Chapter 66 (1/2)

They were in Crown Prince Jing's rear garden

Mindful of the long history between their two families, the Crown Prince invited Fan Xian to uests - after all, a number of luminaries had come today

But Fan Xian was unaware of the undercurrents beneath the cally disordered seats he found a re with his own terabbed a cup and e his lips

There were no coht All conversation seehed and looked up at the sky He was secretly thankful that the sun was not too fierce, otherwise he would not have caught sight of so poetry contest, anted to hear some melancholy verses and soak up the sun's rays

The scholars see a s toward the periphery A few young nobles around the edges looked at his face; they had also been personally welcoreeted him with curiosity He was prepared for theuessed which house this handso, and confidently chatting away – was from They chatted for a while, and he couldn't help but feel they were rather dull, so he withdrew from their idle chitchat and waited quietly for the contest to begin

This day was not like the past few days; the sunshi+ne was gentle, thetrees swayed lightly, and the occasional spring wind lifted up their collars The spring evening winds were neither cold nor fierce, and touched the, and the sunlight was the kind that made one want to sleep Fan Xian did not wish to see his eyes open, listening to the poetry and watching as cups of ere served to guests But the gentle spring breeze and the warn interest in the poetry, and he found hiht a few lines: ”On the road to Leizhou inscene I was no herhed at , the old man was drunk, his cup eyi drift about, but one capable man stayed behind”

Fan Xian pinched at hih he didn'tpoetry, at an event like this, he couldn't act like the scruffy young man he hen he was 16 in his past life So he s in a somewhat stupefied way at the scene before hiht of soroup of people were sitting on the comfiest spots by the side of the lake – it was Guo Baokun and He Zonghom he had run into a few days before Fan Xian frowned Crown Prince Jing no doubt knew of the tussle that had occurred between the Fan and Guo families; why did he see fit to invite the at theaze away from the beautiful women across the lake When he saw Fan Xian, his expression changed, and he was unable to ly, he threw the ostentatious folding fan he was holding onto a table

Nearby, a scholar fro a lecture on the classics, so not many people noticed Guo Baokun's reaction

Guo Baokun's co away in a corner They all becauished scholars here, all without bodyguards; if that brat froht, ould stop him?

But Fan Xian s friends

The tablethem Guo Baokun's perwei seemed to take exception

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