“Keep your voice down! If others hear you, be careful you don’t get whipped!” The noble lady, covering her face with a fan, laughingly tapped her friend with the fan, suppressing her laughter. “Don’t you see the whip-wielding County Princess Gaoyi beside her?”

Miss Zhen San, daughter of Zhen Zeping, became displeased upon hearing those noble ladies gossiping: “My father said that the Princess of Zhenguo and County Princess Gaoyi are truly women who don’t yield to men, inheriting the spirit of the Duke of Zhenguo. In all of Jin, aside from Bai Suqiu of the Bai family’s legitimate line, who voluntarily entered the city during the great plague in Jiaozhou, only the Princess of Zhenguo and County Princess Gaoyi deserve to be called heroic women!”

That noble lady glanced coldly at Miss Zhen San and sneered, but didn’t engage further. She simply fluttered her handkerchief and watched as Bai Qingyan and Xiao Rongyan, followed by Bai Jinzhi and guards, passed by the entrance of Yanque Tower.

“Princess of Zhenguo!”

The Fourth Prince of Great Yan, Murong Li, along with Lu Yuanqing and Chen Zhaolu, had come to participate in the poetry competition. Seeing Bai Qingyan, he called out happily and dismounted from his horse to bow to her.

“Fourth Prince Yan, Young Master Lu, Young Master Chen!” Xiao Rongyan smiled and bowed in return.

Chen Zhaolu and Lu Yuanqing had long admired Xiao Rongyan’s literary talent. When Xiao Rongyan’s “Night Snow on the Plain” became famous throughout the world, and whenever his writings appeared, they could be called masterpieces of the age, how could they not be impressed? Thus, they were very courteous to Xiao Rongyan.

“Master Xiao!” The several men returned Xiao Rongyan’s bow.

“There’s a poetry gathering at Yanque Tower today. If the Princess of Zhenguo, County Princess Gaoyi, and Master Xiao don’t mind, why not join us for some fun?” Chen Zhaolu, refined and elegant, spoke with a gentle smile.

Murong Li didn’t want Chen Zhaolu to disturb his Ninth Uncle and Ninth Aunt’s time together, so he quickly said: “If… the Princess of Zhenguo, County Princess Gaoyi, and Master Xiao have other matters, there’s no need to force it.”

The noble ladies upstairs, seeing how popular Bai Qingyan was, couldn’t help feeling sour, inevitably thinking of County Princess Nandue Liu Ruofu, who had been mistaken for someone else by the Fourth Prince of Great Liang. They smiled and said: “I heard that today’s poetry competition… County Princess Nandue Liu Ruofu will also come! If County Princess Nandue sees all the talented young men of the capital surrounding the Princess of Zhenguo, who knows how sour she’ll become!”

Although the Prince of Great Liang had mistaken her identity, he had already requested to marry County Princess Nandue Liu Ruofu, and Great Liang had acknowledged the mistake.

Because of this, Liu Ruofu was kept in the capital by her maternal family, fearing that once she married into Great Liang, there would be fewer opportunities to see her. So when Prince Xian returned to Nandue, Liu Ruofu didn’t leave and would attend today’s poetry gathering.

“This Princess of Zhenguo has… infinite charm. Just with that pretty face, who knows how many young masters in the capital would willingly become her subjects.” The legitimate fourth daughter of Minister of Revenue Chu Zhongxing’s family seemed to realize her words were too improper, then turned to laugh about those dandies in the capital: “Fortunately Lu Yuanpeng and those people aren’t here, otherwise upon hearing the words ‘Princess of Zhenguo,’ they’d rush out wagging their tails like lapdogs!”

Upon hearing that noble lady call Lu Yuanpeng a lapdog, Miss Zhen San immediately became furious. She glared at the noble lady and shouted downstairs: “Brother Yuanqing! Minister Chu’s Fourth Miss said your family’s Lu Yuanpeng is a lapdog!”

“You!” Miss Chu Si gripped her fan handle tightly, her face flushing red as she glared at Miss Zhen San.

Miss Zhen San raised her eyebrows and turned to go downstairs.

“Truly worthy of being from a military family – doesn’t understand propriety!” Miss Chu Si’s eyes turned red with anger, but she didn’t dare turn to look at Lu Yuanqing. She covered her face with her fan and retreated from the railing back into the private room.

