There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 420 Midnight Raid

Li Shuchen jumped up from his seat at some point.

She was still holding her glass of sweet wine, which she had barely drunk, and she looked on with an innocent and adorable expression, praising it.

"You have such a good eye! Bingli's temperament is unparalleled in heaven and earth. But asking her to play the zither and dance is really asking too much of her. She only nods when she sees flowers blooming; getting her to move is harder than asking a camel to climb a tree."

She spoke rapidly, and as she did so, she seemingly slipped and accidentally spilled the wine from her glass.

It was all poured on the Pasar Prince.

"What are you doing?"

The market prince yelled, and his golden brocade robe was instantly soaked with a large patch of dark wine, clinging awkwardly to his body.

The surrounding guests were all drawn to it.

"I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean to!"

Li Shuchen hurriedly put down the cup, took out her handkerchief that she had just used to wipe herself with mutton fat, and began to wipe the market prince's body.

"This carpet is a bit slippery... It's all my fault, I lost my footing! Prince Pasar, your brocade robe is made of fine material, but... oh dear, the wine stains might be hard to remove..."

In her flustered state, she only spread the wine stains further, and the market prince's face turned pale, red, and black with anger and anxiety.

The scene was somewhat comical for a moment.

The market prince was interrupted by this unexpected incident.

Frowning at his own disheveled appearance and Li Shuchen's flustered look as if he had caused a mess, he felt both annoyed and annoyed, yet he couldn't bring himself to lash out on the spot.

"okay!"

He turned impatiently and snapped at the maid, "Hurry up and accompany me to change my clothes!"

The maids, as if waking from a dream, replied, "This servant obeys."

Li Shuchen seemed to just realize what was happening, turning to the market prince with her round eyes full of apology.

"Your Highness, please forgive me, I really didn't mean it... How about I punish myself with a cup of wine?"

As she spoke, she reached for the wine jug, her clumsy movements nearly knocking it over again.

Looking at her flustered and agitated state, the Pasar prince felt only annoyance, all desire vanished, and he snorted coldly before turning and leaving.

Before long, the waiter brought out a large platter of "specialty dishes" covered in a thick, sticky, dark green sauce, topped with dubious dried fruit and herbs.

The market prince also changed his clothes and returned to his seat.

King Ardan seemed to have remembered something again, and his malicious gaze once more drifted towards Princess Changning.

She sat upright, her back straight, her brows furrowed with a restrained yet heroic air, quite unlike the submissive maids.

Just as King Ardan was about to speak, Li Shuchen's voice rang out again, this time filled with curiosity and amazement, loud enough to be heard throughout half the banquet hall.

"Good heavens! Look! This dish... it's all green, and on top of it are... are those bugs? Or some kind of strange beans?"

She pointed at the dish, her expression exaggerated.

Everyone's attention was involuntarily drawn to the dish, which certainly didn't look very appealing.

Even the market prince looked over.

The waiter quickly explained

"Honorable guest, this is our famous dish, 'Jade Treasure Box.' The sauce is made with a secret blend of thirty-three herbs and yogurt, and inside is the tenderest lamb ribeye and hummus—definitely not insects."

"Oh, chickpeas!"

Li Shuchen suddenly realized, then looked troubled.

"But this way of eating... do you know how to eat it? Do you scoop it out with your fingers or use a spoon? Won't the sauce get on your face?"

As she asked the question, she picked up the cutlery and gestured awkwardly, as if she were studying some important subject.

Her interruption made King Ardan swallow back the words he was about to say, feeling that this loud and boisterous Purple Star woman was the biggest obstacle to his enjoyment of beauty!

His face darkened as he watched Li Shuchen intently studying how to eat the food, even pulling a waiter aside to discuss it. The waiter blushed and shook his head repeatedly, embarrassed by her questions.

Taking this opportunity, Princess Changning subtly turned her body to avoid King Aldan's unpleasant gaze, and picked up her wine cup to take a sip as a cover-up.

Liang Yuying and Ruan Jingshang exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of helplessness and wariness in each other's eyes.

By the end of the banquet, nothing seemed to remain except for the messy tableware and the unspoken exhaustion among the guests.

Back to the inn

The four of them removed their elaborate clothes and disguises, and relaxed while having a meal in Li Shuchen's room.

She barely ate anything at the banquet; she was too angry to eat anything else. Only Li Shuchen managed to eat a lamb leg to barely fill his stomach.

Princess Changning angrily shoveled rice into her mouth.

"King Ardan is a cunning old fox, sly and lustful."

"The Pasar prince is even worse; he wanted Bingli to perform a song and dance. They're all no good," Li Shuchen added.

Gu Ziying took a sip of porridge and said

"How did King Aldan know about the martial arts competition in Changning, and Prince Basha also seem to know that Bingli can play the zither and dance?"

"Changning's skills are only so-so; he hasn't even shown them in the capital. He only revealed them during the journey over the mountains. Bingli has only played the zither and has never danced," Li Shuchen continued, taking a bite of mango.

"If you ask me, there are spies in our delegation. They took advantage of the fact that King Ardan hasn't seen us these past few days to secretly report our situation to him. Bah, lackeys!"

Li Shuchen took a big bite of mango and chewed it vigorously, imagining that he was biting King Ardan and Prince Basha.

They'll pay the price for their lust sooner or later.

As night deepened, everyone, exhausted, retreated to their rooms to sleep.

Moonlight streamed through the small lattice of the high window, casting cold, dappled patterns on the floor.

Li Shuchen was fast asleep, dreaming that he stumbled into a durian grove, used his superb light-footed skills to climb the trees and pick the fruit, broke open the durians with his bare hands, and lay on the tree to eat them to his heart's content.

Suddenly, a durian fell from a nearby tree, making a very faint "crack" sound as it hit the ground.

Hmm? No, that's not right. A durian should make a "thud" when it hits the ground, not a "crack".

Open your eyes when you sense something is wrong

I subconsciously turned my head to look at the coffin window and noticed a sliver of light shining through.

Oh no, there's an assassin!

She instantly snapped awake, closed her eyes, regulated her breathing, and quietly reached for the sturdy wooden stick she had brought from the mountains beside her pillow.

A dark figure nimbly leaped in like a raccoon dog, landing silently, and pounced straight towards the bed, carrying a faint, refreshing scent unlike the strong fragrance of the palace.

Li Shuchen suddenly opened his eyes, and without getting up, swung the wooden stick at the lower body of the dark figure.

The dark figure clearly hadn't expected her reaction to be so quick and cunning. With a soft "Eh," she twisted her body sharply to avoid the force of the staff, and with a backhand, a flash of cold light pierced straight for the middle of the wooden stick.

Weapons clashed, producing sounds of impact.

Li Shuchen rolled off the bed, turning his sweeping motion with a thrusting motion from a wooden stick, aiming for the attacker's waist and abdomen.

In the darkness, the two exchanged several blows, fighting their way from inside the house to outside.

The newcomer was agile and skillful, but seemed to be testing the waters rather than using his full strength.

Li Shuchen, relying on his quick wit and a few skills that, while not solid, were practical enough, managed to barely cope.

Finally, after dozens of rounds

"Click"

Her wooden stick, which had been her companion for many days, was snapped in two by the whip in the other person's hand.

Li Shuchen, gripping the broken wooden stick, took a step back and whispered, "You dare to hit me but not give your name? Are you afraid I'll retaliate?"