Chapter 753: An ugly face will only get uglier
When the carriage returned to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, Qian Zhenyun was still waiting for her in the flower hall. The silver charcoal in the stove was burning brightly, and the room was warm.
"Is it done?" He handed over a cup of freshly brewed hot tea.
"The bait has been put down. Whether the fish will take the bait or not depends on how greedy they are." Gu Qingchen took the teacup, but did not drink it. He just stroked the warm wall of the cup.
She raised her eyes and looked at Qian Zhenyun. There was a completely different light in her clear eyes, a more proactive and sharper calculation.
"However, just letting them fight each other in secret is not exciting enough."
Gu Qingchen leaned closer to Qian Zhenyun and lowered his voice, "I'm going to hold a 'Children's Fun Banquet' and invite children from all the prefectures in the capital in my name. The reason, of course, is to apologize for disturbing His Majesty the Twelfth Prince that day."
A hint of understanding flashed across Qian Zhenyun's eyes.
Gu Qingchen's eyes flashed with calculation: "The protagonist of the banquet is naturally His Majesty the Twelfth Prince. I want him to be the most dazzling child in the whole place. All the games will revolve around him, and all the prizes will be given to him."
"If the Fifth and Seventh Princes don't come, it's out of guilt. If they come, it's not easy for adults to interfere in the children's party, so they can only watch helplessly."
"What a trick of flattery," Qian Zhenyun added, "When the time comes, you can spread the 'truth' about the ice frolic that day through the innocent mouths of children throughout the prefectures."
"For example, how the Twelfth Prince was 'accidentally' forgotten by his two brothers."
Gu Qingchen smiled like a cunning little fox: "Not only that. At the banquet, I will arrange a 'treasure hunt' game, and the final 'treasure' will be a horse that is a hundred times more exquisite than the one taken away by the prince, carved from a whole piece of mutton-fat white jade."
She looked at Qian Zhenyun and spoke slowly, "I will present this 'gift' to His Majesty the Twelfth Prince in front of everyone. The Crown Prince took it, I gave it to him. One took it by force, the other gave it as a gift. Tell me, which one is more skillful in the eyes of others?"
Qian Zhenyun looked at her high spirits, his eyes full of praise: "By then, the expressions of the several princes will surely be very exciting."
Three days later, a unique children's banquet was held as scheduled in the warm garden of the Zhenguo Mansion. The garden was warm and cozy, and exotic flowers and plants competed for beauty, creating a world apart from the bleak winter outside.
All the prominent families in the capital sent their children here, and the garden was filled with beautiful people and laughter.
As expected, Crown Prince Zhao Chen'an personally brought the twelfth prince Zhao Heng. He was dressed in an ordinary brocade robe and had a gentle demeanor. He expressed his gratitude and apology to Gu Qingchen again in public. His words were sincere and his demeanor was elegant, perfectly portraying the image of a caring and sensible brother.
A moment later, the fifth prince Zhao Zhang and the seventh prince Zhao Rui also arrived with gloomy faces.
They had no choice but to come. The invitation had been delivered to the mansion. If they didn't come, it would be proof of their guilt and would mean they admitted that they couldn't accommodate their younger brother.
The two men looked at Zhao Heng, who was holding the prince's hand and surrounded by a group of children, with an excited face, and their faces were so gloomy that water could drip out.
Today, Gu Qingchen was wearing a light, dark blue casual dress embroidered with broken branches of plum blossoms. She wore only a simple jade hairpin in her hair. She was smiling as she moved among the children. She did not show any airs of a legitimate daughter of the Duke's Mansion. Instead, she looked like a sister next door who loved children.
The games she arranged were novel and interesting, such as pitching pots, hooping, and guessing lantern riddles. They were all carefully designed to allow the children to have fun while also praising Zhao Heng everywhere.
"His Highness the Twelfth Prince is truly amazing!"
"Wow, His Majesty the Twelfth Prince has hit the target again!"
Praises came one after another, and Zhao Heng soon had a lot of fun. His little face turned red, and he became the king among this group of children.
The banquet was halfway through and the atmosphere was very lively.
A little girl of seven or eight years old with two buns on her head was the daughter of the Minister of Personnel.
She tugged at her mother's sleeve, raised her innocent face, and asked loudly in a clear childish voice, "Mother, why did the Fifth and Seventh Princes leave the Twelfth Prince alone?"
"My brother said that the Twelfth Prince cried so pitifully that day!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the originally noisy laughter in Nuan Garden suddenly became silent.
Everyone's eyes, intentionally or unintentionally, were focused on the fifth and seventh princes.
Zhao Zhang's usually cold and hard face instantly turned the color of liver. The veins on the back of his hand holding the teacup bulged, and he almost crushed the fine white porcelain.
The lazy smile on Zhao Rui's face froze completely, and the gleam in his eyes turned into poisoned ice needles, staring at the outspoken little girl.
The girl's mother, the wife of the Minister of Personnel, was already pale with fear. She quickly covered her daughter's mouth and said in a trembling voice, "What nonsense are you talking about! Apologize to the princes!"
The ladies from each mansion lowered their heads, picked up their teacups, or adjusted their sleeves, as if they were unaware of the sudden change, but the glances they exchanged were full of meaningful understanding.
Rumors, like the warm wind that permeates this warm garden, can spread throughout the entire capital with just a single word.
"Oh, children's words are harmless, children's words are harmless." Gu Qingchen seemed to have just reacted, and hurriedly walked forward with a smile to smooth things over. She squatted down and gently touched the little girl's head.
"Don't be afraid, little sister. Your brother is talking about what happened on the icy lake that day, right? It was windy that day, and your two brothers were just not paying attention. It wasn't intentional."
Her "explanation" not only failed to calm the situation, but was like pouring a spoonful of water into boiling oil, making the words "abandoned" and "not cared about" more clearly imprinted in everyone's mind.
Zhao Zhang stood up suddenly, and a murderous aura emanated from him uncontrollably, scaring the surrounding children so much that their faces turned pale.
Zhao Rui quickly pulled him aside and said to Gu Qingchen with a forced smile, "Miss Gu is right. You're just a kid, what do you know? Today is your party, so let's continue. Don't let this little thing ruin everyone's mood."
"Your Highness the Seventh Prince is right." Gu Qingchen stood up and clapped his hands. The crisp applause attracted the attention of all the children.
She announced with a beaming smile, "Alright, little heroes and fairies, our most fun game is about to begin! I've hidden many treasures in this garden, and the greatest of them all is hidden in the most mysterious place. Whoever finds it will own it!"
As soon as the children heard about the treasure hunt, they immediately forgot about the previous incident and started cheering.
Zhao Heng excitedly pulled Gu Qingchen's sleeve, raised his little face, and asked expectantly, "Sister Qingchen, what treasure is this?"
Gu Qingchen bent down and whispered something mysteriously in his ear.
Zhao Heng's eyes instantly lit up like stars in the sky, and he announced loudly, "Sister Qingchen said that the greatest treasure is a glowing white jade horse! It's a hundred times more beautiful than the one my royal brother took away!"
As soon as the words fell, Zhao Zhang and Zhao Rui's expressions became even uglier.
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