The next day, Wang Dian woke up. The bedding beside him had long gone cold, clearly indicating that Liang Ye had left a while ago.
Yu Lang heard movement and came in, holding a black robe in his hand. “Young Master, the clothes have been warmed up.”
“Thank you for your trouble,” Wang Dian took it and put it on.
As he moved, his front collar was slightly pulled open, faintly revealing some blue and purple marks that looked like bite marks. Yu Lang was a bit surprised and wanted to look closer, but Wang Dian had already put on his clothes, completely concealing those marks within the soft robe.
“What’s the matter?” Wang Dian saw him staring blankly and smiled, waving his hand in front of his eyes.
Yu Lang lowered his head in confusion, “Young Master’s robe looks good. I’ve never seen this style in the capital before.”
“Just made it up,” Wang Dian put on another outer robe, tied his belt, and felt the mask attached to his face. “I’ll be back late today. Tell the kitchen they don’t need to prepare dinner.”
“Yes,” Yu Lang responded, “Does the Young Master want me to accompany you?”
“No need. Go with Steward Zhou to handle the restaurant matters,” Wang Dian said.
Yu Lang left somewhat reluctantly. Wang Dian went out of the mansion alone without any attendants, strolling leisurely.
“Zhongqing, over here!” In the bustling teahouse, a young man with delicate features waved at him.
“Am I late?” Wang Dian smiled as he walked over.
Qi Ming smiled, “Not at all. I was eager to see you, so I arrived early.”
“Brother Lehong is so straightforward, it makes me feel embarrassed,” Wang Dian picked up a cup of tea from the table and joked, “Let me toast you with tea instead of wine.”
“Haha, I don’t deserve it, really don’t deserve it,” Qi Ming laughed heartily. “When we met at the teacher’s mansion that day, I felt like we were kindred spirits. If I didn’t have other matters to attend to, I would have definitely followed you back to your residence.”
That day, Wang Dian went to pay respects to Wen Zong and happened to meet Qi Ming there. Wen Zong then took the opportunity to introduce his student to him. Although Wang Dian had met Qi Ming before, it was under Liang Ye’s identity. Even though they got along well, there was still the barrier of the ruler-subject relationship, and there were many inconveniences in the palace. Now, meeting with his real identity, they naturally became much closer.
“Great, come back to my place tonight. I’ll treat you to dinner,” Wang Dian readily agreed.
“Hey, if you say that, I’ll really come,” Qi Ming pointed at him.
Wang Dian smiled, “If you don’t come, I’ll never invite you again.”
After drinking two cups of tea at the teahouse, they went to the Imperial Academy together.
The Imperial Academy of the capital was located in the Guanglu Square in the east of the city, occupying a vast area. Its main gate was imposing and magnificent. Wang Dian looked at the couplet in front of the gate, which was upright and gentle yet sharp, with an inherent sense of unrestrained boldness. Qi Ming then introduced to him, “This was personally inscribed by the famous minister Fang Wanchen of the previous dynasty. At that time, the Da’an Dynasty was at its peak. When Minister Fang was on a northern tour, he saw that there was no school here, so he personally supervised the construction of one, named Wanxuan. Later, despite the changing times and constant wars, this academy miraculously survived. The Holy Ancestor His Majesty later expanded the Wanxuan Academy into today’s Imperial Academy.”
Wang Dian had seen Fang Wanchen’s name when reading the records of famous ministers in the palace. After the Li Dynasty, the An Dynasty was established. During the reigns of two His Majestys, the regime was unstable. The His Majesty at the time was old and obsessed with seeking immortality, neglecting state affairs. After he died from taking too many elixirs, a young His Majesty succeeded him. The world was in turmoil. Fang Wanchen was entrusted with a crucial task. He assisted the young His Majesty, took control of state affairs, and led three expeditions to suppress rebellions, turning the tide and pushing the precarious Da’an Dynasty to its peak, lasting for 369 years.
