The Three Little Ones achieved a resounding victory, successfully winning their first match.
They left the field to rest briefly, preparing for the next match.
To advance to the semifinals, they needed to win three matches today.
However, those who won the first match had their next two matches scheduled for the afternoon, giving them ample time to rest.
Of course, this was only true for the Three Little Ones.
For others, kicking three high-intensity Qúc Ju matches in one day was still very strenuous, requiring careful allocation of physical strength.
Otherwise, their performance in subsequent matches would only get worse.
In this situation, the team's bench depth was also severely tested.
Jingyang Palace, including Little Black Cat, barely managed to gather enough players, so naturally, there was no bench to speak of.
But for some teams with sufficient personnel, rotating players in every match was not an issue.
Only the Imperial Princes and Princesses needed to work harder, as they were the captains and were required to play in every match.
After the Three Little Ones returned to the stands, they began to drink water and rest. Li Xuan even took out some snacks from the di hong bone ring, eating and watching with the two girls, as leisurely as if they were on a spring outing.
"Your Highness, you just exchanged a few kicks with Sixth Princess. Are you alright?"
Yue'er took off Imperial Sister Ankang's shoes and socks, airing her jade-like feet while also checking on her.
Towards the end of their previous match, it was almost entirely a showdown between Imperial Sister Ankang and Sixth Princess, with the other four only responsible for passing the ball.
In a few rounds, the two competed fiercely, not even bothering to pass the ball. Imperial Sister Ankang would kick it, and Sixth Princess would kick it right back, back and forth several times, until finally Sixth Princess made a mistake and kicked the ball out of bounds, bringing an end to the tense situation.
"Sister Yue'er, don't worry."
"It doesn't hurt at all, and kicking the ball with all my might makes me feel much better."
Imperial Sister Ankang replied with a giggle, seemingly having genuinely fallen in love with playing Qúc Ju.
Li Xuan looked at Imperial Sister Ankang's small feet; her tender white feet showed not even a single red mark.
This made him wonder if, as Imperial Sister Ankang's physique continued to strengthen, she might end up achieving physical sainthood, relying on simple, unadorned strength and speed to crush other human cultivators.
Li Xuan and Imperial Sister Ankang seemed to have swapped places; this Little Cat was practicing human cultivation methods, while Imperial Sister Ankang, a human princess, was growing stronger physically day by day.
On the Qúc Ju field, the matches continued.
However, the matches after theirs became noticeably stranger.
Some teams forfeited before even kicking, handing over the victory.
Others played even more intensely than the Three Little Ones, with the ball constantly aimed at people.
Yet, there was a tacit understanding: nobles kicked nobles, and commoners kicked commoners.
Imperial children ruthlessly targeted each other with the ball, and attendants were equally impolite among themselves.
Previously, Zhao Feng had dragged Sixth Princess's attendant eunuch away and beaten him to death for insubordination.
Subsequent teams seemed to have received a signal from this punishment and began to attack each other strictly according to their status, with clear distinctions.
But one thing was certain: the matches currently underway were far more intense than before.
"Why did they suddenly all get so hyped up?"
Li Xuan watched from the field, a bit puzzled.
Perhaps Imperial Sister Ankang's match with Sixth Princess had given them new inspiration. In any case, these Qúc Ju matches no longer resembled Qúc Ju matches much.
The ball on the field was always aimed at people, not at the Fengliu Eye on the goal.
But none of this concerned the Three Little Ones at the moment.
They were enjoying the warm autumn sun in the stands, admiring the slightly bloody Qúc Ju matches unfolding before them.
"Are they all thinking the same thing?"
Below the field, many people had this thought.
In this Qúc Ju competition, except for a few teams, most participants were of similar strength.
In such circumstances, it was not easy to determine a winner based solely on Qúc Ju skills.
Especially since both sides were martial artists, and with similar strength, it was not difficult for them to defend a Fengliu Eye the size of a soccer ball.
The difficulty lay in how to break through the opponent's defense.
Now it seemed they had all found a consistent answer.
In this Qúc Ju competition, because each match lasted a relatively short time, and combined with the previous incident in Imperial Sister Ankang and Sixth Princess's match, Zhao Feng, in order not to affect the progress of the competition, stipulated that from now on, no player substitutions could be made during a match. However, substitutions could be made during halftime and between matches.
