Chapter 22: End of the spin-off program

The door slowly opened, and the scene inside the banquet hall came into view.

The hall was brightly lit, and the sounds of clinking glasses and toasting each other could be heard one after another.

Royal guests and nobles dressed in gorgeous formal attire, chatting and laughing with each other.

Hearing the noise outside the door, the guests turned their heads and looked over in unison.

The six people outside the door were wearing clothes that were originally suitable for attending a dance, but that was the state of their clothes when they just changed in the morning.

At this moment, each of them was covered in mud and water stains, their clothes were wrinkled, the soles of their shoes were stained with mud, and they faintly exuded the smell of "organic fertilizer", as if they had just been pulled here after plowing two acres of land in the fields.

The guests looked at them and couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh. They whispered to their companions next to them, pointed at them, and their eyes were full of mockery and contempt.

For someone like Wei Liangchen who pays special attention to his personal image, the scene before him is more terrifying than the sky falling.

The corners of his eyes were slightly red and his face was pale, as if he would collapse at any time.

She looked down at her mud-stained clothes, then looked up at the guests who were pointing at them, and her eyes became even redder.

Xie Qingyu closed his eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down.

He hadn't felt this kind of embarrassment for a long, long time, but now that they had come this far, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and move forward.

He opened his eyes and walked into the banquet hall.

Gu Qi followed closely behind, his face still calm, as if he didn't care about the outside gazes at all.

Qian Song, You Jinzhao and Wei Ran looked at each other, then followed closely, pulling Wei Liangchen, who was still immersed in the tragic world of his collapsed image.

After entering the banquet hall, the guests retreated wherever they went, as if they were a group of malignant pathogens that could infect people at any time.

Xie Qingyu ignored the contemptuous noises in his ears and scanned the hall, but did not find the person he was looking for, so he had to give up.

He brought the five of them to a long table filled with food and whispered to Gu Qi and the others, "Let's eat something first. There should be more plot later."

Gu Yan nodded, picked up a small piece of cake, took a bite, and his eyes lit up slightly.

“It tastes good.”

It seems that the program team has sufficient funding!

Seeing this, the others also started eating. Although they looked disheveled, no one wanted to spoil their stomach with such delicious food in front of them.

Wei Liangchen stood there blankly, neither eating nor drinking, still immersed in the blow he had just suffered.

Seeing this, You Jinchao took a bunch of grapes and stuffed them into his mouth.

Although Wei Liangchen was still in a daze, his mouth had already begun chewing subconsciously, and his movements were mechanical.

Not long after eating, Xie Qingyu discovered with both amusement and sadness that this disheveled appearance did have one advantage, which was——

No one dared to approach where they stayed, and no one dared to touch the things they touched.

So, all the delicacies on the entire long table became their exclusive property.

After a while, Xie Qingyu and the others were almost full and sat on the chairs nearby, watching the guests still "pointing and talking" at them.

Qian Song couldn't help but complain: "Aren't they tired?"

Wei Ran replied calmly, "Maybe they are all 'at work' and the production team hasn't told them to stop yet."

Everyone suddenly realized that as long as they threw away their pride and personal qualities and let them say whatever they wanted, they would instantly become much happier.

Even Wei Liangchen no longer cared about those gazes. Instead, he covered his mouth with his hands with interest, chatting and laughing with You Jinzhao next to him, and pointed and talked back at the guests.

Maybe the production crew saw in the backstage that they really didn't care, so they got a little anxious and started to cue the process.

There was a loud shout from outside the door: "The King is here!"

The guests immediately stopped pointing and talking, stepped aside and bowed their heads respectfully.

The door opened again and the king walked in. He was pale and sickly, and he walked unsteadily, obviously in poor health.

His eyes swept across the hall and finally fell on Xie Qingyu and others.

Seeing their miserable appearance, the king's face turned from pale to blue. He obviously felt that all the guests he invited this time were "ugly".

He shook his sleeves, said nothing, turned around and walked out again.

Within two minutes, a group of guards rushed in, walked up to Xie Qingyu and others with expressionless faces, and wanted to "ask" them to leave.

The leader of the guards said to them coldly, "Princes, please follow us out."

Xie Qingyu and others looked at each other and knew in their hearts that this absurd "dance" was far from over.

——

After they were "invited" out of the banquet hall by the king, the guards threw them into a remote corner and left.

You Jinzhao scratched his head and said bewilderedly, "Are we being kicked out?"

Wei Ran, with a faint sense of death all over his body, responded in a low voice: "Obviously so."

Xie Qingyu was also a little confused. Does this mean the story ends here?

However, the program crew had not yet notified them that the recording was over, and Ding Zai had not joined them. Several photography teachers next to them were still diligently filming them.

Just then, a maid came running over in a panic. She was the one who led them to the "back garden" this afternoon.