However, what people most enjoyed discussing in unofficial histories was the mysterious relationship between this famous minister and the young His Majesty he personally supported. Some even attributed the later downfall of the An Dynasty, caused by the tyrannical His Majesty’s establishment of a male empress, to his ancestor’s improper behavior over 300 years ago…
As Wang Dian and Qi Ming walked inside discussing this matter, Qi Ming said, “But in my opinion, the establishment of a male empress by His Majesty An Li was just an exaggerated excuse. The An Dynasty had already shown signs of decline during His Majesty An Ling’s reign. Natural disasters occurred year after year, court officials were corrupt and redundant, and two consecutive His Majestys were excessively militaristic. Rebellions broke out everywhere. Even if Fang Wanchen were to be reborn, it would be difficult to save the situation.”
Wang Dian nodded in agreement, “The His Majesty’s romantic affairs are always more sensational than actual state affairs. After so many years, who knows what the truth is? It’s just storytelling now.”
The sound of students reading aloud came from the rooms. As they talked, they turned around a long corridor and saw a green pine standing proudly in the snow. Qi Ming reminisced, “When my junior brother and I studied at the Imperial Academy, we always liked to climb over the wall here to skip classes. It feels like it was just yesterday, but in the blink of an eye, I’m almost thirty. My old classmates have long since scattered. The sound of studying from those years is no longer heard, only the green pine stands in the wind and snow.”
Wang Dian patted his shoulder, “Gatherings and partings all have their time. Don’t be sad. You may have lost old friends, but you have new ones right in front of you.”
Seeing him point at himself with a serious face, Qi Ming couldn’t help but laugh, “Zhongqing, oh Zhongqing, you really are an interesting person.”
“Whether I’m interesting or not remains to be seen. I can’t just watch you stand here speechless in front of a pine tree,” Wang Dian joked, “I came here for important business.”
“Oh, look at my memory,” Qi Ming clapped his hands and quickly led him forward, “How old is your nephew? I don’t know what books Liu Ce has prepared. I should have asked you in detail.”
“Five or six years old,” Wang Dian said, “He barely recognizes some characters, is extremely timid, and hardly speaks a word all day.”
“Oh my, you should find a good teacher for him,” Qi Ming said, “My Little Sixth is about the same age as your nephew. He chatters all day like a little bird, as if he wants to lift the roof off.”
Wang Dian looked at him in shock, “Little Sixth? Lehong, how many children do you have?”
Qi Ming smiled, “Not many, not many. Three girls and four boys. The oldest boy is already ten this year.”
Wang Dian respectfully cupped his hands in admiration.
“Speaking of which, how many children do you have?” Qi Ming smiled, “In a couple of years, my daughter will be of marriageable age. If Zhongqing doesn’t mind, perhaps we could become in-laws.”
“…” Wang Dian looked at him, at a loss for words, “I’m not yet married.”
This time it was Qi Ming’s turn to be surprised. He said incredulously, “You’re not yet married?”
Wang Dian silently turned his face away.
Qi Ming belatedly realized he had overreacted and cleared his throat, “Zhongqing is free-spirited and unrestrained. It’s fine to marry later.”
Wang Dian smiled, but then heard Qi Ming say, “Speaking of which, our His Majesty is now twenty-six, yet he has no consorts or concubines in his harem, let alone children. Previously, the Cui family’s control forced His Majesty into this situation. Now that the Cui family has fallen, His Majesty should be taking consorts and expanding his harem to produce heirs. But there’s no movement on this front. It’s really worrying.”
Wang Dian’s smile slightly froze, “What if His Majesty has no children?”
“Zhongqing, one shouldn’t say such things,” Qi Ming said, “His Majesty is in his prime. How could he not have children?”
Wang Dian imperceptibly furrowed his brow, “Hmm.”
“I heard that in the discussion hall, the Cui family accused the second young master of the Cui family, Cui Qi, of actually being Liang Xuan, the sixteenth son of the previous His Majesty. There was also mention of a missing imperial grandson. Although Cui Qi himself exposed this lie, someone might use this issue in the future,” Qi Ming worried, “Now all the great families are restless. If His Majesty were to select consorts from these families at this time, it would both appease them and silence the rumors… Unfortunately, despite our teacher’s repeated advice, His Majesty won’t listen.”
“Perhaps His Majesty has his own considerations,” Wang Dian’s voice was slightly cold.
