In front of a large crowd, A'Da dared not lay a hand on the officials from the Ministry of Justice. Today, the capital city was heavily guarded, even if he had wings, it would be difficult for him to escape.
In his career as an assassin, he felt suffocated for the first time, with nowhere to turn.
"This person seems extraordinary," said a yamen constable from the Jingzhao Prefecture, "Please take him back to the Ministry of Justice."
"The Ministry of Justice's prison is already packed," frowned one of the Ministry of Justice's officials, "Don't just dump everything on us."
"Daren, we don't want to do that either," the yamen constable smiled, pleasingly, "But the prison in our Jingzhao Prefecture is not as secure as your department's prison. What if this criminal manages to escape?"
The Ministry of Justice's officials knew they were afraid of taking responsibility. He turned his head and glanced at the man who was captured and nodded, "Forget it, you can continue with your patrol. We'll take him back."
A'Da looked at the handcuffs on his wrists and asked, "Daren, may I know what crime I have committed and why I am being arrested?"
The official from the Ministry of Justice patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough."
However, the calmer the Ministry of Justice official's attitude, the more A'Da speculated in mind. When he sneaked out of Princess Leyang Estate earlier, did anyone notice him?
If something happened to him, would it implicate Master Xie?
The more he thought about it, the more worries filled his mind. He twisted his bound wrists. He didn't even have a chance to take the poison hidden on him.
"Why is someone else coming in?" The prison warden looked at the worried official from the Ministry of Justice, "Brothers, we can't fit anyone else in here."
"It's alright, Daren. I can squeeze with him," said a fellow prisoner sitting next to A'Da, trying to please the warden, "You can rest assured, I won't bully the newcomer."
"Alright, let him squeeze with you later," the official from the Ministry of Justice led the man into the adjacent interrogation room and thoroughly searched him.
"Dart, healing medicine, dagger..." the official glanced over the items on the table, "Tell me, what's your name, where do you live, and who else is associated with you?"
A'Da remained silent.
"Not talking?" the official raised his hand, "Lock him up, let him sober up first, don't remove the shackles."
A'Da was secretly puzzled. What did this official from the Ministry of Justice mean? They discovered these items on him but didn't continue the questioning?
"Brother, to dare carry weapons in the capital city?" the man imprisoned with A'Da said enthusiastically, sitting next to him, "You're quite impressive."
A'Da glanced at him without saying a word.
However, the fellow inmate seemed unaffected by his coldness and continued to speak enthusiastically, without lowering his enthusiasm. He kept chattering incessantly.
"I used to be a bully on the streets and alleys. If it weren't for a conflict with a servant of a noble family, resulting in me cutting off his leg with a knife, I wouldn't be locked up here," the prisoner patted his chest, "Back then, as long as people mentioned my name, they all called me Big Brother."
"Shut up!" A'Da couldn't bear it any longer. He had never encountered such a talkative person before.
"Brother, you finally spoke?" the fellow inmate rejoiced, "I thought you were mute or deaf. Anyway, it's good as long as you can hear what I'm saying."
The whole afternoon, A'Da had been listening to this person boasting about his past glory, even claiming that the village girls would take a few more glances at him.
"Also, my ancestors were once prominent," the prisoner shook his head, "But unfortunately, thirty years ago, my family got into trouble, and we were ruined, ending up like this."
Thirty years ago...
A'Da glanced at the man and asked, "Thirty years ago, were your family members officials in the court?"
"Not at all," the prisoner took out a bead hanging around his neck, "My mother said this was a reward given by a palace concubine. She told me to keep it as a family heirloom."
Thirty years ago, a palace concubine...
That must be one of the late emperor's concubines. The officials who were never vindicated for their crimes and were still in prison were probably the faction that opposed the current Empress Dowager.
There had been rumors that the late emperor's death was shrouded in mystery; even the imperial edict for the succession was switched by the current Empress Dowager and Emperor. The current Emperor only ascended the throne by tampering with the decree.
As night fell, carriages heading to the palace arrived one after another. Whether they were envoys from other countries or the nobles of Great Jin, they lined up in front of the palace gates and entered the magnificent palace one by one.
