This made Saiya extremely happy. She touched and looked at it from all angles, wishing she could go out right now and find a craftsman to make it for her right there.

She then took Saiya and Qing'er on a tour of the tea garden that her father had planted for her mother. When they got tired, they had some tea and snacks at the Lotus Fragrance Pavilion by the lotus pond, and the three of them chatted for a while.

Saiya was getting a little bored and kept clamoring to go out and explore the bustling streets, hoping to find a craftsman who could forge weapons.

Anke knew that her father and mother had important matters to attend to, and she didn't want to neglect her two friends. So she accepted Saiya's suggestion and prepared to take the two of them out for a walk.

After speaking with his father and mother in the front hall, he took Saiya and Qing'er to the most bustling Zhuque Street.

The bustling crowd outside contrasted sharply with the quiet and orderly atmosphere of the Prince's mansion. The outside world was more vibrant, filled with the sounds of vendors hawking their wares.

The goods were so plentiful that it was overwhelming. Saiya was especially curious about everything, stopping every few steps to catch a glimpse. In no time, the three girls had bought quite a few things.

Of course, most of them are food items, such as almond cookies, plum dumplings, roasted chestnuts, and candied hawthorns.

They then set their sights on the ring toss game and won quite a few prizes. Although these prizes weren't particularly exquisite in their eyes, they were the result of their hard work, so they cherished them like treasures.

Seeing that An could see that she and Saiya had almost bought all the goods from the stall, An readily gave him money that was ten times the original price of the prizes they had won.

Although Qing'er didn't put on the mask, she was very involved and directed Anke on which item would be easier to put on.

Immediately afterwards, Saiya started wandering around again. Anke was fine, after all, she had been practicing martial arts for many years, but it was unknown whether Qing'er could handle it.

"Qing'er, are you alright?" An Ke asked with concern in her eyes. "If you're not feeling well, let's stop here for today."

Qing'er wasn't as weak as An Ke had worried; she was currently enjoying her shopping. "An'an, I'm fine, don't worry. Let's go take a look over there." Seeing that Saiya had stopped at a small stall again, Qing'er was also very interested and pulled An Ke over.

Anke led Qing'er through the crowded streets and saw Saiya staring intently at someone spinning a top. Anke felt a sense of familiarity with the scene, but familiarity always implies something is amiss.

With her strong sixth sense, Anke activated her radar mode and scanned her surroundings. As a result, she spotted Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei, who had just squeezed in to join the fun, right across from them.

Anke suddenly realized that something was wrong. Wasn't this the scene where Saiya and Xiaoyanzi had a spinning top competition in public?

Just then, the master on stage could no longer spin the large top. Saiya continued to cheer and shout encouragement.

Xiao Yanzi also noticed An Ke and the others' presence. She pursed her lips. Yes, she had noticed that An Ke and the others had left the palace a long time ago.

Xiao Yanzi had just run out of Shufangzhai, intending to plead with her father, the Emperor, when she bumped into An Ke and her group walking towards the palace gate, chatting and laughing.

Little Swallow didn't want to see them, so she hid to the side. Then she heard them say they were going out of the palace to play. She then remembered that she had a day to leave the palace this month.

Thinking about the series of bad luck that had recently befallen her, Xiao Yanzi felt extremely unlucky and wanted to leave the palace to wash away the bad luck. She went to Yanxi Palace to ask Consort Ling for help, and after receiving Consort Ling's reply, Xiao Yanzi immediately grabbed Ziwei and left the palace.

In fact, Consort Ling is also quite overwhelmed right now. Since the Emperor returned from his tour, he has rarely entered the inner palace, only about eight times a month. The number of times the Emperor enters Yanxi Palace has been decreasing. Consort Ling is now a little confused about the Emperor's temperament.

So when Consort Ling saw Xiao Yanzi, she had a bit of a headache and waved her hand. Anyway, the Emperor had said that they would have a day to leave the palace. Since Xiao Yanzi wanted to leave the palace, why didn't she play the role of a virtuous Consort Ling in front of her and let her leave?

So, just as Saiya was about to go up and play, Little Swallow suddenly appeared again, saying she wanted to have a competition with Saiya.

Since the day of the martial arts competition, Saiya has looked down on Xiao Yanzi. To this, she simply scoffed, "You are no match for me."

Little Swallow felt deeply insulted and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Then do you dare to accept the challenge? If you lose, you must loudly proclaim that you can't beat Little Swallow!" Little Swallow was smug; this was a piece of cake for her, something she could do effortlessly. She said in a half-provoking tone, "So, Saiya, do you dare?"

