There was a dead silence in Suiyi Garden. Even with the scorching sun shining on their bodies, they still couldn't feel the slightest warmth. Everyone lowered their heads and dared not speak, wondering how the Crown Prince and Neptune would resolve this matter.
Seeing the silence of the guests, and seeing that his father was showing signs of anger due to Qi Jingyuan's sudden move, Hai Chenxi said coldly, "Housekeeper, put it away. Princess Heshun loved to paint this landscape painting when she was in the Sea Palace. She said that my father had followed our ancestors to travel all over Western Chu. Even if we, his children, cannot travel all over Western Chu, we should know the footprints of our ancestors. This was also praised by my father. I guess she wanted to make my father smile, so she sent this scroll from a thousand miles away."
Hai Chenxi was seen sitting calmly at the table. Compared to the shock of everyone else when they saw the painting, Hai Chenxi just glanced at it indifferently and continued to taste the wine in the glass, as if the change in the atmosphere had nothing to do with him at all.
Jiang Haotian sat at the table with an extremely ugly expression on his face. Frost had already appeared in his eyes. His eyes were fixed on the picture scroll of the mountains and rivers of Western Chu that slowly unfolded in front of him. It was extremely clear in the sunlight. The fingers that were originally holding the teacup were now clenched tightly, and white light was shining from the knuckles, as if he was trying his best to suppress the anger in his heart.
Jiang Haotian's face became even colder in response to Hai Chenxi's unconvincing explanation. A sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he stared at the scroll in front of him with a half-smile.
The steward had already been terrified by the scroll's contents, breaking into a cold sweat. Seeing the Crown Prince's cold gaze, he dared not even look up at the main seat. Finally, after Hai Chenxi's command, the steward hurriedly rolled up the scroll and ordered it back to the backyard. Only when he stood at the entrance to Suiyi Garden did he raise his arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead, but his heart still couldn't stop beating wildly.
Hai Chenxi's words broke the silence, and Hai Quan suddenly snapped out of his shock. He glanced at Hai Chenxi approvingly. Then, his surprise faded, a faint smile returning to his face. Hai Quan raised his wine glass, turned his gaze to Jiang Haotian, and raised his glass to him. Without a trace of embarrassment, he said cheerfully, "Your Highness, please forgive me for making fun of you. Princess Heshun loved landscape painting when she was at the Sea Prince's Palace. I imagine her skills have improved significantly recently, which is why I sent you this painting."
When Hai Tian was still waiting to be married, she was already a famous talented woman in Western Chu. She was proficient in all arts, including music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and ink painting was naturally no problem for her.
Seeing Hai Quan's explanation, Jiang Haotian thought of the time and place, so he could only suppress the anger in his heart, and forced a magnanimous smile on his face, pretending to be a king and his subjects having fun together.
Jiang Haotian put down the teacup in his hand and replaced it with the wine glass in front of him. The hand holding the wine glass relaxed slightly, and he slowly raised it and clinked the wine glass with Hai Quan in mid-air. The two of them drank the wine in the glass with their own thoughts.
Without waiting for Hai Quan and the others to speak again, Jiang Haotian slowly put down his wine glass, and saw the maidservant beside him immediately fill it with wine. However, Jiang Haotian's gaze passed over Hai Yue and directly cast on Hai Chenxi. He saw that the other person was always calmly drinking the wine in his hand, and his composure was far greater than that of the Hai Yue brothers beside him.
Jiang Haotian's cold eyes flickered slightly, and then he spoke slowly, "I've heard that the relationship between the Prince of the Sea and the Prince of Hai has indirectly affected the brotherly relationship between Princess Heshun and Prince of Hai. I just met her, and I didn't expect that Prince of Hai understands Princess Heshun so well."
Jiang Haotian's words weren't groundless. When the Haiyue couple presented the Jade Guanyin to the Sea King, the guests present knew that the brothers Haiyue and Hai Chenxi had been at odds for a long time. However, they hadn't expected Hai Chenxi to speak up for Hai Tian just now, which was a bit unexpected.
Hai Yue was immediately displeased when he saw Jiang Haotian taking the opportunity to attack him. He immediately turned to look at Hai Chenxi beside him, his eyes filled with strong reproach. If Hai Chenxi hadn't spoken without authorization, how could he have given Jiang Haotian the opportunity to embarrass him?
