After crossing, I was forced to hold on to my thighs and build a kingdom

Wang Weiyuan casually pushed aside a lantern in front of him, looked up to find the location of the monkey lantern and walked over.

He grabbed the fluttering silk ribbon and opened the puzzle tied to it. There were a few tiny words written on it: "After parting, let's put aside our past grudges---(guess a word)"

After a brief thought, he had the answer in his mind. He silently memorized the number of the monkey lantern and walked towards another tiger lantern.

As soon as my hand touched the silk ribbon, I heard a voice in my ear: "Hello, brother!"

Wang Weiyuan raised his head and saw a handsome young man standing two steps away, with a pair of peach blossom eyes and a slight smile. It was the young man in brocade robe who had just accidentally met his eyes.

What is this person doing here?

"Thank you for your courtesy, brother!" Wang Weiyuan returned the greeting calmly and looked silently at the young man in brocade robe in front of him.

Since we don’t know what the other party’s intentions are, we might as well just remain unchanged in the face of all changes!

As expected, the young man with peach blossom eyes stepped forward, his smile widening slightly. "My classmates and I came here from the capital to visit relatives. Tonight, we happened to attend this lantern riddle competition. Seeing that you have overcome all the obstacles to get here, I noticed that you have a sharp mind, a gentle temperament, and are about the same age as me, so I was a little interested in getting to know you. What do you think?"

After Qin Shijun said this, he thought Wang Weiyuan would be polite, and they would greet each other with greetings, then naturally introduce themselves to each other, and then they would appreciate each other and make an appointment to meet again in the future, thus becoming friends.

Wang Weiyuan frowned slightly and replied calmly, "I am a commoner and dare not associate with you, sir. Moreover, I have been entrusted with important tasks by my younger brother and sister-in-law. I still have several lanterns to collect and time is limited. I dare not delay. Please make yourself at your own convenience."

After saying that, he lowered his head and opened the riddle in his hand, and disappeared without a trace---(guess a word). After he had the answer in his mind, he wrote down the riddle number again, nodded slightly to the young man with peach blossom eyes beside him, and walked towards the chrysanthemum lantern that Huizhen mentioned.

"Does this mean I'm rejecting your advances?"

Zhao Cheng had arrived beside Qin Shijun at some point, looking at Wang Weiyuan's back with a hint of surprise in his voice, "I didn't expect that he wouldn't even give face to the elegant and suave Young Marquis Qin. This scholar is quite aloof."

Qin Shijun stared at Wang Weiyuan and suddenly laughed: "That's quite insightful!"

He turned to Zhao Cheng and explained, "He's not aloof, he's just too lazy to bother dealing with me!"

He laughed again. "I'm quite stubborn. The more he ignores me, the more I want to get to know him. I have nothing better to do, so I might as well follow him and see for myself."

Then he followed again.

"Hey, you!" Zhao Cheng stretched out his hand halfway, then put it down helplessly. He shook his head helplessly and complained in a low voice, "Qin Shijun, you are really a stubborn person!"

Wang Weiyuan walked over to Huizhen and said, "Under the chrysanthemum lamp, as before, he solved the riddle tied to the silk ribbon. The sun sets behind the mountains—(guess a word)"

This time he lowered his head and thought for a few breaths, and when he looked up again, he wrote down the number of the lantern again.

He turned around and walked quickly towards the desk of the waiter. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the young man in brocade robe who had come to chat with him before and his companion were following behind him.

The waiter warmly welcomed Wang Weiyuan and told him that the three lanterns would be presented one by one after the lantern riddle party was over.

Wang Weiyuan remembered Huizhen saying that the highest and most eye-catching octagonal palace lantern was Jinchu's favorite. He turned around and asked, "Little Second Brother, if I want to win the tallest lantern, what are the requirements?"

When the guest asked about the biggest prize of the night, the waiter proudly introduced, "You have excellent taste, sir! That lantern was specially commissioned by our shopkeeper from the largest jewelry store in the capital, with rubies and emeralds. We also commissioned the most famous craftsman in the capital to create an octagonal palace lantern. There's only one of its kind in all of Dajin!"

"If that's the case, it's indeed rare!" Someone nearby who heard it echoed.

The waiter glanced at the crowd and said loudly, "But since it's a prize, it must be used for this guessing competition. Anyone who can correctly answer three riddles in this most difficult area will automatically qualify for tonight's biggest prize riddle competition."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was another uproar in the crowd, most of them cheering on their brothers, saying things like, "Brother, brother, you better try your best to enter the difficult section, try to guess three riddles correctly, and help us see if we can get the biggest prize!" and so on.

After hearing the shouting outside, the people inside who were guessing the riddles also became nervous, and the atmosphere was pushed up again for a while.

Wei Yue and Zhao Er also imitated the others and shouted at Wei Yuan, "Brother, you have to work hard too. Win the biggest prize for us!"

Chen Yuqing rolled her eyes impatiently, and Cai Qing sneered without paying any attention: "You won't win the biggest prize even if you shout your throat out, so you'd better not embarrass yourself!"

Wei Yue and Zhao Er angrily shouted at the master and servant, "What does this have to do with you? My eldest brother has won at least three lanterns. Where are your lanterns?"

Having her pride punctured by a child, Chen Yuqing's face turned ugly. She angrily yelled at Jinchu and Huizhen, "Keep your little brats under control! I'm waiting to see your good big brother win the prize for you!"

Jinchu and Huizhen smiled at each other, but they were angry again!

The two of them turned their heads and pretended not to hear Chen Yuqing's words, which made Chen Yuqing so angry that she twisted the handkerchief a few more times.

"Girl, don't be angry. Let them be proud for a while. When the biggest prize goes to someone else, it won't be too late for us to laugh at their jokes!" Cai Qing patted Chen Yuqing on the back to comfort her.

Wang Weiyuan in the lantern riddle area seemed to have heard the voices of the two people, and looked in their direction. When he met Jin Chu's gaze, he smiled. Under the dim yellow candlelight, the young man in plain robe had clear features, bright and gentle, which made many girls outside the venue blush and giggle.

Qin Shijun looked at Wang Weiyuan's profile and once again showed a thoughtful expression.

Seeing the crowd getting excited again, the waiter took the opportunity to explain the ultimate winning formula for tonight's prize. He pulled out a paperweight from somewhere and slammed it hard on the table. When everyone quieted down, he spoke again: "Participants will collectively enter a lantern riddle-answering round. Within half an incense stick of time, the person who correctly answers the most lantern riddles will be the winner of tonight's jewel lantern!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole audience burst into laughter.

Everyone kept asking when it would start. A quarter of an hour after the waiter answered, those participants who had been guessing the riddles casually began to move faster, visibly.

Wang Weiyuan stood by the table and watched the two gentlemen in brocade robes come to the waiter and exchange their tickets for the lottery.

"My dear brother, my surname is Qin. We are going to compete on the same stage again!" Qin Shijun spoke to him again, as if he was afraid that Wang Weiyuan would not recognize him.