Miao Xinrong's burly frame shuddered, and his drunkenness vanished on the spot.
He fumbled in the hidden pocket inside his sleeve and managed to pull out another stack of Xuan paper.
The instant he saw what was written on it, Miao Xinrong felt as though his whole sky was about to collapse.
Cloudbrook Hall fell utterly silent. Everyone's eyes instinctively swept back and forth among the three men as though checking in at each stop.
Their gazes shone with unmistakable excitement-
Juicy gossip!
There had to be juicy gossip here!
Though Kou Qiwen, who had been innocently dragged into the eye of the storm, said nothing, his gaze followed everyone else's, flicking toward the other two men in turn as though he meant to sear those lunatics' faces into his memory.
Sitting quietly in the hall, Xing Junchu slowly raised his head, his wine cup suspended in midair. With a smile that wasn't quite a smile, he said, "You certainly observe things closely, Lord Miao."
Now thoroughly sober, Miao Xinrong slowly closed his eyes, trying to treat all this as some bizarre dream.
His heart sank to rock bottom.
Yet the little girl's voice had not stopped.
She continued leafing through the Xuan paper in her hands. "However, Kou Qiwen silently watched all day-"
Miao Xinrong's eyes flew open, and he cried out, "Little Highness!"
No longer caring about court etiquette, he rushed over to the little girl in a few quick strides and snatched the stack of Xuan paper from her hands-
"I believe you!" he said, falling apart. "I believe you haven't neglected your studies, and that you've been a diligent Little Highness all along!"
Stop reading! Keep going and someone's going to die!!
Jiang Yingcheng nodded blankly. "Oh, oh, oh..."
Seeing that the little girl showed no