After entering the book, the cold prince begs for favor

Chapter 444 The Triumphant Fifth Prince

The Mohe delegation stayed in the capital for more than half a month, and the Fifth Prince Xiao Jingrui accompanied them almost the entire time, serving them at their beck and call.

Ultimately, the terms agreed upon by the two countries were quite favorable to Dajing, especially since the Mohe promised to send large quantities of the fine horses and spices that Dajing desperately needed.

This result delighted the emperor, who praised the fifth prince repeatedly in court.

But the emperor forgot that all of this was actually thanks to the Crown Prince's early achievements.

The Crown Prince had already negotiated those terms with the Mohe people; only the final signing was needed.

Having won the Emperor's favor and accomplished such a prestigious feat, the Fifth Prince has been walking with an air of smugness lately, his chin held high, and his eyes and brows radiating undisguised smugness.

Tonight's palace banquet, ostensibly a farewell feast for the Mohe envoy, is in reality a celebration for the Fifth Prince's victory.

During the banquet, the Fifth Prince was surrounded by people toasting him. He drank quite a bit himself, his cheeks flushed, his eyes were somewhat unfocused, and he seemed to be walking on clouds.

He glanced around the banquet with bleary eyes, his gaze settling on the relatively quiet table where the Crown Prince sat.

The crown prince sat alone, slowly sipping his wine, his expression calm to the point of indifference.

The Fifth Prince curled his lip, revealing an undisguised sarcasm.

He picked up a full glass of wine and staggered over.

"Oh, Your Highness,"

The Fifth Prince raised his voice a few decibels, his tone thick with alcohol and deliberately affectionate: "Why are you all alone here?"

"Why doesn't the Crown Prince go and catch up with the distinguished guests from the Mohe tribe?"

"You handled this job before, so you should have some connections with them, right?"

The Crown Prince didn't even lift his eyelids, his voice flat and emotionless: "Fifth Brother, be careful with your words. The Mohe are foreign envoys. My dealings with them are merely state affairs, conducted strictly according to official business. Where does the word 'friendship' come from?"

"Tch!" The Fifth Prince scoffed, as if he had been doused with cold water, his breath reeking of alcohol.

"Don't pretend to be so serious! That's not what I meant! Why are you nitpicking and finding fault with my words?"

He leaned closer, lowered his voice, but it was loud enough for people at nearby tables to hear clearly; his tone was full of provocation.

"What? You think talking to them a few more words makes you a traitor? I bet you lost your job and are just bored and looking for trouble here?"

The Crown Prince finally raised his eyes, his gaze calmly landing on the Fifth Prince's face, which was flushed with alcohol and smugness. There was no anger, no embarrassment. He simply picked up the wine cup in front of him, steadily drank it all, and then spoke softly.

"I do have a lot of free time."

These words revealed neither joy nor anger, yet they were like a soft thorn.

Upon hearing this, the Fifth Prince seemed to have received some tremendous confirmation, and the smile on his face instantly widened, almost bursting out laughing.

"Hahaha! Father insisted on assigning this task to me, and I really couldn't refuse! I hope the Crown Prince won't hold a grudge against his younger brother because of this?"

The Crown Prince's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, revealing a faint, barely perceptible curve, but his voice remained steady: "Fifth Brother, you're overthinking it."

"Hahaha! That's good! That's good!"

The Fifth Prince got the answer he wanted and was satisfied. He couldn't help but laugh and pat the Crown Prince on the shoulder. Then, holding his wine cup, he turned around unsteadily and plunged back into the crowd of people who were flattering him.

What prince?

He's just a grasshopper in autumn, he won't be able to jump around for many more days!

The Fifth Prince was thinking gleefully to himself, completely unaware that after he turned and left, a faint, dark light, deeper and more intense than the night, flashed in the depths of the Crown Prince's lowered eyes.

That gaze calmly followed his swaying back, like an abyss staring at its prey about to stumble, so deep it was chilling.

-

At the palace banquet, the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments, graceful dances, and the aroma of wine all combined to create a seemingly harmonious yet decadent atmosphere.

Amidst the clinking of glasses and the clamor of laughter, many seemed oblivious to the unpleasantness between the Crown Prince and the Fifth Prince.

The Crown Prince sat upright at his seat, but out of the corner of his eye, he keenly caught sight of the Fifth Prince, who was staggering away from his seat with a trusted eunuch by his side, seemingly heading to change his clothes.

He lowered his eyes without making a sound, downed the remaining wine in his glass in one gulp, the icy liquid sliding down his throat, but unable to suppress the chill surging in his heart.

The show has begun.

After tonight, he wanted to see how his father would make a move in the face of such a terrible game of chess!

The Fifth Prince was indeed quite drunk.

The effects of the alcohol, mixed with the hangover soup he had drunk earlier, surged up all at once.

He felt dizzy and lightheaded, everything in front of him was spinning and blurry, and his ears were ringing.

"Go...go back, I can still drink..."

He mumbled incoherently, his steps unsteady as if he were walking on cotton, and he had to be supported by the eunuch beside him to walk out.

The eunuch lowered his head and seemed to be agreeing to something, but his voice was muffled and indistinct.

The Fifth Prince felt as if he had been helped along for a while, and then he seemed to enter an exceptionally quiet, dimly lit room, where a faint, unique fragrance wafted into his nostrils.

The door closed gently behind me.

Almost simultaneously, an indescribable heat surged from the depths of my body, like a wildfire spreading!

The night breeze that felt a bit cool inside the hall just now felt like a wave of heat on my face.

"It's so hot...it's unbearably hot..."

The Fifth Prince, in frustration, ripped open his expensive brocade robe, revealing his undergarments. "Idiot... idiot! What are you standing there for? Help... help me take it off!"

Someone stepped forward and quickly helped him remove his outer robe.

But after taking off his outer robe, the evil fire not only did not subside, but burned even more fiercely!

The Fifth Prince felt his whole body burning hot, as if his blood was about to boil, and a primal, uncontrollable impulse was surging through his body.

He roughly ripped open the collar of his undershirt, exposing most of his chest. The cool air against his skin gave him a slightly eerie sense of comfort.

Just then, a sharp, terrified female voice suddenly rang in my ears: "Ah—! Who are you?! How dare you trespass... Ugh!"

The voice was loud and piercing, like a needle stabbing into the Fifth Prince's confused mind!

"Shut...shut up!" The Fifth Prince was so annoyed by the noise that his head was throbbing and a nameless anger surged to his head.

He let out a furious growl, stumbled and lunged towards the sound, his large, hot hand, reeking of alcohol and sweat, forcefully and recklessly covered the still-screaming mouth!

"Ugh... ugh!" The woman's struggles and terror were choked back in her throat, leaving only desperate sobs.

The Fifth Prince had no idea what was going on; he just felt extremely hot and the noise was incredibly loud.