CHAPTER 580: CHAPTER 487 STARTING TO SLAP FACES_3

"Slurp~"

Treasure Piggy, hearing the sound of meat being eaten and soup being drunk, uncontrollably drooled a little again.

Lu Yuan: "Embarrassing."

He said to Prince Jin and Lu Qi, "Uncle, Second Brother, we’ll take our leave first."

Treasure Piggy: "Eat meat, drink soup."

The father and daughter got on the carriage and left.

Prince Jin said coldly, "Let’s see if he can live until the day of the competition."

"No need," Lu Qi said, "I can defeat him."

Prince Jin shook his head. "You don’t even know what the competition entails. Let your father remove this stepping stone for you. When the time comes, even if your Imperial Grandfather faults you, you’ll still be the only Imperial Grandson. If he kills you, there will be no suitable successors to the throne."

Lu Qi turned to look at Prince Jin, speaking each word clearly, "Father, I said, I can defeat him."

Prince Jin froze.

For the first time, he saw such an obsessive look in his son’s eyes, as if a frenzied soul was hidden within a gentle and perfect exterior.

"Qi’er."

"Father, I’ll go prepare for the competition first."

Lu Qi returned to his usual modest and kind demeanor, as though what had just transpired was simply a figment of Prince Jin’s imagination.

Lu Yuan took Treasure Piggy to the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion, openly meeting Meng Qianqian under the guise of being there for the little one.

Treasure Piggy was clueless that her scummy dad was being serious this time. She thought it was just another day of being used as a little tool, so she immediately fell asleep after getting into the carriage.

"Where are we heading?"

Meng Qianqian held the little one and asked.

Lu Yuan snorted, "You only know how to hold her."

Meng Qianqian curved her lips slightly. "Isn’t Prince Changsun pursuing me? I never said I agreed."

Lu Yuan: ... If I had known, I wouldn’t have bothered running my mouth.

The two of them took the soundly sleeping Treasure Piggy to the Crown Prince Mansion.

That secluded courtyard had already been repaired and renewed by Lu Zhaoyan, giving it a fresh new look.

Ji Li, Chen Long, Si Snake, Shangguan Ling, and Yu Zichuan were all present.

Mr. Zi Wu was there as well.

He deliberately picked a seat where he wouldn’t be directly facing those two lovebirds and their antics.

Unexpectedly, when he looked up, a warm family scene unfolded as the trio walked in together.

When Chen Long saw the little one had come along too, he immediately stepped forward to hold her.

This left an empty seat beside him.

Meng Qianqian sat down.

Shangguan Ling offered a seat to the Grand Commander.

Perfect, it put Lu Yuan directly across from Mr. Zi Wu.

Mr. Zi Wu let out a deep sigh.

If he had done something wrong, just strike him dead with divine lightning rather than suffocating him with endless dog food.

Si Snake was the first to speak. "Prince Changsun, I heard you’re officially competing with Lu Qi for the Qilin identity."

"That’s correct," Lu Yuan nodded.

Chen Long, holding the sleeping little one, furrowed his brow and said, "Don’t lose. Your sister can’t afford to bear the shame."

Lu Yuan: "Do you even know how to speak properly?"

"What’s the competition theme?"

Si Snake asked.

The crowd felt the change in Si Snake’s attitude. He was showing increasing interest in matters of the Imperial City.

Just as he had promised Meng Qianqian, he would assist her the way he assisted the Grand Marshal.

Chen Long said, "The theme hasn’t been announced yet, so how would he know?"

Lu Yuan shot him a glare. "Hey, don’t underestimate people. I... have my father’s influence in the court too."

The time had come to show off familial connections.

In these past years, Lu Zhaoyan hadn’t truly remained ignorant of worldly matters.

He didn’t fight, but he certainly wouldn’t relinquish his means of self-preservation.

Lu Yuan said, "Your Majesty urgently summoned the veteran ministers in the Taihe Palace and argued with them for a full hour. Your Majesty won the argument."

Ji Li snapped open his folding fan with a "pa" sound. "Wasn’t it more like he beat them?"

Lu Yuan maintained a serious face. "No speaking the truth allowed."

Emperor Liang would never be coerced by the ministers. When one of them objected, threatening to bash his head against the wall should His Majesty insist, Emperor Liang instantly ordered an iron spike to be brought over: "Head-bashing won’t kill you; this will pierce your skull and guarantee death."

The minister immediately shut his mouth.

"The competition will include a literary trial and a martial trial."

At the Jin Prince Mansion, Prince Jin said to Lu Qi, "Your uncle recently sent word. I’m not worried about the literary trial. After all, he’s just an uncultured fool. Whether it’s the Four Books and Five Classics or astronomy and arithmetic, there’s no way he’ll outperform you."

"When does it start?"

Lu Qi asked.

"Tomorrow."

"So soon?"

Lu Qi looked somewhat surprised.

Prince Jin replied indifferently, "The sooner, the better; it won’t give him time to prepare any deceptions. However, your uncle couldn’t find out which minister is setting the questions. But as your father predicts, it’s surely one of the Three Dukes or Nine Ministers, and the topics won’t stray far from the Four Books and Five Classics."

At this, Prince Jin smiled and said, "My son has already memorized the Four Books and Five Classics backwards and forwards. How could he possibly lose to him?"

The next morning.

Lu Qi and Lu Yuan were summoned to Jinluan Palace to commence the first round of the literary trial.

This was supposed to be a competition without suspense.

The princes and officials were lined up on either side.

Everyone was just waiting for Lu Yuan to embarrass himself in front of the crowd.

Then, when the competition topic was revealed, everyone was dumbfounded.

Eunuch Yu raised the horsetail whisk and announced, "For the first trial: agriculture."

Prince Jin: "...?!"