Chapter 97: The Crown Prince's Carefree Daily Life Chapter 97: The Straightforward Crown Prince

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Protagonist:

Yan Qianqian

Just then, the Crown Prince calmly drew a handkerchief white as snow and soft in texture from his bosom, then without hesitation tossed it directly onto the antique sandalwood table before them, saying in a tone tinged with indifference and disdain, "Princess Ouyang, please clean it up yourself. This Palace is leaving first; otherwise it would be inconvenient for This Palace to remain here. After using this handkerchief, just throw it away at will."

Before his words had even faded, not giving Ouyang Qianyu the slightest time to react, he had already strode out toward the door. At the same time, the tightly closed door emitted a soft thud, as if proclaiming the Crown Prince's departure.

Ouyang Qianyu at this moment was nearly driven mad with rage! She widened her beautiful, angry eyes, glaring fixedly at the crumpled handkerchief in her hand, her teeth grinding, the fury in her heart burning fiercely.

However, though her inner anger was hard to quell, she still suppressed her emotions, vigorously wiping the exquisite, beautiful garment at her chest with the handkerchief.

Suddenly, as if struck by a brilliant idea, Ouyang Qianyu's tightly furrowed brows instantly smoothed out. She quickly folded the handkerchief carefully, placed it gently into her bosom, then took a deep breath, striving to calm herself, pretending as if nothing had happened as she walked out the door with measured steps.

Since it was not yet summer, the clothing was relatively thick, so even though the outermost garment was somewhat damp, placing the handkerchief underneath did not cause too much trouble.

When Ouyang Qianyu stepped out of the room, she happened to see the Crown Prince and several others gathered intently by the railing, listening to the storyteller on stage recounting a wonderful tale. After the storyteller finished a gripping passage with great feeling, the entire pavilion erupted in thunderous applause.

Immediately afterward, amid the audience's cheers like a rising tide, the storyteller smiled and slowly left the stage. The listeners who had listened with relish also began to rise from their seats one by one, preparing to disperse.

At this moment, Yan Shuang'er, Qi Yu, and several others had already prepared to leave. They slowly walked downstairs, and the necessary path downstairs happened to pass by the Crown Prince's private room.

When this group was about to reach the stairway entrance, they happened to encounter the Crown Prince and his attendants coming out of the private room.

Yan Shuang'er had sharp eyes and spotted the Crown Prince at a glance. She hurried forward, smiling charmingly as she greeted him: "Crown Prince Cousin, you actually came here to listen to storytelling too!"

The Crown Prince smiled slightly, nodded gently, and replied: "I've heard that the storyteller at Pin Ge has outstanding eloquence. Listening today, it truly lives up to its reputation!" Then he shifted his gaze to Qianqian and Yan Jie standing to one side, smiling and saying kindly: "Qianqian and Jie'er are here too?" Hearing the Crown Prince's greeting, Qianqian and Yan Jie quickly shouted in unison: "Crown Prince Cousin!"

Qi Yu, Qi Xi, and Ai Jiao following behind saw this and did not dare to be negligent. They stepped forward one by one, respectfully bowed with hands clasped, and said in unison: "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!" The Crown Prince glanced at everyone present, waved his hand, and said gently: "Everyone, please rise quickly. This place is outside; there is no need for such a great ceremony."

Afterward, the Crown Prince changed the subject and said to everyone: "Come, let me introduce everyone." As he spoke, he extended his hand to point at the Shangguan siblings, first pointing to the man of imposing bearing and introducing: "This is the Sixth Prince of Dongying Guo, Shangguan Xingyan."

Shangguan Xingyan wore a kind smile on his face, clasped his hands to everyone present, and greeted enthusiastically: "Hello, everyone!" Yan Shuang'er and the others saw this and responded in turn: "Greetings, Sixth Prince!"

The Crown Prince then pointed to the graceful and elegant woman beside him and continued introducing: "This is the Eighth Princess of Dongying Guo, Shangguan Xingyu." Everyone's gaze focused on this woman of calm bearing, elegant manners, and refined learning before them, and they greeted in unison: "Greetings, Eighth Princess!"

The woman nodded slightly, parted her vermilion lips, and replied: "Greetings, everyone." Her voice was clear and pleasant, like an oriole leaving the valley.

At this time, the Crown Prince smiled and pointed to the two handsome young men and women standing to one side, saying: "This is Crown Prince Ouyang Qianxun of Xishang Kingdom, and beside him is Princess Ouyang Qianyu."

Ouyang Qianyu heard this and merely glanced coldly at everyone without speaking. Instead, Ouyang Qianxun smiled and replied: "Greetings, everyone."

Yan Shuang'er and the others saw this and hurried forward one by one to exchange greetings. After everyone had exchanged pleasantries, the Crown Prince began introducing those beside him one by one: "This one here is the cherished jewel of An Wang, Miss Yan Shuang'er; the one beside her is her younger sister, Miss Yan Qianqian; and this young master is An Wang's beloved son, Yan Jie—exactly this Palace's female cousin and male cousin."

Looking over here, this man of imposing bearing is the son of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Qi Yu; the charming young lady beside him is his younger sister, Qi Xi. As for the young master of extraordinary bearing at the far end, he is the son of the Minister of War, Ai Jiao." After the Crown Prince's introduction, everything was clear and orderly, and the identities of everyone present were stated one by one.

After everyone had exchanged greetings, the Crown Prince turned to look at Yan Shuang'er and asked gently: "Cousin Shuang'er, if you have no other pressing matters here, then we shall take our leave first." Yan Shuang'er nodded slightly and smiled in reply: "We were also just about to leave. Crown Prince Cousin, take your leave slowly; we shall meet again another day." After speaking, both sides waved goodbye and then went their separate ways in different directions.

Shangguan Xingyan and Shangguan Xingyan walked side by side to the largest bookstore in Kyoto—Three Visits Shushi. When they looked up at the high-hanging signboard, Shangguan Xingyan's eyes flashed with a hint of curiosity, and he said softly: "I would like to see whether this bookstore really has the ability to make me visit it three times!" After speaking, the two smiled at each other and walked into the bookstore together with light steps.

Shangguan Xingyan and Shangguan Xingyu walked side by side to the largest bookstore in Kyoto—Three Visits Shushi. When they looked up at the high-hanging signboard, Shangguan Xingyan's eyes flashed with a hint of curiosity, and he said softly: "I would like to see whether this bookstore really has the ability to make me visit it three times!" After speaking, the two smiled at each other and walked into the bookstore together with light steps.