Princess Yan of the Daimao Kingdom looked at the men and women walking hand in hand ahead with envy, feeling that the women in Great Jin were truly fortunate.
In her Daimao Kingdom, women were not allowed to attend important occasions. Even if they were fortunate enough to attend, men and women were seated separately. Even if they were husband and wife, the wife had no right to sit at the same table as her husband.
During her days studying in Great Jin, she truly broadened her horizons. Here, there were women who served as generals and physicians, as well as some noblewomen who kept male companions throughout their lives and remained unmarried.
Such behavior was not allowed in her Daimao Kingdom. After a Princess of Daimao married her Fuma, if they didn't have children within a few years and the Fuma wanted to take a concubine, the Princess would be criticized by the censors if she didn't agree to it.
A few days ago, a Princess studying with her asked about some customs in the Daimao Kingdom. When she mentioned this rule, the Princess of Great Jin seemed astonished.
"Can the Fuma dare to take a concubine? Even if the Princess can tolerate it, would your Emperor agree?" she asked in confusion.
She asked in confusion, "If a woman does not produce offspring for five years, the husband takes concubines to continue the family line. Why would they oppose it?"
"Since he can become a Fuma, it means he is not the only son in the family. Even if he and the Princess have no children, it doesn't mean the family line is cut off. Why take a concubine?" the Princess of Great Jin said, "If this were in our Great Jin, this type of Fuma would have brought disaster upon his entire family."
Princess Yan felt that this Princess's words were too harsh, but deep down, she was somewhat envious.
It seemed that women in Great Jin lived more freely.
However, she didn't have many opportunities to go out, so she didn't have a direct sense of the daily lives of women in Great Jin. Just looking at many women walking on the streets and men and women walking side by side in the palace was enough to astonish her.
"Please follow me, esteemed envoys," A palace maid approached with a smile, guiding them, "The banquet will be held in the Wuyang Hall. If there is anything you need, please feel free to instruct us."
"Thank you," the representatives of the Kingdom of Daimao quickly expressed their gratitude, fearing that the people of Great Jin might perceive them as arrogant.
"Please," The palace maid courteously led them into the Wuyang Hall. Inside the hall, nearly half of the guests had already arrived. The representatives of the Kingdom of Daimao noticed that the representatives of the Kingdom of Jinpo had arrived earlier than them, sitting quietly in the corners, looking so obedient that it was hard to believe they were once the assertive ministers of Jinpo.
"Your Highness, shall we go over and greet them?" one of the representatives from the Kingdom of Daimao whispered.
Before He Yuanting could speak, another representative from the Kingdom of Daimao spoke first, "Jinpo has just made peace with Great Jin. If we go over to greet them now, what if Great Jin misunderstands our connection with Jinpo?"
"Your Highness, perhaps it's best if we don't go," Another representative from the Kingdom of Daimao suggested, "There is a constant stream of people coming and going here, so it's not convenient to walk around."
Officials from the Ministry of Rites came over to guide them to their seats. The representatives of the Kingdom of Daimao noticed that their Third Prince and Princess Yan were seated together. They wanted to point out that this was against protocol, but seeing that women and men were sitting together at other tables as well, they had to swallow their words.
Seeing that the representatives of both Jinpo and the Kingdom of Daimao, two major countries, were sitting obediently and not making a sound, the envoys from other small countries became even more rule-abiding. Some envoys had silently rehearsed various words of praise several times in their minds so that they could flatter Emperor Changlong to the fullest when the time came.
With the arrival of several princes of the Great Jin, regardless of whether they were familiar with these princes or not, everyone showed expressions of admiration and envy. In fluent or broken Great Jin language, they lavishly praised them.
Praising others is a timeless routine to please them.
Since this was an important banquet, all the invited countries were punctual, and almost everyone arrived before the start time.
While people were chatting quietly, they noticed the palace servants attending to them suddenly bowing respectfully and looking toward the entrance of the main hall. They saw a handsome young man and a young girl walking hand in hand. The young man was wearing a brocade robe with a golden crown adorned with dragon patterns, his clothes were embroidered with faint dragon patterns.
"Your Royal Highness, the Crown Prince!" The dignitaries quickly stood up to bow to the Crown Prince, fearing that the Crown Prince might suddenly go mad and embarrass them in front of so many people.
