Chapter 1
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The birthday banquet of the Minister of Rites was expected to be grand.
In the grand courtyard beyond the East Corner Gate, distinguished individuals were seated, creating a more impressive scene compared to the small courtyard at the west end of the hallway.
Even in this smaller, separate courtyard, the beauty of the surrounding flowers, trees, and man-made mountains, along with the exquisite pavilions and lush slopes, was a delightful sight.
However, amidst the charm, there were clear signs of historical bureaucratic corruption, evident in the subpar quality of the food and drinks provided.
Regrettably, Han Jiao cared most about the quality of the food. No matter how stunning the courtyard might be, he couldn’t pack it up and take it home with him.
Having endured the hardships of this trip, he found no solace even in his taste buds, leading him to hold some grievances and suggestions to share with the second-ranking senior court official.
This senior court official wasn’t intentionally being stingy at his own birthday banquet. It was because the newly appointed zealous Left Chief Minister of the Supervisory and Inspection Commission had also come to congratulate him. How could the upright high-ranking senior court official not downplay his wealth?
The food in the main courtyard barely met the standard set for accommodating high-ranking officials at the provincial government post. Consequently, the standard in the secondary courtyard had to be lowered due to the lower positions of the attendees.
In fact, those seated in this separate courtyard couldn’t truly be considered officials. Except for the three first class distinguished scholars who were selected to enter the Hanlin Academy, the rest were all advanced scholars who ranked second class in the imperial exam.
The Chief Examiner of the recent Imperial Examination was the senior court official celebrating his birthday today.
In the web of connections in the officialdom, the Chief Examiner was regarded as the mentor of the examinees. Therefore, the scholars seated here were technically disciples of the senior court official.
The top three distinguished scholars who achieved the highest honors sat at the main table.
Han Jiao, who ranked ninth, could have squeezed himself onto the main table, but the first-ranked scholar’s gaze hinted at him to “go cool off on the side.” Thus, he took his seat at the second table as he wished.
There were also some allies of the first-ranked scholar seated at the second table. Han Jiao pretended not to notice their gloomy expressions as he sat down.
Shortly after the banquet started, Han Jiao noticed that the person sitting to his right deliberately refused to eat the dishes he touched with his chopsticks.
Initially, he didn’t have any objections to this.
However, this guy acted as if he were in a play, exaggerating his aversion for the dishes touched by Han Jiao in a nauseating manner, as if fearing that others might not notice.
Han Jiao, not being polite, stood up and put a bit of each dish on the table into his bowl, then sat down and ate slowly.
The attention-seeking scholar was bewildered, not knowing where to start with the array of dishes on the table.
Every time a new dish was served, Han Jiao skillfully grabbed a bite with his chopsticks, leaving nothing for the attention-seeker to eat.
Han Jiao, ever considerate and meticulous, signaled to the servant, pointing toward the attention-seeker, and kindly instructed, “Quickly refill Master Chen’s tea. If the food doesn’t suit his taste and he can’t eat, we can’t let him faint from hunger and embarrass the Minister.”
The servant smiled on the surface, but secretly held a grudge against the “picky eater.”
Who dared to be so demanding about the food and drinks at the Minister of Rites’ banquet?
“How dare you spout such nonsense!” The attention-seeker jumped up in fright, too flustered to argue with Han Jiao. He quickly grabbed the servant’s hand and earnestly explained, “Don’t listen to his joke. The dishes and drinks on this table are absolutely delicious. I haven’t been picky at all!”
“Then why haven’t you touched a single dish?” Han Jiao eagerly asked.
The servant involuntarily cast a glance at the plates and utensils placed in front of the person, finding no traces of oil or residue. It was evident that the person had hardly eaten anything.
The servant understood the situation, but of course, he couldn’t undermine the guest’s dignity. He made a few perfunctory remarks and politely excused himself with a smile.
The attention-seeker watched the minister’s servant leave without a word. He sat back in his chair, feeling disheartened and lost. After a long moment, he suddenly turned his head and glared at Han Jiao. “I must say, Wonderchild Han, if you don’t want to share a table and drink with me, you could have just said so! No need for such tricks!”
Han Jiao, courtesy name Xiaobai, was a child prodigy who had gained fame in the capital from a young age. He became a scholar just six months ago, despite not having turned nineteen yet.
The attention-seeker calling him Wonderchild wasn’t a compliment but a mockery.
Clearly, many of the scholars in this courtyard held animosity towards him, but it wasn’t solely because they envied his youth and achievements. It was due to the troubles caused by the book Han Jiao.
The book Han Jiao, who shared the same name and surname as Han Jiao, was a genuine prodigy. At the age of eighteen, he achieved the second-class honors in the imperial exams. Since childhood, he had been treated like a deity by his family.
While he had a sharp mind, his life experiences were lacking, making him prone to mistakes.
There were two types of people that humanity disliked the most. One was those who harmed their own interests or safety, and the other was those who were superior to them.
Initially, the book Han Jiao only fell into the latter category. But he was arrogant, always babbling with his mouth. In less than six months, he offended the first-ranked scholar, leading to a group of scholars ganging up against him. Even those who didn’t join the group avoided any interaction with him.
Han Jiao was more wronged than Dou E. It was odd enough that he somehow ended up in this world without warning. Even though he wasn’t the story’s main protagonist, he came to terms with it. However, upon his transmigration, the chaos left by the book Han Jiao had already spiraled into a mess. Surviving in such circumstances was truly quite challenging.
It was not like he didn’t try every possible means to improve the situation.
He tried to reach out and show goodwill, but the first-ranked scholar thought this little prodigy was brewing some even more astonishing humiliation plan. Suffering from psychological trauma, he started attacking Han Jiao without any hesitation.
