Lu Baichuan turned his head and explained to He Jiuniang, "This is Prince Jing."
He Jiuniang nodded, glanced at him, and then looked away; she had no interest in this Prince Jing.
Is anyone else still missing?
Lu Baichuan glanced around: "It seems that only Prince Lin is missing."
"Did you see the person who led the chase after you that night?"
"No, and he didn't come."
He Jiuniang nodded and said, "It seems that Prince Lin has some problems."
Lu Baichuan had suspected something before, so he wasn't too surprised by today's situation.
All the guests invited by Prince Chen arrived, but Prince Lin was nowhere to be seen, which meant he was afraid.
A few days before the banquet, Prince Chen, as requested by He Jiuniang, spread the word that she could recognize Lin Yiping. Lin Yiping had witnessed He Jiuniang's medical skills, which is why he was too frightened to come.
That was their goal.
Actually, we could have lured him to the banquet and caught him like a turtle in a jar, but this is, after all, the little princess's birthday banquet. If things got too messy, it would only cause trouble for Prince Chen. It would be best to just scare him like this and find him out.
As for dealing with Prince Lin, that can only be done in secret.
"Why hasn't Fifth Brother arrived yet?"
Prince Chen noticed that Prince Lin was not there and spoke with a smile.
Prince Jing said, "Fifth Brother is ill and said he couldn't pass on his illness to Xinyue, so he only sent his younger brother to bring the congratulatory gift."
As he spoke, Prince Jing beckoned to the young princess, beckoning her over, and then handed her two exquisitely crafted boxes.
"Thank you for the gifts, Uncle Six and Uncle Five!"
The young princess happily accepted the gift and eagerly opened the small box. One of the boxes contained a beautiful pearl, as big as a child's fist, which looked quite rare.
The other box contained a white jade carving of a peace lock, exquisitely crafted, and especially beautiful for children to wear.
Prince Jing looked at the adorable little princess and, unusually, showed a genuine smile, asking, "Do you like her?"
"Yes, I like it!"
Prince Jing dismissed the young princess, exchanged a few words with Prince Chen, and then sat down. As he turned around, he deliberately glanced at He Jiu Niang, a look of amazement flashing in his eyes.
In public, Prince Jing and Prince Chen were like brothers, speaking politely to each other, and at first glance, no conflict could be seen.
However, Lu Baichuan felt that Prince Jing's behavior today was somewhat unusual, and whispered to He Jiuniang, "Prince Jing is acting strangely. He's never been this good-tempered before."
He Jiuniang replied nonchalantly, "Who cares? Let's see first."
So far, she hasn't smelled her specially made fragrance, which means Lin Yiping really didn't dare to come. In that case, let's see what happens next before making a decision.
Apart from Prince Lin, all the other guests had arrived. Prince Chen, the host, stepped forward and said a few words to congratulate the young princess on her birth, and then the banquet continued.
Gradually, the Crown Prince and Prince Jing began to show signs of impatience.
They came here today to see He Jiuniang's so-called ability to judge people, but nothing has happened yet. Could it be that she's lying?
They came today for two reasons: first, to see just how capable the people around Prince Chen really are; and second, to see who Prince Chen has been at odds with lately, so that they might be able to cooperate with them.
Two more new dances were performed, but the scene remained quiet. Prince Jing couldn't help but ask, "Didn't I hear that Third Brother had a capable person by his side who could recognize the masked people present? Why hasn't anything happened? Could it be that Third Brother was just fooling people?"
They were just acting like brothers a moment ago, but they've already gone back to normal in no time. It seems that Prince Jing's acting skills are really lacking.
He Jiuniang turned her head and complained to Lu Baichuan, "This Prince Jing is impatient and of too low a rank. He won't amount to anything."
Although she hadn't paid much attention to court affairs, she was quite good at judging people. However, Prince Jing wasn't very bright, and it didn't take much skill to tell him off.
Lu Baichuan nodded in agreement. Judging from how Prince Jing had been used by Lin Yiping all along, being sold out and still counting the money for the seller, it was clear that he didn't have much ability.
He's just a reckless brute with no sense of strategy.
Prince Chen looked at Prince Jing and asked with a smile, "Did the six emperors come here today for this very reason?"
"Indeed! This song and dance is so boring. I'd like to see what this talented person is capable of."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on He Jiuniang again.
He had heard before that the masked man beside King Cheng was no ordinary person, and now he heard that the masked man's wife was even more extraordinary. He wanted to see just how extraordinary she was.
The Crown Prince also stepped forward and said, "My third brother has many capable people around him, and I would like to see them for myself."
Prince Chen then looked at He Jiuniang, who shook her head slightly, indicating that the person had not come at all.
Prince Chen replied, "It seems I'll have to disappoint the Crown Prince and my sixth brother. That person didn't dare to come tonight, otherwise he would have already put on a good show for everyone."
"Didn't come? How do you know he didn't come? Isn't it just that your so-called capable person is all show and no substance?"
Prince Jing was rather aggressive, and his gaze toward He Jiuniang carried a hint of disdain.
He said that a woman could not accomplish anything great; she was just a pretty vase.
Such a woman is fine to keep at home for fun, but to call her a capable person is a stretch.
He Jiuniang lowered her head and gently curled the corners of her lips. The next moment, something hit Prince Jing's mouth, and it swelled up instantly.
"Ah! Who dares to ambush me!"
Everyone looked at Prince Jing's mouth, which had instantly swelled up into a pig's snout, and some couldn't bear to look at it, while others wanted to laugh, but they all forced themselves to hold it in.
Lu Baichuan sat next to He Jiuniang and saw her every move clearly.
He had always known that his wife was very capable. If he hadn't had good eyesight, he probably wouldn't have been able to see how she made her move.
"That guy has such a foul mouth, saying I'm incompetent and all show and no substance. I'll beat his mouth until it's swollen!"
Lu Baichuan smiled indulgently and did not stop him.
He also felt that Prince Jing deserved to be hit for his foul mouth. If he hadn't seen that his wife had already taken action, he wouldn't have planned to add insult to injury.
"Who are you? Show yourself to me! Ah!"
I got hit again!
This time it was even more severe and painful than before. Prince Jing was speechless, only able to glare at Prince Chen and mumble incoherently, "Is this how Third Brother disciplines his servants?"
He Jiuniang's attack was swift, accurate, and ruthless. Apart from Lu Baichuan, no one even saw clearly what she used to hit Prince Jing. All that was seen was that Prince Jing's mouth suddenly swelled up.
Prince Chen saw that Prince Jing's mouth was swollen like two sausages, yet he was still speaking with unwavering determination despite his disability. It was truly remarkable. He stepped forward anxiously and asked with concern, "Sixth Brother, what happened? Could it be that you talked too much nonsense and ended up like this? Sixth Brother, be careful with your words!"
These words infuriated Prince Jing so much that he rolled his eyes. If it weren't for his subordinates supporting him, he might have been lying on the ground right now.
The Crown Prince also rushed over in a hurry, and said to Prince Chen in a somewhat angry tone, "At this point, Third Brother, don't say those things to provoke Sixth Brother anymore. You should hurry up and find a doctor to take a look. If something bad happens, it will be difficult to explain to Father."
The crown prince always showed great concern for his younger brothers. In the old emperor's eyes, he was a kind and honest child. So even though he knew the crown prince was incompetent and cowardly, the emperor still kept him in his position.
With so many people around, Prince Chen naturally couldn't ignore Prince Jing, so he sent Cheng Meng to fetch the imperial physician.
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