Zhao Rang walked out of the Qionglin Yushu Gambling House, the night was like ink, there were few pedestrians on the street, only a few dim street lamps swaying in the wind, casting dappled light and shadow.

His steps were very calm, as if nothing had happened in the gambling house just now.

Qingqing was already waiting outside the gambling house, and when she saw Zhao Rang coming out, she greeted her and asked with concern:

"How's the game going tonight?"

Zhao Rang smiled slightly, nodded, and a hint of pride flashed in his eyes: "Have you ever seen me lose?" ”

Qingqing chuckled, shook her head and said:

"I have always admired your resourcefulness and courage. It's just that tonight's gamble seems to be different than usual! ”

Zhao Rang's eyes are deep, as if he can understand people's hearts:

"Walking the rivers and lakes, how can you rely on the courage of a moment? It's just preparing for the coming storm. ”

A trace of doubt flashed in Qingqing's eyes:

"Wind and rain? Do you mean the banquet of the Five Princes? ”

Zhao Rang nodded, with a solemn expression:

"The banquet of the five princes is by no means a simple banquet. He invited me, and it must have been meaningful.

Qingqing nodded and said:

"The banquet of the five princes, what are your plans?"

Zhao Rang pondered for a moment and said:

"The banquet of the five princes, I not only want to go, but also make him feel that I am not an easy person to control, but I can be attracted by certain interests."

Qingqing wanted to say something, but Zhao Rang waved his hand, indicating that there was no need to say more.

In a blink of an eye, it was time for the dinner, and the five princes greeted Zhao Rang in person at the door of the mansion, with a very enthusiastic attitude.

In the banquet hall of the mansion, the lights are brilliant and the guests are like clouds.

Zhao Rang, accompanied by the five princes, stepped into this splendid palace.

The five princes were full of smiles, as if they felt extremely honored by Zhao Rang's arrival.

"Zhao Gongzi, your arrival really adds a lot to this banquet."

The fifth prince raised his glass and said.

Zhao Rang bowed slightly, raised his glass and responded:

"His Royal Highness has a good reputation, Zhao is just a grass people, and it is a real honor to be so loved by His Royal Highness."

"Zhao Gongzi, although you and I are meeting for the first time, I have already heard of your name. What you have done in the rivers and lakes is all admirable. ”

The words of the five princes were full of appreciation, but they seemed to imply something.

Zhao Rang remained silent and replied:

"Your Highness, the affairs of the rivers and lakes are mostly rumors. Zhao acted only to be worthy of his heart, and as for what the outside world said, Zhao didn't care. ”

When the fifth prince heard this, a hint of playfulness flashed in his eyes:

"Zhao Gongzi is really a master, and he is not moved by fame and fortune. But in this court, people's hearts are unpredictable, isn't Zhao Gongzi afraid of being caught up in it and unable to extricate himself? ”

Zhao Rang smiled slightly and replied:

"Your Highness, although the rivers and lakes and the court are different, the hearts of the people are the same. Zhao walks the rivers and lakes and knows the complexity of people's hearts. But I believe that as long as you stick to your heart, you can find your own way in the midst of this chaos. ”

The fifth prince nodded, seemingly satisfied with Zhao Rang's answer, but not completely assured:

"Zhao Gongzi, your relationship with the third prince is now known to everyone in the imperial city."

Zhao Rang pondered for a moment and replied:

"His Royal Highness the Third Prince, who has both benevolence and virtue, has won the hearts of the people. Although Zhao had dealings with the three princes, it was more out of respect for His Royal Highness. ”

A gleam flashed in the eyes of the fifth prince:

"You and I are both understanding people, how can you rely only on the word benevolence in this court? Don't you think that the benevolence of the third prince sometimes becomes his weakness? ”

Zhao Rang smiled slightly and replied:

"Benevolence is important, but what is more important is how to use it. The benevolence of His Royal Highness the Third Prince is the key to winning the hearts of the people. As for how to use it, it was the wisdom of His Royal Highness the Third Prince, and Zhao did not dare to comment on it. ”

When the fifth prince heard this, he was a little disappointed......

