Chapter 51.2 â She Said She Missed You (2)
The small competition that Liang held was very lowkey, maybe because even the Emperor didnât pay much attention to it. Only the Crown Prince took the time to see it and give some words of encouragement, so the situation didnât look too perfunctory.
Because the opponent was only a child thirteen or fourteen years old, Liang State didnât want to seem like they were bullying the young, so they also chose some of the younger people among those in the banquet that day.
Not surprisingly, almost all of them belong to the royal family â only officials of the third rank and above were qualified to attend the banquet. Most of the officials who could climb to this level were no longer young, and also didnât have the time to be distracted with other things, so they had long abandoned the Six Arts.
The only exception was Lu Qipei, who was the opponent called out by Xie Hongyi and the youngest among the people chosen.
Rites, Music, Archery, Equestrianism, Calligraphy and Mathematics. The competition for the Six Arts were held over three days. Most people had their own specialties, and very few of them were proficient in all six.
Lu Qipei was the only exception. Even those who thought that she looked weak and would not be good in archery found that she also performed well in it without fail!
The Crown Prince took the initiative to handle the small competition matter, so even if he didnât see the whole process, he still looked at everyoneâs achievements afterwards.
His feelings about Lu Qipei were rather complicated, but he couldnât help but feel a little gratified to see her past the test all the way â after all, this was the person that his royal sister chose herself. As long as she didnât have secretly have nefarious intentions, her talent and looks really were worthy of his royal sisterâs adoration.
Thinking of this, the Crown Prince suddenly became very interested in the competition. He even especially summoned Lu Qipei to the East Palace to tell her, âThis competition is very important, and you are also Qi Yangâs Prince Consort. I hope you will do your best, and uphold the dignity of Great Liang.â
The Crown Prince said that looking very serious, but his real attitude towards the contest was very clear to Qi Yang. The reason he said that to Lu Qipei was a test â no matter how confident Qi Yang was, if there really as a problem with Lu Qipei, he didnât want his sister to fall deeper into a trap.
Lu Qipei did not say anything towards the Crown Princeâs words. She wasnât like the Crown Prince who was just sitting back and watching the whole situation unfold, but looking at it from another perspective, she also had a different insight towards this competition.
But in front of the Crown Prince, especially since Qi Yangâs name was also mentioned, she naturally wouldnât show weakness. She bowed down and solemnly said, âYour Highness, please be at ease. I will certainly do my best.â
The Crown Prince seemed to nod in relief, but his eyes didnât move away from Lu Qipei.
Lu Qipei was aware of this, but didnât do anything to show it. In fact, after she met Xie Hongyi, she felt that it was normal for the Crown Prince and other people to be suspicious. If he didnât say anything, she would instead be worried about what he was thinking deep inside.
But there was no way around it â even if her conscience was clear, the circumstances brought about by her birth was not something she could do anything about. In fact, she hadnât even fully figured out the circumstances of her birth.
The two of them had their own thoughts.
The Crown Prince stared at the person in front of him for a moment, then finally retracted his gaze. He said lightly, âYou are very good at the Six Arts. Even many descendants of the royal family canât compare with you.â
Right now, the kingdom of Liang had only been inherited for three generations. It was a time of prosperity, and the children of the royal family had not become so corrupt that they became useless silkpants. The royal family of Liang originally came from an aristocratic background, and they had their own inheritance of the Six Arts, so the descendants of the royal family also learned them since childhood.
Even so, they couldnât compare to Lu Qipei. Her brilliance once again overshadowed everyone.
Lu Qipei didnât know why the Crown Prince suddenly mentioned this, but she instinctively became vigilant and replied carefully, âYour Highness is praising me too much. Ever since Iâm young, Iâve never thought of taking the imperial examination and becoming an official, so I spent all my time learning the Six Arts and became a little better at it.â
The Crown Prince fell into thought when he heard this, but he concealed it very well from Lu Qipei. He immediately smiled and said, âQi Yang is too mischievous. When you two just met, she already tricked you into answering the Spring Exam questions. Both I and Royal Father read the answer sheet, and it really was amazing.â He paused for a while, then added, âYou have never prepared for the imperial exam, but you did better than the other scholars who studied so hard. It really is amazing.â
When those words came out of the Crown Princeâs mouth, she finally realized what was wrong â the knowledge needed for the imperial exam was different than the Six Arts. Even before talking about anything else, just writing about policies alone needed countless polishing!
When she first followed Lu Qicheng in his studies, she didnât know what it was for, but it turned out to be preparing for the imperial exam. But now she said that she had not prepared for the imperial exam⦠The Crown Prince wasnât blind. After reading her writing about policy, how could he not tell that things didnât add up!?
Inexplicably, she felt as if she had been caught by someone. Lu Qipei frowned imperceptibly, but her face remained calm. âIâm not completely unprepared. My younger brother started studying since he was young, and I more or less learned from being around him.â
The Crown Prince only mentioned it lightly and didnât dwell on it. After all, Lu Qichengâs name was on the reference list of the scholars that took this yearâs exam, so it was very easy to check. He didnât pursue Lu Qipei and just chatted a bit with her, then finally said, âQi Yang asked me to deliver a message to you.â
Lu Qipei didnât dare to relax her tense heartstrings, but she also became spirited when she heard those words. Her eyes were burning as she stared at the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince coughed dryly and looked away, looking as if he felt uncomfortable. He said, âQi Yang said that she hasnât seen you for several days and that she misses you.â
Lu Qipei did not expect that the Crown Prince would even deliver such a message. She stood still for a while, feeling very embarrassed.
From the corner of his eyes, the Crown Prince saw the youthâs face flushed red. His look was no longer as deep as before, and he couldnât help but feel happy. At this moment, he suddenly believed Qi Yangâs confident words from before a little bit more.