264, Second Prince and Third Prince

264, Second Prince and Third Prince

The two people in the next box fell silent and could clearly hear the voices of the people in the next box talking.

After a while, Prince Qi asked Prince Zhao, who was sitting opposite him, "Why, I think I heard the Second Prince talking?"

"It seems there is also the Third Prince's?"

"No need to look like, it's them." Zhao Lang picked up the wine glass in front of him, took a sip of wine, put the empty glass on the table, and signaled the servant serving beside him to pour him some wine.

Qingzhu picked up the wine jug and poured a glass of wine for their young master, then continued to stand aside.

"Oh, it sounds like there are a lot of people next door. Are the second and third princes having a banquet next door?" Qi Jun asked.

"How should I know? If you are so curious, just go next door and take a look." Zhao Lang continued to drink with his glass, looking uninterested in what was happening next door.

They all knew that the emperor was most averse to his sons contacting court officials and forming cliques for personal gain. If the emperor in the palace knew that his sons were entertaining guests outside, and that the guests were entertaining officials in the court, no one knew what the emperor would think.

However, Zhao Lang knew who were the people next door, and naturally knew that his own Lu Zhuangyuan was in the box next door.

"Forget it, let's not disturb them." Qi Jun saw that Zhao Lang was not interested in the people next door, so there was no need for him to provoke the second prince and the third prince alone.

His father was only a king of a different surname, but Zhao Lang's biological father and the emperor were brothers. Didn't you see that Zhao Lang, his own nephew, was summoned to Kyoto Prefecture as a hostage by the emperor with an imperial edict, not to mention the sons of these kings of different surnames?

The emperor was not only on guard against his own brothers, but also against these kings of different surnames.

However, before long, as long as his marriage with the fifth princess is settled and he becomes the prince consort, their Qi family will stand with the royal family, and the emperor will be less wary of their family in the future.

Qi Jun was in a bad mood when he thought about his marriage to the royal family. If possible, he didn't want to trade his marriage for benefits, but since his family wanted him to marry the princess, he knew in his heart that as long as he married the princess, it would be a good thing for both him and his family.

So no matter whether he was willing or not, as long as the emperor nodded, his marriage with the princess would be settled.

After thinking about his own affairs, Qi Jun stopped talking about himself and the princess and turned to look at the person sitting quietly drinking. Thinking of Zhao Lang's recent ridiculous behavior, he hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "You haven't been back to the Imperial College for classes for a long time. Are you not going back?"

"Do you really want to stay in the Imperial College for the rest of your life?" Zhao Lang raised his eyelids and looked at the person who asked him whether he would return to the Imperial College to study.

"..." Qi Jun was speechless after hearing what Zhao Lang asked. If possible, who among them would want to stay in the Imperial College forever?

But the emperor couldn't possibly allow these hostages to serve as officials in the imperial court, much less let them go home. So, if they didn't stay in the Imperial College, would they end up in brothels?!

Seeing Zhao Lang like this, Qi Jun felt a little angry and said to this self-destructive person: "Then you can't go to brothels or gambling houses all day long! Do you know that if your family knew about you like this, they would be very disappointed in you."

"Do you still think that after being hostages here for more than ten years, the people back home still care about our life or death?" Zhao Lang snorted and laughed. Looking at the still naive Prince Qi, he found it a little funny.

"Qi Jun, if you want to be a good person, then just be a good person. Can you please not drag me into this?"

"you!"

Qi Jun was so angry that he smashed the wine glass in his hand onto the table, pointed at Zhao Lang's nose and cursed: "Don't be so ungrateful!"

After saying this, Qi Jun got up and left angrily.

Zhao Lang looked at the person he had angered away, a slight smile on his face. He took off the jade ring on his thumb and handed it to the servant beside him, "You figure out a way..."

"Yes, I'll do it right away." Upon hearing this, Qingzhu took the ring given by their prince and went out.

***

Not long after, the ring taken from Zhao Lang's hand was taken by the servant who came to the next box to deliver snacks. He covered it with his sleeve while putting something away and stuffed the jade ring into Lu Zhuangyuan's hand.

After receiving the item handed to him by the servant, Lu Mingfei touched it with his hand, then took a look underneath while eating the snack, and recognized that it was the ring that Zhao Lang often wore on his hand.

Lu Mingfei didn't find it strange at all that Zhao Lang appeared here and sent someone to find him.

After knowing that Zhao Lang was waiting for him in a private room in the building, he whispered to Zhang Lingxuan who was sitting next to him, "I'm going to go out for a while and will be back soon."

"Okay, go ahead." Zhang Lingxuan nodded, but did not follow Lu Mingfei out.

Lu Mingfei stood up quietly without attracting anyone's attention and went out.

When he came out, he saw a familiar figure standing at the door of the next box. Although the other person's face had changed, he still recognized that this person was the guard beside Zhao Lang.

However, the Second and Third Princes' men were standing at the door of their private room. If he went directly into the adjacent private room, he was afraid that they would see him. So he didn't dare to go in directly. Instead, he passed by the adjacent private room door, gave a look to the guard who saw him, and walked on.

Not long after he arrived at the corner of the third floor, Zhao Lang also came over.

After glancing around and making sure there was no one around, Lu Mingfei grabbed Zhao Lang's hand, pulled him into the shadows of a corner, and asked, "Why are you here today?"

"Prince Qi and I happened to come here to eat." Zhao Lang would never admit that he knew that Lu Mingfei and the old Hanlin Academy scholars came here to eat, so he accepted Qi Jun's invitation and specially chose this restaurant for dinner.

