sovbooks Chapter 92 The Crown Prince must always have our people with him.
Chapter 92 The Crown Prince must always have our people with him.
Li Jinglong hurriedly tried to make amends, feigning weakness and begging for mercy, saying all sorts of nice things, but Zhu Gaoxu remained unmoved, sticking to his word, "See you at the dinner table."
Zhu Gaoxu hummed a little tune, unmoved by reason, his smug expression undoubtedly a declaration of war: I'll let you know that I'm not someone to be trifled with.
Li Jinglong complained bitterly and hurriedly sought help from Zhu Gaoxi.
"Brother Ji Xi, please help Duke Cao!" Zhu Gaoxi looked at Zhu Ji Xi with anticipation.
"Don't worry, Duke Cao. Gao Xu was just joking. He won't actually force you to drink."
Zhu Jixi also had a high tolerance for alcohol, and he didn't feel the same deep-seated pain from vomiting after drinking too much. He simply offered some lighthearted advice.
Li Jinglong's face was clouded with worry as he once again sought help from Zhu Gaoxi.
"Don't worry, Duke Cao, we'll sit next to each other then, and I won't let you have an extra drink," Zhu Gaoxi assured him confidently.
Zhu Youdun immediately chimed in, "Yes, Duke Cao, we will stop Gao Xu."
Li Jinglong thanked him repeatedly, but he felt quite unbalanced inside.
This Zhu Youdun, if you really wanted to help, why did you only speak up now? Where were you before? You were silent the whole time, only when Zhu Gaoxi didn't speak.
These two have great chemistry and a really strong relationship.
Li Jinglong suppressed his dissatisfaction and chatted with Youdun about polite things, but his mind was racing, pondering and full of doubts.
Prince Zhou, who is arrogant and self-important, is now willing to play a supporting role. Just how capable is this child prodigy, the King of Wu, that he can win Prince Zhou's heart and serve him so devotedly?
Zhu Gaoxi remained calm and indifferent, completely unconcerned about Li Jinglong's cold indifference.
Our partnership with Youdun is a perfect match, and there's no need to hide it from Li Jinglong. This is a good opportunity to demonstrate our strength to him and let him know where to place his bets.
The banquet began, and the princes and dukes took their seats.
Zhu Gaoxu's approach was simple and direct: he took out five wine bowls, filled them one by one, and gestured to Li Jinglong, "One bowl for each of you, cousin, you go first."
Li Jinglong looked at Zhu Gaoxi with a wry smile.
"Second brother, eat first. Drinking on an empty stomach is bad for your health," Zhu Gaoxi said, not trying to completely solve Li Jinglong's problem in one go.
"Yes, Gao Xu, try this fish, it's incredibly fresh."
Li Jinglong couldn't help but marvel at how the self-important Prince Zhou was willing to act as a yes-man.
Seeing this, Zhu Jixi also chimed in, "Gao Xu, look at this whole table of delicious food, it looks and smells amazing! Just drinking alcohol would be a waste!"
"You can all protect him then," Zhu Gaoxu laughed, and sat down to eat.
Unexpectedly, after a period of eating and drinking, Zhu Gaoxu still didn't forget about the drinking. He slowly stood up and said enthusiastically to Li Jinglong, "As the old saying goes, 'A full stomach and good wine are essential.' Now we've eaten our fill, but haven't drunk any wine yet. How can that be? Come on, cousin, let me toast you, bottoms up!"
This time, Zhu Gaoxi didn't wait for Li Jinglong to plead before speaking up in defense, "Second brother, our stomachs are already full, where's the room for more wine?"
Zhu Youdun, clutching his stomach, chimed in, "If we drink any more, we'll probably burst our bellies."
"I see now, Fourth Brother, you've been setting traps for me," Zhu Gaoxu's face immediately turned from sunny to gloomy, and he slammed the wine bowl down.
Seeing that the two brothers were about to fight, Zhu Jixi quickly stepped forward to act as a peacemaker, "Duke Cao is not a good drinker, so I'll keep you company. Come on, Gao Xu, let's have a good time today."
