This answer was not what Song Ting had expected, and the usually composed commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard showed obvious surprise on his face.
"What time was it? What did you and the princess discuss? If it's inconvenient to say—"
“It’s convenient.” Before Song Ting could finish speaking, Huaiyue interrupted him, and Song Ting’s heart skipped a beat.
“I met the princess when the carriage arrived at the palace. At that time, the officials were busy arranging the carriage’s lodging and did not have time for me, so I waited in the carriage.”
"The princess arrived at that time. I didn't know she was the eldest princess at first, and I even warned her a few times. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Zhang Bingzhi raised an eyebrow slightly: "Warning the princess?"
"Yes, I mistakenly thought that the princess was also curious about the matter between you and me, which is why she came to inquire."
"Moreover, the princess was dressed in men's clothing at the time, so I did not recognize her immediately."
A man like Song Ting is someone who is feared by some and loved by others. Countless noble ladies in the capital secretly admire him.
He ignored them all, even rejecting the princess multiple times, but now he's infatuated with a male prostitute from the red-light district.
This was truly intriguing, so ever since Huaiyue moved into the Song residence, waves of people came to inquire about her, trying every possible way.
After arriving at the imperial palace today, Song Ting got busy, while Huaiyue stayed in the carriage to wait.
The journey was long, and Song Ting was afraid he would be bored, so she bought a lot of storybooks and put them in the car before setting off. Huaiyue just picked one at random to pass the time.
The princess arrived at that time; she wore no makeup and was dressed in a guard's uniform.
"Feel sorry."
As he spoke, he lifted the curtain of the carriage, his gaze meeting Huaiyue's as she looked in the direction of his voice.
"Who are you, and what do you want to do?" Huaiyue asked warily.
The footsteps drew closer; it was Xiao Wu and Qi Zhou returning from listening to what was happening.
"I'm so sorry," the princess apologized again, then quickly got into the car under Huaiyue's astonished gaze.
Just as Huaiyue was about to open her mouth, the princess covered it with a silver mask—
“Young Master Huaiyue, my name is Chu Mingshu, and I am the eldest princess of the Dayan Dynasty. It is truly offensive of me to come to see you in this way.”
"But I really have a few words I'd like to say to you, young master. Could you grant me a moment's time?"
Her voice was gentle and soft, and she had a distinct scent of perfume. Even when she was dressed as a man, it was easy to tell that she was a woman.
Moreover, Chu Huaixu was quite familiar with this face. In fact, they had a history together.
He nodded and pointed to the hand covering his mouth.
Chu Mingshu quickly understood his meaning, let go of his hand, and stepped aside.
"Young Master." At the same time, Xiao Wu's voice rang out from outside the carriage, "This subordinate is incompetent and could not find it."
Xiao Wu and Qi Zhou were originally ordered by Song Ting to guard the carriage, but just now, a few meows came from the bushes. Huai Yue became interested in the cat and asked the two of them to go and find it.
Chu Mingshu watched him nervously, afraid that he might suddenly change his mind and bring the person in.
Huaiyue nodded to her, then said to the people outside the carriage:
"Fine, if we can't find it, we can't find it. I'm not interested anyway."
This young master Huaiyue has always been unpredictable, and even the adults are helpless against him, so Xiao Wu and the others naturally dare not say anything.
At this moment, all I want to do is my duty to guard the carriage and prevent any mishaps.
"yes."
But then the person in the carriage said, "I'm a little tired. You go help Song Ting and get settled as soon as possible so I can rest."
When they were sent to find the cat, the two of them didn't dare go far, and now it was even less likely that they would go like this.
After exchanging a glance, Xiao Wu said, "But—"
Huaiyue already knew what they wanted to say: "This is a temporary palace, what danger could there be? Go ahead, tell Song Ting to hurry up, I have a headache."
The people outside the carriage hesitated, still not daring to leave without permission.
Huaiyue's tone suddenly turned cold: "What, can't I order you around?"
He gave a cold laugh. "Then go and call Song Ting over. I'll speak to him myself."
Even their own masters couldn't go against this master's wishes, so how could Xiao Wu and the others dare to actually disobey him?
"Your subordinate obeys."
As the two walked away, Chu Mingshu let out a long sigh of relief.
"Thank you, young master."
"You're too kind, Princess."
Chu Mingshu said she had something to say to Huaiyue, but when she actually got the chance, she hesitated to speak.
He just looked at Huaiyue with some curiosity.
Instead, Huaiyue asked her first, "Princess, please speak your mind. Song Ting may come at any time."
Chu Mingshu shook her head and smiled, "It seems there's no need to say anything. Those two were the commander's most capable subordinates."
Huaiyue understood the princess's implication and simply nodded without saying anything more.
"Over the years, I've always wondered what I'm not good enough for him, but after meeting you, young master, I think I understand now."
"Even though I haven't seen your true face, I can imagine what kind of demeanor you have beneath the mask."
Huaiyue: "You flatter me, Princess."
Princess: "Thank you for today, young master. I, Chu Mingshu, will take my leave now."
The conversation between the two ended there. There was nothing that couldn't be said, so Huaiyue told them everything in detail.
"Your Majesty," Ruyi, the maidservant beside the Empress Dowager, suddenly spoke up. "After being reminded by Young Master Huaiyue, I suddenly remembered something."
"Oh?" Ruyi, the Empress Dowager's most trusted person, immediately said upon hearing this, "Tell me about it."
"When we first arrived at the palace, Little Fox got lost. Her Majesty ordered me to look for her. I found Little Fox near Young Master Huaiyue's carriage."
"Just then, I happened to see a man's figure getting out of the young master's carriage."
"But I didn't suspect anything at the time, so I didn't pay much attention. Now that I think about it, could it have been the princess?"
The princess was not wearing men's clothing when she fell into the water. If the man Ruyi saw was indeed the princess, then there is a high possibility that the guard's uniform was left in the princess's palace.
Song Ting understood, and Zhang Bingzhi understood as well.
Neither of them looked particularly well.
"Go search." Song Ting met Zhang Bingzhi's gaze. "If the Grand Secretary is worried, he can send someone to go with him."
Zhang Bingzhi's face darkened further.
The prayer ceremony is held every year, and the Empress Dowager, princesses, and others have their own special sleeping quarters in the imperial palace.
But since it was only a temporary place to stay, there weren't many things. About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Song Ting's subordinate brought a set of men's clothing into the hall.
Song Ting took the clothes and asked Ruyi, "Was the man you saw wearing these clothes?"
Ruyi stepped forward and examined it carefully: "It's this outfit."
Zhang Bingzhi's face darkened: "Aunt Ruyi, have you looked closely? The guards' uniforms are all quite similar. Are you sure it's this one?"
Ruyi nodded: "This servant is certain."
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