The Seventh Princess Insists on Making Me Live Off Her - Chapter 15

Gao Jingxi glanced at Lian Liejin without saying anything.

Lian Pingyou, however, smiled warmly.

“Your Highness is right. One should not stop eating for fear of choking.”

Even someone as slow as Lian Liejin could sense that Gao Jingxi seemed to be ignoring her. She simply did not understand why, so she tactfully closed her mouth.

Meanwhile, Gao Jingxi was still waiting for Lian Liejin to continue questioning her. Who would have thought that this woman would start drinking soup instead?

The princess began sulking.

At that moment, A-You had fifteen plates of osmanthus cakes brought over.

Plate after plate of translucent crystal osmanthus cakes released their distinctive sweet fragrance. Lian Liejin secretly glanced at Gao Jingxi several times, only to find the princess wearing a cold expression again and radiating an aura that warned strangers to keep away.

Two osmanthus cakes rested on each celadon plate.

Lian Liejin filled her cup with wine and happily alternated between a mouthful of wine and a bite of cake.

Before long, however, she secretly tugged at Gao Jingxi’s clothes.

The Seventh Princess assumed Lian Liejin had finally come to her senses and was preparing to reveal the truth of her own accord.

Instead, Lian Liejin looked at her with tearful eyes. Crumbs still clung to the corner of her mouth as she coughed and said,

“Your Highness, there is no more wine to wash down the osmanthus cakes.”

“Can’t you eat them dry? You are so good at eating anyway.”

Lian “Nearly Choking to Death” Liejin felt that the princess’s thoughts were truly impossible to understand.

Inside the hall, the assembled scholars ate while discussing and speculating about the subject of this year’s Poetry and Literature Gathering.

Chen Yu and Feng Zhi, however, both wore awkward expressions. They repeatedly entered and left the banquet hall, their faces turning alternating shades of green and yellow.

After finally swallowing the last mouthful of osmanthus cake, Lian Liejin revealed a wicked smile.

There were three urgent needs every person had to answer. Today, she would let those two experience one of them properly.

Still, she had not administered a heavy dose to either of them. She had also strictly controlled the number of attacks—

Only three.

That would leave them with enough strength to participate in the competition.

Even with scented pills to eliminate odors, repeatedly visiting the latrine inevitably left a faint smell on them.

The people seated nearby covered their mouths and noses, revealing disgusted expressions and making several mocking remarks.

When had Chen Yu ever suffered such humiliation in her life?

She was about to lose her temper when Feng Zhi immediately held her back.

“If you cause a scene, you will be ruining an event hosted by three members of the imperial family!”

Hearing this, Chen Yu could only abandon the idea resentfully.

The true spectacle, however, was only beginning.

Lian Liejin held her chopsticks between two fingers and spun them while watching the First Imperial Prince in the distance.

The man who ordinarily appeared powerful and imposing was constantly twisting in his seat, his posture extremely unsightly.

It looked as though ten thousand needles were stabbing into his body.

With a sudden scream, Gao Hu leaped from his seat and rushed into the center of the banquet hall.

He flailed his limbs like a drunken monkey, then threw himself onto the floor and rolled around wildly, frightening the dancers in the center into scattering in every direction.

Gao Qing shouted at those around her,

“Why are you still standing there? Hurry and restrain His Highness the First Imperial Prince!”

Several people rushed forward and attempted to subdue him.

However, Gao Hu seemed to have completely lost his mind. He possessed astonishing strength, and the people trying to hold him down were nearly strangled to death.

“Summon an imperial physician.”

Gao Jingxi rose from the seat of honor and calmly walked toward the center of the hall.

A large patch of red rashes had appeared across Gao Hu’s face, making him look especially terrifying.

His entire face was flushed crimson, and low growls escaped his throat. He had completely lost all the bearing expected of an imperial prince.

In the end, Gao Qing struck him unconscious with a wooden staff.

“Imperial Physician, hurry and examine Eldest Imperial Brother. Someone carry him back to his seat.”

She was furious inside.

She had intended to attach herself to the First Imperial Prince and use him as her shield. Who would have thought that he would become increasingly stupid and lawless?

It was already bad enough that all of Changyong regarded him as a laughingstock. Now he had even dared to attack Lian Liejin openly.

His brain must have been soaked in lard.

It would already have been difficult to explain the earlier incident to the Emperor. Now that he had disrupted the Poetry and Literature Gathering, his offense had become even more serious.

Someone must have secretly acted against him again.

From the shadows, Gao Qing quietly observed Gao Jingxi and Lian Liejin at the main seats, refusing to miss even the slightest change in their expressions.

In truth, Gao Jingxi was also observing Lian Liejin.

After all, Gao Hu had already suffered at her hands once. It would not be surprising if he fell victim to her again.

Yet Lian Liejin maintained her usual appearance. A cold, careless smile lingered within her long peach-blossom eyes.

After considering it carefully, Gao Jingxi thought that even if Lian Liejin had done it, someone with her medical skills would not leave behind evidence of tampering.

Countless thoughts passed through Gao Jingxi’s mind within only a few breaths.

Her expression remained calm as she instructed everyone to return to their seats.

The imperial physician arrived quickly. The moment he put down his medicine chest, he examined the First Imperial Prince’s pulse.

“His Highness the First Imperial Prince is suffering from a pollen allergy. Perhaps there are too many kinds of flowers inside Youlan Waterside Pavilion. His Highness may have come into contact with some while changing clothes, causing this reaction.”

Pretending to be overcome with anxiety, Gao Qing asked with tears in her eyes,

“Will he be in any danger? Imperial Physician, you must ensure that Imperial Brother remains safe.”

“There is no cause for concern. This humble subject will prescribe two doses of medicine. His Highness will recover after taking them.”

Thus, Gao Hu had entered standing upright but now had to leave lying horizontally.

The commotion soon subsided, and everyone resumed eating and drinking.

After enjoying the spectacle, Lian Liejin silently lowered her head and continued her meal.

She chewed slowly and carefully for half a shichen, stopping only when she was seventy percent full.

When she raised her head, she finally noticed that Gao Jingxi had already been gone for quite some time.

Looking around again, she found that Lian Pingyou’s seat was also empty.

With Gao Jingxi absent, everyone relaxed considerably. Taking advantage of the music from the strings and flutes and the dancers’ singing, they began whispering among themselves.

When one performance ended and the next group of dancers entered, Lian Liejin immediately noticed something unusual.

These dancers all wore loose, pale-yellow dance robes and brandished identical longswords.

However, the color of the skin on their faces differed slightly from that of their arms.

Logically speaking, these women were dancers from the Imperial Entertainment Bureau who had been trained by specially appointed instructors. Every part of their appearance would have undergone careful inspection.

Moreover, they practiced indoors at the bureau. How could their complexions be uneven?

Unless…

Lian Liejin drank a cup of wine and quietly observed everyone around her.

Most remained entirely unaware that danger was approaching and continued enjoying the performance.

Then, at that very moment, the situation changed without warning.