Chapter 246 The fight started
The carriage was heading towards Hengting Pavilion. From time to time, the sounds of vendors hawking their wares could be heard from outside. There were many pedestrians on the street, so the carriage was not moving too fast.
Xiao Yan sat in the car and chatted with Tang Ning from time to time, talking about court affairs and interesting stories from outside.
Tang Ning leaned against the wall of the carriage, her posture very relaxed. Even when she was just chatting, she was smiling all the time, obviously in a very good mood.
After a long time, the carriage stopped.
Jinyun whispered, "Master, we've arrived at Hengting Pavilion."
The servants from Hengting Pavilion came over with a carriage stool and set it up. After Xiao Yan got off first, one of them recognized him and quickly saluted.
He originally wanted to lead Xiao Yan in, but he didn't expect him to stop beside the carriage. After a while, the curtain was lifted again, and a woman wearing a veil hat and a green silk dress got out of the carriage.
When Xiao Yan stretched out his hand, Tang Ning subconsciously took his arm and got off the carriage.
After he stood firm, Xiao Yan glanced at the stunned guy standing beside him.
The man was startled and quickly came back to his senses: "Master Xiao, please come in."
"Let's find a private room, somewhere quiet."
The man quickly responded and led Xiao Yan and the others inside.
Hengting Pavilion is the property of Prince Huan. Unlike Prince Cheng, who was treated coldly after competing with the emperor for the throne, Prince Huan, although he also competed with Emperor An for the throne and had been at odds with Emperor An since he was a prince, was able to enjoy the throne because his mother's family was of noble origin and the family of Prince Huan's wife also held great power.
Although Emperor An disliked Prince Huan and rarely allowed him to interfere in state affairs, Prince Huan still managed the Zongzheng Temple and held a high position in the court.
Prince Huan was not as cunning as Prince Cheng. Instead, he had a violent temper and would start a fight with others at the slightest mistake. He was also unreasonable when he was throwing a tantrum. He was a well-known tough guy in the capital, and sometimes he would go against Emperor An when they had different opinions.
This Hengting Pavilion is the property of Prince Huan's Mansion. In addition to being the best in the capital for food, drink and entertainment, the most important thing is that no one dares to cause trouble here easily, so both court officials and dignitaries as well as literati and scholars love to come here.
Tang Ning had heard of Hengting Pavilion for a long time, but this was her first time here. She looked around curiously through the veil, and her eyes missed the people talking loudly in the hall downstairs.
After entering the private room, Xiao Yan had tea and snacks brought over.
Tang Ning took off his veil and asked, "Brother, what on earth did you ask me to watch?"
"You'll know in a moment." Xiao Yan pushed the things on the table and said, "This white jade lotus cake from Hengting Pavilion is really good. Try it."
Seeing that he was keeping her in suspense and full of doubts, Tang Ning took a piece of cake and took a bite. Her eyes, which had been a little absent-minded, suddenly brightened up.
"tasty."
This white jade lotus cake is soft and smooth when eaten, but not as pure and sweet as those from other places. Instead, it has a fruity aroma.
She glanced down and realized that the pastry was mixed with some dried nuts and spread with a layer of sauce in the middle. The faint sour taste just now should have come from this.
Xiao Yan laughed. "Prince Huan knows how to enjoy life. Almost all the chefs in Hengting Pavilion are from the palace. He also likes to send people to search for food recipes from all over the place. Here are a few dishes that taste good. I'll try them later."
Tang Ning bit into the lotus cake and said, "Prince Huan seems to be living a very carefree life."
Xiao Yan said, "His mother's family is powerful, and his wife's family is also powerful. He guards the Zongzheng Temple without fighting or competing, and does not interfere with the court power. In addition, he has no shortage of money, so he is naturally free and unrestrained."
If he had ambitions, Emperor An would naturally not tolerate him.
But King Huan has been law-abiding for many years. He was too lazy to even enter the court, let alone ask about state affairs. He was a prince with no ambition and only knew how to eat, drink and have fun, but he was also a hornet's nest with a powerful background.
Emperor An can tolerate it if you are a little more unrestrained.
Xiao Yan said a few words to Tang Ning when suddenly there was a commotion outside.
Xiao Yan stood up and said, "Let's go and watch the fun."
Tang Ning hurriedly followed Xiao Yan out. As soon as the door opened, the noise outside became louder and they could vaguely hear someone shouting.
"Xie Pingjia, what do you mean? Get out of here!"
Xie Pingjia?
Second prince?
When Tang Ning heard the name of the second prince, he quickly looked in the direction where the voice came from and saw a group of people gathered not far downstairs.
There were servants on the sides, and two young men in gorgeous clothes were confronting each other in the middle. The man with his back to this side spoke apologetically to the man opposite who was full of ferocious anger.
"Don't misunderstand, Fourth Brother. They were just chatting casually and didn't mean to offend you..."
The Fourth Prince interrupted, "Who do they think they are? How dare they gossip about my affairs?" He glared at the men standing beside the Second Prince, "Discussing the prince privately is a crime of treason. Beat them hard! Smash their mouths!"
The servants accompanying the Fourth Prince hurriedly tried to step forward, but the Second Prince frowned and blocked them, "Fourth brother, it's just a few words about court matters, why are you so angry? Besides, this is Uncle Huan's place, and if we make a big fuss, it will only hurt Uncle Huan's reputation."
The Second Prince offered some words of advice, then turned and hurled a low scold at the people beside him: "What are you all still standing there for? You've lost your composure after a few drinks. Why don't you apologize to the Fourth Prince?"
Those men had pale faces. They were all sons of officials. They met up and after a few drinks, they talked about recent events in the court, and naturally mentioned Prince Cheng's Mansion and the Lu family.
They talked about Empress Lu who had suddenly fallen ill, and the Fourth Prince who had been having troubles recently. In the past, the Fourth Prince had the support of the aristocratic families and was in the limelight in the court. Everyone said that the position of crown prince would be in his pocket in the future. But now that the Lu family is gone, he is no longer as strong as before, and it might be difficult for him to ascend the throne in the future.
Moreover, although the Lu family had tried their best to cover up the affair between them and the Princess of Yiyang, there was no impenetrable wall in the capital, and the news that the Fourth Prince used the dowry of the Lu family's unmarried daughter and the "relics" of the Rong family to win over the court officials had still spread.
One of these people happened to be a relative of the family to which the Fourth Prince had once given a gift. When he talked about this matter while drunk, he naturally attracted a lot of ridicule. Who would have thought that he was so unlucky to be overheard by the Fourth Prince.
The man who had revealed the Fourth Prince's "secret" had already sobered up. He stepped forward with a pale face and trembling voice, "I was drunk and talking nonsense, and I shouldn't have talked about Your Highness. I beg Your Excellency to forgive me for once. I..."
Snap——
Before he could finish his words, the Fourth Prince raised his hand and slapped the man in the face, then kicked him hard, knocking him to the ground.
"Forgiveness, do you deserve it?!"
He walked up and kicked the man hard several times, causing him to scream in pain.
The Second Prince quickly extended his hand: "Fourth brother..."
"Get out of here!"
The Fourth Prince waved his hand and pushed the Second Prince, causing him to stagger. He looked at the person in front of him with a fierce look in his eyes: "Xie Pingjia, don't think that just because I lost the Lu family, you can be my equal. Who do you think you are? How dare you stop me?"
"Get out of my way, or I'll beat you too!"
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