"No need for excessive courtesy, esteemed gentlemen," The Crown Prince gave the dignitaries a reserved smile.
The dignitaries became even more nervous. The Crown Prince seemed a bit abnormal today.
"Gentlemen, you have traveled a long way. Great Jin has always been hospitable. Please do not hesitate to enjoy yourselves. Eat and drink as you please," the Crown Prince said with a slight smile to the envoys from various countries.
The envoys quickly flattered the Crown Prince, praising him from head to toe. Some were curious about the young girl by the Crown Prince's side and secretly speculated if she was a princess.
"This is the future Crown Princess, Fushou Junzhu," The Crown Prince seemed to know what they were guessing and considerately revealed the identity of Hua Liuli.
"This young lady is like a fairy descending to the mortal realm. I was just thinking earlier; what kind of young man would be worthy of such a beautiful girl? It turns out to be the Crown Prince," One envoy from a small country quickly said, "Only a fairy-like person could truly match the Crown Prince. Before seeing the Crown Prince and Junzhu, I didn't understand the true meaning of the phrase 'heavenly match'."
Other small countries didn't want this envoy to take all the limelight, so they each offered carefully prepared flattery.
The most exaggerated was an envoy who claimed to be the Grand Tutor of their country and an expert in past and present lives.
"The Crown Prince and Junzhu are an inseparable and eternal good match," This self-proclaimed Grand Tutor shamelessly uttered false compliments.
Hua Liuli felt that she still had too little experience and should learn a few tricks from these envoys, so that she wouldn't worry about running out of vocabulary when the Fifth Prince asked her to appreciate paintings in the future.
"Thank you for your kind words, esteemed envoy," The Crown Prince seemed to be very pleased with these flatteries. He held Hua Liuli's hand and whispered in her ear, "Did you hear that? You and I are destined for eternity."
"I understand, I understand, be good," Hua Liuli pointed to the Crown Prince's designated seat, "You should take your seat quickly, I'll go find Father and Mother."
"Wait," The Crown Prince held onto Hua Liuli's hand and whispered softly, "Can you accompany me to my seat?"
"Your Royal Highness, you are the Crown Prince, don't act so spoiled," Hua Liuli saw the pitiful look in the Crown Prince's eyes and couldn't bear to turn and leave. She advised, "Be good, this is the Hundred Nations Banquet. It's not appropriate for me to sit there."
"You are the future Crown Princess. What's inappropriate about sitting by my side?" The Crown Prince continued to act pitiful.
"You also know that I'm the future Crown Princess," Hua Liuli untangled the Crown Prince's grip on her wrist, "I'm not a wicked imperial concubine who brings calamity to the country and its people."
"I understand," The Crown Prince let go of Hua Liuli's hand and leaned down with a smiling face, whispering in her ear with a playful smile, "Are you implying that I should marry you sooner?"
Hua Liuli: "..."
Her hand itched a bit, but she resisted!
After all, she was a delicate and frail beauty.
"Don't worry, tomorrow I will urge the Qintian Observatory to calculate the most auspicious wedding date," The Crown Prince said pitifully, "Next time we attend such an occasion, I won't have to sit alone anymore."
Hua Liuli's heart trembled. She turned her head and noticed that although the other princes had not yet married, they were sitting beside their mothers, engaging in joyful conversations. It was heartwarming.
Thinking about how the Crown Prince had been sitting alone since childhood, her heart felt both sour and soft. She reached out and held his finger, "I will come to you later, alright?"
"Is that a promise?" The Crown Prince chuckled and rubbed her head, "It's alright, I was just joking. Go join your parents."
"I'm not lying to you," Hua Liuli smiled at the Crown Prince before turning and sitting next to Hua Yingting and Wei Mingyue.
Hua Yingting looked at Hua Liuli in surprise, "Who's this little girl? How did she end up sitting here?"
"I'm the little girl picked by General Hua and General Wei," Hua Liuli rested her chin on her hand and smiled at Hua Yingting, "Do you want this little girl?"
