20demayo Chapter 450 Meeting an acquaintance
Chapter 450 Meeting an acquaintance
Is it feigning poverty or genuine frugality?
Although the palace lanterns were lit, the Fourth Prince's residence was still somewhat dark.
It's not that there aren't enough palace lanterns, but rather that their quality is poor.
Each small palace lantern was about as bright as an oil lamp in an ordinary household.
Under the dim light, the walls of the Third Prince's residence were covered with mottled marks.
It doesn't resemble a newly built prince's residence at all; it's more like an old, dilapidated house in its eighties.
Hehe, that's interesting.
Jiang Xiaoqi learned a lot about court officials from Elder Chen of the Hanlin Academy, including, of course, information about the princes.
The eldest prince was clearly ambitious but lacked talent, while the third prince always presented himself as polite, approachable, and never put on airs as a prince.
The Fourth Prince is reckless and stubborn, something Jiang Xiaoqi has already personally experienced, so there's no need to elaborate.
The remaining two older fifth princes were timid, while the second prince, although he was the legitimate son, was born with congenital deficiencies.
The princes who came after them, number seven, eight, nine, and ten, were still children, so it was impossible to tell anything about them.
The younger students are all very studious at school, but I don't know if they genuinely enjoy reading or are just trying to cultivate a certain image.
With a light leap, Jiang Xiaoqi landed on a rooftop inside the Third Prince's residence.
This is the outer courtyard; the Third Prince won't be here, and the guards are relatively lax.
The third prince has been betrothed, but the wedding has not yet taken place. There is currently no female master in the inner palace, but there will likely be some maids and female officials serving him closely.
Jiang Xiaoqi lay on the roof, carefully observing the movements in the outer courtyard, while simultaneously moving towards the inner courtyard.
What Jiang Xiaoqi didn't expect was that he would actually run into an "acquaintance" at the Third Prince's residence.
The person lived in the attic between the inner and outer courtyards. After so many years, Jiang Xiaoqi wouldn't have recognized the person so easily.
But Song Jinyang's gloomy face left such a deep impression that it seemed as if everyone who did better than him in the exams had wronged him.
This person was eager to curry favor with Qiu Feng, and was even willing to offer up his own sister as a honey trap.
However, Qiu Feng wasn't stupid. He realized what was going on and didn't fall for the trap. He wasn't taken advantage of by the two siblings.
Is Song Jinyang now clinging to the Third Prince's coattails?
What academic rank does this person hold now? Surely he can't still be a mere scholar (xiucai)?
This third prince is truly an unconventional boss who values personal ability over official rank.
Just as I was about to skip this part, Song Qingyu appeared again at the attic window.
Hey! Both siblings are here!
It seems that not only has her brother Song Jinyang found a powerful patron, but her sister Song Qingyu has also found a long-term meal ticket.
Interesting, really interesting, today's trip was definitely worthwhile!
Normally, when you meet an old friend in a foreign land, you should take the time to get to know them and catch up.
However, Jiang Xiaoqi felt that she might not be the most popular one, so she turned around and went to take care of her business.
It took a full incense stick's time to move them from the front yard to the back yard.
After all, the Third Prince's secret guards were not to be underestimated, especially since there were no bushes or flowers to hide their tracks near the backyard, not even a rockery.
It must be said that in terms of security awareness, the Third Prince is far superior to the First Prince.
The Third Prince's bedroom wasn't hard to find, but the closer you got, the stranger it seemed.
Shouldn't the palace be more heavily guarded? If thieves manage to sneak in, the Third Prince will be in great danger.
Jiang the Thief Xiao Qi even felt sorry for the Third Prince. The guards in the backyard were even more lax than those in the frontyard. This shouldn't be the case.
So there must be something strange about it!
Either the Third Prince is deliberately creating a diversion, or the person doesn't actually live here and has a safer place to stay.
This bedroom, no, the entire courtyard, or even the entire Third Prince's residence, may only be the Third Prince's publicly disclosed residence.
They might be there during the day, but at night they move to another place to sleep.
Jiang Xiaoqi moved like a cat, going in and out several times, checking all the habitable houses, but there was really no Third Prince there.
On the way back from the backyard to the front yard, I passed that attic again. It was really strange that the brother and sister lived together.
What exactly were their identities when they moved into the Third Prince's residence?
Guest advisor? Staff member? Strategist? Bed warmer?
Since the Third Prince isn't here, let's meet up with some old acquaintances. We've come all this way, we can't just leave empty-handed.
Song Jinyang is four years older than Jiang Xiaoqi and is now a young man of eighteen or nineteen.
Song Qingyu is a year younger than Song Jinyang, and she has also grown into a graceful young woman.
Normally, a woman of this age should be getting married, but these two siblings moved into the Third Prince's residence, clearly not intending to follow the conventional path.
Given their personalities, even if it takes another two or three years, they will still stay single so they can find a better match.
My great-uncle once said that after he went to Yunqing Mountain to study, these two also left their Jiang clan school.
At that time, Song Jinyang was just a student who had not even achieved the title of Xiucai.
Seeing that the brother and sister were determined to leave the clan school, the great-uncle had no choice but to take out a portion of the money that was originally intended to support their continued education, as travel expenses.
Later, news came that the two had found their biological father and went to seek refuge with him.
Of course, some people say that the two children were tricked by human traffickers and sold into slavery in the North.
Anyway, there were all sorts of opinions a few years ago. Jiang Changqing had mentioned the two of them when he casually brought up the development of clan studies.
They were all very talented children, but unfortunately they gave up halfway.
If Song Jinyang had participated in the provincial examination the following year, he would definitely have passed and become a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination).
Song Qingyu's poetic talent was a gift from heaven, or rather, heaven had been feeding her talent.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to captivate Qiu Feng for so long with just a few lines of poetry when they were young. If someone hadn't intervened and made Qiu Feng realize what was happening, he wouldn't have succeeded.
It's quite possible that Song Qingyu could actually rise to power based on her poetic talent.
It was getting late, and the brother and sister were burning oil by lamplight. What were they planning?
And this Song Qingyu, was she sent in by her brother as a concubine?
If so, do they even know that their powerful backer isn't actually in the prince's residence?
Under the bright candlelight, Song Jinyang was grinding ink, and Song Qingyu was writing something.
The writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were clearly of superior quality, indicating that the two were being treated well here.
That's true. They can live in their own separate attic, quiet and elegant. The Third Prince's residence is stingy, but he's quite generous to those who come to rely on him.
Jiang Xiaoqi has excellent eyesight; he can see the inside of the house clearly just by moving the tile a tiny gap.
These two siblings are actually composing poetry late at night?
Is this a burst of poetic inspiration or insomnia?
"The road to Nanxun is shrouded in clouds and mist, where the clear breeze and bright moon bring the most peace of mind. Mountains and seas are safe and sound, yet everywhere one is filled with sorrow."