Sitting upright at the stone table, he looked every bit the respectable young man. When he saw An Ke approaching, he even pretended to ask, "Miss, what are you doing carrying that sword?"

An Ke had no time to listen to his nonsense. She drew her sword quickly and ruthlessly, pressing forward step by step. Xiao Jian's eyes narrowed dangerously. He didn't expect An Ke to draw her sword without listening to his words.

Xiao Jian gave An Ke a look of utter disgust. He thought An Ke was just as capricious as that dog of an emperor, prone to violence at the slightest provocation; indeed, he had the blood of the Aisin Gioro clan flowing through his veins. Xiao Jian had no idea that An Ke had recognized him simply by his eyes.

They thought that in Anke's eyes, he was just like an ordinary person, but little did they know that his true nature had already been exposed from the moment he appeared.

An Ke was also puzzled. Xiao Zhihang in the drama did not collude with the Green Dragon Gang, but Xiao Jian did collude with the White Lotus Sect. Should we say that they developed their own consciousness, or that Xiao Jian concealed it too well?

In dangerous situations, people tend to react instinctively.

Forced to retreat step by step, Xiao Jian grabbed the flute from the stone table, still muttering, "Miss, how can you act like this? You start hurting people at the slightest disagreement? It's our first meeting, I wonder how I offended you?"

An Ke chuckled lightly, her attacks as swift as ever. "Stop pretending. First meeting? Have you forgotten all about what happened in Qijiang Town?" As she spoke, An Ke's attacks gradually became more ruthless.

Xiao Jian hadn't expected to be exposed. But then he thought, perhaps the princess was bluffing him. He continued to parry with force, his flute gripped tightly. "What did you say, young lady? Qijiang Town? I've never left the capital. Are you mistaken?"

Taking advantage of Xiao Jian's momentary lapse in concentration, An Ke swept his leg, sending Xiao Jian sprawling to the ground. Without a second thought, An Ke raised her sword and thrust it at him.

Xiao Jian's eyes were bloodshot. He hadn't expected that the princess wouldn't fall for his trap. In order to protect himself, he hurriedly dodged to the side, but because he couldn't dodge in time, An Ke still stabbed his right arm.

Since Xiao Jian was injured, he naturally couldn't parry as easily as before, and began to gradually unleash his killing moves. However, because he was injured, his moves were somewhat hasty.

In contrast, An Ke deftly deflected the attack, remaining calm and composed. She slashed Xiao Jian several times during the fight, even tearing his belt.

Xiao Jian was filled with shame and indignation. He hadn't expected An Ke to be like this. Did she have no sense of shame at all? Xiao Jian held up his pants with one hand and gripped his flute with the other. He gradually became the one on the defensive.

When Xiao Jian's helpers arrived, they saw that Xiao Jian's clothes were dusty and covered in scratches, with blood seeping out. He was pulling up his pants in a disheveled state, holding a flute in his hand and waving it around haphazardly, leaving several marks on the flute itself.

The newcomers exchanged bewildered glances, not expecting Xiao Jian to be in such a disheveled state. Without further hesitation, they covered their faces, stepped out, and stood beside Xiao Jian.

One of them, who had been hoping to take advantage of their numbers to subdue the arrogant man who had injured his brother, heard disordered footsteps coming from the alley.

They knew it; reinforcements had definitely arrived. Judging from the commotion, there were even more people than they had. Xiao Jian was already panting heavily from blood loss. One of them immediately threw down a smoke grenade, grabbed Xiao Jian, and said, "Let's go!"

An Ke didn't give chase either; things were getting more and more interesting. Moreover, if they wanted to wipe out the White Lotus Sect in one fell swoop, Xiao Jian was the best breakthrough point.

Anke stood there indifferently, taking out a handkerchief and wiping the blood-stained sword. A gentle breeze blew by, lifting the hem of Anke's skirt.

When the guards arrived, they were greeted by this beautiful scene. A beautiful yet aloof young woman held a blood-stained sword, casually wiping it with a handkerchief. A gentle breeze stirred, lifting the hem of her skirt and ruffling her long hair.

This scene left a deep and indelible impression on the guards.

After wiping his sword, Anke casually tossed his handkerchief onto the stone table as if it were trash. Then he turned to look at the guards behind him.

The guards were terrified. They had been so stunned by the sight of the princess that they immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness, saying, "We were late and put the princess in danger."

The head guard was sweating profusely; they were indeed late, and he wondered how the princess would punish them.

An Ke hadn't expected them to help her; she'd only come to probe, to assess Xiao Jian's true strength and his position within the White Lotus Sect. Unexpectedly, his position was quite high; a mere signal flare was enough to bring people to his rescue.

