Chapter 58 Assembly

Chapter 58: The Gathering

Lu Jiming jumped at the sudden appearance of Chi Mengsheng. He discreetly pulled his sleeve over his belly and said calmly, "We don't know each other. What is there to talk about?"

Chi Mengsheng didn't care that he had been manhandled by Ning Zhifei just a few days ago. He plopped down on the chair next to Ning Zhifei, who moved away in disgust.

Chi Mengsheng rested his chin on his hand and scrutinized Lu Jiming carefully. "Wen Qingze is a bit of a fool and isn't much to look at. What do you see in him?"

Lu Jiming was taken aback by the question. "What are you talking about? I don't understand."

Chi Mengsheng sneered. "If you don't have your eye on him, why do you stick with him all day? And why did you stand up for him?"

"What, do you have feelings for him? Am I in your way?" Lu Jiming asked.

"Don't be disgusting," Chi Mengsheng said with a look of revulsion, then suddenly smiled. "If it were you sleeping with me, I might reluctantly agree. Wen Tongpu? Get lost!"

"Oh? Me sleeping with you? And how would that go, exactly?" Lu Jiming smiled.

Hearing this, Chi Mengsheng thought Lu Jiming was interested in him. His expression instantly turned lewd, and he reached out to touch Lu Jiming's hand. "Come back to the inn with me tonight, and I'll tell you slowly. I promise to show you a good time..."

Before he could finish, Ning Zhifei pinned Chi Mengsheng face-down on the table in one motion.

Lu Jiming narrowed his eyes, drummed his fingers on the teapot handle, and said to Chi Mengsheng, "Young Master Chi, you ought to choose your words carefully."

"You there, Hu! Do you know who my uncle is?!" Chi Mengsheng, furious and humiliated but unable to break free from Ning Zhifei, could only shout angrily.

"Who is it? It doesn't matter who..." Lu Jiming hid a smile behind his hand and chuckled softly, then, without changing his expression, picked up the teapot and upended it over Chi Mengsheng's head.

The dousing left Chi Mengsheng stunned. It never in his wildest dreams occurred to him that Lu Jiming would dare do such a thing in broad daylight. He even forgot to scream.

By the time he reacted and wanted to curse Lu Jiming, Lu Jiming had already stood up. He gave Chi Mengsheng a cursory look, lifted the corner of his mouth in a smirk, and said, "What a pity the tea was cold, not scalding hot."

Chi Mengsheng suddenly went slack-jawed. He saw a captivating, bewitching allure on Lu Jiming's face, like the fox spirits and ghosts from legends who stayed overnight in ancient temples. A belated sense of horror washed over him, and he couldn't utter another word.

Ning Zhifei only released his grip after seeing Lu Jiming go downstairs. He gave Chi Mengsheng one more kick for good measure before leaving, then hurried after Lu Jiming.

Some people on the third floor had noticed Chi Mengsheng and gathered around, but most eyes were still focused downstairs, as gaining fame through the poetry chain was more important. Few truly paid attention to what had happened to Chi Mengsheng.

Lu Jiming found Wen Tongpu on the first floor and got straight to the point. "Brother Wen, I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. I beat up Chi Mengsheng. When he comes to his senses later, he might cause trouble. I suggest you leave with me."

Although Wen Tongpu had hoped to catch the eye of the Imperial Academy scholar and make a name for himself this time, causing a big scene with Chi Mengsheng would indeed be bad. He could only leave with Lu Jiming first.

"Brother Hu, you were a bit too impulsive this time. Chi Mengsheng has relatives who are officials in the capital, and I've heard their ranks are not low. You already offended him for me last time, and now you've done it again. If he gets really angry and seeks revenge, Brother Hu, you..."

Wen Tongpu vaguely guessed that Lu Jiming might come from an extraordinary family, but his understanding was limited. He couldn't figure out Lu Jiming's true identity at all. But regardless of his status, clashing head-on with a capital official would likely skin you alive.