Otherwise, frequent player changes during a match would inevitably affect the match duration, making it impossible to complete all elimination rounds today.
Due to this new rule, if a player on the opposing team was injured during a match, it would clearly create a significant advantage, even leading to a three-on-two or three-on-one situation.
In such cases, breaking through the opponent's goal would be much easier.
As for the reason behind suddenly adding this rule, without any other considerations, only Zhao Feng himself knew.
"Oh my, another one got injured."
Imperial Sister Ankang watched an attendant eunuch being carried off the field, and the sour plums in her mouth seemed to taste even sourer.
The attendant eunuch's calf was strangely bent, clearly indicating a broken bone.
Even martial artists could not withstand continuous powerful attacks from the ball to a single spot.
The match on the field was almost at a stalemate, but an injury occurred just before the whistle.
The opposing team was cheering; although they had little time left, they only needed to break through two people's defense.
In contrast, the side with the injured player looked ashen, clearly in utter despair.
"These guys, if they don't have skill, they just rely on brute force to create miracles."
Li Xuan shook his head, utterly disdainful of their playing style.
People as proficient in Qúc Ju as Eighth Prince were, after all, a minority. Most people were still in the stage of novice pecking.
Since no one could overpower anyone else, they could only resort to this desperate measure, winning by unconventional means.
But this also made the matches much more barbaric, losing much of their aesthetic appeal and gaining a touch of brutality.
However, Zhao Feng did not stop such situations, or rather, after Li Xuan left the field, he merely strolled back and forth along the sidelines, seemingly inspecting each match, but Li Xuan felt he was just taking a walk to pass the time.
Match after match proceeded, and injured people continued to appear.
But so far, no Imperial Princes or Princesses had been injured.
After all, while they could attack each other recklessly, their attendants clearly dared not.
And the attendants not only had to endure attacks from other attendants but also had to receive "hospitality" from the nobles on the opposing side.
This led to all those who were kicked off the field being attendants.
As for those Little Beans with vastly differing strengths, many no longer dared to easily step onto the field.
If the opponent was evenly matched, it was fine, but if they encountered older brothers and sisters who were much stronger than themselves, they would directly choose to surrender.
After all, the Little Beans knew very well that these scoundrels would not take care of them during the match and might even give them a severe beating.
Though the Little Beans were small, they were not foolish.
Of course, there were also mischievous ones who, despite the disparity in strength, went up to try.
Such matters naturally included our Eighteenth Prince, Li Xiong.
Li Xiong had his attendant eunuchs carry him onto the field. He was afraid of injuring himself, so he hid behind them throughout the match, using the attendant eunuchs as human shields.
But this situation only lasted for half a match.
Before halftime, Li Xiong's two attendant eunuchs were outnumbered and dealt with by the opposing side, lying on the Qúc Ju field.
Li Xiong, left alone, dared not continue the match. He immediately forfeited and scurried into his Consort Mother's arms, crying loudly that the other side was shameless.
This time, Li Xiong's Consort Mother did not scold him; instead, she held him in her arms and gently comforted him.
Li Xuan glanced over and merely smiled.
He just noticed that Imperial Sister Ankang couldn't help but look in Li Xiong's direction a few more times.
Li Xuan immediately understood Imperial Sister Ankang's thoughts but didn't say much. He just quietly leaned into Imperial Sister Ankang's embrace, intentionally or unintentionally sweeping Imperial Sister Ankang's chin lightly with his tail a few times.
"Hehe, Li Xuan, that tickles."
Imperial Sister Ankang's attention was drawn by Li Xuan. She retracted her gaze and began to play with Li Xuan, emitting bursts of bell-like laughter.
Yue'er, standing by, watched with a smile, then timely offered snacks, personally feeding Li Xuan and Imperial Sister Ankang, so they could keep their mouths busy while playing.
Only, none of them noticed that the First Prince's gaze in the distance was fixed on them, staring blankly.
"Big Brother, Big Brother."
"It's your turn to go on the field."
Fourth Brother, standing nearby, repeatedly reminded the dazed First Prince.
The First Prince came to his senses as if waking from a dream, finally realizing.
"Oh, I know."
With that, the First Prince hurried onto the field with his people.
Fourth Brother looked at his retreating figure, sighing helplessly, and he too instinctively looked towards that empty section of the stands.
