No one born into the Zhou family was born unattractive. The Eleventh Princess greatly resembled Consort Song. After three years had passed, the innocent and carefree girlish air about her had already undergone an imperceptible transformation. At this moment, she leaned against Old Madam Song’s side, her lips curved in a smile, yet her eyes carried a faint hint of scrutiny. She sized up Song Chuyi with an unobtrusive glance before smiling and calling out “Little Aunt.”

Song Chuyi had not yet begun her bow when the princess had already pulled her back up. She could only turn to look at Old Madam Song—she had never had contact with the Eleventh Princess before and did not know what temperament this young imperial niece of noble blood possessed. Being cautious would surely not be wrong. Consort Song was not someone who could be called amiable, so unless something had gone terribly wrong, the daughter she raised should not be completely opposite to her, right?

Old Madam Song nodded at her slightly: “The Emperor’s grace is boundless, permitting Her Highness to come to our home to add to your Fourth Sister’s trousseau. Her Highness is approachable and does not wish for court protocol, so let us observe family etiquette instead.”

Though she said this, a shadow of darkness could not help but flash across her face. Song Chuyi immediately understood Emperor Jianzhang’s purpose in releasing the Eleventh Princess—this was forcing Song Chengru to take a stance, or rather reminding Song Chengru that he was now different from several years ago. In the palace, Consort Song still had a young prince.

The Eleventh Princess took Song Chuyi’s hand with one of hers and Xiang Mingzi’s with the other, smiling until her dimples showed as she asked Old Madam Song for permission: “Old Madam, I must borrow these two little aunts for a while.”

Old Madam Song naturally had no reason to refuse. Watching the attending palace servants hurrying to follow, she instructed Xiang Mingzi and Song Chuyi: “Be careful accompanying her. Don’t go near the water, and also try to avoid the rockery area—wasn’t a snake discovered there just the other day?”

Who knew the Eleventh Princess was an impatient person by nature? She could not even wait to reach Song Chumi’s room. Standing in the corridor, watching the palace servants surround them on all sides, she gripped Song Chuyi’s hand, her eyes bright and shining as she looked at her: “Little Aunt, you must help me!!”

Song Chuyi had held a high position of seniority in her previous life, so hearing the Eleventh Princess address her this way did not make her feel awkward. She glanced at Zhuyi standing motionless beside the Eleventh Princess and knew that this time, the princess had only come to find her with Consort Song’s permission or hint.

“Why doesn’t Your Highness come speak at my Guanju Courtyard?” She glanced around, indicating that this was not a good place for conversation.

Zhuyi evidently shared this view. She leaned slightly and whispered something in the Eleventh Princess’s ear before the princess nodded stiffly.

Consort Song could be considered a very intelligent person. Previously, without help from someone like her who could foresee the future, she had still managed to find a delicate balance between the Empress and the Empress Dowager despite the Emperor’s meager favor. Later, she even dared to borrow her and the Song family’s power to weaken Empress Dowager Rongxian. Such a woman, having become a mother, should only have grown stronger. She could not quite understand what help the Eleventh Princess wanted from her.

The attending palace servants stood in a dark mass filling the entire courtyard. The Eleventh Princess walked straight through them without a sideways glance. As soon as she entered the room, she sat in the rocking chair by the window, her brows tightly furrowed with anxiety and confusion: “Mother Consort said you could help me. Please help me!”

Xiang Mingzi had long been shocked speechless by the princess’s earlier words, taking half a day to recover. Now she looked at Song Chuyi with startled uncertainty, forcing out a smile as she pressed her lips together: “Your Highness jests. Your Highness is of imperial blood—what kind of help could possibly require her assistance?”

The Eleventh Princess’s voice already carried a crying tone: “Cousin Aunt, what do you know?!” She turned to look at Song Chuyi, her eyes faintly welling with moisture: “I heard… I heard that envoys from Japan have come requesting to marry a princess.”

Xiang Mingzi’s eyes could not help but widen in shock, her heart pounding rapidly in her chest—the naval battles in Fujian had been fought for so many years, yet the Japanese pirate problem had never been completely eliminated. But ever since Cui Shaoting and Guo Huaiying successively took their positions, several naval battles had all ended in great victories. In the past two years, the coastal regions had made thorough preparations, and the newly appointed Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi was also a formidable figure. Whether pirates or Japanese raiders, all had been beaten until they could not raise their heads.

That Japan would send envoys to sue for peace meant they truly could no longer sustain the massive naval warfare.

But no one was a fool. In the past, when Japan’s side had suffered defeat after defeat, they would also retreat a step to request a princess bride. The Great Zhou had granted such requests before, but women in politics had always been sacrificial offerings. They could not buy even a few years of peace. After a few years, when the Japanese raiders had recuperated, they would still constantly harass the coastal areas as before. And those imperial clan noblewomen or genuine princesses who went for marriage alliances—their bones had long since vanished without a trace.

Going there meant certain death. No one wanted to become a marriage alliance bride.

Song Chuyi was not as surprised as Xiang Mingzi. She stared intently at the Eleventh Princess, her tone maintaining its usual composure: “Where did Your Highness hear this news? Your Highness still has older sisters before you, so it may not necessarily be Your Highness…”

Unless someone wanted to manipulate things behind the scenes.

And who would manipulate things behind the scenes? Song Chuyi’s thoughts raced as her fingers unconsciously tapped the table surface for a moment before suddenly stopping. Prince Duan’s relationship with the pirates and Japan had always been ambiguous. If someone truly could manipulate things, it could only be him.

Having a princess carrying Song family blood go to Japan for a marriage alliance—when the pirates and Japanese raiders came back with renewed force, it would be very easy to pin the charge of treason and selling out the country on the Song family faction… This time, Zhang Run had risked his life to expose Prince Duan’s people planted in Yangzhou, including the Yangzhou Prefect and others, touching Prince Duan’s greatest taboo. Prince Duan had already suffered setbacks at the Song family’s hands more than once. This time with Zhang Run’s case, Yangzhou happened to be presided over by Song Chengru, and when the matter grew too large and reached the capital, Song Chengru still presided over it. He had already considered Song Chengru and the Song family as belonging to the Crown Prince’s faction, and this matter was indeed connected to the Crown Prince…

When the city gates catch fire, the fish in the moat suffer. This was clearly Prince Duan taking the opportunity for revenge, wanting to kill two birds with one stone—eliminating the Song family to strike at the Crown Prince while also dragging down Consort Song in the palace and completely clearing her out.

The Eleventh Princess’s tender face was covered with teardrops. Her hand gripping Song Chuyi’s trembled slightly, clearly showing extreme fear: “The Japanese envoys have already entered the capital! At the palace banquet, they personally made the request to Father Emperor. Mother Consort said the Ninth Princess absolutely will not go… The Japanese envoys would not be so blind as to insist on demanding the Ninth Princess from Father Emperor…”

Consort Song’s intuition had always been incredibly keen. She had probably immediately sensed something was wrong. Prince Duan would of course never push his own younger sister into the fire pit. And since the Ninth Princess was unsuitable, then after the Ninth Princess, the most suitable was obviously the Eleventh Princess. They were clearly coming for the Eleventh Princess and the Song family.