Although Li Xiang lost his qualification to be the director of the Academy of Natural Sciences, his mood immediately improved when he thought about seeing his sweetheart soon.
Time quickly came to the day of the banquet. Li Xiang changed into his finest clothes early in the morning and waited at the palace gate.
Because of Li Jue, no one, whether palace guards or eunuchs, dared to underestimate Li Xiang, the son of the deposed crown prince. Furthermore, his three-year mourning period for Li Chengqian further enhanced his reputation among court officials.
Therefore, Li Xiang only stayed at the door for a short while before several groups of people came up to greet him.
"Isn't this Young Master Xiang?"
"Does Young Master Xiang wish to have an audience with His Majesty? This old servant will inform him immediately!"
"No, no, no, I'm fine, I just want to stand here for a while!"
"oh?"
"Is Young Master Xiang really alright?"
"I'm really alright!"
"In that case, this old servant will go and attend to my duties..."
After the old eunuch left, several guards came up to chat with him. They were from the Hundred Cavalry Division and had an extremely close relationship with Li Jue. Seeing Li Jue's only brother, how could they not rush to curry favor with him?
However, Li Xiang was unaware of all this; he thought it was simply that His Majesty favored Li Jue and doted on him.
Therefore, when he saw the Hundred Cavalrymen surrounding him, he turned pale with fright.
"You...you all..."
"I haven't done anything wrong, why are you arresting me?"
The Hundred Riders were stunned when they heard this. They wondered if their reputation was so bad that they had been frightened before they even opened their mouths.
"Young Master Xiang, you've misunderstood. We just came up to say hello!"
Alright!
"We've finished paying our respects to Young Master Xiang, so we should get back to our work. Farewell, Young Master Xiang..."
"Goodbye?"
Li Xiang pondered these words for a long time, finally realizing that this was all thanks to his younger brother, Li Jue. But why was Li Jue so familiar with the Hundred Cavalry Command? Shouldn't the Hundred Cavalry Command only obey the Emperor?
Li Xiang had too many questions in his mind, and he even had a vague suspicion that his younger brother had been switched at birth...
This wasn't just a sudden whim of Li Xiang's; he had genuinely discovered many problems with Li Jue. For example, Li Jue had completely forgotten his childhood; to be precise, his memory only began on the journey away from the capital…
Over the years, Li Xiang has asked many doctors, and even the local people of Qianzhou, but only got a few ambiguous answers.
For example, the condition of separation of the soul, or possession by a ghost...
Li Xiang absolutely did not believe in ghost possession, after all, Li Jue was not afraid of sunlight or fire.
As for the soul-separation syndrome...
Li Xiang also had considerable doubts in his mind, namely that the soul separation disease could only explain why he forgot the past, but it could not explain why he suddenly learned so many things.
"well!"
"Who cares? As long as he still acknowledges me as his brother, and his father and mother, that's enough!"
Li Xiang waited at the palace gate with his arms crossed for a while, and sure enough, he saw a group of carriages coming.
Upon seeing this, Li Xiang immediately widened his eyes, trying to find the carriage his beloved was riding in among these carriages.
He was disappointed, however, as none of the carriages seemed to be the correct ones.
However, just as he was about to enter the palace with a look of disappointment on his face, he suddenly felt a cool sensation on his face as a piece of ice silk handkerchief fell onto his face.
"Huh?"
Li Xiang put away his handkerchief and looked to the side. He saw the curtain of a carriage fall quickly, and a series of laughter, like the tinkling of silver bells, came from inside.
Li Xiang stared blankly at the carriage, basically certain that his beloved was sitting inside.
However, the carriage was moving very fast, and there were servants on both sides, so he couldn't find a chance to speak.
When the carriage completely disappeared from sight, Li Xiang could only look down at the handkerchief in his hand and touch the "Shu" character embroidered in gold thread on it.
Yan Shu?
It must be her!
Although Li Xiang and Yan Shu had only met once, he was very certain that this was the wife he wanted to find.
Gentle, skillful, beautiful, and captivating.
No matter what state I fall into, I will never abandon myself...
Li Xiang harbored a secret, a secret he couldn't tell anyone: he always regarded the deceased Crown Princess Su as the standard for finding a wife.
He was born without a mother and was raised by Madam Su, who was the embodiment of perfection in his heart.
In his view, his mother, Consort Su, was not only beautiful but also resilient. Even when the crown prince was deposed, she still supported the whole family, brought them to Qianzhou, and prepared a mansion and livelihood for them.
But fate was cruel, and her life was cut short, leaving one to sigh with regret.
Just as Li Xiang was lost in thought, Consort Wei led a group of palace maids over.
"Yo!"
"Isn't this Young Master Xiang?"
"What are you standing here for? Hurry up and come with me to the palace for the banquet!"
Upon hearing Consort Wei's voice, Li Xiang's eyes immediately became very clear.
"Xiang'er pays his respects to Consort Wei and greets her..."
Consort Wei could clearly sense Li Xiang's aloofness, but she warmly stepped forward, put her arm around Li Xiang's shoulder, and showered him with compliments.
"Look at this child, he's grown more and more handsome. I wonder which lucky girl will be able to marry him someday, hahaha!"
"Come, come with me, I'll take you to find a wife!"
"Let me tell you, I've invited quite a few noble ladies today, and I've asked them all to bring their unmarried daughters..."
In fact, Consort Wei had only one purpose for this banquet: to select a consort for the unmarried young members of the royal family.
It should be noted that there are quite a few unmarried members of the royal family. For example, Princes Li Fu and Li Ming in the palace are not yet married, and Princesses Jinyang, Changshan, and Xincheng are also of marriageable age.
Therefore, Consort Wei presided over this banquet, not only inviting all the noble ladies in the capital, but also allowing them to bring their unmarried sons and daughters into the palace for a proper look.
Originally, Li Xiang was not on the invitation list, after all, he was the son of the deposed crown prince, and others would avoid him like the plague, but who could blame them for having such a good younger brother?
Li Jue is currently the most popular candidate for crown prince. Once His Majesty tires of Li Zhi, the Tang Dynasty is destined to fall into Li Jue's hands.
Therefore, currying favor with Li Xiang is of paramount importance right now!
As long as they get on Li Jue's good side, their son's throne will be secure!
Consort Wei had no ambition; she only hoped that her only son, Li Shen, could live a peaceful life as a prince, which would put her at ease.
Judging from the current situation in the Tang Dynasty, it seems that being a prince is not an easy job.
"Young Master Xiang, do you have someone you love?"
"If you have a daughter, let me know in advance. No matter whose daughter she is, I will personally come to propose marriage to you, hehe..."
Upon hearing this, Li Xiang immediately blushed with embarrassment and stammered, unable to utter a word.
"Does it exist or not?"
"I don't think so, do I?"
"Not considered?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
