Chapter 186 Yin's Birthday Banquet (Part Two)

The birthday banquet was a lively and bustling affair in the Prince's mansion.

Mingyu, dressed in a pink silk dress, moved as gracefully as a butterfly flitting among the flowers. With sharp eyes, she spotted Ruoxi entering the mansion with her sister and brother-in-law.

Her eyes instantly lit up like stars, and she quickly moved closer: "General Chang, Madam Chang, I have something to discuss with Ruoxi."

"Sister." Ruoxi turned around and looked at Ruolan expectantly.

Ruolan smiled gently and nodded to the two of them: "Go ahead, but don't cause any trouble."

"Okay—"

With Ruolan's permission, Ruoxi and Mingyu linked arms and rushed to the backyard.

Bypassing the ornate railings and painted beams and the bustling crowds, the two hurried along and soon arrived at an exquisite pavilion.

As soon as I stepped into the pavilion, my eyes were drawn to the strings of objects hanging around me. A gentle breeze stirred, and the little things folded from red paper swayed gently, like a group of sprites about to take flight, lively and playful.

"What is this?" Ruoxi couldn't help but lean closer, reaching out to gently touch one of the strings, her eyes full of curiosity and doubt. She turned to look at Zhang Xiao, who was busy tidying up the props.

Zhang Xiao looked up at the sound and saw Ruoxi's bewildered expression. She couldn't help but smile, slowed her movements slightly, and said, "These are origami cranes. In my hometown, origami cranes carry many beautiful wishes."

She picked one up and handed it to Ruoxi, stroking the paper crane's wings with her fingertips, and continued, "Legend has it that if you fold a thousand paper cranes with all your heart, you can make a wish, and heaven might grant it for you. It symbolizes good fortune and happiness, and also signifies peace and longevity. Whether it's a birthday or a festival, giving a thousand paper cranes is a way to express your heartfelt blessings."

Ruoxi widened her eyes slightly and looked at Mingyu beside her: "Did you fold this?"

“How could that be!” Mingyu immediately retorted, “How could Yinzhen be so lucky as to have me fold paper cranes for him? If I hadn’t lost to him, would I have prepared these things for him? Folding paper cranes, he’s so proud of himself…”

Glancing at the strings of origami cranes hanging by the pavilion, Mingyu smiled and leaned against Zhang Xiao: "These were all folded by Sister Bixiao and the others. They spent the whole day folding them, they worked so hard—"

Zhang Xiao smiled faintly, having already learned to accept the reality that Mingyu's words, though not malicious, clearly reflected class distinctions.

"It's mainly because everyone helped out, so it wasn't too hard work," Zhang Xiao looked up at the strings of origami cranes hanging around the pavilion and explained with a smile, "Besides the auspicious meaning, there's another reason: it's also to provide some cover. After all, these are just minor scenes, and if the surroundings are too open, it's easy for them to see through us."

"I see."

Ruoxi suddenly realized, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up. She hurriedly said, "In that case, let's help too, so as not to be late."

After saying that, she and Mingyu exchanged a glance, tacitly rolled up their sleeves, and joined Zhang Xiao in preparing for his magic trick.

...

After the banquet for the guests ended, everyone sat relaxed and at ease during the small gathering among the brothers.

Yinzhen leaned back in the carved chair, swirling a wine cup in his hand, and looked at the tenth prince with a half-smile. He slowly said, "Tenth prince, I heard that Mingyu prepared a special birthday gift for you today. As your cousin, how come I've never had such an honor?" He then raised an eyebrow, his eyes revealing a hint of mischief.

Yin didn't catch the hidden meaning in Lao Jiu's words at all. He proudly raised his head and replied loudly, "Of course! Who told her to lose to me in the horse race! We made a bet before the race, and she has to accept the loss. She naturally has to prepare a big gift for me."

His expression was as if he had won the most precious treasure in the world, his face radiant with joy.

Yinxiang and Yinti exchanged a glance, paused for a moment, and then couldn't help but burst out laughing. Now, all the princes in their seats joined in the laughter.

Yin was completely bewildered by their laughter: "What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing, it's your birthday, I'm just happy." Yin Tang waved his hand, quickly putting down his wine cup, afraid that he would laugh so hard that he would spill the wine.

"Yes, yes, tenth brother, we're happy for you." Yinzhen, being mischievous, did the opposite of what was expected, raising his wine cup to toast Yin, "Tenth brother, I toast you, you're truly amazing, so focused." Hongluanxing can't carry you at all.

Although he didn't understand what Yinzhen meant, it was still a congratulatory gesture, so Yinzhen didn't think much of it and drank a cup with him. Now, everyone was having an even harder time suppressing their laughter.

Yinzhi shook his head helplessly. Previously, his wife had asked him to probe the tenth prince's feelings for Mingyu. Now it seems that the tenth prince is completely clueless.

In his opinion, the Fujin was too hasty. In his view, not only the Tenth Prince, but also Mingyu didn't seem interested; she was still too young.

Just as I was thinking about Mingyu, she came running over like a nimble little deer.

After glancing around to make sure no one was around, Mingyu cleared her throat and asked crisply, "Gentlemen, have you all finished your drinks? If you have, I'm going to keep my bet and give Tenth Master a birthday gift!"

As soon as he finished speaking, it was like sprinkling salt into a hot oil pan, and a chorus of jeers and jeers erupted.

"Old Ten is truly blessed."

"Oh, Princess Mingyu's gift, we must take a good look at it!"

"Hurry up, Tenth Brother, get moving!"

The crowd teased and joked amongst themselves, and in the blink of an eye, they followed Mingyu to a new location, arriving outside the pavilion.

The pavilion was surrounded by colorful paper crane curtains. A gentle breeze blew, and the paper cranes danced lightly, casting glimpses of the scene inside.

As soon as everyone stood still, they saw Zhang Xiao inside the pavilion begin to perform magic tricks.

She first took out a small bronze bowl and placed it in the center of the table. Then she took out a sealed porcelain bottle and poured a little transparent liquid into the bowl. Afterward, she took out a brocade pouch, plucked out a small pinch of yellow powder, and gently sprinkled it into the bowl.

In an instant, the liquid began to bubble and fizz like boiling water, with more and more bubbles forming and wisps of white steam rising and spreading in the air.

Several gasps of surprise escaped the crowd. Yin's eyes widened, and he leaned forward, only to be pulled back by Mingyu, who wouldn't allow him to get any closer. After all, the smell of white vinegar would be impossible to mask once he got close.

Next, Zhang Xiao conjured blue flames and removed ink stains, using some modern chemical knowledge to disguise it as magic tricks. It was quite different from traditional magic tricks, but it was also captivating.

Regardless of what others thought, Yin was satisfied.

"good!"

Yin was the first to clap and cheer, and the others followed suit. Whether it was because of the extraordinary magic trick or because of Yin and Mingyu, everyone clapped, and cheers and exclamations mingled together.

"What's all this commotion about? I could hear you cheering from far away."

"Second Brother!"

Hearing the excited calls of the princes, Zhang Xiao in the pavilion instinctively looked up...

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Speechless. My internal heat has reached a critical point. The swollen and painful gums are from the bad tooth that caused the problem a while ago. While I was writing this, half my face became immobile, so I had to go to the dentist. Only one update for today! Why did I have to get up in the middle of the night to eat an orange? I was telling you guys about it as a joke earlier, but now I'm the joke! o(﹏)o