In the stands, there were only two girls and a cat, yet their small figures were enough to fill the entire stand.
It wasn't just Fourth Brother; at this moment, many people were observing the Three Little Ones.
But when everyone saw their harmonious relationship, they couldn't help but feel a little dazed.
Because they realized that Imperial Sister Ankang, in the Cold Palace, seemed to be living a life not as miserable as they had imagined.
She even lived more relaxed and comfortable than many of them.
Some were jealous, some were emotional, with varied reactions.
But everyone understood that Imperial Sister Ankang's existence was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore, even to the point where it had to be taken seriously.
At this moment, the First Prince also led his team to the sidelines, but the match did not start because the opposing team directly forfeited.
"Again, huh? It seems these guys had already planned this out."
Li Xuan glanced over, muttering to himself.
He had already figured it out: these people had already formed groups. When they encountered someone from their own group, if they were weaker, they would directly surrender. If their strengths were similar, they would even draw lots in front of everyone to decide who advanced.
The main idea was to avoid internal attrition.
And when they encountered someone not in their group, they would fight to the death. Even if they couldn't win, they would severely exhaust the opponent.
This was also why the previous matches had suddenly become so intense.
As for how these people formed groups, it should be related to whom they supported.
What could be seen now was that the First Prince's side had recruited many people.
The First Prince and Fourth Brother's matches were smooth sailing, without any obstacles.
As for the other groups, in terms of numbers, they were clearly inferior to the First Prince's side.
"It seems they've put in a lot of effort outside of the matches too."
Li Xuan licked his paws, not caring much about their group formation.
What did it matter how many people the First Prince had behind him? On the Qúc Ju field, the Three Little Ones still only had to face three people, right?
As long as Little Cat was there, no matter how the First Prince changed his tactics or put three people on the field, it wouldn't work.
Even if Consort Zhang was pulled onto the field, Li Xuan would absolutely not give them a shred of a chance to win.
The morning matches quickly concluded, with more than half the people eliminated. In the afternoon, the promotion matches would begin, continuing until the top four were decided today.
And at noon, a grand Imperial Garden luncheon was organized.
In addition to the participating Imperial Princes and Princesses, Consorts from the harem also attended.
It could be said that most of the nobles in the harem were gathered.
In the Imperial Garden, several pavilions were arranged according to regulations, with the Consorts seating themselves one by one according to their status.
Those of lower status could not sit inside the pavilions and could only occupy seats around the pavilions.
As for the Imperial Princes and Princesses, being juniors, they naturally had to yield these good seats to the Consorts, who were their elders.
Moreover, most of them were still young at heart, preferring to find a scenic spot in the Imperial Garden to dine with their close brothers and sisters, which also allowed them to escape some restrictions.
The Three Little Ones were too lazy to find another spot and decided to set up a table near the grandstand where they had been sitting and start eating.
Anyway, besides themselves, there was no one else around, so the space was theirs to use as they pleased.
Imperial Sister Ankang entrusted Chief Zhao with the task, and Chief Zhao generously agreed to help them arrange it.
Chief Zhao was about to instruct his Flower-Clothed Eunuchs to carry out the order when someone called out:
"Chief Zhao, please find a larger table and add an extra set of bowls and chopsticks."
The Eighth Prince leaned over and shamelessly said.
But something even more brazen was yet to come.
"Add one."
"Add two."
"Add three."
Imperial Sister Yuan'an, the Fifth Prince, and the Seventh Princess also came over, each calling out as if reporting a number.
Imperial Sister Yuan'an said with a beaming smile:
"Imperial Sister Ankang, we're going to freeload a meal together, you don't mind, do you?"
Imperial Sister Ankang smiled and nodded indifferently:
"I am naturally honored, but…"
As Imperial Sister Ankang spoke, she looked at Zhao Feng with an inquiring gaze.
Zhao Feng immediately understood and promptly said:
"Given the status of Your Highnesses, you may share the Imperial Cuisine under the pretext of a banquet."
Hearing this reply, Imperial Sister Ankang immediately said happily:
"Really?"
"Then I'll trouble Zhao Feng with the arrangements."
Zhao Feng carefully observed Imperial Sister Ankang's expression, realizing that she was genuinely happy from the bottom of her heart, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion:
"Truly the demeanor of Consort Xiao back in the day."
Zhao Feng then took his leave to make the arrangements.
