Soon, it was the day of His Majesty's birthday.

There is no need to attend the morning court today, so all the palace maids and eunuchs are busy.

The palace was filled with joy, and the concubines in the harem were all staying in their bedrooms to dress up, trying to look their most beautiful at the palace banquet to amaze the emperor.

After all, today is the emperor's birthday, a big day, and all the queens want the emperor to stay overnight in their palaces, hoping that they can conceive a dragon seed and be promoted to a higher rank.

However, the emperor, who is being missed by all the concubines in the harem, is still handling government affairs in the imperial study. Also present are the Crown Prince of Fan, Xie Xi, and Xie Yue.

Regarding the marriage between the two countries, the Prince of Fan State finally couldn't help but find Xie Xi and asked him to bring the fifth prince to the palace to meet the Emperor of Li.

Xie Xi knew what Prince Fan wanted to do, so he followed his wishes and sent someone to find his fifth younger brother first, and then brought them into the palace to see his father.

Before entering the palace, Xie Yue was still a little confused. He didn't know why his brother, the Crown Prince, called him to the palace at this time.

Until she learned from the Crown Prince of Fan that the Seventh Princess of Fan was attracted to her and wanted to become his consort...

Xie Yue was completely stunned.

He stared at the Prince of Fan with wide eyes, in shock, and couldn't believe it: "Prince Yu, are you telling the truth?"

"How could the Seventh Princess possibly like me——"

Xie Yue spoke the last sentence in a very low voice, and seemed a little unconfident.

Xie Yue had been looked down upon and bullied in the palace since he was a child. In his mind, apart from his brother the Crown Prince, no one could be trusted and was not worthy of his trust.

He really couldn't believe that the Seventh Princess of Fan State would fall in love with him!

What's more, he has no special skills. Even though he has left the palace and set up his own government, his father has not yet assigned him any tasks.

In the court, he didn't even have a small official position, and all he had was the identity of a prince...

How could he deserve the favor of the Seventh Princess of Fan State?

Thinking of this, Xie Yue appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was about to break.

Doing nothing and being unappreciated.

He is not worthy of the Seventh Princess of Fan State at all.

Hearing this, Emperor Li, who was sitting at the desk, suddenly raised his eyes and glanced at Xie Yue. His eyes darkened, but he did not speak.

Xie Xi, who noticed this scene, pursed his lips tightly, looking a little unhappy and helpless.

My father treats my fifth younger brother so coldly.

The Crown Prince of Fan State did not notice the expression of Emperor Li. He looked at Xie Yue with a gentle expression and said with a smile: "Fifth Prince, every word I said is true. Moreover, that is my Seventh Sister. If it weren't for her interest, I would not have come to Emperor Li and said it."

"I just don't know what the Fifth Prince is thinking."

After a pause, the Crown Prince of Fan turned his head to look at the silent Emperor Li, and said slowly: "If the Fifth Prince is interested, it would be a happy event. Moreover, the marriage between the two countries can also strengthen the friendship between Li and Fan. What does Emperor Li think?"

It turns out that the State of Fan was thinking about a marriage between the two countries?

There was a flash of understanding in Emperor Li's eyes. No wonder the Crown Prince of Fan State insisted on mentioning this matter to him today. Did he want him to arrange the marriage at the palace banquet tonight?

Emperor Li frowned slightly and said, "If Prince Yu sincerely wants a marriage between our two countries to strengthen the friendship between our two countries, I will naturally not refuse."

"However, whether or not to marry the Seventh Princess of the Fan Kingdom is still up to Yue'er to decide."

The final decision fell on Xie Yue again.

Xie Yue was flattered.

But after listening to what his father and the Crown Prince of Fan said, Xie Yue immediately understood.

Regardless of whether the Seventh Princess of Fan State really likes me, Fan State will think about marriage with Li State. This matter must have been decided before the Crown Prince of Fan State and others came to Li State.

Even if the person they choose is not himself, it will be another prince.

I wonder if it was because of their interaction that day at the hunting ground that the Seventh Princess of Fan State started to have feelings for him?

For a moment, Xie Yue felt a little complicated.

"Yue'er, what do you think?"

Emperor Li said in a calm tone.

"Father, son and minister..."

Xie Yue was still a little hesitant.

He once thought that in the future he would marry a girl who was in love with him, and he did not want to marry a girl who did not truly love him just for the sake of an alliance between two countries.

Xie Xi had been paying attention to the fifth brother's emotions and could probably guess the confusion in his heart.

This time, the matter was indeed too hasty. The Crown Prince of Fan should have made it clear to the Fifth Prince long ago...

After a moment of silence, Xie Xi could not help but speak: "Father, Prince Yu, the marriage between the two countries is a big deal, we can't rush it."

