Chapter 430 The stars are shining

Chapter 430 The stars are shining

"Ankang, this way, this way."

Not long after the three little ones who had eaten secretly returned to the banquet venue, someone greeted them from a distance.

Looking around, it was the fifth prince and others who were already sitting at the table having a meal.

The seating arrangement at the Double Ninth Festival banquet is also very knowledgeable.

For these royal heirs, in addition to ranking, they also look at the palace to which they belong.

Brothers and sisters who belong to the same palace will be arranged together as much as possible, unless there is a big difference in ranking.

Therefore, the eldest prince's three siblings, the third prince and others were all at the other table.

Princess Ankang, the fifth prince, the seventh prince, the eighth prince and others sat together as a matter of course.

As for Princess Yuan'an, logically she shouldn't be sitting at the same table as them, but I don't know what she did to still sit with them tonight.

The few of them have been getting along very well recently, and now that they are sitting at the same table, they naturally have a lot to talk about.

"Ankang, why have you been gone for so long?"

"Eat quickly, eat quickly, or the banquet will be canceled if you don't."

The Eighth Prince ate his food regardless of his appearance while greeting Ankang.

Looking at him like this, he has completely revived from the previous game.

"Bago, are you okay?"

Princess Ankang asked with concern.

At the end of the previous finals, the eighth prince was so tired that he fainted.

The Eighth Prince's face turned red, he immersed himself in eating even more, and replied without raising his head:

"Oh, it's all trivial. I just need to take a rest."

"Maybe I was too excited just now. I couldn't control myself for a moment. I just lay down to celebrate that I won second place."

The Eighth Prince stubbornly refused to admit that his physical strength was not as good as Princess Ankang's, and defended himself nonsense.

"Yes, yes, you fainted from joy, not from exhaustion. This is obvious to all."

Princess Yuan'an sarcastically said without mercy.

The Eighth Prince did not want to dwell too much on this topic and immediately changed the topic:

"Eat food, eat food, eat food, don't be polite."

Having said that, he kept eating without thinking about himself.

According to the Eighth Prince's character, it was definitely impossible to say that he had taken pills before to feel relieved.

Otherwise, he might not even have the strength to hold chopsticks now.

Seeing the Eighth Prince burying his head in his meal, several people couldn't help but wink and laugh.

The eighth prince just pretended that he didn't see it and kept eating while grumbling.

The three little ones came here after they were full, so they were not very interested in the food on the table. They only occasionally took a bite to taste.

But except for the Eighth Prince, everyone else turned out to be similar.

Princess Ankang couldn't help but asked curiously:

"Hey, are you all full?"

"Why do you eat so little?"

Princess Ankang looked at the untouched food on the table and couldn't help but feel a little confused.

"Oh, I'm quite envious of Lao Ba at this time."

Hearing this question, the fifth prince on the side couldn't help but sigh.

Princess Ankang was even more confused when she heard this.

At this time, the Eighth Prince, who had already eaten and his mouth was full of oil, said proudly:

"It's not because you are being pretentious."

"If you ask me, there is nothing more important than filling your stomach."

After that, the Eighth Prince continued to work hard.

The fifth prince immediately shook his head and sighed:

"We naturally have to restore the lost people of Lao Ba, otherwise, will the royal family lose its face in the future?"

The eighth prince rolled his eyes and ignored the fifth prince, a sour scholar.

It turns out that as royal heirs, they couldn't let go.

After all, this was not their usual meal in their respective palaces, but there were countless pairs of eyes staring at them.

Therefore, the royal heirs at the banquet paid special attention to etiquette and grace.

Fortunately for the prince, it would not be a problem to be half full.

But as for those princesses, they will suffer. They have been hungry all day and have nothing to eat at night.

Li Xuan looked around and saw that the other princesses had indeed closed their cherry mouths tightly. Occasionally they would only open their mouths to put in some delicate pastries and chew them there for a long time.

This is the way to eat. Only when you are full can you be satisfied.

After looking around, it turned out that only the eighth prince was working normally.

The three little ones looked at each other silently, and they were all secretly glad that they had eaten enough in the carriage before coming here.

"It's not easy to be born into a royal family."

Li Xuan couldn't help but sigh when he saw that even the seventh princess, a sleepy girl, kept her demeanor and didn't eat much at this time.

It's a good thing that the meal is arranged in the evening, otherwise with the schedule of the Seventh Princess, I'm afraid she won't even be able to eat this pastry.

Even as a royal heir, he can't escape the herd mentality. Everyone else is doing the same, and if he doesn't do the same, he looks different.

