"Your Highness, I don't think it's necessary..."
After Wang Yanzhang finished speaking, he stood there defiantly, as if to say, "You can have me, but you can't go this far and humiliate me like this..."
Li Zhu's face was grim; he felt his life was bleak. He couldn't imagine how Wang Yanzhang would react if he knew he would become his father-in-law—he simply couldn't fathom it…
Seeing Wang Yanzhang's heroic appearance as he faced his execution, Li Zhu roared in anger.
"What if you get hacked to death without any weapons? I'm going to a banquet, and you're responsible for protecting me. How will you protect me if I don't have any weapons?"
"Oh, huh?"
Wang Yanzhang was initially relieved, thinking that he didn't have to accompany Li Zhu. However, he soon realized that he had been overthinking things. Thinking about his behavior just now, Wang Yanzhang felt ashamed. How could a great general like himself have fallen to such a state?
"I'll go back and prepare..."
Wang Yanzhang felt like he was fleeing in utter disarray, his mind racing as he ran: I'm too ashamed to face anyone...
Soon after, Wang Yanzhang followed Li Zhu towards the palace…
On the way, Li Zhu glanced at a certain spot behind him, the location of the Marquis. He hadn't expected the Marquis to return; this added another layer of protection to his safety…
Tonight is destined to be an eventful night. The banquet has begun, and the main hall is filled with singing and dancing. Everyone seems very happy, as if this is what a prosperous era should look like...
When Li Zhu arrived, the Emperor had not yet arrived. As the most important person at the banquet, he was naturally the last to appear…
The Liao and Baiyue envoys were already seated in the seats of honor, and Li Zhu was seated opposite them. This was to allow Li Zhu and the two princesses to get to know each other beforehand and build rapport!
Li Zhu noticed that Princess Xiao of Liao was staring in his direction, which made him very uncomfortable. After all, she was a beautiful woman, and being stared at like that by someone so beautiful always made him feel awkward…
If he could, Li Zhu really wanted to cover the other person's eyes. Why was he always staring at him?
Helpless, Li Zhu could only observe the guests who had arrived that day. He noticed that Jiang Moyan, whom he had beaten up after the court session, was also there, but he had injuries on his face and kept his head down, not wanting anyone to see him…
There were also several richly dressed young men, their faces bruised and swollen; it was easy to guess that they were the followers of the Second Prince and Jiang Moyan…
Li Zhu remarked that birds of a feather flock together, and these people were all no good. He wondered why the Second Prince, as the leader of this group, wasn't there. Then he saw the Second Prince and the Third Prince hiding in a corner, whispering and talking furtively...
This made him frown, feeling that the two were definitely plotting how to kill him. Whatever their plan, Li Zhu would not allow them to continue...
"snort…"
He snorted and was about to stand up to cause trouble for the two men when a beautiful figure suddenly appeared beside him, smiling and sitting down next to him…
He even defiantly pushed the Little Dragon Girl aside, raised his head towards her, and said haughtily...
"I am the Crown Prince's sister. Who are you? How dare you sit next to the Crown Prince?"
It was only then that Li Zhu recognized her as Consort Zhu's daughter, the Emperor's youngest daughter, Li Xian'er!
What are you doing here?
Li Zhu looked at Li Xian'er angrily and asked, "Not only did her mother have an affair, but she also conspired with her lover to kill him. How could he possibly have a good temper to talk to her?"
"Brother Crown Prince, why are you so fierce? You used to dote on Xian'er the most..."
Li Xian'er said pitifully, as if Li Zhu was bullying her!
Upon hearing Li Xian'er's words, Li Zhu's mind immediately conjured up images of the two of them playing together—images that were indeed quite heartwarming…
Li Zhu sighed. Regardless of Consort Zhu's actions, Li Xian'er was innocent. Although he didn't know if she was his father's daughter, she was, after all, his younger sister whom he had grown up with, and there was still some affection between them. So he sighed and said...
"Xian'er, this is not a place for you. Go back now. I'll come visit you again when I have time, okay?"
Li Xian'er knew that Li Zhu was just trying to comfort her, but she still happily said...
"Brother Crown Prince, remember to go play with Xian'er, okay..."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely go..."
Li Zhu said this aloud, but inwardly she sighed. She was unaware that her mother had cheated on her, and that her maternal grandfather was plotting a rebellion. When the truth came out, she would probably be implicated as well…
"Yes, I believe in you, Crown Prince. Could you please take me back? I'm scared to be alone..."
Li Xian'er tugged at Li Zhu's sleeve and pleaded!
"No, Brother Zhu needs to stay here with me..."
Xiaolongnu also came to the other side and hugged Li Zhu's arm, appearing even more intimate than Li Xian'er!
The two women were close in age, yet their gazes towards each other were filled with repulsion. At this moment, Li Zhu seemed like a toy, and they needed to fight for ownership of this toy…
"Why should she? My brother, the Crown Prince, is my imperial brother. She must stay with me. And who are you?"
"I'm Brother Zhu's personal maid, much better than you. I can be by Brother Zhu's side every day..."
Their haughty demeanor was incredibly cute, but Li Zhu, standing in the middle, was also having a major headache. These two troublesome little devils really knew how to cause trouble...
"Alright, I'll take you home first..."
Helpless, Li Zhu could only send one away first, so he wouldn't be caught in the middle...
"snort!"
Li Xian'er looked at Xiaolongnu with an arrogant expression, like a victorious rooster, which infuriated Xiaolongnu to the point that she felt an urge to summon a venomous snake...
Li Zhu led Li Xian'er out of the hall. The Second Prince and the Third Prince, who were hiding in the corner, felt his gaze and immediately looked at him warily. They quickly came out from the corner and returned to their seats...
Li Zhu escorted Li Xian'er back to the inner palace before rushing back, but by then the emperor had already arrived and the banquet had officially begun…
Seeing that Li Zhu had arrived so late, the Emperor couldn't help but frown and question him.
"Your Highness, have you ignored my words? Why are you so late?"
"Your Majesty, I was just escorting Sister Xian'er back to the palace. The envoys from Liao and Baiyue can testify that I was here just now..."
Li Zhu couldn't help but internally complain, but he also had to give a serious explanation!
"I understand. Go back and sit down..."
The emperor didn't lash out, but his gaze towards him was filled with deep displeasure...
The banquet was filled with singing and dancing, a rare scene of peace and tranquility. However, thinking of the miserable conditions in various counties that he had learned from the Marquis, he couldn't help but sigh: "Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the road, frozen corpses lie!"
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