Wang Dongdong didn't directly respond to Ling Yuke, only shaking her head: "Actually, Ruan Shizi told me."
Ruan Shizhi, who had been mentioned, flushed red, even his neck turning crimson.
Liu Sheng thought it was pretty much like the roasted pork skin in her bowl.
"You all must have heard it too, right?"
"Lanting Gathering, a letter from the Northern Frontier."
Apart from Liu Sheng and Yang Qing, who were confused, those eight short words brought everyone back to the scene three years ago.
Especially Ruan Shizhi; his recently flushed face turned pale.
At that time, they were at the Lanting Pavilion, attending the Lanting Gathering hosted by Princess Lanling, and along with other young nobles from the capital, they were imitating ancient scholars by playing 'floating cups and winding streams,' sitting by the pond, composing poems, and drinking wine.
When everyone was a bit tipsy, Ruan Shizhi's servant suddenly handed him a letter.
Ruan Shizhi opened the letter and read it, his fair face turning ashen. Everyone expressed their concern.
"Ruan Shizi, at that time, your mother, with tens of thousands of soldiers, almost fell in the Northern Frontier, didn't she? Fortunately, your father then went north, seeking out various Weaving Institutes and Exploration Divisions to gather forces to rescue your mother," Wang Dongdong said slowly.
"Yes." Ruan Shizhi certainly hadn't forgotten; at that time, he thought he was going to lose his mother forever.
Accustomed to being a quiet and weak fop under his parents' wings, he couldn't imagine what it would be like to lose all of that.
"I've never seen Ruan Shizi so flustered and helpless," Wang Dongdong recalled that day, sighing, "So I didn't have too many thoughts. I just wanted to go and see what kind of bizarre entity could trap such a formidable General Ruan and make everyone in the world tremble at the mention of it."
"Fighting cocks and walking dogs in Chang'an, this cultivation has no place to be displayed. It's better to be like the heroines in storybooks and do something for the common people, although after actually doing it, I found it's not quite like what I imagined, and it's not entirely satisfactory…"
Wang Dongdong and Liu Sheng thought of the ridiculous things that happened in Li County and couldn't help but smile at each other.
Thinking about it now, it felt like a lifetime ago.
"That's right, Dongdong, you've loved reading heroine stories since you were little," Shao Yan remembered, smiling sweetly.
"At first, Sister Shao Yan, you lent them to me!" Wang Dongdong said with a smile.
These words, Liu Sheng was hearing for the first time.
Although the two were close, Wang Dongdong had always disliked talking about her background, and consequently, she wouldn't mention that the reason she needed to gain experience at the grassroots level was because of a figure like the Protector-General of the North.
Firstly, she didn't want to be too high-profile, and secondly, she knew Liu Sheng didn't care at all.
"Dongdong indeed has the demeanor of a heroine; we truly cannot compare." Jiang Cai Zhi shook his head and sighed, smiling lightly, "Dongdong, I'll toast you!"
Liu Sheng also secretly shook her head and sighed, 'As expected of Big Brother; although there wasn't a hint of warmth in his eyes, he still pretended to be magnanimous and not bothered, trying to ease the atmosphere.'
"Moreover, Dongdong's approach is correct. Currently, the Emperor values experienced individuals greatly and despises empty talk on paper the most." Jiang Cai Zhi also revealed this piece of information.
"Ruan Shizhi and Cai Bin have both entered the Honghu Plan, so I don't need to say more."
“Oh, wow, I finally see a living person who participated in the Honghu Plan!”
“Hmph, one looks like a foul-mouthed person, the other looks dull. Luckily, I didn’t go!”
“Tsk, how sour.”
Jiang Cai Zhi continued, "Those of you who still need to take the Imperial Examination, if you can pass the Examination, it's best to gain some experience before the Hall Examination to avoid talking empty words when facing the Emperor."