There are still very few examples of people like the Eighth Prince who "give up on themselves" in the eyes of outsiders.

After hearing what the fifth prince and others said, Princess Ankang could understand their actions.

After all, there were a lot of eyes staring at them.

Like the previous Cuju competition, it was okay to be stared at.

But if everything you say and do is under the observation of others, it will inevitably make people more and more uncomfortable.

The fifth prince couldn't help but nodded when he saw that Princess Ankang was eating food in small bites after listening to his words, and she ate very little.

He was really afraid that Princess Ankang was used to being a loner and would act like the old lady.

In such an occasion, if it is not necessary, it is better to keep a low profile.

At least it won't leave a bad impression.

The fifth prince thought that Princess Ankang had listened to his advice, but he didn't know that she was really full.

Of course, eating is just the prelude to the dinner.

The real highlight is the free exchange after the banquet.

Princess Ankang saw that the untouched food on their table was removed, and then replaced with fruits, snacks and tea.

The banquet also became more lively.

Everyone stood up from their seats, then greeted their acquaintances, started chatting and joking, and introduced others to each other to expand their social circle.

Slowly, the crowd gathered on their own. The little cubs played together, and the adults also hugged each other in twos and threes.

And the teenagers in Zhongbuliu were gradually attracted to each other, either friendly or having intense exchanges.

"This is like a party."

Li Xuan couldn't help but secretly thought when he saw the lively banquet.

Many people immediately gathered around the royal heirs, and the fifth prince and seventh prince were immediately taken away. They seemed to be contemporaries of their mother's family.

"Oh, Sister Huang, I guess I will be dragged away by the Wu family later. If I can get out, I can come back to find you and Ah Xuan."

Princess Yuanan said reluctantly.

"It sounds like you don't seem to like dealing with them. Aren't those your relatives?"

Princess Ankang asked curiously.

It was her first time attending the Double Ninth Festival Banquet and she didn't know much about many things.

"Relatives?"

"Actually, I can't say how close we are."

"I have nothing to talk about later. I just want to pass the time and ask about my sister's affairs."

Princess Yuan'an seemed to have anticipated the situation, with a look of helplessness on her face.

But at this moment, someone happened to come looking for her.

"Your Highness Yuan'an, I haven't seen you for a year, and you have become a graceful person."

A look of exhaustion flashed across Princess Yuan'an's face, and then she immediately squeezed out a smile and turned around to say hello.

The person who came to look for Princess Yuan'an said a few words to her and asked him to go aside to meet the people of the Wu family.

Princess Ankang looked at the back of Princess Yuanan being reluctantly taken away, and couldn't help but sigh:

"Oh, it's not easy."

Then, Princess Ankang turned to look at the Eighth Prince who was drinking tea and hiccupping, and couldn't help but ask:

"Myna, what about you?"

"Isn't anyone looking for trouble?"

In Princess Ankang's impression, the eighth prince's mother-in-law's family was quite famous, otherwise his life in the palace would not have been so easy.

"I have no interest in this kind of false communication."

"Ankang, I said before that I would take you to have some fun at the banquet."

"Don't worry, Bago will never break his promise."

"We'll set off as soon as I finish eating."

The Eighth Prince patted his belly and seemed very confident in his arrangement.

Princess Ankang nodded happily and looked forward to what kind of fun the Eighth Prince could find for them.

The last time, when the Eighth Prince left the palace, he took them to the Half-July Buddhist Meeting in Ci'en Temple, and they also set off river lanterns together to commemorate their late mother and concubine.

It was the first time that Princess Ankang attended the Buddhist meeting in July and a half, and it was also the first time that Princess Ankang put out river lanterns for her late mother-in-law, which was very memorable.

Therefore, Princess Ankang's expectations are not small this time.

However, seeing the crowd of nobles busy socializing all over the place, Princess Ankang and Li Xuan couldn't help but wonder what kind of fun it was.

But at this moment, the crowd in the distance slowly separated, and everyone began to greet each other enthusiastically.

The greetings of those people also reached the ears of Princess Ankang and others.

"Hu Guogong."

"It's been a long time since I last saw Mr. Hu, but he still looks like the same."

"Hu Guogong, here's a toast to you..."

Hearing this title, the Eighth Prince stood up from his seat without caring about his round belly, and greeted him repeatedly:

"Ankang, go quickly!"

After saying that, the Eighth Prince was ready to run away first.

Before Princess Ankang could react, the eighth prince was stopped.

