Chapter 74
The third prince is the one who's going to cause trouble at the palace banquet?
To be honest, Xue Jin'an was quite surprised by the suggestion given by the Eldest Princess. He had considered many possibilities, and the possibility of the Third Prince taking action was the lowest. Apart from the fact that he was currently recovering from his leg injury, the biggest reason was that the Third Prince had no reason to take action.
The Third Prince is not a complicated or difficult person. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and if he doesn't like someone, he will directly suppress them with violence... To put it nicely, he is a straightforward and impulsive man; to put it bluntly, he is brainless. If someone really offends him, he will retaliate on the spot, and there is an 80% chance that he will punch them in the face, rather than carefully choosing a time to design a conspiracy and wait for the enemy to fall into it before launching an attack.
It's more likely that someone is targeting the Third Prince than the Third Prince causing trouble.
Wait a minute, the eldest princess didn't actually say whether the third prince was the one causing trouble or the one being caused trouble.
Xue Jin'an looked at the Princess's smiling face and fell into a brief moment of contemplation.
If the Third Prince was the one who was plotted against, then the person who plotted against him is both easy and difficult to guess.
The reason why it's hard to guess is that the Third Prince, Consort Xian, and even the Qian family have offended too many people. So, there are many people who would want them dead and would take action against them. Among them are those who can cause trouble at palace banquets, such as Li Hechun, the chief steward of Qianyuan Palace who is often scolded by Consort Xian like a grandson, and the eldest prince and his companion, Feng Shi, the youngest son of the Minister of Revenue, who were beaten by Qian Dezhong.
The reason it's easy to guess is that, apart from the indiscriminate killing madman, every criminal's methods reveal their feelings for their victims. In other words, as long as he figured out how the Third Prince would die, he could basically determine who the murderer was.
Actually, you can see some clues from the fact that the other party chose to attack at the palace banquet. First of all, the most obvious point is that anyone can see that the murderer harbors malice towards the Third Prince. Perhaps he doesn't hate him, but he definitely looks down on him. Secondly, the other party is very arrogant and lacks respect for the emperor. Thirdly, the other party wants to make a big fuss about this so that at least the court officials who come to the palace banquet will know.
The palace banquet was held in Qianyuan Palace. Although Li Hechun had made preparations well in advance, the banquet arrangements still had to begin after the emperor sealed the palace. No one was allowed to enter or leave the palace at will. At this time, the only people who could tamper with the banquet were members of the royal family.
The most likely candidates are those who live in the palace.
Xue Jin'an mentally sketched a profile of the murderer: a person of high status, arrogant, with a well-managed reputation, and relatively powerful and arrogant backing.
Xue Jin'an's first thought was of the eldest prince and the second prince.
The eldest prince's mother was Consort De, whose maternal family was Lin Ruofu, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. The Lin family was a prominent family in Yangzhou, a scholarly and noble family. Not to mention, Lin Ruofu had the merit of stabilizing the border for fifty years and was now in charge of the Court of Judicial Review, so his status among scholars was obviously very high.
The Second Prince's mother, Consort Min, came from an even more noble family, practically the pinnacle of the nobility. Now, with the emergence of Grand Secretary Jiang Wen, and the Second Prince's own reputation well-managed, having already been drafted as the bestowed courtesy name, he was naturally highly regarded by the nobility. This was evident from the fact that his study companion was the heir of the Marquis of Dinghai, a descendant of the Bohai royal family.
The reason these two men targeted the Third Prince was simply to eliminate dissidents.
As mentioned before, Qian Dezhong's position is relatively special. He is the emperor's scapegoat for appeasing and winning over the military households of Daqi. As Qian Dezhong's nephew, once the Third Prince enters the court to listen to government affairs, the military officials in the court will naturally be more inclined to him and are very likely to be won over by him.
Despite his poor reputation in the palace, the Third Prince did possess some military talent, as evidenced by his ability to establish himself in the Tiger Guard Camp in the original novel.
