At this moment, Emperor Gan Feng spoke: “Seventh Prince, is what Lord Li said true?”

Yin Lan immediately stood up, his face full of defiance: “It was the Li household’s guards who attacked us first. I was angered and released the insects—what’s wrong with that? As for the hidden weapon that injured the heart, that has nothing to do with Nanzhao. I do not admit to that crime.”

Li Chang was so angry his beard twisted: “You don’t admit it?! On that day on the street, only your Nanzhao people had a conflict with my son. If it wasn’t you Nanzhao, then who else?”

“Nanzhao is most skilled with poisons and daggers. The situation was chaotic; how could we have attacked your son without anyone noticing?”

“As for who that person is…”

Yin Lan’s gaze subtly shifted toward Shen Xuefeng across the hall.

He didn’t know the name of that youth in dark clothes, but he recognized the young master of the Shen household. If he could turn in this Shen young master, surely that person would show himself?

Shen Xuefeng, meeting his gaze, thought: …Huh? Why look at me? I was just a bystander that day—really, I didn’t do anything!

At the same time, Ji Wu, silently observing everything from a dark corner, sat quietly, fingers lightly tapping the table, eyes fixed intently on Yin Lan.

Yin Lan was contemplating whether to involve this innocent Shen young master when suddenly a cool breeze brushed his back, and inexplicably, he recalled the sword that had been held over his head in that alley that day.

…Maybe it’s better not to. That day he nearly got cut down just from following the youth; if he exposes Shen young master now, it might only bring bigger trouble.

Li Chang questioned, “Seventh Prince, why do you remain silent? Are you thinking up more excuses?!”

“I have no excuses. I truly did not do this. I hope Your Majesty will investigate clearly,” Yin Lan snorted.

They argued back and forth a few more rounds before Emperor Gan Feng slowly said, “If that is so, this case will be handed over to the Minister of Justice for investigation. Seventh Prince, rest assured, before the envoy leaves the Great Ji territory, I will give you an answer.”

The matter was temporarily settled.

Here, the plot took a sudden turn but then returned to the main storyline. According to the set plot, Nanzhao launched a provocation, but because of the prior incident where Li Shi Liang had harassed Yin Lan in the street, Nanzhao’s attitude was even more disrespectful than expected.

Sure enough, spurred on by the envoy, Yin Lan confidently raised his head, deciding to challenge the princes of Great Ji. Just as the younger generation exchanged glances in surprise, Ji Changran stepped forward to accept Nanzhao’s challenge.

Only then did Shen Xuefeng breathe a sigh of relief and coughed twice quietly.

Just now, he truly thought the goddess of fate was going to torment him, an outsider, but unexpectedly the plot was still heading on track.

Good. Very good.

Shen Xuefeng poured himself a cup of hot tea, relaxed his whole body, and took a sip.

“Great Prince, your courage is indeed extraordinary, but today I do not wish to compete with you. Sorry, I have already chosen someone in my heart.”

“Pft—cough cough…”

Shen Xuefeng choked on the hot tea, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

Even Jiang Suliu glanced over with a faint look.

Shen Lan quickly showed an apologetic expression, gently helping his son regain his breath while whispering a warning: “Drink slowly. What about the etiquette I taught you?”

Hearing Yin Lan’s words, Emperor Gan Feng showed an interested expression: “Oh? Besides Xuan Yan, all my children are here. Seventh Prince, whom do you wish to challenge?”

He had nine sons and thirteen daughters in total. At first glance, the place was packed with people. Yin Lan’s gaze quickly swept across the crowd, a slight curl forming on his lips.

“That prince sitting in the corner — yes, you — I want to compete with you.”

When Shen Xuefeng saw that Yin Lan was pointing at Ji Wu, his hand trembled and he almost dropped his teacup.

Could someone please tell him why the storyline had once again started wildly racing in the wrong direction? It should have been Ji Changran’s moment to shine, yet Yin Lan had chosen Ji Wu.

Not only was Shen Xuefeng shocked, but the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and all the court officials were stunned as well. Even Jiang Suliu, who was usually very composed, showed a flicker of emotion.

Yin Lan was clearly used to picking his opponents carefully—knowing it would be unfair to challenge the youngest, he chose one of the older princes who seemed easiest to bully.

Emperor Gan Feng couldn’t hold back either: “Seventh Prince, are you sure?”

Yin Lan nodded: “I’m sure. I think he looks very strong and impressive.”

The young princes of Nanzhao might not understand Ji Wu well, but everyone here knew that Ji Wu was the despised, neglected third prince who was inferior to Ji Changran in every way. Choosing him was basically like offering his face to be trampled by Nanzhao.

Ji Changran spoke up at the right moment: “Seventh Prince, don’t judge by appearances. My third brother is rather cold by nature and really not good at socializing. You bringing this up so suddenly—he probably won’t agree. Third brother, what do you say?”

All eyes turned in unison.

“…,” Ji Wu lowered his gaze, looking very humble and obedient. “Brother is right.”

“I’ve heard that the Great Ji dynasty always places great emphasis on cultivating royal descendants, teaching princes and princesses music, chess, calligraphy, painting, rituals, music, archery, and horsemanship from a young age,” Yin Lan said. “If so, picking a prince of a similar age won’t make much difference. After all, Great Prince, the skills you have… this Third Prince should have them too, right?”

“But if Great Prince insists on competing, I will accompany you. My only wish is to have a match with this Third Prince. I hope Your Majesty will grant this.”

The people of the Great Ji dynasty felt uneasy. This Third Prince had basically never been taught anything—who knew what would come of this competition?

After all, it was the emperor’s birthday, and with so many envoys watching, losing would be a humiliation that would last a year. Emperor Gan Feng furrowed his brow: “In that case, Changran, you and… the third prince will compete together.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The officials of rank four and below in the eastern and western halls had no idea what had happened inside the main hall. They only heard that the Nanzhao prince wanted to challenge the royal princes to some competition. Soon, they saw Ji Changran walking out with the young prince—followed by the neglected Ji Wu.

For a moment, everyone murmured in discussion.

Ji Wu had been quietly resigned the whole time. Today he wore a thin, dark-colored long robe, with a simple belt outlining his tall frame. Although a year younger than Ji Changran, he was just as tall, though his appearance was plainly inferior.

This was the first time the ministers in the court looked this Third Prince directly in the sunlight. For over fifteen years, they had never paid him any attention.

Emperor Gan Feng stared at Ji Wu with displeasure and asked the Princess Royal: “Qiu’er, why didn’t you prepare more clothes for him?”

Of course, this was not out of concern—it was purely because Ji Wu’s attire was a disgrace to the royal family’s dignity.

Ji Yingqiu thought to herself, This isn’t really my responsibility: “I have been busy handling state affairs and rarely assist the Empress with palace management. I truly don’t know my third brother’s situation, but it’s easy to guess… with his status, those arrogant servants in the internal affairs department naturally wouldn’t pay him much attention.”

Emperor Gan Feng seemed to be pondering this.