“There’s no need to rush, Princess Imperial. Go back and wait—someone will notify you,” Ziqing said flatly.

Told to wait again—did Han Ziqing still remain unsatisfied? Chu Feiyan wanted to demand an explanation, but lacked the courage, merely nodding. “Very well, I’ll await good news!”

With that, she fled in disgrace. Once she’d gone, Ziqing turned back to glance at the three cups of tea, then looked at Jun Beiyue, unable to hold back a burst of laughter—an entirely different woman from the stern, dignified figure who had sat so regally in the seat of honor moments before!

Jun Beiyue studied her with amusement, glancing at the three cups of tea as well, and couldn’t help but laugh too. “Feeling better now?”

“Yes!” Ziqing nodded immediately. This time, she had truly, thoroughly vented her frustration!

She had originally regretted holding back too much last time at the envoy’s residence, letting Jun Beiyue take action instead. But now, with these three cups of tea, she had personally brought Chu Feiyan to heel—her heart finally felt at ease!

She’d like to see whether Chu Feiyan would still dare act so recklessly for the rest of the journey.

“My lady, you’ll finally have some peace on the journey to Nanzhao—you should have seen her just now, like a drowned dog!” Hongyi couldn’t help but laugh either—her mistress had specifically had her bring the tea!

“Is your hand better?” Ziqing asked.

“It’s fine, thanks to Physician Gu, I can move it now. My lady, for this trip to Nanzhao, could this servant come along?” Hongyi said, not daring to look at Prince Yao, sidling up to Ziqing to plead.

Whether it was an official diplomatic mission or an invitation, Nanzhao strictly limited the number of accompanying attendants. Previously, when Princess Consort had gone as an envoy, she’d still been able to bring personal guards, but this time, being invited to attend a wedding, the numbers were even more strictly controlled!

Ziqing found this rather difficult to understand herself, but then again, Nanzhao itself was an utterly incomprehensible nation.

Jun Beiyue would only bring Yingzi and Physician Gu, and Ziqing herself could bring at most two people!

Hongyi knew her chances of being chosen were slim, yet still wanted to try asking.

Ziqing found herself troubled, having not given this matter much thought at all, since Guxi and Shiliang were clearly the best choices!

She had never personally led her mercenary band—that had always been Guxi and Shiliang’s responsibility, with Guxi as the captain, while Shiliang mostly stayed by her side, attending to her needs.

Hongyi was skilled at looking after people, handling all matters of daily life smoothly and reliably, while Shiliang possessed martial skills and could handle even the gravest matters, as long as Ziqing gave clear instructions.

“My lady, please let me come along. I didn’t get to go to the Isle of Immortal Retreat last time,” Hongyi murmured, not daring to speak too loudly, nor press too insistently.

Ziqing hesitated. When she was ruthless, she could be truly ruthless, but when soft-hearted, she was equally soft. She glanced hesitantly toward Jun Beiyue, saying nothing.

Jun Beiyue never usually interfered in such matters, but this time, unexpectedly, he spoke up. “Let Shiliang stay behind. You don’t need so many people around you—what you need is someone to attend to you properly.”

Ziqing felt a flicker of suspicion, but was too distracted by Hongyi’s excitement to dwell on it.

“My lady, His Highness agreed, and you agree too, right?” Hongyi was genuinely thrilled. As a fellow servant, she wasn’t quite sure when she’d started feeling uneasy about Shiliang—especially during her mistress’s poison detox, Shiliang’s cold, detached expression had stuck with her ever since!

Shiliang could protect her mistress, certainly, but could she share in her mistress’s worries, keep her company through heartfelt conversations?

“Mm, go get ready,” Ziqing said with a helpless smile, and Hongyi immediately withdrew, thrilled.

“When do we depart? We really can’t delay any longer,” Ziqing asked flatly. The new-nobility ranking tournament on the Isle of Immortal Retreat, along with the Bai clan’s grand ceremony, both fell in the twelfth month—they couldn’t afford to linger too long in Nanzhao and miss their opportunity at the Isle of Immortal Retreat!

Regardless of how the three clues about the Solitary Isle connected to one another, at the very least they needed to secure the sacred mulberry tree wood first, then investigate the situation at Singing Sand Mountain before they could make any real progress!

After returning from Nanzhao, they’d go back to the Isle of Immortal Retreat, then head to Xijing’s Singing Sand Mountain next year. According to the plan, everything needed to happen within this year’s end and the beginning of next year.

She could only hope things would go smoothly.

Jun Beiyue hesitated for a moment before saying flatly, “Tomorrow, then. There’s a war report from Xijing—I need to go take a look. You go get ready first.”

Ziqing was about to leave when she added, “You haven’t slept all night—won’t you rest?”

This man’s brow showed clear signs of exhaustion. Her first thought was to brew him a nourishing soup, but glancing at the sky, she abandoned the idea—by the time the soup finished stewing, it would likely be deep in the night already.

“Mm, I’ll be back shortly,” Jun Beiyue said with a smile, naturally pulling Ziqing close and gently kissing her forehead, his mood clearly good, before turning to leave with a hearty laugh.

Ziqing turned back to look at the three cups of tea, then glanced at Jun Beiyue’s retreating figure, unable to stop herself from laughing quietly to herself—this wicked man truly never let a grudge go unsettled, not a single one.

With the poison cured and Chu Feiyan’s arrogance thoroughly deflated, Ziqing finally breathed a sigh of relief, her mood considerably lightened. She gently patted the injury on her leg and went to find Physician Gu.

Yet she had no idea that Jun Beiyue hadn’t actually left at all—the war report had merely been an excuse.

At that moment, he was hurrying toward the back courtyard, where Shiliang had already been waiting for quite some time.

The moment Shiliang saw Jun Beiyue arrive, she immediately stepped forward, her eyes lowered, composed and quiet—a demeanor genuinely similar to Ziqing’s own, except she carried an additional layer of reticence, lacking that distinctive presence unique to Ziqing.

Her quietness was the kind that made people overlook her entirely, whereas Ziqing, even standing silently to one side, remained impossible to ignore, always making people want to understand what kind of woman this reserved figure truly was.

“Your Highness, did my lady agree to let me stay behind?” Shiliang asked quietly.

“Mm, Hongyi wanted to come along—it was the perfect opportunity,” Jun Beiyue said, walking through the doorway without sparing Shiliang another glance.

A flicker of disappointment clearly crossed Shiliang’s eyes. After a moment’s hesitation, she followed him inside as well.

This was an abandoned room in the back courtyard, rarely visited by anyone. At this moment, the door was firmly shut, and no one would ever know His Highness was inside!

After sunset, night gradually deepened, and it wasn’t until the deep hours past midnight that Jun Beiyue finally opened the door and stepped out. The room within was dim, nothing visible at all, and there was no sign of Shiliang anywhere!

Jun Beiyue’s handsome face was cold and stern. He glanced at the sky, brushed the dust from his clothes, and quickly strode away…

The night was cool as water. No one knew whether Ziqing had fallen asleep yet.

At that moment, the person in the capital least likely to find sleep was surely Chu Feiyan.

“Didn’t Consort Yi say she’d come by? Why hasn’t she arrived yet!” she shouted furiously, sweeping an entire table of food to the floor, the room already littered with wreckage.

All her boundless fury vented itself on smashing things—she wished she could burn this entire courtyard to the ground, but she didn’t dare!

“Princess, we just received word—Prince Xiang has arrived in person. Consort Yi likely won’t be coming after all,” a maid said timidly.

Chu Feiyan was struck with sudden alarm. “What? His leg has healed?”