Emperor Li relaxed his expression and hummed.

Xie Xi added: "Since the Seventh Princess is interested in my Fifth Prince, why don't we let them spend some time together before making a decision? How do you think?"

"Fifth brother, before Crown Prince Yu and the Seventh Princess leave Shengjing, you and Shaoqing Zhai will entertain them for the next few days."

With Zhai Shaoqing watching from the side, it is believed that his fifth brother would not do anything stupid in front of the Seventh Princess of Fan State.

"...?"

Upon hearing this, Prince Fan was stunned.

He thought that the marriage between the two countries would be settled soon, and that their Fan Kingdom was also very sincere. The Seventh Imperial Sister was the most beautiful among all the imperial sisters, and she was the most suitable match for the Fifth Prince of Li Kingdom.

"it is good."

When the Crown Prince spoke, Xie Yue nodded without hesitation.

"Just as my brother the Crown Prince said, I will try to spend some time with the Seventh Princess before making a decision. Crown Prince Yu, is that ok?"

Xie Yue felt uneasy and looked at the Prince of Fan State nervously.

Now that things have been said, even if the Prince of Fan wanted to decide the matter as soon as possible, there was no other way but to go along with their wishes.

The Prince of Fan State pulled the corner of his lips and said helplessly: "Okay, then I will wait a little longer."

Originally, the Crown Prince of Fan State was planning to have the Emperor of Li decide on the marriage between the two countries at the palace banquet tonight. After that, he would take the Seventh Princess away from Li State and let her return to Fan State to prepare for marriage. He wanted to complete this matter as soon as possible...

It seems that he and his seventh sister will have to stay in Shengjing, Li Kingdom for a while longer.

"It seems that you have all made your decision?"

Emperor Li: "I have no objection, as long as the result is good."

Prince Fan smiled and said, "That depends on Prince Yue."

Xie Xi clenched his fist and coughed softly: "Don't worry, Father. This is about the friendship between our two countries. I will keep a close eye on my fifth brother."

Xie Yue: “???”

What is the Crown Prince staring at him for?

Could it be that he wanted to make him fall in love with the Seventh Princess of Fan Kingdom during this period of time?

Xie Yue looked helpless and sighed in his heart.

The first time he followed his brother the Crown Prince into the palace, he was so frightened.

I don’t know what the Seventh Princess of Fan State is thinking. It seems that he has to meet the Seventh Princess of Fan State first.

-

After the three of them left the palace, they should have gone back to their own homes, but Xie Yue was shameless and insisted on staying with his brother the Crown Prince and followed him back to the Crown Prince's Mansion.

Only the Crown Prince of Fan left alone, planning to go back to discuss important matters with his seventh sister.

"Come to think of it, my brother, this is my first time entering the Prince's Mansion."

When Xie Yue said this, his tone unconsciously dropped.

He had been to the Prince's Mansion several times before, but every time he came, the guards guarding the gate would only tell him that His Royal Highness the Prince was not there, so he did not enter the mansion...

It was not until today that he knew what the Prince’s Mansion was like.

Xie Xi was stunned when he heard this.

He had paid a lot of attention to the Fifth Imperial Brother before, so naturally he didn't know that the Fifth Imperial Brother had never been here.

"Fifth brother, you..."

Xie Xi didn't know what to say for a moment.

Xie Yue smiled and changed the subject: "The Prince's Mansion is nice, but it's too deserted."

Xie Xi sighed softly: "Fifth brother, I neglected you before, please don't take it to heart."

Seeing the Crown Prince suddenly looking at him so seriously, Xie Yue was not used to it. He scratched his head and said, "I only remember the good things about the Crown Prince, not the bad things."

Xie Xi's eyes moved slightly and he hummed softly.

"The banquet is still a few hours away. Why don't you stay in the mansion and play chess with me?"

There was no morning court today, and no memorials to deal with, so he could have some free time.

Presumably, Lu Xiaoxiao is still in Qingshu Courtyard with Concubine Xiao and cannot take care of him, so he will stay in the front yard to accompany his fifth brother.

"Playing chess?"

Xie Yue said with delight: "That's great, then I will have a chess match with my brother the Crown Prince."

"it is good."

There was also a pavilion in the front yard. Xie Xi sat opposite Xie Yue. There was a chessboard on the stone table between them, with each side holding a piece.

Xie Yue is good at playing chess.

After all, he stayed in the house all day and didn't go out, so he often played chess with himself. As a result, his chess skills improved greatly.

But Xie Xi is not bad either.

His chess skills were taught by Emperor Li himself, and he was even better than his master. Sometimes, even Emperor Li couldn't help but sigh that he was old and could not compare to Xie Xi.

After losing three games in a row, Xie Yue finally showed a frustrated expression on his face, and gritted his teeth and said, "Crown Prince, your chess skills are too good, aren't they?"