If someone really intended to harm the Third Prince at this palace banquet, it would indeed confirm Consort Xian's wild speculation last time.
Xue Jin'an's thoughts raced, and in the blink of an eye, he only exchanged a glance with the Princess.
The eldest princess smiled and said cryptically, "It seems you understand."
Xue Jin'an nodded, mimicking her previous gesture by making a "three" sign with her finger pointing downwards, indicating that the Third Prince was the passive one.
"Truly impressive." The princess said this with complete sincerity.
She deliberately only hinted at the word "three" to whet Xue Jin'an's appetite, while also testing the depth of this person's abilities. Even though the Princess had already guessed that Xue Jin'an was not easy to fool, she really did not expect this person to be so perceptive, able to so easily capture the real information from the flaw she deliberately left behind.
This means that he understands the Third Prince's behavior and thoughts very well, to the point that he can see through them at a glance.
As far as she knew, the only private contact between the two was during the Gu worm case at the horse farm. She heard that Xue Jin'an even wanted to have the Third Prince cut in half at the waist. Whenever the Third Prince talked about his Seventh Prince with his friends, he would either praise him or feel quite depressed and resentful. However, everyone could see that the Third Prince generally liked the Seventh Prince.
—Yes, that's right. The Third Prince wasn't staying still while recovering from his injuries. The imperial physician told him to rest in bed, but he just couldn't stay still. Every day, he would run outside on his crutches and wouldn't come back until the palace gates were locked. He was even more eager to enter the palace than Cui Zui. His attending physician was so worried that he started losing his hair.
If it weren't for the fact that the Third Prince still had some sense of propriety, only inviting people to dinners and chats, and at most engaging in cockfighting and dog racing—and recently even stopping those activities altogether, preferring instead to play cards in restaurants and teahouses, corrupting all the纨绔 (playboys) in the capital—Consort Xian would probably have had the Third Prince tied to the bed long ago, preventing him from going anywhere and forcing him to lie down and recover from his injuries.
Thanks to the Third Prince, Xue Jin'an didn't mingle in the elite circles of the capital, but his legend still circulated widely within those circles.
No matter how much the Third Prince boasts about his deep brotherly bond with Xue Jin'an, it can't hide the fact that they actually have no real interaction. And with just this little bit of interaction, Xue Jin'an has already figured out the Third Prince to this extent...
Despite the fact that the Third Prince was easy to understand, the Eldest Princess had to admit that the person in front of her was even more capable than she had expected.
"How terrifying." The eldest princess coughed lightly twice, her smile gentle and serene, but her vigilance towards Xue Jin'an rose even higher.
“I originally wanted to talk to you more, Seventh Brother, to get to know your personality better so I could come up with better ideas for future collaborations. But now it seems I should say less, otherwise, who knows if I might say something wrong and you’ll analyze me thoroughly.” The Princess squeezed her daughter’s hand, speaking with a mix of sigh and warning. “Often, it’s not good to see through others too clearly.”
“I’m fine, you’re not.” Xue Jin’an hit the nail on the head.
The eldest princess smiled as before: "See, I told you it's not good to be too explicit."
The conversation between the two had come to an end. Fortunately, they had said what needed to be said, and the princess had no reason to stay any longer. She took her daughter's hand, stood up, and said goodbye, "It's time to leave the palace, Seventh Brother, no need to see me off."
Xue Jin'an didn't stand on ceremony and simply sat in her seat, watching them leave.
Soon, the princess returned to the carriage with her daughter. Just as the carriage started moving, little Tai Le, who had been standing there blankly and silent, seemed to have been suddenly turned on, sticking his head out of the window to look in the direction of Zhaoyang Palace.
"Oh dear, Your Highness, this is too dangerous!" The maids and wet nurses who were following the carriage outside were startled and quickly stepped forward to protect her with their arms outstretched to prevent her from falling and getting hurt.
