Chapter 31

The emperor attaches great importance to the border, which can be said to be the Achilles' heel of Qingzhao Kingdom.

The territory of Qingzhao was set by our ancestors. We don't seek to expand, but we can't reduce it. All the emperors have followed it. Prime Minister Bai narrowed his eyes and looked at the two people at the door, then looked at Bai Tiao, and speculation spread in his heart.

After all, he was the prime minister, and he found the loophole in no time.

Regardless of whether what Lan Yueming said was true or not, the reason why they broke into the Prime Minister's Mansion at this time must be that Princess Lan Yue told Feng Huanhuan what she heard in the Imperial Garden today. Otherwise, there would be no reason for the two of them to break into the Prime Minister's Mansion like this.

But he had to agree to the reason given by Lan Yueming, and he couldn't show any disrespect to these two young ladies for the time being.

So, Prime Minister Bai laughed dryly and said, "Huan'er, it's been a long time since we last met. Princess Lan Yue has grown into a very heroic lady. I am impressed by her. The last time I saw you, you were just above my knees."

Lan Yueming bowed in a formal manner and said, "Thank you, Prime Minister Bai, for your concern."

"Haha, good, women are as good as men. Three years ago, during the life-and-death battle, I still remember that the emperor did not sleep all night, worrying about the soldiers at the border. It was not until the news of victory from eight hundred miles away was sent back to the capital that the emperor smiled." Prime Minister Bai glanced at Bai Tiao and said, "Since Huan'er and Princess Lan Yue have come to the mansion to invite you, you should have a good talk with them today."

There was nothing wrong with Bai Zhenting's words, but the look in his eyes when he looked at Bai Tiao from time to time was cold.

Bai Tiao knew his own father well. As early as after Lan Yueming finished explaining the reason, he noticed that his father frowned. That was his father's little habit, especially when he questioned someone.

She knew that her father had become suspicious and had now guessed that Huan'er and Yueliang were there to rescue her.

But so what. She no longer had much affection for this mansion, especially when her mother was always alone.

She smiled bitterly and thanked Prime Minister Bai, "Yes, father. I will be home later today."

"Yes, it's approved." Prime Minister Bai seemed generous. "With Huan'er and Princess Lanyue as your father, I can rest assured. You can come back anytime you want. Ask the guards to keep the door open."

"Thank you, father."

After Bai Tiao finished speaking, she took Feng Huanhuan and Lan Yueming back to the boudoir.

The three of them walked in a hurry.

On the way, no one spoke a word tacitly.

After entering Bai Tiao's room, she turned around and glanced at Haitang behind her and said, "Go down and bring a pot of warm tea."

Haitang nodded and retreated.

Bai Tiao immediately ran to the door, looked around, and closed the door after making sure no one was there. She turned around and walked quickly towards Feng Huanhuan, holding her hand, looking at the two of them, frowning and saying, "Huan'er, Yueliang, why are you here?"

Feng Huanhuan said, "Sister Bai, I'm worried about you. Sister Yueliang said Cihe reported to the emperor that you and the third prince are in love."

Bai Tiao was very surprised and looked at Lan Yueming, asking with his eyes.

Lan Yueming lowered her eyelashes and nodded heavily: "I happened to pass by at that time, and Prime Minister Bai was there, and he said the same thing. They discussed choosing a time to grant the marriage, and the Third Prince could enter and leave the Prime Minister's Mansion at any time."

Feng Huanhuan interrupted angrily, "Humph, I think Cihe just wants the Third Prince to come often, and then cause trouble. The noble families will soon know that the Third Prince often goes in and out of the Prime Minister's Mansion and is about to get married with Sister Bai. Invisibly, those noble family children will be blocked outside the door. Who dares to compete with the prince for someone? What's more, a prince follows royal etiquette. If it is so ostentatious, anyone with a discerning eye will definitely think that the emperor already knows about it and has acquiesced."

Lan Yueming nodded, "That's what I mean. This is the move they want to make."

"This is a crime of deceiving the emperor!" Feng Huanhuan was dissatisfied and said in a slightly louder voice: "All nine clans will be executed. Who gave them such courage?"