"I reluctantly accept, although this little girl seems to have caught the Crown Prince's eye and can't walk properly anymore," Hua Yingting shook his head in resignation, "Father isn't concerned about this little girl's appearance. What can we do"
"Is she the future Crown Princess?" Princess Yan of Daimao couldn't take her eyes off Hua Liuli since she entered the palace. Although she appeared delicate, there was a vitality about her that was incredibly captivating. She couldn't help but want to take another look.
Seeing her speaking freely with the Crown Prince without anyone giving them strange looks, Princess Yan couldn't help but smile.
How wonderful.
"Father initially intended for you to become the Crown Prince's side concubine," He Yuanting said to his sister, showing little sibling affection for this insignificant girl, "The Crown Prince seems quite pleased with the future Crown Princess. Even if you enter the Eastern Palace, you won't be valued."
Princess Yan timidly whispered, "Third Brother, they seem to have such a good relationship. I don't want to be the antagonist."
He Yuanting sneered, "Don't worry, even if you wanted to play the antagonist, you wouldn't have the chance."
Princess Yan felt relieved after hearing that. Seeing her Third Brother's displeased expression, she dared not show any joy on her face.
"You need to think it through. Father Emperor sent you to Great Jin without any intention of bringing you back," He Yuanting said calmly, lowering his eyelids, "If the Emperor of Great Jin refuses to accept you into the imperial harem, and the Crown Prince doesn't want to marry you as a concubine, are you willing to spend your life in Great Jin, pretending to study?"
Princess Yan's face lost its color gradually. She looked at the radiant Fushou Junzhu sitting across from her and firmly nodded her head, "I admire the culture of Great Jin and I'm willing to study here for a lifetime."
He never expected his timid sister to utter such words. He Yuanting laughed inexplicably, no longer pressuring her further.
He waved to Great Jin palace maids, "Benwang heard that your country has two Royal Princesses. Why is only one of them present today?"
"Respected envoy, Princess Leyang and her Fuma are feeling unwell and won't be attending today's banquet."
He Yuanting turned his head, glancing at the Crown Prince seated above him, and nodded with a smile, "Benwang understands. Thank you for the information."
Krish728
Author's Note:
The Flattery Contest begins!
In front of a large crowd, A'Da dared not lay a hand on the officials from the Ministry of Justice. Today, the capital city was heavily guarded, even if he had wings, it would be difficult for him to escape.
In his career as an assassin, he felt suffocated for the first time, with nowhere to turn.
"This person seems extraordinary," said a yamen constable from the Jingzhao Prefecture, "Please take him back to the Ministry of Justice."
"The Ministry of Justice's prison is already packed," frowned one of the Ministry of Justice's officials, "Don't just dump everything on us."
"Daren, we don't want to do that either," the yamen constable smiled, pleasingly, "But the prison in our Jingzhao Prefecture is not as secure as your department's prison. What if this criminal manages to escape?"
The Ministry of Justice's officials knew they were afraid of taking responsibility. He turned his head and glanced at the man who was captured and nodded, "Forget it, you can continue with your patrol. We'll take him back."
A'Da looked at the handcuffs on his wrists and asked, "Daren, may I know what crime I have committed and why I am being arrested?"
The official from the Ministry of Justice patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough."
However, the calmer the Ministry of Justice official's attitude, the more A'Da speculated in mind. When he sneaked out of Princess Leyang Estate earlier, did anyone notice him?
If something happened to him, would it implicate Master Xie?
The more he thought about it, the more worries filled his mind. He twisted his bound wrists. He didn't even have a chance to take the poison hidden on him.
"Why is someone else coming in?" The prison warden looked at the worried official from the Ministry of Justice, "Brothers, we can't fit anyone else in here."
"It's alright, Daren. I can squeeze with him," said a fellow prisoner sitting next to A'Da, trying to please the warden, "You can rest assured, I won't bully the newcomer."
"Alright, let him squeeze with you later," the official from the Ministry of Justice led the man into the adjacent interrogation room and thoroughly searched him.
"Dart, healing medicine, dagger..." the official glanced over the items on the table, "Tell me, what's your name, where do you live, and who else is associated with you?"
A'Da remained silent.
"Not talking?" the official raised his hand, "Lock him up, let him sober up first, don't remove the shackles."