"..." But Lu Mingfei looked at Zhao Lang's face which was full of "I don't believe it".

"If you're okay, I'll leave first. Next time, don't look for me in a crowded place." Lu Mingfei put the jade ring in his hand back on Zhao Lang's thumb, squeezed his hand, and prepared to leave.

However, before he could take the first step, he was pulled back by Prince Zhao. He was caught off guard and fell directly into Zhao Lang's arms.

Zhao Lang put his arm around Lu Zhuangyuan's waist, refusing to let him go. He leaned close to Lu Zhuangyuan's ear and said in a low voice, "Hey, don't be in such a hurry to leave. We finally met here."

"We just separated this morning!" Lu Mingfei turned his head back, stared at the person who was hugging him, and said through gritted teeth.

Ever since he returned to live in the small courtyard on Chunxi Road, Zhao Lang has been following him home. Not only does he take half of his bed to sleep on every night, but he also hugs and holds him while sleeping!

This man's domineering personality was completely exposed after he fell asleep. He held him tightly and refused to let go. He couldn't even turn over in the middle of the night!

More than once, he had considered sending this man back to live in Prince Ding's mansion, or to drive Zhao Lang to the small courtyard he had bought next door. But this man refused to go, like a wild animal staking out its territory, and also staking out his bed and... or perhaps it should be said that this wild animal staking out him, and wherever he went, Zhao Lang would follow him.

Just today, he and his colleagues came out for a meal, and Prince Zhao followed him to the restaurant.

"Zhao Lang, how come I didn't notice that you are still a clingy person?" His words were not a question, but an affirmation.

Zhao Lang chuckled softly, then asked Lu Zhuangyuan with a smile in his eyes, "Did you just realize it now?"

“It’s too late!”

He pinched Lu Zhuangyuan's chin with his free hand and lowered his head to kiss him.

"Ugh!" Lu Mingfei's eyes suddenly widened as he stared at the person who kissed him. Wasn't this person afraid that someone would come and see them, two grown men, doing this kind of thing here?!

But instead of letting him go, Zhao Lang deliberately deepened the kiss.

…

After waiting in the box for a while, Zhang Lingxuan saw his friend who had been away for a long time come back.

Seeing Lu Mingfei return to his seat, he looked at his friend's red cheeks. It seemed that his lips were a little swollen. However, he quickly shook off the guess that emerged in his mind because he felt that it was impossible to happen.

But seeing Lu Mingfei like this, he still asked in surprise: "Where have you been? Why is your face so red?"

"Maybe it's because I just went outside and got blown by the wind. I get red in the face easily when I drink alcohol, and my face turns red when the wind blows." Seeing Zhang Lingxuan staring at his face, Lu Mingfei nervously picked up the wine glass in front of him, licked his lips while drinking, and cursed Zhao Lang, the bastard, in his heart.

If his friends find out anything, he will bite that guy to death when he gets back!

"Oh, yes, you get red in the face easily when you drink." Zhang Lingxuan believed what his friend said and reminded him, "You can't hold your liquor well, drink less."

"Well, I know what's going on." Lu Mingfei said.

The second prince's gaze seemed to pass over Lu Mingfei unintentionally, and quickly moved away.

The two brothers sat here for a while, and it was time to leave.

After whispering a few words to his younger brother beside him and confirming that his brother was leaving with him, the Second Prince raised his voice and said to everyone, "We have something else to do, so we'll be leaving first. We'll host you another day, so please go somewhere else for drinks."

"You can drink to your heart's content. I've already sent someone to pay the bill in the box." The third prince stood up and said to everyone in the box with a smile on his face.

"How can I let Your Highness spend money? I'm the one treating you today, so I should pay the bill." Fu Lianxin stood up and said.

The Third Prince tapped Fu Lianxin's shoulder with the fan in his hand and said with a smile, "Let us have it this time, and you can ask for it back next time."

"In that case, thank you for your kindness, Your Highness." Fu Lianxin had no choice but to say this.

Seeing that the Second Prince and the Third Prince were about to leave, the Dean and everyone present stood up and prepared to see the two princes off.

Seeing that everyone was about to see them off, the Second Prince waved his hand and said to the Dean and the other adults, "Just continue drinking here. You don't have to see us off."

"Master Dean, please stay here. I will go and see off the two princes." Fu Lianxin asked the Master Dean to stay while he went to see off the two princes.

Lu Mingfei and Zhang Lingxuan were sitting right at the door. When they saw the Second Prince glance at them as he walked by, he had no choice but to take Zhang Lingxuan with him and follow Fu Lianxin out to see the guest off.

Arriving at the entrance of the restaurant, the Second Prince looked at the two people who had come with Fu Lianxin to see them off. His gaze finally fell on Lu Mingfei, and he said with a smile, "I'll find a place to hold a banquet someday and invite everyone out for some fun. Lu Zhuangyuan, Zhang Tanhua, and Lianxin, you all have to come along."

"Second brother, please treat us to a meal, but don't forget to invite us brothers to join us." Before Lu Zhuangyuan and the others could respond, the third prince spoke first.

"Of course I won't forget you." The second prince glanced at his brothers.

The third prince quickly opened the fan in his hand and fanned himself.

"We'll leave first."

"Your Highness, take care."

The second prince withdrew his gaze from Lu Mingfei and the others, turned around and got on the carriage that came to pick him up.

The third prince got on another carriage and did not travel with his brothers.

After getting on the carriage, the Third Prince lifted the window curtain and looked out. His eyes swept over Lu Zhuangyuan and Zhang Tanhua, and finally paused on Fu Lianxin before moving away as the carriage left.