The eldest princess was also slightly taken aback, but did not stop her daughter's actions. It wasn't until the carriage reached the corner and no matter how much she peeked out, she could no longer see Zhaoyang Palace that Xiao Tai Le pouted and sat back down.
Although Little Taylor is still young, he sits very upright, which shows that he has studied hard before.
The eldest princess sat much more languidly, reaching out to pinch her daughter's soft cheek, her voice slow and gentle, "Why are you suddenly unhappy?"
Little Taylor answered slowly, "I can't see Uncle anymore."
"Will I be able to see Uncle again?" she asked.
Even though she had some expectations, the princess was still quite surprised to hear this answer from her daughter. Ever since she was abducted two years ago, her daughter had been very wary of strangers. Even when she came to the palace to pay her respects, she couldn't get close to Consort Min. This was the first time she had shown such strong emotions to someone she had just met.
"Does Chaoyang like Seventh Uncle very much?" the Princess asked, knowing the answer already.
Little Tai Le nodded as expected, then stubbornly repeated the question, "Will Chaoyang be able to see Uncle again in the future?"
"We'll see each other in a few days," the princess replied casually. Little Tai Le happily responded with "Okay," and then pulled out his toys, immersing himself in his own world.
The eldest princess wanted to ask her why she liked Xue Jin'an, but seeing her like this, she knew she wouldn't get the answer. She touched her daughter's face, her expression thoughtful.
Something unusual must be going on. I've heard that Empress Zhaoren has a younger brother who seems to be skilled in Gu poison. Could it be that Xue Jin'an used Gu on her daughter?
Although the eldest princess felt that the possibility was extremely slim, after returning to the princess's residence, she still asked the royal physician to take the pulse of the mother and daughter to make sure that there was nothing wrong before she was relieved. This startled the prince consort who had just returned to the residence. He didn't care about any gentlemanly demeanor and rushed into the house in three steps at a time.
While the Princess's residence was bustling with activity, Zhaoyang Palace was equally lively.
As soon as the eldest princess stepped out of the Zhaoyang Palace gate, Cui Zui eagerly climbed over the wall from the outside, startling Fu Lu and the others. Even Lingzhi, who had the best internal strength, was somewhat surprised. However, at that moment, her attention was mainly focused on the eldest princess's sudden visit, while Cui Zui was very careful, so it was understandable that she didn't notice.
Cui Zui gestured for them to be quiet, then crept up behind his master like a thief, intending to give him a fright.
Then he suddenly peeked out and met his master's expressionless face, which startled him so much that he trembled all over.
"Wow! Master, you can scare people to death!" Cui Zui patted his chest in fright and complained, "Master, you found out about me a long time ago but didn't say anything. I thought I was hiding it pretty well."
—It was fortunate that Cui Zui encountered Fu Lu Shou Quan, who had seen the world and had some understanding of martial arts. If it had been the two eunuchs from Qi Feng Courtyard, he wouldn't have needed to go through the ordeal of being scared by ghosts peeking out. The two eunuchs could have shouted out loud and made the whole world aware of his existence.
Xue Jin'an thought that this apprentice was not only stupid, but also lacked self-awareness. "I'm not the only one who noticed."
"No way, Lingzhi's expression just now clearly showed surprise. Fuling's words don't count; she was outside and saw me climb onto the roof with her own eyes." Cui Zui proudly raised his chin, and as soon as he finished speaking, Xue Jin'an looked at him like he was an idiot and realized who he was talking about. "The Princess discovered me? No way! She clearly doesn't know martial arts!"
Could it be that the eldest princess, like her master, is a peerless martial arts master who secretly practices and amazes everyone? That can't be, right? Although I've long heard that the palace is full of hidden masters, isn't it a bit strange that all these masters are princes and princesses?
Just as Cui Zui was getting more and more off-topic, and was about to imagine the princess as some kind of martial arts master, Xue Jin'an spoke up: "She has no martial arts skills, but she has eyes and ears."
