Upon hearing that the Crown Prince had angered the Emperor, the Fourth Prince rushed to the Crown Prince's residence without a second thought.
After sitting down, he didn't even take a sip of tea before urgently asking for every detail of what had transpired in the palace.
The Crown Prince was still in a daze.
One moment he had been mocking the Prince of Li for provoking the Emperor's wrath, and the next, he had found himself in the same predicament?
Now, seeing the Fourth Prince, he immediately recounted everything that had happened.
When the Fourth Prince heard the Crown Prince say in a slightly aggrieved tone, "I had just finished the vegetable and mushroom soup and was about to speak when Father flew into a rage and told me to get out…"
He felt a vein throbbing at his temple.
He had always known his eldest brother wasn't the sharpest, but he never imagined he could be this foolish!
Seeing Qin Sheng's utterly clueless expression, the Fourth Prince gritted his teeth and asked:
"Eldest Brother, do you know what season it is now?"
The Crown Prince didn't understand why the Fourth Prince was asking such a question but answered without hesitation:
"Of course. It's winter, just after the Great Cold."
"Then does Eldest Brother have any fresh greens in his residence right now?" the Fourth Prince pressed, his jaw tight.
"In this season? How could my residence possibly have fresh…"
The answer was obvious, and the Crown Prince replied without thinking.
But before he could finish, he realized something was wrong.
That's right—in this season, where could fresh greens possibly come from?
Then where did the greens he had seen and eaten in the palace today come from?
"Does Eldest Brother now understand why His Majesty was so angry?"
If the Crown Prince weren't his own flesh and blood, the Fourth Prince would have turned and left right then!
He knew the Prince of Li had angered the Emperor.
He also knew the Crown Prince had entered the palace immediately afterward, claiming he wanted to share a meal with the Emperor.
The Fourth Prince had initially thought that sharing a single meal wouldn't lead to any major missteps, so he hadn't accompanied the Crown Prince into the palace.
Who could have imagined that this one oversight would lead to such trouble!
Lately, because of all the novel gadgets from the Prince of Li's residence, the Emperor had been looking favorably upon the Third Prince.
The Fourth Prince knew he and the Crown Prince couldn't compete in this area, so he had chosen to keep a low profile, avoiding mistakes rather than seeking achievements.
But now, even that modest goal was beyond the Crown Prince's reach!
"What should we do now? Should we find some fresh greens and send them to Father?"
The Crown Prince was beginning to panic. As he recalled the details of the meal, he finally understood why Eunuch Wang had personally served him—it was to keep him away from the greens!
But at the time, blinded by his own excitement, he had completely missed the deeper meaning behind Eunuch Wang's actions!
"In this season, where could Eldest Brother possibly find fresh greens to send to His Majesty?"
If it were that easy, would the Emperor have been so furious?
"The greens in Father's possession…"
The Crown Prince trailed off mid-sentence, as if suddenly realizing something.
Before he had entered the palace, the Prince of Li had just left—and he had been carrying a vegetable basket when he arrived.
It was obvious that the greens in the Emperor's possession had likely been a gift from the Prince of Li's residence.
If they had come from anyone else, the imperial family's influence might have been of some use.
But if they were from the Prince of Li's residence…
The Crown Prince felt utterly helpless and fell silent.
As the Crown Prince agonized over the greens, the Prince of Li's residence was also discussing the matter.
Even Gu Yanshu was left speechless after hearing the report from his subordinates.
To be born into the imperial family, as the eldest son no less, and still be so tactless—it's truly remarkable.
With that thought, he glanced at Qin Lu, who was seated nearby:
"Has the Crown Prince always been this… naive?"
The pause in Gu Yanshu's question hinted that he had initially considered a different word—like foolish—but out of respect for the Crown Prince's status as Qin Lu's elder brother, he opted for a more polite term.
Qin Lu also felt the Crown Prince's actions today were beneath even his usual standards. After a moment of silence, he offered a measured assessment:
"Eldest Brother was never particularly clever, but in his youth, he was at least of average intelligence."
This evaluation was fair.
The Crown Prince had never been known for his intellect.
Among the brothers, he was less martial than the Third Prince, less scholarly than the Fourth Prince, and less socially adept than the Fifth Prince. His abilities were mediocre across the board.
Still, while he was never sharp, he wasn't outright foolish either.
The fact that the Crown Prince could now stand on equal footing with Qin Lu and be considered one of the top contenders for the throne was due to several advantages:
First, he was the eldest son.
