Chapter 485 - 321 Prince Jing

Chapter 485: Chapter 321 Prince Jing

"Mother! Look, didn’t I say that Gu Chengyu is good-looking?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Chengyu wanted to hold his forehead, thinking that this fellow was being unreliable again. Mrs. Tian’s subsequent words mirrored Zhu Kui’s exactly; Gu Chengyu had to praise Zhu Pang heartily once more, which made Mrs. Tian smile even more, clearly agreeing in her heart.

In a mother’s heart, even if her own son had many faults, her son was still the best, and she wouldn’t allow others to say otherwise. Obviously, Gu Chengyu’s understanding made Mrs. Tian very happy, and she became even more enthusiastic than before.

This made Gu Chengyu think of his own mother, who he had not seen for over a year. Watching Mrs. Tian and Zhu Pang’s interaction stirred feelings of homesickness within him.

Gu Chengyu thought, after this Imperial Examination, he must bring his parents to the Capital to stay for a while.

A carriage drove into a courtyard in East City, and the person sitting inside was Lu Chen.

"Young Master Lu, it’s been several days since we last saw you!" Xiao Chengzi emerged from the main house and was somewhat surprised to see Lu Chen.

Lu Chen glanced at the tray Xiao Chengzi was carrying, furrowing his brows. The medicine bowl on top was still steaming, and the dark medicinal soup appeared untouched.

Xiao Chengzi saw Lu Chen looking at the medicine in his hand, sighed, and was quite distressed. Prince Jing wouldn’t take the medicine, and without medicine, how could the illness get better?

"Please, Young Master Lu, persuade the master well! The master is still willing to listen to you." Xiao Chengzi pinned his hopes on Lu Chen; usually, after Lu Chen’s persuasion, the Fourth Prince couldn’t resist and would take the medicine.

"Give it to me!" Lu Chen replied, taking the tray from Xiao Chengzi and striding into the main house.

Entering the main house, Lu Chen didn’t see anyone and moved towards the inner room. Upon entering, he saw a man in green lying on the Imperial Concubine’s Couch reading a book.

The man was around the age of twenty, with a face like jade, handsome brows and eyes, but his complexion was somewhat pale, and he appeared frail. This was the Fourth Prince.

But since he was conferred the title two years ago, he should be referred to as Prince Jing.

Prince Jing thought it was Xiao Chengzi returning again and, without even putting down the book, impatiently said, "Xiao Chengzi, stop bothering me; I will not take that medicine."

"Without taking the medicine, how will the illness get better?" Lu Chen surveyed the room; Prince Jing preferred quiet and often stayed alone, sometimes with only Xiao Chengzi beside him and dismissing other attendants.

Prince Jing recognized Lu Chen’s voice, then put the book down and smiled at Lu Chen.

"Why have you come? Xiao Chengzi didn’t even notify me." Prince Jing descended from the Imperial Concubine’s Couch, preparing to summon the servants to serve tea.

Lu Chen quickly gestured, "Don’t bother, just drink the medicine! It’ll get cold if you don’t." He placed the bowl on the table, persuading Prince Jing.

"What’s the use of drinking it constantly? It doesn’t help at all; these medicines are just nourishments and don’t benefit my illness," Prince Jing said gloomily, moving forward and eventually drinking the medicine.

He knew if he didn’t drink it, Lu Chen would persistently persuade him, so it was better to drink it quickly.

Lu Chen was well-acquainted with Prince Jing Mansion; the two were confidants and didn’t adhere strictly to social etiquette. Hence, Lu Chen was quite casual in front of Prince Jing.

"I think the medicine does have some effect; your complexion seems to have improved somewhat recently. You must continue taking it and not disregard your health." Lu Chen observed.

Prince Jing paused when putting down the bowl; afterward, he casually asked, "Isn’t it just the same as always? What have you been busy with lately? You haven’t come for several days!"

Unaware of Prince Jing’s pause, Lu Chen sat on the Imperial Concubine Chair previously used by Prince Jing.

"Not much, really. By the way, yesterday I went to Tianxiang Pavilion and unexpectedly met someone there. You wouldn’t guess who." Lu Chen, seeing Prince Jing’s low spirits, started hinting mysteriously.

The Fourth Prince chuckled, "Yesterday was Tianxiang Building’s literary gathering; surely it was bustling with people, and there’s no saying of talented scholars and beauties. To guess who it was, it couldn’t have been Gu Chengyu, could it?"

Though unsure in words, his expression seemed certain.

"How did you know?" Lu Chen had always felt that Gu Chengyu and Prince Jing were kindred spirits; Prince Jing was hindered by his health and lacked strong external support. Otherwise, how could the Capital still provide a foothold for the Eldest Prince and others?

Destiny envies talent; someone like Prince Jing, a rare genius, even heaven can’t help but be jealous.

"Isn’t it Gu Chengyu? Your guess was close; he’s a steady person, learned without a doubt, and in how he conducts himself, he’s absolutely extraordinary," Lu Chen spoke of Gu Chengyu with seriousness, pondering something in his mind.

"Seems you have a good impression of him? Hand it over!" Prince Jing extended his palm, gesturing to Lu Chen.

Lu Chen, speechless, as if nothing could be concealed from Prince Jing.

He took out Gu Chengyu’s poetry from his chest, "Here! This is quite the surprise, you’ll definitely thank me after seeing it."

"Oh?" Prince Jing was intrigued, took the poetry and quickly opened it to read.

On the paper, it was a font created by Gu Chengyu; Prince Jing had once spent a lot of Silver on one of Gu Chengyu’s calligraphy books, which wasn’t easy to acquire. After buying it, he had constantly copied it but hadn’t grasped its essence even after a year.

He admired the font first and then looked at the poetry.

"Hmm? This format is somewhat unique!" Prince Jing’s research on poetry was far more extensive than Lu Chen’s; he noticed the difference at a glance.

"This is called a lyric; Gu Chengyu saw it in a magazine. Here are two compositions from last night, with two more in Xi Yan’s hands. But I copied another of the lyric here, look, here it is." Lu Chen retrieved another paper from his chest, handing it to Prince Jing. However, Prince Jing was absorbed elsewhere, focusing entirely on the lyric.

The lyric’s novelty sparked Prince Jing’s curiosity about Gu Chengyu.

"This one is called First Meeting, but there’s more? Seems unfinished! These two compositions have excellent artistic conception, enough for me to ponder for days." He didn’t hear what Lu Chen said afterward, solely fixated on the lyric.

"Why is this format called a lyric? Does it have an origin?"

Lu Chen knew Prince Jing would be captivated again, "The lyric can also be composed into a tune! Last night, Gu Chengyu and Xi Yan played Qin Xiao together; the music was exceptionally beautiful, even surpassing the Music Bureau’s arranged tunes."

"Really? It’s a shame I didn’t hear it. If there was a music score, it could be played at home as well. Why didn’t you bring the score?" Prince Jing picked up the Green Jade Case from the table, ready to examine it carefully.

"Hmm? This isn’t Gu Chengyu’s handwriting."