Liu Shuyao chimed in, "Yes, Sister Bai has only recently returned to the capital, so she probably hasn't been out and about yet. How about I take you out this afternoon?"
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness Prince Xiang and Miss Liu, but I have other matters to attend to this afternoon, so I won't be able to keep you company," Bai Chuxiao said indifferently. She didn't want to be with these people; together they were a bunch of scheming individuals, and it was exhausting.
"It's alright, we can meet up again next time," Liu Shuyao said with a faint smile.
After they finished their meal and parted ways, Bai Chuxiao got into Chu Tianze's carriage and asked, "What's going on with Prince Qi? Didn't he say he wanted to marry my second sister, just like the Crown Prince?"
Chu Tianze recalled Qi Wang's actions, and his voice turned colder. "My sixth brother, relying on his maternal family's military power in the north, has always acted arbitrarily. For him, marrying your second sister is merely icing on the cake. In comparison, the Crown Prince needs your father's help more."
He looked at her again, his brows furrowed, a hint of unease in his voice, and said, "I think he's after you now, Xiaoxiao, what if you..."
Bai Chuxiao chuckled, "What are you trying to say? Are you asking if I might turn around and fall for him?"
Chu Tianze said with a hint of self-deprecation, "Sixth Brother comes from a good family and has a noble status. He's been a favored son of heaven since childhood, while I..."
"Chu Tianze, although he is good-looking, after several interactions, I don't like his way of doing things. Besides, who knows what kind of tricks he's up to? So what if your maternal family isn't prominent? You still built your current position through your own efforts. Your brothers only rely on their family background. Without your maternal family, what halo do they have? In my opinion, they are far inferior to you."
Bai Chuxiao stared at him intently. Although she didn't particularly like the man in front of her yet, she wasn't averse to him. She could start by getting to know him as a friend and gradually build a relationship.
Chu Tianze was somewhat pleased. "Xiaoxiao, those few words from you are enough."
Then, as if remembering something else, she added, "But you should be prepared these next few days. The palace will likely summon you. If you do go, you must be extremely careful. Sixth Brother's intentions are hard to fathom these days, and we don't know what Consort Wei might do."
"Will your mother summon him, or...?" Bai Chuxiao asked, puzzled.
“My mother doesn’t have that right yet. Since it was a marriage decreed by the Emperor, you should be going to the palace to thank the Empress. I imagine the Empress will see you in the next few days, and after that, my mother should also see you,” Chu Tianze said with a smile.
"But Xiaoxiao, you only brought two maids back to the capital. That's not very safe. How about I give you two more skilled maids? That way I'll feel more at ease."
"Don't you trust my skills? Besides, Qingzhu is only a second-rate fighter. Lanxiang is usually the steady one who manages things at home, so it's alright for Qingzhu to come with me when I go out."
Then, as if remembering something, she added, "But haven't we often heard that there are many tricks up one's sleeve in the palace? Do you have any maids who know anything about medicine?"
Chu Tianze laughed, "Xiaoxiao is very thoughtful. I do have someone who knows a bit about medicine and poisons. I'll call her over later, and I'll also give you a skilled bodyguard, okay?"
"That's fine then. I really don't have enough people I can use. I'll have to trouble you then," Bai Chuxiao said without refusing. The palace was different from the outside world; one had to be more cautious in everything.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she returned to the manor, the old lady said that an imperial decree had arrived, summoning Bai Chuxiao and Bai Chuwan to the palace the next day. The old lady gave her a few instructions on the etiquette for entering the palace, and then she returned to her own courtyard.
As night fell, two girls dressed in black knelt beside Bai Chuxiao, saying, "Your subordinates greet you, Miss."
Bai Chuxiao asked with a smile, "Do you two have names?" The two girls in front of her were slightly older than Qingzhu.
The two girls said in unison, "His Highness has given instructions that we will henceforth belong to Miss, and will only obey Miss's orders. Please bestow upon us names."
Bai Chuxiao found it amusing, "If I ordered you two to kill your prince, would you go too?"
"We will obey Miss's orders." Both of them were secret guards still being trained by the Prince of Yan's mansion, and neither had yet served their master. Now that they had been assigned, they were naturally completely loyal to their first master.
Bai Chuxiao pointed to one of the girls who clearly possessed martial arts skills and said, "From now on, your name will be Qing Shuang." Then she turned to look at the other girl, presumably the one who knew medicine and poison, and said, "From now on, your name will be Lan Xin."
The two girls bowed again and said, "Qingshuang and Lanxin thank you for bestowing these names upon us, Miss."
"Alright, get up, everyone. Tomorrow, Lanxin and Qingzhu will come to the palace with me. Qingshuang, you and Lanxiang will guard the courtyard."
The next morning, Bai Chuxiao was woken up early to get dressed. When she arrived at the gate of the mansion, Bai Chuwan was already waiting there.
Bai Chuxiao noticed that her second younger sister was dressed extremely lavishly today.
Bai Chuwan smiled and said, "Elder sister has never been to the palace before, so you must stay close to Wan'er today and not be impolite."
Bai Chuxiao looked at her with amusement, "I won't trouble you, Second Sister. But speaking of etiquette, Second Sister is a few months younger than me. I hope you don't secretly do anything you shouldn't, otherwise it would really ruin your reputation."
These words truly frightened Bai Chuwan. She thought of that day with the Crown Prince… Could it be that her eldest sister had found out? But no one should have seen them that day. A moment of panic flashed across her face. “Elder sister, what are you saying? Wan’er has never done anything to tarnish her reputation.”
Bai Chuxiao felt she should give her second younger sister a good warning, otherwise, it was quite annoying that she was always jumping around in front of her. "Second younger sister, you naturally know what you've done. I think you won't upset your older sister again, right? If I'm unhappy, your beautiful dreams might be shattered."
If word got out about her affair with the Crown Prince, how could someone who hadn't even reached marriageable age and wasn't engaged yet, having engaged in such illicit relations with a man, be qualified to be the Crown Princess? At most, she could be taken as a concubine out of respect for the Left Prime Minister.
Bai Chuwan's smile was somewhat forced. "Big sister is joking. How could Wan'er possibly upset you?"
Bai Chuxiao ignored her and boarded the carriage with a smile. The carriage slowly moved to the southwest gate outside the palace and stopped. All the daughters and ladies of officials had to enter the inner palace through the southwest gate, while the main south gate, Zhengyang Gate, was only for the emperor, empress, princes, and princesses. As for ministers and other men, they all entered through the southeast gate.
At the southwest gate, a palace maid and two eunuchs were waiting. Seeing them alight from their carriage, they hurried forward. "This servant is Bishui, the head maid of the Empress's palace. Please follow me, young ladies," she said, and then led the way.
Bai Chuxiao smiled and replied, "Thank you for your trouble, Miss Biyue." After all, she was from the Empress's palace, so she had to show her some respect.
"It's all what I should do, Miss, you're too kind," Bishui replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, while Bai Chuwan remained silent the entire way.
They entered Zhaofeng Palace without incident. Bai Chuxiao and Bai Chuwan bowed in unison, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress."
Empress Li sat gracefully in the main seat, smiling faintly, and said, "No need for formalities, please rise and sit down."
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