Chapter 176: Losing Face

The moment the wine cup was lifted, the Crown Prince knew something was wrong. A sudden weakness in his entire hand prevented him from reacting in time, and the cup slipped.

A sharp *clatter* rang out, sounding exceptionally clear within the grand hall.

The hall fell silent. Countless gazes swept over, landing on a white jade wine cup rolling erratically across the floor.

Normally, dropping a cup would be a minor mishap, but this was the welcoming banquet for the envoys of Yuliu. Furthermore, the one who dropped it was the Heir Apparent. That rolling white jade cup seemed to roll right over the hearts of every dignity-conscious Great Zhou official; embarrassment spread through the hushed hall.

The Crown Prince forced a smile: "My apologies, my hand slipped just now. Please, everyone, continue, continue."

The officials' expressions were subtle, and they couldn't help but steal glances at the Crown Prince's left hand.

The rumors were actually true—the Crown Prince's left hand really was crippled!

This discovery left the various ministers with mixed emotions, momentarily speechless.

Emperor Tai'an's gaze was as deep and dark as an abyss. He shot a look at the Crown Prince, then raised his cup toward the Prince of Yuliu: "This journey was long; you have worked hard, Prince."

The Prince of Yuliu raised his cup with a smile, as if nothing had happened: "I have enjoyed the magnificent scenery of your great nation along the way; this Prince does not feel the hardship at all."

Several ministers also raised their cups, taking turns to toast the Yuliu envoys, and the lively atmosphere was restored.

After the welcoming banquet concluded, Emperor Tai'an summoned the Crown Prince to the Imperial Study: "To lose your composure in front of the Prince of Yuliu... you have truly thrown away all the face of the Great Zhou!"

The Crown Prince had been feeling anxious in his heart, but being scolded like this by Emperor Tai'an made him feel instantly wronged: "Your son didn't want to either. Who told my left hand to be crippled?"

Hearing this, Emperor Tai'an felt no sympathy; instead, he grew even angrier: "If you knew there was an issue with your left hand, why did you use it to hold the cup?"

The Crown Prince choked on the question and said sheepishly, "It was inevitable to have moments of forgetfulness—"

"Hah!" Emperor Tai'an interrupted the Crown Prince's excuses with a cold laugh. "It was because you were distracted looking at the Princess of Yuliu that you forgot, wasn't it?"

The Crown Prince's face instantly flushed a dark, liver-like color: "Your son did not—"

Emperor Tai'an couldn't be bothered to listen to the Crown Prince's futile defense and said coldly, "You are the Crown Prince of the Great Zhou, the Heir Apparent of a nation. Have you seen so few peerless beauties? To have your soul snatched by a woman in such a setting and lose your composure in public... you have disappointed me greatly!"

These words were incredibly heavy. The Crown Prince's expression turned extremely unsightly, and he felt deeply indignant.

He had seen many peerless beauties, but very few of them actually belonged to him—not to mention his newly wedded Crown Princess, whose face was as wide as a pancake; just looking at her made him lose his appetite.

He suspected that his Imperial Father was dissatisfied with him and was intentionally tormenting him.

The resentment flowing through the Crown Prince's expression made Emperor Tai'an feel chilled.

To make a fool of oneself in front of foreign dignitaries and, instead of self-reflecting, feel wronged—this bastard truly was a lost cause.

The image of Prince Wei smiling and chatting during the banquet flashed through his mind, causing Emperor Tai'an to momentarily daze.

The Crown Prince quietly observed Emperor Tai'an's expression, feeling an inexplicable sense of panic. He lowered his head and murmured, "Imperial Father, your son knows he was wrong."

Emperor Tai'an snapped out of his thoughts. Seeing the Crown Prince bowing his head in apology, his wavering resolve steadied. He warned sternly, "You are the Crown Prince. You cannot avoid dealing with the Prince of Yuliu during his visit. You must never let something like today happen again."

The Crown Prince gave repeated assurances, but once he returned to the Eastern Palace, he threw another tantrum.

The Crown Princess was too ugly, so he didn't want to go; going to Consort Sun was boring, so he didn't want to go there either. In the end, the Crown Prince hid in his bedchamber, having Wang Fu serve him the Five-Color Powder to cast his displeasure to the back of his mind.