"May I ask what Big Brother Jiang means by 'gain some experience'?" Yang Qing asked respectfully.
"Hunting Ghouls." Jing Hao coldly uttered two words.
Yang Qing's face turned pale upon hearing this: "But, how dangerous is that…"
"If you truly become an official in the court, and you don't know what a real ghoul looks like, can you truly offer advice to the Emperor?" Shao Yan frowned slightly, her voice sharp.
Suddenly, Ling Yuke, who had been silent all along, let out a cold laugh and said, "Brothers and sisters, although this is a way out, I want to tell you that you are wrong."
"Does Yu Ke know something?"
Although Jiang Cai Zhi had entered officialdom, he was still new and his rank was not high. He knew who Ling Yuke's father was, so he naturally dared not underestimate Ling Yuke's words.
"Brother Cai Zhi's news is already old. It seems those old fogeys in the Ministry of Rites don't know, do they?" Ling Yuke said with considerable self-satisfaction, "My father said that the Emperor now has other ideas."
"What ideas?" Jiang Cai Zhi frowned, asking humbly.
Everyone leaned forward, waiting for Ling Yuke's answer.
Especially those who were about to take the Imperial Examination.
Liu Sheng also quietly perked up her ears, but she already had a guess in her heart.
"Vigorize divine studies, cultivate divine books, and establish divine temples."
Nine words, striking the ground with force.
Immediately, the entire place fell silent.
After Ling Yuke finished speaking, she had a slightly smug look on her face. Her father intentionally cultivated her and often discussed court affairs with her, so she knew quite a bit.
Among everyone's parents, although her father's position wasn't the highest, when it came to being a close minister to the Emperor, her father was definitely at the top.
Except for a certain rising figure named Wen…
Everyone was also aware of this matter, so they naturally had no doubts; instead, they all looked thoughtful.
Except for Liu Sheng.
Liu Sheng had already gained some understanding of the Emperor's inclination towards this through the Huaishan Training and recent official gazettes, but she didn't know such specific policies.
It seemed Ling Yuke's father was no ordinary official.
So Liu Sheng could only quietly take out her spirit message and type a line of text for Wang Dongdong to see.
【Who is her father?】
Wang Dongdong took Liu Sheng's spirit message, typed a few words, and then returned it to her.
Liu Sheng took it and read it.
【Minister of Public Works Ling Fu】
Instantly, Liu Sheng's mind exploded.
She couldn't help but let out a long sigh and put away her spirit message.
But Liu Sheng, immersed in her internal discussion, was completely unaware of how loud her sigh was in the quiet private room.
"What's wrong? This… is it Liushu? Do you have any questions about what I said?" Ling Yuke reacted strongly and immediately questioned her.
Liu Sheng shook her head.
"One, my name is Liu Sheng; two, I have no questions, you spoke very well, you're amazing."
Liu Sheng even clapped a few times perfunctorily as she spoke.
Her manner, like someone placating a child, made others even more annoyed.
Ling Yuke puffed out her cheeks with anger but didn't know where to start, so she could only silently swallow it.
And so, Liu Sheng became the conversation stopper.
Liu Sheng was also happy about this, because this way everyone finally started eating, no longer letting the delicious food get cold.
Although everyone still looked preoccupied and couldn't eat much.
By this time, Ling Xiaoshu was already unceremoniously eating with a greasy mouth and a bulging stomach. Liu Sheng felt a little embarrassed watching her and thought she should proactively give some Lingtual to whoever was paying the bill later.
After a long while, Jiang Cai Zhi, Jiang Caibin, Yang Qing, and Ling Yuke finally started chatting, all revolving around topics such as policy and current affairs, geopolitical relations, fine wine and tea, and entertainment in Chang'an.
Liu Sheng listened for a few sentences, felt that there was a lot of information but also seemingly none, so she stopped listening.
Eating too much roasted duck and roasted pork made her feel greasy and uncomfortable.