Xie Xi: "I only know a little bit, not as much as my fifth brother."

Xie Yue: “…”

Is the Crown Prince mocking him?

But a loss is a loss, so Xie Yue simply admitted defeat and did not plan to continue to seek abuse on the chessboard. His eyes turned and suddenly he noticed the figure coming from a distance: "Crown Prince, isn't that the one who went to the hunting ground with me before--"

"???"

Before he could finish his words, Xie Xi had already stood up and walked out of the pavilion, striding towards the beautiful figure.

Xie Yue was stunned, and murmured: "Brother Crown Prince, you are running too fast, can't you just listen to me first?"

Xie Xi: Really not.

"Xiao Xiao, why are you here?"

Xie Xi had already walked in front of Lu Xiaoxiao, took the food box from her naturally, and took her hand, leading her to the pavilion in the yard.

Lu Xiaoxiao answered without hesitation: "Come here to care about His Highness."

[So that His Highness won't get jealous again and say that I don't care about him! ]

Xie Yue couldn't believe his ears. How could his brother, the Crown Prince, be jealous?

Xie Xi: “…”

He just didn't want Xiaoxiao to focus too much energy on Concubine Xiao.

"The food box contains chicken soup, but I made it myself!"

Lu Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows, a little proud, and added: "I stayed in the small kitchen for two hours!"

"Your Highness should drink more later."

"it is good."

Xie Xi looked at her tenderly, "Thank you for your hard work, Xiaoxiao."

Lu Xiaoxiao said modestly: "It's just a little bit of hard work, mainly because Bai Zhu helped me."

Bai Zhu was in charge of making the fire, and she was only responsible for stuffing the chicken and those nourishing herbs into the casserole, and then tasting the saltiness at the end, so it wasn't really hard work.

"Little sister-in-law."

As the two approached the pavilion, they saw Xie Yue stand up and spontaneously shouted at Lu Xiaoxiao.

"The fifth brother is here."

Lu Xiaoxiao curved her eyes and a bright smile appeared on her face. "It just so happens that I made some chicken soup. Fifth brother, please have some too."

[Fortunately, I brought two bowls with me when I came here, otherwise, Fifth Brother would have to watch Your Highness drink the soup.]

"Thank you, sister-in-law."

Xie Yue's mouth twitched when he heard his inner voice.

He still didn't understand why he suddenly heard his sister-in-law's voice?

Moreover, that day at the hunting ground, it was learned that the village head not only accepted bribes, but also secretly withheld the food of the imperial guards. Xie Yue had sent people to investigate and confirmed that the village head was indeed guilty, just as the little sister-in-law said in her heart.

Afterwards, Xie Yue threw all the evidence he had collected in front of his brother the Crown Prince, and handed the village to his brother the Crown Prince for handling.

After all, the Crown Prince is the Crown Prince and has the power. He can deal with the head of the village directly without going through his father.

It was confirmed that because of this incident, Xie Yue also received a word of praise from his brother, the Crown Prince. Xie Yue was so excited at that time that he was in high spirits all day and looked very pleasing to everyone.

Xie Yue was certain that what his sister-in-law was thinking in her heart should be true.

I just don't know where my sister-in-law got the news from...

Lu Xiaoxiao filled two bowls of chicken soup and placed them in front of Xie Xi and Xie Yue. "Your Highness, Fifth Brother, you all have a taste. This is the first time I've made chicken soup."

As she spoke, Lu Xiaoxiao's bright eyes stared straight at Xie Xi, with a hint of anticipation in them.

"it is good."

The chicken soup was not very hot.

Xie Xi picked up the bowl and took a sip.

The chicken soup has a light medicinal flavor. It's not unpalatable, but the taste is a bit strong.

"very nice."

Meeting Lu Xiaoxiao's gaze, Xie Xi praised her and then slowly finished the chicken soup in the bowl.

Xie Yue, who had only drunk half of the chicken soup, couldn't get used to the smell of the medicine. He closed his eyes and swallowed with difficulty.

Lu Xiaoxiao watched and always felt that the fifth prince was like being tortured when drinking a bowl of chicken soup.

"Fifth brother, if you find it too hard to drink, then--" Don't drink it.

He hadn't even gotten to say the last three words when he suddenly saw Xie Yue tilting his head back and finishing the drink in one gulp.

He said calmly, "Brother Crown Prince is right. The chicken soup is indeed very good."

Lu Xiaoxiao: “…”

[Although the fifth brother seems a little unreliable, he cares about Your Highness. ]

[Then I still have to think of a way to prevent my fifth brother from dying too early? ]

[After all, he will die in a few days...]

Xie Yue: ???

Wait, whose death date?

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like