"Boy, can you escape the first grade of junior high school? Can you escape the fifteenth grade?"

Duke Hu Guo Qin Zongyong separated from the crowd and walked towards this side.

Qin Zongyong smiled at the others, and they all stepped aside knowingly.

They had also heard about the eighth prince for a long time, and knew that the Qin family had always been troubled by his performance.

They knew that Qin Zongyong might have to teach his unworthy grandson a lesson again, so they all avoided this place.

There were three other people following Qin Zongyong, one was a middle-aged man, and the other two were teenagers about the same age as the eighth prince.

If Li Xuan's prediction is correct, they should all be members of the Qin family.

When Qin Zongyong called him to his face, the eighth prince couldn't help but turn around and leave. He had no choice but to turn around and bow down to Qin Zongyong.

"Grandpa."

"Oh, His Highness the Eighth Prince still remembers that this old man of mine is your grandfather?"

"It's really a shame, old man!"

Qin Zongyong replied exaggeratedly, giving the eighth prince a strange feeling of discomfort.

But facing Hu Guogong, the eighth prince didn't say anything and just laughed with him.

"Grandpa, what are you talking about? I am your grandson. Didn't you meet His Highness and I?"

"Huh, it's you who I saw outside."

Hu Guogong wanted to say something else, but he noticed Princess Ankang sitting next to him, and immediately saluted:

"Your Highness Ankang, I am Duke Hu Guo Qin Zongyong."

"His Highness's skills today really opened my eyes."

Qin Zongyong smiled and greeted Princess Ankang.

Princess Ankang also immediately stood up and returned the gift:

"Hu Guogong's words are serious, it's just a little bit of skill."

"Alas, Your Highness doesn't know something. Cuju is not a minor skill." Qin Zongyong immediately stopped Princess Ankang's modesty.

"Cuju is an important training in the military. It has a great impact on training the sergeants' strength, coordination, overall view and strategic awareness."

After hearing Qin Zongyong's words, Princess Ankang was also stunned. She didn't expect that just playing a ball could lead to so many tricks.

"You have learned a lesson, Duke Hu."

Princess Ankang gave Qin Zongyong a student ceremony.

Qin Zongyong smiled, twirled his beard, nodded, and said, "Your Highness is too polite, I just said it casually."

But Qin Zongyong looked casual, but a gleam flashed in his eyes.

Then, I saw him continue to say:

"I see that Your Highness is very knowledgeable about Cuju. I wonder if you are interested in coming to the military to give some instruction."

"The three-person Cuju competition is very different from the official sixteen-person Cuju competition. I wonder if Your Highness would be interested in knowing more about it?"

Qin Zongyong actually made a somewhat reckless invitation to Princess Ankang.

"this……"

Princess Ankang was slightly stunned, but quickly replied:

"Ankang is naturally interested, but we must first obtain Father's permission to see if it can be arranged."

Seeing Princess Ankang's interest, Qin Zongyong laughed:

"As long as Your Highness is interested, I will mention it to Your Majesty. If you have the opportunity, please give me some advice."

Qin Zongyong exchanged some polite words with Princess Ankang before leading the eighth prince away. It seemed that he had something to say to him in private.

As for the people behind Qin Zongyong, they naturally followed him and left.

It's just that the two teenagers focused more on Princess Ankang and didn't even look at the Eighth Prince. They reluctantly withdrew their gaze until they left.

Princess Ankang just nodded politely in response to the gazes of the two teenagers.

The two teenagers followed Qin Zongyong away, quietly two steps behind, and began to communicate.

"Brother, His Highness Ankang seems to have really never practiced, and he cannot detect any fluctuations in the power of Qi and blood."

"Perhaps you have practiced the art of breath concentration, right? Otherwise, the strength and speed would be too abnormal." Another boy who was half a head taller replied.

"Could it be the same as third brother..."

"How can there be so many extraordinary talents?"

Before the younger brother finished speaking, he was interrupted by the elder brother.

"The third brother is born with divine power. He has strong ribs and strong muscles. He was born a hundred days ago. His innate power of air and blood is not inferior to that of a seventh-grade warrior..."

"Such a talent, even compared to that one, is comparable."

"There aren't many people like this!"

After the eldest brother finished speaking, he took two quick steps and caught up with Qin Zongyong in front.

"Brother, wait for me."

Although the two young men from the Qin family were far away when they were talking, they could not escape Li Xuan's ears.

Li Xuan lay comfortably in Princess Ankang's arms, but his ears had long been erect.

Hearing this conversation, I couldn't help but smile:

"interesting."