Chapter 613: Taking the Imperial Gift and Giving it to the Prince
Gu Qingchen gave Qian Zhenyun a look, and Qian Zhenyun immediately put on a bitter face. He and Lin Jiayou carried the heavy rosewood box and walked to the front of the hall.
As soon as the exquisite and luxurious long box appeared, it attracted everyone's attention.
A hint of curiosity flashed in the little prince's eyes. He stood up and walked down the steps himself, "What is this?"
"Your Highness, just open it and you will know." Gu Qingchen smiled mysteriously.
The little prince reached out and gently pushed open the lid of the box.
In an instant, a slight gasp was heard in front of the hall.
A longbow lay quietly in the box, the bow body emitting a deep, dim light, and the cloud and thunder patterns carved on it exuded a cold aura of a veteran on the battlefield.
"What a good bow!" The little prince's eyes lit up instantly. He wanted to pick up the bow, but it was too heavy.
Seeing that he liked it, Gu Qingchen felt relieved and raised his chin proudly.
See, she knew that this gift would definitely touch the prince's heart!
"The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion is indeed a grand project."
A gentle voice with a hint of teasing came from not far away.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Emperor Zhao Yunci had been standing in the corridor of the palace, watching the scene with a smile on his face.
The students were suddenly panicked and knelt down, shouting "Your Majesty, may you be well."
Gu Qingchen's heart skipped a beat and he knelt down as well, but he had a bad feeling in his heart.
Zhao Yunci waved her hand and said, "Everyone, get up. Today is the prince's birthday banquet. No need to be so polite."
He walked forward, his eyes fell on the longbow, and his eyes became somewhat intriguing.
He took the bow from his son, his fingers gently brushing over the lines on the bow arm, and the smile on his lips deepened.
"Qingchen girl, do you know the name of this bow?"
Gu Qingchen was startled. She had no idea what the bow was called, so she could only shake her head.
"This bow is called 'Jinghong'." Zhao Yunci's voice was not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly. "It was given to your father by me personally as a reward for the great victory in the Western Expedition."
With a loud bang, Gu Qingchen felt as if a firework exploded in his head, and his vision went dark.
It’s over!
She secretly took her father's treasure, which was actually a reward from the emperor! Isn't this the same as stealing the emperor's things and giving them to the emperor's son?
She secretly raised her eyes and met Zhao Yunci's eyes that seemed to see through everything. She was so scared that she quickly buried her head again.
The little prince was also stunned. He looked at Gu Qingchen, whose face was pale, and then at the mischievous smile on his father's face, and immediately understood something.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something in defense of Gu Qingchen, but he didn't know where to start.
"Duke Zhenguo is willing to give the 'Jinghong' bow that I awarded to the Crown Prince?" Zhao Yunci asked leisurely, but his eyes were always fixed on Gu Qingchen.
"I appreciate his kindness."
Gu Qingchen felt his scalp tingling and he wished he could faint on the spot.
Just when she thought she was dead, the prince suddenly spoke.
"Father," he took a step forward and smiled faintly in Gu Qingchen's direction, "Gu Qingchen, I accept this generous gift from you."
He paused, then changed the subject, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, but just loud enough for everyone to hear.
"However, this bow is too valuable, and I dare not accept it. I will consider it as you...lending it to me. Once I have mastered the art of horseback archery, I will personally return it to the Duke of Zhenguo."
borrow?
Gu Qingchen suddenly raised his head and looked at Zhao Chen in disbelief.
He actually said "borrow"?
This changed the nature of the case completely, from "stealing national treasures and deceiving the emperor" to "borrowing treasures temporarily".
Looking at the sly smile on the prince's face, Gu Qingchen suddenly understood.
He was resolving the problem for himself, but he also handed it back to her exactly as it was.
Naturally, she had to find a way to get it back since she had lent it out.
But once the bow enters the Eastern Palace, how can she get it back and return it to her father?
This prince is not an easy person to deal with!
The banquet ended in a strange atmosphere.
Gu Qingchen entered the palace with a smile on his face, but came out with his head hung down.
Holding a bunch of ordinary gifts given by the prince in my arms, I felt like they were a thousand pounds heavy.
Her calves trembled when she thought about how she would face her father when she got home.
The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.
Chu Ruohan was listening to the steward reporting the invitations sent by various families when she saw her personal maid Haitang hurried in from outside with a strange expression on her face, as if she wanted to laugh but didn't dare.
"Madam." Haitang whispered in her ear and told her every detail of the news from the palace.
From how Gu Qingchen presented the "Jinghong" bow, to how His Majesty pointed it out, to how His Royal Highness the Crown Prince "borrowed" the bow to save the situation, the story was told vividly.
Chu Ruohan's expression changed from surprise at first, to nervousness, and then to laughing uncontrollably in the end.
With a "puff", she finally couldn't help herself and almost spit out a mouthful of tea.
Haitang quickly handed over the handkerchief.
Chu Ruohan took the handkerchief and wiped the corners of her mouth, her shoulders shaking with laughter.
"This little rascal! How audacious!"
She cursed with a smile, but there was no anger in her eyes, only helplessness and amusement.
"She usually plays tricks, but now she's run into a tough guy." Chu Ruohan shook her head and sighed, "This Crown Prince is also a scheming person. Evil will be dealt with by evil, that's all."
Let her daughter have a taste of it too. It’s like being plotted against and having to swallow the bitter pill.
On the other side, in the imperial palace, inside the imperial study.
The little prince stood obediently below, looking at his father with some uneasiness.
"Father, I have acted on my own initiative today. You..."
"You did a great job." Zhao Yunci interrupted him with a satisfied smile on her face.
He stood up from the dragon throne, walked to his son and patted his shoulder.
"An'er, you have been raised under the protection of me and your mother since you were little. You don't know how treacherous people are."
Zhao Yunci's gaze became profound. "That Gu Qingchen is like an unruly little wild horse, his head full of evil ideas."
"You were able to handle it today without embarrassing her or putting yourself at a disadvantage. You've made progress."
He picked up the "Jinghong" bow and handed it to Zhao Chenan.
"Take this bow first. I want to see how she can get it back from you."
The corners of Zhao Yunci's mouth curled up slightly, and her tone was full of anticipation.
"My son, the future monarch, cannot just read the books of sages. He should also experience the dangers of this world early on, so that he won't be deceived in the future."
The little prince held the longbow in his hand and nodded as if he understood.
All he could think of was Gu Qingchen, that face that went from smug to panic-stricken, and finally to anger that dared not speak out.
He suddenly felt that what his father had said about the "dangerous world" seemed... quite interesting.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com