Chapter 44 Literary Meeting
The red invitation was tied with a bright yellow necklace string and had a pattern of auspicious clouds pasted in gold foil on the inside. It added a bit of grandeur but lacked some of the elegance of literati.

This prince really loves to entertain friends and guests. He held a literary gathering yesterday and another one today.

Chen Ji returned to the clinic with the invitation, and Liu Quxing came over and said, "What a beautiful invitation... But Chunhua gave you the invitation, so it's better not to go."

As he spoke, he subconsciously glanced at She Dengke and muttered softly, "I don't mean anything else. I just want to remind Chen Ji that he might be in danger."

She Dengke lowered his head and said nothing.

At this time, Liang Gou'er also came over. As he got closer, he smelled of alcohol and said, "It's the literary gathering this afternoon... Why did I send you the invitation this morning?"

She Dengke asked in a muffled voice: "Is there any problem?"

Liang Gou'er explained proudly, "Of course there is a problem. There are three rules for hosting a banquet. The first invitation should be sent three days before the banquet. The second invitation should be sent on the morning of the banquet. The third invitation should be sent one hour before the banquet. Sending invitations three days in advance is called 'inviting guests', and inviting guests on the day is called 'capturing guests', which means you are just a foil in this literary gathering!"

"Oh," Chen Ji nodded, but didn't care.

Liang Gou'er immediately added: "If you go to this kind of impromptu banquet, people will look down on you. Why don't I go instead of you?"

Chen Ji: "...Your abacus beads fell on my face."

He looked at Liu Quxing and She Dengke: "As Senior Brother Liu said, I offended Concubine Jing when I was consulting with her at Wanxing Garden before. This time I have to go and clear up the misunderstanding with her. You don't have to go. I'll go alone."

The backyard became quiet. Liu Quxing was thinking of leaving, but She Dengke took a step forward and said, "I'll go with you. If anything happens, I can help you."

After saying that, She Dengke turned to look at Liu Quxing and asked, "Are you going?"

Liu Quxing's eyes wandered back and forth: "Why are you looking at me like that... I will definitely go, as if you are the only one who is doing good. But we don't have decent clothes suitable for attending the banquet. There are all scholars and dignitaries there, it would be so shabby if we just go like this... I'm not making excuses, I'm saying that we should go buy some clothes in the morning and go in a decent manner."

She Dengke said dully: "I have no money."

Liu Quxing gritted his teeth and said, "I'll lend it to you first, and you can return it to me next month!"

Liang Gou'er was amazed at the side: "The three brothers advance and retreat together. I actually see the spirit of the martial arts world in you. It's rare."

Liang Mao'er was worried that Chen Ji was no longer willing to learn swordplay, so he quickly added, "Follow my brother and practice swordplay. Maybe you will become a legend in the martial arts world in the future."

However, Liang Gou'er laughed and said, "Cat, what you said is not auspicious. There is no living legend in the martial arts world. Only when you die can you become a legend. Young man, the chivalrous spirit of the martial arts world has been broken. Don't listen to my brother's nonsense."

Liang Mao'er pushed Liang Gou'er into the house and said, "Brother, please stop talking!"

……

……

In the afternoon, Liu Quxing was wearing a neat green long gown, with his hair tied up with a net scarf to keep it tidy, a cherry corrugated hat on his head, and Chenqiao shoes on his feet.

Chen Ji looked at the other person. Liu Quxing, with his sly eyes, unexpectedly wore this outfit to look like an official, especially the black hat on his head, which was a perfect match for him.

She Dengke was dressed simply, just like Chen Ji, with only a hairpin on his head and newly bought cloth clothes. The three of them came to the side door of the palace to hand in the card. When the strong servant saw the card, he immediately led the way respectfully and walked to the Feibai Pond in the back garden.

On the way, Jianfu reminded: "I hope the guests will only stay in the back garden and not enter the female family's backyard without permission."

Liu Quxing quickly responded: "Don't worry, Ma'am, it won't happen."

Walking deeper into the garden, the three of them could hear from afar the scholars and elegant guests talking loudly amid the sound of stringed instruments.

One person said loudly: "If you ask me, the Jing Dynasty cavalry is nothing to be afraid of. It is already autumn now. They have dragged on until now and still cannot break through the Chongli Pass. They are exhausted and will retreat soon. If they really want to break through the pass, my Daning artillery and firearms will definitely make them suffer."

"That's right. The one that's most harmful to the country is not the Jing Dynasty, but the eunuch party! If I pass the imperial examination this time, I will explain to Your Majesty the evils of the eunuch party interfering in politics when I arrive in front of the palace!"

"With Brother Lin's great talent, he will definitely win the provincial examination and the top prize in the palace examination!"

The voice from before quickly said modestly: "This year's champion must be Chen Wenzong. In the past three years at Donglin Academy, he has been the treasure in the hands of the teachers."

Liu Quxing muttered quietly, "What a damn boastful guy! Each of them is either the first place or the first place. Is that enough for you to share?"

However, I saw that there were dozens of desks placed beside the Feibai Pool, and bamboo mats were spread on the ground, and all the scholars were sitting on the ground.

Not far away, there were six small wooden pavilions with curtains hanging to block the view of everyone. It seemed that there were women sitting in them.

Liu Quxing whispered to the servant who led the way: "Excuse me, Madam, are there any young ladies here today?"

The strong servant replied: "Let your Excellency know that seven or eight noble ladies have come."

When Liu Quxing was addressed as "Sir", he straightened his back, straightened his clothes, and then sat down in front of an empty desk.

He whispered, "My mother told me that when such literary gatherings are held, the elders of each family will ask their wives to bring their daughters of appropriate age to see if there is a candidate they like behind the curtain. If someone really chooses the right person, they will save ten years of detours."

Chen Ji sighed: "Senior Brother Liu, you really don't want to take any detours."

The tables were arranged in three rows, and it seemed that who sat in the middle and who sat in the back was determined by status.

The three of them sat side by side at the back. She Dengke looked around, searching for Chunhua, while Liu Quxing quietly poked Chen Ji with his finger: "Look at the first row opposite, your two brothers."

When Chen Ji looked over, he was surprised to see Chen Wenzong sitting upright and discussing his ideas with everyone, hoping that the court would open up channels for communication and revitalize the administration of officials.

Even if the other person is sitting in the crowd and is surrounded by talented scholars, he or she can be picked out at a glance like a pearl.

Looking over at the pavilion, it seemed that several girls were looking at Chen Wenzong through the curtain.

Looking at the other brother, Chen Wenxiao was sitting crookedly, his eyes wandering to who knows where. When he was riding on the horse before, he didn't think anything of it, but now he was outshined by Chen Wenzong.

As he was looking at him, Chen Wenzong and Chen Ji's eyes met. The other party smiled and nodded, treating him as an ordinary guest who came to attend the literary gathering and did not pay much attention to him.

(End of this chapter)