Li Shimin was so angry that he laughed instead, “You’ve reminded me.” While Princess Xin’an stood there stunned and confused, he turned to Duan Zhihong and said, “Send a letter to Taiyuan later. Order people to watch her day and night. Don’t let her go out, and don’t let her talk to anyone.”

Princess Xin’an’s face changed dramatically. This would be no different from imprisonment, and moreover, not even being allowed to speak to people – over time, she would surely be driven mad.

Thinking of this, she somewhat regretted her overly harsh words just now. She wanted to beg for mercy, but it was too late. Her mouth was gagged again, and she could only make “mmph mmph” sounds.

“Remember, don’t let her escape.” Hearing Li Shimin’s words, Old Zhang patted his chest and said, “Second Young Master, rest assured. Although this humble person’s foot is lame, my skills are still there. I guarantee I’ll bring her to Taiyuan.”

“When you reach Taiyuan, just hand her over to the Li Mansion’s people. I’ll write a letter to inform them.” After settling everything, Li Shimin signaled for Duan Zhihong to escort Princess Xin’an onto Old Zhang’s carriage. In addition, there was also a bundle that Yunyi had left for Princess Xin’an.

Old Zhang bowed with clasped hands, “Second Young Master, this humble person will leave now.”

“Good, have a safe journey.” With Li Shimin’s words, Old Zhang got on the carriage and turned the horse’s head to drive toward Taiyuan. Li Shimin withdrew his gaze and said to Yunyi beside him, “Was my handling just now too harsh?”

Yunyi sighed, “She brought this on herself. You can’t be blamed, Second Young Master. From now on, her affairs have nothing more to do with me.”

Li Shimin nodded and said, “Let’s go.”

After they boarded their carriage and drove away, two figures emerged from the nearby woods – none other than Li Jiancheng and Xue Wanche. The latter glanced at the carriage that had driven until it was just a small black dot and said, “Princess Jinyang called her Fourth Sister, so she should be Yang Guang’s fourth daughter, Princess Xin’an.”

Li Jiancheng stood with his hands behind his back, saying nothing. Just as the black shadow was about to disappear, he suddenly said, “Bring this person to the new residence to see me.” Today at the Daxing Palace, Li Jiancheng had not only been appointed Crown Prince but also granted permission to establish his own office, meaning that once the new residence was renovated, Li Jiancheng would move there to live.

Xue Wanche said in surprise, “Young Master, you…”

Li Jiancheng interrupted, “Don’t ask too many questions. Just do as I say. Do it cleanly and don’t let Shimin discover this matter.”

Seeing him say this, Xue Wanche said no more, agreed with a sound, and quickly pursued in the direction Old Zhang had driven. Although Old Zhang had some skills, he was far from comparable to Xue Wanche.

Li Shimin knew nothing of all this. As soon as he returned to the mansion, he was summoned to the study by Li Yuan. When Yunyi returned to her room, she saw Zhangsun Shi waiting there. Seeing her enter, Zhangsun Shi smiled and said, “If the Princess hadn’t come back soon, I was planning to leave.”

Yunyi removed her silver-red cloak and said, “I didn’t know Wugou had come, so I went to handle some matters. I apologize for keeping Wugou waiting so long.”

“I came uninvited to begin with, so it should be the Princess who forgives me.” With this pleasant exchange, Yunyi sat down in a chair and said, “Wugou, what brings you to see me?”

“I…” Zhangsun Shi hesitated for a moment, then bit her lip slightly and said, “I have a few questions I’d like to ask the Princess. I wonder if it’s convenient?”

Yunyi’s eyes flickered as she smiled slightly, “Feel free to ask whatever you wish.”

Zhangsun Shi nervously twisted her fingers. After a long while, she took a deep breath and said, “Even before I married my husband, I knew he harbored someone in his heart. Later, when Young Master Du came to Longmen to report and my husband insisted on bringing two thousand men to rescue the Princess despite the danger, I knew that the person my husband deeply hid in his heart was the Princess. So… I want to know, do you also have feelings for my husband?”

She had indeed come for this reason!

Yunyi sighed inwardly and said, “If I answer yes, what does Second Young Madam plan to do? Have me leave Second Young Master or the Tang King’s Mansion?”

Zhangsun Shi didn’t answer, only saying, “Please answer me, Princess.”

Meeting her gaze, Yunyi nodded, “Yes, I have feelings for Second Young Master.”

Xiuzhu, standing behind Zhangsun Shi, said coldly, “To think you’re still a princess, yet you have no sense of shame at all. Knowing that the young master is already married to our young mistress, you still seduce our young master.”

Hearing this, Jixiang immediately became displeased and darkened her face, “What do you mean by seduce? Speak clearly.”

Xiuzhu raised her chin, “Did I say anything wrong? The young master kindly rescued her from Jiangdu, yet she keeps clinging to him. Just now at Muhua Pavilion, I even saw her pulling and tugging with the young master. It was simply unseemly!”

This time, even the relatively good-tempered Ruyi couldn’t bear it anymore and frowned, “You’re going too far with your words. True, Second Young Master is indeed married to Second Young Madam, but so what? Which law stipulates that our princess cannot have feelings for Second Young Master? On the contrary, the law stipulates that besides a legitimate wife, a man may also marry two equal wives and countless concubines!”

Xiuzhu was momentarily speechless, then said angrily, “Only shameless women would become concubines!”

“Insolent!” Now Ruyi was truly angry and said sternly, “Our princess is the Grand Princess personally enfeoffed by His Current Majesty. How dare you insult our princess like this? If His Majesty learns of this, he will certainly not spare you!”

Actually, as soon as the words left her mouth, Xiuzhu regretted them, but words spoken were like water spilled – they couldn’t be taken back. She could only steel herself and say, “I didn’t insult the Princess. I was just speaking the truth.”

Ruyi sneered, “The truth? I wonder what Second Madam, Third Madam, Fourth Madam, and Miss Ji would think if they knew about this ‘truth’ of yours?”

Xiuzhu’s face turned deathly pale. These words offended far too many people. If this really reached Second Madam and the others, she would certainly suffer greatly, and even the young mistress couldn’t protect her.

Just as she was regretting her words, she heard a stern shout, “Kneel down!”

Xiuzhu looked up to see Zhangsun Shi staring at her with a severe expression. Having followed Zhangsun Shi for so many years, this was the first time she had seen her show such an expression toward her. Panicking, she said, “Miss…”

Zhangsun Shi said sternly, “I told you to kneel down!”

Xiuzhu dared not speak further and knelt down. Zhangsun Shi said coldly, “I’ve taught you so much over the years. Have you ignored it all?”

Xiuzhu quickly said, “This servant wouldn’t dare. This servant was just…” She glanced at Yunyi and bit her lip, “Just angry on Miss’s behalf!”

“I am indeed angry, but it’s because of you.” Zhangsun Shi shook her head, “You’ve truly disappointed me!”

Xiuzhu lowered her head for a moment, then said, “Although this servant spoke excessively just now, I wasn’t wrong. Princess Jinyang is indeed shameless. Clearly knowing that Miss and the young master are already married and deeply in love, she still seduces the young master!”