How could Saiya tolerate someone she looked down upon provoking her like this? She readily agreed, "Fine, I accept your challenge. If you lose, then you'll have to endure a few lashes from me." Saiya said fiercely.

As a straightforward Mongolian, Saiya detested this kind of persistent, clingy, and relentless pest who was like a cockroach that just wouldn't die. She felt her good mood would be ruined if she didn't get her revenge. If it weren't for An'an's intervention last time, she would have beaten Xiao Yanzi senseless; how could she tolerate her provoking her again?

Ziwei knew the Mongolian princess's capabilities well and naturally didn't want Xiaoyanzi to take any more risks. Moreover, Princess Yong'an was also there; if they got into a fight with the Mongolian princess, it would cause trouble back in the palace.

Ziwei nervously tugged at Xiaoyanzi's sleeve, half-pleading, "Xiaoyanzi has had enough fun. We should go back to the palace now. Let's stop competing, okay?"

In her emotional state, Xiao Yanzi naturally didn't want to accept Ziwei's suggestion, but she hesitated, afraid that she would lose to Saiya again, just like she had in the palace competition. Xiao Yanzi had already begun to regret her decision after hearing Saiya's words.

Now, Ziwei has essentially given her a way out, and just as Xiaoyanzi was about to take advantage of the situation...

How could Saiya possibly let Xiao Yanzi off the hook? She sneered, "You're not going to back out now, are you? You were the one who brought it up. Don't you Central Plains people have a saying that a promise is a promise? Are you going to go back on your word?"

Provoked by Saiya's words, Xiao Yanzi immediately forgot her previous hesitation and concerns, jumped up, and pulled out the whip she was carrying from her waist.

Ever since losing to Saiya in the competition, Little Swallow has never been without her whip. She practices whipping diligently every day, hoping that one day she can defeat Saiya with her whip. Now, she feels that the time for revenge has come.

The two exchanged a glance, their eyes both revealing a hint of murderous intent and resentment towards each other.

Seeing that she couldn't persuade Xiao Yanzi, Ziwei actually turned her attention to An Ke, since An Ke had helped her last time, hadn't she?

After finally squeezing her way to An Ke's side in the crowded throng, Ziwei hadn't even had a chance to speak when An Ke preemptively asked, "How did you manage to leave the palace? If I remember correctly, weren't the palace's instructors supposed to be at Shufangzhai today to teach Princess Huanzhu etiquette?" An Ke looked down at the flustered Ziwei beside her.

Yes, the Emperor regretted it and issued an edict ordering Princess Huanzhu to relearn etiquette. After all, Xiao Yanzi's lack of manners yesterday had brought shame upon the Emperor. He had also lost face completely. This was something her father had told her this morning.

Ziwei didn't know how to defend herself. Indeed, the head instructor had arrived at Shufangzhai early in the morning. It was the same head instructor, Granny Fang, who had taught Ziwei before. Granny Fang was a strict person, and she was meticulous in teaching etiquette. No matter who the other person was, if your etiquette wasn't up to par, she would keep testing you.

Even the well-educated and reasonable Ziwei couldn't gain the slightest advantage against Granny Fang. So, the moment Xiaoyanzi saw Granny Fang, she jumped up in anger, wanting to run to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to plead with her father, the Emperor.

As a result, she encountered An Ke and her group on the way, and Xiao Yanzi immediately forgot the purpose of her trip. She changed her plans and went to Yanxi Palace, then pushed Fang Mama aside and dragged Ziwei out of the palace.

An Ke's eyes were unfathomable, and Ziwei couldn't quite grasp An Ke's character. If she wanted to say something bad about An Ke, after all, An Ke had helped her a great deal last time. If she wanted to say something good about An Ke, she really didn't know how to bring it up with her.

After all, Anke's words had made her feel utterly ashamed.

"Did you get Consort Ling's approval?" An Ke guessed blindly, and from Ziwei's wide eyes, she knew the answer.

That seems to confirm it. After all, the Emperor just sent the tutors there, how could he possibly let Xiao Yanzi leave the palace so soon? Even if the Emperor's word is law, and they have a day to leave the palace, he wouldn't be so foolish as to release them today.

The only possibility is Consort Ling, since the Emperor made a promise that she could leave the palace simply by informing him. It's likely the Emperor has long forgotten his promise, and Consort Ling probably doesn't know the Emperor sent a tutor, which allowed Xiao Yanzi and the others to slip through.