A'Da was secretly puzzled. What did this official from the Ministry of Justice mean? They discovered these items on him but didn't continue the questioning?
"Brother, to dare carry weapons in the capital city?" the man imprisoned with A'Da said enthusiastically, sitting next to him, "You're quite impressive."
A'Da glanced at him without saying a word.
However, the fellow inmate seemed unaffected by his coldness and continued to speak enthusiastically, without lowering his enthusiasm. He kept chattering incessantly.
"I used to be a bully on the streets and alleys. If it weren't for a conflict with a servant of a noble family, resulting in me cutting off his leg with a knife, I wouldn't be locked up here," the prisoner patted his chest, "Back then, as long as people mentioned my name, they all called me Big Brother."
"Shut up!" A'Da couldn't bear it any longer. He had never encountered such a talkative person before.
"Brother, you finally spoke?" the fellow inmate rejoiced, "I thought you were mute or deaf. Anyway, it's good as long as you can hear what I'm saying."
The whole afternoon, A'Da had been listening to this person boasting about his past glory, even claiming that the village girls would take a few more glances at him.
"Also, my ancestors were once prominent," the prisoner shook his head, "But unfortunately, thirty years ago, my family got into trouble, and we were ruined, ending up like this."
Thirty years ago...
A'Da glanced at the man and asked, "Thirty years ago, were your family members officials in the court?"
"Not at all," the prisoner took out a bead hanging around his neck, "My mother said this was a reward given by a palace concubine. She told me to keep it as a family heirloom."
Thirty years ago, a palace concubine...
That must be one of the late emperor's concubines. The officials who were never vindicated for their crimes and were still in prison were probably the faction that opposed the current Empress Dowager.
There had been rumors that the late emperor's death was shrouded in mystery; even the imperial edict for the succession was switched by the current Empress Dowager and Emperor. The current Emperor only ascended the throne by tampering with the decree.
As night fell, carriages heading to the palace arrived one after another. Whether they were envoys from other countries or the nobles of Great Jin, they lined up in front of the palace gates and entered the magnificent palace one by one.
Princess Yan of the Daimao Kingdom looked at the men and women walking hand in hand ahead with envy, feeling that the women in Great Jin were truly fortunate.
In her Daimao Kingdom, women were not allowed to attend important occasions. Even if they were fortunate enough to attend, men and women were seated separately. Even if they were husband and wife, the wife had no right to sit at the same table as her husband.
During her days studying in Great Jin, she truly broadened her horizons. Here, there were women who served as generals and physicians, as well as some noblewomen who kept male companions throughout their lives and remained unmarried.
Such behavior was not allowed in her Daimao Kingdom. After a Princess of Daimao married her Fuma, if they didn't have children within a few years and the Fuma wanted to take a concubine, the Princess would be criticized by the censors if she didn't agree to it.
A few days ago, a Princess studying with her asked about some customs in the Daimao Kingdom. When she mentioned this rule, the Princess of Great Jin seemed astonished.
"Can the Fuma dare to take a concubine? Even if the Princess can tolerate it, would your Emperor agree?" she asked in confusion.
She asked in confusion, "If a woman does not produce offspring for five years, the husband takes concubines to continue the family line. Why would they oppose it?"
"Since he can become a Fuma, it means he is not the only son in the family. Even if he and the Princess have no children, it doesn't mean the family line is cut off. Why take a concubine?" the Princess of Great Jin said, "If this were in our Great Jin, this type of Fuma would have brought disaster upon his entire family."
Princess Yan felt that this Princess's words were too harsh, but deep down, she was somewhat envious.
It seemed that women in Great Jin lived more freely.
However, she didn't have many opportunities to go out, so she didn't have a direct sense of the daily lives of women in Great Jin. Just looking at many women walking on the streets and men and women walking side by side in the palace was enough to astonish her.
"Please follow me, esteemed envoys," A palace maid approached with a smile, guiding them, "The banquet will be held in the Wuyang Hall. If there is anything you need, please feel free to instruct us."
"Thank you," the representatives of the Kingdom of Daimao quickly expressed their gratitude, fearing that the people of Great Jin might perceive them as arrogant.
