newbobooks Chapter 754 Its value and craftsmanship far surpass those of the item the Crown Prince "took&qu
Chapter 754 Its value and craftsmanship far surpass those of the item the Crown Prince "took&qu
Gu Qingchen bent down and whispered a few words mysteriously in his ear.
Zhao Heng's eyes instantly lit up like stars in the sky, and he announced loudly, "Sister Qingchen said that the greatest treasure is a white horse that can shine!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the children scattered like a flock of birds released from their cages, chattering and cheering as they rushed into the depths of the warm garden.
Gu Qingchen straightened up, a smile playing on her lips, but her gaze subtly swept over the Seventh Prince, Zhao Rui.
She had calculated it correctly; the most important clue was hidden in the warm cushion embroidered with gold cloud patterns under Zhao Rui's seat.
As expected, Zhao Heng took the lead, accompanied by a few followers, and charged towards the position of the Seventh Prince with a clear objective.
"Seventh Brother, excuse me for a moment, we're looking for treasure!" Zhao Heng's voice was clear and loud, filled with undeniable excitement.
Zhao Rui was holding a teacup, his anger still simmering, when he saw the group of brats noisily crowding around him, and he immediately became extremely impatient.
His face darkened, and he was about to stand up and rebuke, "Nonsense! This king's..."
Before he could finish speaking, a chubby boy who was running too fast tripped and cried out, crashing straight into Zhao Rui's leg.
Zhao Rui swayed, and the scalding hot tea in his hand slipped from his grasp, spilling most of it onto his expensive brocade robe, instantly leaving an unsightly water stain on the dark fabric.
"Your Highness!" a servant exclaimed, rushing forward to wipe it clean.
"Get out of my way!" Zhao Rui shoved the servant aside and stood up in a disheveled state.
Amidst the chaos, Zhao Heng swiftly pulled a piece of silk from under the heated cushion, held it high, and shouted excitedly, "Found it! Found it! The clue is here!"
The children immediately erupted in thunderous cheers, crowding around Zhao Heng to look at the clue, completely ignoring the Seventh Prince, whose robes were soaked and whose face was ashen.
Zhao Rui was so angry that he trembled all over, his fingers clenched into fists.
Looking at Zhao Heng's smug little face, he felt as if a lump of cotton was stuck in his chest, unable to go up or down.
What can he do?
Should you yell at a group of children?
That would only solidify her petty image in the eyes of others, making her appear as someone who "gets teased by her younger brother and throws a tantrum."
He could only swallow his anger and leave, angrily flicking his sleeves as the ladies pretended to be concerned but were actually watching the show, and went to the side hall to change his clothes.
The treasure hunt continued, and the atmosphere grew increasingly lively.
The final event was set beside an exquisite artificial hill and waterside pavilion. The Fifth Prince, Zhao Zhang, seeing his younger brother humiliated and feeling his own face had been lost, wanted to salvage the situation here.
Seeing that his study companion couldn't solve a nine-linked puzzle, he took the initiative to go over to help.
"Clumsy, move aside!" Zhao Zhang pushed aside his study companion and confidently picked up the mechanism. He was always arrogant and thought that this kind of childish toy was nothing to him.
With a grim face, he fiddled with it for a while, only to find that the mechanism was far more complex than he had imagined. The obstacle set up by Gu Qingchen appeared simple on the outside, but it was intricately linked on the inside, using skill rather than brute force.
The more anxious Zhao Zhang became, the more mistakes he made. With a soft "click," he accidentally triggered a trap.
A fine spray of white powder shot out from the cracks in the artificial rockery, landing squarely on Zhao Zhang's face and body. The powder was harmless, just fine rice flour, but it instantly transformed him into a white-browed, white-bearded "snowman," leaving him utterly disheveled.
There was a moment of silence in the warm garden, then one of the children couldn't help but burst out laughing.
That laughter was like a switch, instantly igniting the entire venue.
"Hahaha, the Fifth Prince has turned into a white-bearded old man!"
"That's hilarious!"
The children's innocent laughter was like sharp thorns, piercing Zhao Zhang and making him feel utterly ashamed. He stood frozen in place, his face flushed red, then turned white, then pale, then green against the backdrop of the rice.
At this extremely awkward moment, a gentle voice suddenly rang out.
"Your Highness, this ring should be solved by first retreating and then advancing, using softness to overcome hardness."
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Lin Jiayou standing there. Dressed in a blue robe with a warm smile on his face, he walked slowly to the Fifth Prince's side, calmly picked up the nine-linked rings, and with a few deft movements of his slender fingers, the tangled rings were untied.
With just a few words, he pointed out the key to the problem and easily got Zhao Zhang out of his predicament.
Zhao Zhang's expression softened slightly, though it was still unpleasant, at least he had a way out.
Lin Jiayou handed the solved mechanism back to the Fifth Prince's companion, but his gaze seemed to sweep over Gu Qingchen not far away. His eyes were complicated and hard to understand, as if there was provocation, or something else.
Gu Qingchen's expression remained unchanged, as if he hadn't seen him at all.
At that very moment, the loudest cheers erupted.
The final treasure chest has been opened by Zhao Heng.
A crystal-clear, radiant white jade horse lay quietly in a box covered with bright yellow silk.
The entire horse was carved from a single piece of fine mutton-fat white jade. The carving was exquisite, the lines of the horse's body were smooth, and its four hooves seemed ready to fly. Under the warm garden light, it really seemed to be faintly glowing.
Its value and craftsmanship far surpass the wooden horse that the prince "took" away that day by a hundred times.
Everyone was captivated by the dazzling treasure, and gasps of amazement rippled through the crowd.
Zhao Heng carefully held the jade horse in his arms, treating it like a precious treasure.
Ignoring the envious glances of others, he strode through the crowd and ran straight to Gu Qingchen.
He tilted his flushed little face up, and with all his might, shouted in a clear voice, "Sister Gu, you're not a bad person! You're a good person! I like you the most!"
This heartfelt childish shout was like a resounding slap, clearly and unequivocally landing on the face of the Seventh Prince, who had just changed his clothes and returned, and on the face of the Fifth Prince, who still had some rice residue on his face.
The fan also landed on the face of the elegant Crown Prince Zhao Chen'an, who was watching all this with a smile not far away.
Gu Qingchen's open strategy was a resounding success.
The children's banquet ended in just one day, and the winds of change in the capital city had completely shifted.
In teahouses and taverns on every street corner, and in the inner courtyards of wealthy families, almost everyone was talking about that unique banquet.
Rumors, embellished and exaggerated by countless mouths, have long since become unrecognizable, but their core remains strikingly consistent—
Miss Gu of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion not only did not hold the Crown Prince's act of forcibly taking things from her, but also repaid evil with kindness by holding a banquet for the Twelfth Prince who had been wronged, showing her magnanimity and benevolence.
In contrast, the fifth prince Zhao Zhang and the seventh prince Zhao Rui became the laughing stock of the entire capital.