Hai Chenxi raised his head and drank the wine in the glass, but did not immediately put the glass on the square table in front of him. His slender fingers gently pinched the exquisite wine glass, turning it in his hand. His eyes seemed to be half-closed with respect for the crown prince, but only he knew how much ridicule was hidden in his eyes behind his eyelids.
"We've been practicing calligraphy together since childhood, so we're familiar with each other's strengths." Hai Chenxi didn't acknowledge the rift between him and Hai Yue, nor did he go against his will to express his brotherly love. He'd always gone his own way, but he was incredibly clever. In response to Jiang Haotian's deliberately awkward question, he chose the safest answer. It didn't violate his principles, but it also allowed him to maintain his usual style.
Even after Jiang Haotian heard Hai Chenxi's answer, he looked at him a few more times, and there was no trace of Hai Yue and others in his sight.
Looking at Hai Quan's eyes as he looked at his youngest son, they were filled with approval and satisfaction, which made Hai Yue and the others feel dissatisfied. They felt that Hai Chenxi had stolen their limelight today. But with the Sea King here, how could the four brothers dare to act rashly? They could only drink heavily, drowning their sorrows.
"I have been here for some time, so I will go back to the palace first to avoid worrying my father." After drinking the glass in his hand, Jiang Haotian put down the glass and spoke.
After seeing everything in the Sea Palace with his own eyes today, Jiang Haotian obviously still had doubts about Qi Jingyuan's affairs, and was not relieved by the explanation of Hai's father and son.
Jiang Haotian stood up with a slightly cold expression, but unexpectedly his body leaned to the side.
Seeing this, everyone's heart immediately jumped with Jiang Haotian's actions. Commander Wu was so frightened that he immediately reached out to support him and said with concern: "Prince, be careful."
Jiang Haotian felt a little dizzy, and the people in front of him gradually became blurry. He thought it was the alcohol he had just drunk and the fact that he had gotten up too fast that caused the dizziness. Jiang Haotian shook his head vigorously, trying to clear his mind, but the symptoms only got worse, and Jiang Haotian's face suddenly darkened.
Seeing that the prince was still unstable, Commander Wu hurriedly helped Jiang Haotian to sit down again. Seeing Jiang Haotian holding his forehead and frowning in discomfort, Commander Wu's expression gradually became ugly. His thick eyebrows wrinkled in an instant, and his sharp eyes suddenly shot towards Hai Quan and others on the side.
Commander Wu was charged with the important task of protecting the Crown Prince. If anything happened to the Crown Prince while he was guarding him, he would certainly not escape the punishment of Emperor Yugan. Furthermore, Commander Wu was a man with a strong sense of responsibility. Seeing the Crown Prince exhausted after just a few drinks, he immediately became suspicious.
He quickly picked up the wine glass Jiang Haotian had placed on the table and sniffed it carefully, finding no other suspicious odors besides the wine. The Crown Prince had not consumed any of the food from the Sea Palace, so the only thing that could have been tampered with was the wine. However, after a lengthy inspection, both the glass and the wine were found to be normal, leaving Commander Wu perplexed.
However, Commander Wu's usual cautious inspection angered Hai Yue, who was watching coldly from the side. But when Hai Yue raised his face, a sneer flashed in his gloomy eyes, as if he was mocking Commander Wu's petty mind.
Everyone could see that Jiang Haotian was feeling unwell, but Hai Yue stood up and walked over to Jiang Haotian's side. He held up his body as he was about to fall. He concealed the displeasure in his eyes and said to Commander Wu on the other side with concern, "Commander Wu, the prince must be drunk. If we rush back to the palace like this, if something happens on the way, it will be difficult to explain to the emperor. It would be better to let the prince rest in the backyard for a while. It won't be too late to leave after he feels better."
As he spoke, Hai Yue raised his hand and signaled to the servants standing at the gate of the courtyard, asking them to bring a soft couch and send the prince back to the guest room of the Sea King's Mansion to rest.
