Song Jinzhao received the news even faster than the palace did.
"Does the State of Shuobei have any princesses?"
Lan Xi nodded. "There are three. The eldest and second princesses are He Mingnan's full sisters."
Song Jinzhao pressed, "Are they already married?"
Lan Xi shook his head.
"The eldest and second princesses are married. When I fled Shuobei, the third princess was still quite young and hadn't wed yet."
After a moment of thought, Song Jinzhao said, "The leader of the marriage proposal delegation this time is Wang Nie, the Minister of Rites of Shuobei. He has probably seen you before. Just in case, you should stay inside the estate for the time being. Do not go out, lest you be recognized."
Lan Xi suggested, "I can go to the country estate. The factory has been working overtime lately, so it is a good time for me to go keep an eye on things."
Song Jinzhao thought it over. "That works. Take the Ferghana horse with you when you go; the next few months are its mating season."
Lan Xi's expression froze for a second. He had not expected Song Jinzhao to speak so bluntly.
Mating season.
Even if they were talking about an animal, hearing those words from a woman's mouth was still slightly disconcerting.
The County Princess really was quite different from ordinary women.
After Lan Xi left, Song Jinzhao swiveled her chair, rubbing her fingers together repeatedly.
After a while, she called out toward the door, "Qingshuang, come in for a moment."
Qingshuang, who had been guarding the door, immediately turned and pushed it open.
Song Jinzhao looked at her and ordered, "The Emperor will receive the marriage proposal delegation very soon. Once the news spreads, arrange for our people to stoke the flames among the commoners. Do it discreetly. Use the people we have planted in the beggars' gang."
Qingshuang nodded solemnly. "This servant understands. I will tell them to be careful."
Outside the Huitong Guesthouse, the carriage from the Prince of Qi's estate charged forward rapidly, as if the horses had been spooked.
When it came to a halt, the entire carriage rocked violently, nearly flipping over.
Dust billowed into the air. The guards standing at the entrance instinctively covered their mouths and noses, even squeezing their eyes shut.
"Your Highness, please slow down."
The wooden floorboards of the carriage thumped loudly under Xiao Rongche's heavy footsteps.
Upon seeing who had arrived, a guard looked puzzled and nudged his companion to go inside and fetch someone.
"Why is His Highness the Prince of Qi here? Shouldn't he be staying at his estate?"
After all, ever since the Prince of Qi returned to the capital, he had never stepped foot outside his gates unless summoned by the Emperor.
Rumor had it that the Prince of Qi was going blind in his left eye. Why would he come to the Huitong Guesthouse at a time like this?
"There are steps ahead. Please slow down, Your Highness." Supported by two servants, one on each side, Xiao Rongche was practically carried as he rushed inside.
Cao Mo, the director of the Huitong Guesthouse, ran over holding onto his hat. Seeing that the prince had already entered, he hastily dropped to his knees to pay his respects.
"This humble official, Cao Mo, greets His Highness the Prince of Qi."
Xiao Rongche's vision in his left eye was now severely impaired; he could only vaguely make out a dark silhouette appearing before him.
He reached out frantically, grabbing onto a pair of shoulders and gripping them tightly.
"Where is the marriage proposal delegation from Shuobei? Who is the chief envoy? Take me to him. I need to see him immediately."
Cao Mo blinked in a panic, feeling as though his shoulders were about to be crushed by Xiao Rongche's grip.
Gritting his teeth, he answered, "It is Wang Nie, the Minister of Rites of Shuobei. He is in the rear courtyard. He said he was going to take a nap. This humble official will take Your Highness there right away."
The courtyard where Wang Nie was staying was the exact same one Gong Linjue had stayed in during his previous visit.
However, the cotton rose flowers had already withered. It was now the growing season for the foliage, and the branches were covered in newly sprouted shoots, creating a lush, pale green canopy.
The guards stationed at the door saw Cao Mo charging toward them aggressively with eight men in tow, their expressions grim. The guards' hearts instantly leaped into their throats.
What was going on? It felt like they had come with ill intentions.
