Chapter 2005 - 2007: The Legendary Fourth Prince

Chapter 2005: Chapter 2007: The Legendary Fourth Prince

As soon as the proclamation was posted, the entire Capital City was cursing Yang Ming and praising the person who had reported him. Yang Ming knew nothing of this; they were still having the time of their lives in that estate.

A few days later, the annual poetry contest was held as scheduled.

The venue was packed with people, even grander than in previous years.

This year’s judge was the chief examiner of the Imperial Academy, and there were also officials of various ranks present. Most importantly, the Fourth Prince was attending in person.

Ordinary folks rarely got to see officials—just a County Magistrate was not often seen, let alone a Prince.

Everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of the Prince’s true face. Rumor had it that among all the princes, the Fourth Prince was the most handsome, even slightly surpassing the Emperor.

So there were more people this year than usual.

To maintain order at the venue, it was ringed with fences. Only the scholars participating in the contest could enter; commoners could only watch the bustle from outside the railings.

By now, the grounds were already filled with many scholars who had come to compete.

The contest had yet to begin, but many were already showing off their literary skills, giving the place a strong scholarly atmosphere.

The commoners outside the railings kept craning their necks to look in, chattering from time to time.

"Why isn’t the Fourth Prince here yet?"

"He should be here soon. It’s almost time for the contest to start."

"I’m only here to see the Fourth Prince. I heard he’s young and promising, and as handsome as Pan An. For us ordinary folk, just getting one look would make it worth it."

"..."

"..."

Everyone’s attention was fixed on the Fourth Prince, and the poetry contest was completely pushed to the back of their minds. Suddenly someone shouted, "He’s here, he’s here!"

At that cry, everyone lifted their heads and stared toward the pavilion on the second floor, searching for the figure of the Fourth Prince.

Sure enough, they saw a man with a youthful face and extraordinary presence, exuding noble air from head to toe, standing on the pavilion like a dragon leading the flock, with quite a few men in official robes following behind him.

There was no need to guess; everyone knew that man had to be the Fourth Prince.

No one dared breathe loudly. They didn’t even dare blink, just stared fixedly. In truth, the distance was quite far, and he was still up on the building; the commoners couldn’t make out the Prince’s exact features. But even just the outline was enough to leave them utterly bewitched. They all felt the trip had been worthwhile.

On the pavilion above

The Fourth Prince took the chief seat, the best spot from which to view the grounds.

The table before him was already set with pastries, fruit, and tea!

At this moment an official walked over, bowed to the Fourth Prince with a formal salute, and then said, "Fourth Prince, about this poetry contest..."

Before he could finish, the Fourth Prince cut him off. "It’s fine. I am merely passing through here and have no wish to steal your thunder. You just hold your contest as you should, don’t mind me."

The official had a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead, whether from fear or heat he didn’t know. He had thought that with the Prince present, they could awe the venue a bit, and that if the Prince said a few words, their Capital City would gain face. He never expected the Fourth Prince to simply sit there and watch the show, with no intention of speaking at all.

But he was a Prince; an official one rank higher can crush you, and this was several ranks higher. No one dared say a word.

He only gave orders for the contest to begin.

The venue immediately grew lively as the poetry contest started.

On the pavilion, the Fourth Prince sat quietly, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, sipping his tea from time to time, truly as if he were watching a play. The others accompanying him sat to the side, constantly gauging the Prince’s expression, wanting to chime in with a few words, but finding no opening at all. They could only sit there in silence, hoping simply to get through the day without incident.