“Your infiltration wasn’t perfect,” Xue Jin’an said, directly pointing out numerous problems such as light, dust, and shadows to support his argument.
At first, Cui Zui's expression changed from "Who else but Master would notice such a small detail?" to later, "Oh my god, my infiltration skills are so bad," and he began to withdraw and question his life.
Upon hearing the last part, Cui Zui said in a daze, "Master, I don't think I'm suited to learning martial arts."
Xue Jin'an nodded ruthlessly and commented, "You'll need to practice more to improve your skills."
Cui Zui's heart, which had just begun to flutter, was slammed back to the ground by his master. He nodded heavily, determined not to disappoint his master and give up. He decided to start practicing martial arts even harder from tomorrow. Even if he couldn't reach his master's level, he had to reach 70-80% of his master's level. In particular, he absolutely couldn't fall too far behind in his archery skills, which he was so proud of.
Later, whenever Cui Zui felt he had made it big enough, he would run over to his master to show off, only to find that his master had also become stronger. His own standard for judging himself changed from reaching 70-80% of his master's level to just reaching 70%. 60%? 60% was already strong enough to be invincible. If he was only half as strong as his master, he could dominate the world... and so on, declining year by year.
When Cui Zui recalled this incident, he always regretted it so much that he wished he could go back to that time and slap his own self-awareness: How could a mere mortal like you even dream of your master's strength?
At this moment, Cui Zui is unaware of the perilous future ahead, and his heart is filled with fighting spirit.
"Master, are you going to the palace banquet?" Cui Zui pondered that the old man had finally returned to the capital after years of wandering, and the emperor would definitely invite him to the palace banquet. Judging from what the princess said, something bad was going to happen at the palace banquet. If his master went, he would also come in with the old man, so that they could help each other if anything happened.
“Go.” Xue Jin’an nodded.
More than being curious about who would make a move at the palace banquet, he was curious whether the emperor's "good temper" would remain intact after this incident.
*
Soon it was time for the New Year's banquet. The palace was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations everywhere. Even two red lanterns were hung at the entrance of Zhaoyang Palace. This was not prepared by Xue Jin'an and his group, but by Li Hechun.
He even came in person, but only chatted loudly with the guards at the palace gate, saying things like, "It's the New Year, His Majesty just wants his family to be reunited."
Although Xue Jin'an had clearly stated to Cui Zui that he would attend the banquet, he had not given a firm answer to the Princess, so the Princess's reply to the Emperor was ambiguous. The Emperor felt that his son Bao Ning was a very individualistic child, the most willful of all the princes, and that he might actually refuse to come if his temper flared up. Therefore, he sent Li Hechun to subtly probe the matter.
Not only did the shrewd people in Zhaoyang Palace understand, but even the guards at the door noticed and looked at Li Hechun with a hesitant expression.
Li Hechun was also at a loss for words. When he received the order, he really wanted to say to the emperor, "Your Majesty, if the Seventh Prince really doesn't want to come, even if I talk myself hoarse and die in front of him, he still won't come."
Conversely, if the Seventh Prince wanted to go, even if the Imperial Guards were dispatched to stop him and Empress Zhaoren's memorial tablet was used as a threat, he would still go.
—Your Highness, the Seventh Prince's temperament was clearly demonstrated when he killed the criminal Chu Shi. Why don't you understand that, Your Majesty?
Li Hechun sometimes felt helpless being a eunuch and the emperor's confidant, always having to take on difficult tasks from the emperor. Last time, he asked his master to test the seventh prince, and this time he was trying to persuade the seventh prince.
Li Hechun chatted with the guard for a full hour, until his throat was dry, before leaving with a worried expression. Before leaving, he didn't forget to shout in his hoarse, high-pitched voice, "The most important thing for a family is to be together!"
Hearing the pitiful scream, Fu Lu couldn't help but shed a tear of sympathy for Eunuch Li. He glanced at his expressionless master and cautiously asked, "Master, what do you think?"
