The prince is very cruel

He took it directly, clasped his fists and said seriously: "Thank you, Brother Li!"

Li Ke smiled and exchanged a greeting, truly living up to his gentlemanly demeanor of being gentle and easygoing.

"In that case, I won't keep Brother Guan any longer. I'll take my leave now."

When these words were spoken, Shengqi, Lu Zhongtian and others behind him were all surprised. He left just like that?

Guan Ning could see that he might be retreating to advance, but he had to admit that he was very polite and had high emotional intelligence. At least he didn't give out invitations in a swaggering manner like other princes.

It is hard to ignore this sincerity.

"and many more."

"Your Highness, if you have nothing to do, why don't you come in and sit down?" Guan Ning invited.

Li Ke was stunned for a moment, obviously he did not expect Guan Ning to invite him in, because he knew very well that the Guan Mansion's style of doing things was such that many people could not see Guan Ning even if they came.

Moreover, he had just received news that both the King of Wu and the King of Yue had declined.

"This……"

"Brother Guan, I won't bother you, will I?"

"Hahaha, what's the problem with you coming in plain clothes? Come on, Butler Bai, please help collect the carriage and entertain all the brothers." Guan Ning said generously.

"Yes!"

"Haha, in that case, thank you very much, Brother Guan." Li Ke bowed and was not a person who would procrastinate, so he immediately entered Guan's mansion.

There were usually few visitors to the mansion, but once someone came, they must be distinguished guests, so the backyard immediately became busy, and tea, and various fruits were quickly brought in.

In the lobby.

Li Ke looked around and said, "Brother Guan's house is different from other places."

"Oh? What's the difference?"

"Clean." Li Ke blurted out, his eyes clear and serious.

clean?

Guan Ning laughed, thinking that this was a double entendre.

"well said!"

"Come, I will use tea instead of wine to thank Your Highness for coming here today and giving you a gift."

"Brother Guan, you are too kind." Li Ke served tea with extraordinary manners. This is a true aristocrat, a real prince. Compared with Li Si, although Li Si has a strong background and is a favorite to win the throne.

But at the moment, he is not even close to Li Ke.

After a cup of tea, add new tea.

Li Ke took the initiative to open the conversation: "I heard that Brother Guan has been to many places in the past six months."

Guan Ning nodded and didn't talk about anything else. He liked Li Ke's personality and high emotional intelligence very much. He didn't ask about topics of interest or sensitive topics. He just came in to chat.

"I've been to many places, including Zizhou, Lingjun, Shu, Xingyang, Guangdong and Guangxi. Oh, and I also visited Yumen Pass once."

Li Ke's eyes lit up when he heard this.

"Yumen Pass!"

“What a great place.”

"The place where so many heroes rose to fame was also the place where they fell. There has been no peace there for hundreds of years, and so many great figures have come out of it."

Guan Ning raised his eyebrows: "Your Highness, if you are interested, it would be okay to go for a walk, right?"

Li Ke smiled and said, "That's fine, it's fine. I still have some freedom."

“But there wasn’t time before.”

"In the past few years, I have been in mourning for my mother, so I have not been able to travel far."

"Now, it's no longer appropriate to go outside Yumen Pass to see the scenery of our Wu Dynasty."

Guan Ning raised his eyebrows. Observing mourning?

There was a tradition in ancient times that daughters did not marry and sons did not go out, but a few years was too long, especially for a prince. This was definitely not a regulation, but voluntary.

He couldn't help but admire her even more. In the royal family, such filial piety was rare.

"May I ask who your Highness's mother is?"

Li Ke smiled and said, "I have no name or status. My mother was just a palace maid. After her death, she was given the title of Xi Guiren."

After these words were spoken, everyone present fell silent.

Guan Ning realized that he had said the wrong thing.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, I..."

Li Ke shook his head and smiled, "No problem."

"I am proud of my mother. She carried me for ten months and gave birth to me. Let alone a palace maid, even if she were a beggar, she would be my hometown in my heart."

"Besides, I am indeed just an ordinary prince among many."

His smile was genuine, without any pretense of character, frank and generous.

This won the respect of everyone present, including Guan Ning.

"Your Highness, a hero is not judged by his origin. I toast to you!" Guan Ning picked up the tea and drank it again. He rarely did this.

Li Ke smiled and drank it all.