However, he hadn’t paid further attention to this matter. What did that girl’s humiliation have to do with him?
In his view, this girl’s humiliation was inevitable sooner or later.
Thinking of her attitude toward him—not everyone in this world had as good a temper as he did.
“What do you mean?” Xiao Xun asked the scholar. “You want me to help that girl?”
Before the scholar could speak, he laughed first.
“Helping this girl is quite different from helping Chu Ke.”
Chu Zhao was now despised by the Third Prince, whereas if Chu Ke had entered the Spring-Gazing Garden and been harassed by the Third Prince, it could only be considered teasing.
Helping someone being teased by the Third Prince versus helping someone despised by the Third Prince—these were vastly different matters.
“Would Father King really offend and anger the Third Prince just to befriend Chu Ling?”
Xiao Xun sighed lightly and looked toward the deep night outside the door.
“Although there is now a Crown Prince, Crown Prince is just a title. What falls on the Second Prince today could fall on the Third Prince tomorrow.”
Having heard all this, the scholar nodded: “Your Highness speaks correctly. However, going to Chu Garden doesn’t mean you can only offend one party—you can actually please everyone. You can both befriend Chu Ling and please the Third Prince.”
Xiao Xun didn’t understand. After thinking for a moment, he smiled. Clearly he was both intelligent and obedient, yet Father King still very much liked to give him orders through others.
For the scholar to suddenly raise this request tonight, he must have received orders from Father King.
He asked the scholar: “What good idea has my father king come up with? Why didn’t he tell me first?”
The scholar didn’t answer, continuing instead: “The Third Prince’s original intention was to humiliate Miss Chu, but now the nickname Small Spring-Gazing Garden Literary Gathering has emerged. The Third Prince can’t save face and is extremely furious. Therefore, anyone who can stop Miss Chu is helping the Third Prince—he won’t be angry with Your Highness.”
That girl’s refusal to admit defeat and her stance of meeting the challenge head-on had indeed made the Third Prince hate her intensely. The Third Prince had read books about gentlemen since childhood, but he had not a shred of a gentleman’s heart.
Xiao Xun looked to the side, where sat the large box the scholar had brought, containing the booklets compiled from Chu Garden competitions. Because they were cheap and novel, they were now very popular in the market.
The booklets were already this popular.
That girl would continue until the Third Prince’s literary gathering began. By then, what everyone in the capital would be discussing wouldn’t be the Third Prince’s Spring-Gazing Garden Literary Gathering anymore, but rather the Chu family daughter’s Chu Garden Literary Gathering.
The Third Prince must have smashed up an entire room by now.
“Miss Chu is young and has a stubborn temperament—that’s not surprising. She was raised single-handedly by General Chu. In the border commandery, she could more or less do as she pleased. She’s just arrived in the capital and doesn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth. Add to that Chu Ling supporting her, enabling her to go curse loudly at Minister Liang’s gate. This young girl’s arrogance is at its peak—she doesn’t even regard the Third Prince with respect. But the other people in the Chu family at this very moment are probably dying of worry.”
Xiao Xun nodded, thinking of Chu Lan. Though he’d only seen him once at the city gate, he could see through this person—timid, cowardly, yet concerned with appearances.
“The Chu family right now is also hoping someone can rescue them from their desperate situation.” The scholar continued. “Therefore, Your Highness—”
Xiao Xun interrupted him, saying with a smile: “Uncle Kun, I’m not a child anymore. Just tell me directly what Father King wants me to do.”
The scholar’s surname was Ning, given name Kun. He was one of the tutors Prince Zhongshan had found for his heir. The heir always respectfully addressed him as Uncle.
Though the heir was born into the highest station, he was a gentle person who treated those around him with genuine sincerity. As for other people, the heir wasn’t the Son of Heaven—he couldn’t show mercy to all living beings.
Ning Kun said: “Propose marriage to Miss Chu.”