Sheng Li entered the hall where his brothers were waiting for him. Rong Zemin came towards Sheng Li. "Brother, you got late. Come, have a seat," Rong Zemin gestured towards the seat.
"Where's Lei Wanxi?" Sheng Li asked as he did not find him.
"He is coming. He had gone again outside the Palace to watch the boat race," Rong Zemin replied. Sheng Li hummed and looked at Weng Yu.
"Do you want to say something? Why are you looking at me?" Sheng Li asked.
"Brother Sheng, I am happy that you joined the dinner," Weng Yu answered. Sheng Li passed him a smile and told him not to drink wine.
"Yes, Brother Sheng," Weng Yu agreed and showed him the silver glass with fresh apple juice. "I am drinking an apple juice," Weng Yu happily said. Sheng Li nodded when Yongzheng came to him.
"Brother Sheng, have this wine. It is imported from the west," Yongzheng stated. Sheng Li thanked him and sipped the wine. Yongzheng went back to his seat.
Lei Wanxi came inside and apologized to them for being late. Lei Wanxi instead of sitting in his seat sat beside Sheng Li. "Wanxi, are you in trouble?" Jian Guozhi asked.
"No," Lei Wanxi replied.
Sheng Li glanced at him. "Are you sure? What is happening between you and Princess Zhu Lin?" Sheng Li asked and again took a sip.
The rest of the Princes looked at Lei Wanxi. "Is Brother Wanxi again fighting with the Princess?" Yongzheng queried.
Before Lei Wanxi could answer, Sheng Li said, "Second Brother, our Lei Wanxi has grown up. He has fallen in love."
"Is it true, Brother Wanxi? You love Princess Zhu Lin?" Rong Zemin asked and started teasing him.
Lei Wanxi shook his head and moved his hands in the air. "No, no. That's not true," Lei Wanxi again ignored his feelings.
"You told Lili the other day that your heart strangely beats around her. Why are you lying?" Sheng Li confusedly looked at him.
"I told Sister Lili that it cannot be true. I hate her," Lei Wanxi stated. He grabbed the wine glass from Sheng Li's hand and gulped the wine. Putting the glass on the table, he wiped his lips.
"Let's not talk about that. We are here to enjoy," Lei Wanxi proclaimed.
"Shall we start with a dance performance? The dancers are skilled in every type of dance form," Rong Zemin said delightedly and gestured to Eunuch Long to call the dancers.
Seven female dancers came to the hall and bowed before the princes before starting their dance. Sheng Li was least interested in their dance, and with each passing second, he was getting bored.
'I still have to prepare her favorite flowers. What if I get late? Then, I have to check the preparation in the Residence,' Sheng Li thought when Lei Wanxi shook him.
"What happened, Brother Sheng? I called your name thrice," affirmed Lei Wanxi.
"Brother Sheng, today your focus shall be here," Yongzheng told him. Sheng Li looked towards the dance floor and gazed at the dancers.
~~~~
Xue Yu-Yan, Bai Yaling, and Liao Jun could be seen in the chamber of the Crown Princess. They were laughing while conversing with each other.
"Sister Lili, the Crown Prince's decision made our husbands think twice for the second marriage. Our mother-in-laws wanted our husbands to go for second wives too, but because the Crown Prince started with a single wife pledge, even our husbands refused to get second wives," Liao Jun informed Ying Lili.
"I am glad that the Second and Third Brothers did not get influenced to get the second wives. Mostly, it is to get more heirs," Ying Lili stated and looked at Bai Yaling, who appeared quieter to her.
"Sister Bai, is everything alright?" Ying Lili asked with a concerned expression.
Bai Yaling nodded her head and faked a smile.
"You can share with us if anything is bothering you," Ying Lili told Bai Yaling, who thanked the Crown Princess for her concern.
"The Princes are having fun in the hall. Prince Zemin had called a few dancers. One of the dancers is prettiest, and her dance moves are enough to sway the hearts of men," the personal assistant of Liao Jun, Yujie, informed them.
"Prince Zemin has arranged the dancers?" Liao Jun was shocked to hear this.
"The Princes are having fun after a long time," Bai Yaling stated.
"What if they got swayed by those dancers? Men's hearts are crazy. I did not expect this from my husband," Liao Jun complained and looked at Yujie. "Has the Prince fixated his gaze on that prettiest dancer?" She queried.
"I could not see that your highness," Yujie replied.
Ying Lili wondered what Sheng Li was doing. She recalled his words that he never watched dances, then how could he watch it today?
"Sister Lili, we shall check on our husbands. We cannot let them enjoy it this way. Let's sit along with them, and then it would be more fun," Liao Jun suggested to Ying Lili.
"I do not think it would be appropriate to go to them. After a long time, all the Princes had gathered together. We shall let them enjoy," Ying Lili advised them.
However, Liao Jun was not satisfied with the advice of the Crown Princess. "What if those dancers seduce our husbands?" She looked with skepticism at all of them.
Ying Lili found that the Third Prince's wife was possessive of him. It is not her fault though. Every wife can get possessive of her husband. "Sister Liao, we shall keep trust in them. Earlier, Sister Liao said to herself that her husband wants only you as his wife. So, she shall not get worried," Ying Lili this time calmly explained to Liao Jun.
"I know, Sister Lili but--" Liao Jun paused and stood up from her seat, bewildering them. "--I do not trust those dancers. Sister Lili, I am coming in a while," she said and walked out of the chamber, followed by her assistant.
"I will stop Sister Liao Jun," stated Xue Yu-Yan and walked out of the chamber, whose personal assistant went behind her.
Ying Lili peered at Bai Yaling and then at Court Lady Xu. "Please send the maidservants outside." Court Lady Xu bowed and told the maidservants to leave the chamber. Once they left, Ying Lili thought to ask Bai Yaling.
"Sister Bai, now, there is no one," Ying Lili pronounced. Bai Yaling lifted her gaze to look at the Crown Princess and heard, "Sister Bai can tell me what she is going through."
"There is nothing going on, Sister Lili," Bai Yaling again refused.
"The wound on the palm of Sister Bai's hand is showing something else," Ying Lili asserted. Bai Yaling pulled her sleeve down. She did her best not to let the wound get shown to anyone.
"I slipped in the bathhouse," Bai Yaling replied. "I did not want to worry anyone, so did not call the Royal Physician," she added.
Ying Lili stood up from the chair and went towards Bai Yaling. "Please show me your hand, Sister Bai," Ying Lili requested her.. Bai Yaling hesitated and fidgeted with her fingers when Ying Lili again repeated her words.