Lu Yuanqing was different from Lu Yuanpeng. He appeared cold and indifferent to everything, but anyone who offended him never had a good ending. He would quietly deal with people and hold grudges very well.

Miss Zhen San went downstairs and cheerfully bowed to Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi: “Congratulations to Your Highness the Princess, congratulations to Your Highness the County Princess!”

“Thank you, Third Miss!” Bai Qingyan returned the bow.

“Thank you, Third Miss!” Bai Jinzhi said with a smile.

“Are Your Highnesses also coming to participate in the poetry gathering?” Miss Zhen San asked.

“We must return to Shuoyang tomorrow, and still need to return home to prepare. We won’t join the festivities today. Fourth Prince, Young Master Chen, Young Master Lu, Third Miss, farewell!” Bai Qingyan cupped her fists.

Bai Jinzhi followed suit, also cupping her fists in farewell.

“I also have matters to attend to, so I won’t join the festivities!” Xiao Rongyan also took his leave.

Miss Zhen San watched Bai Qingyan’s heroic departing figure: “So envious! I also want to be like the Princess of Zhenguo and County Princess Gaoyi, charging onto battlefields!”

Outside Yanque Tower, the lights were brilliant, and the glow from the red silk lanterns made Miss Zhen San’s small face appear rosy and extremely attractive.

Lu Yuanqing glanced at the noble ladies laughing and chatting at the upstairs railing and asked Miss Zhen San: “You just said… the daughter of Minister of Revenue Chu Zhongxing mocked my family’s Yuanpeng?”

Miss Zhen San came to her senses and nodded vigorously: “Miss Chu Si!”

Lu Yuanqing nodded with a stern face and walked into Yanque Tower with Chen Zhaolu and Murong Li.

In Lu Yuanqing’s view, no matter how stupid Lu Yuanpeng was, he was still his brother. He could criticize him… he could scold him! But others couldn’t say a word against his brother.

Xiao Rongyan escorted Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi back to the Bai mansion, which now bore the high-hanging plaque of the Princess of Zhenguo’s residence. He had Yue Shi present the gift box and took a formal bow of farewell.

Although the two had sworn with a palm strike that they would discuss personal feelings only after the world was unified, oaths were oaths – the feelings between men and women could not be controlled at will by anyone.

“I won’t see Master Xiao off!” Bai Qingyan stood under the bright lights of the Princess of Zhenguo’s residence and said to Xiao Rongyan.

“After Miss Bai and Fourth Miss enter, I… will leave.” Xiao Rongyan’s smile was gentle and warm.

Bai Jinzhi secretly covered her mouth and smiled, clearing her throat: “Then farewell, Master Xiao!”

Bai Qingyan’s ear tips turned slightly red. She nodded to Xiao Rongyan, turned, and stepped into the Princess of Zhenguo’s residence.

“Let’s go back!” Xiao Rongyan said with a smile.

Bai Qingyan had just returned to Qinghui Courtyard and changed clothes when news came from the Dong residence.

After Dong Qingping returned home, he told Dong Tingzhen that he had already spoken to the Emperor, asking Prince Liang to properly send a matchmaker to the Dong residence, and he would agree. He begged the Emperor not to let Prince Liang use Dong Tingzhen’s accessories to make announcements, otherwise the other Dong family daughters would have no way to conduct themselves.

After Dong Tingzhen knelt and thanked Dong Qingping, she swore that Prince Liang would not act in such a manner.

Dong Qingping also told Dong Tingzhen that after she married Prince Liang, she need not return to the Dong residence… he and Lady Song would act as if they had never given birth to a daughter named Dong Tingzhen.

Dong Tingzhen cried very sadly, but couldn’t change Dong Qingping and Lady Song’s decision.

Under the bright moonlight, reflecting off the mirror-like blue stone floor under the corridor, Bai Qingyan sat on a stone bench in white practice clothes, wiping the silver spear in her hands, as if seeing her past self in Dong Tingzhen.

She felt both heartache and anger at Dong Tingzhen’s lack of fighting spirit. She feared that Dong Tingzhen was now recklessly disregarding everything for Prince Liang – even when her uncle had spoken to that extent, she still wouldn’t change her mind about wanting to be with Prince Liang.

In the future, when she discovered she had been used and deceived by Prince Liang, she didn’t know how much regret and pain she would feel.