Oh no! Seven kids at the start, all yellow and skinny.

Chapter 268 Encounter at Wanbaolou

The Third Prince's Mansion.

Zhou Jingxuan's expression was not good, and he almost couldn't maintain his usual gentle and refined image in front of others.

Qingbai knelt on one knee, looking at the shattered teacup on the ground, and could only lower his head even further.

"They're all useless." After venting his frustration, Zhou Jingxuan wiped his hands with a handkerchief. "Have you cleaned up the mess left by those two families?"

“Everyone is dead,” Qingbai replied.

"Hmm." Zhou Jingxuan's expression softened. "Have they found out who did it in Longxi City?"

"It was Huo Qingyuan who sent people to search and confiscate the property. It was the family of a little girl from Dongshantou Village who went there and complained to Huo Qingyuan."

"Hehe." Zhou Jingxuan chuckled. "A little girl from a village with such great abilities?"

Qingbai fell silent.

"Go there yourself and make sure you get a clear picture of the situation." Zhou Jingxuan's eyes narrowed slightly. The Crown Prince was dead, so that position could only be his, and no one could stop him.

Qingbai agreed, turned and left, departing from the capital that very day to conduct an investigation in Longxi.

"Your Highness, Miss Gong has invited Miss Lan to go shopping at Wanbaolou," a guard reported.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jingxuan immediately straightened his clothes, then went out the door and headed straight for Wanbaolou.

Miss Gong is Gong Xuer, the niece of Gong Zhaolin, the Minister of War.

Because he has two sons, he really dotes on this niece.

This was also the candidate Consort Chen had chosen for him as his principal wife.

Miss Lan is Lan Tingwan, the granddaughter of Lan Xu'an, the Minister of Rites. She just turned 18 this year and is already being hailed in private as the most beautiful woman in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The two girls are best friends and often go out and shop together.

Zhou Jingxuan's goal is to become the crown prince, so he needs to win over more people, and the Six Ministries are his main targets.

If he can win over both girls, then Gong Zhaolin and Lan Xu'an will have no choice but to take sides, and his chances of winning will be even greater.

A new batch of hairpins has just arrived at Wanbaolou, attracting many noble ladies to come and choose. Especially with the New Year approaching, when the palace will hold all sorts of banquets, no one wants to be outdone.

Gong Xuer and Lan Tingwan are both outstanding among the noble ladies of the capital, whether in terms of their background, talent, or appearance. Lan Tingwan, in particular, is truly impeccable.

The only drawback might be that her birth mother's status was not high.

The two happily entered Wanbaolou and were led directly to the second floor.

The first floor of Wanbaolou caters to ordinary customers, while the second floor is for VIPs; in other words, the items on the second floor are more expensive.

Han Lian'er had been confined to her home these past few days. Although she was unhappy about it, she had no choice. Today, she was finally allowed to go out, so she rushed over to buy jewelry. She wanted to dress up beautifully before going to see the Third Prince.

However, he ended up meeting Gong Xuer at Wanbaolou.

"Isn't this Sister Xu'er?" Han Lian'er walked up to Gong Xu'er. "What a coincidence."

Gong Xuer nodded slightly: "Second Miss Han".

Han Lian'er squeezed her hand, thinking to herself that she was indeed a vixen who dared to seduce her Third Prince. She would never let her get away with it. She then reached out and grabbed Gong Xu'er's wrist: "It's fate that we met. Today's bill is on me."

"No need." Gong Xuer shook off the other person. "Thank you for your kindness, Miss Han. We have already made our choices. Farewell." After saying that, she and Lan Tingwan started to walk out.

Han Lian'er narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at Gong Xu'er's back, then suddenly kicked her.

"Be careful." Lan Tingwan saw it out of the corner of her eye and reached out to pull Gong Xuer back.

Gong Xuer pounced on Lan Tingwan, and the two of them crashed into the wall, but fortunately they weren't kicked down the stairs.

However, Han Lian'er was not so lucky. She had kicked with all her might. Gong Xu'er dodged, but because she used too much force, she couldn't stop and instead rushed towards the stairs, then rolled down with a scream.

Just then, two people walked through the gate.

Han Lian'er stopped right in front of the two of them.

Everyone around was stunned, especially Han Lian'er's two maids, Qingliu and Lüliu, whose faces turned deathly pale. After a moment of stunned silence, they rushed downstairs, crying out, "Second Miss..."

"Did Miss Han know that I was coming and perform such a grand ceremony in advance?" Ning Wushuang, her face veiled, looked coldly at Han Lian'er on the ground, her tone even more icy.

Ning Wushuang was granted the title of Princess Wushuang at birth, and she was a princess with a fief. However, she never cared about such things, so the servants around her rarely called her Princess and often called her Miss.

At this moment, she directly displayed the aura of a princess.

As a member of the royal family with a title, if we were to be honest, all these people would have to pay her respects.

Han Lian'er was in pain all over and completely dazed from the fall, but when she heard Ning Wushuang's voice, she jolted awake: "You..."

"Insolence!" Ning Xingchen shouted sharply. "What do you mean, 'you' and 'me'? Are the people of the Xing'an Marquis's Mansion so ill-mannered?"

Han Lian'er's face was already pale, and now it looked even worse. She knew she couldn't confront him directly, but she didn't want to perform the proper courtesies. The only thing she could think of was to pretend to faint. However, before she could even faint, she saw a pair of black, gold-embroidered cloud-patterned boots step in through the door. Looking up, her eyes reddened: "Third Prince, save me!"

Ning Wushuang unconsciously clenched her fist, then turned around and said, "Third cousin."

"Third cousin," Ning Xingchen greeted him.

"Cousin Wushuang," Zhou Jingxuan nodded with a smile, "Achen, what are you doing here too?"

"I came with my sister to buy some jewelry." Ning Xingchen smiled. "But what brings my third cousin here too?"

"I heard that some new jewelry has arrived here, and I wanted to pick out a few pieces for my cousin. Now that you're here, whatever Wushuang likes can be put on my tab."

"Then thank you, Third Cousin." Ning Wushuang said happily. "I'll go upstairs to choose now." After saying that, she went upstairs with the help of the maid, but when no one was looking, she gave Han Lian'er a smug smile.

Han Lian'er, who had been lying on the ground, hurriedly stood up: "Third Prince."

"Lian'er? What's wrong with you..." Zhou Jingxuan seemed to only just notice her, and his face immediately showed surprise. "What happened?"

"Brother Jingxuan, I fell, it hurts so much!" Han Lian'er was really crying.

"Go and fetch a doctor right away," Zhou Jingxuan instructed his men immediately. "A fall is no small matter. We'll discuss everything after the examination."