A palace banquet finally came to an end amidst courtesies and tests.

When Situ Xunxiao got on the carriage, he saw that there was no one beside the prince, and Qin Xiao couldn't help but frown, "Prince, you don't want to wait for the princess?"

"Meaning has entered the palace now, and Meiyu is still staying in the palace. Ask Zhou Miao to follow Nighthawk and protect the princess secretly from today on. Inform everyone to keep a close eye on me during these days." Situ Xunxiao's face darkened a little.

"Yes!" Qin Xiao responded solemnly. The prince's words were very clear. If the princess stayed in the palace, it would mean that the danger in the harem would become increasingly uncontrollable. All the spies planted in the harem over the years must be alert and protect the princess's safety for their master. But what was the emperor's plan to keep the princess? Back then, he also found an excuse to keep Concubine Jing...

Thinking of this, Qin Xiao couldn't help but shudder. If the emperor wanted to use the same old trick again, I'm afraid that this time, the prince would not let it go.

Qin Xiao slowed down his pace, said a few words to Nighthawk, glanced at him, and hurriedly caught up with the carriage leaving the palace. Nighthawk just held Zhou Miao and disappeared into the night in the blink of an eye.

The night, shrouding the huge harem, seemed desolate and lonely.

Zong Zheng Xiaoting was arranged to live in Tianxue Palace next to the Empress Dowager's Peaceful Palace. As expected, the closer one is to the Emperor's palace, the more honor and luxury one will have. Zong Zheng Xiaoting frowned as soon as she stepped into Tianxue Palace. This Tianxue Palace was indeed extremely luxurious, but this luxury made her feel tacky, with golden lights everywhere, extremely extravagant, and made her feel irritable.

"Oh my God, it is rumored that Tianxue Palace and Tianfeng Palace are the most luxurious palaces in the harem, but they actually look like this." Ningshuang exclaimed as she followed her master step by step into Tianxue Palace. Everything she saw along the way was luxurious, whether it was rare treasures or gold silk gauze curtains, they all looked dazzling.

"Yes, no wonder the Empress Painter was envied as soon as she entered the palace. I guess the Tianfeng Palace must be the same, but I didn't expect it to be like this." Qingqing couldn't help but be amazed, "However, this excessive luxury always gives people a bad feeling."

"A life of decadence and debauchery." Zong Zheng Xiaoting, accompanied by the two of them, sat down in the main hall. He frowned and uttered these words of disgust, with a look of disgust on his face.

Ningshuang and Qingqing looked at each other, and seeing their master's unhappy face, they also restrained their tempers.

Ningshuang gave Qingqing a look and then went back to prepare some snacks. Qingqing then spoke slowly, "Princess, are you in a bad mood?"

Zong Zheng Xiaoting glanced at Qing Qing and raised the corner of his mouth with a wry smile, "If it were you, and you were always used as a pawn by me, and you were always grateful that I was kind to you, what would you do?"

"Uh..." Qingqing looked at her master and rolled her eyes at her. She naturally understood that her master was in urgent need of venting his unhappiness at the moment. Thinking back to the princess and the prime minister leaving the palace together just now, this was the only possibility that made the princess unhappy. Her freckled face became more obvious under the dazzling light. As her brows tightened and then loosened, she jumped up and down. "Princess, what did the prime minister and princess say? Why is the princess so upset?"

Looking at Qingqing, Zong Zheng Xiaoting sighed deeply. The more you know about many things, the more disadvantageous it is to the people around you. Zong Zheng Xiaoting just smiled bitterly and shook his head, "I'm just sad that my grandfather chose power over family affection. As a woman, is this how your fate is?"

Qingqing bit her lip, looking at the princess's depression, she didn't know how to comfort her. In her memory, the princess was always calm and composed. Nothing could make her worried, and no one could make the princess so melancholy. The softest thing in the princess's heart was her sincerity towards her relatives. All kinds of strength were just a coat that she developed to protect herself and the people she cared about. Otherwise, the princess would not have acted like a little girl when she saw Prime Minister Bai.

"Princess, the imperial family has always had its ups and downs. Just like what the Buddha said, there are sacrifices and gains. There are people who don't care about you, but there are many more who care about you and love you."

"Hmm..." Zong Zheng Xiaoting smiled bitterly, "Sometimes, in the emperor's house, it's better to be ruthless. Anyway, I can't be ruthless anyway, so why bother?"

Zong Zheng Xiaoting did not continue to say the next words. In her heart, she told herself more and more firmly that she should settle everything as soon as possible, find the Jade Haze Stone, and return to the world that should belong to her as soon as possible, return to the days when she argued with the dead old man and competed with her for her gentle mother. That was her destiny, Zong Zheng Xiaoting.

In the following days, the Queen Mother did not take any action, but...

"Princess, people from Xianghe Palace have been secretly spying on people coming and going from Tianxue Palace. Do I need to go and investigate?" Zhou Miao stood quietly aside. The golden gauze curtain that was hanging down looked heavy and luxurious, but it made it possible for Zhou Miao to hide behind the gauze without being noticed.

Zong Zheng Xiaoting, who was sitting next to him, just smiled and drank tea. His slender fingers touched the edge of the cup and made a breathing gesture, just lifting the cup lid to cover the shape of his mouth. "If people like to watch, then they can watch. They have been waiting for the palace secret recipe for so many days without bothering me. As long as the prince doesn't send someone, that old witch will be itching to see it. What's the saying that women dress to please themselves? Even the middle-aged empress dowager can't get rid of the harem women's love of beauty."

"Yes!" Zhou Miao lowered his eyes and looked at the princess with a harmless smile, slightly absent-minded. In the past two days, he had been secretly protecting the princess on the orders of the prince, and watched the princess make plans. Although there was always a faint smile on her face, there was a faint aura of a natural overlord who would not tolerate rejection or provocation. Perhaps, only a woman like this could be worthy of the prince, right?

As they were talking, Qin Xiao followed Ning Shuang and walked slowly forward.

"I have met the princess and I pay my respects to her."

"Get up." Zongzheng Xiaoting waved his hands and leaned lazily on the back of the chair, raising his beautiful eyes slightly, "General Qinxiao is here at this moment, but are all the things for the prince ready?"

"Yes!" Qin Xiao gestured to his two subordinates, and two pieces of porcelain were brought up. Qin Xiao's eyes were filled with curiosity and disbelief. "The prince said that he didn't know whether the princess was alive or dead. These are all alive and kicking without being processed."

"Haha, live a better life." Zong Zheng Xiaoting's smile was filled with excitement to try.