Emperor Mingde did not return until Shenshi (3-5 PM), saying that he had promised to have dinner with the Empress.
Zhao Shu didn't dare to win too much. At the beginning, she won a bit too much, and Emperor Mingde's face turned green. Later, she gradually let go, but only a little bit, so that Emperor Mingde felt that she was constantly improving.
Even until his final departure, he failed to defeat Zhao Shu, and the white jade chess set naturally remained in the Yongwang Mansion.
Zhao Shu felt a little guilty. Had she offended her uncle too much? But she wasn't afraid at all. Emperor Mingde would definitely have to fight against others in the future. What if she didn't train him and lost to an outsider?
Therefore, we must never spoil them too much.
After seeing Emperor Mingde off, Zhao Shu remembered the herbal tea and snacks she hadn't finished making. Looking at the sun, she decided to leave it and make them another day when she had time.
After instructing the kitchen to prepare cold noodles for the day, Prince Yong went to see his Great General. Having not seen the Great General for many days, upon seeing him again, he surprisingly felt that even crickets weren't fun after all.
It seems distance doesn't create beauty, it only creates mistresses.
When Zhao Shu left Chensong Courtyard, she found that the Fei Chi brothers had been waiting outside. It was so hot that both of them had flushed faces and were covered in sweat.
Upon seeing Zhao Shu emerge, he hurriedly came over and bowed, "Princess."
Zhao Shu raised her hand to stop them from continuing, "Neither of you are suitable to be soldiers. I'll have Uncle Fu make arrangements for you first, and we'll talk about other things later."
Before the two could say anything more, Zhao Shu went to her Qionghua Courtyard, while Xiao Guozi led people to Uncle Fu to convey Zhao Shu's orders.
Upon arriving at Qionghua Courtyard, Zhao Shu plopped down on the swing under the wisteria blossoms, and Green Ivy immediately pushed her gently back.
"How is it?" Zhao Shu asked Xiao Zhuzi, who was standing next to her.
Xiao Zhu Zi immediately lowered his voice, "Your Highness, those people were indeed from various prominent families. After driving them out, I also discovered that the tailor shop in Nine Tail Lane belongs to the Marquis of Ningguo's mansion."
Zhao Shu nodded. Just as expected, these people always liked to send people to Prince Yong's residence. They were simply insane, and seriously so. Since they still dared to send people to the residence, they would have to pay the price!
"Were there any other discoveries?"
"This servant is incompetent. After the others were driven out, they all disappeared into the crowd. This servant only managed to catch one of them," Xiao Zhuzi replied cautiously. He was also particularly regretful that he could not investigate the forces behind all of them. He had failed the princess!
Zhao Shu shook her head. "It's not your fault. You did a great job. We're short-handed. From now on, Xiao Zhu, you'll be in charge of gathering information. If you find anyone you think is reliable, just tell me and I'll make the arrangements."
Xiao Zhu paused, his heart immediately filled with surprise and excitement. He was in charge of gathering information, and the princess was treating him as a confidant. Moreover, he could have his own team. He had never even dreamed of such a thing.
The eunuch who used to share a room with him used to laugh at him for being chosen to serve Princess Jun. Now it seems he hit the jackpot. Being Princess Jun's confidant outside the palace is only slightly less prestigious than being the confidant of the Emperor, Empress Dowager, and Empress.
With a thud, Xiao Zhuzi knelt before Zhao Shu, tears streaming down his face. "This servant will certainly go through fire and water for the princess, and do my utmost until my dying breath." His words of loyalty were incoherent and nonsensical.
Zhao Shu was relieved, but her loyalty still needed to be tested slowly. However, there was no rush, as she was still the most favored princess and there was still time.
"Get up."
Xiao Zhu stood up obediently, tears still on her face. Green Ivy behind her was also deeply moved. The princess had discussed important matters today without hiding them from her, and she had been treated as a confidante.
Zhao Shu knew what the two were thinking, but she didn't show it on her face. She just said calmly, but with a lot more sincerity, "Luolu went to find Granny Zhuang to learn more about etiquette. Once she's learned it, she can become the head maid of Qionghua Courtyard."
Green Ivy was even more excited. A head maid, a head maid! She never dreamed that one day she would become the head maid of the Prince's mansion. There were only two masters in the mansion, and she was the head maid of one of them. My God, was this a dream?
Belatedly realizing what was happening, she knelt down, kowtowed, and rambled on incoherently, "This servant will definitely serve the princess well, will not let anyone bully the princess, and will not let the princess go hungry..."
What kind of talk is this?
Zhao Shu chuckled. Just then, Xiao Guozi returned and saw that Luoluo looked like she was crying tears of joy. Could it be that the princess had made this girl her head maid?
It must be said that Xiao Guozi was very clever. He walked over and bowed, "Princess, I have already informed Steward Fu."
"Alright, Xiao Guozi, you're quite skilled. From now on, you'll be responsible for protecting me. You can also take any promising talents under your wing and train them."
Zhao Shu's sudden words caught Xiao Guozi off guard. After he came to his senses, he excitedly knelt down to express his gratitude. He remained calm and respectfully kowtowed, pledging his loyalty. Only then did Zhao Shu tell him to get up.
Looking at the three people in front of her, she had been observing them for a while. Although the time was short, having lived three lifetimes, she was not an expert judge of people, but she rarely made mistakes.
Hopefully, the three of them won't let her down.
“The three of you must each fulfill your responsibilities. You must not fight amongst yourselves or betray each other. If you are found guilty of any of these offenses, you should know what the eighteen cruel punishments are like! Do you understand?” Zhao Shu said sternly. Although she didn’t speak very loudly, the three of them trembled and knelt down again with a thud.
The three replied in unison, "Yes, we will never fight amongst ourselves, we will never betray you! We swear to be loyal to the Princess to the death!"
Zhao Shu nodded in satisfaction. "Get up, Xiao Zhu. Go and investigate the Fei Chi brothers' matter secretly. Put Jiang Yue aside for now."
"Yes." Xiao Zhu answered with the confidence of a soldier, and Zhao Shu couldn't help but take another look at him.
He's bursting with confidence!
"Green Ivy, have someone clean up the small study. I need to go and write in a bit."
The small study was the study of Qionghua Courtyard. Because the collection of books inside was far less than that of the main courtyard, the furnishings were simple, and the area was small, she didn't like it very much. However, precisely because the area was small, everything was clearly visible, and she planned to memorize chess scores in it.
Green Ivy received the order and left, leaving only two eunuchs behind. Little Zhu stepped forward and said, "Princess, this servant would like to depart now."
He had just been promoted and was eager to make his mark. His heart was pounding with excitement. "Go on, and don't forget to ask Uncle Fu for your travel expenses," Zhao Shu said.
Xiao Zhu's expression became even more serious, but he secretly rejoiced. Fortunately, the princess reminded him, otherwise he would have been so happy that he forgot. It seems that his cultivation is not up to par yet, and he needs to work harder in the future so that he can not be outdone by Xiao Guo.
If Zhao Shuruo knew his thoughts, she would be extremely glad that she had prevented them from fighting amongst themselves! Countless tragic incidents caused by internal strife are still vividly displayed in history.
"Yes, Your Highness, I will remember your instructions!" Little Zhu bowed again and then withdrew.
"Go find Father." Zhao Shu took Xiao Guozi to Chensong Courtyard, intending to discuss the matter of the ten prefectures.
She was actually looking forward to it, thinking that someone was going to be in trouble this time.
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