vain; the expression on his face said it all.

The surprise, admiration, and even fervent look in the eyes of this usually reserved and profound Prince Jin was enough to show the excellence of the article in his hand.

"good..."

Just as everyone was eagerly anticipating the news, the Prince of Jin suddenly slammed his fist on the table and stood up, proclaiming in a loud voice:

"The moon shines brightly in the sky, illuminating the distant mountains and passes; the autumn light enters the curtain, deeply pitying the hardships of the common people."

"I wish to uphold my loyalty to help the people, and hope to bring peace to the land with my bare hands..."

"What a noble heart to save the people, what a savior to bring peace to the land..."

"The article to be presented to His Majesty tonight is ready. This one article is sufficient..."

These words caused an uproar in the room.

The crowd began whispering among themselves, asking who had made it.

Some people lowered their heads and pondered those two lines of text repeatedly, their eyes shining brighter with each reading.

Wang Yangming remained silently seated at the very end, without uttering a word.

Seeing this, Zhou Shiren's eyes darted around, and he leaned closer to ask:

"Brother Yangming, who do you think wrote this article?"

Wang Yangming looked up and gave an awkward smile.

Just as he was about to answer, his eyes involuntarily looked ahead, and he quickly stood up, standing respectfully.

Zhou Shiren, unaware of what was happening, asked in confusion:

"Brother Yangming, this is..."

Before he could finish speaking, a figure passed by him; it was none other than the Prince of Jin.

Zhou Shiren was startled and quickly stood up.

The King of Jin ignored him and went straight to Wang Yangming, overjoyed, and said:

"Well done, Wang Yangming, you certainly haven't disappointed me."

"With your article, tonight's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet will surely shine for eternity."

Wang Yangming smiled slightly, cupped his hands, and bowed, saying:

"Your Highness flatters me..."

Zhou Shiren's heart skipped a beat; it really was him.

He, who was initially somewhat unconvinced by Wang Yangming, was now completely convinced.

The Prince of Jin patted Wang Yangming heavily on the shoulder and laughed:

"Very well, the banquet is about to begin. According to the rules, you can only attend the banquet outside the Qianqing Palace and will probably not have the chance to meet the Emperor."

"But don't worry, I will put in a good word for you before His Majesty tonight."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yangming was also deeply moved and quickly cupped his hands in greeting:

"Thank you, Your Highness..."

The Prince of Jin nodded and hurriedly left with his essay.

Princess Wenrui and Princess Ping'an followed closely behind. When they passed Wang Yangming, Princess Wenrui stopped, glanced at him, and smiled slightly:

"Your article is well-written."

Wang Yangming was clearly surprised that Princess Wenrui would speak to him first, and for a moment he felt a little uneasy, so he quickly lowered his head and said:

"Thank you for your kind words, Princess..."

Princess Wenrui smiled, said nothing more, and left directly.

Princess Ping'an lagged behind, glancing at Wang Yangming from head to toe, but she didn't have any particular impression of him just because he had written a brilliant article.

After the three members of the royal family left, the pavilion erupted in chaos almost instantly.

The crowd swarmed over and surrounded Wang Yangming.

Let him read the article he just wrote to everyone.

Wang Yangming felt embarrassed to refuse, so he simply recounted the article he had just written.

After listening, even those who were initially unconvinced were now completely convinced.

In terms of academic talent, Wang Yangming was indeed far superior to them.

No wonder he set a record for the fastest court session at the Imperial College.

After everyone sat around in the pavilion discussing Wang Yangming's article for a while, a palace attendant came to tell them to attend a banquet.

The group followed the palace servants to the outside of the Qianqing Palace, where several rows of low tables were neatly arranged below the steps.

A bright lantern hangs beside each low table, making the vast Qianqing Palace Square as bright as day.

Led by the eunuchs, everyone found their seats, but no one dared to sit down.

Before long, one after another, high-ranking officials dressed in crimson and purple robes walked into the square.

Each of them was a great person, but even among great people, there were different levels, and only a very few could enter the palace and drink with the emperor.

As for Wang Yangming, from his seat, even the guards at the entrance of Qianqing Palace couldn't make out his face, let alone the emperor sitting on the supreme throne inside.

Soon, the banquet began. The emperor bestowed seats upon the emperor, and the officials and students shouted in unison, "Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor!"

With the playing of zithers and flutes, and fireworks bursting in the sky, there is no more magnificent scene in the world than this.

Sitting at the back, Wang Yangming watched this scene, but his mind was filled with memories of last winter when he and his fellow students went door-to-door delivering amulets for good luck.

Looking up again at the lofty Qianqing Palace, it seemed as if a flame was burning fiercely in those calm and piercing eyes.

He knew perfectly well that he wanted to do things for the people of the world and to help them get through every harsh winter.

He had to go into that palace, and not only go in, but also go to the very front and stand at the highest point.

Only in this way can he be qualified to talk about loyalty to the people and about saving the world with bare hands.

Wang Yangming, who never drank alcohol, filled his cup, then raised it towards the palace that symbolized supreme authority, and murmured:

"Respect...the world..."