叭哒漫画

“Mother, wait a moment, let me go and ask around,” Wei Yichen replied, swiftly dismounting from his horse and merging with the crowd.

After a short while, Wei Yichen returned, visibly more excited than when he left.

“Mother, it’s a newly opened shop holding a competition,” he said.

“What shop? What competition?” Madame Yun asked, intrigued by her son’s enthusiasm.

It was rare to see him this excited about anything.

“It’s the Four Treasure House, they’ve opened a branch in Xingshan County, they’re holding a contest for calligraphy and essays, and the winner will receive a prized piece of calligraphy from the Tibetan layman.”

“The Four Treasure House? Didn’t your father bring back some paper made by them last time?”

“Yes, it’s the same Four Treasure House indeed!” Wei Yichen said, his expression filled with eagerness.

“Ah! Is the Tibetan layman that renowned scholar from Huzhou Prefecture? Your father had mentioned him before, he writes excellent compositions, once served as an esteemed scholar at the Hanlin Academy, but he retired and settled down in Huzhou Prefecture. He planted a bamboo forest in front of his house, hence known as the Tibetan layman.”

“It’s him!”

Therefore, Wei Yichen’s excitement became more evident.

No matter whether it’s the paper from the Four Treasure House or the artwork from the Tibetan layman, Wei Yichen was profoundly interested in both.

Reading her son’s thoughts, Madame Yun promptly said, “Well, what are you waiting for? When it comes to calligraphy and essays, my son is one of the very best in Xingshan County.”

Hearing this, Wei Yichen consulted his father with a look.

Wei Mingting agreed, saying, “Go ahead, I too, would like to see the caliber of my son’s writings.”

“Very well, I will participate.”

Excited, Wei Yichen blended back into the crowd.

Wei Mingting then addressed the family members in the carriage, “You should also get off and stretch your legs.”

Madame Yun let the three children step out of the carriage. She told Wei Qingwan and Wei Ruo to put on their veils, reminding their maids to stay by their side. As for Wei Yilin, she watched him herself, afraid lest he wander off too far.

Once out of the carriage, Wei Ruo, along with Xiumei, plunged into the crowd to look at the people competing for the Tibetan layman’s calligraphy.

Both girls were excited. Although their enthusiasm was less pronounced than Wei Yichen’s, they seemed to care much more about this than about anything else, especially Wei Ruo.

The competition rules were simple. The participants had to write a short composition on the assigned topic on the spot, and the work would be judged on both content and penmanship.

The shopkeeper of the Four Treasure House, a middle-aged man with a beard and a hearty smile, was overseeing the competition.

He enthusiastically welcomed each student who had been drawn to the competition, explaining the rules and inviting them to participate. The materials, including ink, brush, paper, and inkstone, were provided by Four Treasure House.

When Wei Yichen thronged into the crowd, the shopkeeper cheerfully shared the competition details with him.

“You just need to write your thoughts on the given topic. We do not consider the content of the work, but the quality of the calligraphy.”

“Alright, let me give it a shot. Could you please lend me a brush and paper?”

In a hurry, the shopkeeper instructed a shopkeeper’s assistant to prepare a new set of brush and paper for Wei Yichen.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Wei Yichen started to write, his bold and powerful strokes immediately attracted a round of applause from the crowd.

After he finished, the shopkeeper did not comment on his work, but had another assistant carefully hang up Wei Yichen’s piece.

By now, many pieces were hung up on the shelf nearby, all were screenshots of today’s competitions. They were displayed side by side for passer-by to appreciate and judge.

A lavishly decorated carriage had been parked at distance for a while now with its occupants watching the activities here.

“Interested, brother Yuhong?” Chu Lan asked Lu Yuhong, who was engrossed in the spectacle.

Lu Yuhong quickly shook his head, “Your Highness, don’t make fun of me. I can excel in martial competition, horse riding, archery, strategic warfare, but I am utterly incompetent at calligraphy or composition.

I just find the shop interesting with its unique method of presenting a venue for a competition on its opening day. Furthermore, they offered the Tibetan layman’s artwork as a prize, which I’m curious to know whether it is genuine or not.”

“Certainly, they are somewhat more astute than most shops,” Chu Lan commented, his tone rather detached, show no keenness like Lu Yuhong’s.

“By the way, aren’t those people on horses from the Noble and Principled Duke’s residence in Capital City? They seem familiar,” asked Lu Yuhong.

Following Lu Yuhong’s line of sight, Chu Lan spotted Wei Mingting.

“Indeed, that is the third son of Noble and Principled Duke, Wei Mingting, who’s currently serving as Sixth-rank Colonel.”

“Your Highness remember everyone clearly. I am not good at keeping track of these people, not even those residing in the Capital City, let alone those outside the capital.”

“The entire Noble and Principled Duke’s residence, including the Noble and Principled Duke himself, are spineless. Wei Mingting is the only exception. It’s a pity that he is only bold without flexibility; otherwise, he would have left this place long ago.” Chu Lan remarked.

“No wonder the Noble and Principled Duke residence is deteriorating in recent years. It seems like they lack competent successors. It’s a pity. I once heard my father mentioning that their ancestors were meritorious generals at the founding of the kingdom!” said Lu Yuhong. Despite his scholarly background, he admired martial artists, especially those illustrious generals of the past.

“Let’s go,” Chu Lan suddenly said, lifting the curtain of the carriage and standing up.

“Where to?”

“To the competition.”

“Eh? Have you taken an interest, Your Highness?”Lu Yuhong said in surprise, running after him.

Chu Lan didn’t reply and made his way directly into the crowd.

The competition was still on, nearly everybody had participated, and their works were on display for everyone to see.

Among all the works, Wei Yichen’s piece was prominent and garnered the most attention.

No doubt, Madame Yun was correct. When it comes to penmanship and composition, Wei Yichen is amongst the top notch in Xingshan County.

His performance was superior to others and pushed others aside.

We Qingwan couldn’t have been more pleased for Wei Yichen.

Suddenly, a man in brocade robes approached.

“I would like to try as well.”

The crowd naturally parted to let the man through, knowing intuitively from the outfit and the entourage that he was no ordinary man.

Wei Mingting took notice of the newcomer and was slightly taken aback.

He wasn’t sure of the man’s identity, but he inferred something from the personal accessories the man’s attendants were bearing.

Wei Ruo recognised the man at a glance – it’s the seventh prince Chu Lan.

The male protagonist of the original story and also the one who sentenced her to death in the original plot.

Remembering this, Wei Ruo instinctively moved away from the crowd, creating a distance between herself and this perceived threat.

Although she didn’t know how much of a difference it would make, her instinct just drove her to stay away from the perceived danger.

Wei Ruo glanced at Wei Qingwan, only to find her looking at Chu Lan.

Chu Lan was meant to meet Wei Qingwan at the Huafa Temple in the original plot, but that encounter was missed because of her, a secondary character, not showing up.

Could it be that this delayed encounter was happening now?