The gambling god's wife in the Duke's Mansion is getting divorced again

Just as I reached the second door, Uncle Li came jogging from the front hall and happened to meet Sang Wan:

"Princess, there is a guest in the front hall who wants to see you."

"Who is it? The prince is in the study, I want to go out."

Sang Wan was a little disappointed. During the first month of the lunar year, many people came to the palace to pay New Year's greetings every day. She turned down all of them except those who absolutely had to see her.

"It's the Minister of Rites, Young Master Yan Yun, and the legitimate daughter, Miss Qianzhi. They've asked to see you."

"Oh, it's them." Sang Wan understood and knew that the brother and sister were expressing their gratitude by paying New Year's greetings.

"Yan Yun has always been arrogant, and Yan Xizhi always behaves like a lady. They come to your house during the New Year. Could it be that they want to bring bad luck to you?" Qiu Chaoge directly protected her in front of her.

I have heard for a long time that many people in the capital city dislike Xiao Ji's sister who comes from the common people. These children from aristocratic families are not only snobbish, but also always like to bully others. She just likes Sang Wan's temperament and wants to see who dares to touch her sister-in-law.

"It's New Year's Day, who said I was looking for bad luck?!"

Sang Wan turned around and saw the Yan brothers and sisters approaching gracefully, looking like pearls and jade. The one who spoke was none other than Yan Qianzhi.

Yan Yun wore a dark red embroidered robe with a black cloak, her figure was like a crane, her eyebrows were clear and her eyes were beautiful;

Yan Qianzhi wore a crimson embroidered skirt with a matching jacket and a fox fur coat, with a smile on her face.

"Sister Chaoge, you're here too. What a coincidence." Yan Qianzhi put her arm around Sang Wan affectionately, "Don't blame me for being late."

When she escaped from the ghost town and returned to the Yan family, Minister Yan suddenly realized that what the ghost town guard who came to the house that day said was true, and he almost fainted.

Fortunately, she was unharmed. The Yan family quietly asked a doctor to take good care of her, and only then were they willing to let her go out for some fresh air in the past few days.

"Thank you so much, Princess. However, I cannot express my gratitude publicly, so my brother and I have only come to your house today. Please forgive me and don't blame me!"

Yan Yun doted on her younger sister the most. She had never taken this commoner princess seriously in the past. Unexpectedly, she was not only brave and resourceful, but also beautiful and elegant, like a lotus flower in the rain, with a unique charm. She couldn't help but take a few more glances at her.

"Mr. Yan, that's not true. Even if an ordinary person encountered this, they would help. This matter has been put to rest. No one is allowed to mention it in the future."

Sang Wan patted the back of Yan Qianzhi's hand affectionately.

Qiu Chaoge, who was standing by, was completely bewildered: "What's this about kindness, affection, and turning the page?"

Yan Qianzhi is a woman after all, and she cares most about her reputation. She was extremely moved to hear Sang Wan say this.

She didn't think much of it at the time, but now she felt so embarrassed that it was like a thorn in her heart.

A great favor can be like a great hatred. She always felt that she could never raise her head in front of Sang Wan again. She didn't expect that she would easily throw away the favor that allowed her to control the Shangshu Mansion.

As proud as Yan Yun was, she was still thinking about how to repay this favor once and for all on the way here, for fear of being entangled because of it. Now, after hearing what Sang Wan said, she felt even more ashamed.

He was the one who judged the woman in front of him with a mean mind.

"Your Highness is so righteous!" He bowed deeply.

When he looked up again, he happened to meet Sang Wan's starry eyes, which were as dark as ink. His heart trembled slightly, and he couldn't help but become more attentive.

"Where are you two going? Why don't you go together?"

Just then, Xiao Ji also followed out. When he saw the Yan brothers and sisters, their eyes met and no words were needed.

So Yan Yun hosted the party and they went to Yanyue Tower, the most prosperous building in the capital. On the way, they also sent someone to Baili Mansion to call Baili Xi.

"Zi Ren loves the hustle and bustle. If we don't call him to this game, he will be angry with us." Sang Wan said with a smile.

Seeing her smile as sweet as a spring oriole, charming and adorable, Yan Yun couldn't help but smile too.

"Commander Baili has been too busy, so I haven't been able to thank him properly. It's a good opportunity to be together today, and it will be more lively with more people.

I heard from Ah Zhi that the princess is very good at playing dominoes, we can play together if we have the chance in the future."