Xue Jin'an thought for a while and replied seriously, "If the emperor's idea of family reunion is that the whole family is together, then he is destined not to be reunited this year."
When everyone first heard this, they thought he had changed his mind and didn't plan to attend the palace banquet, but then they heard what Xue Jin'an said next.
He said, "Chu Wenwan has been burned to ashes, and we don't know where the wind has blown him away. If he really wants to, he can go and look for Xiao Shu's body. Maybe he can even pick up some bones from the mass grave and bring them back."
As for the original owner's mother, Zhou Yuting... Xue Jin'an directly excluded Zhou Yuting and the original owner from the category of the emperor's family.
Xue Jin'an categorized them very clearly; the emperor was on the enemy side.
Xue Jin'an had probably gotten used to making money off the emperor lately, and suddenly realized that his database contained various data about Xiao Shu and Chu Wenwan. If he wanted, he could use a synthesizer and image processing software to create their voices, appearances, and smiles.
"Actually, it's not impossible for him to reunite with his family if he really wants to." Xue Jin'an directly packaged and sent this part of the data to Teacher Xiao X. Teacher Xiao X, as expected of a professional money-making expert who takes the dregs of capitalists and extracts the essence of laborers, immediately understood Xue Jin'an's meaning and directly put a New Year's voice blind box worth one tael of gold on the market for the emperor.
The blind boxes were sold out in less than a cup of tea's time after they were put on the shelves.
Regardless of the emperor's reaction to suddenly hearing the voice of the dead, everyone in Zhaoyang Palace felt a chill run down their spines when they heard Xue Jin'an's seemingly random statement. They wanted to ask but dared not,
Just then, a northerly wind blew by, causing the red lanterns at the door to sway and the ropes to rub against the hooks with a hissing sound, as if someone were responding to Xue Jin'an's words.
Everyone: "..."
Some people pretended to be calm, some shivered, some touched the cold sweat on their necks, and some touched the goosebumps on their bodies. Only their eyes were filled with mixed emotions as they looked at Xue Jin'an: Your Highness, are you sure you didn't do it on purpose?
The palace banquet lasted from dusk until 9 PM. The first hour was for entry, since members of the imperial family and officials of the third rank and above all brought their families. The large number of people meant that checking them would take a lot of effort. Xue Jin'an wasn't in a hurry to go. He turned on his live stream and started watching videos.
During the three-day New Year's holiday, there was no curfew in the capital, and the entire city was bustling with activity. Even young ladies from wealthy families came out to play. More than 80% of people were willing to chat and share the joys and happiness of the day. As a result, many new content creators emerged on live streaming platforms.
Xue Jin'an was getting tired of watching the live streams from the palace and the Imperial Clothing Department. At first glance, even though they were just some casual chatter with no real content or focus, he found them quite interesting. He couldn't help but keep watching for a while, and before he knew it, he had completely recorded the map data of the capital.
He knew even the dark alleys and back alleys that some locals might not know—after all, there's a saying that goes, "There were no roads in the world, but as more people walked on them, roads were formed."
In ancient times, any place that could become a road must have been walked on. Today, as long as someone walks on it, Xue Jin'an will know.
"Your Highness, the banquet should be about to begin," Lingzhi reminded him, glancing at the time.
Xue Jin'an glanced at the Qian Yuan Palace and saw that most people had gone inside. He then stood up and said, "Let's go."
Xue Jin'an took Lingzhi and Fulu with him. Actually, he originally planned to go alone. After all, he felt that he was just going to watch the emperor perform face-changing and had no intention of showing off. He didn't even disturb anyone when he went in and went straight to where the princes were sitting.
Although it was called a palace banquet, it was actually a team-building activity for the emperor and his court officials. Didn't you see that the wives and children he brought along were left aside to play by themselves?
