When Empress Song regretted speaking out of turn, Xie Jingyin stepped in to help her out and changed the subject, saying, "I heard that Prince Ling met the Crown Prince of Xiliang and the Second Prince of Donglie at Deyue Tower and had a very pleasant conversation. They didn't invite Prince Ling to the hunt before. Now that they are leaving, has Prince Ling thought about seeing them off tomorrow?"

Shen Wan felt like cursing.

Xie Jingyan is going to take on the task of escorting the envoys from Xiliang and Donglie, so their plans for an autumn outing will be ruined once again.

Why did you have to make things unpleasant at a perfectly good farewell banquet?!

Is it not enough for the eldest prince and Xie Jingyin to handle the task of escorting the envoys from Xiliang and Donglie away from the capital? Why not bring Xie Jingyan along as well?

A flame flickered in Shen Wan's eyes, just as she heard a casual voice from beside her, "Unfortunately, I'm not free tomorrow."

Most people would have just let it go after hearing this, but Xie Jingyin pressed for details, "Is Prince Ling really that busy?"

However, Xie Jingyan was not one to be trifled with. He swirled the wine in his glass and said with a smirk, "Do I need to tell you what I'm busy with tomorrow?"

He glanced at Xie Jingyin, his tone suggesting that if Xie Jingyin said another word, he would throw the wine glass in his hand at his face.

Xie Jingyan is the kind of person who dares to argue even with the Emperor. If you anger him, he's capable of anything.

If the Emperor decides to punish Xie Jingyan, fine; but if he doesn't, wouldn't he be making a show of force by establishing Xie Jingyan's authority?

Xie Jingyin wouldn't do something so foolish, so he quickly said, "That's not necessary. I'm not interested in my sixth brother's private affairs."

He emphasized the word "private matter" heavily, implying that sending envoys away from the capital was a matter of official business for the court, suggesting that he valued private matters more than official business.

But nobody cares.

Xie Jingyan has refused the tasks assigned by the Emperor more than once or twice.

Xie Jingyin wasn't used to it, but the Emperor and the officials were already used to it.

The dancers took small steps onto the stage, the music started, and the topic was dropped.

The farewell banquet lasted for more than an hour. The Minister of Rites stood up and said that it was about time for the envoys to return to their palaces and rest well so that they could set off for home the next day.

The Crown Prince of Xiliang and the Second Prince of Donglie, among others, rose to take their leave.

The Emperor said, "Please give my regards to your father. When the Emperors of Xiliang and Donglie celebrate their birthdays, I will send people to offer my congratulations."

After the banquet, the civil and military officials left the palace.

Once seated in the carriage, Shen Wan couldn't wait to tell Xie Jingyan, "I ran into Princess Jin in the Imperial Garden today. She told me to be careful when you leave the manor and to bring more guards with you."

She had kept this to herself throughout the entire banquet, and only now did she find the opportunity to tell Xie Jingyan.

Shen Wan said, "She lost her child because of the Empress and can't have any more children. She harbors resentment towards the Empress and Prince Jin and doesn't want to be a stepping stone for others anymore. Duke Zhongguo seems to be considering surrendering, but I don't know if it's true..."

Xie Jingyan, holding Shen Wan, said, "Don't overthink it. If Duke Zhongguo really wants to switch allegiance to me, he will show his sincerity."

The Duke of Zhongguo was a cunning old fox; he should have known that such a simple reminder wouldn't gain his trust.

Shen Wan thought about it and agreed, so she stopped worrying about it and asked, "Shall we still go to the river for a whole fish feast tomorrow?"

She wasn't worried at first, but Fu Shu reminded her to be careful, and she hesitated instead.

Xie Jingyan rubbed Shen Wan's hand, the soft and smooth feeling making him reluctant to let go. He said, "Training assassins is not easy. With so many people around, Prince Jin will not send assassins to their deaths."

Hearing Xie Jingyan say this put Shen Wanxin at ease, but just in case, she decided to bring Doctor Tao along as well.

Upon returning to the Ling Prince's residence, Shen Wan instructed Yin Shuang, "Go and tell Doctor Tao that he should also come with us out of the residence tomorrow."

Yinshuang went to the pharmacy to deliver a message to Doctor Tao, while Shenwan and Xie Jingyan returned to Moyuxuan.

Back at Moyuxuan, Xie Jingyan went to the study, while Shen Wan returned to the inner room.

She poured herself a cup of tea, but before she could even pick it up to drink, Yinshuang returned and said, "Your Highness, I have relayed your message. Miss Tao is also at the pharmacy. She heard that Your Highness is going to the river for a whole fish feast tomorrow, and she wants to go too. I have asked her to come to Moyuxuan early tomorrow morning to go with us."

Yinshuang always remembered the time when she almost fed Tao the poisoned pastries, nearly causing the deaths of Tao and her entire family. Yinshuang felt guilty about it. Besides, since Doctor Tao had already gone, Tao didn't really need her to ask the Princess for permission. As long as Doctor Tao agreed to take her, that would be enough. Therefore, Yinshuang made the arrangements directly without asking Shenwan's opinion.

The two maids, Yinshuang and Haitang, were very excited at the thought of going to play by the river tomorrow.

Shen Wan was also a little impatient, so much so that she lost her sleepiness. However, after flipping through a few pages of the book, she felt sleepy again and went to bed.

When she woke up, Yinshuang and Haitang each brought two dresses for Shenwan to choose from, to see which one she would wear the next day.

Shen Wan said, "Any set is fine."

Yinshuang said, "When the Princess was taking her afternoon nap, Zhou Mama reminded me and Haitang that there were many stones by the river and it was easy to twist one's ankle. She asked me to take the dress that the Princess is going to wear tomorrow to the embroidery room to shorten the hem..."

If it weren't for Zhou's mother reminding them, they really wouldn't have thought so much about it. If it were just a sprained ankle normally, they could just apply some medicine and rest for a couple of days and it would be fine. But the princess was six months pregnant, and she couldn't even use medicine to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis. What if she sprained her ankle and fell? They had to be careful.

Zhou Mama was given to Shen Wan by the old lady. Shen Wan outmaneuvered the old lady and obtained Zhou Mama's indenture, completely severing Zhou Mama's connection with the old lady. When the old lady was around, Zhou Mama avoided suspicion and, unless necessary, stayed away from Shen Wan, focusing on her own duties and managing Moyuxuan perfectly for Shen Wan. After the old lady was publicly executed, Zhou Mama no longer worried that Shen Wan would be instructed by the old lady to do bad things, so she no longer had to be so reserved all the time and occasionally dared to express her own thoughts.

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