“Tomorrow at court, I’ll try to persuade His Majesty again with our teacher,” Qi Ming patted his shoulder and smiled, “Zhongqing, His Majesty values you highly. You should also try to persuade him.”
Wang Dian forced a smile, “I’d rather not interfere in His Majesty’s personal matters.”
“How foolish, Zhongqing. This isn’t just His Majesty’s personal matter, it concerns the entire Great Liang dynasty,” Qi Ming shook his head, “We can’t just let His Majesty have his way on this.”
As they were talking, they arrived at the place to collect the books. Suddenly, a young man wearing the Imperial Academy student uniform rushed out, accidentally bumping into Wang Dian. The man perfunctorily cupped his hands, “Sorry,” and left without looking back.
“Yiyuan! Chu Yiyuan! Chu Geng, stop right there!” Someone chased out from the room, but was pulled back by Qi Ming.
“Zefan,” Qi Ming looked at the angry man, “What’s going on?”
Seeing it was him, the man barely suppressed his anger, “Don’t even mention it. It’s my cousin. He failed the exam this year. We went through a lot of trouble to get him into the Imperial Academy, but he’s been caught skipping classes… Never mind him, who is this—”
“Oh, this is Wang Dian, Wang Zhongqing, whom I’ve mentioned to you before,” Qi Ming introduced.
The man appeared to be in his early thirties, with small eyes and a wide mouth, sporting a mustache. His eyesight seemed poor as he squinted at Wang Dian for a while before smiling, “I am Liu Ce, Liu Zefan of the Imperial Academy. I’ve long admired your reputation, daren, but didn’t expect you to be so young. I was confused by my cousin earlier and thought you were a student here.”
Wang Dian smiled, “No worries. I’m the one disturbing the gentleman.”
Liu Ce smiled and invited them in, bringing out the prepared books, “That day we met briefly, and Lehong didn’t explain clearly. So I prepared extra books. Your nephew should be young, so I only prepared books from enlightenment to ten years old. There are notes and assignments from the academy’s great scholars. You can choose what you need, sir.”
“Thank you for the gentleman’s trouble,” Wang Dian smiled.
“Daren is too kind. It’s just a small effort,” Liu Ce politely replied.
“Alright, alright, you two being so polite is making me uncomfortable,” Qi Ming patted the table, “Stop with all the ‘gentleman’ and ‘daren’. We’re meeting as friends today. If you two continue like this, I’ll leave.”
Wang Dian and Liu Ce smiled at each other upon hearing this. Since Liu Ce was friends with Qi Ming, their temperaments naturally matched. Wang Dian also got along well with him. The three discussed topics ranging from early childhood education to the current operational system and problems of the Imperial Academy, enjoying their conversation immensely.
By noon, Wang Dian estimated it was about time and said, “I’ve prepared a modest feast at the Changyun Restaurant. Shall we move there?”
Liu Ce asked puzzled, “Changyun Restaurant? I’ve been in the capital for so many years, how come I’ve never heard of this restaurant?”
“It just opened a few days ago. The food is quite good,” Wang Dian said modestly, without self-praise.
“If Zhongqing says it’s good, then let’s go try it,” Liu Ce smiled.
The newly opened Changyun Restaurant looked ordinary from the outside, but once inside, the layout and decorations were somewhat different from usual restaurants. Especially noticeable were the calligraphy, paintings, and scholarly ornaments placed unobtrusively. The waiters and manager provided attentive and appropriate service. The dishes were rich and innovative, not obviously different from ordinary restaurants, yet somehow felt several times better.
The three drank quite a bit of alcohol and talked late into the night. Liu Ce, in high spirits, called for the manager to bring brush and ink, and wrote a long rhapsody about Changyun. Qi Ming, also feeling nostalgic, composed a poem on a painting. The manager served them attentively yet without being obsequious, so the two gifted their works to him.
Liu Ce was a master of poetry and prose of the time, and Qi Ming was also quite famous among students. The manager was immediately overwhelmed with honor, carefully taking the works away and offering more wine and dishes.
Wang Dian sat at the table with his sleeves gathered, smiling. He could already imagine how those literati, scholars, and students would flock here soon… increasing business.
