Chapter 322: The King

★The preceding part added 3000 characters.

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Main text:

The money and goods transaction was settled; after that person left, Da Wang opened another order, and someone came to buy a piece of pine-soot ink bearing the royal mansion's seal.

Da Wang, having saved enough money, happily closed his stall; before bed he added the silver mine's output of over three hundred thousand taels from the past half year, plus the several ten thousand taels earned by the Commerce Department, bringing his total to five hundred thousand taels to top up his balance.

Thus his balance reached one hundred thousand taels, Da Wang instantly became prosperous again, feeling much more at ease, and he fell asleep with a smile.

In his dream Da Wang had assembled a luxurious carriage pulled by six white dragon horses, which he rode on campaigns and tours—needless to say, it was extremely eye‑catching. In the middle of the night he laughed out loud happily, causing the bear by the bedside to get up several times to check whether Da Wang had secretly eaten something good—how could he be so happy?

Something good must have happened that it doesn't know about!

The bear was so anxious it couldn't sleep—what on earth is going on?

In the dead of night it didn't sleep either, its two round eyes fixed unblinkingly on Da Wang as it frantically scratched its head……

Bai Ze: ……

It instinctively wanted to vent to another not‑so‑stupid creature, turned its head and saw the table where it usually sat was empty…… oh, that one had gone to stare at Wei Shen……

Bai Ze lowered its head and lay flat on its exclusive big carpet, helpless, helpless—everything in this room is doomed……

Da Wang drew inspiration from his major client's reaction; the next day he packed his schoolbag eagerly and went to the Academy to study!

The attendants nearby were stunned, and the Grand Tutor felt relieved.

As for Xie Yuan, he was rather unusual.

The Da Wang at the Academy and the Da Wang who gallops with a whip are really not alike, truly different!

After school let out, all the other students left, leaving only Da Wang still at his seat, diligently writing.

So diligent?

Xie Yuan glanced at Da Wang, twitching his mouth sharply; if you looked closely you could see his eyebrows jump as well.

Is this still the Great King of the Northern Territory? What a mischievous mud‑child!

Da Wang took an extremely rare 'big' brush—how big is it? He couldn't hold it with one hand.

So Da Wang wrote where the brush tip bulged in an arc as he gripped it, the spot still dipped in ink—could that hand be clean? His two pitch‑black claws occasionally scratched his face, and Xie Yuan's brow twitched again.

As for why there's not only a bear standing outside but also a row of personal guards—this image of the Prince of the Northern Territory at the moment, being seen like this, certainly affects the Northern Territory's image.

What would characters written with this kind of brush look like?

Xie Yuan was also curious.

So he leaned in for a look and discovered…… that the so‑called 'character' really isn't a character at all.

One ink blob after another Da Wang painstakingly smeared onto the practice sheet…… the stroke order was correct, but the finished product was a mess.

At this moment Xie Yuan thought, Grand Tutor Xu really isn't an ordinary person—how has he endured all these years?

Da Wang himself was also troubled; he obviously wasn't too satisfied with today's work, he threw away the 'broom‑head' in his hand, picked up a nearby pencil and continued writing in the same posture he'd just used with the brush.

"Now that's more like it—this brush is great! Suitable for students of any age~"

Xie Yuan was speechless: "Not every student would take a brush of this size to the Academy just to mess around."

Da Wang quickly deflected responsibility: "It's because Weini changed my gear when I went out today—it's just too mischievous!"

The bear that had been climbing the door and window to check whether he was still there suddenly sneezed, then started pounding on the door, saying, 'Let the bear in, it's cold out here~' while ignoring its own thick fur.

Da Wang pointed at the entrance: "Look, it admitted it!"

Xie Yuan: ……

He looked more closely at Da Wang's work and realized Da Wang wasn't writing himself—he was tracing, and that character below……

"Don't move!"

Xie Yuan pressed down Da Wang's black claw and snatched the practice sheet.

Da Wang had already ruined half of this sheet; the remaining characters untouched by the 'black' hand could be described as 'graceful like floating clouds, agile like a startled dragon'—they have the flavor of seal and clerical script, yet also a beauty of endless variation.

Simple and solemn, vast and profound!

Marvelous!

Xie Yuan, lost in admiration, Da Wang struggled to regain his focus: "I haven't finished writing yet!"

Xie Yuan drew a breath!

Why ruin such fine writing? Where couldn't you dab those ink specks?!

"Sir, take a look at this brush—isn't it light and easy to use? It's just right for my age, and even more suitable for younger students! Kids first need to learn to recognize and write characters; calligraphy comes later. I want to promote this cheap, convenient brush in the Northern Territory—what do you think, sir?"

"Pretty good, pretty good! The only problem is this practice sheet—do you have any more, Your Highness?"

Da Wang carefully observed Xie Yuan's expression, oh oh his moustache twitching, he felt a bit reassured. Blurting out frankly: "If Mr. Xie comes out of retirement, there'll be 【work】; if not, there won't be."

Xie Yuan: ……

A toothache.