Daqing Reborn Prince, Intercepting Si Lili at the Beginning

Chapter 26: Li Chengyuan’s Invitation! Yang Wanli’s Anticipation!

Yang Wanli!

Li Chengyuan was too familiar with this name!

In the story, Yang Wanli’s two lines, “If I can endure the world’s injustices, then what’s the point of reading the classics?” and “In this world, someone has to face the dangers head-on. If I win the top honors in the imperial exam, will the blood not splash higher?” left a deep impression on Li Chengyuan!

In the original plot, Yang Wanli was a pure and proud scholar from a poor background. He was also a straightforward and loyal disciple, and eventually a clean and just official!

Although he could be naïve at times,

It was precisely this innocence that made his qualities all the more precious.

Moreover, he was quite talented, hardworking, and reliable—a subordinate worth trusting.

Li Chengyuan had great admiration for Yang Wanli.

The only thing he couldn’t figure out was: shouldn’t Yang Wanli have arrived in the capital the year after Fan Xian came to host the spring imperial exam?

Why was he here now?

But of course, that didn’t matter right now.

What mattered was that since Yang Wanli was already in the capital, Li Chengyuan couldn’t let this opportunity pass.

“Old Huang!”

Li Chengyuan suddenly looked up and called out to Swordmaster Huang, who had been napping!

Old Huang was startled awake, looked at Li Chengyuan, and immediately stood up.

“Your Highness, you called for me!”

Li Chengyuan nodded and said, “Yes, I need you to personally deliver an invitation to this Yang Wanli. Here’s the address. Find him, give him the invitation, and make sure to hand it to him directly. Be discreet, and also remind Yang Wanli to keep a low profile to avoid any accidents!”

Li Chengyuan understood just how enticing this poetry banquet was.

Some people, desperate for an opportunity to rise in the ranks, might do anything to get their hands on an invitation.

Yang Wanli was currently just a poor scholar.

If someone targeted him and stole his invitation, Yang Wanli wouldn’t be able to resist at all.

Of course, Li Chengyuan could send the invitation with great fanfare,

But that would be akin to giving Yang Wanli a public pedestal, which wasn’t a good thing for him!

Old Huang, being sharp-minded, quickly grasped Li Chengyuan’s intent and nodded, saying, “Rest assured, Your Highness. I will handle it!”

With that, Old Huang took Yang Wanli’s essay and left.

“Your Highness, is this person very important?” Sangwen asked curiously.

“Yes!” Li Chengyuan nodded. “He is extremely talented. If he is properly nurtured, he might become one of my most valuable aides in the future!”

Sangwen nodded in understanding.

“By the way, Sangwen, Qingniao, once Yang Wanli arrives, keep an eye on him. No need to offer special treatment, but if anyone causes him trouble, help him out.”

“Understood, Your Highness. We’ll keep watch!”

“Good!” Li Chengyuan didn’t say anything more and returned to reading the essays.

’

In the southern part of the capital, in the slums.

Most of the people living here were ordinary citizens who had long resided in the capital.

Among them were locals as well as many from other provinces, all of whom came to the capital hoping to make a name for themselves.

The one thing they all had in common was—poverty.

Following the address, Old Huang found Yang Wanli’s home, only to discover that no one was there.

After asking around, he learned that Yang Wanli spent his days working at a street stall to make a living!

With this information, Old Huang immediately headed to the stall.

Soon, he spotted a simple booth on the street corner.

It was just an ordinary table, not much different from those used by fortune-tellers.

As Old Huang got closer, he noticed that Yang Wanli was quite busy with a variety of tasks.

From writing letters to copying books, composing stories, and selling calligraphy and paintings—he took on any decent job to earn a living.

It was clear that while Yang Wanli was proud, he wasn’t rigid.

He was also adaptable,

Which was a crucial trait.

Otherwise, if he were a stubborn idealist who only cared about his principles, no matter how talented he was, Li Chengyuan wouldn’t invest much in him.

People like that didn’t just fail to contribute—they often ended up backstabbing you.

’

Old Huang approached the stall and sat down without any expression on his face.

Yang Wanli, seeing a potential customer, immediately smiled warmly.

He glanced at Old Huang’s plain yellow-gray robes and didn’t think much of it.

After all, robes like Old Huang’s were common all over the city, though he was notably cleaner.

“Hello, elder! How can I help you today?” Yang Wanli asked politely.

Old Huang looked Yang Wanli up and down before finally speaking: “You are Yang Wanli?”

“Huh?” Yang Wanli was taken aback, then asked in confusion, “Yes, that’s me. How do you know me, elder?”

“Did you write this?” Old Huang pulled out Yang Wanli’s essay.

Yang Wanli glanced at it, and his expression changed.

“This… This is indeed mine. But how did it end up in your hands?”

Seeing the change in Yang Wanli’s expression, Old Huang chuckled and decided not to tease him further. He reached into his robes again and pulled out an invitation, handing it to Yang Wanli.

“Congratulations! Your essay has been selected by His Highness. Here is your invitation. Bring this with you tomorrow to attend the poetry banquet. Be sure to arrive on time—don’t be late!”

Upon hearing this, Yang Wanli was stunned. Then, he was overwhelmed with both surprise and joy.

“My… His Highness rreceivedmy essay?”

“Of course!” Old Huang laughed. “His Highness personally read it and was quite impressed. He specifically asked me to deliver this invitation to you. He also instructed me to remind you to keep a low profile and avoid any unnecessary attention. We’ll talk more after the banquet!”

“This…” Yang Wanli was utterly dumbfounded.

When he had submitted his essay, he had done so with no real expectations.

He had completely forgotten about it.

He knew that in this world, talent alone didn’t guarantee opportunity.

Even the most impartial imperial exam could be riddled with corruption, let alone a poetry banquet hosted by a prince!

Banquets like this—who among the attendees wasn’t from a noble family?

It was nearly impossible for a common scholar to attend.

Yang Wanli hadn’t held out any hope.

He had submitted his essay purely out of admiration for the Third Prince’s poetry and his unique shou jin ti (瘦金体) calligraphy style, intending to pay his respects.

But to his shock, he had been selected.

Not only that—his work had been personally chosen by His Highness, who even sent someone to deliver the invitation and thoughtfully reminded him to be cautious!

This level of humility and open-mindedness in a prince was beyond Yang Wanli’s expectations, and it filled him with immense delight!

Though Yang Wanli was proud, he was also pragmatic.

In the original story, he stated that he took the imperial exam to become an official, and he wanted to become an official to uphold justice for the people.

So, as long as it allowed him to serve, he didn’t mind becoming a royal disciple.

Especially now, when his impression of the Third Prince was incredibly favorable.

To Yang Wanli, any prince who showed such consideration to a struggling scholar like himself was a ruler who sought talent and recognized ability.

Following such a prince would undoubtedly be a blessing for Yang Wanli!

For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, Yang Wanli suddenly felt a great deal of excitement and anticipation for tomorrow’s poetry banquet!

’’

Footnotes:

1. 1. 1. 1. 瘦金体 (shòu jīn tǐ): A unique and elegant style of calligraphy characterized by its thin and angular strokes. It was created by Emperor Huizong of the Song dynasty.