Chapter 545: Knowing a person’s appearance but not his heart
When Li Suining returned, he saw Prince Zi Tong of Dongchu crossing the bridge with a group of officials, while his second brother and sister Fuxing were welcoming them with great ceremony with the people of Dajin.
She walked slowly to her second brother's side, looked at Zi Tong with her big eyes, and called out crisply, "Hello, Brother Zi Tong!"
"Is this your sister Suining?" Unexpectedly, Zi Tong was very enthusiastic. He walked up to Li Suining and touched her head affectionately. He didn't have the condescending attitude that he had when they first met. "I didn't expect you to come too. I'm very happy."
The little girl blinked her eyes in confusion, then quickly said obediently, "Brother Zitong, the Second Prince is resting in the carriage. Do you want to go see him?"
"Second Prince brother?" Zi Tong was slightly surprised.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, our Crown Prince fell ill a few days ago and could not withstand such a long journey. The Emperor of Jin was worried about violating etiquette, so he asked the Second Prince to come in place of the Crown Prince." Bai Yu'an explained in a gentle voice.
"How ridiculous!" Song Mingzhen, who was standing behind Zi Tong, couldn't help but shout, "Prince, the Great Jin doesn't even take us Dong Chu seriously. I think this bridge... must be their doing."
Zi Tong raised his hand and said, "Master Song, stop talking nonsense."
Bai Yu'an lowered his head and explained, "Lord Song's words are truly incredible. I think Prince Zitong and Lord Song should both understand how long it takes for Dajin to get here, and we simply don't have the time to do anything here. Besides, what's the purpose of us doing anything? Wouldn't it just cause trouble for ourselves?"
He paused, then continued, "Lord Song should be thankful that it wasn't us who crossed the bridge yesterday. Otherwise, our Great Jin envoys would have died on the border of Dongchu. By then, you Dongchu wouldn't be able to explain yourself."
"You..." Song Mingzhen was actually just angry. He certainly understood that Dajin had no reason to destroy the bridge. However, Dongchu had clearly invited the crown prince, but the person who came was the second prince, and they even asked their crown prince to cross the bridge to pick him up in person. It was simply too hateful.
"Alright, Lord Song, there's no need to say any more. Whether it's the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, or even the young princess and the Imperial Preceptor, as long as they come to Dongchu, they are all distinguished guests of Dongchu. We naturally have to treat them well."
Zi Tong looked at Li Suining with a smile, "Sister Suining, could you please take me to meet the Second Prince?"
"Of course." Li Suining skipped over to the large carriage with Zi Tong and the Dong Chu officials. "Second Prince, is it Brother Zi Tong, the Crown Prince of Dong Chu, who is here?"
"The Crown Prince of Dongchu?" Yuan Xiaonian's exaggerated voice came from the carriage, "Sister Suining, please don't talk nonsense. How could the Crown Prince of Dongchu..."
He got off the carriage and saw Zi Tong. His expression changed instantly. "It really is the Crown Prince of Dongchu. The Second Prince of Dajin, Yuan Xiaonian, has met the Crown Prince of Dongchu!"
He clasped his fists as a gesture of greeting.
"Second Prince, thank you for your courtesy. It's my fault for not welcoming you in person and for scaring you. I feel really sorry." Zi Tong was always very enthusiastic and polite.
Yuan Xiaonian sighed helplessly, "What happened last night really scared us. We didn't sleep well all night. It's hard to imagine what the consequences would be if we had crossed the bridge."
He raised an eyebrow and looked at Zi Tong, "Prince, can you find out what's wrong with this bridge?"
"It's just been in disrepair for a long time. I'm sorry for scaring everyone. Zi Tong apologizes to everyone!" Zi Tong also clasped his fists towards everyone, looking self-blaming.
Yuan Xiaonian and Bai Yu'an exchanged glances quickly, obviously realizing that Zi Tong was not a simple person despite his young age.
"Then...will you all follow this prince into Dongchu now?" Zi Tong invited.
"Of course, it's our honor to have the Crown Prince of Dongchu come to greet us personally." Yuan Xiaonian called out to the Dajin convoy, "Let's set off to Dongchu!"
"Let's set off and enter Dongchu!" Li Suining couldn't help but feel happy.
Along the way, Yuan Xiaonian introduced the accompanying personnel, "This is the Grand Master of the Great Jin Dynasty, Bai Yu'an, this is the High Priest, Fuxing, and this is the Captain of the Guard, Xiao Jingwen."
Zi Tong nodded in understanding and welcomed everyone. Then his gaze stopped at Bai Yu'an, "This Imperial Master doesn't seem to be the one I met at the Dajin banquet?"
"To be honest with you, Your Highness, the previous national teacher... passed away due to illness. This one is the new national teacher of our Great Jin, and he is also the son of the King of Zhenbei." Yuan Xiaonian explained with a smile.
"King of Zhenbei?" Zi Tong looked at Bai Yu'an with new eyes. "Is he the great General Bai who was always victorious in battles?"
Bai Yu'an immediately said respectfully, "It's my father!"
"A tiger father will have no dog son, a tiger father will have no dog son!" Zi Tong couldn't help but nod repeatedly.
"I am also the daughter of the King of Zhenbei." Li Suining suddenly said this.
"Hahaha..." Zi Tong laughed, "This prince knows this. Our sister Sui Ning is cute and smart, worthy of being a daughter of the Bai family. Is this okay?"
"Hehe..." Li Suining held Fuxing's hand and laughed happily.
After entering Dongchu, Zi Tong had already prepared a luxurious carriage. But before getting in, Zi Tong apologized, "I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you all to stay outside the palace tonight. It's a good opportunity for you to get some rest. Is that okay with you, Second Prince?"
"Of course, we also want to stroll outside the palace and experience the customs and folkways of Dongchu." Yuan Xiaonian accepted readily.
"That's great! Wherever you want to go, I'm always here to accompany you." Zi Tong looked at everyone, "Then... get in the carriage, let's go!"
Everyone got on the carriages in groups of three or four. Yuan Xiaonian and Li Suining were still in one carriage, Bai Yu'an and Fuxing were in another, and Xiao Jingwen and his men were riding on horseback.
After the convoy left, Yuan Xiaonian whispered to Li Suining, "Suining, do you like this brother Zitong?"
"I think this Brother Zi Tong is a little strange." Li Suining didn't answer his question directly, but instead expressed his confusion. "When I met Brother Zi Tong in the Great Jin Palace before, he seemed very arrogant and impolite. But today, he was particularly warm to me. Second Prince, don't you think it's strange?"
Yuan Xiaonian chuckled softly, "Little Suining, there's a saying I'll teach you today: You can know a person's face, but not his heart. This Zi Tong... is he the arrogant, simple-minded little prince, or the polite, welcoming little brother? I'm afraid it's hard for us to tell right now."
Li Suining nodded, seemingly understanding. "What should I do about the Second Prince? Should I stay away from him?"
"Of course not." Yuan Xiaonian deliberately pinched Li Suining's little fat. "Just like you did just now, play with him however you want. You don't have to worry about other things. But you must remember not to treat him as a friend for the time being. Do you understand?"
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