He found that Zhao Rang was not easy to match, and it was not easy to get words out of his mouth.

"Zhao Gongzi, you and I meet today, which can be regarded as a kind of fate. I have a word, I don't know whether to say it or not? ”

The fifth prince suddenly changed the subject, with a hint of sincerity in his tone.

Zhao Rang was slightly stunned, and then replied:

"His Royal Highness the Fifth Prince, but it doesn't hurt to say it, Zhao listens to it."

The fifth prince looked directly at Zhao Rang and said slowly:

"Zhao Gongzi, I think you are not a thing in the pool, and you will definitely make great achievements in the future. Would you like to help me? ”

Zhao Rang was shocked in his heart, he didn't expect the Fifth Prince to be so direct.

"His Royal Highness the Fifth Prince, Zhao is grateful for your kindness. But Zhao has always acted only on his own heart. As for the future, Zhao has his own measure. ”

When the fifth prince heard this, a subtle hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes, but he quickly returned to normal:

"Zhao Gongzi, I respect your answer. But I hope that at all times, you will remember what you are saying today. ”

Zhao Rang nodded in understanding.

The banquet of the five princes was just a means for him to test himself. And he must always be vigilant and not easily expose his position.

On the surface, this feast seems relaxed, but in fact there is an undercurrent.

Both of them are trying to probe each other's bottoms, but they both keep a certain distance.

After a while, the Fifth Prince suddenly stood up and announced to the guests:

"Guys, I have a special show tonight, I hope you enjoy it."

When everyone heard this, they cast curious glances.

The fifth prince smiled slightly and clapped his hands.

With the order of the five princes, the lights in the banquet hall slowly dimmed, leaving only a few soft candles swaying in the air.

The music flowed like a spring, accompanied by a light breeze, and a group of dancing girls slowly walked into this golden banquet hall like elves out of a fairyland.

Their dancing is light, like shooting stars in the night sky, streaking across the silent night sky, leaving a series of mesmerizing trails.

Among the many dancing girls, there is one who stands out in particular.

She was dressed in a lilac dress embroidered with delicate silver threads. With her light dance steps, the silver threads shimmered like stars in the candlelight.

The face is beautiful and refined, the eyebrows are like distant mountains and emeralds, and the eyes are like autumn water.

A touch of light makeup just rightly sets off her nobility and mystery.

The dance is elegant and unique.

A turn, every hand raised, reveals an indescribable charm.

It's as if she's not dancing, but she's telling an ancient legend with her body, a story of love and dreams.

Gradually, the dancer's steps became lighter and lighter, like walking on the clouds, and each step stepped on the hearts of the guests, causing ripples in circles.

The melody of the music became more and more exciting, and the dancing girls became more and more agile.

Zhao Rang's eyes were also deeply attracted by this dancing girl,

He sensed that there seemed to be some kind of information hidden in the other man's eyes, a signal that only he could read.

With the rhythm of the music, the dancers began to change formations, and the special dancer seemed to be pulled by a mysterious force, slowly approaching Zhao Rang.

The music is getting to a climax, and the dancers are dancing more and more smartly.

The purple-clothed dancing girl stopped in front of Zhao Rang, and her eyes met Zhao Rang.

Suddenly, the music stops abruptly, and the dancers leave the stage, leaving only the purple-clad dancer.

A hint of determination flashed in her eyes, and then she pounced on Zhao Rang.

Zhao Rang was taken aback, but his reaction was still extremely fast.

The figure flashed, and it had already dodged the flutter of the dancing girl.

But Maihime's offensive didn't end there.

She took advantage of the forward momentum to roll in the air, and the hem of her skirt fluttered, revealing the short sword hidden in it.

The sword flashed and went straight to Zhao Rang's throat.

All this happened too quickly, and before the guests in the banquet hall could come to their senses, they saw that Zhao Rang and the dancing girl had already exchanged hands.

