Xuanyuan Zhan didn't return until evening. By the time he got back, Su Xuening and the others had already eaten dinner.

Before Su Xuening could even ask, Madam Bai asked first, "Why are you so late today? Did Xuanyuan Peng give you a lot of official business to handle?"

Su Xuening also looked at Xuan Yuanzhan with curiosity.

He usually only works for a morning, and rarely works for a whole day.

Xuanyuan Zhan sat down and explained, "It's not that I had a lot of things to do. I originally planned to come back and have lunch with you after I finished this morning."

Bai raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

"When I left the palace, I ran into a few officials who said they had something important to tell me, so we had lunch together," Xuan Yuanzhan explained, giving the two of them a meaningful look.

Both Bai Shi and Su Xuening were intelligent people, and they instantly understood what Xuan Yuanzhan meant.

"Are they trying to defect to you?"

Xuanyuan Zhan nodded: "Yes, they are all expressions of loyalty. Anyway, that's the gist of their words."

After having dinner with them, he went to see Mu Lingchen, which is why he came back late.

Bai Shi could understand: "It's probably because Xuan Yuanpeng has been asking you to help with state affairs, so he chose to take sides in advance."

After all, if they choose sides now, they will benefit greatly if Xuanyuan Zhan really has the opportunity to sit on the throne in the future.

Of course, the risks of taking sides now are equally high. If she is not mistaken, those who are taking sides now must be minor officials, taking a gamble.

It's estimated that no official of the third rank or above would dare to side with Zhan'er. After all, if Zhan'er fails, the consequences are unimaginable.

The higher the rank of an official, the more concerns they have!

"Perhaps." Xuan Yuanzhan understood why they had come to surrender to him.

This was all because of Xuanyuan Peng's attitude towards him. Not only did he praise him a lot in court every day, but he also asked him to help with state affairs after court every day. He also asked him to handle many other matters, and in some cases, he even had to do them on behalf of the emperor.

Not only these officials, but also the common people of Eastern Chu, had to start speculating about the emperor's intentions.

The officials who attended court every day naturally understood Xuanyuan Peng's thoughts, which is why they wanted to pledge allegiance to him in advance. If he could really ascend the throne in the future, they would be able to benefit more.

After thinking for a moment, Bai said, "Since they have taken the initiative to surrender, then you should accept them all. You weren't in the capital before, and you didn't have any influence in the capital. It's not too late to start cultivating them now."

Actually, they weren't completely without people. Back when Xuanyuan Kun was still the Crown Prince, there were quite a few officials in the Crown Prince's faction.

Twenty years have passed, and many of these officials have retired, though a small number remain in office.

However, Zhan'er had been in her fiefdom all along, so these people naturally didn't pledge allegiance to her. But if Zhan'er really wanted to provoke them, I believe they would be willing to side with her.

However, since they were all old acquaintances of Xuan Yuan Kun, she was afraid that Xuan Yuan Peng would feel uncomfortable, so she didn't want to mention these people to Zhan'er for the time being.

If Zhan'er could recruit officials to follow her in the court, wouldn't that be more convenient than using Xuan Yuan Kun's people?

Xuanyuan Zhan nodded: "I know."

He had never thought about these things before, so he hadn't recruited any people before.

Now that he has this idea, it's natural to make preparations in advance.

In fact, he has already done a lot during this period. Not only did he take advantage of the opportunity to help Xuanyuan Peng handle state affairs to win over officials in the court, but in addition to the minor officials who have come to surrender in the past few days, he has also secretly won over many important officials in the court.

During the previous court sessions, 30% of the Eastern Chu court were under Xuan Yuan Yu's control, 20% were under Xuan Yuan Zhi's control, 30% were royalists, and 20% were neutral.

With his addition, at least a tenth of the officials in the Eastern Chu court are now considered his people. It's just that some officials are not yet in a position to openly side with him.

Of course, besides those in the imperial court, almost all the local officials in the southern part of Eastern Chu were his people.

His journey to Xiangnan, where he was born, was not in vain. Over the past ten years, the entire southern part of Eastern Chu has long been under his control.

In addition to the army given to him by Xuanyuan Peng, plus the garrison troops on the Xiangnan border, he actually had quite a few troops at his disposal.

If he really wanted that position, even if Xuanyuan Peng didn't support him, he still had a chance.

Moreover, Xuanyuan Peng's intentions are now crystal clear: he wants to make him the crown prince. Naturally, he will go with the flow and cultivate his own power even more.

Thinking of Xuan Yuanpeng, Xuan Yuanzhan looked at Bai Shi again: "When do you plan to go back?"

Upon hearing this, Bai was immediately displeased: "Why are you asking this again?"

Xuan Yuanzhan said helplessly, "It's not me who should be asking, it's Xuan Yuanpeng who asks me every day."

She kept telling him how wonderful Kyoto was, how wonderful the Holy King's Mansion was, and that if all else failed, he could stay in the palace to recuperate, where there were many imperial physicians available for him to use.

He was tired of being asked the same question, so he came to ask her.

Mentioning Xuanyuan Peng, Bai's expression changed slightly: "Next time he asks, just tell him that I think it's fine here and I don't want to go back for the time being."

Xuanyuan Zhan frowned and said, "Ning'er is much better now. We really don't need you here. You should go back."

Su Xuening, fearing that she would delay Bai Shi, also advised, "I have almost finished eliminating the toxins from my body, and I estimate that I will be able to go back soon. Mother, you don't need to worry about me."

Seeing the two of them arguing back and forth, Bai sighed helplessly: "I'm serious. I just think this place is great. Can't I stay here for a couple more days?"

This wasn't just her excuse; she genuinely thought it was a great place.

With old friends and relatives, life is simple and happy, how wonderful!

Before the two could speak, Pei Luo came out of the house and said, "If Bai girl wants to stay here, let her stay here. It doesn't matter how long she stays."

The way Bai called her "Bai Yatou" sounded especially affectionate to Bai Shi, but it also made Xuan Yuanzhan and Su Xuening feel very strange.

When did this master become so close to my mother?

They even called her "Bai Yatou" (a nickname implying she was a junior).

Although my mother is much younger than my master, shouldn't they be of the same generation according to seniority? This form of address is clearly inappropriate!

Youyi chimed in, "That's right! The Dowager is so beautiful. With her around in our bamboo grove, even the breeze smells sweet!"

Everyone was instantly amused by You Yi's words.

Bai, in particular, was laughing very happily.

Isn't it fragrant? She has a natural body odor, so the wind naturally smells sweet.

"Alright, alright, stay as long as you want!" Since Pei Luo and You Yi had both spoken, what could Xuan Yuanzhan say? He could only let her have her way.

As long as she's happy living here, anything goes.

As for Xuanyuan Peng's thoughts, he couldn't care less!