Luo Lingyue turned around and whispered to the guards behind her, "Bring twenty taels of silver and give it to the storyteller. Ask him to tell a new and interesting story."
The guard took the order and left, hurried to the lobby to look for the storyteller. However, he only saw him exchange a few words with the storyteller before returning to the second floor dejectedly.
The guard came to Luo Lingyue and reported with his head down, "Miss, the situation is a bit tricky. The storyteller said that someone offered five hundred taels of silver and asked him to tell stories about Master Xiao all day long." While speaking, the guard glanced at Xiao Jinghan beside him.
Luo Lingfeng was instantly enraged. He slammed the table and stood up, shouting, "This person is a rumormonger and troublemaker! According to Dazhao law, he should be imprisoned and await trial! Go arrest that storyteller immediately!"
Luo Lingyue frowned slightly and raised her hand to signal, "Wait a minute! This storyteller is just doing things for money, there's no need to make things difficult for him. All of you go out and go to the lobby to listen carefully to what the storyteller is saying." Her tone was firm, revealing a calmness and rationality.
Several guards walked out in a hurry with their heads lowered. After they left the private room, they did not forget to close the door gently.
Only after the footsteps of those people gradually faded away did Luo Lingyue dare to raise her voice a little and said to Xiao Jinghan in a low voice: "Xiao Jinghan! There is a spy among the people you brought with you!"
However, facing her accusations, Xiao Jinghan remained remarkably calm, even with a nonchalant smile on his face: "I know! Maybe the rumors in the capital right now are even more outrageous than ours!"
Luo Lingfeng was immediately interested when he heard this. He asked curiously, "Oh? Then who do you think is behind spreading these rumors?"
Xiao Jinghan's expression instantly darkened. He glared at Luo Lingfeng unhappily, his tone tinged with dissatisfaction: "Humph, weren't you and your sister the first to spread these rumors?"
Luo Lingyue scratched her cheek sheepishly, blushing slightly as she said, "Then I'll help you catch the spy! Just consider it as making up for the mistake I made earlier!"
Xiao Jinghan looked indifferent and responded calmly: "No need, I know who the real spy is."
Luo Lingyue's eyes widened upon hearing this, and she asked in confusion, "Since you know this, why don't you get rid of them?"
Xiao Jinghan glanced at her coldly, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing an unfathomable smile, and said softly: "I naturally have my own plans, and keeping them will have its uses." His voice was as calm as water, but with an unquestionable majesty.
At this moment, the waiter came over with wine and food. A pot of fine wine with a strong sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance and several plates of exquisite Jiangnan-style appetizers were the first to come into view.
Then, various dishes were served one after another: the old hen soup stewed with cicada flowers was delicious; the clear-fried river clams were tender and tasty; the braised soft-shelled turtle was fragrant; the Tibetan mutton was delicate; the stir-fried fragrant vegetables were fresh and refreshing; the dry-steamed meat cake was soft, glutinous and mellow; the steamed hairy crabs were plump and delicious; the casserole fish head was extremely delicious; the braised pork with fragrant fermented rice wine melted in the mouth; the lotus snails were spicy and tempting; the braised spareribs were of good color, aroma and taste; the meat-stuffed gluten had a unique taste; the bacon and bamboo shoots were a blend of salty and fresh.
Facing the table full of delicious food, the waiter smiled brightly: "Dear guest, please enjoy your meal! If you have any other needs, please let me know!"
Just as Luo Lingfeng was about to start eating, he suddenly called out to the waiter who was about to leave, "Young man, please stay! I wonder when this storyteller will begin to tell the story of Prince Xiao?"
Hearing the question, the waiter stopped and replied, "It's only just begun today, and many people have heard about this and come to listen to the story. Alas! Master Xiao is truly a man with a miserable life!"
Xiao Jinghan said at the side: "Does not being able to have children mean that one has a miserable life?"
The waiter replied hesitantly, "Who in this world doesn't long for a thriving family? Sigh! If this Prince Xiao truly can't produce children... he'd be better off staying in the palace as a powerful and influential figure! Why would he harm the young lady of the General's Mansion?"
When Xiao Jinghan heard this, his face turned extremely gloomy. Nine thousand years old? Isn't that the eunuch from the East Factory? He was almost pissed off to death by this waiter!
After the waiter left, Luo Lingfeng hurriedly said, "It's just a minor ailment. It can be cured with some medicine! Prince Xiao will definitely be able to regain his glory in the future! There's no need to worry about this!"
Xiao Jinghan said coldly: "Hmph! From now on, my wife will naturally know whether I am capable or not!" There was a hint of sinister meaning in his words, which made people feel a chill.
Luo Lingyue and Luo Lingfeng were busy cooking in unison. At this moment, who would dare to talk to Xiao Jinghan who was in a bad mood?
Xiao Jinghan felt depressed: "You guys enjoy it slowly! I'm going out to get some fresh air!" After saying that, he walked out of the room angrily and went straight to the corner of the third floor.
The two men in black stood straight, knelt on one knee, and saluted Xiao Jinghan respectfully: "Sir, I have received information that it was Xiao Jingyi who ordered people to spread those rumors further. Do we need to take action to stop it?"
Xiao Jinghan's expression was strange and unpredictable. He slowly said, "That's not necessary. This might not be such a bad thing. At least, many people will feel more at ease about me because of this. In their eyes, a childless prince, even if he becomes the King of Wu'an in the future, won't pose much of a threat to them! Luo Lingyue! Haha, you really helped me a lot this time!"
Suddenly, another man in black spoke in a low voice, "Prince, we have already found out the truth about those girls from Luoxia Town. Those robbers eventually handed them over to the Third Prince and forced them to become dancers. All of this was done to bribe important officials in the court!"
Upon hearing this, another man in black asked, "Prince, since the situation is so dire, shouldn't we act immediately to rescue these poor girls? This will also help to weaken the Third Prince's power!"
However, Xiao Jinghan frowned, lost in thought. After a moment, he calmly analyzed, "The most important thing right now is to let Emperor Wen know about this situation. But remember not to be too aggressive, lest you alert the enemy. Just subtly hint, and let Emperor Wen figure it out on his own. After all, Emperor Wen is naturally suspicious. Once he learns of this, he will personally deal with the Third Prince and his cronies." As he finished speaking, a look of determination flashed in his eyes.
If Emperor Wen knew that his son used his beauty to seduce and control his important ministers, he would never let him off easily!
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