Zhao Rang complained bitterly in his heart...... I thought it was just an ordinary banquet, but I didn't expect to be assassinated suddenly.

But at this moment, he had no time to think about it, so he could only deal with the attack of the dancing girl with all his might.

The figure flickered, dodging one sword after another from the dancing girl. At the same time, he also tries to see Maihime's face clearly, trying to find out her identity and origin.

However, Mai Ji's attack was too fierce, turning into a purple whirlwind, surrounding Zhao Rang and spinning and drawing out his sword. Give him no chance at all!

Zhao Rang was secretly surprised in his heart that this dancing girl's martial arts skills were so high.

Immediately, he didn't dare to be careless, and raised his luck to fight against it.

The figures of the two moved quickly in the banquet hall, sometimes close to each other, sometimes far away from the confrontation. The sword qi crisscrossed and overturned several tables and chairs.

The guests were so frightened that they shy away for fear of being drawn into the fight.

The fifth prince's face also changed greatly, he didn't expect such a thing to happen at his banquet.

"Come on! Protect Your Highness! ”

One of the guards shouted.

Suddenly, a group of guards rushed to the center of the banquet hall from all directions, protecting the five princes and other guests behind them.

Their accession did not change the situation of the battle.

The speed of the dancing girl was too fast, so they couldn't get close at all, and they could only watch Zhao Rang and the dancing girl confront each other in the banquet hall.

Zhao Rang became more and more shocked the more he fought, and found that this dancing girl's martial arts cultivation was not under him! Even better in terms of speed!

The swordsmanship is strange and unpredictable, as insidious as a needle hidden in the cotton, and every sword stabbed out contains endless changes, which makes people unguardable.

Seeing that Zhao Rang was bare-handed and gradually fell into the downwind, the five princes reached out and took the hard bow carried by the guards around him, bent the bow and set the arrow, only to hear the sound of "Zheng", the short sword in the hand of the dancing girl was shot away by the arrow shot by the five princes, crossed a long arc, and was nailed to the pillar in the distance.

This change was beyond everyone's expectations, and the dancing girl's figure stagnated slightly.

Zhao Rang took the opportunity to bully himself and slapped out a palm, hitting her hard in the chest.

Maihime snorted, and her body flew backwards like a kite with a broken string, and fell heavily to the ground.

The guests in the banquet hall came back to their senses and erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.

The fifth prince also breathed a sigh of relief, he walked up to Zhao Rang, patted him on the shoulder, and said approvingly:

"Zhao Gongzi really lives up to his reputation, if you weren't here tonight, I'm afraid my banquet would have turned into a disaster."

Zhao Rang smiled slightly, bowed down and said:

"His Royal Highness has a good reputation, and Zhao's life is still thanks to the magic arrow shot by His Highness!"

After saying that, Zhao Rang turned his head to look at the dancing girl lying on the ground, his brows furrowed, and he felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't tell where it was.

"Who are you? Why did you assassinate me? ”

Zhao Rang asked in a deep voice.

Mai Ji didn't answer him, but struggled to his feet, and walked towards Zhao Rang step by step.

Her eyes were full of hatred and anger, as if she was going to break Zhao Rang's body into pieces!

"You want to know who I am? Then kill me first! ”

Maihime said through gritted teeth.

After speaking, she jumped up in the air again and pounced on Zhao Rang.

Zhao Rang didn't want to kill the dancing girl...... But he also knew that if he didn't make a move, he would be the one who died.

In desperation, he picked up his strength and slapped it with one palm.

He didn't have the strength of this palm, and the dancing girl was so shocked by the power of his palm that she flew out and fell heavily to the ground, blood spurted wildly from her mouth, and she was already dying......

"The bold fanatic dared to make trouble at the banquet of the Five Princes! Hurry up and get caught! ”

The commander of the guards belatedly shouted loudly.

"She's dead."

Zhao Rang turned back and said to everyone.

