The Crown Princess's drinking capacity was actually not good, and her face was already flushed. However, seeing that the Prince was so excited, it was hard to dampen the Prince's enthusiasm, so she had no choice but to raise her glass:
"I don't dare to take credit, as long as His Highness is happy, cheers!"
"cheers!"
The two of them clinked their glasses and drank at the same time.
After putting down the wine glass, the prince felt even more cheerful and laughed loudly:
"It's not easy after so many years. Gu finally regained control, hahahaha... Your Majesty has already approved the recruitment of a son-in-law. Let's see how she handles it this time!"
"No matter who she is, as long as she marries someone, she must withdraw from the court! I have reached a consensus with Your Majesty on this point, hahahaha..."
The princess held a snow-white silk handkerchief in her hand and wiped the corners of her lips. After putting down the silk handkerchief, she touched her face which was hot and red due to drunkenness.
The hand was cold, and the slightest contact with her face was equivalent to a "cold compress". The Crown Princess suddenly felt refreshed, and she felt much more awake.
She had always been quite aware of the crisis. After she regained consciousness, she saw the prince laughing and arrogantly, as if he had successfully brought down Lan Ling, so she couldn't help but remind her:
"Your Highness, don't forget the person who chose Lan Ling's son-in-law!"
"Hahaha...huh?" The prince frowned slightly and looked sideways at the princess: "Su Xian?"
"Yes, it is this person. This person cannot be judged by common sense. Not only has he repeatedly performed extraordinary feats, but he has also won the trust of His Majesty and Lan Ling. You must be on guard." The Crown Princess advised.
When the prince first heard the word "Su Xian", his heart couldn't help but feel a thump in his heart. He felt helpless in a deep quagmire, and his high mood also fell to the bottom.
"Your Highness?"
The Crown Princess noticed the change in his expression and hurriedly came closer, with a worried look on her face, as if she was afraid that he would collapse.
When the prince saw this, he felt very angry. No matter how he said he was the prince of the dynasty, how could he be so afraid of a minister?
Especially the concerned expression of the Crown Princess deeply hurt his self-esteem as a man.
In addition, he had drunk a few more drinks and was already tipsy. With the help of the alcohol, he pushed the princess away with a wave of his hand, stood up unsteadily, and spoke with heroic words:
"Su Xian...he is nothing! When he begged Gu to take him in, Gu...never looked down upon...people like this. He...although he is quite capable, what can he do?"
"If Su Xian dares to appear in front of Gu, I promise not to beat him until his teeth are all over the floor!"
"..."
When the prince said the next sentence, he raised his right hand and then waved it down diagonally, simulating a "chopping" gesture, which reflected his hatred and contempt for Su Xian.
However, just before he waved his right hand completely, a eunuch trotted into the flower hall and brought bad news: "Prince Qi, Su Xian has returned to the capital!"
"What……"
The prince's complexion immediately changed, and he felt guilty.
Because the "crack" he simulated with his hands was just halfway through, he couldn't stop it at all. Coupled with his faint heart and drunkenness, his feet were unstable and he fell to the ground...
boom!
The table filled with wine and food was also knocked over by the prince, and the juice from the wine and food spilled all over the floor, making it a mess.
"Ah..." The dancers were so frightened that they backed away and covered their mouths. The musicians did not dare to continue playing. The flower hall, where the sound was lingering one moment, became eerily quiet the next moment.
"Your Highness!"
The Crown Princess and the eunuchs and maids who were waiting nearby were frightened and hurriedly stepped forward to help...
Half an hour later.
The flower hall where singing and dancing had just taken place was already empty, leaving only the crown prince and the crown princess.
The knocked down table and the mess on the floor have been cleaned up, and the flower hall has a completely new look, but with a lot more silence and melancholy.
The Crown Princess persuaded him for a while, but when she saw that the Prince remained indifferent and sat there as lost as a tree stump, she immediately regretted that she should not have mentioned the word Su Xian just now.
She paused and finally advised:
"Your Highness, Su Xian is indeed very powerful, but His Majesty has already approved Lan Ling's recruitment of a son-in-law. The matter is a foregone conclusion. No matter what Su Xian's abilities are, it is impossible to prevent Lan Ling from getting married."
"Once Lan Ling gets married, he will not be allowed to appear in the court again... No matter what the outcome is, and no matter who Lan Ling marries, in the end we will all be the victors."
"Your Highness should be happy!"
"Furthermore, with this strategy, we can not only squeeze Lan Ling out of the court, but also severely suppress Su Xian."
"..."
When the prince heard this, his expression finally changed slightly, and he turned to look at the princess: "What should I say?"
