The heir of the Marquis of Chengyang and his companions had originally come to teach Lu Baichuan a lesson, but they saw the couple presenting gifts. After all, these were gifts from the emperor, and even if they had the greatest courage, they wouldn't dare to disturb them. They decided to wait until the gift presentation was over before making any further moves.
As a result, Prince Jing wanted to see the gifts the couple had sent. They were initially quite disdainful, but when they saw the increasingly extravagant gifts, they were speechless, especially the plate of poison, a mere drop of which could make them wish they were dead.
So they decided not to pursue the matter further. After all, the couple only came to the capital occasionally and rarely had the chance to meet again. They would just consider today's incident as being bitten by a dog.
Unexpectedly, even though they weren't planning to pursue the matter any further, this woman wouldn't let it go.
As Zheng Qi was about to act, he felt several gazes coming toward them, especially one that was very sharp—it was Prince Jing's gaze.
"What happened?"
Prince Jing looked at the heir of the Marquis of Chengyang and saw a big bump on his head and a simple-minded look. He was instantly furious.
"Oh, it was just... a misunderstanding..."
Although the heir of the Marquis of Chengyang and his companions were not exactly good people, they had grown up in that circle and knew how to read people's expressions. At this moment, Prince Jing was pleased with the gifts given to the couple and would definitely stand up for them. If this matter were to escalate, he would certainly not come out on top, so he simply backed down.
Prince Jing's expression remained unchanged. He said, "Lord Lu and his wife are my good friends and honored guests whom I personally invited. You'd better not cause any trouble. Also, Madam Lu is a skilled physician and is treating the Emperor. You must be tired of living to dare to make such a fuss. Come here and apologize to Madam Lu!"
When he said this, Prince Jing had a serious face and was very earnest, without any hint of joking, which naturally meant that he could not refuse.
The heir of the Marquis of Chengyang was somewhat displeased and said aggrievedly, "I'm the one who got beaten!"
"You deserved to be beaten for saying those things! If Father finds out, you'll be in big trouble, not just beaten, you'll lose your head!"
Prince Jing emphasized his words. He usually had a fairly good relationship with these people. He was thinking that he was leaving tomorrow, so he invited them over for a drink. He didn't know when he would see them again. Who knew that these fools would offend people as soon as they arrived.
I still offended He Jiuniang!
After these few days of contact, Prince Jing knew that this woman was exceptionally vengeful and would seek revenge for the slightest offense. If he didn't give her an explanation today, she certainly wouldn't let it go.
Moreover, the heir of the Marquis of Chengyang and his companions were indeed foul-mouthed and deserved to be taught a lesson. It would be good to take this opportunity to reprimand them, otherwise who knows what kind of trouble they might cause in the future.
Upon hearing this, the group realized the seriousness of the matter. In this world, you can talk about anyone, but you absolutely cannot talk about the emperor. Yet, they had spoken about it, and someone had overheard them. If they were reported to the emperor, they would be in deep trouble.
After some deliberation, the group decided to back down.
After exchanging a glance, the heir of the Marquis of Chengyang led the way to Lu Baichuan and his wife, bowed with his hands clasped, and said, "We are truly sorry, please do not hold it against us."
Lu Baichuan didn't speak, but looked at He Jiuniang, it all depended on whether his wife would forgive him.
To everyone else, this scene made the couple seem like they were putting on airs. A group of wealthy young men had already humbled themselves and apologized to them, so what did they want to do?
He Jiuniang didn't care what the people around her thought. She simply said to them, "Originally, I didn't want to forgive you so easily, but considering you are His Highness Prince Jing's friends, I have to give him some face. I'll let it go this time, but if there's a next time, I don't care if you're the heir of the Marquis of Chengyang or some kind of Heavenly King, I can make you wish you were dead. Oh, and by the way, all those things you said about my relationship with the Emperor, it's useless to tell me. If you need to, go tell the Emperor. That way, I'll have a reason to ask him for compensation for damage to my reputation, understand?"
He Jiuniang chattered on and on, leaving everyone bewildered. Did this woman even know what she was saying?
What does it mean to make people wish they were dead, regardless of whether they are princes or emperors?
What does it mean to seek compensation from the Emperor for damage to one's reputation?
What is all this nonsense?!
A group of people had big question marks in their little heads, and they really couldn't understand where this woman got the audacity to say such a thing.
However, just because they didn't know doesn't mean Prince Jing didn't know. He knew how much weight this woman's words carried with the Emperor, based on the fact that he had been beaten by He Jiuniang and then asked to apologize by his father.
The heir of the Marquis of Chengyang was about to fly into a rage, but then he saw the look in Prince Jing's eyes, which was tinged with sympathy, a hint of resigned bitterness, and a touch of warning.
He froze instantly, could only force a smile and agree, then found a seat.
Lu Baichuan and his wife took their seats in the places that had been arranged in advance, and at that moment, the mood of the people around them changed dramatically.
Although the Lu couple came from humble backgrounds, they had powerful backers. They were Prince Chen's most capable assistants, the Emperor's most trusted physician, and Prince Jing's good friend. None of these identities were ones they dared to challenge.
Most importantly, the gifts they had just presented to Prince Jing were all amazing and incredibly impressive. These were things that money couldn't buy, and suddenly, many more people wanted to befriend the Lu family.
People around him had already started talking to Lu Baichuan. Lu Baichuan had a lot of experience in Nantai, so dealing with it was no problem for him.
He Jiuniang was in charge of eating. Prince Jing was quite generous, as he had obtained the recipe for Lu Hei Ya (a type of braised duck). There was Lu Hei Ya at the banquet today, but not in large quantities. He must have been quite distressed, since he couldn't buy many of the ingredients himself. It would be troublesome if they ran out when he went to the border.
He Jiuniang thought to herself, considering how righteous Prince Jing had just spoken, she would have someone send some more over tonight.
That's just how she is; she repays kindness tenfold.
Before long, many more dignitaries arrived, including Prince Chen and his wife. Princess Chen immediately spotted He Jiuniang, who was gnawing on a duck head with both hands. She pulled Prince Chen to sit next to He Jiuniang and the others. The two whispered a few words to each other, and Princess Chen also began to gnaw on a duck head with both hands.
Their swift movements were truly astonishing.
Previously, when only He Jiuniang was eating like this, everyone felt it was unbearable to watch. They thought that although the woman was beautiful, her behavior was vulgar and she was not worthy of being in a refined setting. Who knew that the princess would do the same now? They were instantly speechless.
As expected, one is influenced by one's surroundings; even the princess has been corrupted by her.
Once most of the people had arrived, Prince Jing began to give his remarks, then raised his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.
Immediately afterwards, everyone saw him roll up his sleeves, pick up a duck neck, and begin to introduce it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com