The front row seats in the hall were very limited, and most of them were reserved for important officials of the court. The empty seats were occupied by Prince Ping and Prince An, who represented the imperial family. The attendees from the concubines' side were Consort Min, who was in charge of the six palaces, and Consort Zhuang, who had just entered the palace. The representatives from the imperial heirs' side were naturally the eldest princess and the eldest prince.
However, it is unclear whether it was because of Consort Min or because the Emperor was giving Grand Secretary Jiang Wen a facial, the Second Prince was also seated at the head of the table.
When Xue Jin'an arrived, all the dishes on the table had already been served, and the Second Prince was smiling as he toasted the court officials.
The princes arrived quite well and sat down in order. Xue Jin'an sat in the only empty seat, keeping a low profile by moving his feet silently until he touched his plate, at which point the Eighth Prince next to him noticed.
The Eighth Prince was startled, his pupils contracted slightly, and his first reaction was: "What are you doing here?"
Although he was startled, he was cautious by nature and subconsciously lowered his voice to a whisper.
Xue Jin'an thought the Eighth Prince might not have good eyesight, so he gestured to the cutlery in his hand and said matter-of-factly, "Let's eat."
The Eighth Prince assumed he had run away for a meal, and with mixed feelings, he glanced at him and murmured, "Why bother?"
The Eighth Prince was also one of those who felt that Xue Jin'an had gone too far. However, he didn't think that Xue Jin'an shouldn't have killed Chu Wenwan, but rather that he shouldn't have killed Chu Wenwan at that time.
In reality, it's not necessarily true that anyone believed Chu Wenwan's explanation. The reason they didn't refute her was simply because they saw that the Emperor wanted to protect Chu Wenwan. All she had to do was stop, play the victim with the Emperor to gain his pity, and she could live a better life, then slowly accumulate power and carry out her revenge when she was fully grown.
However, Xiao Qi was a stubborn person who was willing to risk his life to kill Chu Wenwan, which resulted in him being disliked by his father, hated by his siblings, and targeted by powerful families.
Even if you win the favor of the Empress Dowager, so what? She is old after all and can no longer protect you as you grow up. When the Empress Dowager passes away, do you know how miserable your life will be without her protection, Xiao Qi?
The Eighth Prince had no idea what a carefree life Xue Jin'an was living in Zhaoyang Palace. In his eyes, Xiao Qi had once again pushed himself into a desperate situation, and his future was bound to be bleak. He genuinely felt that Xue Jin'an had made the wrong choice.
The Eighth Prince felt a pang of regret. He noticed that Xue Jin'an seemed to really like a certain pastry on the table and finished it off in no time. He then gave Xue Jin'an his untouched plate and completely let go of the negative emotions he had felt earlier when he saw the Third Prince being kind to the Seventh Prince.
This is the inherent weakness of human nature. People struggling at the bottom of society will feel a sense of empathy. They hope that the other person is doing well, but they don't want the other person to be doing better than themselves.
When the other person is having a hard time, he will extend his kindness and offer help within his power. But once the other person's life shows signs of improvement, he will turn into a demon and a butcher's knife, dragging the person back into the mire and drowning them.
The Eighth Prince had this mindset, though he himself was unaware of it. Fu Lu, however, immediately frowned, sensing a subtle discomfort.
Fu Lu stepped forward to pour tea for Xue Jin'an, pretending to accidentally knock over the pastries, and then had the little eunuch next to him bring over two plates of identical pastries.
"This is the master's way of thanking the Eighth Prince. Thank you for your kindness in offering these pastries." Fu Lu placed one plate directly on the Eighth Prince's table, and replaced the plate of pastries that the Eighth Prince had brought with the other plate.
The Eighth Prince was an exceptionally sensitive person. Even though Fu Lu hadn't shown any emotion from beginning to end, he still felt offended. Xiao Qi completely ignored the eunuch's behavior and let him humiliate him.
The Eighth Prince was absolutely furious.