The princess smiled and said:
"When it comes to Lanling's recruitment of a son-in-law, Su Xian cannot stop it even if he tries his best. In this way, we will break the myth that Su Xian is quite capable!"
"Then His Highness will realize that Su Xian is just a mortal after all. Although he has some abilities, there are some things that he can't do anything about!"
"And the final winner is us! Your Highness, I am very much looking forward to that day."
After hearing these words, the prince's spirit was really shaken. He took the prince's little hand and said loudly:
"What my beloved concubine said is reasonable. Su Xian can't stop Lanling from recruiting a son-in-law no matter what. Let's just wait and see Su Xian's jokes. Oh, the myth will be shattered one day!"
The princess was very happy and said with a smile:
"After we suppress Lan Ling, we should find a way to get rid of that Su Xian. Your Highness, please rest assured that none of your Highness's belongings will be able to escape!"
…
Princess Lanling's Mansion.
study.
Lanling concisely explained the ins and outs of "recruiting a son-in-law".
Su Xian listened very carefully and did not miss even a single detail. Of course, while listening, he did not forget to stroke Lan Ling's feet and calves back and forth.
When Lan Ling finished speaking, he frowned and fell into deep thought.
The hand stroking back and forth also stopped.
Lan Ling immediately didn't dare to move or speak, for fear of interrupting Su Xian's train of thought... Didn't you see that Su Xian's hand touching her stopped, which showed Su Xian's seriousness and devotion.
The study fell silent.
The years are quiet.
Time flows.
The two people who remained motionless on the beauty's couch looked like a beautiful picture.
The crisp chirping of birds came from outside the house, adding endless vitality to this picture...
However, as the heroine in the "picture scroll", Lan Ling wanted to "wreak havoc".
Although Su Xian's hand had stopped and no longer caressed her feet and calves, it stayed there. Through the silk clothes, she could clearly feel the shape of Su Xian's palm and fingers.
And that scorching temperature...
It is indeed an exaggeration to say that the temperature in Su Xian's palm is scorching, but in such a quiet environment, this warmth is infinitely amplified.
This feeling was like Su Xian scratching the soles of her feet with her nails.
It's sour and uncomfortable, and I desperately want to avoid it.
However, Lan Ling was rational after all. She looked at Su Xian who was frowning and deep in thought. She didn't dare to move her eyes, let alone move her calf.
If you interrupt Su Xian's train of thought, you will really lose more than you gain...
After a long time.
Su Xian seemed to have thought of a solution, with a confident curve on his lips, his frown relaxed, and the hand on Lan Ling's calf continued to slide back and forth.
"Have you thought of a solution?"
Lan Ling secretly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately asked after seeing this.
Her heart was full of expectations. Just now, Su Xian frowned and thought for so long, and she remained motionless, not even daring to move her eyes.
As long as Su Xian can figure out a solution, everything will be worth it.
However, Su Xian said: "Princess, I am a human being and not a god. It is impossible to think of a perfect solution in such a short period of time. Princess, please give me more time."
"What did you say? You just thought about it for so long, but you didn't think of anything?"
Lan Ling's expression immediately dropped. It was a shame that she didn't dare to move at all, but now she was told this? Not to mention how depressed she was.
Change source app]
At this time, Su Xian's hands were still sliding up and down her silk-clad calves.
Lan Ling's face turned dark and he was very impatient. He didn't even think of a solution, but he was still touching it. What a ghost!
In anger, Lan Ling took his legs away from Su Xian.
"Eh!"
How could Su Xian let the duck fly away? He hurriedly held it in his arms and refused to let go. He turned to Lan Ling and smiled:
"Princess, don't worry. Although I haven't come up with a perfect plan yet, I have also thought of a way to delay it. It's no problem to delay it for ten days and a half."
As expected, Lan Ling stopped for a moment before retracting his legs. He let Su Xian hold him first and asked, "What do you mean?"
Su Xian tightened his arms and said hurriedly: "Your Highness, this matter is very involved, and a perfect strategy will take a long time to develop, so I decided to make a delaying strategy first."
"What is a delaying strategy?" Lan Ling became interested, but he had not given up the idea of closing his legs.
Su Xian smiled and said:
"Since I have to choose a son-in-law for the princess, I will choose it. However, the princess is a golden person. There are very few people in the world who are worthy of the princess, so you must choose carefully."
Lan Ling suddenly understood Su Xian's delaying method and asked, "How do you plan to carefully select?"
Su Xian smiled and said: "The person who can be worthy of the princess must have a decent age, family, appearance, and temperament. I decided to conduct a nationwide audition. This alone may drag on for ten days."
"What about ten days later?" Lan Ling asked.