Sang Wan was a little surprised. She had always heard that Yan Yun, the son of the Minister of Rites, admired poetry, books, rituals and music, and disliked these distracting things. How could it be different from the rumors?

Not only was Sang Wan surprised, but Yan Qianzhi's jaw dropped as well.

She had just been scolded by her father and eldest brother for looking for the domino master in the ghost market. All the dominoes in the house had been thrown into the well by this brother. Why did he change his temper in front of Sang Wan?!

As smart as she was, she figured it out in an instant and smiled like an aunt, gritting her teeth and saying:

"Brother wants to play, but how can we do it without dominoes? I heard that Caomu Zhai just got a set of ivory dominoes. Ah Wan will definitely like it."

Yan Yun exchanged glances with her, narrowed her eyes, and smiled:

"Buy, of course."

Little girl, you are taking this opportunity to blackmail me.

Sang Wan didn't pay attention to the quarrel between the two siblings. Her eyes were attracted by a figure in the restaurant lobby.

The plain cross-collared Taoist robe was still thin, but his whole body was clean, as pure as the moon as before.

After not seeing each other for a long time, Shi Luochuan was still Shi Luochuan. She could pick him out from the crowd at a glance.

Accompanying him were several people who looked like scholars, probably students going to Beijing to take the imperial examinations.

Yan Yun followed her gaze downwards and saw many scholars gathered together, it was quite lively, so he said:

"The Spring Examination is coming soon. This year's candidates are extremely talented, and several of them are already showing great potential."

"Really?" Sang Wan raised the teacup and took a sip, trying his best to suppress his surging emotions.

Yanyuelou stands out among all the restaurants in Shangjing.

It was not only a luxurious restaurant, but also famous for its elegance. Scholars from all over the world gathered in the capital and often sat here to discuss philosophy, which was called "Qing Tan" by the people.

With a cup of tea, a glass of wine, poems and essays, the scholars criticized the current social ills and talked freely. Each of them was like a crane in the clouds, showing off their grace and elegance. It can be said that before the Spring Examination even started, they were already competing openly and secretly in Yanyue Tower to see who was better.

The Spring Examination was presided over by the Ministry of Rites. As the son of the Minister of Rites, Yan Yun was naturally very clear about the situation of the scholars of this session.

He tapped Shi Luochuan with the bamboo fan in his hand and said to Sang Wan, "Although this man comes from a humble family, he topped the two exams and is the biggest dark horse in this year's Spring Examination. I heard that even Prime Minister Shen was praising him a few days ago."

Brother Luochuan is so powerful?

Sang Wan's eyes lit up.

When the golden gong sounded, the Master brushed his beard.

The theme of today's talk is:

When selecting people, should the imperial court prioritize morality or talent?

The scholars in the audience began to talk about their own opinions.

"The pillars of a country are naturally those with talent. Even if the virtue of an ordinary man is so great that it shocks heaven and earth and makes ghosts and gods weep, if he has no knowledge and talent, how can he rule the world?" A scholar stood up and spoke eloquently.

Someone refuted: "Alas, I don't agree with what Brother Fang said. A gentleman may have talent, but if he lacks virtue, if he becomes an official, he will not only be unable to govern the country, but will harm the country and the people. How can he do that?"

"Emperor Liu Bei of the Three Kingdoms period was not as talented as Cao Cao, yet he was able to show respect to the wise and humble himself. He visited Zhuge Liang three times at his cottage to ask him to come out of seclusion to assist him. He also had the support of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Jiang Wei and others, and he built the hegemony of Western Shu. Meng De, on the other hand, had talent but no moral integrity. He used the emperor to control the princes, making him only fit to be a hero in troubled times."

"But it was the Cao family that ultimately replaced the Han Dynasty and ended the chaotic three-way balance of power. This precisely demonstrates that talent is the first step to governing a country!"

After the scholar surnamed Fang finished speaking, the whole room applauded.

Yan Yun said, "His name is Fang Zhiru. He comes from the Fang family of Jixi. His family has served as officials for generations and he is extremely talented. He is also a hot favorite in this competition."

The scholar was speechless and turned to Shi Luochuan: "Brother Shi, what's your opinion?"

Shi Luochuan stood up, bowed his hands, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly: "What you gentlemen said is reasonable."

Fang Zhiru looked down on his background and sneered:

"The doctrine of the mean is not suitable for idle talk. If you want to smooth things over, Brother Shi, please sit down."

Fang Zhiru's supporters burst into laughter, as if they were all waiting to see Shi Luochuan make a fool of himself.