He watched as the pastries he had kindly offered were taken away to be disposed of. He pressed his lips down, gave Fu Lu a deep look, and said with a slight twitch of his lips, "No need. It's just a plate of pastries. I don't really like them anyway."
As he spoke, he ordered the eunuch behind him to remove the plate of pastries.
Xue Jin'an looked at the extra plate of pastries on the table, feeling rather bewildered. The reason he ate the pastries first wasn't because he liked them, but simply because pastries contained the most "energy," and eating the thing with the most "energy" first was his habit.
Xue Jin'an hesitated briefly about whether to finish the newly served pastries. He checked his fully charged battery and decided to put it aside for the time being and start eating his food.
Unfortunately, today's meal is destined to be anything but peaceful.
While the others were still listening to the Second Prince's toasting speech in the center of the hall and didn't pay much attention to Xue Jin'an and the Eighth Prince's actions, it was hard for even those in the seats on both sides to miss them, even if they had their eyes closed and ears shut.
However, the first to turn around was indeed the Fifth Prince. He saw Xue Jin'an suddenly appear and raised an eyebrow with a half-smile. Then, the Sixth Prince, who was sandwiched in the middle, belatedly turned around.
The Sixth Prince was also curious about Xue Jin'an's appearance and wanted to talk to him, but when he opened his mouth, he saw Xue Jin'an eating. His grandfather was the Minister of Rites, and he strictly adhered to the rule of "not speaking while eating or sleeping," so he silently closed his mouth again.
Leaving aside the thoughts of the two people in front, their actions were quite kind. However, the Ninth Prince, who came after the Eighth Prince, had a gloomy expression after seeing Xue Jin'an.
Xiao Shu had a terrible relationship with the Fifth Prince, but she doted on the Ninth Prince, giving him everything he wanted. Even in her last moments, when she saw the Fifth Prince, all she could think of was using her meager filial piety to coerce him into "supporting each other" with his younger brother in the future.
It was through this comparison that the Fifth Prince came to a clearer understanding that his mother was not incapable of being a mother, but simply did not love him.
It's hard to say what the Fifth Prince's feelings were when he finally went to see Xiao Shu. Perhaps he wanted to see her regret it, or perhaps he harbored a sliver of hope... Only the Fifth Prince himself knows the answer. In any case, Xiao Shu was already dead in the end, "angered to death" by his "rebellion".
On the day Xiao Shu died, the Fifth Prince went to Zhaoyang Palace to see Xue Jin'an. In fact, he mentioned his younger brother, the Ninth Prince, whom he shared the same mother. He described the boy as: "Although I don't want to admit it, we are indeed brothers, sharing the same wickedness."
In fact, the Fifth Prince's words were a subtle reminder to Xue Jin'an. He knew that Xue Jin'an had contributed to his ability to break free from the control of the Gu worms. However, his personality was such that he was always eager to stir up trouble, and this reminder without any malice was already beyond the limit of his kindness.
Unfortunately, Xue Jin'an had no interest in the Ninth Prince and did not think he would become an obstacle to her succession, so she simply read all the information about him with one click and optimized it.
Therefore, he was unaware of the malice the Ninth Prince harbored towards him.
The Ninth Prince glared fiercely at Xue Jin'an, then suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he revealed a mischievous smile.
"Hmm?" Xue Jin'an paused in his chopsticks, finally sensing a subtle malice.
Before he could figure out where this malice came from, he heard a somewhat childish voice say in an exaggeratedly loud voice, "Hey, Seventh Brother? How did you get out of Zhaoyang Palace?"
As everyone knows, a child's voice can be very sharp if it is raised to a certain level. In an instant, not only the voices of all the princes present were attracted, but also the eyes of the princes and nobles and the sons and grandsons of the court officials on the other two sides of the screen. They all stopped talking and pricked up their ears to hear what was going on.
In fact, the main hall was also somewhat affected. The Second Prince paused slightly, but quickly resumed his speech, drawing the attention of the court officials back to himself.