When everyone heard this, they were all shocked. The commander of the guards stepped forward quickly, probed Maihime's snort, and sure enough, he was already exhausted.

"This ......"

The commander of the guards was a little at a loss and looked at the five princes.

"Your Highness, how should this be?"

The fifth prince frowned, and after pondering for a moment, he said:

"Carry this woman's body down first, and carefully search her body to see if you can find any clues."

"Yes!" The guards took the order and left.

Zhao Rang finally sensed that something was wrong...... Although his palm hit the dancing girl hard, it will never be fatal!

But now it seems that Maihime is too dead to die.

After thinking about it, the commander of the guard had already returned with someone and reported to the five princes:

"Your Highness, we found a token on the body of the dancing girl."

"Oh? Take a look. ”

The fifth prince took the token and looked at it, and his brows suddenly tightened,

"This turned out to be the token in the Three Princes' Mansion!"

Zhao Rang was also shocked when he heard this, took the token and took a closer look, and sure enough, he found that the token was engraved with the emblem of the three princes!

The Fifth Prince sneered:

"It seems that my good third brother finally can't help but make a move! He has a good plan, and wants to borrow the hand of His Highness to get rid of you Zhao Gongzi, and then turn his head to deal with me! ”

Zhao Rang shook his head and said:

"Your Highness's words are wrong. With the personality and resourcefulness of His Royal Highness the Third Prince, he would never do such a stupid thing. There must be something else behind this. ”

When the fifth prince heard this, he thought for a moment, then nodded and said:

"Zhao Gongzi is right, there should be another hidden story behind this. But in any case, this token is an important clue, and I still have to ask my good third brother! ”

A hint of cunning flashed in the eyes of the fifth prince, as if he had a plan.

He waved his hand to let the guard commander retreat, then turned to Zhao Rang and said with a slight smile:

"Zhao Gongzi, it seems that tonight's banquet can't continue. However, there is one more thing to ask for in the future. ”

Zhao Rang's heart moved, and he arched his hand and said:

"Your Highness, please speak, as long as Zhao can do it, he will not refuse."

The fifth prince nodded and said slowly:

"I want to ask Zhao Gongzi to accompany me to the Three Princes' Mansion, I don't know what Zhao Gongzi wants?"

Zhao Rang frowned slightly, thinking to himself in his heart.

As soon as he went to the Three Princes' Mansion, it was bound to be turbulent, but he also wanted to know what the secret behind this was, so he nodded and replied:

"Okay, Zhao will accompany His Royal Highness on a trip."

In the night, the two carriages quietly left the mansion of the fifth prince and drove in the direction of the third prince's mansion.

In the carriage, the five princes and Zhao Rang sat opposite each other, neither of them spoke, and there was silence in the carriage.

Soon, the carriage stopped in front of the door of the Three Princes' Mansion.

The third prince had already gotten the news and went out to greet him in person.

"Fifth brother, it's so late, why do you have time to come to my house?"

The third prince asked with a smile, but there was a hint of vigilance in his eyes.

The fifth prince sneered, threw the token to the third prince, and said coldly:

"Third brother, this is your thing, right? How could it appear on a dancing girl? Not to mention that this dancing girl disturbed my banquet, she also intended to assassinate Zhao Gongzi! ”

The third prince took the token and looked at it, and his face suddenly changed.

"Fifth brother, there must be a misunderstanding in this. How could I send someone to assassinate Zhao Gongzi? ”

The third prince explained.

Zhao Rang also spoke at this moment:

"Your Royal Highness the Third Prince, I believe you will not be the one behind the scenes. However, the token was indeed found on the Assassin's body, and this matter may need to be carefully verified. ”

The third prince said:

"Zhao Gongzi is right, this matter really needs to be carefully verified. Fifth brother, I will definitely give you a satisfactory answer. ”

The fifth prince sneered, obviously not believing the words of the third prince:

"Third brother, I hope you'd better give me a reasonable explanation. Otherwise, don't blame me for not thinking about brotherhood! ”

The words of the five princes were full of threats.

