"All right." Mu Houchu said softly.
"Have you looked into Princess Chaoyang?" Xin He asked.
There was a cold flash across Mu Houchu’s face: "I have checked on her. The make up powder can be traced back to her undoubtedly."
Xin He’s eyes darkened: "I knew it had something to do with her. Now, the Dali Temple wants to investigate her princess mansion, and she outright refuses. She is even organizing a small banquet, specifically inviting me over. This is utterly a Sima Zhao’s heart!"
"She is probably just a chess piece. The person behind her probably only wants to use her as a shield." Mu Houchu said coldly.
"Yes, if I hadn’t changed my skirt back then, I might have believed that the black bear’s madness was caused by the make up powder. But I did, and the black bear still attacked me, which means someone is taking advantage of Princess Chaoyang, hiding behind her and making secret plans. I suspect this person is targeting you." Xin He said.
After all, the person who almost killed that black bear was Marquis Mu.
"The Shen family, or maybe the Chen family..." Xin He mumbled: "The perpetrator is probably one of these two."
Mu Houchu squeezed her palm: "The affairs of the Imperial Court are not that simple. I haven’t got to the bottom of this through my investigation, do not jump to conclusions just yet. You do not need to overthink it, okay?"
"Okay." Xin He smiled: "Let’s go home then. If I don’t return home soon, my dad will be worried."
Mu Houchu sighed: "So soon, you want to go home already."
He regretted more and more that he was unable to marry her at Yangluo Bay. Having gone through so much trouble, he still had to wait this long. The nights alone were quite frustrating.
"I have to wait more than a month to marry you, how can I handle this?" Mu Houchu sounded tired.
"If I’m not in a rush, why are you?" Xin He teased, amused. He was surrounded by a pack of wolves and had to deal with the affairs of the Imperial Court every day, how did he have time to worry about their marriage?
Mu Houchu rubbed her forehead: "You little heartless thing, fine, let’s take you home first."
After a pause, he adjusted her chin, turned her head a little, and bent down to kiss her passionately, then said in a low voice: "You’ll eventually pay back for what happened last time."
Xin He pretended to be ignorant: "What happened last time?"
Mu Houchu gently bit her lip: "It’s okay if you forget, as long as I remember."
Xin He shivered and retracted her neck. This man was a beast!
—
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Shulan had been picking out outfits from the wardrobe for a long time: "What kind of dress does Miss want to wear today? Miss likes light green the most, why not wear this osmanthus green double-drape? The weather is hot, this skirt is the most cooling and breathable, made of cotton muslin."
Xin He laughed: "Whatever you think is best, your eye for style has always been good."
Shulan broke into a delighted smile: "This servant is just fortunate to have a taste that Miss approves!"
Xiaoyu couldn’t help but say: "It’s said that Princess Chaoyang is very jealous. If the Eldest Miss dresses too eye-catching, I’m afraid she will become a thorn in her eyes. Since today we’re attending Princess Chaoyang’s feast, we might as well keep it simple."
Xin He waved it off: "Don’t worry, I’ve been a thorn in her eye for a while now, a little more hostility won’t make a difference."
"Understood."
Xin He turned to Xiaoyu and said: "Oh, you go to the Wanhua Tower today and find Miss Ah Lian. Hand her this dance score. I completed it in a hurry yesterday. Although she has practiced well, there are still many details to be aware of. I’m afraid I don’t have time to teach her."
"Understood, this servant will go immediately." Xiaoyu said.
"Good." Xin He stood up: "Shulan, come to the Princess’s banquet with me."
"Yes!’
—
In the capital, the nobility had numerous excuses to hold banquets and invite guests. Maybe the lotus flowers in the pond were blooming beautifully today, or a long corridor in the garden was filled with rare birds tomorrow, or a great scholar was invited to a half poetry meeting.
There were countless easy excuses one could find.
This time, the pretext for the Princess’s banquet was that she had obtained several rare paintings from a master.
When Xin He’s carriage stopped at the Princess Mansion, she noticed that the mansion was bustling with people, with a constant stream of guests arriving. It seemed even grander than Concubine Shen’s birth banquet.
Xin He was surprised: "It seems that Princess Chaoyang has a high status in the capital. No wonder the Dali Temple dare not investigate her easily."
"After all, she’s the only full-blooded sister of the Emperor, her status is naturally high. But today’s large number of guests is probably also related to the visit of Concubine Shen." Shulan said.
Xin He nodded. An emperor’s most beloved sister, and his most beloved concubine, both being there would definitely draw all of the capital’s noble women.
However, she still couldn’t figure out what Princess Chaoyang was up to.
Xin He had a vague feeling that something big was going to happen today. Otherwise, why would Concubine Shen make a special trip over?
She had long felt that the Shen family was up to no good. They showed up today, of all days, which must have meant something serious was going on.
Xin He’s eyes darkened—no matter what, since she had made a trip today, she could not return empty-handed! She must find out what was really going on behind the scenes!
"Eldest Miss, please get out of the carriage."
"All right."
With Shulan’s help, Xin He stepped out of the carriage.
The youngsters guarding the door of the princess mansion glanced at each other, then hurriedly went up to welcome her: "Lady Li is here? Please come in."
Xin He acted as if she didn’t notice their discomfort, and went straight in.
The Princess mansion was grandiose, as she had imagined, and she didn’t bother taking a second look.
The servant led her to the Flower Bird Pavilion, where she could already hear the giggles coming from inside. Princess Chaoyang was sitting in a prime spot, surrounded by high-born ladies, all laughing and talking. The atmosphere was lively.
The casual chatter stopped abruptly when the servant announced her arrival: "Miss Li is here."
The room fell quiet.
Princess Chaoyang, however, continued her chatter with Shen Yilin on her side, acting as if she hadn’t heard the servant’s announcement: "What were you saying just now? That master has other works?"
Shen Yilin’s eyes flickered, knowing that Princess Chaoyang probably wanted to deliberately humble Xin He, she quickly replied: "Yes, that art master... "
The laughter erupted once again.
The announcing servant stood there awkwardly, and then respectfully backed out with an embarrassed smile.
"Miss Li, the princess is entertaining guests and might not have noticed the servant’s announcement. Would you mind waiting here for a moment?"
Xin He found it amusing—Princess Chaoyang had adamantly insisted she come, was it just to play petty games like this?
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