However, after a few anxious days, Chi Mengsheng never came looking for them again. Wen Tongpu temporarily relaxed and soon put the matter out of his mind.

After all, there were more important things to do now. The Pre-Examination Banquet was about to begin.

Although the Pre-Examination Banquet was not officially organized by the court, it was known to the emperor and tacitly permitted by the court. The organizers were often talented young men from the court, and even high-ranking officials would attend in plain clothes.

It was said that when the late emperor was in good health, he had personally attended the Apricot Blossom Banquet.

This year's gathering was held at a different time than usual, and it was the first of the new dynasty. Many people speculated that His Majesty might follow the late emperor's example and attend in person.

This was Wen Tongpu's first time attending a banquet of this scale. He was nervous and even dragged Lu Jiming to a clothing shop at the last minute to help him pick out new clothes, dressing himself to the nines.

Lu Jiming still wore only the plain robe he often wore in the Eastern Palace, and his appearance was no different from usual.

Seeing this, Wen Tongpu felt a bit embarrassed himself. "Am I being too flashy like this?"

"Not at all. Clothes make the man. If you want to stand out today, you have to dress up a bit, right?" Lu Jiming spoke with his hands tucked in his sleeves the whole time because his belly was already somewhat noticeable. With so many people today, it wouldn't be good if someone noticed.

"Ah, Brother Hu, I envy you so much. You're good-looking. Even dressed plainly, you're the center of attention wherever you go," Wen Tongpu said. "Do you think if you reach the palace examination and His Majesty sees you, he might name you as the Tanhua? I've heard that in our dynasty, the Tanhua has always been chosen from the most handsome candidate of that session. Even if the palace examination performance isn't perfect, as long as one looks good, they might be selected."

Wen Tongpu had become quite familiar with Lu Jiming these past few days and wasn't as reserved as before. However, he still had a straightforward personality, saying whatever came to mind without holding back.

Then Wen Tongpu added in a low voice, "There's also a rumor that the Tanhua position is prepared for the princes and nobles. When selecting consorts, the princes and imperial clan members consider choosing from past Tanhua holders. I've heard His Majesty is recently looking for a consort for his younger brother, Prince Cheng. If you become the Tanhua, wouldn't you have to marry Prince Cheng..."

"Nothing like that exists. That's just a rumor," Lu Jiming said with an awkward smile. Where did these rumors come from? He had never heard of such a thing.

"How can there not be?" Wen Tongpu said earnestly. "Don't you know? The current Empress was originally a Tanhua."

Ever since Wen Tongpu suddenly brought up the Tanhua, Lu Jiming had been afraid he would connect it to himself. And he really did.

Lu Jiming's already unnatural smile froze on his face. He wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into right then. He didn't know how Wen Tongpu would think of today's events after learning his true identity in the future.

"Matters of the imperial family are not for us to discuss recklessly. Brother Wen, let's get on the carriage quickly," Lu Jiming said, changing the subject. Since the Pre-Examination Banquet venue was in the outskirts of the capital, quite far away, and Lu Jiming couldn't afford to get tired now, he had prepared a carriage in advance.

Today, carriages, donkey carts, and ox carts were exceptionally hard to hire in the capital. Wen Tongpu had originally planned to walk there. When he saw Ning Zhifei leading a carriage over, his eyes went wide.

"Brother Hu, what kind of background do you have? You actually managed to get a carriage!"

After saying this, Wen Tongpu realized he had spoken too excitedly and might sound like he was after something from Lu Jiming. He quickly tried to explain, "I mean, I'm really very grateful to you."

"I ruined your poetry chain gathering. This carriage is my way of making it up to you," Lu Jiming said casually as a joke.

He had no intention of revealing his true identity to Wen Tongpu. Even if Wen Tongpu's essays seemed brilliant now, without seeing his final examination paper, Lu Jiming couldn't be sure if Wen Tongpu was even qualified to know his real identity.

Once on the carriage, Wen Tongpu became even more excited. He talked to Lu Jiming about many things, then asked, "Brother Hu, do you think His Majesty will come today?"

