The villain who defeated the son of destiny was my father

At this time, Mo Li had already gone out to greet guests from all sides with a smile on his face, full of satisfaction.

"The disaster relief plan proposed by His Royal Highness Prince Li is really a timely help, saving the people from disaster and misfortune. It is truly a good deed that benefits the people!"

"That's true. I never thought that His Royal Highness Prince Li, who is so young, has such far-sighted insights. I am truly convinced and admire him."

"I heard that His Majesty has appointed His Royal Highness Prince Li to the Ministry of Revenue. I believe that it won't be long before His Royal Highness Prince Li will be able to achieve great things."

For a time, the sound of flattery was endless.

Several princes stood aside, each with a different look on their face. Although they were usually good at hiding their emotions, at this moment amid the clamor, they could not help but reveal some of their true feelings.

"Eighth brother, ninth brother, twelfth brother." Mo Li walked over and greeted the princes.

Several princes were not crowned as kings, and although they were unhappy with him, they did not dare to lose their manners in public, and hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, "Greetings to King Li."

"Why should we be so formal with each other, brothers?" Although Mo Li said this, his eyebrows were unconsciously raised, and his pride was evident in his words.

At this moment, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Mo Qianluo, the Third Prince Mo Taihe and the Fifth Prince Mo Chensen also got off the sedan chair one after another.

Everyone exchanged polite greetings, appearing harmonious on the surface, but undercurrents were surging.

After Qu Qingyan performed his ceremony, he stood quietly behind Sima Zheng and did not get involved in the dispute between the princes.

However, although she had this idea, some people were not going to let her go easily.

"Mr. Yan Qing is the Prime Minister's aide, but he has been getting very close to Lord Sima recently. This makes me quite curious." Mo Qianluan's scrutinizing gaze fell directly on her without any concealment, with a hint of inquiry and suspicion in his eyes.

As soon as these words came out, the hidden meaning was self-evident, almost blatantly hinting that she had betrayed the Prime Minister's Mansion and intended to collude with Sima Zheng secretly. Or perhaps it was hinting that there was an unusual private relationship between the Prime Minister's Mansion and Jingzhao Yin.

Such innuendos in this gathering of people were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly breaking the calm on the surface and creating ripples.

The air seemed to freeze at this moment. People around were shocked by the sudden surge of undercurrents. They subconsciously kept silent and tried to reduce their presence, fearing that they would be implicated by this unprovoked storm. The whole atmosphere became solemn and depressing.

Qu Qingyan, however, seemed to have not heard the deep meaning of it. He looked calm and fearless as he met the prince's aggressive gaze. They stood face to face and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Your Highness, I am still young and inexperienced. I am grateful to the Prime Minister for letting me serve in the palace. It happened that the Prime Minister was away from the capital recently on official business and was not in the capital. Thinking that I still need to be tempered, he asked me to follow Sima to gain some knowledge and experience. If Your Highness has any questions about my whereabouts, why not wait until the Prime Minister returns and ask him in person?"

Every word she spoke was powerful and clear, and her remarks were flawless, skillfully throwing the question back.

A hint of barely perceptible displeasure flashed across Mo Qianluan's eyes for a moment, and that displeasure quickly spread across his eyes like a haze.

As the crown prince of the dynasty, he had been pampered and respected since childhood. Even though he had been imprisoned for a long time before, how could a small staff member easily contradict his pride and majesty? Qu Qingyan's move was undoubtedly a blatant provocation to his authority. How could he swallow this?

Just when he was about to open his mouth to reprimand in order to show his authority as the crown prince, he saw Mo Xuyao, Mo Zemiao, Mo Yiyan and others pleading for mercy.

Sima Zheng also hurriedly bowed and explained sincerely, "Your Highness, I'm afraid you have misunderstood. As the prefect of Jingzhao, my duty is to handle all kinds of cases in the capital. Yan Qing is extremely intelligent and quick-witted. During the investigation process, he helped me solve many difficult cases with his keen observation and unique insights. He is truly my right-hand man. My dealings with him were only limited to official business, and there was absolutely nothing inappropriate about it."

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, Yan Qing is still young and did not know what to do when he offended you. I hope you will be magnanimous and forgive him this time." Although Mo Hehe did not understand why His Highness the Crown Prince spoke so rudely today, he knew very well that this might be a rare opportunity for him.

Among these brothers, only he and Lao Wu knew Yan Qing's true identity, and he could take advantage of this and seize the opportunity to defeat other competitors.

Mo Li stood quietly by the side, taking in the sudden storm. The corners of his mouth slightly lifted, and a smile of triumph flashed across his eyes. He then followed the crowd and begged for mercy, saying, "Your Highness, today is a banquet at the mansion, and it is meant to be lively and festive. Please don't let a small matter ruin the harmony. I hope Your Highness will spare Young Master Yan Qing this time for the sake of everyone else."

The pleas from everyone reached Mo Qianluan's ears, like thunderclaps exploding in his ears. He then came back to his senses as if awakened from a dream.

He instantly realized how reckless the thing he had just done was, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back uncontrollably. The sweat slowly slid down his spine, making him feel a chill.

At that moment, he felt as if he was controlled by an inexplicable force. He completely lost his usual caution and restraint and even spoke rudely to the prime minister's most valued aide. Moreover, this person was the person his father had repeatedly warned him not to offend!

He felt a surge of fear and regret in his heart, secretly blaming himself for being so impulsive.

At this moment, his face turned pale, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He stood there, feeling a little overwhelmed for a moment.

"I... I didn't mean that, nor did I have any intention of targeting Master Yan Qing. I hope you don't mind." Mo Qianluo tried hard to restore his expression to normal, but his slightly trembling voice still revealed his inner nervousness and uneasiness. He gritted his teeth and said these words, trying to save the big mistake that almost happened just now.

Qu Qingyan knew that what he said was true, because as soon as she saw the prince, she keenly noticed that there was something wrong with him.

The thin layer of dragon energy that originally surrounded the prince's body was now eroded by a thick black energy. The black energy seemed to have life, entwining around him and constantly devouring the dragon energy that symbolized noble status and auspiciousness. Judging from the momentum, it would not be long before His Royal Highness the Prince would be completely controlled by it and become a puppet at the mercy of others.

Qu Qingyan frowned secretly, and he had already guessed in his heart that the mastermind behind this move was none other than Qu Xinzhu and the dog system.

She really didn't expect that they were so bold as to attack the crown prince so blatantly.