"Thank you for your kindness, Prince. However, the Emperor is still waiting for the Crown Prince to return, so I'm afraid it's not advisable for him to stay longer." The birthday banquet at the Sea Prince's Mansion had an unusual atmosphere. Commander Wu had been ordered to protect the Crown Prince, so how could he allow him to rest in such a dangerous place? He firmly rejected Hai Yue's offer. Furthermore, the series of movements between Hai Yue and the doorman had just flowed like flowing water. It was as if the doorman had been waiting for Hai Yue's instructions. This discovery made Commander Wu even more certain that he couldn't stay here for long. He became even more wary of the people in the Sea Prince's Mansion, but he still secretly blamed himself for being careless today and accompanying the Crown Prince alone into the Sea Prince's Mansion.
"Why is Lord Wu so cautious? Can the Sea Palace really harm the prince?" Because of Commander Wu's refusal, Hai Yue showed a sneer on his face, and seemed a little angry.
Come to think of it, Hai Yue spoke out with good intentions because he saw that Jiang Haotian was not feeling well, but he did not expect Commander Wu to be so unkind. If it were someone else, they would also be unhappy.
"Yue'er, how can you speak to Lord Wu like that?" At this time, Hai Quan stepped forward to mediate. His gentle eyes looked at Jiang Haotian for a long time. Seeing that Jiang Haotian's brows were tightly furrowed and his face was flushed, he seemed to be very uncomfortable.
Hai Quan also joined Hai Yue's persuasion and spoke kindly to Commander Wu, "Commander Wu, the prince seems to be really unwell. Why don't you let him go to the backyard room to rest for a while? It won't be too late to continue the journey after he feels better. The prince is the crown prince, and the Prince of the Sea's Mansion is quite far from the imperial palace. If something happens on the way, not only will Commander Wu be unable to explain to the emperor, I'm afraid the Prince of the Sea's Mansion will also be unable to explain to the emperor. There are doctors in the palace, so if the prince has any problems, he can also be treated nearby. If something happens on the way, I'm afraid..."
Having said that, Hai Quan closed his mouth, but his eyes were full of concern when he looked at Jiang Haotian.
Seeing that the Prince of the Sea had asked to stay, Commander Wu naturally couldn't refuse Hai Quan's face, but he still insisted on his opinion, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. However, the Emperor has ordered the Crown Prince to return before the palace gates are locked. I dare not delay any further, and I hope Your Highness will forgive me."
As he spoke, Commander Wu helped Jiang Haotian, who was already lying on the table, and planned to leave first.
Seeing that Commander Wu was determined to leave, everyone in the Sea Palace stopped trying to refuse.
However, just at this moment, a servant from the Sea King's Mansion walked in carrying a soft couch...
Seeing this, Hai Quan had someone push him down from the main seat and came to the side of Commander Wu. He glanced at the already drowsy Jiang Haotian with a shrewd look, frowned slightly and said, "Let the Crown Prince rest for a while before continuing on his journey. It won't delay him for many hours. If the Crown Prince is in this state and catches a cold on the road, it will be the fault of this old minister, Lord Wu, don't you agree?"
Commander Wu was about to refuse, but Jiang Haotian's body slid down. However, he could not carry Jiang Haotian on his shoulders in front of everyone. Looking at the couch in front of him, Commander Wu could only nod reluctantly, helped Jiang Haotian sit on the couch, and followed Hai Yue to the backyard.
The singing and dancing started again. Jiang Haotian's departure disappointed many ladies. Fortunately, there was still a Prince of Hai in the scene, which attracted many ladies to peek at him.
After a while, Hai Yue also turned back to Suiyi Garden, but when he walked towards the seat of honor, his footsteps paused slightly in front of Xiahou An'er. He stared at Xiahou An'er with his ambitious eyes, and then walked to his seat contentedly and sat down.
Although this subtle movement did not attract the attention of others, Princess Qian, whose eyes were always glued to Hai Yue, saw it clearly. Her hands hidden under the table twisted the handkerchief hard, as if she wanted to tear it into pieces as if it were Xiahou An'er.
"Sister Qu, I heard that Princess Chu can't come to the Sea King's Palace because she is pregnant?" Seeing that there was nothing exciting to see on the Sea King's side, Han Yu withdrew his gaze and turned to speak to Qu Feiqing.
