NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 19 - Fame Spreads Through the Capital! It's Time to Make a Decision!
Chapter 19: Fame Spreads Through the Capital! It’s Time to Make a Decision!
The power of newspapers far exceeded Li Chengyuan’s expectations.
Mainly because the literary world of the Qing Kingdom had been weakened for a long time.
For years, it had been suppressed by the literary circles of Northern Qi.
Countless scholars of the Qing Kingdom harbored a pent-up desire to turn the tide.
However, despite numerous attempts over the years, the results have been minimal!
Until today…
The Shou Jin Ti (Slender Gold Script) made a stunning debut!
The poem Die Lian Hua (Butterfly Loves Flower) shocked the capital!
That light, graceful, yet powerful Shou Jin Ti enchanted countless calligraphy masters who praised it to no end!
The line “Where in the world is there no fragrant grass?” [1]
helped countless broken-hearted souls escape the shackles of love!
And the line “Affection is troubled by heartlessness” [2]
became the motto of countless romantic scholars, frequently hanging on their lips!
In no time, the Third Prince of the Qing Kingdom, Li Chengyuan, became the most celebrated figure in the capital city.
Many people rushed to the Zui Xian Ju and Miao Yin Fang just to catch a glimpse of Li Chengyuan’s “flourishing beauty”!
However, these people searched for half a month without even seeing a trace of Li Chengyuan!
Some persistent ones even sought out Sili Li to inquire about Li Chengyuan.
But little did they know, since that night, Sili Li had closed her doors to visitors and had not seen anyone since.
Suddenly, Li Chengyuan’s whereabouts became a mystery.
But this did not affect his standing in the eyes of the people in the capital.
Everyone understood.
After all, Li Chengyuan was a prince!
It was perfectly normal for his whereabouts to be a bit mysterious.
This only heightened his status in the hearts of the scholars of the capital.
Some “audacious” scholars even privately discussed why the Crown Prince of the Qing Kingdom was not the Third Prince!
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“Why isn’t His Highness the Crown Prince? Who said that? They must be quite bold!”
In the rear courtyard study of Prince Li’s mansion, Old Huang was reporting the rumors he had gathered from the streets.
Sang Wen, upon hearing this, exclaimed in surprise!
Behind the desk, Li Chengyuan was diligently and meticulously writing.
Hearing Old Huang’s words, he felt no emotional stirrings and replied casually without looking up, “In the entire capital, besides His Majesty, who else would dare discuss the succession of the throne?”
Because Old Huang’s martial arts were advanced, he could monitor the surroundings and ensure no spies of the Emperor were nearby. Therefore, Li Chengyuan spoke without any reservations.
“His Majesty had people spread this?” Sang Wen stuck out her tongue, not daring to say more.
“Why would His Majesty do this?” Qingniao, who was also busy copying books, asked in confusion.
Qingniao, like Sang Wen, was now one of Li Chengyuan’s maids, responsible for his daily life.
“What other reason? To push me into the fight for the throne, to make me a whetstone for the Crown Prince!”
As Li Chengyuan spoke, he also finished writing the last character.
After carefully checking for any mistakes, he finally put down the brush, stretched lazily, and stood up.
Sang Wen hurried forward, gently picked up the paper Li Chengyuan had written, and cautiously blew it dry.
Once the paper was dry, Qingniao would copy its contents, and then the original would be carefully stored away.
Li Chengyuan stood up, walked over to the couch by the window, and plopped down on it.
It was already late autumn, and the weather was gradually turning cold.
“Old Huang, have many people been visiting the mansion recently?” Li Chengyuan asked while sipping tea.
“Many!” Jian Jiu Huang replied,
“Every day, countless scholars and students come to visit, but I’ve turned them all away.
Your Highness, you need to think of a way. This can’t go on!”
“Yes, it seems the time has come to make a decision!”
Li Chengyuan was troubled.
Now, he finally understood Li Chengze’s helplessness from childhood.
One could say that in a feudal society, the Emperor was like heaven!
Whatever he wanted you to do, you couldn’t escape!
Li Chengyuan had originally wanted to keep a low profile for a while longer.
He had thought that a single poem and a new script that hadn’t been promoted wouldn’t stir up much of a commotion.
But he had forgotten that sometimes, the promotion of work was more important than the work itself!
Li Chengyuan should have known better — in many cases, it didn’t matter how mediocre your work was; as long as it was promoted well, even a dung beetle could be packaged into gold!
Not to mention that Li Chengyuan’s work was already outstanding!
Qingdi only needed to give it a slight push to make Li Chengyuan’s name instantly resound throughout the capital!
If an ordinary person gained fame in the capital, it would naturally be a good thing!
But Li Chengyuan was a prince!
His fame in the capital meant becoming entangled in countless power struggles.
Now, he had already been thrust into the limelight and urgently needed to make a choice.
Either he could give up entirely, or do something outrageous to destroy his reputation, which would mean giving up any hope of vying for the throne — but this would also anger Qingdi, and no one could predict the consequences.
Or, he could open his doors wide, accept followers and supporters, and follow Qingdi’s wishes, becoming a whetstone for the Crown Prince. But once he started, there would be no turning back, just like Li Chengze, and his fate would also be uncertain.
There was no third option, and Qingdi would never give him a third option!
Now that Li Chengyuan had revealed his talents, even if he wanted to be a carefree prince, Qingdi would no longer agree.
And Li Chengyuan himself had ambitions for the throne. Since he was a prince, he had no intention of letting the throne fall into someone else’s hands.
The only reason he had been holding back before was that he had wanted to wait until Fan Xian entered the capital before making a move.
But now, it seemed that Qingdi wouldn’t give him that time.
Qingdi likely wanted to fully control Li Chengyuan before considering the issue of Fan Xian!
Therefore, Li Chengyuan had no choice but to open his doors and face the challenge head-on.
But if he became too prominent and was able to rival the Crown Prince and Li Chengze, Li Chengyuan was sure that Qingdi would not allow Fan Xian to enter the capital, nor would he allow Fan Xian to take control of the Internal Treasury!
After all, once Li Chengyuan and Fan Xian learned of their true identities, one being a prince and the other controlling the Jiancha Yuan and the Internal Treasury — if they joined forces, how could the Emperor sleep peacefully?
So, Li Chengyuan needed to think of a plan. A plan that would allow him to enter the game, yet also allow him to rein in his influence, creating an opportunity for Fan Xian to enter the capital.
But that was going to be very difficult.
Li Chengyuan sat there with his teacup, deep in thought.
After a long time, Li Chengyuan suddenly looked up and asked Jian Jiu Huang ,
“Old Huang, how long have I been under house arrest?”
“Your Highness, today marks exactly fifteen days!”
“Perfect timing!” Li Chengyuan turned to Sang Wen and said,
“Sang Wen, organize the writings I’ve been working on for the past half-month. Tomorrow, I’m going to the palace to seek an audience with His Majesty!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
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Footnotes:
[1] Tianya hechu wu fangcao (天涯何处无芳草) — Pinyin: tiānyá héchù wú fāngcǎo. Meaning: “Where in the world is there no fragrant grass?” This idiom metaphorically expresses that there are plenty of other fish in the sea, used to console people after a breakup.
[2] Duo qing que bei wu qing nao (多情却被无情恼) — Pinyin: duōqíng què bèi wúqíng nǎo. Meaning: “Affection is troubled by heartlessness.” This phrase captures the sorrow of someone who is emotionally invested while the other person remains indifferent or cold.