The Eldest Princess turned her head and quickly curtsied in greeting. "Greetings, Eldest Imperial Brother."
Lu Wanwan followed suit, but before she could bend her knees, a pair of hands caught her. "Wanwan, no need for such formality. If we are speaking of propriety, it is I who should be wishing my aunt well."
The Eldest Prince had a gentle appearance with a hint of earthy steadfastness, and his voice was laden with a smile.
Lu Wanwan rose with him, a warm and familiar smile on her face. "Why is Your Highness here?"
"Today is the palace examination. My brothers and I were ordered to enter the palace to review the papers, and we're just waiting for the examination to end."
The Eldest Princess asked curiously, "What about the other imperial younger brothers?"
The Eldest Prince paused slightly. "The Second Imperial Brother is conscientiously doing his duty, patrolling the examination hall. The Third Imperial Brother is studying poetry and books diligently at his estate, while the Fourth and Fifth Imperial Brothers are performing their filial duties in the back hall. I had nothing to do, so I came out for a stroll"—and to escape the foul atmosphere of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
He always had the illusion that he was out of step with his brothers simply because he wasn't quite crazy enough.
The Eldest Princess and Lu Wanwan understood instantly.
"You should indeed come out for a stroll."
"Hard work, Eldest Imperial Brother."
The Second Prince was notorious not just for being petty, but for doing unhinged things; his so-called "conscientious duty" was definitely brewing something malicious. As for the fourth and fifth, needless to say, they didn't hold back at all when it came to tormenting their own father—even if pigs could fly, those two wouldn't necessarily manage to be genuinely filial.
And the Third Prince was the son of the Northern Qi Empress and Emperor Yongguang, having grown up in Northern Qi since childhood. When he returned a year ago, he couldn't even speak the language of Great Chu. After being locked up to study for half a month, his sharp little tongue was as venomous as if it had been dipped in poison.
Among all the brothers, the Eldest Prince was the only normal one.
Lu Wanwan suddenly felt a bit weary at heart.
With her memories of her past life, she should be able to help the imperial princes avoid fatal perils, but was she really going to have to find a husband among these four weirdos?
At that moment, the Eldest Prince raised his head to look at the sky. "I should head back."
After bidding farewell, he returned to the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
The palace examination had already ended. The examiners were arguing fiercely over something, and the princes were also shouting at one another. In the end, no one could persuade anyone else, and they had no choice but to submit a few papers to Emperor Yongguang's desk.
Seeing the Eldest Prince enter, Emperor Yongguang handed the papers to him. "Eldest, you come take a look as well."
"Yes."
The Eldest Prince respectfully took them and examined them closely. Two of the papers were quite outstanding.
This year's palace examination questions primarily revolved around the peace negotiations with Northern Qi.
The relationship between Great Chu and Northern Qi blew hot and cold; during their honeymoon phase, they were on such good terms they practically could have had a baby together, while during the Cold War, they wished they could annihilate each other's nation and send each other straight to the netherworld. However, over the past two years, Northern Qi's attitude had leaned toward peace negotiations, and a year ago, they had even sent back the product of their two nations' union—the Third Prince—to show their sincerity.
The two papers the examiners were arguing over so fiercely advocated peace and war respectively. Both were well-reasoned, substantive, and written with exceptional literary grace.
After reading them, the Eldest Prince bowed with cupped hands and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, for the public good, this subject humbly believes that a war between two nations brings the greatest suffering to the common people and soldiers. For private considerations, the Third Imperial Brother grew up in Northern Qi and holds deep affection for it; if peace can be negotiated and both nations can engage in mutual exchanges and commerce, it will be an occasion of joy for the entire country and every household."
There was also the point that he felt the author advocating for peace was superior in both literary talent and practical ability. Although the one advocating for war had some substance, it wasn't much—it was like building castles in the air, and the text used demagogic rhetoric to paint a grand illusion for the examiners.
Whoever bought into that was an absolute idiot.
"Eldest Imperial Brother's words are quite wrong!" the Fourth Prince blurted out excitedly. "Northern Qi has been harassing our borders for ages; although we haven't suffered losses, we cannot simply let the matter rest and negotiate peace with them, otherwise they will all still treat Great Chu as a pushover that turns soft at the slightest touch!"