The others were overjoyed upon hearing the conversation between Imperial Sister Ankang and Zhao Feng.
"Imperial Sister Ankang, from the sound of it, we can share the Imperial Cuisine with you?"
"This is a great privilege."
Imperial Sister Yuan'an exclaimed.
Even though she was the Empress's legitimate daughter, she had never tasted Imperial Cuisine before.
The rules in the Imperial family were strict; there was no room for transgression, and every word and action had to conform to regulations, otherwise, it would cause trouble.
The Fifth Prince and the Eighth Prince also looked at Imperial Sister Ankang in surprise, their hearts filled with admiration.
"Indeed, a person who can write such poetry must possess noble character."
The Fifth Prince looked at Imperial Sister Ankang, gradually beginning to see her as an idol.
"If it were me, I probably wouldn't be able to share this honor so easily with others, right?"
The Eighth Prince asked himself, feeling ashamed of his own inferiority.
The Seventh Princess, on the other hand, yawned and said happily, "Hey, there's good food?"
A table was quickly set up, and the group casually sat down in the open space below the grandstand, very close to the three Qúc Ju fields.
To be honest, no one had ever set up tables by the field and grandstand until now.
Imperial Sister Ankang and her group were the first.
After sitting down, the group began to chat about today's matches.
"Seventh Imperial Sister, I don't think I saw you play this morning."
Imperial Sister Ankang asked curiously.
She had paid attention to everyone's matches in the morning, but she had no impression of the Seventh Princess at all.
"Uh, well…"
The Seventh Princess smiled awkwardly.
"Ankang, don't ask, she just arrived, she must have just woken up."
The Eighth Prince said with a laugh from the side.
They all looked at the Seventh Princess in shock.
The Seventh Princess, however, lowered her head in embarrassment and complained, "Although I signed up for the competition, the match time was too early, I really couldn't get up."
"Sigh, I really tried my best."
The Seventh Princess said mournfully.
Li Xuan looked at the dark circles under her eyes, which she always had, and actually believed her words.
For her to wake up by noon and rush here, she must have truly tried her best.
However, for a Qúc Ju match, the Seventh Princess only came to eat lunch; anyone who heard that would have to say it was "outrageous."
As for the Fifth Prince, he unfortunately lost to the Third Prince in the very first match.
"That muscle-brained brute!"
Mentioning his defeat, the Fifth Prince was clearly unconvinced.
But facing the Third Prince, who had already cultivated true qi and reached the sixth rank, most people would likely not fare well, as his strength was evident.
The Fifth Prince originally had some knowledge of Qúc Ju and his skills were not bad.
However, he still lost due to the Third Prince's overwhelming strength.
The Fifth Prince didn't even dare to block the Third Prince's shots, fearing he would break his own leg, and his skills had no room to be displayed, which is why his resentment was so deep.
Imperial Sister Yuan'an, on the other hand, surprised everyone by choosing to forfeit the match.
It turned out that she was bribed on the spot by the Fourth Prince with a box of colorful glass marbles.
The Fourth Prince reasoned with her, appealing to both her emotions and logic.
Imperial Sister Yuan'an also thought about it and felt that she had no chance of winning at Qúc Ju, so she agreed to the terms.
Li Xuan couldn't help but sigh to himself, "That's truly like the Fourth Prince's style of doing things, but whether those glass marbles are genuine is hard to say."
He had seen the Fourth Prince's ability to pass off fakes as real in Jingyang Palace before.
Consort Zhang liked to smash things when she lost her temper, so the Fourth Prince would arrange for people to replace all the items in the palace with fakes beforehand. As for where the original genuine items went, only he probably knew best.
While the group chatted, Chief Zhao had already arranged the Imperial Cuisine.
Dish after dish of delicacies were served, which indeed broadened the horizons of the Imperial Princes and Princesses.
Even though they were Imperial children, they didn't have many opportunities to eat Imperial Cuisine.
Occasionally, when their mothers were rewarded with a few Imperial dishes, they would get to taste them.
Opportunities like today, where they could feast to their heart's content, had never happened before.
But for the Three Little Ones, this was their usual food, and they were already used to it.
No matter how precious the food, after eating and seeing it so much, it was just that.
Sometimes, street snacks were even more appealing to the Three Little Ones.
That's how people are; it's hard to perceive the preciousness of what they already possess, and they always focus more on what they don't have.
