Chapter 2805

The announcement of the metropolitan examination was still ten days away, so Yun Xi finally had some breathing room. If the metropolitan exam went smoothly, the palace exam would likely follow suit.

Years of study had all led to this moment.

Yun Xi had spent five leisurely days at home when he received an invitation.

"It’s from the Second Prince," Li Gang asked. "Wangzhi, do you plan to attend?"

"No," Yun Xi replied calmly. "Ordinary scholars might hesitate, but we are Confucian scholars. We do not need to attach ourselves to such people. Besides, he is merely a prince with no real contribution to the state. He is neither the eldest nor born of the principal wife. Our current Emperor is not yet forty, and being a Confucian scholar himself, he will likely live to a hundred. There is no need for us to associate with these princes. We should simply focus on our own duties."

A hint of mockery appeared on Yun Xi’s face. "Sometimes, I cannot understand these people. The Second Prince already enjoys many privileges as a member of the royal family, yet he still wants more. It is truly meaningless." With that, Yun Xi tossed the invitation into the nearby charcoal brazier and watched it burn.

"Wangzhi, how did the Second Prince find out about you?" Li Gang asked.

Yun Xi raised an eyebrow slightly. "It seems our metropolitan exam results are out. They must have reached the Emperor already."

"So soon? It has only been five days," Li Gang said.

"Results like this usually come out early for the Emperor to review," Yun Xi explained with a smile. "Once the Emperor confirms them, the list is published, followed by the palace exam to determine the top three ranks. If the Second Prince knows of me, it means my name is not insignificant."

"Your rank is first."

A man in his thirties stood on the wall, looking elegant and carrying the distinct aura of a high-ranking official.

"Greetings, Grand Secretary Wang," Yun Xi said, offering a slight bow upon seeing the visitor.

Wang Lanxuan was slightly surprised. "You know me?"

Yun Xi smiled. "Although I consider myself honest, I have noticed several people watching me since my first year. You have appeared, while those others seem to be stepping back. This suggests you have a close relationship with them. In the entire capital, only the Emperor has such influence. And among those who can move freely around him, the most prominent is Grand Secretary Wang—young and capable."

"Thank you for the compliment," Wang Lanxuan said, jumping down from the wall. "Shall we brew some tea?"

"Of course," Yun Xi said, then called out, "Brother Yang, bring out our best Yun family tea. Also, bring the jar of mountain spring water I brought. I will brew it myself."

After giving the orders, Yun Xi gestured for Wang Lanxuan to sit. "Our Yun family tea is excellent. However, the finest grade comes from an old tea tree that produces only one jin per year. It is not enough to give away, so I keep it for myself. As for the spring water, I collected it from the center of the spring at the top of the mountain during my last visit. That water is the lifeblood of our Yun family village. The water from the spring’s heart is especially rare. I only collected two jars. One was taken by Brother Liexuan’s messenger on the way here. This remaining jar was not meant for drinking, but since Grand Secretary Wang has arrived, I will treat you to a cup."

Wang Lanxuan listened and said, "It seems your hometown has many treasures."

"Every place has its own treasures; it is just a matter of having the eyes to discover them," Yun Xi said with a smile.

Yang Xue’en brought the tea, spring water, and tea set. Yun Xi dismissed him and did not have anyone else serve them. He sat with Li Gang and brewed the tea himself.

Yun Xi handed the first cup to Wang Lanxuan, then the second to Li Gang, and finally took the last cup for himself.

Wang Lanxuan picked up his cup, sniffed it, and his eyes showed surprise. "This tea is very fragrant."

Yun Xi also smelled it, took a sip, and said, "As I said, it comes from an old tea tree, producing only one jin a year. I do not take it out unless there is a distinguished guest."

"Give me some later," Wang Lanxuan said directly.

Yun Xi glanced at him. "The Grand Secretary comes to my home and asks for tea. Are you not afraid of being reported for accepting bribes?"

"It is not just me who accepts bribes; I share them with others," Wang Lanxuan replied.

Yun Xi looked at him again. "This tea yields only one jin a year. Before you arrived, I sent three liang to Brother Liexuan. I have only seven liang left. I can give you at most four liang, divided into two packets of two liang each. No more."

"Agreed," Grand Secretary Wang nodded slightly. "Next year, whatever amount Liexuan gets, I want the same."

"We will talk about next year later," Yun Xi said directly. "You are a Grand Secretary; you are not without good tea."