The Eldest Prince didn't want to bother with this idiot.
After the two sides argued for another round, Emperor Yongguang looked at the silent Second Prince and asked with some puzzlement, "Second, why aren't you speaking?"
The Second Prince had put on a deep and profound act for a long time, just waiting for these exact words.
He snatched Song Lin's paper from the Eldest Prince's hand, pointed at phrases like "advocate for war and raise troops," and said in a deep voice:
"Although this person has some talent, his motives are not pure. How the relations between two nations stand is a major matter concerning the imperial realm and the common people, yet from his brush, it sounds as though it were merely a stepping stone for him to catch Your Majesty's eye. We don't even know if he might be a spy for another country. In this subject's view, we ought to test him thoroughly."
The Eldest Prince looked at him in shock.
Second... had he learned to speak human words?
Emperor Yongguang also raised an eyebrow. "How shall we test him?"
"Invite him into the Third Imperial Brother's estate and see what his attitude is," the Second Prince said sternly under the expectant gazes of everyone present. "If he treats the Third Imperial Brother with disdain, it proves he has long harbored the intention to sow discord between the two nations and holds not an ounce of awe for the imperial family of Great Chu—such a person must absolutely not be spared! If he is respectful and ingratiating toward the Third Imperial Brother, it proves his stance is unsteady, that he runs with the hare and hunts with the hounds, and that he is extremely prone to turning traitor—such a person must absolutely not be spared!"
"..."
"..."
Grand Tutor Lu attempted to speak. "What if he—"
"If he chooses neither and refuses to enter the Third Imperial Brother's estate, it proves he disobeys the imperial will, and is arrogant and defiant—such a person must absolutely not be spared." The Second Prince anticipated his counter and continued, "If he chooses both, being both extremely respectful to the Third Imperial Brother while remaining steadfast in advocating for war, it proves he is deeply scheming and harbors malicious intentions—such a person must absolutely not be spared!"
The crowd: "..."
So no matter what Song Lin did, he only had one destination: death?
The Fourth Prince sneered. "If everyone handled matters like the Second Imperial Brother, Great Chu would have perished long ago! From my perspective, everything Song Lin said is right!"
He didn't advocate for war, but his political stance shifted entirely in accordance with whatever the Second Prince said.
The Fifth Prince tugged at his sleeve and said hesitatingly, "But I think what the Second Imperial Brother said makes sense..."
"Idiot, shut your mouth!"
"Who are you calling an idiot?!"
The Fifth Prince immediately flared up, and the two of them began to quarrel. The Second Prince kept stirring the pot on the side while the examiners tried to mediate and bicker in turn, throwing the hall back into a foul and chaotic state.
Emperor Yongguang wearily pinched the bridge of his nose.
The Eldest Prince looked at him with heartache and advised, "Father Emperor, this subject humbly believes that a war between nations brings the greatest suffering to the common people and soldiers on a public level, and privately..."
"Fine, We shall make our own judgment," Emperor Yongguang interrupted him in vexation.
It was a good thing for the Eldest son to show drive, but he needed to put the brakes on for now.
He picked up the papers on his desk once more, and as his peripheral vision swept past his side, he suddenly paused.
"Where is Yanxi?"
「Reporting to Your Majesty, Superintendent Xie has gone to the Imperial Garden to view the flowers.」
"…Tell him to get back here at once!"
...
In the Imperial Garden, Lu Wanwan and the Eldest Princess were picking flowers separately.
Amidst the profusion of reds and purples, a peony was blooming at its most vibrant. Lu Wanwan's eyes lit up, and she was just about to step forward to pluck it when a pair of clean, slender hands beat her to it.
Lu Wanwan turned her head and locked eyes directly with Xie Yanxi, the two of them standing a mere step apart.
"Ah—"
She let out an involuntary scream of fright.
Xie Yanxi was genuinely startled, hurriedly retreating a few steps back. Bearing a face as cold and rigid as frost, he cautiously explained, "The flower blooms rather deep in. If Milady were to step forward to pick it, you would inevitably soil your sleeves, so I plucked it for you."
Seeing that Lu Wanwan had yet to recover her composure, he asked hesitantly, "Did I frighten you?"
"I-I'm afraid of ghosts..." Lu Wanwan blurting out the blunt truth without thinking.