She ran up to them breathlessly, not even taking a breath, and said anxiously, "Gentlemen, the king has discovered that you are not real princes! The king is furious and has sent guards to arrest you.

The princess knows you are not bad people, so she asked me to take you away as soon as possible. Come with me!"

After saying that, she turned around and was about to leave, but she looked back anxiously at Xie Qingyu and the others, indicating that it would be too late if they didn't catch up.

Xie Qingyu curled the corners of his mouth and felt amused in his heart: Before I could go find anyone, the target came to me.

He smiled and said, "Your Highness, it is an honor to meet you here formally."

The maid's body stiffened slightly, then she turned around and looked around, a little scared and wanted to hide behind them.

She said in a low voice, "Isn't Her Royal Highness the Princess in her own bedroom? Why is she here? Don't scare me."

Seeing that she refused to admit it, Xie Qingyu did not argue with her about this topic, but directly said: "Your Highness, the princess has a good plan. The king is seriously ill. After communicating with the parliament, he decided to strengthen ties with neighboring countries and form an alliance with one of them.

After receiving the news, you knew you couldn't change the council's decision, and you didn't have the resources to intercept it. So, you immediately, posing as a third party, spread several false reports claiming that marrying the princess would grant the royal treasure, the 'Dream Heart,' along with countless gold and silver treasures.

The maid lowered her head and whispered timidly, "What are you talking about? How could the princess--"

Before she could finish, Xie Qingyu continued, "The letters to the 'princes' at the beginning were forged by the princess, right?

The letter was signed by Parliament only to make the "princes" take it seriously and believe it.

However, letters from genuine parliaments are signed with the parliamentary seal. For example, this one.

After saying that, Xie Qingyu took out the invitation letter that Wei Ran had given him from his pocket and showed it to the maid.

The maid—no, the princess raised her head, looked at Xie Qingyu coldly, and said indifferently: "What basis do you have for what you said? It's all just your own fabrication? Besides, why would the princess do such unnecessary things?"

Wei Liangchen was a little stunned and said in a lost voice: "No, what's going on?"

You Jinzhao signaled him with his eyes to shut up and continue listening.

Xie Qingyu smiled gently and continued, "It's obvious, isn't it?

The so-called royal treasure, the 'Dream Heart', was fake, the princess's lost dancing shoes were fake, the countless gold and silver treasures were fake, and even the so-called 'parliament hall' we first visited was fake. This makes me doubt the 'princess' we first met..."

“That’s also fake.

Coincidentally, the old grandmother who had watched the princess grow up had said that she was intelligent and clever, and a beautiful lady.

Xie Qingyu thought of Princess Ding's appearance, smiled helplessly, and continued, "Since everything is fake, then the news on those papers is the bait you use to attract those 'princes' with ill intentions to come one after another.

You use your treasure to hook the "princes", not letting them give up easily, and then torment them hard.

Anyway, they are here because of greed, coveting the "royal treasure", you have a clear conscience.

Regardless of whether the "princes" you brought in were real or fake, your goal of embarrassing them at the ball held by the parliament has been achieved. So..."

Xie Qingyu paused, raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and said: "Your goal is just to avoid being married to the prince and let the king and the parliament give up this idea on their own initiative. Am I right?"

"Your Highness?"

The princess took a deep breath, shrugged, and sneered, "That's a nice story, but what does it really mean?"

Without waiting for Xie Qingyu to answer, the guards who had brought them here and left before "killed" them back and "invited" them and the princess to the king's bedroom.

As soon as Xie Qingyu entered the door, he saw the king sitting above and standing below with his head lowered - uh, Ding Zai.

Seeing them come in, Ding Zai raised his head slightly and winked at them.

After entering the room, the guards drove them to stand with Ding Zai.

The princess sat below the king, with her head lowered, not knowing what she was thinking.

The king spoke, his voice low and commanding: "Captain Ding, I asked you to protect and watch over the princess. Is this how you carry out my orders?"

After he finished speaking, he leaned back in his chair and coughed violently a few times. His face was pale and it was obvious that he was very weak.

Ding Zai's identity has become clear at this time - the princess's personal guard captain.

His acting urge struck again, and he fell to his knees with a thud, crying out in tears, "Unjust! Your Majesty, I am wronged!"

Xie Qingyu saw the corner of the king's mouth twitch, and he was obviously speechless about Ding Zai's performance.

The king angrily said, "Unjust? You helped the princess forge a letter from Parliament, disguised yourself as the princess, and cooperated with her in a series of arrangements, seriously damaging the reputation of the royal family. What crime should you be punished for? Aren't you afraid of being executed by me?"

Ding cried out inwardly, feeling wronged. He had come with several others that morning, so how could he have had the time to forge a letter or arrange other matters? He only met the princess once, still dazed, before being dressed, put on makeup, and sent to the "parliament hall."

