"Neon, stop being so rude. With your impetuous nature, you might frighten your sister."

The person arrived before the voice.

It's a very pleasant female voice, although it's not as clear and crisp as a young woman's voice.

Sure enough, a middle-aged man and woman stepped out from behind the carriage. Upon seeing them, Zhao Shu's heart immediately went on high alert. Judging from their appearances, these two were definitely the type who would remain calm even if Mount Tai collapsed before them. No wonder they dared to come to the capital and even wanted to stay at Prince Yong's mansion.

The man was dressed in fine clothes, tall and imposing, with a face that was neither particularly handsome nor ordinary, and a gentle smile that made people want to get closer to him.

The woman was also very well-maintained, with her hair styled in a drooping bun, adorned with a few jade hairpins, and the red hairpins in her hair were a simple dark blue. She wore a brocade dress with a subtle floral pattern, exuding a low-key yet luxurious feel.

Judging from their attire and demeanor, Zhao Shu immediately recognized them as Prince Duan and his family, though she couldn't tell whether they were the principal wife or a concubine.

"This humble servant, Zhang, greets Your Highness Prince Yong and the Princess." The woman bowed gracefully.

As soon as she bowed, Zhao Shu knew that she was not the principal wife, but judging from her extraordinary temperament, she was definitely not an ordinary concubine, but a secondary wife.

"Second Imperial Brother," Prince Yong called out without even bending his back. He had no choice; the Empress Dowager had taught him since childhood that, apart from the Emperor, he was the highest-ranking of the late Emperor's sons.

Clearly, Prince Duan was used to Prince Yong's behavior, and although he was unhappy, he would not show it.

"Years have passed since we last met, and my nineteenth brother has grown up. Look, our Ah Jun has also grown up." Prince Duan adopted the demeanor of an elder brother, without the slightest awkwardness or embarrassment.

Before long, carriages began to arrive one after another. "Giddy up!" A clear whistle rang out, and a fine chestnut horse appeared before everyone's eyes. The young man on the horse skillfully and gracefully dismounted. Although he was covered in dust, it did not diminish the radiance on his face.

"Quickly greet your nineteenth uncle and your sister A-Jun." Prince Duan said to the boy who had just dismounted, and then smiled at Prince Yong and Zhao Shu, saying, "This is the second son, Changyan, and this is Nihong. It's their first time in the capital, and they look like country bumpkins. A-Jun, please don't laugh at them."

After Emperor Mingde ascended the throne, the names of the princes and their descendants who were enfeoffed became different, all using the character "长" (cháng, meaning elder) in their names.

"Changyan/Nihong greet Uncle Nineteen." The two of them performed the junior's greeting in unison.

Although Prince Yong didn't have much of an impression of his second elder brother, he liked the children quite a bit and said with a smile, "They are all good children."

Both women accepted Prince Yong's praise, which wasn't exactly a compliment, with grace and poise, and then addressed Zhao Shu as "Sister A-Jun."

Upon their first meeting, Zhao Shu, unaware of the two people's true nature, simply addressed them as "cousin" and "sister."

"We've had a long journey, let's head back to the palace first." Prince Yong gestured for them to proceed.

They were still outside the city gate. The two kings were exchanging pleasantries there, and Prince Duan was accompanied by several carriages. Long queues formed both inside and outside the city gate.

Prince Duan gestured for them to join in, and they each boarded their carriages and headed towards Prince Yong's residence.

The carriage didn't stop at the gate, but went straight into the mansion, only stopping in front of the Xiaoxiang Courtyard that Zhao Shu had prepared.

The group that accompanied Prince Duan to the capital consisted of thirty trusted servants, maids, and guards. Of course, the guards could not stay at Prince Yong's residence, so after putting down their luggage, the guards all went to Prince Duan's residence, leaving only a few servants and maids behind.

Adjacent to Xiaoxiang Courtyard are Cuilan Courtyard and Qinyi Courtyard, both small courtyards. Xiaoxiang Courtyard was naturally for Prince Duan and Consort Zhang, while Cuilan Courtyard and Qinyi Courtyard were for Zhao Nihong and Zhao Changyan, respectively.

Since the letter did not mention that he would bring his family to the capital, Bi Qiao had to temporarily tidy up Cuilan Courtyard and Qinyi Courtyard. Fortunately, both Uncle Fu and Bi Qiao were loyal and devoted to managing the Prince's Mansion, and there were no problems.

After putting down her things and taking a bath and changing clothes, it was already completely dark. Granny Qin had already prepared a welcoming banquet. Whether it was Zhao Shu's imagination or not, Consort Zhang kept glancing at her out of the corner of her eye.

The feeling of being evaluated as if it were a piece of merchandise made her very uncomfortable.

Zhang Nihong is a lively person, and soon she was calling Ajun "sister" this and "sister Ajun" that, and their relationship was as harmonious as that of childhood friends who had known each other for more than ten years.

However, having truly endured a long journey, they ate their meal and went to bed early, and the night passed uneventfully.

The following day, Prince Duan brought his family to the palace to meet the emperor. Zhao Shu and Prince Yong naturally did not follow. After seeing them off, the two breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as the two breathed a sigh of relief, Bi Qiao reported, "Your Highness, Princess, someone from Prince Hui's residence has come to say that Prince Hui has prepared a welcoming banquet and invites Your Highness, the Second Prince, Consort Zhang, and Princess Nihong to his residence for a gathering after Your Highness leaves the palace."

Bi Qiao lowered her head, her expression not very good. Her meaning was clear: she only invited the Prince Duan's family, and not the Prince Yong's family.

“Heh.” Zhao Shu laughed. “It is only right. After all, Uncle is the nominal clan head, and he should do his part as host.”

Prince Yong also felt that Zhao Shu's words made a lot of sense. He had long known that Prince Hui did not like him, and he was unwilling to go even when invited.

"Do as Ah Jun says. Tell the people from the Prince Hui's residence to go directly to the palace gate to pick up the person." Most importantly, he wanted to check today whether his purple-gold crown was ready.

"Yes." Bi Qiao was furious. In Dayong, which princely mansion was more prestigious than the Yong Prince's mansion? These scoundrels looked down on people!

Prince Yong left the mansion, while Zhao Shu returned to Qionghua Courtyard. Xiao Zhu Zi had been quite busy lately, often disappearing without a trace, but today he came to see Zhao Shu early.

"Princess, something has happened again."

Zhao Shu gasped and asked, "Who else has been arrested?"

"No, Grand Tutor Wang has gone." As soon as Xiao Zhuzi received the news, he rushed back to see Zhao Shu.

Zhao Shu jumped up from her chair. "What did you say?" If this is true, then things are bad.

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