Half an hour later,

Xiao Ji returned to the General's Mansion, along with the Soul Chaser who had been 'returned'.

Unlike the princess's luxurious mansion, the vast general's mansion was cold and solemn.

The first thing Xiao Ji did upon returning to the General's Mansion was to shave. After taking a bath and changing his clothes, he went to his study to review the official documents that had piled up during his absence from the capital in recent days.

In the study,

Deadly was grinding ink, while Soul Chaser was reporting on the movements of various forces in the capital over the past few days; there hadn't been any major disturbances from any side.

It was nothing more than privately visiting and probing each other; there was nothing worth mentioning.

The only thing worth mentioning is...

Zhuihun felt very embarrassed, but he still mentioned it all in detail:

"On my first day there, the princess dragged me to spar with her. Her skills have improved a lot since she broke into our general's mansion last time."

My subordinate persisted for an hour but was defeated, and suffered a humiliating defeat. It took him two days to recover.

Deadly: "Cough—cough cough cough!!!"

He desperately wanted to laugh but couldn't, and his face turned bright red with pain as he held it in.

Zhuihun shot him a glare, then opened his mouth and uttered the dirty trick he had planned long ago:

"General, according to my observation, the princess is keen on sparring with others."

He frequently clashed with the princess's assassins and secret guards; his subordinates, incompetent, had already been defeated by the princess.

If a trip to the princess's residence is necessary again, I suggest sending Duoming instead.

Both the Soul Chaser and the Life Stealer have their strengths and weaknesses; their skills are roughly equal.

The only difference is that the Soul Chaser's brain works better than the Deadly One's.

For example, right now,

The man, filled with mockery, was completely unaware that his brother was setting a trap for him and readily agreed.

"Sure, General. Next time you need to go to the Princess's residence, just send someone."

"I may not be able to defeat the princess, but I will certainly try my best to only support her for one day, not two, so as not to embarrass you, General."

Xiao Ji remained silent, his expression unchanged as he reviewed official documents under the bright light of the luminous pearl, making it impossible to discern his true feelings.

Seeing this, Zhuihun Duoming understood that his master was thinking about something and wisely kept quiet.

Xiao Ji was indeed thinking about something, about what Zhui Hun had just said: "The princess is keen on sparring with others." Why?

Is it because they've been poisoned before and assassinated after, and no longer place their hopes on others, or...?

The night I broke into the princess's study, besides the map of the imperial city I'd drawn on, there was another drawing on the little rascal's desk.

It was a very simple and hastily drawn route map, and the map clearly showed the route to the Third Prince's residence.

...

Xiao Ji could multitask, thinking about other things without interfering with his review of official documents.

He closed the official document he had just finished reviewing and rubbed his temples with his large hands, which were not free from writing, because he had a headache.

His princess is truly... incredibly audacious!

Xiao Ji suddenly regretted his words that night, regretting that he had said he would personally teach Shang Changge martial arts skills.

However,

Words spoken are like water spilled; once spilled, they cannot be taken back, and regret is useless.

The next afternoon, Shang Changge went to the General's Mansion, ostensibly to visit the Prince Consort, but actually to spar with Xiao Ji.

And in the days that followed, he would visit them several times every few days.

Shang Changge didn't care what outsiders said or how it went; she had her own purpose.

And so it went, day after day.

As autumn deepens and the weather gradually cools, time flies and a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

The past month has been very peaceful; nothing has happened, like the calm before a storm.

More than a month later, the envoy sent by the Southern Liang to Qingyan to negotiate the return of their general finally arrived in the capital.

Emperor Mingde instructed,

Shang Rui and officials from the Ministry of Rites were responsible for receiving the envoys from the Southern Liang.

Nanliang is a vassal state of Qingyan, and although its growing national strength over the past decade or so cannot be ignored,

However, a prince of a powerful state wouldn't even be allowed to receive a visit from a vassal state, especially since the Southern Liang general had secretly infiltrated the capital of Qingyan.

But that's exactly what Emperor Mingde instructed; it seems there's something wrong with it, yet there's also nothing wrong with it.

To put it bluntly, Shang Rui was nothing more than a good-for-nothing, womanizing prince.

Before this, he wasn't even qualified to attend court, let alone participate in state affairs.

This meeting with the envoy marked Shang Rui's first formal involvement in court affairs.

Princess's Residence

Shang Changge had no involvement in court affairs; Shang Changze told her about this when he came to her residence that day.

On the training ground, the siblings, who looked remarkably alike, each wielded a long sword and exchanged blows.

They played at a leisurely pace.

So it doesn't affect speaking. After listening to what Shang Changze said, Shang Changge's lips curled up in a sigh:

"Father's move is brilliant, making it a natural way for my third brother to participate in court affairs."

Once the Southern Liang envoy leaves, the old emperor can easily find an excuse for Shang Rui to legitimately attend court and participate in political affairs.

As the autumn wind swept away the fallen leaves, Shang Changze, tall and slender, stood out. His bright yellow princely robe with four claws exuded an air of refined elegance.

"With the autumn hunt approaching, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Southern Liang envoy will stay to participate in this year's autumn hunt."

The palace banquet tomorrow night is fine, but I will send people to protect you during the autumn hunt. You must also be careful yourself.

Shang Changge readily agreed, and she already had plans for the upcoming autumn hunt.

It wasn't anything major; it was just that Shang Rui's leg was almost healed, so they should break it again.

certainly,

It would be better if Shang Rui were taken half to death or killed outright.

However, given the existence of the unknown Emperor Shadow, she couldn't very well make any boastful claims.

If things go well, great; but if they fail and you're proven wrong, how embarrassing would that be?

Half an hour later,

Shang Changze took his leave, but before leaving, he talked to Shang Changge about something else.

Shang Changze: "Sister, you don't need to pay attention to those unpleasant rumors circulating, and neither should Mother."

If Mother gives you any advice, just let it go in one ear and out the other, don't take it to heart. Just do whatever makes you happy.

This refers to the rumors circulating over the past month about Shang Changge and Xiao Ji's overly close relationship, and similar statements...

Shang Changze has said this no less than five times this month, and has also sent people to suppress these discussions.

Unfortunately, someone was secretly sabotaging things, and the discussions kept coming one after another.

After Shang Changge found out, she persuaded Shang Changze not to bother with such matters; she knew there would be such opinions before she even started.

If she cared about those opinions, she wouldn't have done it; unfortunately, her handsome younger brother didn't seem to listen.

I was always worried that she would take these unpleasant words to heart, so every time I came to the princess's residence, I would say a few words to comfort her.

For example, now,

Shang Changge was helpless, but she gradually got used to her handsome younger brother's nagging and patiently dealt with it:

"My sister knows how to do it; that's exactly what my sister does."

Seeing that Shang Changge looked relaxed, Shang Changze breathed a sigh of relief and felt much more at ease.

Shang Changge found it extremely amusing and had an urge to reach out and pinch the handsome younger brother's cheek to tease him.

Considering that the handsome younger brother was already of age, and that it would be bad for his reputation if word got out and people with ulterior motives talked about him, he held back.

Her reputation as a princess is harmless, but Shang Changze, the future crown prince, cannot afford to have any reputation, no matter what.

He could only wave him away and joke, "Alright, it's getting late, aren't you going back? You really think you're the older brother?"

Shang Changze sighed, "I would like to, but my sister is unwilling to treat me as her elder brother."

The siblings exchanged a few more words, and soon the Crown Prince's carriage drove away from the Princess's residence, disappearing into the twilight.