The third prince frowned slightly, but did not have a seizure.

The fifth prince must have come this time with some intentions, and he can't be easily provoked by him.

"Fifth brother, don't worry, the three will definitely handle this matter."

The third prince reassured.

The fifth prince nodded, turned his gaze to Zhao Rang, and said:

"Zhao Gongzi, His Royal Highness still has to solemnly thank you again for tonight's incident!"

Zhao Rang didn't dare to be rude, and arched his hand:

"Your Highness is serious. Zhao just happened to be at the meeting. ”

The fifth prince shook his head and said seriously:

"Zhao Gongzi doesn't have to be modest. Your martial arts and resourcefulness are greatly admired by His Highness. If there is an opportunity in the future, I hope that Zhao Gongzi can give more advice! ”

"If I have the opportunity in the future, I will definitely communicate with His Highness."

"That's very good. Then His Royal Highness will not bother the third brother and Zhao Gongzi. Say goodbye first. ”

After the fifth prince finished speaking, he turned around and got into the carriage and walked away.

The third prince watched the carriage of the fifth prince disappear into the night, and his brows were furrowed.

This night, the entire imperial city was in an uproar because of this incident...... Zhao Rang, the son of the Zhao family, who had just been personally sent out of the mansion by the three princes, was assassinated at the banquet of the five princes, but the assassin was carrying the token of the three princes!

Such a bizarre thing has naturally attracted the attention and speculation of countless people.

Some people say that this is a bitter trick directed and acted by the three princes, wanting to take the opportunity to frame the five princes.

Some people also say that this is a trap deliberately laid by the five princes, trying to frame the three princes.

Some people even said that this was actually His Majesty the Emperor manipulating everything behind his back, and wanted to take this opportunity to see the reaction and ability of the two princes......

In short, all kinds of speculations and rumors are endless, but no one knows what the truth is.

And the two princes in the center of the whirlpool were unusually calm at the moment.

They all know very well that at this critical moment, whoever can't hold their breath first will lose!

Inside the Five Princes' Mansions:

"Your Highness, do you think this matter is really the third prince's doing?"

One of the guards asked cautiously.

The fifth prince sneered and said:

"What do you think? With the third brother's resourcefulness and the city government, would he do such a stupid thing? ”

The commander of the guards was stunned when he heard this, and then suddenly realized:

"What does Your Highness mean...... Is there someone else behind this? ”

The fifth prince nodded and said:

"That's right. The person behind this must want to borrow our hand to deal with the third brother. And we can't let him get his wish. ”

The commander of the guards nodded and said:

"Your Highness is wise. So what do we do now? ”

The fifth prince pondered for a moment and then said:

"Wait and see. Now that everyone is watching the progress of this matter, we just need to wait for the right moment to find out who is behind the scenes! ”

At the same time, in the residence of the Three Princes:

"Your Highness, there are rumors outside that you were responsible. Do you think we should come forward and clarify this? ”

A scholar-looking strategist asked worriedly.

The third prince shook his head and said:

"Clarification? How to clarify? Now that all the evidence points to me, even if I come forward to clarify, who will believe it? ”

The strategist was stunned when he heard this...... He also understood that the third prince was right. In this case, no matter how the three princes explain and clarify, they will only get darker and darker.

"That'...... What do we do now? ”

The strategist asked helplessly.

He originally thought that the third prince would have some clever strategy to deal with this matter, but now it seems that there is no way to break the situation.

"Wait! We just need to wait for the right moment! ”

Although the two princes did not say it explicitly, they both understood that this "right time" was actually the attitude of His Majesty the Emperor!

As long as His Majesty the Emperor does not express his position for a day, then there is still a turning point in this matter.

And once His Majesty the Emperor has made a statement, then no matter what the result is, it will be a foregone conclusion!

Zhao Rang naturally understood this truth, so he did not rush to achieve it, but chose to wait and see.

As long as you keep enough patience and calm, you will definitely be able to see the truth of this struggle!