When she asked about Yun Qianmeng, Qu Feiqing paused for a moment while picking up food and replied with a smile, "Yes, the princess is pregnant, so she couldn't come today."
"Then what kind of man does Sister Qu like? Sister Qu is such a beautiful person, she deserves a good man to treat her sincerely." Unexpectedly, Han Yu would not stop until she had said something shocking, and actually asked such a question.
The smile on Qu Feiqing's face froze for a moment, and then she looked at Han Yu, only to see the little girl staring at her with her big eyes, as if waiting for her reply, which made Qu Feiqing smile for a moment.
"Sister Qu, I'm serious." Seeing Qu Feiqing making fun of her, Han Yu showed an anxious look on her face, and she quickly spoke out to prove her attitude towards this issue.
Qu Feiqing and Xiahou An'er exchanged a smile, finding Han Yu truly amusing. Pointing quietly at the young masters in the garden, she asked Han Yu, "Look, among all these young masters in the garden, is there anyone you like?"
Han Yu looked in the direction of Qu Feiqing's finger. Those young men who were toasting and chatting were either arrogant or had lustful eyes. Han Yu immediately shook his head, "There's really nothing I can see."
The honest answer made Qu Feiqing smile, but she didn't say anything else. After all, there were many people here, and even though they spoke very quietly, there was no guarantee that someone would deliberately want to listen to their conversation. It was better to say less.
Qu Feiqing turned around to look at Xiahou An'er, but saw that her expression was a little solemn, with a hint of disgust in her eyes. She just stared at the delicacies in front of her but did not move her chopsticks, as if she had something on her mind.
The chopsticks in her hand rested lightly on the table. Qu Feiqing raised her eyes to look in the direction of the main seat, only to find that the face of Princess Qian was filled with unconcealed jealousy. Her fiery eyes were fixed on Hai Yue beside her. On the other hand, Hai Yue was concentrating on tasting the wine and eating, and his attention was not on his Princess Qian at all. It can be seen that this couple is really a couple who are not close in appearance but far apart in heart.
Qu Feiqing frowned slightly and sighed slightly, but did not speak.
"What's wrong with Sister Qu?" Han Yu was close by, so he naturally heard Qu Feiqing's faint sigh. He then put down the chopsticks in his hand and asked with concern.
"It's nothing, I just feel that the atmosphere of today's birthday banquet is really solemn." Things were getting heavier one after another. Even though Qu Feiqing was a lady from a wealthy family and didn't understand the affairs of the court, she could still see something fishy through the few things that had just happened. She was always a little uneasy in her heart, as if something important had happened. She just wanted the birthday banquet to end quickly so that they could leave as soon as possible.
Hearing Qu Feiqing's answer, Xiahou An'er's eyes sank slightly, and then he raised his head to look at Qu Feiqing. Their eyes met slightly, and they both saw worry in each other's eyes.
"Ah..." At this moment, an extremely miserable scream was heard from the backyard. The singing and dancing stopped instantly. Everyone in Suiyi Garden looked at each other, not understanding what had happened in the backyard.
But hearing the shrill screams was enough to make people's hair stand on end, especially the young ladies, whose faces changed and there was fear in their eyes.
"What happened?" Neptune's face solemnly turned, and he asked the steward who was guarding the gate of Suiyi Garden in a deep voice. His calm appearance made the guests feel a little more at ease, and they were not as scared as before.
"Your Highness, I will go and check it out right away." The butler had been guarding Suiyi Garden the entire time, so he naturally didn't know what had happened. Seeing that Neptune nodded to him, the butler hurried out of Suiyi Garden and headed in the direction of the voice.
"There are many wild animals on Yangming Mountain. I guess the maid in the backyard saw some small animal and screamed in fright. Don't worry, please continue eating." The atmosphere in the venue became solemn for a moment. Before the atmosphere could be eased, Princess Neptune smiled and explained.
After she finished speaking, the Princess of the Sea picked up her wine glass and started chatting with several young ladies beside her.
After hearing this, everyone felt relieved and gradually returned to their usual banquet-like state.
