Who put the yellow robe on me?

As soon as Yelu Mengmeng finished speaking, the Sixth Prince and the Ninth Prince looked at each other, their eyes full of hesitation and fear.

At this moment, the two seemed to be trapped in a dead end. The atmosphere in the hall became more oppressive, as if even breathing became heavy.

The Sixth and Ninth Princes passed the buck to each other, neither willing to be the stakes. The ministers' gazes swept over them, a hint of disgust and disdain etched in their eyes.

The two princes usually acted arrogantly, but now they were blaming each other because of their cowardice. Compared with the Sixteenth Prince, this behavior made the ministers despise them.

"Ninth brother, this bet is more suitable for you." The Sixth Prince Jiang Fu said stiffly, trying to push this hot potato to the Ninth Prince.

The Ninth Prince Jiang Yu's expression changed, and he quickly waved his hand and said, "Sixth Brother, you are the role model for us brothers to learn from. It's better for you to handle this kind of thing."

The two men exchanged blows, neither willing to give in, their eyes filled with anxiety and fear. They knew that if they lost this bet, it would not only mean the loss of Daliang, but also their own lives.

Faced with this thorny problem, the fear in their hearts continued to spread, as if they saw the flashing of swords and the shadows of knives approaching their necks.

Suddenly, a glint of inspiration flashed in the Ninth Prince's eyes, as if he had come up with a brilliant idea. He quickly turned to Jiang Fu and said, "Sixth Brother, I don't think either of us is suitable. Why don't we let Twelfth Brother make this bet?"

Jiang Fu was secretly delighted when he heard this, and immediately said, "I agree! Twelfth brother, you have always been brave and courageous, this kind of thing is only for you."

The twelfth prince, Jiang Zhan, stood aside, his eyes flickering with complex emotions. He had never imagined that he would be dragged into such a gambling game for no reason.

"You..." Jiang Zhan was about to open his mouth to refute, but was suppressed by the heated argument between the Sixth Prince and the Ninth Prince.

The two men who came from civil service backgrounds clearly had the upper hand in the debate, while Jiang Zhan's words seemed a bit clumsy and he was always slightly inferior in the debate.

At this moment, Emperor Liang's expression suddenly darkened, his eyes flickering with dissatisfaction and anger. He slammed the armrest of the throne and said in a low, commanding voice, "Shut up! Guarding so many Northern Qiang envoys, aren't you ashamed?"

Emperor Liang's furious rebuke was like a thunderclap, shocking everyone present. The Sixth, Ninth, and Twelfth Princes immediately shut their mouths, lowering their heads in embarrassment, not daring to say another word.

The twelfth prince Jiang Zhan felt a sinking feeling in his heart. Looking at his two brothers, he felt helpless and angry. Although he was unwilling, he knew that it was meaningless to refute at this moment.

At this time, the third princess Yelu Mengmeng looked at the scene in front of her, and the smile on her lips deepened. This trick of sowing discord was very clever.

Yelu Mengmeng beamed. "Hey! Your Highnesses! Who will be the one to place the bet? Have you decided?"

The Sixth and Ninth Princes straightened their backs simultaneously and said in unison, "We've agreed. Twelfth Brother will make the bet!"

At this moment, the twelfth prince seemed to be struck by lightning. He froze in his tracks, thinking, "Why am I the one being made the scapegoat?"

His lips trembled slightly, his eyes were a little wet, and he was almost crying: "I... I..."

Seeing this, Emperor Liang frowned slightly, but he had no more patience: "Okay, since Zhan'er agrees, then Chen'er and Zhan'er can go. Only success is allowed, failure is not allowed!"

Jiang Chen's heart surged with passion when he heard this, and he answered passionately, "Yes, Father!"

The twelfth prince Jiang Zhan was extremely depressed. Although he was reluctant in his heart, under his father's order, he could only bow his head and respond, "Yes!" After that, he slowly walked out and stood side by side with the sixteenth prince.

Although he felt aggrieved, he could only hold it back at this moment and not lose his composure in front of everyone.

Jiang Chen glanced sideways at Jiang Zhan, feeling slightly relieved. Compared to the Sixth and Ninth Princes, the Twelfth Prince might not be as clever, but at least he didn't have as many schemes and intrigues.

Considering that his mother was a princess of the Former Yan Dynasty, and Jiang Zhan was marginalized everywhere, his status in the palace was only slightly better than Jiang Chen's, and even worse than the fifth prince Jiang Chong.

Jiang Chen thought to himself: Perhaps I can use this opportunity to win over the twelfth prince...

Jiang Chen's mind was racing. Then, he raised his head, smiled, and calmly said to the Third Princess, Yelu Mengmeng, "Third Princess, let's get started."

Jiang Chen paced slowly, speaking calmly but with a certain firmness, "The first question raised by the Third Princess is to make a piece of white paper burn on its own within the time it takes to burn an incense stick, without any contact with any fire source."

Everyone's eyes were fixed on him, waiting for his answer. The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense, as if an invisible sense of oppression condensed in the air.

Jiang Chen coughed lightly and continued, "I have two methods in mind. The first is to use the will-o'-the-wisp to cause spontaneous combustion. As we all know, will-o'-the-wisp spontaneous combustion sometimes occurs in tombs in the summer. This is because the white powder surrounding the ancient tombs can burn on its own."

As soon as the words fell, an uproar erupted among the ministers. They all seemed to suddenly realize something, having clearly heard about the phenomenon of will-o'-the-wisp fires spontaneously combusting in graves during the summer. A hushed discussion filled the hall, as everyone began to recall the bizarre stories they had heard.

The third princess, Yelu Mengmeng, raised her lips slightly in a disdainful smile, and said softly, "Sixteenth Prince, it's autumn and winter now. According to what you said, then you can't solve the first problem? Don't tell me that it's because of the season that you can't solve this problem."

The members of the Northern Qiang delegation also showed contemptuous expressions, as if they had already determined the failure of the Sixteenth Prince. There was coldness and sarcasm in their eyes.

At this moment, the ministers of Daliang began to discuss in low voices, some even showing worried expressions. After all, this bet was almost related to the life and death of the entire group!

Jiang Chen still had a calm smile on his face, as if he wasn't affected by the ridicule at all. He smiled slightly, a hint of teasing in his eyes: "Of course not."

He paused, as if deliberately whetting everyone's appetite, before continuing, "Then I'm going to talk about the second method."

The whole audience's attention was focused on him again, and everyone held their breath, waiting for his next answer.

Jiang Chen turned around and said to Emperor Liang, "Father, I have no choice but to borrow your treasure."

Emperor Liang raised his eyebrows slightly, and a bit of curiosity arose in his heart. He asked, "Chen'er, tell me what you need. I will fully support you."

Jiang Chen pointed to an exquisite colored glass cup beside Emperor Liang, his eyes filled with confidence and anticipation. "Father, what I need to borrow is this colored glass cup that Dong Goryeo once paid as tribute."