The empress's position was vacant, and the Emperor had no legitimate sons—all the princes were born of concubines.
Thus, as the eldest, the Crown Prince enjoyed a natural advantage in seniority.
Second, his mother, Consort Gui, came from a prestigious family—the Ningguo Duke Household.
Her ancestors had produced four or five first-rank officials.
To cite a more recent example, before Minister Pei, the Grand Secretary of the Tianqi Dynasty had been from the Ningguo Duke Household.
Though Consort Gui's father was of average talent and had faded from prominence in recent years, he still held a second-rank court position.
Many officials who now supported the Crown Prince, such as the Minister of Revenue, were once old retainers of the Ningguo Duke Household.
Third, there was the Fourth Prince.
Among the princes, the Fourth Prince was the quickest learner and the most accomplished in literary pursuits—even surpassing Qin Lu in this regard.
As the Crown Prince's full brother, the Fourth Prince had always devoted himself to assisting the Crown Prince.
It could be said that the officials' confidence lay not in the Crown Prince himself, but in the Crown Prince with the Fourth Prince's support.
Lastly, there was a more subtle reason.
Before the current Emperor ascended the throne, he too had been considered the most mediocre among the princes.
Yet now, it was he who sat on the throne.
Many officials believed that, from the perspective of paternal affinity and similarity, the Emperor might feel a closer bond with the Crown Prince.
The Emperor's greater tolerance and kindness toward the Crown Prince seemed to support this view.
All these factors combined had given the Crown Prince enough leverage to rival Qin Lu.
Recalling his recent encounters with the Crown Prince and today's blunder, Gu Yanshu remained highly skeptical of Qin Lu's description of him as "of average intelligence."
But in the end, he said nothing.
After all, as an opponent, the more foolish the Crown Prince was, the better it was for the Prince of Li's residence.
Though it lacked the thrill of facing a worthy rival, in a life-and-death struggle like the fight for the throne, playing it safe was a valid strategy.
Perhaps because he had angered the Emperor over the greens and couldn't find a way to make amends, the Crown Prince lay low for some time afterward.
He seemed to be keeping his head down and avoiding trouble.
With the Crown Prince ceasing his provocations, the Prince of Li's residence enjoyed a period of relative peace.
As the days passed, Start of Spring arrived, and the Spring Festival gradually drew near.
The streets of the capital grew increasingly festive with the atmosphere of the New Year, with stalls selling holiday goods appearing everywhere.
Qin Lu was not a man who cared much for ceremony or ritual. In previous years, whether it was the New Year or not, made little difference in the Prince of Li's residence.
But this year, everyone in the residence knew that things would be different.
After all, the household now had a new master.
Sure enough, even before New Year's Eve, the Princess Consort began directing the servants to conduct a thorough cleaning of the entire residence.
Areas that looked slightly worn were meticulously refinished or repainted under his command.
Red lanterns were gradually hung, and New Year paintings were pasted up—the festive atmosphere deepened with each small change.
Even the servants, who had worked in the Prince of Li's residence for years and were accustomed to celebrating the New Year with nothing more than a meal of dumplings, began to feel a budding sense of anticipation.
In the blink of an eye, the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month arrived.
According to the customs of the Tianqi Dynasty, on the evening of the twenty-ninth, all officials of the fifth rank and above in the capital were required to attend a palace banquet.
The Prince of Li's household was no exception.
On New Year's Eve, Gu Yanshu would also need to enter the palace with Qin Lu to pay respects to the Emperor and the various imperial consorts.
It wasn't until the first day of the new year that they would have a moment of respite.
But according to Gu Yanshu's plans, the first day of the new year was also the scheduled publication date for the inaugural issue of the Tianqi Daily.
After mentally calculating the timeline, Gu Yanshu decided to meet with Wen Qingxiao that very day to finalize the details of the newspaper's launch.
Wen Qingxiao happened to have the same idea and did not refuse after receiving Gu Yanshu's invitation.
They agreed to meet at the small courtyard where Gu Yanshu had first encountered Wen Qingxiao.
Upon entering the courtyard, Gu Yanshu glanced around and noticed it looked nearly identical to his last visit:
"Is the Sixth Young Master Wen still residing here?"
Wen Qingxiao understood the meaning behind the question and offered a faint smile:
"I occasionally return to the Chancellor's Residence to stay, but I've grown accustomed to tranquility. The Chancellor's Residence is… rather lively."
After the housewarming banquet, Wen Qingxiao had returned to the Chancellor's Residence with his father, Chancellor Wen.
