Zuan was unaware that a crisis was about to unfold. He was feeling completely bewildered, because he had just entered the inner hall and was admiring how exquisitely made-up, bright, and noble the Crown Princess always looked every time he saw her, when he was suddenly bombarded with a series of angry messages.

Anger from Bi Linglong: +33 +33 +33...

Although the numbers may not seem large, the fact that it keeps going on and on is undeniable.

He really wanted to ask Bi Linglong what was making her angry, but there were palace maids serving her in the inner hall, so he couldn't bring himself to ask.

"Greetings, Crown Princess!" Zu An bowed.

"No need for formalities, Lord Zu." Bi Linglong reached out her hand to help him up, her expression and body language were no different from usual.

Anger from Bi Linglong: +33 +33 +33...

Besides this!

Zu An was even wondering if she found out that I had spent the night at the Sang family's house yesterday.

What followed was a very formulaic exchange of words. Bi Linglong praised his great achievements in his mission to Yunzhong County, and at the same time expressed her sympathy and condolences for the mission's misfortune in Cancheng.

Zuan naturally expressed his gratitude. The whole process was like an assembly line, and both of them knew it was pointless, but they had to do it in front of others.

After a while, Bi Linglong asked Zu An about his situation in the demon realm. Just as Zu An was about to answer, she stopped him and then had her personal maid Rong Mo take the others outside to keep watch.

Rong Mo's small mouth was so pouty it could hold a kettle. Of course, she knew that the Crown Princess and Zu An had some confidential matters to discuss, which were not convenient for the servants to hear.

It's one thing for ordinary palace maids, but now even she has to be avoided?

Before Zu'an came, she was the Crown Princess's most trusted person, and the other party basically didn't hide anything from her. But now, she avoids many things from her.

Is this guy from Zu'an here to compete for my favor?

Despite his displeasure, he dared not disobey the Crown Princess's wishes. He led the other palace maids outside and stood guard behind the beaded curtain. There were rules in the palace, and they dared not completely allow the Crown Princess to be alone in a room with a man from another place.

But this distance was enough for the two inside. Zu An, with his back to the outside, smiled at Bi Linglong and asked, "What are you angry about?"

“I’m not angry. How could you see me angry?” Bi Linglong said coldly.

Anger from Bi Linglong: +51 +51 +51...

Zuan chuckled, "Every eye saw it."

Bi Linglong's expression froze, and she remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "You were in the mission for so long before, why did you never write to me?"

Zuan suddenly realized that this was the reason.

"You are, after all, the Crown Princess. Wouldn't writing a letter to you be harming you?"

Bi Linglong frowned and said, "I didn't ask you to write me private letters, or even just official correspondence. If you could just tell me more about what you've seen and heard along the way, I could feel your sincerity. But apart from that one time at the beginning, you haven't written to the East Palace since." "Mainly because I encountered too many things along the way, I didn't have time to write letters." Zu An gasped, realizing that he had actually forgotten about it later.

"Oh, then please tell me, Lord Zu, what major events you encountered along the way that kept you so busy that you couldn't even write a letter," Bi Linglong said with a sneer.

“I don’t know Li Wanji…” Zu An thought that even when the little girl was throwing a tantrum, she was still so cute, so he didn’t mind and began to tell her about the things that had happened along the way.

Although Bi Linglong already knew about the events that had happened to the delegation from various intelligence reports and official documents, she was still drawn in when she heard him recount many details that she hadn't heard before.

Upon hearing about some dangerous situations, they became so nervous that they exclaimed repeatedly, having no time to be angry.

"Oh, right, these are some little trinkets I brought for you specially." As Zu An spoke, he took out some small gifts from the glass bead. They weren't particularly valuable; after all, as the Crown Princess, she had seen all sorts of rare and precious treasures. But these trinkets were quite unique, almost all of them closely related to the local customs and culture.

As expected, Bi Linglong's previously stern face broke into a smile. She picked through the small gifts, asking where each one came from and what cultural legends associated with them. Zu An answered each question, glad that he had been prepared, otherwise he probably wouldn't have been able to deliver this time.

After a while, Bi Linglong picked up several beautiful brocade boxes: "Oh, are these rouge and face powder?"

“Yes, this is from the most famous Rouge Kou brand in Yunzhong County. It’s very popular there, and the style is different from that in the capital.” Zu’an replied. He had bought ten sets at once, but he had tried to give them away several times but failed by chance. So far, he had only given one set to Tang Tian’er of Xiaoyao Tower.

"How can a grown man like you know so much about cosmetics? Perhaps some confidante helped you choose them?" Bi Linglong looked at him with suspicion.

Zu An thought to himself that this Rouge Kou was really strange, there would always be trouble every time it was delivered, but he reacted quickly and immediately explained, "Of course I don't understand, so I asked the shopkeeper to give me the whole set."

Bi Linglong was relieved. She opened a few bottles and jars, smelled them, and commented, "It is indeed very different from the style here in the capital. It has a unique exotic feel. It's a pity I can't use it."

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"Why?" Zu'an was taken aback. Should he consider throwing away all of Rouge's cosmetics? Why were they all unsellable?

“As the Crown Princess, I have a detailed quota for everything I use in the palace every day. If I suddenly use a kind of rouge and powder that I’ve never used before, I can’t hide it from the maids around me. I can’t exactly say that you brought it to me from Yunzhong County, can I?” Bi Linglong sighed softly.

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