But at this moment, there was no room for him to "quibble"! The guards nearby came over and dragged him away to be "executed."

Ding was struggling desperately, looking at his brothers for help, but everyone ignored him.

Wei Liangchen even curled his lips at him sarcastically, obviously still holding a grudge against what happened before.

Ding gave up struggling and was about to be dragged out by the guards when the princess spoke. She coldly said to the guards, "Stop."

The guard was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to deal with the situation, and turned to look at the king.

The king closed his eyes and signaled the guards to let Ding Zai go.

After Ding stood up, he immediately ran behind the princess and winked at the opposite side with a triumphant look.

The princess caught a glimpse of his expression out of the corner of her eye and almost couldn't hold back her brewing emotions.

The princess suddenly laughed and said to the king in a nonchalant tone: "Father, everything was planned by me.

It was me who blocked your and Parliament's arrangements, it was me who didn't want to marry the prince, and it was me who brought shame to the royal family.

Please execute me, and don't make things difficult for others."

The king's face turned pale and he pointed at the princess. He was speechless for a long time and his chest kept heaving.

He said in a trembling voice: "Isn't this all for you?

The Dream Dance Nation has been weakening in recent years, with neighboring nations eyeing it covetously. Members of Parliament each have their own agenda, and my health is deteriorating...

How could I not make plans for you earlier? As long as the alliance is successful, even after my death, you will at least be able to live a prosperous life! "

After the king finished speaking, he began to cough violently again.

After hearing this, Xie Qingyu and the others were moved. Parents who love their children will plan for them in the long run.

Seeing the king coughing, the princess hurried forward and gently stroked his back.

She looked at a spot on the ground and said with gritted teeth, "How do you know you're not inviting a wolf into the house?"

Then, she squatted at the king's feet and said in a low but firm voice, "I am your biological daughter. The rightful heir to your throne can only be me, not some so-called prince...father."

As she spoke, the princess took the king's hand and pressed it against her face. Tears were already streaming down her face, and her voice trembled uncontrollably, as if the tears would be blown away by the wind.

She continued, "Don't you love me the most? I don't want to get married, not even some so-called bullshit prince.

You know that, right? You know all about my ambitions, my aspirations. Why, why? I...

I can shoulder the heavy responsibility of the kingdom and will develop the Dream Dance Kingdom even better. I will definitely not...will not disappoint your hopes."

At this point, the princess suddenly became emotional: "If the parliament needs a prince, we can find them a prince. It doesn't matter whether it's true or not. We can -"

The king's face looked grim, his lips tightly pursed, and he suddenly pushed the princess away.

The princess was caught off guard and was thrown to the ground. She didn't react for a long time.

The king wanted to reach out to help, but his hands were shaking in the air, and he never dared to touch.

Ding Zai hurried forward, helped the princess up, and sat her on the chair next to her.

Xie Qingyu roughly understood the cause and process of the plot.

Beside him, Wei Liangchen had already burst into tears on You Jinzhao's shoulder. You Jinzhao patted his head comfortingly and grumbled softly, "When I was filming, I was like a wooden stake and couldn't cry at all. Now I can cry."

Wei Liangchen punched him hard in the abdomen and then started crying.

Xie Qingyu stepped forward and said to the king respectfully, "Your Majesty, although this is your family affair and we are not in a position to discuss it, but then again, since you are the ruler of the Dream Dance Kingdom, your family affairs are also state affairs.

I dare to say a few words - the princess is intelligent and prudent, knowledgeable, strategic and courageous.

Her life's value shouldn't be solely reflected in her status as the "Princess" of Dream Dance Country. I believe the princess has the determination and ability to lead Dream Dance Country out of its predicament and develop it for the better.

Gu Qi added, "The princess's intelligence and courage far surpass those of many so-called princes.

Not only can she protect the Dream Dance Kingdom, but she can also lead it to prosperity.

Instead of pinning your hopes on a foreign prince, it is better to trust your daughter. She is the true future of the Dream Dance Kingdom."

Although the princess gave Wei Liangchen a lot of trouble today, he still applauded their speeches.

Seeing that the king still did not express his opinion, Qian Song also stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, we have all witnessed the princess's courage and wisdom.

She not only has the ability to inherit the throne, but also the determination to protect the country. Such a leader is what the Dream Dance Kingdom needs most."

You Jinzhao nodded and continued, "Times are changing, and the Dream Dance Nation also needs new strength.

The princess represents this power.

Her ambition and determination are enough to restore the Dream Dance Nation to its former glory."

Weiran nodded like a chick pecking at rice. Although he didn't say anything, it was obvious that he completely agreed with everyone's point of view.

The king's expression was somewhat moved, but he remained silent. He waved his hand and had the guards send everyone out.