Su Fan didn't let You Jing sleep for two consecutive days. Just as You Jing was about to collapse from exhaustion, Su Fan would wake up and slap him awake, instantly revitalizing him.
After these two nights, You Jing found himself with two panda eyes.
"Still want to play?"
Su Fan, full of energy, smiled at You Jing.
You Jing found it strange. They had both been awake for two days, so why did Su Fan look so invigorated?
"No, no, from now on, I won't follow you when you eat, sleep, or wash."
You Jing immediately caved. If he continued, he felt like he would die. Even training a hawk wasn't this intense!
Su Fan chuckled.
"Alright, I'm accompanying the Third Prince to a poetry gathering later. It probably wouldn't be appropriate for you to go, would it?"
Su Fan said.
After all, You Jing had previously been affiliated with the Second Prince. If Su Fan openly brought You Jing along, it might make the Third Prince suspicious of Su Fan.
"I won't go. His Highness had instructed me earlier."
You Jing knew that Xiao Zhiyi had specifically told him about today's poetry gathering. Besides, he needed to catch up on sleep and didn't want to go anywhere!
"That's good. Goodbye."
Su Fan smiled and walked out of his house towards the poetry gathering venue.
The venue was set up at the home of a young nobleman. In fact, the main purpose of this poetry gathering was for this young nobleman to meet a young lady from another minister's family.
These two were betrothed, and this poetry gathering was an opportunity for them to meet beforehand.
Su Fan entered the venue with the Third Prince. At this moment, Su Fan's identity was that of a favored guest of the Third Prince. Although his status was slightly below that of these young lords, no one dared to say anything, as he was with the Third Prince.
"Third Brother."
The Second Prince was also present. Even though Su Fan had told him that someone intended to assassinate him at the poetry gathering, he had still come today.
"Imperial Brother."
Xiao Zhihong was still polite to the Second Prince in front of others.
Xiao Zhiyi cast a subtle glance at Su Fan.
Su Fan showed no reaction.
In truth, he had always been somewhat puzzled.
His mission was to sow discord among the princes. However, the Second and Third Princes were clearly engaged in a long-standing rivalry, yet the mission was still not showing as complete.
What could be the reason?
The Second and Third Princes... Su Fan suddenly realized something.
He had overlooked something important.
From the very beginning, the First Prince had never appeared. Perhaps only after the First Prince's appearance would Su Fan's mission be marked as complete.
Su Fan felt this was highly probable.
But the First Prince, the Crown Prince, had been missing for a long time. If so many people in the Tianlong Dynasty couldn't find him, where would he go to look?
"Your Highnesses, please enter."
The host of today's event, the young nobleman, respectfully addressed Xiao Zhiyi and Xiao Zhihong.
The two nodded slightly and entered the venue.
The venue was set up in a courtyard. Along a long corridor, cushions and writing desks were arranged, surrounded by flowers, exotic plants, strange rocks, and flowing streams.
The environment was very conducive to inspiring poetic ideas.
At the very front were three seats, designated for the host, the young nobleman, and the two princes.
"Today's poetry gathering is solely for the purpose of making like-minded friends. If anyone has inspiration, feel free to compose poetry spontaneously and express yourselves freely."
Everyone lowered their heads in thought. Some even stood up and paced around, seeking inspiration.
Suddenly, someone had an idea.
"Fallen flowers have feelings, but the water is heartless. The young lord and princes accompany me. Great talent and strategy will be revealed today. The young lord's poetry gathering will meet a beauty."
After reciting this nonsensical poem, the surroundings fell silent.
Although the latter part of the poem seemed to flatter the young nobleman, the first two lines had already offended both the young nobleman and the princes. If it hadn't been for the earlier statement about speaking freely, they would likely have been thrown out and beaten by now.
"Heh heh! Good, well written. Don't write poetry anymore in the future."
The young nobleman awkwardly broke the silence, managing a forced applause and a single "good."
A sparse applause then echoed around.
Su Fan was speechless. Was that considered poetry?
The man still felt proud, looking around with a smug expression.
Su Fan was speechless again.
Alright, alright, we know you're embarrassing yourself, stop showing off.
"Does anyone else have a poem?"
The young nobleman continued to ask.
With the first nonsensical poem as a precedent, others gained confidence in themselves. Poems they had previously been afraid to recite and embarrass themselves with were now boldly presented.
Indeed, they were slightly better than the first one, but only slightly. Not a single poem was truly presentable.
Even the Second Prince, who enjoyed composing poetry, seemed uninterested. These poems did not stir any interest in Xiao Zhiyi.
The Third Prince winked at Su Fan, signaling him to step forward.
Su Fan raised an eyebrow.
"I have a poem here. May I offer it as a humble attempt?"
Su Fan stepped out from behind the Third Prince and said.
The young nobleman was not familiar with Su Fan, and had not even known of his existence before. He looked at the Third Prince with some confusion.
"This is Su Fan, who has a keen interest in poetry."
The Third Prince said softly, not revealing anything about Su Fan's identity.
"Oh? You know poetry too?"
The Second Prince looked at Su Fan with surprise.
Others might not recognize Su Fan, but he did.
"I know a little."
Su Fan feigned humility.
The Second Prince began to look forward to Su Fan's performance. He wanted to see what kind of poem a man who came from a martial background could compose.
Su Fan smiled slightly, then solemnly began to recite the poem he had prepared.
"Grape wine in jade cups, a pipa urges before the drink. If drunk on the battlefield, do not laugh; how many have returned from war since ancient times?"
Su Fan's recitation of Wang Han's "Ballad of Liangzhou" instantly plunged the venue into silence.
A sense of desolation arose in everyone's hearts. This poem even made them feel the hardship and sorrow of border warfare.
"A good poem!"
The first to recover was the Second Prince, Xiao Zhiyi, who clapped his hands enthusiastically.
Everyone else snapped back to reality and began to applaud.
"I didn't expect Young Master Su to have such literary talent. Could you recite another poem?"
Xiao Zhiyi's interest was piqued, and he asked Su Fan with anticipation.
His attitude towards Su Fan even changed.
Xiao Zhiyi held great respect for scholars and gentlemen.
Su Fan did not refuse and recited another poem with a completely different style, "The Knight-Errant's Song."
The "Knight-Errant's Song" fully showcased the martial and chivalrous spirit within Su Fan, his bold and heroic style perfectly blending with his identity.
"Young Master Su is truly talented!"
Xiao Zhiyi looked at Su Fan with astonishment, especially admiring his talent in poetry.
The surrounding guests also looked at Su Fan with newfound respect. His talent was truly outstanding.
"Thank you for your praise, Second Prince."
Su Fan bowed to Xiao Zhiyi.
The attitude of the people around him shifted by 180 degrees. They all came forward, wanting to get acquainted with Su Fan.
Su Fan welcomed them all, conversing calmly with each of them.
Just then, Xiao Zhiyi noticed a suspicious-looking person among the servants waiting outside the pavilion.
His heart stirred. He suddenly remembered Su Fan's warning that someone intended to assassinate him today!