newbobooks Could the person behind the scenes at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet in Chapter 145 be Prince Su?
Could the person behind the scenes at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet in Chapter 145 be Prince Su?
Gu Junze gently patted the little guy's head. "This is my adopted son. He is intelligent and sensible. He is destined to be with me, so I adopted him and treat him as my own son."
Gu Yun performed a proper bow, "Greetings, Grand Scholar Xu."
He's quite likable.
Scholar Xu was amused and burst into laughter. He took out a beautiful jade pendant from his pocket and handed it to Gu Yun.
"What a well-behaved and sensible child. This is a gift for you."
Gu Yun looked at Gu Junze with a questioning look in his eyes. Only after Gu Junze nodded slightly did he happily accept the jade pendant and say, "Thank you, Mr. Tai."
They really know how to take advantage of a situation.
After making arrangements for Chu Nanxin, Gu Chengyan returned to the banquet.
The banquet was held in the name of the Gu family's two outstanding members, so even if he was unwilling in his heart, he had to maintain a harmonious appearance on the surface.
While exchanging pleasantries with others, he knew that once he entered the imperial court, he would inevitably have to deal with them.
As for the women, some ladies might be secretly observing. Gu Chengyan was the third son of the Marquis of Anyang, and a promising one at that, making him a good match for their daughters...
Suddenly, a guard at the gate announced loudly, "His Highness Prince Su has arrived!"
The once bustling banquet hall fell silent for a moment, and everyone's eyes turned to the entrance.
Marquis Anyang was chatting and laughing with several guests when he heard the announcement. His wine cup trembled slightly, and he quickly put it down, stood up, and hurried to greet the guest with a broad smile.
Prince Su is currently enjoying great influence and is at the height of his power in the court. Even the Crown Prince has to avoid him.
The emperor often praised him highly in court, and his words of praise were endless.
The sudden arrival of such a popular prince at his residence surprised Marquis Anyang, but he was more flattered than surprised.
"Greetings, Your Highness. Your presence is an honor to my humble abode!"
Marquis Anyang bowed deeply with a respectful expression, his tone carrying a hint of flattery and awe.
When he raised his head, his gaze passed over Prince Su's shoulder and caught sight of the figure behind Prince Su—Lin Jingchuan.
His face instantly darkened, his previously smiling face now seemed to be covered with frost, and his eyes revealed a hint of hostility.
Because of Lin Xingyao's marital impurity, the feud between the Marquis of Anyang's mansion and the Prince of Yong's mansion was completely established, and the relationship between the two families plummeted to its lowest point.
In the eyes of Marquis Anyang, Lin Jingchuan's appearance at his banquet was surely to cause trouble.
But since this is a banquet hosted by our own family, we can't afford to be impolite in front of everyone and make things too embarrassing.
He suppressed his anger, nodded slightly, and said in a cold tone, "The young prince has arrived."
"Uncle Gu, I've come uninvited, just wanting to join in the fun." Lin Jingchuan said with a seemingly harmless smile, cupping his hands in a polite manner.
However, in his heart, Marquis Anyang had already cursed him to the bone. Who was his uncle?
How shameless!
But he gritted his teeth and forced out a single word: "Please..."
Chu Ruohan's gaze followed Prince Su closely. She wondered if the mysterious little palace maid at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet that day was him.
Only the masters of the various palaces or the emperor's princes and princesses could have such power to mobilize the palace servants.
The Prince Su, who was currently enjoying great influence, naturally became her biggest suspect.
And he came with Lin Jingchuan...
Sitting in his wheelchair, Gu Junze had long noticed Chu Ruohan's attention to Prince Su. From the moment Prince Su stepped into the banquet, her gaze never left him.
A wave of bitterness washed over Gu Junze, as if something was blocking his chest, making it hard for him to breathe.
His once bright eyes now seemed shrouded in gloom.
"What's so interesting about Prince Su?" he muttered to himself, his jealousy rising.
He couldn't help himself and took Chu Ruohan's hand in front of everyone, though he felt a little flustered.
"Han'er..."
"What's wrong?" Chu Ruohan asked, looking down.
He didn't want her to keep staring at Prince Su, and he didn't want her to develop any interest in other men.
She is his, or rather, he cannot leave her.
"nothing."
In that instant, Gu Junze felt a pang of disgust for his own possessiveness…
As Prince Su leisurely took his seat, the people who had been standing in the banquet hall followed suit, and the atmosphere of the banquet returned to its superficial liveliness.
Lin Jingchuan's figure was particularly eye-catching. As the young prince of the Yongwang Mansion, his status was much more noble than Gu Chengyan's. Moreover, he was a man of integrity and did not even have a concubine or maid in his household.
Unlike Gu Chengyan, who has a pregnant and restless concubine in his backyard.
Some unmarried young ladies blushed, thinking that marrying into the Yong Prince's mansion would be an incredible stroke of luck...
Lin Jingchuan, however, showed no interest in his surroundings. He calmly looked at Gu Junze, walked straight to his side, and then sat down casually.
Lin Jingchuan wore a seemingly friendly smile, but his eyes held a deep and unfathomable meaning.
"Prince Gu's chess skills are superb, and I have always admired him. The last game was not finished yet, and I wonder when I will be able to play against him again."
His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but just loud enough for some of the guests around him to hear.
Outsiders would only think that the two young talents admired each other and were very impressed with each other's chess skills.
I felt that the two of them had a very familiar and intimate relationship.
However, only Chu Ruohan and Gu Junze knew that Lin Jingchuan was not talking about a chess game at all.
That so-called game of chess has long since ended.
During their last game of chess, Lin Jingchuan used the pretense of playing chess to actually test Gu Junze's intentions.
Now that the old story has been brought up again, Chu Ruohan couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. She quietly raised her eyes, her gaze shifting back and forth between Gu Junze and Lin Jingchuan.
Gu Junze maintained his usual calm demeanor, but inwardly he became wary.
During the Rebellion of the Five Princes, it was Prince Yong who wholeheartedly supported the current emperor in ascending to the supreme throne.
As time goes by and circumstances change, the Yong Prince's Mansion has made a decision because of the matter between Wei Qiming and Lin Xingyao. This time, their stance has quietly shifted towards the rising star, the Su Prince.
The Prince of Yong's Mansion and the Duke of Wei were sworn enemies. Although they maintained a superficial peace, they were secretly locked in a life-or-death struggle.
Gu Junze had no intention of participating in the struggle for the throne. The Emperor was in his prime, and these people were far too impatient; it was all too early for them.
The Shadow Guards were a force left to him by Princess Anyang. These people are now living ordinary lives, and most of them have married and had children.
Why drag them into the conflict again? To risk their lives...
After a brief silence, Gu Junze picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, then put it down, looked at Lin Jingchuan, and gave a perfectly timed smile with a hint of aloofness.
"Young Prince, your chess skills are superior. I admire you. I know my chess skills are limited, and it would be difficult for me to compete with you."
"Rather than being defeated on the chessboard, it would be better to focus on studying and improving your skills before challenging the young prince. That way, you won't spoil his fun."
His gaze was open and frank as he met Lin Jingchuan's eyes without any hesitation, and the implied refusal in his words was self-evident.