As one Imperial Cuisine dish after another was served, the attention of others gradually shifted.
They all noticed that on this small table, there appeared so many dishes they had only heard of but never tasted.
One must know that everyone present was of noble status in the palace, either Imperial children or Consorts, absolutely considered dragons among men in the entire Great Xing.
But at this moment, they were actually craving the food on other people's tables.
They not only craved the Imperial Cuisine but also the treatment that came with it.
Even the Four Consorts, at this moment, found the delicacies on their own tables difficult to swallow, their hearts sour.
Consort Zhang was the most blatant, directly letting out a cold snort and dropping her chopsticks onto her bowl and plate.
The other three naturally understood what Consort Zhang was angry about, but unlike their usual tit-for-tat, they did not choose to mock her now, but instead fell silent.
The stricter the rules of a place, the more important the treatment, one could even say it was everything.
And Imperial Cuisine represented the highest standard of dining.
Even the Four Consorts coveted such favor.
But now, this favor had fallen upon a princess from the Cold Palace, how could this not make everyone feel depressed?
However, the Four Consorts also had their cultivation.
Even if Consort Zhang was usually quite wild, at this moment, in front of the other four, it was not good to lose her composure too much.
In the past, when sitting in their respective pavilions, there were always lower-ranking Consorts who fawned over them.
But here, all were Four Consorts of equal status, so there was no reason for anyone to indulge another.
"Oh, sister, why did you put down your chopsticks? Eat more vegetables, otherwise you'll be hungry this afternoon."
A charming woman in a pink palace dress advised from the side, even picking up a green vegetable for Consort Zhang.
This person was Sude Consort, also one of the Four Consorts, but she appeared significantly younger than Consort Zhang and Consort Zhao.
Consort Zhang glared at Sude Consort when she saw her pick up a green vegetable for her.
Who in the palace didn't know that Consort Zhang disliked green vegetables?
Wasn't this clearly adding fuel to the fire?
"What's wrong, sister?"
"Don't you like green vegetables?"
Sude Consort asked with an innocent expression.
"But sister, you're already so old, what will happen if you don't eat some green vegetables?"
"Tomorrow morning, you might not be able to…"
"Ahem!"
Consort Zhao quickly coughed, interrupting Sude Consort's next words.
"Ah, sister, why are you coughing? Drink some water quickly."
Sude Consort quickly handed a cup of tea to Consort Zhao, who then gave her a subtle glare, a hint that Sude Consort pretended not to see.
Sude Consort giggled, pretending not to have seen it.
Consort Zhao couldn't help but roll her eyes.
The Four Consorts also had their own close relationships due to their respective backgrounds.
Consort Zhao and Sude Consort were closer, and upon closer examination, they were also distantly related.
After all, there were only so many people in the Imperial Court of Great Xing; through intermarriage, they had long become one big family.
Especially when they were both from noble families, their relationship could only be closer.
Consort Zhao and Sude Consort both came from prestigious noble families, but Sude Consort was younger, and her child was not yet two years old, not even counting as a Little Bean.
Without children to support, being young, and having a strong family influence, Sude Consort developed this playful personality.
Anyway, in her current situation, there was no hope of rising further and no possibility of falling, so she could only find some fun for herself to fill the boredom of palace life.
Consort Zhao had no way to deal with this Sude Consort who only sought fun, and Consort Zhang was even less bothered to pay attention.
As for the last of the Four Consorts, she was Yang Xianfei, who had been silently sitting by the side.
Like Consort Zhang, this person came from a prominent official family in the Imperial Court, with nearly ten prime minister-level high officials in her ancestry, which shows the influence of her family.
Don't think that in Great Xing's nearly thousand-year dynasty, only so few prime ministers appeared.
The long river of history has buried many once-glorious great families.
For the great families that still exist today, this is already an extraordinary achievement.
The accumulation of a thousand years of history also made them understand that for a family, only continuous existence is the most important.
No matter how glorious one was in life, if the family could not continue to exist, then it was completely meaningless.
Yang Xianfei's family is one of the oldest families in the current Imperial Court, and its influence among the officials is not inferior to Consort Zhang's family.
However, Yang Xianfei, like Sude Consort, was relatively young, and thus not so enthusiastic about the struggles in the inner palace.
Furthermore, she was the only one of the Four Consorts who had no children yet.