Incidentally, An Ke was simply seeking revenge for what happened in Qijiang Town. She was petty and vengeful, still holding a grudge about the White Lotus Sect injuring Ertai. The dozen or so slashes she inflicted on Xiao Jian were, in a way, her way of giving him a "greeting gift."

"How is Princess Qing doing?" An Ke asked, walking towards them. "Is there anyone left to protect them?"

Although An Ke had just wanted to probe the situation, how could he let Qing'er stay alone? He knew that there were guards following her all along.

I just don't know if this head guard is capable of doing his job.

The lead guard breathed a sigh of relief, cupped his hands respectfully, and said, "This servant has left a team of clever guards to protect Princess Qing's safety." Everyone in the palace knew that the princess and Princess Qing were like sisters, with a very close relationship.

While the princess was chasing after her, the head guard had already come up with a plan.

An Ke looked at the group of people kneeling and said in a low but steady voice, "Get up, all of you. The law will not punish the masses for what happened today." An Ke walked out calmly through the path they had cleared.

The lead guard wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, beckoned to the guards behind him, and followed the princess out of the alley.

Although she knew someone was protecting Qing'er, An Ke was still worried. Though she didn't show it on her face, her rapidly quickening pace revealed her extreme anxiety.

When they returned to the stall, they saw Qing'er there, trying to persuade Saiya.

After Little Swallow took the whip that was tailor-made for her, she wielded it with great force, and those spinning tops were easily dealt with.

As a result, Little Swallow won unfairly and then went to Saiya to show off. She ran up to Saiya and demanded that Saiya, as they had agreed beforehand, say that she was inferior to Little Swallow. Saiya was furious, and the two of them ended up fighting in the street.

Qing'er and Ziwei stepped forward, one on each side, to dissuade the two. After all, this was outside the palace, and one of them was a Mongolian princess, while the other was a Qing Dynasty princess, yet they were fighting in the street. If this were to get back to the palace, it would not look good for the Emperor, nor would it sit well with the Mongolian prince.

Because of Qing'er, Saiya restrained herself a little. Who would have thought? Ziwei had just persuaded Xiaoyanzi to almost put away her whip, but seeing Saiya starting to back down, Xiaoyanzi pressed her advantage and lashed out with the whip again.

Just as the whip was about to strike Qing'er's face, An Ke used her light-footed skill to land directly in front of Qing'er, grabbed Xiao Yanzi's whip, and with a clever twist of her hand, snatched the whip away.

Before Qing'er could react, she instinctively closed her eyes. However, the whip didn't land on her face, and Qing'er opened her eyes abruptly.

Then she saw An Ke standing in front of her. Qing'er was terrified, thinking that An Ke had taken the whip for her. She pulled on An Ke's sleeve and slowly turned An Ke around.

When Qing'er saw that An Ke had no injuries on her face or body, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. But when she saw the whip that An Ke was holding tightly in her hand, Qing'er's relief was short-lived. She reached out and gently pried An Ke's hand open.

An Ke also took the opportunity to loosen her grip. Xiao Yanzi's whip strike had been incredibly fierce; despite An Ke's preparations, a welt remained on her hand. There was no bleeding, just some redness and swelling.

But this made Qing'er feel very bad, and with a soft thud, a tear fell into An Ke's palm.

An Ke, disregarding everything else, hurriedly comforted Qing'er, throwing the whip that Xiao Yanzi had just been cherishing to the ground. "Qing'er, it's alright, I'm really alright. Look, it's just a shallow scratch, much lighter than the injuries I've suffered before. I'll just put some medicine on it when we get back."

Qing'er stubbornly held An Ke's hand, touching it tenderly. "What if it leaves a scar? An'an." Qing'er was so emotional that her nose turned red.

An Ke knew that Qing'er had already blamed herself a thousand times in her heart, so she pretended to be in pain and said, "Then let's hurry back to the palace and see if we can avoid leaving a scar? If we delay for too long, it might really leave a scar."

Anke didn't care about such a minor injury. But seeing it on Qing'er's face caused her great distress. In Qing'er's heart, it was An'an who suffered for her.

Upon hearing An Ke's explanation, Qing'er quickly grabbed An Ke's hand and urged her to get into the carriage and return to the palace. Saiya was also stunned. She hadn't expected that her fight with Xiao Yanzi would almost have resulted in Qing'er being injured, and now An An had also landed a whip on her hand.

Feeling somewhat guilty, but seeing Xiao Yanzi's indifferent attitude, Saiya was still furious and lashed out at Xiao Yanzi's face with the whip in her hand.

