Chapter 26: Encounter with Guo Baokun Again

  In the rear garden of the King of Jing's mansion.

  The two families were familiar with each other, so the young master invited Fan Xian to make himself at home and went to greet the other guests, after all, there were a few people present today who were quite eye-catching.

  Fan Xian was unaware of the undercurrents beneath the calm surface, strolling casually and finding a secluded spot that suited his temperament among the seemingly disordered seats. He sat down, saw wine on the table, and instinctively poured himself a cup, sipping it gently.

  All around, not a single pretty face in sight, and every conversation has to involve quoting classics. Fan Xian let out a silent sigh, looked up at the sky, and thought to himself that fortunately today's sun wasn't too scorching, otherwise he wouldn't be able to see any beauties with this bunch of poetry enthusiasts, and would have to listen to more annoying phrases, and if the sun were to shine on him again, he'd really become a dried-up vinegar chicken.

  The young masters seemed to be sitting casually, but in fact they were all surrounding the small table on the grass in the center, so not many people noticed him by the side. The several noble sons next to him looked at his unfamiliar face, yet he was led in personally by the young master himself, and thus curiously came forward to pay their respects and prepare to ask about his background.

  Who would have thought that Fan Xian's smile was so charming, but his words were seamless. He hummed and hawed for half a day, yet those people still didn't know whose son this handsome young man was. After chatting for a few sentences, they couldn't help but feel a bit bored, so they quietly retreated, waiting for the poetry meeting to begin.

  It was a day unlike the previous ones, with gentle sunshine and willow trees swaying in the breeze. The spring wind carried a hint of chill, but it was more like an invisible hand gently caressing, making one feel very comfortable - it was indeed the perfect time for a nap. Fan Xian wasn't someone who indulged in excessive revelry, so at first he still wore a smile on his face and forced himself to keep his eyes open, listening to the poetry recitals and watching as wine cups came and went. But after being blown by the spring breeze and warmed by the sun, he found the poetry gathering to be quite dull, and his head began to feel drowsy, threatening to drift off to sleep.

  Only vaguely heard a few sentences, such as "Dreaming of Leizhou Road, coming to walk this time. It must not be the mountain people asking for high prices, timing self-mockery...", and "Wine cup is thick, one calabaza* drunk Liu Weng, one calabaza wine presses flower tip heavy..." Also "Eastern Yi people are all drifting away, relying on this person still being old and mature..."

  Fan Xian pinched his own tiger's mouth to make himself more alert, although he didn't like reciting poetry, in this situation, he couldn't reveal the personality of his past life that still hadn't been washed clean after 16 years. So he smiled and looked at the scene with a somewhat wooden expression.

  At this glance, he saw several familiar yet unfamiliar figures. These people were sitting in the most comfortable position by the lake, and they were none other than Guo Baokun, He Zongwei and his group, who had clashed with him at the wine tower two days ago. Fan Xian slightly furrowed his brow, thinking that since Prince Jing knew about the dispute between the Fan family and the Guo family, why did he invite both sides today?

  It seemed that he had sensed his gaze, and Guo Baokun, who was showing off his mature and steady demeanor to the people on the other side of the lake, turned around. Seeing that it was Fan's family member who used dark boxing, his face changed, and he could no longer maintain his elegant demeanor. Subconsciously, he threw the folding fan in his hand onto the table.

  At this time, there was a Taoist student explaining the meaning of the classics, so few people noticed that Guo Shangshu's son had such a reaction.

  Those who sat at the same table as Guo Baokun followed his gaze and suddenly discovered Fan Xian hiding in a secluded spot. Everyone's faces changed, thinking that they were scholars with a belly full of knowledge, but today they didn't bring any guards. If that young master from the Fan family uses another move of dark boxing, who will go up to block it?

  Fan Xian smiled and nodded at them, as if greeting friends.

  The people at that table discussed something in a low voice, and a slightly gloomy smile gradually appeared on their faces. However, Guo Baokun's face, which was always gloomy, had a few more joyful expressions, while He Zongwei seemed to be the only one who didn't think it was a big deal.

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  I don't know what the girls under the white mist on the other side of the lake are doing, but early in the mansion, female historians have been constantly copying and sending the poems written by the women on that side to this side for the talented scholars to appreciate.

  "The crown prince laughed loudly and said, 'Although it is said that women are not inferior to men, this literary path is not comparable to competing in brute strength. Gentlemen, don't be polite, you can't lose to those weak women.'"

  Everyone agreed in unison and laughter gradually rose. Then someone suggested taking a certain object as the theme, composing a poem, selecting the best three, and responding to each other across the riverbank.

  A scholar at Guo Baokun's table turned his eyes and cupped his hands, saying: "The humble one is not talented, I don't know if it would be better to take the lake water as the topic."

  "Extremely wonderful, today the green waves float with gold..." Someone is acting as a go-between.

  "Extreme beauty, look at the lake and mountain scenery..." Someone is doing a good deed.

  Guo Baokun's eyes rolled over and looked at Fan Xian, saying loudly: "I didn't expect that Mr. Fan would also come today, why don't we let Mr. Fan start this round?"

  Fan Xian came today, originally just to follow his father's orders, to show up in front of everyone in Kyoto and put on a good appearance. When he heard that he had to compose a poem, he smiled and shook his head: "I don't have that skill, please ask the others instead."

  Seeing him back down, Guo Baokun felt even more that the other party was indeed a useless person, and coldly said: "The other day, Brother Fan was in Yishi Residence, speaking loudly and looking down on all the talented scholars of the world. Today, he actually begrudges teaching me, it seems his vision is really high."

  When they heard him say this, the people in the audience only then realized that there had been a grudge between the two sides all along, and this was just an excuse to pick a fight. Most of the people in the government were guests from the Jing Wang Fu, although they didn't know who Fan Xian was, but seeing him seemingly familiar with the Crown Prince, some people began guessing whether he was a member of the Fan family, yet few guessed that he was actually the son of Fan Jian, the Duke of Southern Peace.

  As others discussed it, Guo Baokun took a sip of tea and smiled gloomily: "This Mr. Fan is the one who recently entered the capital, gentlemen should have heard about him."

  Everyone was no fool and immediately knew Fan Xian's identity. When they looked at Fan Xian again, their eyes had a hint of sympathy and disdain, with many complex emotions.

  Fan Xian's expression didn't change, still wearing a faint smile, but he insisted on not composing poetry. The Crown Prince of Jing looked at the smile on his face and couldn't see through him even more, with a hint of unusual color flashing in his eyes, he mediated: "Poetry is in the poetic meaning, Fan brother has no intention today, let's just recite by ourselves."

  Fan Xian lazily leaned against the slanted desk, watching as people came and went in the arena, listening to his opponent's trite phrases, feeling extremely bored. This appearance, however, seemed somewhat presumptuous to others, and someone couldn't help but mock: "The Miss Fan of Kyoto is renowned for her poetry and literature, yet it seems that Young Master Fan has taken a different path, one of silence - truly unexpected."

  Guo Baokun lowered his voice and smiled: "After all, it's not the kind of thing that can be raised in a government office, so it's bound to be different from others." Although he lowered his voice, he actually deliberately let the people around him understand. Qing Guo was open-minded, but the identity of an illegitimate child could never be publicly acknowledged, and Fan Xian's identity was even more sensitive. When they heard him say this intentionally, a strange atmosphere filled the room for a moment.