From the moment the Four Consorts sat down to eat in this pavilion until now, Yang Xianfei had never actively spoken, only silently eating and listening to others' conversations.
This shows that her personality is relatively quiet and reserved.
Unlike Sude Consort, who was still keen on finding fun, Yang Xianfei was completely uncompetitive, maintaining the most low-key presence in the inner palace.
The Four Consorts in the inner palace had vastly different personalities, each with their own distinct character.
Li Xuan, with his keen hearing, caught the distant whispers and couldn't help but smile inwardly.
"Let them be sour."
Speaking of which, this was their first time eating Imperial Cuisine in front of others.
They didn't expect it to cause such a big reaction.
Indeed, hearing about something is one thing, but seeing it with your own eyes is another.
Many of the lower-ranking Consorts had a lot to say, but since the Four Consorts in the pavilion hadn't said anything, they didn't dare to speak freely.
After all, if they buttered up the wrong person, they might get kicked.
At times like these, it was better to learn from others, quietly lower their heads and eat, and not be a trailblazer.
However, the other younger Imperial Princes and Princesses might not be able to hold back.
In the distance, the Great Imperial Prince and his two siblings, who had just received the news and came to watch, stood in a corner, silently looking at the table of Imperial Cuisine.
And the Sixth Princess was so angry that she almost bit through her silver teeth.
"Why?!"
The Sixth Princess stomped her foot in anger; she was already frustrated enough from losing to Imperial Sister Ankang today, and now she was even more annoyed by Imperial Sister Ankang during lunch.
Previously, when Consort Zhang was angry with them about this, the Sixth Princess didn't think it was a big deal, but now she completely understood Consort Zhang's feelings.
"It's truly infuriating!"
"Forget it, this was all won by Imperial Sister Ankang; there's no use in us saying anything."
Seeing his sister's cute, fuming expression, the Great Imperial Prince couldn't help but smile and try to persuade her.
But the Sixth Princess still felt unappeased, frantically stomping on a small stone on the ground, as if it were Imperial Sister Ankang herself.
"Darn it, darn it, darn it!"
"That brat, how did she suddenly become so powerful!"
The Great Imperial Prince was amused by the Sixth Princess's childish behavior.
He was about to take his sister and Fourth Brother back to continue eating, but then he saw Fourth Brother looking gravely at Imperial Sister Ankang and her group at their table.
Fourth Brother wasn't looking at the food on the table, but at the people sitting around it.
The Fifth Imperial Prince, Seventh Princess, Eighth Imperial Prince, and Yuan'an.
Each of them was an anomaly among the Imperial children, and now they were all gathered around Imperial Sister Ankang.
Before this, Fourth Brother had never seen them gathered together.
Such a combination could be said to be a first in the palace.
And Fourth Brother believed that Imperial Sister Ankang was the one who brought about this change.
Imperial Sister Ankang had brought together all the unstable elements in the palace, which made Fourth Brother very uneasy.
He couldn't even imagine what these people could do when gathered together.
"Fourth Brother, what's wrong?"
The Great Imperial Prince asked with concern from the side.
Fourth Brother snapped back to reality; he thought for a moment, then finally shook his head, not saying anything.
"It's nothing, let's go back first."
"We still have a match this afternoon; it won't do to be hungry."
The Great Imperial Prince said with a smile to his younger siblings, then pulled them back to continue their lunch.
Meanwhile, Imperial Sister Ankang's group had long since begun eating with gusto.
Imperial Sister Ankang held Li Xuan, not letting him sit at the table.
After all, they were outside and had to observe some rules; she couldn't let Li Xuan run all over the table as usual, picking up whatever he wanted directly from the plates.
Yu'er was the same; she could only serve Imperial Sister Ankang first and wait for her to finish eating before it was her turn for lunch.
When outside, it was never as relaxed and comfortable as when it was just the Three Little Ones.
The rules in the palace were sometimes truly annoying.
Every time this happened, Li Xuan wished he could quickly take the two girls out to roam freely and explore the martial world.
But all of that would have to wait until they had enough strength in the future; for now, it was still too early to speak of.
At the dining table, the others behaved with relative restraint.
After all, although it was Imperial Cuisine, the taste was only slightly better than what they usually ate, the ingredients were a bit rarer, and the preparation process was a bit more complex.
Other than that, there was nothing too special about it.