The Ninth Prince was still putting on an act, putting on an innocent face and saying, "Seventh Brother, are you not doing well? You look so hungry, you keep eating... I'll give you my food too, so you can eat your fill and never go hungry again."
As he spoke, he actually carried two plates of food and ran up to Xue Jin'an. He took a chopstick from Xue Jin'an's palm, stuck a piece of vegetable in it, and said in a cute and obedient tone, "Seventh Brother, eat quickly." But from an angle where no one could see, he unabashedly revealed his wickedness to Xue Jin'an, his face full of provocation.
Oh no! Fulu and Lingzhi, who saw the same expression, immediately realized that the other party was doing it on purpose, and given His Highness/Master's temper, he would not tolerate it at all.
They tried to stop him, but Xue Jin'an was faster.
The chopsticks in his hand were like sharp swords, making a piercing sound as they cut through the air. With lightning speed, they stabbed straight down at the Ninth Prince's hand, which he was using to support his body on the table.
The Ninth Prince turned pale with fright.
Sizzle! Like a sharp weapon piercing through wooden board, the Ninth Prince stared blankly down at the table, his screams choked back in his throat.
It turned out that the chopstick had precisely pierced between the Ninth Prince's fingers!
"Good!" The Third Prince, who was the most skilled in martial arts and had the sharpest eyes, immediately clapped and shouted "Good!" Anyone who didn't know better would think they were watching a circus act. In fact, if his leg wasn't crippled, he would have rushed over and put his arm around his Seventh Brother's shoulder.
The Third Prince developed quickly and his voice changed earlier than usual. He spoke with a deep breath and full of energy, and his roar, which was unconsciously mixed with internal force, could "linger for three days," making it much more powerful than the Ninth Prince's thin voice.
As luck would have it, the word "good" was stuck on the last line of the Second Prince's drinking game, effectively choking him to finish his sentence. His smile immediately vanished, and he spoke through gritted teeth, "I wonder what Third Brother saw that made him so happy."
"Li Hechun, go and see what has happened," the emperor said.
"This servant obeys the order." Li Hechun quickly retreated.
*
"With such limited strength, don't try to provoke people like your brother." Xue Jin'an thought the Ninth Prince was a master of imitation, and he even added a sincere comment, "His arms are really short."
"Pfft—" The Fifth Prince couldn't help but burst out laughing.
The Ninth Prince's face had turned from white to red, and his features were so angry that they were distorted and disfigured.
Xue Jin'an ignored him completely. He slowly wiped his hands, and Fu Lu, being very perceptive, handed him a brand new pair of chopsticks.
Xue Jin'an shook his head as he heard familiar footsteps approaching from outside.
As soon as he stood up, Li Hechun appeared at the door, smiling and saying, "Seventh Prince, His Majesty invites you to come over."
Xue Jin'an followed Li Hechun to the main hall. He performed the usual greetings, which caused many ministers to frown.
When Cui Pengfei saw the Seventh Prince enter, he sensed that something was about to happen. He immediately gave Cui Zhuo behind him a look, signaling him to hold Cui Zui down. He sighed inwardly.
Actually, it's not entirely true that Xue Jin'an's etiquette is not standard. It's exactly copied from a book, without a single mistake. He's practically a walking template. But if you say it's standard, then he just performed the etiquette at the wrong time.
Or to be more precise, normally no one would nitpick over such a small problem, and might even praise His Highness's proper bowing posture. But since this is the Seventh Prince who has offended the powerful families, any small mistake will become an anchor point for them to attack the Seventh Prince.
An old censor immediately frowned and asked, "Why does the Seventh Prince not perform the full kneeling ceremony?"
Xue Jin'an answered his question honestly: "I have only learned one kind of kneeling ceremony, which is used for visiting graves and offering sacrifices."
“If you don’t mind, I can kowtow.” Xue Jin’an lifted the hem of his clothes.
The pressure was instantly placed on the emperor and his ministers.
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