Xiao Yanzi cried out after being whipped, and An Ke then remembered that there were still these two troublesome people. "Saiya, don't bother with her. She'll deal with it when we get back to the palace."

Saiya snorted at Xiao Yanzi, and after hearing An Ke's words, she hurriedly got into the carriage.

The carriage stopped in front of Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei. An Ke lifted the curtain and said in a cold tone, "If you don't want Consort Ling to be punished because of you, return to the palace as soon as possible." After saying that, she instructed the guards driving the carriage to spur the horse on.

Then, under the watchful eyes of Xiao Yanzi and Ziwei, the carriage sped towards the palace gate. Xiao Yanzi was momentarily flustered; if the whip were to strike Saiya, she would gladly accept the punishment upon returning to the palace.

But the whip had almost struck Qing'er's face, and now it had injured An Ke as well. Xiao Yanzi was starting to feel afraid to return to the palace. Given how much her father valued An Ke, she was afraid she wouldn't escape a beating.

Ziwei was also filled with worry, but deep in her eyes was a hint of resentment. She was indeed worried about Xiaoyanzi, but she also resented her for being so impatient just now, and for throwing the whip out.

Regardless of who the whip falls on, those three are people they can no longer afford to offend. Returning to the palace will likely cause another uproar, but they have no choice but to go back.

Thinking back to when Xiao Yanzi pushed the headmistress aside as they left the palace, and I didn't try to stop her, instead following the princess in her foolish antics, I'm afraid she'll face just as much hardship upon returning.

Thinking of this, she gave Xiao Yanzi a reproachful look. If it were just leaving the palace, it would be fine, but she had to make such a fuss. It would be one thing if she implicated herself, but she mustn't implicate Consort Ling, who had helped them so much.

Ziwei took Xiaoyanzi's hand and said to her, "Let's hurry back and check on the princess's injuries. We should return to the palace as soon as possible to apologize, otherwise, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager might blame us."

Little Swallow swallowed nervously; she was terrified. But she also knew that no matter how long she lingered outside the palace, she would eventually have to return.

Picking up the whip from the ground, she took Ziwei's hand and walked towards the palace with a death-defying resolve. Those who didn't know better would have thought they were going to the battlefield to die, as the princesses were returning to the palace.

After they left, the people on the street were talking about it. Yes, they had just found out the identities of the people who had fought there.

"This Princess Huanzhu is indeed a princess from the common people; she directly injured our Princess Yong'an."

"Yes, even Princess Huanzhu dared to challenge a Mongolian princess. But we are relatives and friends with Mongolia, so this is not a good situation."

"Who says otherwise? We just watched as Princess Huanzhu was about to lose to the Mongolian princess. Who would have thought that someone would throw a whip at her, and she would turn the tables and win."

"Really? I didn't see it just now. Tell me more."

"Oh dear, how can I possibly explain this?"

"I understand. Let's go, let's go. I'll invite you to Yuelai Teahouse for tea."

*

Cining Palace

The headmistress intended to explain to the Emperor that Xiao Yanzi had left the palace, but she didn't expect that the Emperor wasn't even in the Qianqing Palace.

After making some inquiries, she learned that the Emperor was in Cining Palace talking with the Empress Dowager. Granny Fang hesitated for a moment, then finally set off towards Cining Palace.

After all, she was just a tutor to the princess, and she couldn't control the princess. Now that the princess had left the palace, she could go and talk to the emperor to prevent him from blaming her for all of this.

Upon arriving at the entrance of Cining Palace, Granny Fang hesitated again, wondering whether she should go in.

At that moment, Granny Gui noticed Granny Fang standing at the door, looking worried. The two were old acquaintances. Seeing Granny Fang's troubled expression, Granny Gui assumed she had encountered some difficulty.

She took the initiative to go up and inquire, only to find out that it was about Shufangzhai again, which made Granny Gui feel rather unlucky.

But then she thought about it again and realized that it was indeed Princess Huanzhu's fault, so she let Granny Fang in without worry.

The Empress Dowager was discussing the matter of the Mongolian princess with the Emperor when she turned around and saw Granny Gui leading Granny Fang in.

The Emperor frowned and rebuked, "Weren't you teaching the princesses etiquette at the Shufangzhai?"

Upon hearing this, Granny Fang immediately knelt down. "Your Majesty, this servant is truly unable to teach Princess Huanzhu. Princess Huanzhu simply pushed me away and has now run away from the palace." Granny Fang spoke with tears streaming down her face. "It is this servant's incompetence."

Looking at the chaotic scene before her, the Empress Dowager rubbed her temples in exasperation. "Your Majesty, please think carefully about what I just said."

The Emperor sat there quietly, without uttering a word. His lowered eyes were unfathomable.