Chapter 55 Seditious Poetry

It was not that Lu Lan was unqualified to take the imperial examination, for he had already passed the provincial examination, albeit on his second attempt.

It was simply that...

If Lu Lan harbored the intention to take the examination, he would certainly no longer remain as depraved, dissolute, and decadent as before.

One does not fear a prodigal son wasting his life on frivolous amusements; what one fears most is a prodigal son suddenly snapping back to ambition.

Beneath a surface invisible to Lu Lan, Lu Zhongwang was profoundly shaken.

He felt that his hope of changing his destiny through knowledge was becoming increasingly elusive.

"Fifth Brother, what is wrong with you?"

How could Lu Lan fail to understand what was on his mind? Today, he was also formally announcing to Lu Zhongwang that his elder brother had finally stood back up.

"N—nothing at all. Once Yanqing gets the books, I will have him send them over to you. I must return to my studies now."

"Very well!"

Seeing Lu Zhongwang scurry away with his tail tucked between his legs, Lu Lan felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction rise in his heart.

Qi Xuefu hoped to use Lu Zhongwang to make a brilliant showing at the palace examination and thereby secure the position of Heir Apparent.

He himself had harbored the exact same thought.

Heh, little did they know that Lu Lan's talent surpassed Lu Zhongwang's by several fold.

If Lu Lan did not enter officialdom, the path of letters would remain an eternal, endless night.

...

Back in his study, Lu Zhongwang found himself completely unable to focus on his books; his mind was entirely consumed by the fact that Lu Lan intended to sit for the metropolitan examination.

He felt as though a cooked duck had suddenly grown wings and flown away, leaving an empty, hollow ache in his chest.

When Yanqing delivered the books and returned to the Wind-Approaching Pavilion, he found his young master sitting there as if his soul had been sucked out of him.

"Young Master, if you are tired, you should rest early and resume your studies tomorrow."

Yanqing waved his palm back and forth in front of Lu Zhongwang’s eyes, but there was no reaction at all.

"Young Master, what is wrong?"

"Yanqing, go and wait outside the door."

"Understood!"

After Yanqing withdrew, Lu Zhongwang rummaged through his belongings from some hidden spot and produced two sheets of treasured calligraphy.

When he had sneaked into Lu Lan's study years ago, it had not been without reward.

These were two treasonous, rebellious poems.

Written by Lu Lan.

After failing his first provincial examination, Lu Lan had drunk heavily and composed a poem titled *On Chrysanthemums After Failing the Examination*.

When he passed only at the very bottom of the list on his second provincial examination, he drank again and wrote *Inscribed on Chrysanthemums*.

Both rebellious poems had been secretly hidden away by Lu Zhongwang.

They were also the greatest trump card in his possession.

However, once these two rebellious poems came to light, the Lu family would be finished, and his own future and inheritance would be reduced to ashes.

That would be a mutually destructive outcome.

Therefore, unless it came to a desperate struggle where both fish and net perished together, this card could not be played just yet.

Yet, he could not let his fourth brother enter officialdom too easily either.

Lu Zhongwang’s gaze turned sinister:

"Yanqing, go fetch my Great-Uncle here."

Yanqing pushed the door open, looking bewildered as he asked:

"Qi... Uncle Qi? He was given a severe whipping by the Heir Apparent, and right now he is lying in a manor in the suburbs recuperating from his injuries! The Heir Apparent explicitly forbade him from setting foot in the Lu residence ever again."

Lu Zhongwang's eyes darkened: "Go bring him here. As long as he is not dead and can still walk, make sure he comes."

"Yes!"

Startled, Yanqing hurried off to find Qi Cong.

By the third watch of the night, Qi Cong was waiting by the back gate of the Duke of Yu’s residence.

Lu Lan had already issued a ban against him, promising a sound thrashing every time he was seen.

Shielded by Yanqing, Lu Zhongwang tiptoed cautiously to the back gate.

Qi Cong's face was deathly pale, and he leaned heavily on a pair of crutches, his injuries still unheeded.

Had his own biological nephew not summoned him, even if someone had offered him a hundred taels of silver, he would have thought twice before coming.

"Zhongwang, why have you called for me?"

"Great-Uncle, my fourth brother is going to take the metropolitan examination. He told me so himself."

Lu Zhongwang spoke with a solemn expression, emphasizing the point for fear that Qi Cong might not believe him.

Qi Cong wore an utterly nonchalant expression:

"That good-for-nothing piece of trash? Couldn't he fail even if he were allowed to copy the answers directly? Heh heh heh heh!"

Looking at a brain operating on the exact same level as his own biological mother's, Lu Zhongwang felt utterly exhausted.

Why were all the helpers around him nothing more than a pack of stupid pigs?

Was that a chamber pot embedded in their necks instead of a head?

Lu Lan was not stupid—not in the slightest.

How could an ordinary person ever write those two rebellious poems?