“But…but if it succeeds, it won’t be a crime of deceiving the emperor.” Lan Yueming replied.

At this time, Bai Tiao finally spoke.

She said, "Even if I deny it, it's too pale. The Third Prince could just say that I was having a bad temper. There's no way to verify this matter. After all, he often goes in and out of the Prime Minister's Mansion. In the end, he took advantage of the woman and suffered a loss."

Feng Huanhuan held Bai Tiao's hand and asked seriously, "Sister Bai, how are you now? Did the Prime Minister force you?"

Bai Tiao shook his head. "My father hasn't reached this point yet, but I think he will soon."

She, the biggest chess piece in the Prime Minister's Mansion, was about to be used. Recently, her father had been hinting that she was old enough to get married. If she hadn't pretended to be sick, it wouldn't have been delayed until now.

As for the third prince, he must have already stepped into the Prime Minister's Mansion a long time ago.

"No, we have to find a way to delay time." Feng Huanhuan paused and then said, "Sister Bai, you know the Prime Minister's Mansion best. Which one do you think your father will fall for the most?"

Bai Tiao smiled bitterly: "He only believes in his own way. As long as they can be used by him, it doesn't matter if they are relatives or the person beside him."

Feng Huanhuan and Lan Yueming looked at each other and frowned.

Feng Huanhuan spoke first, "This matter is very tricky, what should we do?"

Lan Yueming thought about it, weighed it over and over again, and said: "It's not that there is no way."

Feng Huanhuan and Bai Tiao both looked at Lan Yueming.

She scratched her head a little embarrassedly and said, "But... this method... requires waiting for someone."

Waiting for someone? Feng Huanhuan rolled her eyes and immediately thought: "Are you talking about my brother?"

Lan Yueming nodded, "At the moment, there seems to be no one more suitable than Master Feng."

Feng Huanhuan knew what Lan Yueming was referring to. Her brother could exchange his merits for a marriage. She had no say in this. It was her brother's own business, and he could do whatever he wanted.

However, she felt distressed by Lan Yueming's magnanimity.

"That's indeed a solution." Feng Huanhuan sighed secretly, "But, I don't even know where my brother is right now."

Suddenly, there was a rustling sound overhead, like a mouse flying across a beam.

Lan Yueming's eyes narrowed, he raised his head quickly, and in an instant, he rushed out of the room.

Feng Huanhuan and Bai Tiao hadn't reacted yet. They stood there in a daze, looking outside the door.

On the blue brick and snowy ground, Haitang was seen kneeling on one leg with a cup of warm tea in her hand.

Seeing Lan Yueming rushing out, she looked at Bai Tiao nervously, her voice trembling a little: "Miss, I accidentally tripped over a grass vine and fell, disturbing the distinguished guest. Please forgive me, Princess Lan Yue."

Lan Yueming squinted his eyes and looked around. Seeing that there was indeed a grass knot under the feet of the girl named Haitang, he withdrew his gaze and nodded at her.

When they returned to the wing room, they saw Haitang stumbling about, and they were afraid that she had fallen hard. So Baitiao said, "Go down, there's no need to look for you here, go see the palace doctor, make sure you don't have any hidden illness."

"Yes, Miss, I thank you. Miss Feng, Princess Lan Yue, I will withdraw first."

Haitang got permission and staggered out.

Lan Yueming's brows were still furrowed. The sound she just heard was not a sound of falling, but seemed to come from the eaves above her head.

So she looked up at the carved columns, but there was no one there.

She became even more suspicious. She was at the door, and if there was someone there, she couldn't have escaped. But there was no one at this time, so did she really hear it wrong? She began to doubt her senses.

Her eyebrows were knitted together. Feng Huanhuan looked at her for a long time and called out, "Sister Yueyue, what are you thinking about?"

Lan Yueming came back to her senses and smiled: "Nothing."

This episode disrupted the conversation between the three people.

Feng Huanhuan took over the conversation and continued, "Now that Imperial Concubine Cihe has put this matter on the agenda, she must have informed the Left Prime Minister. Otherwise, even if the Third Prince is a playboy, he would never step into the Prime Minister's Mansion in broad daylight."

