Part 2
[Yousi: !! This is clearly the bad news.]
[Bai Yanyu: Don’t be cheeky. The bad news is that we’re going to pressure the Crown Prince tonight. It’s all or nothing. If we win the bet, His Majesty will wake up tonight. If we lose… don’t get involved. Find a way to run with Rui Hu and the others.]
[Yousi: Don’t scare me. Is it really that serious?]
[Bai Yanyu: Of course, the chances of winning are higher. We have a trump card.]
[Yousi: ??]
[Bai Yanyu: We found the Second Prince.]
[Yousi: For real??]
[Bai Yanyu: But he’s gone silly. So act as the situation dictates when necessary; just cooperate.]
Yousi’s heart was doing backflips. Big brother, can we finish the sentence in one breath? This kind of suspense was going to kill him. But how was the Second Prince just found like that? Was it that easy?
Before entering the palace that evening, Ning Yunyi’s elder brother accompanied him. He feared an accident and wanted to be there to protect Ning Yunyi.
Although they had made full preparations this time, the Crown Prince himself was an unpredictable factor. If the Crown Prince really went mad enough to disregard everything and expose his true mask—acting like a tyrant in front of all the noble families by executing the Second Prince on the spot and imprisoning the Emperor and Empress to seize the throne—then they could only admit defeat.
But unless it was a last resort, the Crown Prince wouldn’t be that insane. They had to bet that the Prince still wanted to win the people’s hearts and become the Emperor through legitimate means.
Therefore, even if the Second Prince appeared, as long as the Emperor didn’t wake up, the Prince could still shift the blame for the past events onto the Second Prince. Thus, before they officially broke ties, the Prince would still maintain his facade.
At that point, if they proposed to see the Emperor, the Prince would never imagine that someone could wake the Emperor single-handedly. Once the Prince agreed, they would win this game.
Ning Yunyi, his elder brother, and the Second Prince—disguised as a guard—entered the palace together. At the palace gates, Ning Yunyi presented his invitation. As one of the main stars of this banquet, the guards naturally let him pass.
As his elder brother was a General, they didn’t dare stop him either. But they looked at the guard carrying the food box. “Mr. Bai, General Ning, might we ask who this is?”
Ning Yunyi pointed to the food box in the Second Prince’s hand. “A small gift for Young Master Yousi—kebabs and braised meat. Why? Is there a problem?” The subtext was: Do you expect me to carry the food box into the palace myself? Without a guard, should I carry it, or should General Ning?
Sensing Mr. Bai’s displeasure, the guard let them through. After all, guests with invitations were allowed to bring attendants.
The scanners had just shown that the guard’s jingshenli was only A-grade. It wasn’t high, so there shouldn’t be any problems.
Almost at the same time Ning Yunyi’s group entered, Zong Hao arrived wearing a mask, followed by three soldiers also wearing masks. Ichi, who was behind Zong Hao, removed his mask and presented the invitation along with the highest-level pass.
The guards immediately and respectfully let them through, while simultaneously informing the adjutant that Marshal Zong had entered the palace.
Upon receiving the news and consulting the Prince, the adjutant immediately dispatched a large group of experts to the Zong residence. They planned to use this time to turn the Zong house upside down to see if the merman and the expert were there and if they were connected to the Marshal.
Ning Yunyi’s group was walking slowly, so Zong Hao’s party quickly caught up.
Hearing the movement, Ning Yunyi turned and greeted Zong Hao. The two groups merged and began walking toward the banquet hall together.
In a shadow where no one was watching, the Second Prince behind Ning Yunyi swapped places with one of the masked soldiers behind Ichi. The soldier removed his mask and took the food box, his appearance and attire identical to the previous guard.
Soon, the two groups separated slightly. It looked as if nothing had changed, but the Second Prince was now quietly hidden among the three men Zong Hao had brought.
By the time Ning Yunyi and Zong Hao reached the banquet hall, most of the representatives of the noble families had arrived.
They had received confirmed word that tonight’s banquet was specifically for the official engagement between the Hermann family’s Young Master, Yousi, and Mr. Bai. Upon arrival, they surrounded Patriarch Hermann with teases and congratulations.
Patriarch Hermann was grinning from ear to ear. He had just come from the Prince, where he had received rare praise. Furthermore, the thought of Mr. Bai becoming one of his own meant he could soon prepare to open dozens or even hundreds of kebab and braised meat shops on the Capital Planet.
That was all glittering gold coins! Their Hermann family would surely take the lead and become the head of the three great families.
The Prince had even mentioned that the imperial family wanted to collaborate with the Hermann family to expand the business. He told the Patriarch to persuade Mr. Bai later; with such skill, the secret recipes could be shared.
Patriarch Hermann was floating on the compliments. He pulled over a silent Yousi, who gave him a brilliant smile, though for some reason, the Patriarch felt the brat’s smile was a bit off.
Seeing Mr. Bai arrive, he immediately pulled Yousi over and poked him, telling him to win over Mr. Bai and hurry to cultivate their feelings.
After arranging for the adjutant and others to search the Zong residence, the Crown Prince appeared in his wheelchair, his expression gentle and his eyes smiling. “It seems everyone knows the purpose of tonight’s banquet. Then, let us invite the two protagonists of the evening to step forward.”
At these words, everyone turned their gaze toward Yousi and Mr. Bai.
To make it a grand affair, the Prince had invited the heirs or heads of all the noble families. He had given Mr. Bai plenty of face, but once the secret recipes were in hand, Mr. Bai would no longer be of use.
Ning Yunyi remained calm, even smiling at Yousi. “Together?”
Yousi lifted his eyelids, looking unhappy. It wasn’t real; if they were actually getting engaged, he would have jumped for joy long ago. But hearing the request, he gave Ning Yunyi face, stepped forward, and took Ning Yunyi’s arm.
Looking at the two, the contrast was stark. One had red hair and stubble, while the other was fair and refined. No matter how one looked at it, there was a strange “beauty and the beast” vibe. But considering the value this Mr. Bai had brought with only a few shops recently, who needed looks with that kind of skill?
Ning Yunyi and Yousi stepped forward and stood next to the Prince, facing the crowd.
The smile on the Prince’s lips deepened. He was about to speak, but just as he started, a voice rang out first. “Your Highness, before you make your announcement, I have something to say.”
Hearing that steady voice, everyone was stunned. Did we hear wrong? Why does that voice sound so much like Marshal Zong?
The usually low-profile Marshal Zong attending an engagement banquet was one thing, but to speak up at this critical moment… especially remembering the scene of the Marshal dancing with Mr. Bai not long ago, a strange premonition arose. Holy crap, could it be that the Marshal also likes Mr. Bai and wants to… object to the wedding?
They had come to witness an alliance through marriage, but they hadn’t expected to see such a scene of two men fighting over another man. Is it really this exciting?
Not to mention the one they were fighting over was Mr. Bai, the representative of the “beast” style?
The Prince was also stunned, clearly thinking the same thing. He knew he hadn’t been mistaken back then. He feigned confusion and looked at Zong Hao. “A-Hao, do you have something to say? Perhaps we should speak privately later? After all, we are currently discussing the matter of the Hermann family and Mr. Bai. Neither Yousi nor Mr. Bai has objected, so you…”
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