The two were taken aback. Bai Chuxiao quickly sat up, while Chu Tianze had a dark look on his face. He felt that these subordinates really should go back and retrain. How could they be so clueless, just like Yu Fengyang!
Mo Yan, standing outside, scratched his head. He remembered that the prince and princess hadn't come out, and why weren't they saying anything?
"Your Highness, is the Princess Consort in? The eldest son of the Zhao family requests an audience."
Chu Tianze gritted his teeth and said, "Get out!"
Mo Yan, standing outside, was sweating profusely, feeling utterly wronged. What had he done wrong?! It was just a normal report; why was the prince scolding him?!
Bai Chuxiao glanced at the still-dark sky outside and said with a smile, "Husband, it's not good to indulge in sensual pleasures during the day."
Chu Tianze paused in his hand as he helped her put on her outer robe, raising an eyebrow and asking, "Oh? Does Madam mean it can be done tonight?"
Bai Chuxiao re-fastened his belt, then pinched his waist before letting out a cold snort, "You lecherous scoundrel."
By the time the two of them finished getting ready and stepped into the front hall, quite some time had passed.
Zhao Sifang said with dissatisfaction, "Zui'an really values women over friends; he's forgotten his brother as soon as he got married."
Disturbed from his good time, Chu Tianze was not in a good mood. He glanced at him coldly and said, "Zhao Sifang, you'd better really have something important to say."
Zhao Sifang was somewhat annoyed. "Zui'an, look at his attitude!"
Bai Chuxiao said with a smile, "Alright, Your Highness has always been like this, haven't you gotten used to it yet?"
Zhao Sifang then said seriously, "Something unusual has been happening in Yunzhou lately."
Bai Chuxiao and Chu Tianze frowned slightly. "What's going on?"
Zhao Sifang's expression was not good. "Many people are mysteriously disappearing from a town in Yunzhou. That town used to be a must-pass for caravans, but now it's impossible to get close."
Chu Tianze's expression turned grave. "The original gold mine was probably just a front."
Bai Chuxiao's expression was grave. "Sifang, do you have control of the Yunzhou Chamber of Commerce?"
Zhao Sifang thought for a moment, then slowly said, "The Su family of the Yunzhou Chamber of Commerce has come to where it is today thanks to the support of my Zhao family. It's credible, and this news was also brought by them."
It's not easy to place people in the merchant guilds within a prince's fiefdom. Nobody's a fool; in important matters, they only truly obey the prince to whom they belong.
Bai Chuxiao nodded and then said in a deep voice, "Lin Huai!"
Lin Huai, dressed in black, bowed and entered, saying, "Your subordinate is here."
Bai Chuxiao slowly spoke, "Take your men and disguise yourself to infiltrate the Chamber of Commerce. Investigate carefully, and if anything seems amiss, immediately return."
Prince An will need money no matter what he wants to do, and the merchant guild will know something about it.
Lin Huai cupped his hands in greeting, "Your subordinate obeys."
Seeing this, Zhao Sifang resumed his nonchalant attitude, saying, "What's the rush, you two? Even if the sky falls, the emperor will hold it up."
Bai Chuxiao blinked. "Why did you rush here if you weren't in a hurry?"
Zhao Sifang pulled out a stack of silver notes and casually handed them to her, saying, "This is for you. Keep it safe and don't let anyone spend it."
Given the Zhao family's position, it wouldn't be appropriate for them to openly associate with the Prince of Yan's residence. Besides, he wasn't particularly happy about Bai Chuxiao's marriage, and even less happy about the Prince of Yan who had taken Chuxiao away. So he simply went away for a while... Today's matter could have been resolved by sending someone to deliver a message, but he couldn't resist the urge to see him...
Chu Tianze gave him a cold glare. He was a prince, after all. Why would he be so interested in his little bit of money? Why did he make him sound like a gigolo who only knew how to spend his wife's money?
Bai Chuxiao felt a warmth in her heart, and accepted the silver note with a smile, saying, "You're the richest man in the world, I won't stand on ceremony with you."
Zhao Sifang glanced at Chu Tianze with displeasure before looking down at Bai Chuxiao.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed a red mark on her neck. Remembering their late arrival, his expression darkened. It took him a while to recover before he slowly said, "Useless. As long as I'm here, you'll never lack money. Don't deprive yourself."
Bai Chuxiao found his sudden change in mood odd and was about to say something when Chu Tianze stepped forward, blocking her path, and said calmly, "Xiaoxiao is my princess consort. You don't need to worry about her. If there's nothing else, you can leave."
This time, Zhao Sifang didn't refute anything, giving a somewhat forced smile, "Drunk, then I'll take my leave."
Having said that, he turned and left without looking at the two of them again.
Watching his somewhat dejected figure, Bai Chuxiao playfully slapped Chu Tianze, "Sifang and I are friends. He's just concerned about me. Don't go too far with your words."
Chu Tianze immediately felt wronged, "Friends? The way he looked at you wasn't that of a friend."
Bai Chuxiao glared at him, "What do you mean by that?"
Chu Tianze said calmly, "What do you think? He's clearly thinking about you."
Bai Chuxiao carefully considered all her interactions with Zhao Sifang, but still couldn't find anything unusual. She then shook her head, "Don't talk nonsense."
After having dinner in the front courtyard, the two returned to Qichi Courtyard together. The maids in the courtyard, being quite perceptive, all withdrew. Before leaving, Lanxiang gave a meaningful smile and then considerately closed the door for the two of them.
Bai Chuxiao, nestled on the soft couch reading miscellaneous notes, felt somewhat puzzled. Why were people looking at her so strangely? "Chu Tianze, is there something on my face?"
Chu Tianze's eyes flickered slightly as he carefully stroked her face before gently speaking, "No, Madam is as beautiful as a fairy."
Bai Chuxiao sensed something was wrong, slapped his hand away, stood up and sat in front of the bronze mirror. When she saw the red mark on her neck, she couldn't help but grit her teeth and say, "Chu Tianze!"
This guy didn't tell her for so long, and she still went to meet the guests like that? No wonder Zhao Sifang's expression was a bit off just now.
Chu Tianze remained expressionless. "What are your orders, Madam?"
Bai Chuxiao smiled slightly and said softly, "I meant to say it's time to go to bed."
Chu Tianze nodded and said softly, "What Madam says is true."
Bai Chuxiao walked up to him, looked at him steadily, and smiled gently, "I see that my husband doesn't look too well, so why don't you go to the study and rest early?"
Chu Tianze's eyes showed a hint of doubt; something seemed off about how things were going. "The study?"
Bai Chuxiao smiled and said, "That's right, you can sleep in the study. Does your husband have any problem with that?"
Chu Tianze nodded quickly, "It's very inappropriate for newlyweds to sleep in separate rooms."
Bai Chuxiao smiled and said, "Husband, would you like to go out by yourself, or should I invite you out?"
Undeterred, Chu Tianze asked, aggrieved, "Is Madam really so heartless?"
Bai Chuxiao opened the door and raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? You want me to treat you?"
Chu Tianze swallowed back what he wanted to say and said helplessly, "No need." Fighting is best avoided; it's not good for marital harmony.
Chu Tianze slowly walked out of the room, intending to say a few words.
Bai Chuxiao slammed the door shut, startling the guards hidden in the shadows. They silently mourned for the prince, thinking how difficult it was to have such a formidable princess.
Looking at Chu Tianze, who was radiating coldness, Mo Yan felt a pang of guilt. After the analysis by the princess's maids that afternoon, he already knew where he had gone wrong. In the end, it was all his fault for ruining the prince and princess's good time... He really deserved to die!
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