Today was supposed to be Lord Li's birthday banquet, but after the princess arrived, the host seemed to become just a guest, and all the conversations revolved around the princess.

This was a world apart from her situation when she first arrived in Jiangnan Prefecture a few months earlier.

After returning from the birthday banquet, Bai Yan brought back many gifts, including gold, silver, and jade artifacts, and... several handsome men of different styles. In short, it was the same old thing: men are associated with female beauty, but for her, it was associated with male beauty.

It's also probably because there were too many rumors about her and Liu Jinan that there were two people who looked similar to him.

Bai Yan pressed her temples, feeling a slight headache.

Hongping chuckled as she poured the princess a cup of tea: "Princess, since you don't like it, why don't you just refuse?"

Bai Yan lowered her eyes: "These officials in Jiangnan are all very slippery. If I don't like anything, they should be worried."

Since they've done a good job, there's no harm in putting their minds at ease.

And also... ever since she arrived in Jiangnan, she has been working non-stop for all matters, big and small, and now it's time for her to take a break.

She's been called a 'slut' for so long, God have mercy, she hasn't even had a chance to be a slut yet!

Thinking of something, Bai Yan smiled slightly and said, "Hong Ping, do you still have my begonia-colored lantern pants? Find them, I'll wear them after I take a shower."

Hongping said, "Yes, it's here. I'll go get it in a bit."

...

Unlike the capital, Jiangnan is extremely humid even in summer, hot and humid.

Meng Huaiyi, however, did not change his daily habit of practicing martial arts. He was in the mansion taking out his knife and slashing at a wooden stake. With one slash, wood chips flew everywhere.

"My lord, Lord Liu has arrived," said a servant standing nearby.

During his time in Jiangnan, Liu Jin'an, with his thick skin, actually became a frequent visitor to Meng Huaiyi's residence.

Upon seeing Liu Jinan enter, Meng Huaiyi continued his work.

Liu Jin'an, carrying a large watermelon, plopped down on the ground as soon as he arrived at the martial arts arena: "Brother Huaiyi, come and have some watermelon! I chilled it with shaved ice; it's perfect for cooling off in the summer!"

Meng Huaiyi only replied with one sentence: "Practice your skills."

Liu Jinan shook his head. The longer he knew him, the more he gradually understood his black-clad guard brother.

They were originally from the Black-Clad Guards, who spent years doing wicked work for the emperor. The public's impression of them was that they were "lackeys," "ruthless," and cunning.

But his brother Huaiyi was much simpler. He didn't drink or frequent prostitutes. He spent his days practicing martial arts and reading books... So how did he rise from a Black-Clad Guard to a general?

Meng Huaiyi was taciturn, but Liu Jinan liked to confide in him: "Brother Huaiyi, I have fallen out of favor."

Meng Huaiyi ignored him completely.

Liu Jinan took a bite of watermelon in resentment: "Everyone says I'm the princess's lover, but I haven't even become her lover yet, and I've already fallen out of favor!"

Meng Huaiyi slowed down his chopping motion, and then heard Liu Jinan continue, "That heartless Li, the head of the textile bureau, took advantage of his own birthday banquet to gather more than a dozen handsome men and send them to the princess's residence."

That's nothing compared to the fact that there are two others who look just like him.

"Brother Huaiyi, what do you think the princess is really thinking?"

"If she doesn't like me, why did she take in two male concubines who resemble me?"

"I heard from the servants at the princess's residence that the princess said tonight that she wanted them to come into the backyard to serve her."

"But if she likes me, why—" Liu Jin'an, holding a watermelon, looked up: "Brother Huaiyi?"

The people in the training ground had long since disappeared.

"Lord Meng, General Meng, Meng Huaiyi!"

Meng Huaiyi didn't even bother to wash up; he just threw on some clothes and went to the princess's residence.

After he informed the princess that she was taking a bath, he sat in the princess's reception room and waited for a while.

The sun had already set, and the afternoon in Jiangnan was damp and unpleasant. Meng Huaiyi sat with his eyes down.

Soon, a fragrant breeze wafted from behind the screen, and a pair of fair hands pushed it open, revealing a beautiful face as lovely as a peach blossom.

The princess had just bathed, her black hair still wet and cascading down her back. She wore a light gauze dress and a pair of red lantern pants, and looked at Meng Huaiyi: "Lord Meng, what business do you have with me?"

Meng Huaiyi took two steps back, the dim lighting in the room effectively concealing the unnatural look on his face.

She was dressed like that... but then I remembered she had two male lovers.

Meng Huaiyi's unnatural expression disappeared, and he simply lowered his head, took out two sheets of paper covered in ink from his pocket, and handed them to the princess.

Bai Yan picked up the papers, glanced at them, and raised an eyebrow slightly: These two papers contained the accounts of the Beijing textile factory and the accounts of Jiangnan, two different sets of accounts.

One document contained the textile factory's revenue that she submitted to the national treasury, and the other contained the textile factory's actual revenue. The document submitted to the national treasury contained four-tenths of the true accounts.

"Lord Meng, you are indeed worthy of being a member of the Black-Clad Guard. You were able to find out even something I had hidden so well."

Meng Huaiyi's dark eyes looked at her face: "Princess, you are already second only to the Emperor. Why would you do such a thing? If His Majesty finds out, wouldn't he be furious?"

Bai Yan raised her eyes slightly: "Since General Meng did not tell Father Emperor that he came to find Tianfu, there must be room for discussion, right?"

"What does the general want from me?" Bai Yan asked.

Meng Huaiyi didn't speak, but his tall figure and handsome face made him incredibly attractive in the summer.

Bai Yan said, "I can give your textile factory 20% of the profits, how about it?"

Two percent profit?

Meng Huaiyi frowned. What did he want 20% of the profits for? He wanted her to send away all the women in the princess's mansion and never take them again!

But he didn't say that. He just pursed his thin lips and looked at the princess again: "If the princess wants to find a new husband, His Majesty will arrange it for her. Those inferior men are not worthy of the princess."

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