Chapter 404: Chapter 320: Can She Be a Girlfriend Now? (Extra 2 in 1)_3
The eunuch servant glanced at Chen Yi skeptically, but, as if well-practiced, he slipped the silver into his pocket without hesitation.
Chen Yi frowned slightly and handed the eunuch servant another tael of silver for the third time.
"Oh dear, that’s enough, just a token is fine..."
The eunuch servant offered a string of polite refusals while reluctantly tucking the two taels into his chest. Then he continued:
"Sir, what about the birthday gift?"
Chen Yi replied casually, "Didn’t bring one—just these three taels of silver."
The eunuch servant’s eyes widened. Three taels of silver to celebrate Prince Jing’s birthday? Was he here to cause trouble?
Seeing this, Yin Tingxue couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.
Through her muffled giggle, Chen Yi pulled her across the threshold.
Once inside the hall, no one greeted them along the way. Chen Yi walked straight ahead to the inner chambers. After waiting for quite a while, the birthday celebrant, Prince Jing, seated prominently in the main chair, finally appeared before them.
Prince Jing noticed him as well, his eyes narrowing slightly, masking a fleeting hostility within.
Chen Yi raised his hand to perform a formal bow, offering a simple gesture of respect along with a brief blessing. He was about to turn and leave.
But the Princess called out to him, initiating warm small talk:
"I’ve long admired the renown of Chen Qianhu. Today’s poetry banquet feels as if it has found its crowning touch—eagerly awaiting your celebrated work."
The Princess was courteous and didn’t seem to deviate from social propriety. Nonetheless, the phrase ’eagerly awaiting your celebrated work,’ even if exaggerated, made Chen Yi smile wryly in his heart.
It wasn’t as if he didn’t dream about moments he’d read in web novels, where he’d be initially mocked and underestimated by some aristocratic playboys, then casually plagiarize a poem to astound the literary elite hosting the event. They would then lament, "Could such a hidden gem exist in the world?"—that sort of reaction. But the problem was, in a world encompassing Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, what poems were left to plagiarize?
Without borrowed verses to rely on, he’d have to depend on himself. And when it came to ancient poetry, painting, and calligraphy, Chen Yi wasn’t exactly a master of any—his understanding was akin to seven holes in an eight-hole flute.
Thus, attending the poetry banquet would probably mean he could only sit back and watch others perform. If not for Yin Tingxue’s interest in attending—or Yin Weiyin’s suggestion to meet her parents—he wouldn’t have come at all.
"The Princess gives me far too much credit—what ’celebrated work’?" Chen Yi responded.
"Ah, a man like Qianhu, skilled in martial arts and striking in appearance—if I were to claim you incapable of creating a celebrated work, it would belittle such a fine gentleman."
The Princess paused, carefully scrutinizing Chen Yi from head to toe, nodding her head intermittently, then added:
"Next, I ask you, Qianhu, to wait patiently. We shall soon present you with brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone."
Chen Yi promptly nodded in agreement, then pulled Yin Tingxue and temporarily exited the main hall.
The Princess slowly took her seat, gazing at Chen Yi’s departing figure with a glimmer in her eyes, remarking:
"What a fine young man—so talented and striking."
Prince Jing gripped the armrest of his chair tightly, his expression brimming with hostility as he retorted disdainfully:
"Talented and striking, you say? A man of talent but no virtue! Strip away the exterior—what makes him worthy of Weiyin? If you ask me, rumors are just rumors."
Hearing this, the Princess shook her head with a chuckle. Unlike Prince Jing’s persistent resentment, her thoughts extended further. Now that Chen Yi had personally made an appearance, perhaps this was the perfect opportunity for both parties to reconcile and let past grudges go. Given that Chen Yi was steadily advancing in the ranks, a marriage between Yin Weiyin and him didn’t seem like a poor option.
Besides, the Prince’s comment about Chen Qianhu’s appearance inadvertently hinted that Yin Weiyin and he made quite a matched pair, didn’t it?
Whatever schemes lingered in both the Prince and Princess’s minds, Chen Yi, of course, knew nothing of them. After delivering birthday greetings and exiting, several shrewd guests approached to exchange pleasantries. These individuals were all prominent figures in the capital, most of whom Chen Yi had little recollection of, though he returned their greetings cordially at first. Eventually, he resorted to nonchalantly clasping his hands in response.
However, among this group of guests, Chen Yi overheard something rather astonishing.
"Are you saying the Prince intends to choose a suitor?"
Chen Yi asked, puzzled.
"Indeed. It’s been circulating—started about two or three days ago. Not many believed it at first, myself included. But after you paid your respects today, no one can deny it anymore."
The guest replied.
Confusion clouded Chen Yi’s mind.
What kind of play was this?