"I have tea, but not good tea," Wang Lanxuan sighed. "Although the tea I drink is tribute tea, which should be decent, outsiders do not know that tribute items are never rare. Rare items are hard to obtain and prone to causing trouble. Therefore, tribute items are usually abundant. What I drink now is first-grade tea; I do not even have special-grade."

Yun Xi was not surprised. "So, these merchants are indeed clever. They know how to act in their own best interest."

Wang Lanxuan nodded. "I saw you burn the Second Prince’s invitation earlier. His character is not good. Are you not worried about offending him?"

"If I wanted to flatter someone, I would flatter his father. Why bother with him?" Yun Xi was direct. "It is unknown when he will grow up. Not to boast, but apart from his identity as the Second Prince, I doubt he can compare to me in any other way. In fact, I am certain he cannot."

"You are truly confident," Wang Lanxuan said, looking at Yun Xi with a profound gaze.

"Of course I am confident," Yun Xi said calmly, treating Wang Lanxuan as an equal. "It is not arrogance. Aside from my supreme book aura talent, there are very few people in the Great Ru Dynasty with such qualifications."

"You are the only one with supreme book aura talent," Wang Lanxuan said seriously. "Even the former Regent, now the Prince of Chu, only had top-grade talent. The Emperor and I also have top-grade talent, but our cultivation does not match that of the Prince of Chu. In the entire Great Ru Dynasty, there are fewer than twenty people with top-grade talent."

Yun Xi said, "Well, you see. I have supreme book aura talent. Regardless of the rest of the world, I am the only one in the Great Ru Dynasty. In this regard, the Second Prince cannot catch up to me even if he tried. Furthermore, since I began the imperial examinations, I have never dropped from first place. As you just told me, I am first in the metropolitan exam as well. The Second Prince, if he were not a prince and had to live a life like mine, might not even pass the Xiucai exam. Moreover, regarding intelligence, I truly worry for the Second Prince. Everyone knows how much the Emperor values this examination. For him to send me an invitation, is he trying to ruin me, or is he trying to show his eagerness for talent?"

Yun Xi shook his head. He had already judged that such a person would never become the heir.

Wang Lanxuan heard Yun Xi’s words and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. "But some people have a very good opinion of themselves."

Yun Xi looked at Wang Lanxuan speechlessly. "Grand Secretary, is it appropriate to say such things to a small person like me? Although I am dissatisfied with the Second Prince’s actions, I can only speak like this at home."

Wang Lanxuan raised an eyebrow. "You will be the first person in the Great Ru Dynasty to achieve six consecutive first places."

"That is too early to say. Even if I am first in the metropolitan exam, it does not mean I will become the Zhuangyuan (top scholar)," Yun Xi objected.

"You have been first all along. Even if you do not stand out particularly in the palace exam, you will not fall out of the top three. Moreover, based on my understanding of the Emperor, he genuinely wants to cultivate someone who achieves six consecutive first places," Wang Lanxuan looked at Yun Xi. "Not only to leave a beautiful tale for history, but most importantly, he needs such a gimmick. Do you understand?"

Wang Lanxuan did not explain further, but Yun Xi understood.

Yun Xi knew that things were exactly as he had predicted. The Emperor truly needed talent. If Yun Xi achieved six consecutive first places, the Emperor could appoint him exceptionally, and no one could object. After all, there had been only one person with supreme book aura talent and six consecutive first places in at least a century. The Emperor wanted to cultivate him, and even if others had objections, they would be useless.

Yun Xi looked at Wang Lanxuan. "Are there some difficulties?"

Wang Lanxuan smiled lightly. "Actually, everything is difficult, but with perseverance, there will always be a perfect ending. The Emperor wants to appoint you because of two sentences you once said."

"What sentences?" Yun Xi did not remember saying anything particularly profound.

"The people are the most important, the state comes next, and the ruler is the least important. The ruler is like a boat, and the people are like water. Water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it," Wang Lanxuan said slowly.

Yun Xi realized. "It seems I am quite talented." Although these words came from books provided by Liang Chen, he had spoken them here, so he would not humbly deny it.

"Someone who can say such things is a very rare talent in the Emperor’s eyes. So, do you think the Emperor will not use you?" Wang Lanxuan asked in return.

Yun Xi nodded slightly. Indeed, since the Emperor knew his situation, and the Emperor was a wise ruler, he would naturally use him.

"But this has nothing to do with why you came to find me, does it?" Yun Xi looked at Wang Lanxuan suspiciously. He did not believe Wang Lanxuan had come just to remind him simply.