Perhaps this person is worth befriending.
Thinking of this, Li Chang'an felt much more at ease, and then walked side by side with Liu Furong.
The two walked and talked, enjoying each other's company.
Finally meeting the female war goddess she had long admired, Liu Furong was extremely excited and immediately became a little fangirl, pestering Li Chang'an with questions.
Li Chang'an was very accommodating and patiently answered all her questions.
This conversation made Liu Furong like Li Chang'an even more.
Upon arriving at the imperial palace, Emperor Xingchang and Zhao Ruyue were already seated in the seats of honor, and many officials and their daughters were also present.
Li Chang'an and Liu Furong stepped forward together and respectfully bowed to the two of them.
Emperor Xingchang smiled and raised his hand, saying, "No need for formalities, please take a seat."
Zhao Ruyue appeared somewhat indifferent, merely raising her eyelids to glance at Li Chang'an indifferently, without uttering a single word.
At this moment, Bai Ruohan and Bai Ruobing also arrived. Both of them looked unwell, indicating that neither of them had gained any advantage in the battle just now.
"Aren't these the two daughters of the Prime Minister's family? Tsk tsk tsk, look how beautiful they've become, like celestial beings, the more you look at them, the more you like them!"
Upon seeing Bai Ruohan and Bai Ruobing, Zhao Ruyue immediately changed her tune, smiling more brightly than any flower in bloom.
Suddenly being praised like this, Bai Ruobing felt a little smug and unconsciously straightened her back even more, thinking that if even the Imperial Noble Consort thought she was beautiful, then it goes without saying that those young gentlemen thought so too.
In contrast, Bai Ruohan merely gave a polite smile and then bowed slightly to Zhao Ruyue: "Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. You are just as young and beautiful as I am. I think your complexion is getting better and better!"
Bai Ruohan finished speaking, a faint smile still playing on her lips. Then, feigning nonchalance, she glanced at Li Chang'an and said, "This palace banquet is so important that I have specially fasted for three days, unlike some people who dress so casually. I wonder who they are trying to fool..."
Upon hearing her words, Li Chang'an understood immediately and could only sigh silently in his heart.
As expected, Zhao Ruyue frowned upon hearing Bai Ruohan's words, looked at Li Chang'an with a somewhat unfriendly expression, and said coldly, "Yong'an, although you have been in the military camp for a long time, you are still a princess of a country. How can you dress so casually at a palace banquet? What kind of decorum is this!"
Just as Li Chang'an was about to retort, Feng Beichuan leaned over and said coldly to Bai Ruohan, "Miss Bai, what you said is not right. Chang'an has been in the military camp for so long and has always been frugal. Besides, when did extravagance become the style of Shengnan?"
This was clearly making a mountain out of a molehill, leaving Bai Ruohan speechless for a moment, and Zhao Ruyue said nothing more.
Li Chang'an glanced at Feng Beichuan, only to meet his gaze. There was a strange light in Feng Beichuan's eyes, but Li Chang'an didn't react; he simply nodded slightly.
Bai Ruohan, who was standing to the side, saw the two of them looking at each other and felt jealous. She cursed Li Chang'an a thousand times in her heart before she finally raised her head with satisfaction.
"Mother, my brother stole my sachet!"
A childish shout came from beside her. Bai Ruohan turned her head and saw a little girl of about four or five years old rush into a woman's arms.
The young woman was dressed in gorgeous clothes and wore a golden crown. Bai Ruohan recognized her; she was the wife of the Marquis of Kangding, a first-rank noblewoman.
The little girl was also very beautiful and lovely, so Bai Ruohan took a few more glances at her. Then he noticed a boy standing next to the Lady of Kangding, who looked about seven or eight years old.
When Bai Ruohan saw the boy, she suddenly thought of Crown Prince Li Changsheng and asked Zhao Ruyue, "Why is His Highness not here today? His Highness must have made progress in his studies recently?"
In fact, Bai Ruohan did not know about Li Chang'an and Li Changsheng's relationship at first, but Zhao Ruyue took it to heart and immediately stopped smiling, staring coldly at Li Chang'an.
Li Chang'an felt that piercing gaze, but he was not afraid at all and turned to meet Zhao Ruyue's eyes.
"Yong'an, now that you've sent Sheng'er to the military camp, when do you plan to send him back to me? How can you, as his older sister, bear to let such a young child suffer in such a place?"
As Zhao Ruyue spoke, she appeared on the verge of tears.
The others present sighed in dismay and cast accusatory glances at Li Chang'an.
Nevertheless, Li Chang'an remained calm and composed. She looked at the crowd and said in a clear and calm voice, "Since Sheng'er is the crown prince of a country, how can he just be pampered with fine clothes and delicacies every day? Sending him to the military camp to gain experience is for his own good. You all should think about it: how can a dignified man become a wise ruler of a country if he has never experienced any great storms?"
After he finished speaking, the banquet hall was silent for a moment, but soon someone spoke up to refute him: "Princess, you are mistaken. The little prince is only seven or eight years old. Why is Your Highness so eager to put him in charge of important responsibilities? Do you think that His Majesty is no longer capable of governing the country? His Majesty is in his prime, and our Sheng Nan is now a peaceful and prosperous country. It would be fine for His Highness to let the prince act recklessly for a few more years."
These words caused another uproar in the banquet hall. Feng Beichuan stood up and said calmly, "What a fine 'peace and prosperity'! When this gentleman said these words, did he ever think about who brought about this peaceful and prosperous era? Princess Yong'an gave up the rich and luxurious life in the palace to go to the battlefield to shed blood, all for Sheng Nan. How can you say such things and chill her heart?"
The hall fell silent instantly.
Emperor Xingchang had remained silent throughout, but seeing the crowd arguing more and more fiercely, he had no choice but to step in and smooth things over, saying, "Alright, Chang'an is doing this for Sheng'er's own good. It's time for that child to gain some experience. Let's discuss this again later."
Since the Emperor had spoken, no one could say anything more, and the matter was considered closed.
Next came the time for the young ladies to perform, which Zhao Ruyue had specially arranged. She said it was to entertain everyone, but in her heart, she wanted to embarrass Li Chang'an. She knew that Li Chang'an was used to wielding swords and spears in the military camp and was not good at anything related to music, chess, calligraphy, or painting, so she wanted to take this opportunity to make a fool of herself.
Such a rare opportunity naturally made the young ladies of each family eager to show off in front of everyone, but Li Chang'an felt somewhat helpless.
She knew this was aimed at her, but she had no choice but to agree.
Bai Ruohan watched Li Chang'an from the side, just like Zhao Ruyue, waiting to see her make a fool of herself. She felt that Li Chang'an would not be able to escape this time, and she had already thought about how to make sarcastic remarks later.
Li Chang'an felt her gaze, but his eyes shifted to a wooden sword to the side.
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