"I don't know," Lu Jiming was honest. Wei Yan hadn't told him whether he would come or not. But based on his understanding of Wei Yan, he would definitely be present today. However, in what capacity, he couldn't say for sure.

"What does His Majesty look like?" Wen Tongpu leaned against the carriage window, lifting a corner of the curtain to look at the street scene outside.

"I don't know," Lu Jiming began telling a blatant lie. "If I knew what His Majesty looked like, why would I bother taking the imperial examination in the capital today?"

"He must be majestic and extraordinary," Wen Tongpu said. "Brother Hu, do you know? The current Empress Dowager is from our Shu region. Back when he had just married the late emperor and returned to his hometown to worship ancestors, my father saw him from afar. He said the Empress Dowager and the late emperor were both rare, handsome men. His Majesty must be the same now."

"The Shu region is known for its beauties," Lu Jiming said offhandedly.

It had been a long time since he heard the Empress Dowager's title. Ever since Wei Yan ascended the throne and confined the Empress Dowager to Cide Palace that year, the Empress Dowager had never been able to step out of the palace gates again. Lu Jiming had almost forgotten there was such a person as the Empress Dowager in the palace.

Wen Tongpu enthusiastically talked about how the Empress Dowager's family had once been very prosperous in Shu. He mentioned that a great-aunt in his family, before getting married, had worked as a maid in the residence of the Empress Dowager's mother.

"The Wei family back then, I heard their residences alone occupied more than half of Jincheng," Wen Tongpu said. "It's a pity they started declining many years ago. My great-aunt was dismissed and married my great-uncle. Later, it wasn't until the Empress Dowager entered the palace that the Wei family rose again. According to my great-aunt, they still aren't as illustrious as in the past, but they are still extremely prominent."

Lu Jiming responded perfunctorily, having little interest in the family background of his nominal father-in-law, the Empress Dowager.

The common people couldn't possibly know about the conflicts within the palace, so Wen Tongpu thought the Wei family had regained prosperity through the Empress Dowager and the emperor. If that were truly the case, why wasn't there a single member of the Wei family in the capital now?

Even if the Empress's family couldn't take the imperial examinations, they could still be granted official positions. The fact that they held not a single post meant Wei Yan had no intention of leaving any face for the Empress Dowager.

Perhaps in the eyes of the common people, the Lu family was similarly at the peak of power.

Today's banquet, themed around appreciating ginkgo trees, was naturally set in a ginkgo forest.

Ginkgo trees are different from others. Their fan-shaped leaves turn green and yellow simultaneously, rarely showing mixed colors. Now, the entire forest was golden yellow, with fallen leaves on the ground resembling golden reflections dancing on the water at noon.

"It's so beautiful." The moment they entered the venue, Wen Tongpu couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother Hu, such a sight can only be compared to a ginkgo forest I once glimpsed by chance when I ventured into the Bashan Mountains years ago."

"The ginkgo trees planted in the capital are too manicured—how could they compare to those that grow wild in the mountain forests?" Huan Zixiao approached, nodding toward Lu Jiming and Wen Tongpu.

He didn’t recognize Wen Tongpu, but having heard from his father that Lu Jiming had recently been in the capital observing the imperial examination candidates, Huan Zixiao felt he must not reveal Lu Jiming’s identity. Yet, seeing him in person and not greeting him would seem impolite, so he took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

Wen Tongpu replied to Huan Zixiao with polite reserve. "I actually think wild ones have their untamed beauty, cultivated ones their orderly grace. They cannot choose whether to stand in the wilderness or the capital's outskirts. Since they are of the same species, why can’t they be compared?"

Huan Zixiao covered his lips with a light laugh. "I never thought of it that way." He was just about to introduce himself when a figure rushed over from the crowd.

Yin Yuxie, holding a handful of roasted ginkgo nuts, approached with pleasant surprise and said to Lu Jiming, "Lord Lu, I didn't expect to see you here!"