That visit made him realize that over two years of living alone had profoundly changed him.
Though he enjoyed time with his family, he found himself preferring the solitude of reading and writing in his own quarters.
His family noticed his discomfort and did not insist he stay, allowing him to return to this small courtyard.
They only asked that he set aside time each month to return home for a family gathering.
Gu Yanshu nodded in understanding:
"Choosing the lifestyle one prefers is the key to living comfortably."
Wen Qingxiao's movements paused slightly, and his smile deepened:
"Conversing with the Princess Consort of Li is always remarkably… effortless."
Gu Yanshu knew exactly why Wen Qingxiao said this but merely smiled without responding.
In the Tianqi Dynasty, it was customary that as long as parents lived, the family did not divide.
For someone like Wen Qingxiao, whose elders were still alive, to live separately—even if his family didn't mind—was inevitably criticized by others.
Someone like Gu Yanshu, who openly stated that one should simply do what one prefers, was exceedingly rare.
Little did Wen Qingxiao know that Gu Yanshu was accustomed to the modern concept of children becoming independent upon adulthood.
Not to mention, Gu Yanshu had undergone the family's succession trials before even reaching adulthood.
He became the Cui family heir at seventeen, took full control at eighteen, and then his parents promptly handed everything over to him while they retired to enjoy life.
As Gu Yanshu's father put it: "If you can enjoy the fruits of others' labor, why exhaust yourself striving?"
So, living alone was utterly commonplace to Gu Yanshu.
Fortunately, Wen Qingxiao was not one to be swayed by gossip.
If he were that fragile, he would never have accepted Gu Yanshu's invitation to serve as editor-in-chief of the Daily.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Wen Qingxiao retrieved a notebook and placed it before Gu Yanshu:
"For the inaugural issue of the Tianqi Daily, I propose leading with my teacher's article. It will not only lend credibility but also help establish the Daily's reputation quickly…"
As Wen Qingxiao moved to business, Gu Yanshu's expression turned serious. He lowered his head to examine the notebook.
The Grand Secretary was a man of his word. When he told Wen Qingxiao to come for the manuscript the next day, he meant it.
After learning about the Daily's "Ten Years of Imperial Exams, Eight Years of Simulations" section, he even tailored an article perfectly suited to the theme.
Translated into plain language, the article's title was essentially: "A Discussion on the Changes and Focus Areas of the Imperial Exams Over the Past Decade."
With content like this, coupled with the Grand Secretary's renowned name, Gu Yanshu didn't need to ponder deeply to foresee the impact the first issue would have upon release in the capital.
Next was the entertainment and gossip section. What was the hottest topic in the capital right now?
Naturally, it was the two teahouses under Gu Yanshu's management, along with the Taoranju.
And then there was the former owner of the Yunci Zhai—the Zhou family.
After selling off their remaining assets, the Zhou family headed straight to the Crown Prince's residence. No one knows exactly what the head of the Zhou family said to the Crown Prince, but when he left, he took with him his daughter, who had been serving as a concubine in the household.
The entire family then departed the capital overnight, vanishing without a trace.
Both the mysterious retrieval of the concubine and Gu Yanshu's subsequent actions in taking over the Yunci Zhai had become hot topics of gossip among the capital's citizens.
After consulting with Gu Yanshu and confirming his willingness to "sacrifice a bit of personal privacy for the sake of the Daily's success," Wen Qingxiao selected the most intriguing aspects of these events to be published in the newspaper.
As for political news, that was even simpler. Just a few days prior, the Emperor had promulgated two new decrees. Excerpting these, followed by analysis and interpretation, provided ready-made articles.
Then there was the section for strange tales and anecdotes. This posed no difficulty for Wen Qingxiao.
Hadn't everyone witnessed how The Legend of the Renowned Prime Minister had captivated the entire capital, becoming the subject of fervent discussion and pursuit?
For the inaugural issue's strange tales section, they would publish The Legend of the Renowned Prime Minister!
At this point, Wen Qingxiao's speech faltered. He remained silent for a long moment before speaking again, his voice hesitant:
"Your Highness."
"Hmm?" Gu Yanshu looked up, meeting Wen Qingxiao's gaze.
It was only then that he noticed Wen Qingxiao's expression seemed somewhat hesitant, even carrying a trace of... embarrassment?
Just as Gu Yanshu was wondering internally about the reason for this reaction, he heard Wen Qingxiao's voice, tinged with uncertainty:
"Might I ask... does Your Highness know the subsequent plot of The Legend of the Renowned Prime Minister?"