Zhu Gaoxi bowed deeply to Zhu Jixi with gratitude and said, "Thank you for your trouble, elder brother."
Zhu Jixi gave him a wink, signaling him to leave quickly.
Zhu Gaoxi then invited Li Jinglong to rest in the inner room.
Seeing that Zhu Gaoxi and Zhu Gaoxu were at odds because of him, Li Jinglong couldn't just stand by and say goodbye. So he followed Zhu Gaoxi into the lounge.
"It's getting late, Duke Cao, why don't you stay at the Prince's residence for the night?" Zhu Gaoxi sincerely advised.
There was still about half an hour before the imperial city gates closed. If they hurried and rode at full speed, they could still make it back to the Duke of Cao's mansion.
Li Jinglong chuckled, not in a hurry to agree, and secretly observed the changes in the King of Wu's expression.
Just now, he was embarrassed by his second brother at the banquet and couldn't get out of the way, but King Wu remained calm and composed, chatting and laughing as if he was not affected at all. He is really not simple.
The world is unpredictable. Perhaps, in the struggle for the throne with the crown prince, the King of Wu will have a better chance of winning.
Li Jinglong's mind raced as he weighed the pros and cons.
The King of Wu extended a warm invitation. If I were to refuse directly, I would certainly lose face and inevitably create a rift. If he were to win in the future, wouldn't I be cutting off my own escape route?
It's just a one-night stay; even if word gets to the Crown Prince, it's not a big deal, especially since...
Li Jinglong smiled coldly to himself, and a deeper plan began to unfold.
As for the King of Wu, just appease him for now, give him a vague and perfunctory response, and don't take it too seriously.
In short, don't offend him openly.
Having planned carefully, Li Jinglong asked with a smile, "Wouldn't that be too intrusive?"
When Zhu Gaoxi saw that he had agreed to stay overnight, he immediately asked Sanbao to prepare a room.
Zhu Youdun dismissed the palace servants and closed the door.
Li Jinglong knew they had something to say as soon as he saw their formation.
"As long as they can afford the price, it's not impossible to consider," Li Jinglong thought confidently.
Just as Li Jinglong was lost in thought and imagining the future, he suddenly saw Zhu Youdun take down the long sword hanging on the wall.
The crisp sound of the sword being drawn sent shivers down Li Jinglong's spine.
Could it be that they have murderous intentions and intend to force themselves on her?
Li Jinglong was so frightened that his legs went weak. These were truly a group of desperados!
It was too late to flee at that moment.
Isn't it just that you want a pledge of loyalty?
Let's just agree to their demands for now; consider it a delaying tactic.
Once I leave the Wu King's residence, I deny everything. What can they do to me?
"Duke Cao, please have a seat," Zhu Gaoxi said with a beaming smile, his enthusiasm undiminished.
Zhu Youdun put down his sword and sat down as well.
"Duke Cao, Brother Ji Xi, did I tell you?" Zhu Gaoxi picked up his cup, took a sip of milk, and asked with a smile.
"Introduce a female doctor to the Eastern Palace?" Li Jinglong had lost interest in beating around the bush.
"It doesn't have to be a female doctor; a cook, wet nurse, or maid are all acceptable," Zhu Gaoxi said calmly.
Li Jinglong was shocked to hear this; they had quite the appetite!
Do you think the Eastern Palace is my backyard, where I can place as many people as I want?
"Ji Xi said he would only arrange one person," Li Jinglong said, being extremely vigilant and limiting the number of people to prevent them from making exorbitant demands.
"Brother Ji Xi may not have explained it clearly to you, but our requirement is that the Crown Prince must have at least one of our informants at all times," Zhu Gaoxi said, leaving Li Jinglong speechless. He then made his point even clearer, "If the Crown Prince discovers and eliminates one of our informants, we must immediately replace him."
"We'll have to trouble Duke Cao to inform us in time," Zhu Youdun added with a knowing smile, glancing at the long sword on the table.
This is intimidation!
This is blackmail!
Li Jinglong was filled with indignation.