Sang Wan was so angry that she clenched her fists in the private room on the second floor.

Shi Luochuan smiled faintly, not angry at all, and spoke and acted in a carefree and generous manner. He only heard him say:

"Talent is the foundation of virtue; virtue is the leader of talent. A person who possesses both talent and virtue is called a sage; a person who lacks both talent and virtue is called a fool; a person whose virtue outweighs talent is called a gentleman; a person whose talent outweighs virtue is called a villain."

When selecting people for governing a country, a sage is naturally the best choice, but how many people in the world possess both talent and virtue? Therefore, I believe that when selecting people, if a sage is not available, a gentleman is the next best choice. But it is better to have a fool than a villain. Between talent and virtue, virtue comes first.

"Brother Shi, that's not true. Although I have no virtue, I have talent. Am I not as good as a fool? Our Daqing Dynasty cannot find people with both virtue and talent. Could it be that we have become a retirement home for fools?" Fang Zhiru retorted.

"Brother Fang, you are so excited. Are you classifying yourself as someone who has talent but no morals?" Shi Luochuan looked at him and smiled.

Fang Zhiru was furious: "I was just making an analogy."

"I'm also using an analogy. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Wu Qi was a brave warrior, brilliant, and unrivaled. But when it comes to his moral character, he spent all his wealth to secure a position, murdering over thirty people in a rage. He even murdered his wife to demonstrate his determination in order to seize the military seal. Later, he rebelled against Wei and fled to Chu, becoming a serious threat."

"Thus, a gentleman uses his talent for good, while a villain uses his talent for evil. A fool may lack talent but he is not evil, while a villain's wisdom only adds wings to a tiger, making him even more harmful!"

As soon as Shi Luochuan finished speaking, thunderous applause and cheers rang out in Yanyue Building.

Sang Wan couldn't help but high-five him: "Well said."

From the corner of Yan Yun's eye, she seemed to catch a glimpse of a dark figure in the private room opposite on the second floor.

He nodded towards Xiao Ji and lowered his voice:

"Your Majesty seems to be here."

Xiao Ji raised his eyebrows and took a closer look. It was indeed Emperor Zhao of Xia.

He immediately stood up with Yan Yun. Sang Wan wanted to follow, but Xiao Ji stopped her:

"Your Majesty is traveling incognito, so he certainly doesn't want to cause a big commotion. You just wait here."

Sang Wan couldn't help but feel happy for Shi Luochuan. No one cared about him for ten years, but now he is enjoying the audience's applause in his conversation.

Shi Luochuan will definitely shine in the Spring Examination.

"Awan, it seems like you admire him very much?"

Yan Qianzhi suddenly felt a sense of crisis. This person's talent was no less than Yan Yun's, and he might even surpass Yan Yun in the future.

Qiu Chaoge looked down and said, "Compared to that arrogant Fang Zhiru, this Shi Luochuan is indeed not bad."

Sang Wan immediately concealed the excitement on her face and regained her composure: "This scholar has something to say. I was simply moved by the atmosphere of this elegant conversation."

Yan Qianzhi breathed a sigh of relief.

That’s right, Sang Wan is not the type of person who likes scholars.

She smiled and said, "Speaking of this man, my father likes him very much and wants to take him as his disciple. Now he is competing with Prime Minister Shen for him."

Although Qiu Chaoge came from a family of military generals, he was influenced by his surroundings and was quite sensitive to the political situation:

"Your Majesty is on an incognito visit today. Shi Luochuan's performance is superior, but Fang Zhiru comes from a more privileged family and their talents are comparable. In my opinion, this year's top scholar will fall between Fang and Shi."

"How about we make a bet?" Sang Wanyan smiled and was in a very good mood:

"Who will be the new top scholar this year? I'm betting on Shi Luochuan, one thousand taels of silver."

Qiu Chaoge took a breath of cold air:

"So generous! This thousand taels could buy a lot of food and horses. Then I bet...Shi Luochuan!"

They both looked at Yan Qianzhi: "What about you?"

Her father was the Minister of Rites, so he had more comprehensive information. Since ancient times, top scholars have always come from aristocratic families, and people from humble backgrounds rarely make it to the top three. Therefore, Yan Qianzhi said with certainty:

"Although Shi Luochuan is talented, his background is slightly inferior. Today's discussion cannot represent all of him. I bet Fang Zhiru will win."

"Okay, then let's wait and see."

Sang Wan walked to the window and looked at Shi Luochuan's back.

Brother Luochuan, come on.