On the martial arts training ground of the Prince of Yan's mansion, Bai Chuxiao and Chu Tianze, one wielding the Peerless Sword and the other the Asking Heaven Sword, fought evenly.
A moment later, Xia Fan suddenly appeared to the side.
Seeing this, Bai Chuxiao stopped and asked with a smile, "How is Mr. Sun?"
Xia Fan slowly began, "According to that Mr. Sun, the one in the palace was indeed unwilling to join forces with Prince Xiang. Instead, he sent Marquis Xuanping, determined to first encircle and annihilate them... That's why they decided to cooperate with Prince Yan's residence..."
Bai Chuxiao raised an eyebrow. "Oh? This isn't like the style of that person in the palace. Aren't they afraid we'll take this opportunity to make trouble?"
Chu Tianze said calmly, "Although we have more troops than the Fifth Prince, most of them are stationed in Shuozhou. Perhaps Chu Tianling has been in contact with Xiyue..."
Bai Chuxiao smiled and said, "These days, people who can enjoy the world alone naturally don't want to share it with others. But I think that in Chu Tianling's eyes, dealing with you is more important..."
Chu Tianze said calmly, "Madam, you're overthinking it. Besides you, who else would value me..."
Xia Fan lowered his head and twitched his lips. "That Mr. Sun said that because Prince Xiang was unwilling to come to the capital, Empress Dowager Wei chopped off one of Consort Xian's fingers and sent it to Prince Xiang. Prince Xiang, with that person in the palace, probably doesn't have much room for reconciliation..."
Bai Chuxiao raised an eyebrow. "She's quite ruthless."
Chu Tianze said calmly, "How could someone who becomes Empress Dowager be a soft-hearted person? Besides, the Fifth Prince was able to keep Consort Xian in the palace and openly defy the imperial decree. How important do you think Consort Xian is to him..."
Bai Chuxiao shrugged. "So what if it's important? With Chu Tianling's temperament, even if the Prince of Xiang obediently enters the capital, he'll still only face certain death. It's better to take a gamble... But this is indeed a hardship for the Consort Xian..."
Chu Tianze grasped her hand in return and said solemnly, "So I want to thank Xiaoxiao for risking her life to bring Mother out... Otherwise, I would be like Lao Wu now, making Mother suffer no matter what choice I make."
Bai Chuxiao chuckled, "No need for thanks, we're all family..."
Xia Fan kept his head down. Couldn't the prince and princess wait for him to leave before saying such sentimental things?
Perhaps sensing his thoughts, Bai Chuxiao turned her head away. "Alright, continue interrogating Mr. Sun and see if you can extract any useful information. But the main focus should still be on expanding the Azure Dragon Camp."
"Yes," Xia Fan replied, and quickly left.
Bai Chuxiao said irritably, "Your Highness, you should at least maintain your princely status in front of everyone. Why do you say whatever comes to mind..."
Chu Tianze said nonchalantly, "I can say whatever I want. Who would dare to have a problem with me?"
Bai Chuxiao was exasperated and didn't bother with him. This guy was becoming increasingly unconcerned about his image these days...
"Your Highness, Your Highness, Madam Murong and Madam Murong have arrived," Qing Shuang whispered.
Presumably it was about the banquet, Bai Chuxiao raised an eyebrow and looked at Chu Tianze silently, asking: What about you?
Chu Tianze said calmly, "Then you two talk, I'll go take care of things up ahead."
In a flower hall in the backyard, Madam Murong and Madam Murong were drinking tea. They were relieved to hear that Murong Che and Murong Xuan had agreed to return to discuss the marriage... The Murong family had never valued social status; as long as the family background was respectable, that was enough...
"Auntie, Auntie," Bai Chuxiao, dressed in a white outfit, walked in with a smile.
Looking at her attire, Madam Murong said, "Xiaoxiao, have you gone to practice martial arts again?"
Bai Chuxiao smiled and said, "I practiced with the prince for a while..."
Madam Murong pulled her to sit down beside her and asked softly, "I forgot to ask you last time, Second Aunt, you've been married for quite some time now, what are your plans regarding having children?"
Bai Chuxiao chuckled awkwardly, "Well, let nature take its course..."
Madam Murong said in a deep voice, "This cannot be taken lightly... After all, this is a royal residence. What will happen in the future if... we have no offspring to rely on?"
Bai Chuxiao said helplessly, "Shouldn't the people worrying be my eldest brother and third brother? Why am I being dragged into this?"
Madam Murong said calmly, "If the two of them are willing to meet, then everything is fine. But you, didn't you invite the Shen family's daughter this time? I've heard that the eldest daughter of the Shen family was determined to marry into the Prince of Yan's mansion, and General Shen is quite trusted by the Prince... You should be more careful..."
Bai Chuxiao said nonchalantly, "Some rumors may not be credible. Besides, now that I'm married to the Prince, even if she really had feelings for me, she should have let it go."
Madam Murong said worriedly, "Let's leave aside the Shen family for now. Although the Prince once said he wouldn't take a concubine, he is a prince, not an ordinary family like ours. Who knows what will happen in the future? There are quite a few who want to enter the Prince of Yan's mansion. You should make plans early..."
Bai Chuxiao smiled faintly, "Don't worry, Aunt and Second Aunt, I know what I'm doing. I also trust the Prince. Right now, the most important thing is for my eldest brother and third brother to discuss their marriage... We've been invited to the banquets from all four prefectures, so we'll have to postpone them for a few more days..."
Madam Murong said, "Given the current situation, wouldn't inviting many guests and holding a large banquet invite gossip..."
Bai Chuxiao smiled and said, "Your Highness has other plans..." She couldn't say it outright, but Chu Tianze's move was probably to siphon some money from the wealthy and powerful people in the other states...
Madam Murong asked again, "Did Madam Xu go to the clinic in the east of the city?"
Bai Chuxiao smiled and said, "Yes, the clinic just opened yesterday, and Mother took Lanxin there to practice medicine during the day."
Madam Murong smiled and said, "We haven't been able to visit recently because of that girl Xihan, which is quite impolite of us."
Bai Chuxiao shook her head, "Aunties, please don't go. Mother only wants to practice medicine discreetly..."
Madam Murong sighed softly, "Madam Xu has had a tough time all these years, and she still practices medicine and saves lives with a kind heart. It's truly admirable..."
Madam Murong said, "That's right, none of us are as open-minded as Madam Xu..."
Bai Chuxiao smiled helplessly, "Aunties, don't be so sentimental. Everyone has their own way of living. Eldest brother and third brother will be back soon. Let's worry about them first."
...
As night fell, on the roof of the main courtyard, Bai Chuxiao leaned on Chu Tianze's shoulder.
Gazing at the crescent moon overhead, Bai Chuxiao lazily asked, "Tianze, do you want to be the emperor?"
Chu Tianze said calmly, "I never thought about it before... Does Xiaoxiao want me to be the emperor?"
Bai Chuxiao smiled faintly, "I want to and I don't want to. In this era, only by sitting in that supreme position can one avoid having one's life or death decided by a single word and control one's own destiny. But if you really sit in that position, there will be many restrictions..."
Turning her head to look at the man beside her, Bai Chuxiao continued, "At that time, facing a court full of ministers, could the emperor still continue to have only one person..."
When her aunt and uncle mentioned it today, she couldn't help but think that while a lifelong monogamous relationship might be possible for a prince, no emperor throughout history had ever been able to achieve it...
Chu Tianze stared intently at her and said seriously, "Then I won't do it. I've never been interested in power anyway..."
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