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Xiao Jizi was taken aback, "Ah?"

He had no recollection of it; had he known in advance, he would have been too excited to sleep, rather than remaining so composed.

Xiao Qing remembered clearly, interjecting, "Didn’t the master appoint you as the managing eunuch last night? I heard it with my own ears."

Lian Hua also remembered, "Right, it was mentioned last night. Have you forgotten?"

Xiao Jizi was again startled, slowly recalling the past, when suddenly he remembered the master mentioning it right before telling them a story.

He was shocked, "Wasn’t that just in jest?"

This could work?

Was the master’s way of promoting people always so sudden? Out of the blue, as if casually spoken—I thought it was a joke, but it actually turned out to be true!

Xiao Qing immediately retaliated, "Why would you think so? When has the master ever been insincere about appointing someone? I am the first warrior of Canglan Court, and Xiao Linzi is the first poet of Canglan Court. These titles are real."

Lian Hua nodded in agreement, snorting, "They are all real."

Xiao Jizi was dumbfounded, unable to comprehend for a long time; his master... truly a wonder...

While Xiao Jizi was still puzzled, Lian Hua and Xiao Qing started chattering about how Xiao Qing had supported Zhang Qing and the victory over Pang Ya, endlessly revisiting the affirmation of Xiao Qing as the first warrior of Canglan Court.

Enjoying the conversation, she waved her sleeve and a letter tremblingly fell from the table.

Upon closer inspection, oh, it was a letter from Consort Fang Pin, almost forgotten.

She opened it and saw the densely packed words inside, her head immediately buzzing; she thought she might have contracted her second brother’s problem.

The handwriting was beautiful, far better than hers; she could only write square and straight, struggling with even a single extra stroke.

She examined it carefully, hmm... Consort Fang Pin had written quite a lengthy letter, filled with many words, but, alright, she couldn’t understand it.

So she began skipping over parts, glancing at one line and not understanding it before moving on to the next, from the first line, not understanding what it meant, to the second, the third, and many more lines just the same.

The letter, like Consort Fang Pin herself, contained very indirect expressions, part poetic, part lyrical, difficult to follow, and though much was written, she kept skipping, looking for sections that seemed to discuss matters, skimming through hurriedly until the end, still not understanding what Consort Fang Pin wanted to say.

Feeling bewildered, she handed the letter to Xiao Jizi: "Take a look, what does Consort Fang Pin want to say? I can’t make it out."

Xiao Jizi carefully took it, squinting at the intricately phrased text; no wonder the master couldn’t understand, it was such a discomfort to read.

Xiao Qing also stood behind him to look.

He briefly glanced through it, piecing together his impressions of Consort Fang Pin, and roughly understood the gist, looking up to say, "Master, Consort Fang Pin said she will send the painting she has made for you as soon as it’s ready. She asks you to wait for it."

As for the expressions of sorrow and joy woven throughout, he was too lazy to mention them; essentially, that was the message.

Lian Hua and Xiao Qing both uttered, "Oh..."

So many words, all for just one sentence, she nodded, "Understood."

The phrases she hadn’t read were filled with Consort Fang Pin’s joy, elaborating on not disappointing Lian Hua, but they were too metaphorical, and Lian Hua couldn’t make sense of them...

Inside the Imperial Academy.

The students were still not ready to leave, dispersing in small, excited groups to savor the intellectual feast they had had that day. Brother Lian truly possessed dazzling talent and unparalleled elegance, which left them in utmost admiration.

Owing to today’s debate, nearly all the students and teachers from the Imperial Academy who had heard the news had come, and by noon, when meals are usually served, no one left to eat.

The head chef at the dining hall thought something must have gone wrong and quickly sent a junior chef to check.

It was bizarre; the usually bustling dining hall was punctual with students arriving, and even on holidays, many who stayed at the academy would show up — the drop in numbers was normally not significant. Yet, it was unexpected that no one appeared when it was time to eat.

This surely meant something significant was happening at the academy. Though they were just chefs in the dining hall, the affairs of the Imperial Academy were their affairs too!

The anxious head chef waited, instructing everyone to grab their tools. If something had indeed happened, they were ready to go into action once people returned and gave the word.

The junior chef hurriedly made his way toward the school, passing by Chongwen Altar and saw it packed with people.

Standing on tiptoes at the periphery, he looked and listened, soon realizing it was Minister Qin lecturing, and had an epiphany.

Having confirmed the news, he rushed back to inform the head chef.

The head chef immediately decided to delay the mealtime. A large procession of dining hall chefs rushed to Chongwen Pavilion, some even carrying ladles, swiftly making their way to Chongwen Pavilion.

Though they were mere chefs, they were chefs at the Imperial Academy, not ordinary ones. They were the most scholarly chefs in all the land, and whenever a great Confucian scholar lectured, they could attend.

Coming from the Imperial Academy added prestige, and some merchants and restaurateurs, eager to imbibe a scholarly air, paid a hefty price to have them cater events.

However, having received the news late, they didn’t get to hear much before it ended, leaving the group of chefs deeply regretting it.

As the crowd dispersed, Minister Qin’s eyes twinkled with admiration, "Young Lian has deep insights for his age. I thoroughly enjoyed our discussion today!"

It was a delightful surprise, truly unexpected, such age, such scholarship.

Initially, he had come over upon hearing that the Jieyuan from Taiyuan Prefecture, Lian Mu, had arrived, but it was just a routine visit.

Upon arriving at Old Jia’s teaching hall, he found it crowded with people, hearing a collective gasp of awe as he saw Young Lian writing with a brush, advising Old Jia to his satisfaction.

This was indeed astonishing.

Old Jia, Minister Qin knew him best — older than Old Jia himself, the two were intimate friends for many years.

Old Jia had practiced calligraphy for decades and achieved some success. He was especially protective of his proudest works, brooking no criticism, always arguing until he proved superior.

Old Jia was upright and eschewed pretense. To genuinely win his approval, one needed real skill, to outdo him, and to strike the right chord in his heart.

Minister Qin had not expected the Jieyuan from Taiyuan, a man in his twenties, could actually satisfy Old Jia on calligraphy — an extremely rare occurrence.

Intrigued, he struck up a conversation with him.

The two chatted extensively, from Master He’s calligraphy principles, to his personal philosophy, then to the Doctrine of the Mean. Unexpectedly, Young Lian was able to engage in the discourse, even offering unique insights that quite suited his taste.

He promptly invited him to Chongwen Pavilion.

At Chongwen Pavilion, they engaged in an extensive discussion, sharing his reflections from over the years.

What amazed him was that no matter what he discussed, Young Lian could always offer feedback or commentary.