After all, everyone present was an Imperial Prince or Princess; they wouldn't devour their food ravenously.
Well, except for the Eighth Imperial Prince.
"Eighth Imperial Prince, be polite!"
"You really don't treat yourself as an outsider, do you?"
The Fifth Imperial Prince couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up from the side.
It was a rare honor to eat Imperial Cuisine, yet the Eighth Imperial Prince was acting like a reincarnated hungry ghost, sweeping through the food on the table.
"Nonsense!"
"This might be the only time in my life I'll eat Imperial Cuisine; am I supposed to be reserved like you?"
"Besides, there's so much food, you definitely won't go hungry."
The Eighth Imperial Prince, being an Imperial children, upheld the most basic dining etiquette; at least when speaking to the Fifth Imperial Prince, he didn't spray food all over him, but covered his mouth with his hand.
Seeing that the Eighth Imperial Prince completely ignored him, the Fifth Imperial Prince felt helpless.
Although he was nominally the elder brother, he wasn't much older than the Eighth Imperial Prince.
And when had the Eighth Imperial Prince ever shown brotherly respect?
Fortunately, there was enough food for everyone; otherwise, someone would truly go hungry today.
Imperial Sister Ankang smiled as she saw everyone enjoying their meal.
After all, this was her first time inviting her Imperial family siblings to eat together.
While serving herself, she also didn't forget to pick some food she wanted for Li Xuan.
Although they had eaten quite a few snacks while watching the match earlier, they still needed to eat a proper meal, otherwise their stomachs wouldn't feel settled.
And they had another match in the afternoon, so they needed to eat more to have enough energy, didn't they?
Currently, there were many outsiders in the Imperial Garden, so Li Xuan also obediently lay in Imperial Sister Ankang's arms, waiting to be fed.
Many people were currently displeased with Imperial Sister Ankang and were waiting to catch her making a mistake and cause trouble.
Li Xuan naturally wouldn't act up at such a time.
Everyone ate their fill during this lunch, and Yu'er also found an opportunity to eat outside in between.
It was just a pity that they couldn't find a chance to sit down and eat together in the Imperial Garden.
However, the Three Little Ones couldn't completely disregard the palace rules yet, so for now, they could only abide by them.
After the meal, those who had joined for food sincerely thanked Imperial Sister Ankang and made an agreement to treat her in return later.
It was a palace rule that one must return an invitation after being entertained, otherwise it would be considered rude.
And the Eighth Imperial Prince and others had their own considerations in extending this invitation.
With Jingyang Palace currently undergoing renovation, they also wanted to see if Imperial Sister Ankang would be able to become a normal Imperial children like them in the future, able to interact normally with others.
If Imperial Sister Ankang couldn't accept the invitation later, it probably meant she still couldn't freely enter and exit Jingyang Palace.
If she could accept the invitation, then the situation would be very different.
That would prove that Imperial Sister Ankang could freely enter and exit Jingyang Palace in the future, becoming a normal Imperial Princess.
After lunch, Zhao Feng dispatched Flower-Clothed Eunuchs to clear the tables.
The Qúc Ju match would continue here later, and having a dining table here was too out of place.
Imperial Sister Ankang, meanwhile, sat on the stands chatting with the Eighth Imperial Prince and the others.
Aside from Imperial Sister Ankang and the Eighth Imperial Prince, the others had already been eliminated early, so they were just staying to watch the excitement in the afternoon.
The Seventh Princess, sitting beside Imperial Sister Ankang, had eaten too much and, without realizing it, leaned on Imperial Sister Ankang's shoulder, falling asleep again.
Li Xuan watched the Seventh Princess fall asleep so quickly and soundly, and couldn't help but marvel that this fellow had some talent.
"To fall asleep right after eating, you've got something there."
Without a doubt, the Seventh Princess had stayed up all night again, having a rendezvous with the stars.
"I have nothing to do this afternoon, so I'll stay and watch your match."
The Fifth Imperial Prince said from the stands.
"Ankang, with today's match being so intense, don't you have any thoughts?"
Everyone was a bit confused by the Fifth Imperial Prince's strange question, only Li Xuan knew what he was trying to do.
Li Xuan silently buried his head in Imperial Sister Ankang's embrace, stifling a laugh to himself.
"It's, it's alright."
"I can't really say I have any particular thoughts."
