Chapter 458 The Welcome-Away Banquet 3
As if sensing Gu Shuyan's gaze, Yun Yichen turned around and looked back. The two exchanged a glance in the air before quickly looking away.
Princess Chuxia sat with the Crown Prince of Wei. From the moment she sat down, she was the center of attention, so she couldn't make any unnecessary movements.
Only after everyone had started eating did she scan the crowd, and unsurprisingly, her gaze finally landed on Yun Yichen's face.
"Why is Your Highness looking at Lord Yun like that?"
The Empress's goal today was to keep this foreign princess company, so she naturally didn't miss the way the princess was carefully observing Yun Yichen.
Originally, this princess came to the Great Zhou for a political marriage. The Empress was worried about which prince she would choose. Now that she saw her gaze fall on Yun Yichen, the Empress immediately had an idea.
If Yun Yichen marries this difficult princess, would he no longer have to worry about the third and fifth princes relying on the power of the Wei Kingdom?
As soon as this thought came to mind, the Empress's gaze towards Yun Yichen softened considerably.
When asked by the Empress, Princess Chuxia naturally had to answer, so she nodded and said, "Chuxia is just a little curious as to why this gentleman is wearing a silver mask. Is it because he is ugly?"
Princess Chuxia was still as outspoken as ever, and Gu Shuyan almost spat out what she had just put in her mouth when she heard her words.
This princess is really bold. Everyone in the Great Zhou Dynasty knows that the Ghost-Faced Yama wears only half a mask. She doesn't believe that this Eighth Princess is so stupid as to not know this.
Even if she didn't know in Wei, now that she's in the territory of Zhou, is it possible that the Crown Prince of Wei wouldn't tell her not to mess with this devil?
"This?" The Empress was speechless. Even the Emperor had never seen Yun Yichen's face before, so how could she know if he was ugly or not?
However, judging from the other half of his face, Yun Yichen could not possibly be the ugly one.
Unable to answer the question, the Empress could only pass the question from Princess Chuxia to Yun Yichen, "Lord Yun, you should answer the Eighth Princess's question!"
"Your humble servant is not ugly in appearance."
As expected, Yun Yichen's answer was still concise and to the point, and there was even a hint of anger on his face.
"Then why are you wearing a mask?" Princess Chuxia continued to ask with a curious look, which made Yun Yichen frown.
“In early summer, you mustn’t be rude. Quickly apologize to Lord Yun.”
When the Crown Prince of Wei saw Yun Yichen's expression change, he immediately gave Chu Xia a wink.
They came to the Great Zhou to cause trouble, not to offend anyone. Princess Chuxia might not know much about Yun Yichen, but he knew him very well. He dared not underestimate someone who could reach his current position at such a young age and receive such attention from the emperor.
Most importantly, even that person values Yun Yichen so much, so he has to be extra careful in dealing with him.
Princess Chuxia had originally intended to get to the bottom of things, but upon seeing her brother's warning look, she immediately shut her mouth.
"It was my fault for being so talkative, please forgive me, sir."
Yun Yichen seemed not to hear Princess Chuxia's apology. He simply grunted in response and then downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.
If Yun Yichen hadn't acted so unapproachable, Princess Chuxia might have just glanced at him and let it go. But the fact that he was so cold to her, and that the emperor acted as if he hadn't seen him, immediately ignited Princess Chuxia's competitive spirit.
"Your Highness, this cup is a toast to you. Welcome to the Great Zhou."
Seeing that Yun Yichen had successfully cooled the atmosphere, the Fifth Prince quickly picked up his wine cup and raised it to the Crown Prince of Wei.
"Thank you, Fifth Prince." The Crown Prince of Wei naturally couldn't refuse the Fifth Prince's kindness. He had come here to spend more time with this person, and it wouldn't be good to make things awkward now.
After Lu Yuanbin finished toasting, it was naturally Lu Youming's turn. He should have been the one to toast first, but because Lu Yuanbin was currently riding high, he deliberately delayed the other party's toast.
"Your Highness, I would also like to offer you a toast, wishing you a pleasant stay in the Great Zhou."
Lu Youming treated the Crown Prince of Wei with courtesy, but not with enthusiasm, as if he had no interest in him at all, making it very comfortable to be around him.
"Thank you, Your Highness." The Crown Prince of Wei replied politely, then downed the wine in his cup in one gulp.
Seeing that everyone had offered a toast, the deposed crown prince, Lu Tianhua, could no longer contain himself. Now that he no longer held a royal status, he sat to the left of the others. If it weren't for his remaining title, he shouldn't even be at this banquet.
"Your Highness, I would also like to offer you a toast."
Because of his maternal family connections, the emperor bestowed upon Lu Tianhua the title of Marquis of Yongshou, the meaning of which was self-evident: that the emperor hoped Lu Tianhua would live a law-abiding and peaceful life.
However, this also proves just how much the emperor loved this son. Even to that extent, the emperor was still willing to grant him the title of marquis. His love for his son is truly evident to heaven and earth.
Who is this?
Upon hearing Lu Tianhua refer to himself as "this Marquis," the Crown Prince of Wei couldn't help but cast a questioning glance at Lu Yuanbin.
Lu Yuanbin was overjoyed at the sight, but he pretended to be surprised and said, "Oh, Your Highness, you don't know yet, do you? This is my elder brother, who has now been enfeoffed as the Marquis of Yongshou by Father Emperor."
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince of Wei immediately understood. He had been wondering what kind of person the deposed Crown Prince was, that the Emperor could be so lenient towards him.
But now, seeing Lu Tianhua, the Crown Prince of Wei was inexplicably somewhat disappointed.
In his opinion, Lu Tianhua's eyes were too murky, and he was clearly not the shrewd type. The fact that such a person could hold the position of crown prince for so many years meant that the emperor must really love his son.
"So it's the First Prince. It's a pleasure to meet you."
The Crown Prince of Wei didn't care about Lu Tianhua's current status. Since he was the emperor's eldest son, he was the eldest prince.
Upon hearing the title "Crown Prince of Wei," Lu Tianhua's eyes immediately lit up. For some time now, neither the Emperor nor the Empress had summoned him. Aside from spending his days in the Yongshou Marquis's residence, no one paid him any attention, let alone addressed him as "Prince."
"Your Highness, please."
Lu Tianhua was delighted and naturally drank the wine in one gulp.
After finishing his drink, the Crown Prince of Wei looked at Lu Tianhua's beaming face and couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips slightly.
What a fool! He's so happy over just a name.
The emperor did not object to the title of Crown Prince of Wei, and the others naturally would not embarrass the emperor in front of everyone. Thus, for a time, everyone tacitly accepted Lu Tianhua's status as the eldest prince.
The Empress has been racking her brains lately to find a way to make Lu Tianhua's identity less awkward.
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