Seeing Rumei still kneeling with her head bowed, Ji Xingzhi reached out and helped her up, saying, "Stand up. Those of you who are by my side don't have to be so servile. Lift your head." Rumei felt a surge of warmth fill her heart at Ji Xingzhi's words, tears welling up in her eyes. She bent her knees, almost falling back. Ji Xingzhi was quick-witted and, with a slight push, lifted Rumei up. "Have you forgotten my words so quickly?" Startled, Rumei took two steps back, bowing to Ji Xingzhi and saying, "Rumei will remember the emperor's teachings." And so, Rumei became Ji Xingzhi's personal maid. Personal, not quite, but merely fetching things for Ji Xingzhi, passing messages, and staying by her side. Ji Xingzhi insisted on doing things like changing clothes herself, as the less people knew about her status as a woman, the better. Getting back to the point. Wu Fang requested an audience, and Ji Xingzhi naturally summoned her into the palace without a second thought. After Wu Fang came in, Rumei tactfully walked out of the room and closed the door. Wu Fang bowed to Ji Xingzhi and reported: "Your Majesty, Prince Xun of Huazhou has arrived in Liangcheng and will arrive in the imperial capital tomorrow." Ji Xingzhi nodded and suddenly asked curiously: "Is he with anyone? For example, a girl?" Wu Fang looked at Ji Xingzhi with some doubts: "How does Your Majesty know?" He paused and continued: "Prince Xun is indeed with a girl named Xue Yang, who grew up in Prince Xun's mansion. In addition, General Xu Chang, who is inseparable from him, is also here. Ji Xingzhi nodded slightly, reaching out to touch his chin and asked, "Where are the Emperor of Shuizhou, the Saintess, and the Prince of Yuzhou?" "The Saintess passed Wuyang a few days ago and will arrive in about ten days. The Prince of Yuzhou is traveling by water, sailing along the Sanzhou River. He will probably arrive a day later than Prince Xun. The Emperor of Shuizhou is also traveling by water, reaching the Imperial Capital after crossing the Dongshui River. I estimate that he will arrive at the same time as the Prince of Yuzhou." Wu Fang's analysis was quite detailed, even calculating the arrival date for Ji Xingzhi. Ji Xingzhi nodded, a gleam in his eyes, and a strange smile appeared on his face. "Propagate my oral order: Command General Xu to represent our Lizhou Kingdom and prepare to welcome Prince Xun." Given Xu Ruixuan's old-fashioned and conservative personality, he would definitely be waiting at the city gates early, and given Hua Yihen's unconventional nature, he would not let Xu Ruixuan complete his task smoothly. Ji Xingzhi couldn't help but chuckle. She had long disliked Xu Ruixuan, the Grand Marshal. This was especially true for years. Although Xu Jing, the eldest sister of the Xu family, had long since married Wu Changyi, the legitimate son of Imperial Censor Wu Ying, and had children, Xu Ruixuan still dreamed of marrying into the Prince Regent's household, still harboring a lingering affection for the Emperor's uncle. He'd even pushed his seventeen-year-old concubine's daughter into the Emperor's presence. Whenever the Emperor's uncle ventured out, he was bound to encounter this Grand Marshal's concubine. Over the years, attempts to seduce Xiao Moyan had been common, and Ji Xingzhi, having promised the eunuch not to get too close to him, had allowed these attempts to unfold. Among them, the most notorious, the Grand Marshal's concubine, whose attempts to seduce Xiao Moyan were relentless and whose attempts were repeatedly defeated, yet whose attempts were repeated, was the most famous. The world was full of temptations, but fortunately, Xiao Moyan didn't disappoint her and managed to avoid being taken advantage of. Although Ji Xingzhi disliked General Xu, she had no reason to punish him. Although the Du family's child trafficking was linked to General Xu, she had never dealt with him in order to build her own power, fearing that her purpose would be exposed. She even had Du Jiang send General Xu a monthly payment, as per previous practice, to prevent him from becoming suspicious. This continued to this day.