"After selecting those who meet the requirements from the nationwide audition, we will conduct literary and military examinations to select the top ones. If they pass the test, Your Highness will be asked to select them personally."
Lan Ling gradually gave up the idea of closing her legs and let Su Xian hold her. Her whole body relaxed and she lay comfortably on the beauty's couch.
After counting, he asked again: "How to conduct the literary test and the martial arts test?"
Seeing this, Su Xian slowly placed Lan Ling's calf on his lap, caressed it carefully as before, and replied at the same time:
"Simple. The literary test tests literary talent. If the candidate's literary talent can surpass mine, he will pass."
"As for the martial arts test, well...if he can beat Zhilan, then he has passed."
After hearing this, Lan Ling unconsciously covered his lips with his hands and let out a "puff" laugh:
"The Taiwei's literary talent is extraordinary, and his talent is rare in the world. Who in the world can surpass the Taiwei in literary talent?"
"There is also a martial arts test... Are you really planning to let Zhi Lan take action? Isn't this bullying... Hahahaha... If you arrange it like this, I'm afraid you won't be able to choose anyone."
Su Xian didn't like to hear this.
how? Could it be that Lan Ling really wanted to select a few people?
impossible!
Su Xian's plan was to make all candidates fail in front of him and Yang Zhilan. Why? Because Su Xian didn't want other men to hang around in front of Lan Ling.
In order to express his dissatisfaction, Su Xian had an idea. His hand just slipped to Lan Ling's ankle, directly touched the sole of Lan Ling's foot, and gently scraped it with his nails again.
"Ouch!"
Su Xian's move was so sudden that Lan Ling's whole body almost jumped.
The feeling of fingernails scraping across the soles of the feet was sour and unpleasant. Lan Ling couldn't stand it.
If Su Xian scratched her crotch, she might not have such a big reaction.
"what are you doing?!"
After Lan Ling took a breath, she couldn't help but glare at Su Xian. She couldn't bear the sour feeling, which made her look pale and her dignity completely lost.
Su Xian held Lan Ling's calf firmly, turned to look at her, and answered the question: "Your Highness, you mean, how many people should I choose and then let Your Highness choose?"
Lan Ling was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, and unconsciously pursed his lips and smiled:
"It's just a joke, Lieutenant, you don't have to take it seriously, but seriously, if you don't choose the last one, wouldn't your delaying strategy fail?"
Su Xian was quite satisfied with her attitude and said:
"From the beginning of preparations to the end of the civil and military trials, at least half a month has passed. I can guarantee that I will be able to come up with a perfect solution within half a month."
When Lan Ling heard this, he nodded slowly, smiled and said:
"This makes sense, so let's do it this way."
"..."
After negotiating with Lan Ling, Su Xian stayed in the study for another half an hour before leaving the princess mansion.
But he did not return to the Hou Mansion, but walked to the palace city along the way.
He wants to see the Queen.
From a business perspective, the results of this trip to Haizhou and Nanchen should be reported to the Queen face to face.
Speaking of personal matters, he also wanted to take the opportunity to inquire into the Queen's thoughts. If the Queen had other intentions, he could adjust his strategy.
Enter Miyagi.
Come to the Ouchi area.
After a while, Su Xian came outside the imperial study room.
The Queen is reviewing the memorial in the imperial study.
To Su Xian's surprise, before the Queen could see her, she saw an old acquaintance outside the Royal Study Room - Shao Sikou!
Shao Sikou was old, with gray hair and beard. He stood respectfully outside the imperial book waiting for him, bending down from time to time to rub his old arms and legs.
"Lieutenant? Haven't you entered the palace a long time ago? Why are you here now?" Shao Si Kou noticed Su Xian and took the initiative to come forward to greet him.
"Young Sikou, have you finally entered the palace? Oh, I have something to do and have been delayed for a while." Su Xian returned the greeting with a smile.
"Uh..." Shao Si Kou smiled awkwardly. At this time, a eunuch walked out of the royal study and shouted loudly: "Your Majesty has a decree to declare Shao Si Kou's presence."
Shao Sikou became excited all over, and his arms and legs were no longer sore. He trotted directly to the imperial study room, smiling as he ran:
"Lieutenant, please wait for a moment. I will go to see Her Majesty the Queen first... It's not easy. After standing there for several hours, it's finally my turn."
However, as soon as he ran to the door of the Imperial Study Room, the Queen's delighted voice came from inside:
"But Su Aiqing is outside the door? Young Sikou, please stand outside and wait while Su Aiqing comes in first."
After hearing this, Shao Sikou suddenly felt that his arms and legs were extremely sore. Damn... He almost fell to the ground as soon as he stopped trotting.
