Feng Xiwu gave Li Yang a look, then turned to Li Su, who understood.
He whispered, "After the young prince fell, your subordinate kept an eye on everyone. No one has moved for now."
Feng Xiwu said concisely, "Search."
As soon as he finished speaking, he calmly sat back down with Lu Qingwan, leaving Li Su and Li Jin to find the sharp object that had injured the little bun.
Lu Qingwan naturally placed the little bun between them and asked him softly, "Did Xie Shilan look for you?"
"Yes, she requested that the marriage alliance target not be determined for the time being and also wanted this king to help her detoxify.
As a condition, she was willing to cooperate with this king in exposing the spies from Xiliang and Beiwei hidden in Daqian."
Feng Xiwu laid bare everything he had discussed with Xie Shilan. Lu Qingwan's lips curved upwards unconsciously, "Then you agreed?"
"No."
"Why?!"
Exposing the spies from Xiliang and Beiwei hidden in Daqian would save Daqian so much trouble.
Lu Qingwan could not imagine why Feng Xiwu had refused Xie Shilan.
Feng Xiwu gave a wry smile, "Even her poisoning was something you told this king. How can this king confidently detoxify her?"
Knowing that he could cure her but not rashly agreeing on her behalf, Lu Qingwan felt her heart being touched.
Her lips curved upwards unconsciously, and she looked at Feng Xiwu with feigned dignity, "If Your Highness is willing to ask me, I might not be unwilling to lend a helping hand."
"Then... please help this Consort, Your Highness?"
He asked for help as soon as he thought of it, with no psychological barrier at all.
Cough, Li Jin couldn't help but cough. Li Su nudged him, but his ears were perked up high.
Lu Qingwan pursed her lips, "Does Your Highness always ask for favors so insincerely?"
Feng Xiwu: ...
"I wonder what gift the Regent Princess has prepared for His Majesty. Can you take it out for us to feast our eyes on!"
An annoying voice came, and Lu Qingwan looked up with a darkened face, only to see everyone's gaze focused on her.
The little bun weakly reminded, "They've all finished giving their gifts to Emperor Uncle!"
Indeed, the hall was already filled with gifts in the center. Even Nie Mingyang and the Yunqiang envoy, Xie Shilan, had arrived.
She had been so busy chatting with Feng Xiwu that she hadn't even noticed when these people arrived.
And the previous remark had come from Nie Mingyang.
Seeing Lu Qingwan's silence, Wen Ruge also said loudly, "Yes, Lu Qingwan. Didn't you say you were losing sleep over preparing a birthday gift for His Majesty?
Take it out and let everyone see what gift you've prepared!"
Anyone with eyes could see that what Lu Qingwan had said earlier was just a polite excuse for her lapse in etiquette. And Wen Ruge's current attitude clearly aimed to embarrass Lu Qingwan.
Wen Ruge's admiration for Feng Xiwu was no secret in the capital, and the crowd immediately turned to watch Lu Qingwan's predicament.
Lu Qingwan looked at the center of the hall, "Since the Third Prince and Princess Ruge are so eager to see my gift, may I ask what you two presented to His Majesty?"
Nie Mingyang stuck out his neck, immensely proud, "This Prince has brought the national letter stating that Beiwei is willing to trade with Nangan. From now on, the gold, silver, and jade from Beiwei will flow into Nangan in large quantities."
"That sounds good."
Lu Qingwan nodded, seemingly impressed by Nie Mingyang's birthday gift.
She then tilted her head, "And what about Princess Ruge?"
Wen Ruge was the granddaughter of Prime Minister Wen. The Prime Minister's mansion's birthday gift should naturally be presented by Prime Minister Wen. How could it be her turn?
However, Wen Ruge dared to call Lu Qingwan by name in public, clearly not one to shut up when she was in the wrong.
She stuck out her neck, acting incredibly assertive, "Lu Qingwan, the Prime Minister's mansion's gift is not for you to inquire about. We are talking about you now!
Didn't you just say you had prepared a birthday gift for His Majesty? Could it be that you are afraid of being punished by His Majesty for your breach of etiquette in front of the court, and are using the birthday gift to placate him?"
This aggressive posture made Lu Qingwan frown with displeasure.
She knitted her brows and said sternly, "Princess Ruge, allow me to remind you, let alone calling me by my name, even if you had the power to remove me from the imperial family registry, what is not yours will never be yours."
In one sentence, she exposed Wen Ruge's intention to covet Feng Xiwu and thus make things difficult for her to everyone present.
Lu Qingwan, completely disregarding Wen Ruge's embarrassed expression, turned and whispered something into Feng Xiwu's ear.
Feng Xiwu nodded, and then Lu Qingwan rose, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, the Regent Prince's Mansion's birthday gift should be presented by His Highness.
My father, as a subject, is unable to personally wish Your Majesty a happy birthday. This humble daughter presents a gift on behalf of my father. A small gift, I hope Your Majesty will accept it with a smile."
Saying so, she opened an exquisite brocade box, revealing its contents: an antique-looking handgun and a pair of glasses.
Both items were novelties in this era. Regardless of their value, they were at least new.
Emperor Jingyou had also thought that Lu Qingwan's so-called birthday gift was merely an excuse. Upon seeing the contents of the brocade box, he exclaimed, "Regent Princess's gift is truly novel. May I ask what these two items are?"
As he spoke, he raised his hand, signaling Lu Qingwan to rise.
"This consort heard His Highness say that Your Majesty often pores over memorials, causing blurred vision and poor sight. Therefore, I have prepared a pair of glasses for Your Majesty, which can alleviate Your Majesty's discomfort."
"This consort also heard His Highness say that although Your Majesty resides in the palace, there are still many wicked individuals who intend to harm Your Majesty. Therefore, I have prepared this handgun for Your Majesty.
This item is convenient to carry, faster than a hidden dart, and can be used at any time. In moments of crisis, if Your Majesty does not have time to summon guards, it can save Your Majesty's life."
"Handgun?"
Emperor Jingyou looked at the handgun with great curiosity, "It looks quite similar to the firearms used by the royal guards of Jiuzhou. Bring it here for me to see."
A eunuch hurried down the imperial steps, but Lu Qingwan said, "Your Majesty, these two items are not common in Daqian. Perhaps, this consort can demonstrate how to use them?"
"Oh, not only can the Regent Princess obtain such rare items, but she also knows how to use them?"
Lu Qingwan said self-deprecatingly, "My mother's dowry contained many good things. It's a pity that if I don't know how to use them now, wouldn't that be a betrayal of my mother's good intentions?"
When she prepared to take out the items, she had already prepared herself and blamed her cheap mother.
Who knows what kind of person that Princess Anyang was, but she left behind quite a lot of strange and peculiar things. She wasn't afraid of anyone investigating.
Emperor Jingyou heard her mention Princess Anyang and gave her some face, "That is true. Princess Anyang was once a renowned woman of the world.
In that case, you shall demonstrate for me!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Lu Qingwan put on the glasses, "These glasses are easy to use. Just like this, place them on your nose.
Occasionally, if they get dirty, just wipe them with a soft cloth.
As for this..."
The exquisite and compact handgun spun in Lu Qingwan's hand in a perfect arc. She loaded the bullet and then pointed it at Wen Ruge.
With a "bang," a crisp sound echoed, and the bullet lodged itself deep into the coiling dragon pillar behind Wen Ruge.
Wen Ruge screamed on the spot, covering her ears in fright.