Less than half a cup of tea had passed when the steward, who had just been ordered to inquire about the situation, ran in in a panic. Upon seeing the Sea King, he knelt heavily and shouted with sweat on his forehead, "Your Highness, this is bad, something terrible has happened..."
Seeing the butler's expression, completely different from his usual calm demeanor, Hai Quan's smile gradually faded, replaced by a serious expression. He scolded in a deep voice, "What big deal is there that's worthy of making such a fuss? Can't you see that today is my birthday banquet? You're still shouting and making noise here. How disrespectful!"
Seeing Hai Quan's anger, everyone fell silent and put down their wine glasses, waiting for the butler to tell them what had happened.
"Prince... Prince... the young master..." Before he could finish his words, the butler burst into tears.
Everyone watched, and a bad feeling flashed through their hearts. Could something have happened to Hai Rui? Today was the Sea King's birthday party. If something really happened, I'm afraid...
Seeing the housekeeper crying, Hai Wang frowned, his eyes flashing with impatience, and said in a slightly cold voice: "Tell me, what happened to Rui'er? Isn't he resting in the backyard?"
"Yes, what happened to Rui'er that made you so panicked?" Seeing the butler's shoulders shaking with tears, Princess Hai couldn't sit still anymore. She sat up straight and looked at the butler anxiously.
Hai Yue and Princess Qian on the side looked even uglier. Although they did not speak, the worry in their eyes could not be hidden.
"Prince... Prince... The young master... he's dead..." Being stared at by several people, the butler felt uncomfortable and scared, and could only muster up the courage to speak out incoherently.
"What did you say?" Upon hearing this, Princess Qian instantly stood up from the table. The blood in her face was as ugly as if it had been drained out. She stared at the butler with disbelief in her eyes.
The guests in the courtyard were also shocked when they heard the news. Hai Rui was fine just now, how could he be dead in the blink of an eye? Could this butler be joking? The young master of the Sea Prince's Palace, with so many maids and servants around him, how could he die so suddenly? It was unbelievable.
This time, Hai Quan did not blame Princess Qian for her misconduct.
Although he tried to remain calm, his eyes were still filled with worry. His hands on the table clenched into fists. Hai Quan tried his best to keep his thoughts calm. He glared at the housekeeper and asked in a cold voice, "Are you confused? Rui'er was fine, how could he die? How did those maids take care of the young master?"
How could the butler dare to joke about such a serious matter? He could only nod his head like a madman and repeatedly assure, "Your Highness, I really saw it with my own eyes. It was...it was the Crown Prince..."
"Shut up!" Before the butler could finish his words, Neptune shouted loudly to stop the butler from continuing.
But even so, everyone had heard something strange in the housekeeper's words.
Especially considering Hai Chenxi's congratulatory words and the scroll Qi Jingyuan had sent, everyone had a plan in mind. Perhaps the Crown Prince was dissatisfied with the two people's birthday wishes for the Sea King, and therefore wanted to cut off the incense offerings to the Sea King's Palace.
No wonder the prince felt unwell just now. Perhaps there is a secret hidden in this that they don’t know.
The courtyard was silent. Although no one dared to speak, Hai Quan had already seen everyone's expressions.
"Rui'er..." At this time, Princess Hai and Princess Qian had already left their table and ran towards the backyard. They covered their faces and cried while jogging. Princess Qian almost tripped over the hem of her skirt. Fortunately, the maids and servants beside her supported her, otherwise she would have lost her composure in front of others.
"Father, please make the decision for Rui'er!" Hai Yue stood up from the table with a sullen face, knelt on his knees in front of the King of the Sea, and asked the King of the Sea to make the decision for his son.
Hai Yue's kneeling had already confirmed Jiang Haotian's crime of killing the young master of the Sea Palace, even though everyone had not yet seen the truth of the matter.
"Don't talk nonsense before you find out the truth. The prince is the crown prince of Western Chu, how could he do such a mean thing? You get up first." Hai Quan suppressed his urge to rush to the backyard and taught Hai Yue. His understanding look immediately won the favor of everyone.
Hai Quan pondered for a moment, then looked up at all the guests in Suiyi Garden and said in a deep voice, "This matter is of no small importance. If it is true, I ask you all to bear witness for the Sea Palace. Chen Xi, push me to the backyard."
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