"Prince Yu, I have some other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now." Xiliu Yuan stood up.

"Take care, Your Highness." Prince Yu rose.

Xiliu Yuan departed.

Helian Chen stared at the scene below, his face still a mask of disbelief. "She’s only six years old. It has to be a coincidence. It must be."

"Chenchen, look at the Crown Prince of Xi Yan. So mature and composed. And then look at yourself."

"The Crown Prince of Xi Yan is hailed by all as a prodigy. I doubt anyone in the four nations can compare to him," Helian Chen said nonchalantly.

"You... *Sigh*. Before we came, your father, the Emperor, specifically instructed us to build a good relationship with Xi Yan. We finally had a rare chance to meet him, and he left before we could even exchange more than a few words," Prince Yu lamented.

After arriving at the Beili courier station, he had tried to request an audience with the Crown Prince of Xi Yan multiple times, only to be turned away. It was a rare opportunity to run into him today, and a perfect chance to invite the young Crown Prince to a meal and get acquainted.

But he had left before the food was even served. Prince Yu wondered if they would even have another chance to meet him before returning to Nanyuan.

"Uncle, even if he is a prodigy, he’s still only thirteen. He can’t make the final decision on something as major as the trade agreement between Nanyuan and Xi Yan." Helian Chen felt there was no need to curry favor with someone so unreceptive.

"What do you know," Prince Yu said helplessly.

Commerce flourished among the other three nations, but very few merchants from Nanyuan engaged in international trade. As a result, Nanyuan’s financial strength now lagged far behind the other three.

If they didn’t find a solution soon, Nanyuan’s future would be grim.

"Yes, yes, I don’t understand. But if I get into Lou Mountain Academy and win Dean Chen’s favor, it will benefit our Nanyuan in the future."

"That may be so, but Dean Chen isn’t accepting new disciples. If you want to stand out, you must come out on top in terms of scholarship. Are you confident you can do that?"

"My academic performance isn’t bad, you know."

Seeing this, Prince Yu couldn’t help but laugh. "There’s a big difference between ’not bad’ and ’the very best.’"

"I... Even the Grand Tutor says my coursework is excellent, and Father Emperor often praises me too."

"Dean Chen is famous across the four nations. Your father, the Emperor, attended his lectures back in the day. Dean Chen also taught the emperors of East Shu and Xi Yan." Prince Yu recalled the past with a sigh and a laugh, then added, "Back then, your uncle was even scolded by Dean Chen for being dull-witted. With your level of scholarship, how much favor do you think you can possibly earn from him?"

Helian Chen lowered his eyes, silent for a moment.

"So, just focus on getting into Lou Mountain Academy. Don’t think you can reach the heavens in a single step..."

"But you don’t necessarily have to rely on talent and learning to win Dean Chen’s favor."

"Hm?"

"By relying on your face."

Prince Yu thought his nephew was acting a little strange. "You don’t have a fever."

"Uncle, I’m serious." Helian Chen knocked his hand away from his forehead.

"But you... you’re not exactly stunningly handsome."

’Relying on his face?’

It wasn’t that he was trying to belittle his own nephew, but the Crown Prince of Xi Yan was leagues ahead of him in terms of looks. Even the Crown Prince of Beili, while not as striking as Xi Yan’s, was still better-looking than his nephew.

Those princes were so handsome, yet Dean Chen remained unmoved. Wasn’t his nephew being a bit too fanciful?

"Exactly. My looks aren’t outstanding."

"Then what is it??" Prince Yu was completely baffled.

"Dean Chen has seen too many handsome faces. He’s probably seen so many he can’t even remember them all. Therefore, the uglier someone is, the more likely he is to remember their face."

"...Chenchen, where did you get this idea from?"

"Beili’s future Crown Princess Consort! Uncle, you must not have seen her just now. Her face is uglier than a pig’s head, she’s a glutton and she’s fat, and she’s a good-for-nothing from the countryside. Yet Dean Chen specifically chose her as his personal disciple. That’s enough to prove there’s something wrong with Dean Chen’s eyes," Helian Chen analyzed.

"..."

Although Prince Yu was also curious why Dean Chen would accept a six-year-old child, he felt that any other explanation was possible—any, except for the one his nephew just proposed. That was absolutely impossible!