In front of a modest stall, three young gentlen in matching blue robes stood, comnting and criticizing the youth behind the stall.
“I say, Liu Huaiyuan, Liu Huaiyuan, your father only got dismissed from office, right? You can’t have fallen so far that you had to drop out of school, can you? Why are you out here selling calligraphy and paintings?”
“Brother Liu, if you’re really short on cash, you could’ve borrowed so silver from ! It’s not like I wouldn’t lend it to you. Just kneel and beg , and I’d definitely give you a tael!”
“Hey now, Brother Song, why be so generous and give him a whole tael? I say ten copper coins would be too much.”
“Exactly, huh. If it weren’t for his family, mine wouldn’t have lost so much money!”
“……”
Their unrestrained mocking and arrogance made the passersby avoid the scene entirely, fearing they might get dragged into trouble.
A spectacle was fun—but only if you had the status to watch it safely.
But while others didn’t dare look, Wei Yu did.
Watching the commotion up ahead, Wei Yu turned to his Fourth Brother. “Are those the so-called rich brats of the capital?”
Unable to keep up with Wei Yu’s thought process, the Fourth Prince hesitated before answering, “Maybe? But judging from what they’re saying, this might be personal vengeance?”
Didn’t sound like it.
Wei Yu glanced again at the three young n and then at the thin young man in white behind the stall, whose expression remained calm.
Although he didn’t know the full story and couldn’t say who was in the right, just judging from the current scene, the youth in white had already taken the upper hand.
He was truly composed—completely unfazed by the ones trying to provoke him.
Wei Yu was curious who this young man was.
He asked one of the guards behind him to go find out whose families the n up front belonged to.
The guard had been stationed in the capital for a long ti—anyone who could accompany a prince was top-tier among the guards and well-acquainted with many matters in the city.
The guard examined the scene closely and responded, “Your Highness, judging by their clothing, those three should be students from White Horse Academy. As for their families, I do not know. But…”
The guard’s gaze lingered on the young man in white. “The one selling calligraphy and paintings is the illegitimate son of Liu Bingfu, a forr Assistant Minister of Personnel.”
Wow.
They didn’t know which noble families the spoiled brats belonged to, but they sure knew the background of an illegitimate son of a dismissed official.
Wei Yu glanced at him. “How do you know he’s the Assistant Minister’s son?”
The guard smiled sheepishly. “I was involved in a case at Liu Bingfu’s residence before, Your Highness.”
The Fourth Prince, who had been sowhat admiring the young man’s poise, imdiately frowned upon hearing this and looked displeased.
“Liu Bingfu’s son? There’s that saying—‘a crooked beam makes for crooked rafters.’ He’s probably no better himself.”
Wei Yu didn’t quite agree with that.
He said, “It wasn’t even Liu Bingfu who committed the cris. It was his wife and her family. If anyone should be blad, it’s the legitimate son. What does it have to do with the illegitimate one?”
Wei Yu preferred judging people on their own actions and disliked implicating the innocent.
But such a view was rather unorthodox to the Fourth Prince and others.
After all, traditional clan values ran deep in ancient tis—if they didn’t, there wouldn’t have been such things as collective punishnt or the extermination of nine generations.
The Fourth Prince looked at Wei Yu with disapproval, ready to debate the point, but before he could speak, Wei Yu noticed the shift and changed the subject.
“Hey, Fourth Brother, why don’t we go have a look? His calligraphy and paintings seem pretty good…”
Wei Yu had just been using that as an excuse to get away from his Fourth Brother, but once he approached the stall and got a closer look at the calligraphy and paintings, he realized they were actually quite masterful!
The handwriting was neat and elegant, with a strong yet restrained brush style—each stroke revealed a sense of steadfast character.
The paintings were just as impressive—balancing the real and the imagined, ethereal yet vivid, each one made the viewer feel as if they were in the scene.
A true master.
As Wei Yu looked over each piece, he expressed his admiration aloud: “Nice, nice, these calligraphy works and paintings are really excellent.”
Suddenly approached by a stranger accompanied by guards—clearly not soone ordinary—the three White Horse Academy students exchanged looks and imdiately toned down their arrogance.
It was fine to mock Liu Huaiyuan; after all, he was now just a fallen illegitimate son with no threat. But this well-dressed youth? Even spoiled brats knew to be cautious.
The capital was full of powerful families. A single wrong move could offend soone important. Without good sense, it was best not to stir trouble here.
The student in the middle studied Wei Yu, then bowed and cautiously asked, “I am Chang Ning, son of the Director of the Imperial Academy. May I ask who you are, young master?”
“Huh?”
Wei Yu tilted his head, smiled, and said, “? I’m new around here… Ever heard of Lord Huo Tingyu? He’s my distant cousin.”
The Fourth Prince, who had just arrived: …??
It was like they had awoken from a dream—at the ntion of Huo Tingyu, the three students instantly grew nervous.
“Ah! So you’re Lord Huo’s distant cousin! Ah, well then, young master, we just rembered there’s sothing we need to do back at the academy, so we won’t be staying! Goodbye! Goodbye!”
The na “Huo Tingyu” was like a taboo for most bureaucratic families in the capital.
Dropping his na was more effective than even a prince’s title.
After all, Huo Tingyu commanded the Gray Guards, answered directly to the Emperor, and any ti he acted, it was by the Emperor’s orders—no one dared stop him.
As the three quickly fled, the Fourth Prince gave Wei Yu a half-smile. “You sure talk. Aren’t you afraid soone will find out the truth?”
“Oh co on, Fourth Brother, who would find out?”
Wei Yu blinked and pointed—at the Fourth Prince, himself, the two guards, then finally at Liu Huaiyuan behind the stall.
“You know, I know, they know… and then… he knows?”
They both looked over.
The youth in white, who hadn’t spoken a word this whole ti, looked refined and calm. When he saw them look his way, he gave a small smile, raised his hand, and bowed politely.
“I am Liu Huaiyuan. Thank you both for stepping in.”
The Fourth Prince said, “Don’t thank . I didn’t do anything. If you’re going to thank soone, thank my Ninth Brother.”
He didn’t like ddling in others’ business. These days, he was only interested in making money. If not for Wei Yu delaying him, he would’ve gone ho long ago.
Upon hearing that, Liu Huaiyuan bowed again to Wei Yu in gratitude.
Wei Yu pointed to the paintings. “I overheard—you’re short on money?”
“Yes, I am,” Liu Huaiyuan nodded calmly.
Wei Yu asked, “Doesn’t your family still have money? Why are you out here selling paintings?”
Liu Huaiyuan replied, “The family’s wealth is not mine. I have my own hands and feet—I can support myself.”
Wei Yu understood.
This was probably soone who’d had a falling out with his family and wanted to distance himself, becoming self-reliant.
Not bad.
Even if the family background was ssy, Wei Yu just happened to need soone scholarly like him!
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