"Please," The palace maid courteously led them into the Wuyang Hall. Inside the hall, nearly half of the guests had already arrived. The representatives of the Kingdom of Daimao noticed that the representatives of the Kingdom of Jinpo had arrived earlier than them, sitting quietly in the corners, looking so obedient that it was hard to believe they were once the assertive ministers of Jinpo.
"Your Highness, shall we go over and greet them?" one of the representatives from the Kingdom of Daimao whispered.
Before He Yuanting could speak, another representative from the Kingdom of Daimao spoke first, "Jinpo has just made peace with Great Jin. If we go over to greet them now, what if Great Jin misunderstands our connection with Jinpo?"
"Your Highness, perhaps it's best if we don't go," Another representative from the Kingdom of Daimao suggested, "There is a constant stream of people coming and going here, so it's not convenient to walk around."
Officials from the Ministry of Rites came over to guide them to their seats. The representatives of the Kingdom of Daimao noticed that their Third Prince and Princess Yan were seated together. They wanted to point out that this was against protocol, but seeing that women and men were sitting together at other tables as well, they had to swallow their words.
Seeing that the representatives of both Jinpo and the Kingdom of Daimao, two major countries, were sitting obediently and not making a sound, the envoys from other small countries became even more rule-abiding. Some envoys had silently rehearsed various words of praise several times in their minds so that they could flatter Emperor Changlong to the fullest when the time came.
With the arrival of several princes of the Great Jin, regardless of whether they were familiar with these princes or not, everyone showed expressions of admiration and envy. In fluent or broken Great Jin language, they lavishly praised them.
Praising others is a timeless routine to please them.
Since this was an important banquet, all the invited countries were punctual, and almost everyone arrived before the start time.
While people were chatting quietly, they noticed the palace servants attending to them suddenly bowing respectfully and looking toward the entrance of the main hall. They saw a handsome young man and a young girl walking hand in hand. The young man was wearing a brocade robe with a golden crown adorned with dragon patterns, his clothes were embroidered with faint dragon patterns.
"Your Royal Highness, the Crown Prince!" The dignitaries quickly stood up to bow to the Crown Prince, fearing that the Crown Prince might suddenly go mad and embarrass them in front of so many people.
"No need for excessive courtesy, esteemed gentlemen," The Crown Prince gave the dignitaries a reserved smile.
The dignitaries became even more nervous. The Crown Prince seemed a bit abnormal today.
"Gentlemen, you have traveled a long way. Great Jin has always been hospitable. Please do not hesitate to enjoy yourselves. Eat and drink as you please," the Crown Prince said with a slight smile to the envoys from various countries.
The envoys quickly flattered the Crown Prince, praising him from head to toe. Some were curious about the young girl by the Crown Prince's side and secretly speculated if she was a princess.
"This is the future Crown Princess, Fushou Junzhu," The Crown Prince seemed to know what they were guessing and considerately revealed the identity of Hua Liuli.
"This young lady is like a fairy descending to the mortal realm. I was just thinking earlier; what kind of young man would be worthy of such a beautiful girl? It turns out to be the Crown Prince," One envoy from a small country quickly said, "Only a fairy-like person could truly match the Crown Prince. Before seeing the Crown Prince and Junzhu, I didn't understand the true meaning of the phrase 'heavenly match'."
Other small countries didn't want this envoy to take all the limelight, so they each offered carefully prepared flattery.
The most exaggerated was an envoy who claimed to be the Grand Tutor of their country and an expert in past and present lives.
"The Crown Prince and Junzhu are an inseparable and eternal good match," This self-proclaimed Grand Tutor shamelessly uttered false compliments.
Hua Liuli felt that she still had too little experience and should learn a few tricks from these envoys, so that she wouldn't worry about running out of vocabulary when the Fifth Prince asked her to appreciate paintings in the future.
"Thank you for your kind words, esteemed envoy," The Crown Prince seemed to be very pleased with these flatteries. He held Hua Liuli's hand and whispered in her ear, "Did you hear that? You and I are destined for eternity."
"I understand, I understand, be good," Hua Liuli pointed to the Crown Prince's designated seat, "You should take your seat quickly, I'll go find Father and Mother."
