"Greetings to the Crown Prince!" The Fourth Prince nodded and greeted the Crown Prince.
In the eyes of these brothers, the Crown Prince was still half a heir apparent, and they still had to bow to him when they saw him.
"Greetings to Prince Yong!" The Eighth Prince also bowed to the Fourth Prince.
"No need for formalities! We're all brothers, why be so polite?" Prince Heshuo laughed heartily.
“Exactly! They’re all brothers!” The Crown Prince rarely echoed.
The banquet was set up in the waterside pavilion behind Yinti's main house. Across a small lotus pond that he had dug himself, the song "Farewell My Concubine" had already begun to be sung in the bamboo pavilion opposite.
After the maids brought out platters of delicious food, Yinti personally poured wine for the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, the Eighth Prince, the Ninth Prince, the Tenth Prince, and the Fourteenth Prince. The Fourteenth Prince hadn't originally planned to come, but was persuaded by Consort De to attend. According to Consort De, brothers should maintain their relationship.
“Come, let’s raise our glasses and toast the Crown Prince together!” said Prince Heshuo.
The crowd didn't care; the Crown Prince's status was undeniable, and no matter what they thought, they couldn't bypass him.
"Very well, I will drink this cup of wine. You all should drink as well," the Crown Prince said, raising his cup to everyone.
These people only had the opportunity to get together and drink when they were with Emperor Kangxi.
After drinking for a while, everyone started watching the actors on stage perform "The Overlord"!
The crowd looked at the overlord on the stage, hesitating whether or not to lead their brothers across the river.
"If you ask me, this overlord is far too fragile; he's truly unworthy of being called a great hero!" Fourteen couldn't help but say.
"Oh? Does Fourteenth Brother mean that the Overlord should lead his brothers across the river and recuperate before making a comeback?" the Crown Prince said upon seeing Fourteenth Brother.
“Yes, death doesn’t mean the end. He still had Yu Ji, and so many brothers who followed him. Why would he commit suicide?” Fourteen said.
Fourteen's words made everyone ponder the Overlord.
“Fourteen has grown up!” Prince Heshuo said. “The Overlord just couldn’t accept that he had actually lost. He lost his fighting spirit, so he chose to die with some dignity rather than fall into the hands of the enemy.”
"Come, let's drink!" Prince Yi said.
Everyone raised their glasses and drank them clean.
"Fourth Brother, why do you think Xiang Yu lost to Liu Bang?" Eighth Master asked Fourth Master.
"He couldn't even make good use of Fan Zeng. Liu Bang had so many capable advisors around him, and he lost because of that!" Fourth Master said.
"So what Fourth Brother means is that the way to run an army is to make good use of talent!" Eighth Master asked.
Fourth Master suddenly realized that he had stepped into a trap set by Eighth Master!
"Why don't you ask the Crown Prince, Eighth Brother? Only the Crown Prince is qualified to discuss the way of being a ruler!" Fourth Prince said.
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince said to the Fourth Prince, "There's no need to take it so seriously when brothers are chatting casually! Feel free to speak your mind!"
Prince Heshuo couldn't help but say, "I think Xiang Yu lacked a bit of luck. His talent and military strategy were unmatched! It's just a pity that too many people were jealous of him. Liu Bang was just a junior official, yet he was able to achieve great things! I think the history books are probably all written nonsense."
Third Master shook his head and said, "Brother, how could Xiang Yu compare to Liu Bang's talent! He was able to gather countless extraordinary talents around him, isn't that talent?"
Fourth Master was surprised that Third Master shared a similar view on this issue, and couldn't help but glance at him a few more times!
“In chaotic times, scholars are the most useless! Liu Bang was just lucky!” Yin Ti said disdainfully.
"Let's have a drink instead!" Tenth Master said, realizing that if they continued talking, they might start fighting.
“Yes, come on, let’s drink to our sister-in-law for getting pregnant with our eldest brother’s son at this age!” Third Master immediately changed the subject.
However, Yinti felt that he had ulterior motives for saying that, and glared at the third brother a few times before falling silent.
Seeing that the eldest and third sons were arguing again, the crown prince gave the others a wink.
Seeing this, Eighth Master quickly said, "Third Brother, we're here today to celebrate for Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law, what are you doing here!"
The third brother immediately realized his mistake and slapped his forehead, saying, "Hey! That's right! Big brother, this cup of wine is my apology!"
Prince Heshuo could no longer keep a straight face, so he suppressed his discomfort and accepted the cup of wine from the Third Master!
On stage, the story of the Overlord was still being sung in a low, mournful voice. But those sitting at the table had their own thoughts.
The Crown Prince maintained a warm smile throughout, as if he and the Prince of Heshuo were the most harmonious brothers.
After the argument with the Prince of Heshuo, the Third Prince lost interest and just ate and drank with the others. The Fourth Prince remained as sullen as ever. The Eighth and Ninth Princes were still together, only caring about drinking. The Fourteenth and Tenth Princes were young and had always been treated like children by their older brothers.
After several rounds of drinks, Prince Heshuo excused himself to show them the venison and left the table.
"Where is that pot of wine?" Prince Heshuo asked his personal eunuch.
“It’s all ready, Your Highness,” the servant replied.
"When they've had their fill of drinking over there, bring that jug of wine to me personally and place it before me," Prince Heshuo instructed.
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