Chapter 1163: The Kingdom of Sa Er (2)

Long Xi could not believe that Xing Hun would distort his meaning like that, and he turned pale.

Xing Hun saw Long Xi’s reaction, and a flash of amusement surfaced in his eyes. He looked straight at the beautiful young girl who had accompanied Long Xi to the palace.

“The crown prince has led a very comfortable life without leaving his residence. His knowledge of current affairs is somewhat lacking. If I may ask, how is this lady related to the crown prince?”

At Xing Hun’s words, the Sa Er Emperor’s eyes finally looked towards Ji Fengyan, who had remained silently by the side. When he clearly saw Ji Fengyan’s surpassing beauty, he could not help but frown slightly.

“Xi’er, what do you mean by bringing this girl to the palace?”

Although princes and princesses could bring a servant along when they met the Emperor, the people that Long Xi or Long Yue brought were uniformly male. Females only appeared among the princess’s companions.

However, today, Long Xi had brought a girl who was as beautiful as a flower into the palace, in an unprecedented move. This was truly a surprise.

Further, Ji Fengyan’s looks were surpassingly beautiful. For such a girl to appear in the palace with Long Xi would involuntarily cause speculation.

“Royal father, this girl is a guest from another court.” Long Xi knew that it was inappropriate to bring Ji Fengyan, but for the sake of the big picture, he had been prepared to do so.

“Guest from another court?” The Sa Er Emperor’s frown did not relax. Instead, the wrinkle on his brow deepened even further.

At that moment, Xing Hun laughed softly and said, “Your Majesty, since His Royal Highness says she is a guest from another court, then that’s who she is. However, the crown prince is not getting any younger, and it is about time he settled down. It is just that… as the crown prince of the Kingdom of Sa Er, he should set an example. Even if it is someone he fancies, he should still follow the protocol of the royal family. Further… whether this young lady’s status is compatible with that of His Royal Highness is still a matter of debate. After all… won’t the wife of His Royal Highness be the future Queen of the Kingdom of Sa Er?”

Although Xing Hun’s every word was gentle, it was hard to disguise the sharpness in his speech.

Long Xi stood expressionless at his original spot. His eyes showed a trace of oppression.

Although Xing Hun’s tone was always so casual, every single word he said was like a steel knife that scraped Long Xi from head to toe. It was as if every sentence was meant to draw forth the Sa Er Emperor’s displeasure towards Long Xi.

However…

At that moment, Long Xi was unable to make a rebuttal. He knew clearly that Xing Hun’s standing with the Sa Er Emperor was immovable. Even if he tried to explain further, it would only backfire.

As expected, the Sa Er Emperor’s expression became hideous because of Xing Hun’s goading speech.

As a crown prince, just intelligence and resourcefulness were insufficient. He must also be of lofty moral character, or it would be hard for him to build sufficient prestige in a powerful country like the Kingdom of Sa Er.

Take Long Xi, for example. All his actions in previous years were eminently suited to his status as crown prince. But as he grew older, and understood more of internal affairs, some of his acts on behalf of the citizens had exceeded his authority as crown prince.

Long Xi’s authority had initially been personally bestowed on him by the Sa Er Emperor. But now, as Xing Hun’s status rose higher and higher, the authority that the Sa Er Emperor had personally bestowed on him became like a carpet of needles that Long Xi had to sit on. To the extent that it even brought him suspicion and wariness.