The Yuliu royal party was escorted to the arranged Honglu Guest House by officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Once they were away from outsiders, Princess Lingque's face darkened: "Brother, did you see that? That Great Zhou Crown Prince kept glancing at my face. What a vulgar and lewd manner!"

The Prince of Yuliu smiled slightly: "Isn't it good that the Great Zhou Crown Prince is like this? If he were wise, capable, and possessed strong self-control, it wouldn't be good for our Yuliu."

Unless limited by strength, what country would want to remain a follower forever? As the Prince of Yuliu, he wished nothing more than for both the Great Zhou and the Qi Kingdom to turn into a chaotic mess.

Princess Lingque nodded in agreement, saying with relief, "Fortunately, Father has no intention of letting me marry the Great Zhou Crown Prince."

The Prince of Yuliu glanced at his sister, his words implying something deeper: "If he truly had such intentions, would you not listen to Father?"

Princess Lingque curled her lips and said indifferently, "Of course I would listen to Father's words."

The Prince of Yuliu laughed: "No wonder Father dotes on you most."

On this visit, both he and his sister had come with missions. He was to see the true strength and weakness of the Great Zhou with his own eyes for his father, while his sister was to use her marriage to stir the waters. Once the most suitable target was selected, it wouldn't be up to his sister to pick and choose; perhaps that target might not even be as good as the Great Zhou Crown Prince.

"Don't worry, Brother, I know what is important." Princess Lingque's features were exquisite and lively, possessing a delicate and sweet temperament, yet at this moment, she revealed a cold ruthlessness.

In Yuliu, women were exceptionally undervalued. Even if she were a highly favored princess, once she married, she could only be submissive to her husband. Having this rare opportunity to serve her country, and with Father promising her a status no lower than her brothers in the future, she would only work hard to seize it; she would not feel wronged.

News of the peerless beauty of the Yuliu Princess spread quickly following the end of the welcoming banquet. When the young masters and ladies of various households received invitations to the banquet to be held at Fragrant Garden, they couldn't help but feel an anticipation to catch a glimpse of the foreign princess's beauty.

In the General's Manor, Lady Lin was complaining to her daughter, who was properly dressed and preparing to attend the banquet: "Whose rule is it that only you young girls are going?"

She also wanted to see just how beautiful the Yuliu Princess was.

The Old Madam's face darkened: "Stop looking for excitement everywhere. The authorities have already questioned you twice regarding the matter of the headless female corpse at Tianyuan Temple."

Lady Lin said sheepishly, "I was just saying. By the way, the young masters of the various households will also be accompanying the Prince of Yuliu, right? Although there will be separate banquets, they will be in the same garden after all. A-Hao, you must remind the Heir of Prince Jing not to wander around aimlessly."

Some things had to be guarded against.

Lin Hao smiled faintly: "Don't worry, Mother. The Heir is feeling unwell and won't be able to attend this banquet."

Due to the troubles of her past life, Qi Shuo had directly chosen to avoid it, and the excuse was easy to find; after all, everyone knew the Heir of Prince Jing was of weak constitution, and falling ill was a common occurrence.

Lady Lin's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

Her son-in-law was sick again?

Then she was even more worried!

"A-Hao—"

"The Little County Princess is waiting for me, I'll be going now." Lin Hao knew what her mother wanted to say and hurried off.

The carriage of the Prince Jing Manor had already stopped outside the main gate. The second son, Qi Huan, was holding a horse by its reins next to the carriage. Seeing the General's Manor carriage emerge, he tapped the side of the carriage: "Sister-in-law is coming out."

Qi Qiong lifted the carriage curtain and waved to Lin Hao outside the window: "A-Hao, why don't we share a carriage? We can talk on the way."

"Sure."

Seeing Lin Hao agree, Qi Qiong nimbly stepped down from her carriage: "Second Brother, I'm going to sit with A-Hao."

"Hey—" Before Qi Huan could even speak, he saw his sister enter the General's Manor carriage.

He looked at the empty carriage beside him, then at the horse he was holding, and suddenly felt a bit bitter.

His eldest sister-in-law hasn't even married into the family yet, and his status has already dropped again!

(End of Chapter)