The meal was thoroughly enjoyable. At the restaurant door, Wang Dian watched the two get into their carriages. He refused the restaurant manager’s offer to send someone to escort him home, instead taking a lantern himself and slowly walking home in the moonlight.
Having found a good enlightenment teacher for that child, and incidentally made the newly opened restaurant famous, the importance of scholars’ opinions was comparable to modern media machines. In the future, the restaurant’s uses wouldn’t be limited to…
Wang Dian felt a bit dizzy and stopped, leaning against a nearby wall and closing his eyes tightly.
Although the alcohol content wasn’t high, he had drunk quite a bit while enjoying the conversation, and was thoroughly drunk by the end of the night. Now he felt like he was walking on cotton.
A guard who had been following him in the shadows silently landed on the ground, intending to support him, but was refused.
Being watched all the time inevitably made Wang Dian feel somewhat irritated, but even while drunk, he didn’t make things difficult for them. After all, they were just following orders. He waved his hand and said in a gentle tone, “Don’t worry about me… I’ll walk by myself.”
The guard silently disappeared back into the night.
Wang Dian slowly crouched down against the wall, feeling the world spinning. He felt dizzy but couldn’t help smiling. Sighing resignedly, he sat on the cold ground, not caring that the dust was dirtying his snow-white cloak.
The candle in the lantern beside him made a crackling sound.
Wang Dian wearily opened his eyes, leaning against the wall to look at the moon. Drunk, his face felt hot. His mind was a mess, vaguely remembering that he hadn’t renewed his gym membership card, and there was a defrosting steak in the fridge. He had planned to go home after drinking and discussing the east city project to have a late-night snack…
He closed his eyes and laughed, then opened them, trying to stand up by supporting himself against the wall. Halfway up, his hand suddenly slipped. He stumbled but was caught by someone grabbing his arm.
In his drunken haze, he looked up to see a face identical to his own, though this face was cold and gloomy. He stared for a while, then said, “…I only watched half of a movie.”
Liang Ye was taken aback by his random statement. Wang Dian smiled and patted his shoulder, “Don’t even know how it ends.”
Liang Ye pulled him into his arms, saying displeased, “Li Bu said you can’t drink alcohol.”
“Just this once,” Wang Dian remembered to pick up the lantern from the ground, muttering to himself, “Remember to have Yu Lang return the lantern tomorrow.”
He took a few slow steps forward with the lantern, then suddenly turned to look at Liang Ye, “Liang Ye, do you want to take consorts?”
Liang Ye’s eyes suddenly lit up. Wang Dian narrowed his eyes, gripping the wooden handle tightly, then heard Liang Ye say rather cheerfully, “You’ve finally come around and are willing to enter the palace?”
Wang Dian nearly smashed the lantern on his head. He exhaled and said, “I meant other people.”
The smile on Liang Ye’s face disappeared almost instantly, “Are you also going to persuade Zhen to take consorts like those people?”
“I’ll probably advise you to do so at tomorrow’s court session,” Wang Dian frowned.
Liang Ye’s gaze suddenly turned cold. Wang Dian’s gaze was even colder, “But I don’t want you to take consorts.”
Liang Ye’s expression softened slightly, “Except for you, Zhen won’t marry anyone, much less take consorts.”
“At that time, everyone will force you,” Wang Dian said, “It’s not something you can just say ‘no’ to.”
“Then hand over that child,” Liang Ye said in a deep voice, “As long as Zhen has an heir, they won’t pressure Zhen anymore.”
Wang Dian chuckled softly, “Liang Ye, what I mean is, if you dare to agree, you’ll never see either that child or me again.”
Liang Ye suddenly narrowed his eyes.
“As soon as you recovered, you started scheming again. Would Qi Ming dare to mention the imperial heir to me without your approval? What, hoping I’d hand over that child for your sake?”
Wang Dian drunkenly poked at the wound on Liang Ye’s chest, smiling, “Stop dreaming. If you want the child, remove the Gu worm first. Otherwise, there’s nothing to discuss… If you don’t have the ability to resist and dare to take consorts, don’t blame me for turning against you.”
