Chapter 17
The next day, Eunuch Ma gave the task of waking the prince up to Luo Sanying.
Luo Sanrong nervously carried the prince's clothes and practiced repeatedly on the way: "Your Highness, are you awake? Your Highness, are you awake?"
Luo Sanrong kept thinking back to what Eunuch Ma had told him: "To wake His Royal Highness, you must call out twice and wait for him to respond. Otherwise, you must keep calling out until he responds, and then you can go in."
Luo Sanrong had a sad face. She begged Eunuch Ma to transfer her out of the Eastern Palace, explaining that she really had her own difficulties and was not suitable to serve in the palace.
Eunuch Li looked at her seriously: "Do you hate me?"
Luo Sanrong hurriedly explained: "No, it's not because of you, it's really..."
Before he could finish explaining, Li Yin came out of the hall in his inner garments and asked innocently, "So, is it because of me?"
Luo Sanrong closed his eyes and carried the clothes in with a fearless attitude, pretending not to say anything in an attempt to escape. Eunuch Ma did not go in with him and gave him a look that told him to fend for himself.
Inner Palace of the Eastern Palace
The Crown Prince ordered, "All of you, leave!" Luo Sanrong turned to flee, but Li Yin grabbed her by the collar and jokingly said, "Others can leave, you stay."
Luo Sanrong cursed inwardly, but didn't dare show anything on her face. She carefully helped Li Yin put on his clothes.
During this process, Li Yin's eyes were always following Luo Sanrong, and Luo Sanrong's movements became more cautious.
"Tell me, why do you want to be transferred out of the Eastern Palace?" Li Yin broke the silence.
Luo Sanrong played dumb, his hands moving non-stop, "Your Highness, what are you talking about! As a eunuch, how can I choose the palace myself?"
Li Yin was silent for a moment. "Then talking about me behind my back, getting drunk, and biting your fingers, are these things okay?"
Luo Sanrong finally couldn't play dumb anymore and took a step back, avoiding his gaze. "Hahaha, at that time, I didn't know your true identity, Your Highness, so I acted so recklessly. I really should be punished."
Li Yin took a deep breath and tied the belt himself. "So, do you regret getting too close to me?"
Luo Sanrong raised her head and looked directly into Li Yin's eyes, then lowered her head again, "Yes, I regret it."
The belt was finally fastened. Li Yin lifted Luo Sanrong's chin with his fingers and leaned down. "You are blaming me!"
Luo Sanrong did not answer the question directly, but said: "If you had told me your true identity earlier, those ridiculous things might not have happened."
Li Yin stood up and said, "That's why I didn't tell you my true identity. If I had told you, you might have put on a mask and gotten along with me!"
Luo Sanrong was already confused by Li Yin's words and thought to himself, "So is he going to punish me?"
Li Yin avoided his gaze and whispered, "I'm sorry. I didn't tell you earlier."
Luo Sanrong exhaled, her heart finally settling. Now she realized, "So, he asked everyone to step aside just to say this to me? Not to punish me."
Li Yin then said, "In private, when it's just the two of us, you can continue to treat me as a friend. You don't have to treat me the same as everyone else."
Luo Sanrong was completely frozen, without any reaction, still thinking about his words, "So, does he treat me as a friend?"
Li Yin looked at the stunned Luo Sanrong with a smile in his eyes. Luo Sanrong then realized that the hair crown had not been put on properly. Fortunately, she reacted in time and wanted to put the hair crown on Li Yin.
But Li Yin seemed to be against her. He was a head taller than her, but he still stood on tiptoe on purpose. So, this scene happened. The two of them seemed to be competing with each other, and neither of them was willing to bow their heads. In the end, Luo Sanying fell into Li Yin's arms because her hair and belt were not straight.
*
In the Pavilion of the Prime Minister's Mansion
The Prime Minister slowly drank a cup of tea and slowly asked Ji Zeming: "As an envoy visiting our country, what do you know about him?"
Because Ji Zeming had studied in Qiping State before, the prime minister specially called Ji Zeming over this time and asked him if he knew the envoy from Qiping State.
Ji Zeming answered obediently: "I know a little bit. The visiting envoy is Prince Bening, the younger brother of the Emperor of Qiping. He is deeply favored by the Emperor, but to the people of Qiping, he is a very cruel person."
At this time, the Minister of Revenue, Sun Xing, asked curiously, "I heard that the Prince of Benin once openly demanded that the countries he was visiting not receive food, cloth, or anything like that, but only gold. Is this true?"
Ji Zeming replied: "Although it was a joke at the banquet, based on my understanding of him, it should not be empty talk."
Minister of Rites Xu Jiang slammed the table in anger, "He actually blatantly demanded a large amount of money and property. It seems this person is extremely arrogant."
The Prime Minister glanced at Xu Jiang and thought for a moment: "How about this, we prepare a banquet to entertain them, and then see if there is any room for negotiation."
"Father, this person is not a good person. I think we should not get too close to them." Ji Zeming advised.
The prime minister drank a cup of tea and said, "I understand what you mean, but for the sake of Xia Anguo, someone has to step forward and be the bad guy."
Ji Zeming had no choice but to obey his father's instructions. He stood up and clasped his fists, "Father, you are absolutely right. I will go to the palace to prepare for this banquet."
The prime minister nodded.
After seeing Ji Zeming leave, Minister of Rites Xu Jiang said, "If that Prince of Bening is really as greedy as you say, we only need to spend a lot of money to win him over. Then, we can ask Prince of Bening to reject the Crown Prince's proposal to take over the government."
The Prime Minister shook his head and said, "What if the Prince of Benin asks us for more money than we can afford? If he agrees to it but then changes his mind later, we will be helpless."
Minister of Rites Xu Jiang nodded and said in a flattering voice, "Then what should we do?"
The Prime Minister looked off into the distance and said thoughtfully, "We've all seen Prince Benin's greed and cruelty. It's unbearable. So what about the young and energetic Crown Prince?"
Xu Jiang snorted and laughed: "If the brainless prince saw this, it would be strange if the two of them didn't fight..." After saying that, Xu Jiang reacted, looked at the prime minister, and suddenly understood the prime minister's plan.
"If Li Yin loses control of his anger at the banquet, and the pretentious envoy encounters the temper-prone Crown Prince, disrupting the banquet and causing a conflict between the two, then..."
The prime minister looked at Xu Jiang with an expression that said "not too stupid", picked up the teacup and sipped the tea slowly. To be honest, he was also looking forward to seeing that scene!
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