Anke stopped wasting words and stared at the two people on the stage who were already fiercely whipping each other. The two were like fire and water, always fighting each other whenever they met.

Seeing that Ziwei still wanted to speak, Qing'er looked at Anke's furrowed brows and knew what Anke was worried about. She sighed and said to Ziwei, "Xiaoyanzi shouldn't have challenged the Mongolian princess in the street. Regardless of who wins or loses, this is ultimately Xiaoyanzi's fault."

Seeing Qing'er's reaction, Ziwei went to the side to plead with Qing'er to stop the two of them. Qing'er sighed helplessly and shook her head. "Now, no one can stop this situation. It was Xiaoyanzi who provoked them, and Saiya is a Mongolian princess. Who can persuade them?"

Ziwei assumed Qing'er didn't know martial arts, which was why she expressed her helplessness, and then turned her attention to Anke. "I beg Princess Qing to persuade the princess; only the princess can stop them both." Ziwei was grasping at straws in her desperation. Anke had already clearly refused and wouldn't stop them because of anyone's persuasion.

"No one can persuade her on this matter." Seeing that Ziwei was still stubborn, Qing'er decided to explain it to her so that she wouldn't think An'an was cold-blooded and heartless.

“Although their competition is a matter between the two of them, they have the Mongols and the Qing Dynasty behind them.” Qing’er paused for a moment. “Moreover, it was Xiao Yanzi who brought it up first. If An’an goes up to dissuade them, what will the Mongols think? Will the Mongols think that we are bullying the weak with the many? This could easily damage the friendship between the Manchus and Mongols.”

After Qing'er's guidance, Ziwei's muddled mind cleared up instantly. Ziwei only regretted that she hadn't covered Xiaoyanzi's mouth when Xiaoyanzi provoked the Mongolian princess.

At this point, the competition had reached a fever pitch. Little Swallow was starting to feel the strain, since Saiya's whip was a superior one, while Little Swallow's whip was just a simple, soft one.

Little Swallow's spinning top gradually lost its strength, looking like it might fall over at any moment. Little Swallow grew increasingly impatient with each spin, while Saiya seemed to be handling it with ease.

An Ke watched this scene and breathed a sigh of relief. Xiao Yanzi could only lose this match, not win, otherwise… An Ke's eyes narrowed dangerously.

But at that moment, an uncertain factor appeared—Xiao Jian threw out the whip that was custom-made for Xiao Yanzi from the crowd.

An Ke quickly turned her head and saw a man wearing a bamboo hat. His face was covered, so she couldn't see clearly, but An Ke was certain that this man was Xiao Jian.

Xiao Jian felt a strong and undeniable gaze. Looking up, he saw An Ke. The instant he saw An Ke, Xiao Jian turned and ran.

The moment An Ke saw Xiao Jian raise his eyes, she knew that the mysterious leader in Qijiang Town was Xiao Jian, because the two had very similar eyes.

An Ke could remember that man's eyes perfectly; she could never forget what happened in Qijiang Town. If it weren't for the White Lotus Sect, Ertai wouldn't have been injured.

An saw that he turned and ran, knowing that he had also recognized him. He told Qing'er to wait for him here, and then used his lightness skill to step over the crowd and chase after him.

Qing'er was unaware of what had happened, but not wanting to hold An'an back, she listened to An'an's instructions and stayed quietly where she was.

When the guards following Anke and Qing'er saw the princess chasing after them, they immediately split into two groups: one group chased after the princess, while the other group stayed behind to protect Qing'er.

Xiao Jian thought he had shaken off An Ke, but when he turned around, he saw that An Ke was still chasing after him relentlessly.

Xiao Jian cursed under his breath and used his lightness skill to head towards a less crowded area. He had come out today to gather information, but he hadn't expected to see Xiao Yanzi.

Suspecting that Xiao Yanzi was his sister, he unconsciously followed in her footsteps. He only gave up after seeing Xiao Yanzi lose to the Mongolian princess in their contest, prematurely handing over the whip he had intended to give her.

Unexpectedly, he encountered a formidable opponent, An Ke, which was a huge problem. After all, she had seen his eyes before, and Xiao Jian was terrified of being recognized.

Fortunately, I sent a signal when I hid in this alley. I believe my companions will arrive soon.

An Ke followed and twisted her way into the alley, where she saw Xiao Jian had already thrown away his straw hat and was drinking tea at a stone table.