"It was quite enjoyable to eat with everyone at noon, though."
Imperial Sister Ankang smiled gently.
"Is that so...?"
The Fifth Imperial Prince couldn't help but feel a little regretful.
But then he thought about it and felt a bit ungracious himself.
He had just freeloaded a meal of Imperial Cuisine from Imperial Sister Ankang and was now trying to get a free poem as well; it was truly too greedy.
"That's right, if anyone should be writing a poem, it should be me."
"Ankang has been confined to the deep palace for a long time and has suffered a lot of grievances, yet she hasn't taken it out on us at all, and even invited us to share the honor of Imperial Cuisine."
As the Fifth Imperial Prince thought about these things, he couldn't help but begin to ponder ideas for a poem, and a glimmer of inspiration seemed to subtly grasp him.
"Treated unfairly, yet not complaining or blaming others, maintaining kindness and gentleness in her heart..."
The Fifth Imperial Prince muttered to himself, while the others didn't pay much attention.
It should be said that this was the Fifth Imperial Prince's normal state on an ordinary day.
Being able to sit down and eat and chat with them properly just now was already a very abnormal state for him.
Meanwhile, Yuan'an was nervously staring at the Seventh Princess and Li Xuan, who were sleeping on Imperial Sister Ankang's shoulder.
Because she noticed that the Seventh Princess and Li Xuan were incredibly close.
"How can this be? Even I haven't been this close to Li Xuan."
Yuan'an thought with a sense of grievance, also worrying that the Seventh Princess might slip her head at any moment and have intimate contact with Li Xuan.
If that really happened, Yuan'an would be kicking her blanket in her sleep tonight.
Li Xuan felt the back of his head silently warming up; he didn't even need to look to know whose burning gaze it was.
"Please spare the Little Cat."
Li Xuan was already afraid of this Yuan'an.
"If you want to play with me, just ask me directly."
"Always being so silent and staring from the side, it makes me very uncomfortable."
Seeing the three strange people acting strangely again, the Eighth Imperial Prince, who considered himself relatively normal, said to Imperial Sister Ankang:
"Ankang, do you know what breed your cat is?"
The Eighth Imperial Prince had wanted to ask this question for a long time, and after holding it in for so long, he finally couldn't resist asking.
"Yes, I do."
Imperial Sister Ankang said as a matter of course.
"What breed?"
The Eighth Imperial Prince's eyes widened, and he immediately pressed for an answer.
"A black cat."
Upon hearing this answer, the Eighth Imperial Prince couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, almost spitting blood.
"That's not what I'm asking about!"
The Eighth Imperial Prince explained helplessly:
"An ordinary black cat couldn't possibly have that kind of strength." The Eighth Imperial Prince said, pointing to the Qúc Ju field, clearly referring to what had happened earlier.
"Nor could it have such high intelligence."
He said, lowering his head to look at Li Xuan, who had his head buried in Imperial Sister Ankang's embrace.
Although Li Xuan hadn't revealed much in front of the Eighth Imperial Prince, he had already been observed by him.
The decisive judgment to save someone and then counterattack earlier was not something an ordinary beast could make.
The attendant eunuch who was kicked and injured by Li Xuan slid out of the field, just grazing the Sixth Princess's toes; this was not an accident, but intentional.
If the Eighth Imperial Prince hadn't studied both beast taming and Qúc Ju, he might not have noticed the special nature of Li Xuan's kick.
While resolving the crisis and punishing the opponent, Li Xuan also didn't forget to severely intimidate the Sixth Princess, and precisely controlled his strength to avoid accidental injury.
With so many coincidences linked together, the Eighth Imperial Prince found it hard to believe that this was merely Li Xuan's luck.
But if it truly was all calculated by this Little Black Cat in front of him, then it was a bit too terrifying.
The Eighth Imperial Prince couldn't imagine that this was something a seemingly harmless Little Cat could do.
However, Imperial Sister Ankang didn't quite understand the Eighth Imperial Prince's words.
In her eyes, although Li Xuan was special, he was just a Little Black Cat.
Imperial Sister Ankang had raised Li Xuan from a young age, so she was very clear about this.
Seeing the Eighth Imperial Prince adamantly deny that Li Xuan was a black cat, Imperial Sister Ankang mumbled somewhat unconvinced:
"But Li Xuan is a Little Black Cat."