Chapter 431 The Porcelain Vase Beauty

Yin Duo only went out for a short while, but when she came back, she had already found out everything.

"My lord, I've found out. The Tenth Prince found this amusing from outside and specially summoned them. These are already the simplified versions of the program. Originally, this troupe was supposed to perform several other tricks, such as a porcelain vase beauty and a ferocious beast swallowing a human head... but these were not scheduled because they looked too horrifying."

Upon hearing that the Tenth Prince was behind this whole affair, Yuan Hongqu felt a lump in her throat, with nowhere to vent her anger.

Can't this kid just do something serious for once?!

Since arriving in Suzhou, I haven't had a single day of peace.

While on the ship, I made grand promises about what I would do after disembarking, but I didn't do any of them. Instead, I was quickly captivated by this paradise on earth.

Yuan Hongqu hadn't even figured out a way to deal with the Tenth Prince when he actually showed up on his own.

The Tenth Prince also received the news that Yuan Hongqu had stopped the acrobatic performance he had invited. He was very puzzled and quietly walked over, but he did not notice that Yuan Hongqu had been keeping a close eye on him. The scene of his arrival did not escape Yuan Hongqu's eyes.

"Princess Lin, was today's variety show entertaining?"

The Tenth Prince's eyes gleamed with a hint of smugness.

"This is the troupe I picked out a few days ago in the south of the city, and I specially invited them... to liven up the banquet."

Daiyu was intently watching the young girl performing foot feats in the arena when she heard this. She turned her head and frowned slightly: "Does Your Highness mean that you specially arranged all these tricks?"

"Exactly!"

The Tenth Prince, oblivious to the unusual tone in Daiyu's voice, remained enthusiastic.

"Especially that porcelain vase beauty, it's a pity that someone tripped it up and wouldn't let it be performed. I saw it with my own eyes, that living woman, able to shrink into a small porcelain vase, with only her head showing, it's truly unbelievable..."

Daiyu's face gradually darkened: "Does Your Highness know why that woman was able to shrink into the porcelain vase?"

The Tenth Prince was taken aback, then laughed and said, "It's the bone-shrinking technique she's been practicing diligently. I was even thinking of asking her to teach me..."

"It's not the Bone Shrinking Technique," Yuan Hongqu said coldly, her voice like ice beads falling onto a jade plate.

"That's because they were stuffed into porcelain vases from a young age, their bodies were constantly bound, and their bones grew abnormally. Most of those women didn't live past thirty and were disabled for life."

The smile on the Tenth Prince's face froze:

"This...how is this possible? That woman was smiling so happily..."

“If she doesn’t smile, she will be beaten, or even go without food.”

Daiyu replied softly, her eyes already showing anger.

"Does Your Highness know how a ferocious beast performs the act of swallowing a human head?"

The Tenth Prince was speechless when asked the question, and just stared blankly at Daiyu.

"That was putting starving beasts in the same cage as prisoners, and the animal trainers used whips and hunger to drive the beasts to attack and bite."

Yuan Hongqu's tone grew increasingly cold.

"The so-called 'shouldering people' is nothing more than the horrific sight of wild beasts tearing apart prisoners when they are starving. These prisoners are mostly poor people who voluntarily signed death warrants in exchange for food and clothing for their families."

The Tenth Prince's face gradually paled, but he still stubbornly argued, "But...but these are just common tricks in the marketplace, and the common people love to watch them..."

"The common people love to watch it because they are unaware of the cruelty involved."

Daiyu stood up, her voice trembling slightly.

"It's one thing for Your Highness to have lived in the deep palace for so long and be unaware of the suffering of the common people, but how can you take pleasure in the suffering of others?"

"That's not what I meant..." the Tenth Prince hurriedly explained, "I just thought it was wonderful..."

"A spectacle that comes at the cost of human lives, and Your Highness finds it amusing?" Tears welled in Daiyu's eyes.

"If we were to lock Your Highness in a porcelain bottle for years, or let wild beasts tear Your Highness apart, would Your Highness still find it exciting?"

The various performances continued, and the cheerful drumming could not mask the tense atmosphere between the group.

The Tenth Prince blushed and was speechless for a moment when Daiyu asked him a question.

Just as Yuan Hongqu was about to speak up to smooth things over, she suddenly saw Daiyu staring intently at a cage covered with a red cloth not far away.

"What is that?" Daiyu suddenly asked.

The Tenth Prince followed her gaze and immediately looked flustered:

"N-nothing, just some juggling props..."

Daiyu didn't believe it and walked straight toward the cage.

The Tenth Prince hurriedly stepped forward to stop her: "Princess Lin, there's nothing to see over there. Let's go back and watch the juggling. I heard that girl can juggle ten pottery urns at the same time. We've never seen anyone juggle so many at the same time in the capital..."

Daiyu ignored her and ripped off the red cloth.

Under the red cloth was a blue and white porcelain vase about half a person's height, and a girl's face was clearly visible at the mouth of the vase! The girl was about fourteen or fifteen years old, with a face as pale as paper and lifeless eyes. She squinted sharply when she saw the light, indicating that she had been in the dark for a long time.

"Is this the porcelain vase beauty?"

Daiyu gasped, her voice trembling.

The Tenth Prince hurriedly explained, "Well, I've only seen him once outside..."

Yuan Hongqu strode forward, carefully examined the girl, and her expression changed drastically: "Quick! Break the porcelain bottle!"

The guards on either side looked at each other, not daring to make a move.

The Tenth Prince was also stunned: "Lord Yuan, what does this mean? I heard that this porcelain vase contains the woman's body; if the vase is broken, the woman will likely die..."

"Nonsense! There are living people in here!" Yuan Hongqu shouted angrily. "If you don't come out now, you'll be dead!"

Without hesitation, Daiyu grabbed a short stick from the weapon rack beside her and smashed it forcefully against the porcelain vase. The Tenth Prince cried out in alarm, trying to stop her, but it was too late.

With a loud bang, the porcelain bottle shattered.

Amidst the scattering shards, a small, thin figure collapsed limply.

Everyone was stunned.

The girl's body was curled up in an extremely bizarre posture, her limbs were so thin they were almost unrecognizable. Her back was uneven, her spine was severely deformed, and she looked much younger than her actual age.

Judging from his face, he seemed to be fourteen or fifteen years old, but his body was clearly only six or seven years old.

Yuan Hongqu hurriedly stepped forward to support the girl, gently checked her pulse, and her expression grew increasingly grave: "Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"

The Tenth Prince stood there dumbfounded, staring at the girl's deformed body, unable to utter a single word.

Daiyu knelt down and gently brushed away the porcelain shards from the girl's body, tears finally rolling down her cheeks: "Does Your Highness still find it amusing?"

The various performances in the venue had stopped at some point, and the performers knelt on the ground in fear.

The girl performing the footwork secretly glanced up, then quickly lowered her head again, her shoulders trembling slightly.

The imperial physician rushed over and, after a thorough examination, shook his head and sighed: "This girl's bones have already set and can no longer be restored. Moreover, with her heart and lungs under long-term pressure, I'm afraid... her lifespan will be short."

The Tenth Prince staggered, his face ashen.

"I...I didn't know it would be like this...I really didn't know..."