Han Jiao wasn’t someone who would hold grudges forever. So, he decided to be more guarded, less talkative, and more focused on his work. Additionally, he adopted a philosophy of not starting conflicts with others unless they provoke him first.
The attention-seeker’s previous performance offended him, so he didn’t intend to let it slide. He turned around and questioned, “You haven’t touched your chopsticks just now, right? Is it not because the food doesn’t suit your taste?”
“Who said I haven’t touched my chopsticks! I…”
“Oh, right, I remember now. At the beginning of the banquet, Master did this…” Han Jiao stood up and intentionally imitated the person’s exaggerated avoidance gesture to pick up a candied date. It seemed as though he was crossing a treacherous path, tremblingly picked up a chopstick with great effort, put the date into his bowl, let out a sigh of relief, and wiped his sweat. “Indeed, picking up a date like this is quite a struggle. Isn’t Master hungry? Why haven’t you eaten anything since then?”
The other two scholars at the table couldn’t hold back their laughter, amused by Han Jiao’s accurate imitation.
Master Chen felt even more embarrassed. He squinted his eyes and stared at Han Jiao. “Wonderchild Han, now that we work together, I hope you will exercise some restraint in your actions. The Hanlin Academy is not a place for unruly behavior. Be careful not to let trouble arise from your words!”
Han Jiao politely responded with a smile that implied “who’s afraid of whom.”
He was the one who knew the plot.
Word seemed to have spread among the servants in the outer courtyard. The scholars in the separate courtyard walked out in groups, holding wine cups. Soon, the courtyard became empty.
Not knowing what had happened, Han Jiao couldn’t feel at ease just going along with the flow. He reluctantly picked up a wine cup and walked out as well.
Along the way, he asked the servant and learned that Prince Yan had personally come to congratulate the birthday celebrant in the main courtyard.
No wonder all the guests in the mansion were converging towards the East Corner Gate. Even the female members of the household were probably peeking through the cracks in the door.
Prince Yan, Xie Guang, was the male lead in the novel. He was the Empress’ eldest legitimate son, so everyone thought he would be enthroned as the Crown Prince.
In reality, it was the Empress’ third son, Xie Duo, who eventually became the Crown Prince.
This event would later lead to a power struggle between some civil officials and the Emperor, known as the “dispute over the foundation of the nation.”
Currently, in the early thirtieth year of the Longsheng reign, Prince Yan was about to lose power. These newcomers in the officialdom were eager to curry favor. If they really got on board, they might soon find themselves sinking along with Prince Yan’s faction.
In the early stages of the plot, many cannon fodders were eliminated. That was why Han Jiao had no intention of joining any faction. As for trying to win over Prince Yan, he could do without it.
It was enjoyable to be able to predict the future.
Amidst the bustling crowd, Han Jiao stopped, turned around, and leisurely walked towards the deserted West Corner Gate. He found a quiet corner in the garden, took a deep breath, and let the lingering smell of alcohol dissipate.
This place was located in a secluded corner of the front courtyard, with no flickering lights disturbing the peace. There were only the moonlight and the fragrance of flowers lingering in the air.
Han Jiao looked up at the moon, raised the wine cup in his hand, about to take a sip.
Suddenly, a harsh voice of a stranger came from behind him, “The gentleman seems to have the leisure to hide here, raising a wine cup to the moon.”
Those scholars had already become familiar faces in front of Prince Yan, so why did someone still come looking for trouble?
Han Jiao pretended not to hear and continued to gaze at the moon.
The person behind him didn’t react and remained silent as well.
However, in this silence, there was a dangerous aura that compelled Han Jiao to slowly turn around and look at the troublemaker.
The moonlight was dim. From a distance of twenty feet, the person’s face was obscured by the distant lantern light, making it impossible for Han Jiao to see clearly.
Was this tall and upright figure among those scholars?
No, it resembled the figure of a young military officer, probably one of the mansion’s guards.
“Why aren’t you responding?” The person’s voice sounded young, but the tone carried enough authority.
Assuming that the guard mistook him for a lazy servant, Han Jiao responded with an authoritative attitude, “I had a bit too much to drink at the banquet, so I came here to sober up.”
Although Han Jiao’s reply was reasonable, his tone clearly carried a hint of annoyance.
The guard seemed to realize Han Jiao’s displeasure but didn’t back down. Instead, he maintained his authority and added a touch of mockery. “For a while, I thought you had no interest in attaching yourself to the powerful and sought solitude here to express your emotions to the moon. But now, it seems that you are here because you were excluded somewhere else and harboring resentment, aren’t you?”
Indeed, this guy was here to pick a fight.
With the banquet almost over, Han Jiao couldn’t be bothered to argue any further. Without even sparing a glance, he left the courtyard with a fierce expression. As he passed by the guard, he let out a soft, mocking laugh. “You’re overthinking it. I stand here, just waiting for influential individuals with discerning eyes to come and seek my favor.”
To be so shamelessly boastful!
“You…” Prince Yan was about to give him a lesson, but when they passed by each other, he was startled by the face of this rascal.
Facing the distant lights, the sudden appearance of a young and delicate face caught Prince Yan off guard, disrupting his thoughts.
The question changed from “Which audacious official has such a terrible attitude? I’ll ask him why he didn’t come to toast and why he’s so aggressive!” to “Is this kid even an official? He hasn’t even grown his mustache!”
Because Han Jiao confidently and swiftly walked away, Prince Yan missed the opportunity to explode in anger due to this brief moment of distraction.
When he turned around, the rascal’s figure was nearly disappearing into the crowd, making Prince Yan anxious as he hastily shouted, “Where do you serve?”
He was asking so he knew where to seek revenge.
Instead of pausing, the rascal’s figure seemed to blend into the crowd even more, teasingly leaving a response behind.
“Take a guess.”
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