Chapter Twenty-Five: The Wang Estate

  The poetry gatherings at the Jingguo Wangfu and those convened by the Crown Prince were the two most lively social gatherings in Kyoto, held once a month without fail. Many poor but talented scholars and poets from humble families sharpened their minds to try to get inside, hoping to make a name for themselves with one poem or phrase and seek a stepping stone for advancement.

  The Crown Prince is well-versed in literature, which is a fact known to everyone under the sky. As for the King of Jing, although he is the Emperor's own younger brother, he has always been determined to be a wealthy and idle king, so he doesn't have much power. Comparing the two, those with clear goals would naturally prefer to go to the Crown Prince's side.

  However, if one could get a word of praise from the Crown Prince of Jing, it would also be a good way to gain a great reputation. Therefore, every time there was a poetry gathering, the mansion of the Duke outside the new gate would welcome many guests. Some of these guests came in sedan chairs, some in horse-drawn carriages, and others on foot. But the old steward at the door treated them all equally, checking their name cards before bowing respectfully and inviting them to enter.

  Fan Xian sat in the sedan chair, his face looking extremely unwell, alternating between pale and greenish, occasionally covering his mouth with his hand to force down the urge to vomit.

  Because he thought it was a poetry gathering, an elegant and dignified event, sitting in a sedan chair with green curtains would be more fitting, so he asked to sit in the sedan chair with his sister. However, having lived by the sea in Danzhou for many years, he wasn't seasick on boats, but this sedan chair made him feel quite dizzy. As he struggled, he opened the side curtain of the sedan chair and weakly asked Tengzi Jing: "How much farther do we have to go?"

  Fujiko nodded with a smile and replied: "After crossing the intersection, we'll be there."

  Fan Xian let out a soft sigh, sat back down, and placed his hands in the shape of a lotus flower, with his thumbs and ring fingers touching. He allowed his true energy to slowly release, washing away the impurities within him, slightly alleviating his discomfort, but ultimately unable to cure his dizziness.

  At this time, there were many doubts in his heart that would not go away, and with the discomfort of his body, his eyebrows furrowed. These days living in the mansion, he always felt that Father was very different from what he had imagined, and there were many things that could not be explained, such as why he valued this illegitimate son so much? Was it really because of Mother, and the relationship of loving the house and the crow?

  He turned his head to look outside the sedan, through the thin green fabric, at the figure sitting on the horse, and knew in his heart that although Tōko Kyō was currently inclined towards him, after all, he was his father's person, and he couldn't completely trust him. He sighed, thinking to himself that he must find some trustworthy subordinates for himself; Goboku-uncle was like a ghost, but not someone he could command at will.

  Fan Xian really wanted to know what his mother had done in Kyoto before, how she met her father, and how she left this world. This was not just simple curiosity and nostalgia, but he believed that only by knowing the history could he better grasp his present and future.

  In the mansion of the Duke, in front of a garden gate, several scholars were respectfully bowing to a young man. They could hardly believe that today's poetry gathering would be personally attended by the Crown Prince of Jing at the garden gate.

  Two sedan chairs slowly came over, swaying gently. The Prince of Jing was somewhat impatient and nodded to those few guys who were not in sync with their greetings, then went forward to meet them. It wasn't until now that those scholars realized they had misunderstood the situation, but they didn't dare show any expression on their faces, still smiling proudly as they followed the housekeeper's lead to the back garden.

  The people at the entrance of the Wang Fu were also curious about who this noble guest was, that he could make the young master come out to greet him personally.

  When they saw the girl in a yellow shirt and Luo skirt walking down from the first sedan chair, the people below knew that it was the eldest daughter of the Fan family who had arrived. Not to mention the relationship between the Jingwang Fu and the Fan Fu, let alone the private friendship between Ruo Xiaoguang Jun and Miss Fan, as a woman, it's not convenient for her to show up in public, so welcoming her outside the garden is also necessary.

  "Ah, Ah, younger sister." The Crown Prince of Jingwang, Li Hongcheng, had a reputation in the capital for being closely associated with brothels and other disreputable establishments. However, when facing Miss Fan, he was as proper as could be, his eyes cast downward, showing great respect.

  Fan Ruo Ruo slightly adjusted her clothes, asked Shizi An if he was okay, then smiled and said: "What kind of questions did Rou Jia come up with today?"

  The crown prince smiled and replied a few words, but his eyes kept glancing at the sedan chair behind him. He thought to himself that it had been half a day already, so why hadn't that gentleman come down yet? A servant had already walked forward and respectfully lifted the curtain of the sedan chair, but unexpectedly... there was no one inside. For a moment, everyone in the county prince's mansion was shocked, wondering what play this was.

  Fan Ruo Ruo covered her mouth and smiled, explaining: "Brother is behind."

  As they spoke, the crowd saw a young man of sixteen or seventeen hurrying over from not far away, accompanied by an attendant. The young man was wearing a light brown single garment with his collar unbuttoned, looking somewhat frivolous, but paired with that lovely and kind clean face, others felt that this person should be dressed so casually.

  "Sorry, sorry." Fan Xian bowed to the prince and said awkwardly: "The sedan chair was swaying, so I walked all the way here. It's also quite hot today, so I had a bowl of sour plum soup outside the mansion before coming, which made me late."

  "It's not late, it's not late." Li Hongcheng was overjoyed to see the young man he had met before, and laughed loudly: "Brother Fan is here, that's good enough."

  Fan Xian heard his title and found that there was an extra "Fan" character compared to the previous day. For a moment, he didn't know what attitude the other party wanted to express. He paused for a moment, smiled and floated on his face: "The sour plum outside the Wang Mansion is better than elsewhere, so I came to take a look."

  The Crown Prince Li Hongcheng smiled slightly, seeing that the conversation had floated lightly to the sky, and found it even more interesting. He led the way with his hand, and then he and his siblings entered the garden together.

  Fan Xian knew that his sister was a good poet when he was in Danzhou. Although in his opinion, these poems were often just lamenting the passing of time and escaping certain frameworks. This era still had good poetry, but it was clear that those who frequently attended poetry gatherings and young scholars did not have strong skills, so Fan Ruoruo still gained a small reputation as a poet.

  So he was very curious about what his sister would be like in such a situation, and what the gentle and beautiful Princess Jia, who had caused the Red Chamber Dream to flow out and die, would look like.

  But following Li Hongcheng into the rear garden with flowing water in the corridor, he only knew that in such a seemingly open country, men and women were still separated, with ladies sitting under a pavilion on the other side of the lake, with layers of white gauze hanging in front, dancing with the clear wind.

  Fan Xian followed the prince to the other side of the lake with some disappointment, looking at the distant gauze floating in the wind, and couldn't help but think of Zhou Xingxing, his most beloved person from his previous life. In the depths of his heart, he sighed: "It really feels like first love."