"Wait," The Crown Prince held onto Hua Liuli's hand and whispered softly, "Can you accompany me to my seat?"
"Your Royal Highness, you are the Crown Prince, don't act so spoiled," Hua Liuli saw the pitiful look in the Crown Prince's eyes and couldn't bear to turn and leave. She advised, "Be good, this is the Hundred Nations Banquet. It's not appropriate for me to sit there."
"You are the future Crown Princess. What's inappropriate about sitting by my side?" The Crown Prince continued to act pitiful.
"You also know that I'm the future Crown Princess," Hua Liuli untangled the Crown Prince's grip on her wrist, "I'm not a wicked imperial concubine who brings calamity to the country and its people."
"I understand," The Crown Prince let go of Hua Liuli's hand and leaned down with a smiling face, whispering in her ear with a playful smile, "Are you implying that I should marry you sooner?"
Hua Liuli: "..."
Her hand itched a bit, but she resisted!
After all, she was a delicate and frail beauty.
"Don't worry, tomorrow I will urge the Qintian Observatory to calculate the most auspicious wedding date," The Crown Prince said pitifully, "Next time we attend such an occasion, I won't have to sit alone anymore."
Hua Liuli's heart trembled. She turned her head and noticed that although the other princes had not yet married, they were sitting beside their mothers, engaging in joyful conversations. It was heartwarming.
Thinking about how the Crown Prince had been sitting alone since childhood, her heart felt both sour and soft. She reached out and held his finger, "I will come to you later, alright?"
"Is that a promise?" The Crown Prince chuckled and rubbed her head, "It's alright, I was just joking. Go join your parents."
"I'm not lying to you," Hua Liuli smiled at the Crown Prince before turning and sitting next to Hua Yingting and Wei Mingyue.
Hua Yingting looked at Hua Liuli in surprise, "Who's this little girl? How did she end up sitting here?"
"I'm the little girl picked by General Hua and General Wei," Hua Liuli rested her chin on her hand and smiled at Hua Yingting, "Do you want this little girl?"
"I reluctantly accept, although this little girl seems to have caught the Crown Prince's eye and can't walk properly anymore," Hua Yingting shook his head in resignation, "Father isn't concerned about this little girl's appearance. What can we do"
"Is she the future Crown Princess?" Princess Yan of Daimao couldn't take her eyes off Hua Liuli since she entered the palace. Although she appeared delicate, there was a vitality about her that was incredibly captivating. She couldn't help but want to take another look.
Seeing her speaking freely with the Crown Prince without anyone giving them strange looks, Princess Yan couldn't help but smile.
How wonderful.
"Father initially intended for you to become the Crown Prince's side concubine," He Yuanting said to his sister, showing little sibling affection for this insignificant girl, "The Crown Prince seems quite pleased with the future Crown Princess. Even if you enter the Eastern Palace, you won't be valued."
Princess Yan timidly whispered, "Third Brother, they seem to have such a good relationship. I don't want to be the antagonist."
He Yuanting sneered, "Don't worry, even if you wanted to play the antagonist, you wouldn't have the chance."
Princess Yan felt relieved after hearing that. Seeing her Third Brother's displeased expression, she dared not show any joy on her face.
"You need to think it through. Father Emperor sent you to Great Jin without any intention of bringing you back," He Yuanting said calmly, lowering his eyelids, "If the Emperor of Great Jin refuses to accept you into the imperial harem, and the Crown Prince doesn't want to marry you as a concubine, are you willing to spend your life in Great Jin, pretending to study?"
Princess Yan's face lost its color gradually. She looked at the radiant Fushou Junzhu sitting across from her and firmly nodded her head, "I admire the culture of Great Jin and I'm willing to study here for a lifetime."
He never expected his timid sister to utter such words. He Yuanting laughed inexplicably, no longer pressuring her further.
He waved to Great Jin palace maids, "Benwang heard that your country has two Royal Princesses. Why is only one of them present today?"
"Respected envoy, Princess Leyang and her Fuma are feeling unwell and won't be attending today's banquet."
He Yuanting turned his head, glancing at the Crown Prince seated above him, and nodded with a smile, "Benwang understands. Thank you for the information."
Krish728
Author's Note:
The Flattery Contest begins!