Lan Yueming nodded in agreement: "Yes, that's what I saw."

"What exactly does the Left Prime Minister want to do? Now he has prestige in the court, and the emperor also uses him. He also wants Sister Bai to marry a rich man. Don't you know that the greater the achievement, the greater the master?"

How could Bai Tao not understand everything they said? His father had already faced the cliff, and they were just the dust flying under his feet.

Bai Tiao smiled self-deprecatingly: "Maybe he has his own unfulfilled dream."

The two people on the opposite side were a little confused by what they heard, but after all, it was a matter within the Prime Minister's Mansion, and asking more questions would be an overstepping of authority.

"Forget it, we can't stay here for long, let's get out of the Prime Minister's Mansion first." Lan Yueming suggested.

The other two nodded and agreed to go to the Juzhu Teahouse on East Fourth Street.

The winter is getting warmer, and the teahouse is bustling with people. It is a good season for tea tasting. The three of them chatted and laughed in the elegant pavilion, and no one mentioned the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Seeing Feng Huanhuan's smiling face, Lan Yueming couldn't help but tease her, "Little girl, you will be a virgin in a few days, right?"

Bai Tiao also echoed Lan Yueming: "Yes, it's already February, there are only a few days left."

Feng Huanhuan blushed and tilted her head slightly: "Then the two sisters remember to come to the Shangshu Mansion to attend the coming-of-age ceremony."

"That's for sure. I'm afraid Huan'er will cry if I don't go," Bai Tiao said with a smile.

"She will come to our house crying and asking questions. I'm afraid she won't even have her coming-of-age ceremony."

After Lan Yueming finished speaking, the three of them burst into laughter, without any trace of shyness or virtuousness of a girl waiting to be married.

After laughing for a while, Feng Huanhuan warned righteously, like a little wild cat, "Anyway, you have to go. If you don't go, I will go to your house and beat drums and gongs to wake you up."

Under her threat, on the third day of March, the streets along Feng Mansion were all covered with red silk. Bai Tiao and Lan Yueming even arrived at Shangshu Mansion early to entertain guests for Feng Huanhuan.

There was no other way, because the Feng Mansion was a little underpopulated and lacked a master to take charge of things. At the moment, Feng Wubai had delayed his return to the capital as expected.

Feng Nianxiang was even more worried. He had never been so worried when he married Lang Qingci. These days, he was so tired that he even felt guilty towards his late wife.

So every night, he would go to Fuxin Hall in the mansion to recite a few words.

Every time he came out with a smile. Feng Nianxiang always felt that Qingci could hear what he said. Every time he was thinking about something, the flame on the candlestick would sway.

Therefore, he went more often.

"Qingci, have you seen it? Our daughter has grown up today." Feng Nianxiang burst into tears and couldn't help but tremble: "I have finally waited for this day."

At the same time, there was a bustle of activity in Huanxin Garden.

The maids went in and out three times. It was because Feng Huanhuan had her period this morning.

Feicui had changed all her clothes and bedding and had just finished making the bed.

"Miss, you are so timely. This is the first time I heard of knocking on the door at the same time as the wedding ceremony."

Feng Huanhuan sat at the tea table, wearing a fiery red jacket with plum blossoms and branches. Her black hair was piled up high, and her hair was adorned with a plum blossom hairpin inlaid with a translucent ruby, which was the gift of coming of age given to her by Han Fengci last night. The only thing that was hanging on her hair was the hairpin.

She held a hand warmer in her hand, a smile on her lips, and didn't hear Jadeite chattering behind the curtains at all.

For her, today's coming of age has only one meaning: she can get married.

"Miss! Did you hear what the servant said?"

Feicui was holding the quilt and had already been standing behind Feng Huanhuan, pouting and complaining.

Judging from her expression, it seemed that she had been standing there for a while, mumbling for a while. Knowing that she was in the wrong, Feng Huanhuan smiled in a flattering way: "Fei Cui, you...can you say it again?"