Who put the yellow robe on me?

Sixteenth Prince Jiang Chen's expression suddenly shifted from surprise to complexity, his eyes gleaming with disbelief. His voice was low but filled with shock: "He Xiaowei...was engaged to the Minister of Rites, Mu Zhengyi, since childhood? The two families have never mentioned this before, so why are they bringing it up again now?"

Countless questions surged in his mind, as if a cold wind blew through his heart.

Jiang Chen felt his heartbeat quicken, his ears buzzing, and an indescribable tension in the air.

He took a deep breath and said, "Let's go! Thirteenth sister, let's go to the Prime Minister's Mansion and find out what's going on!"

At this moment, a hint of gentle worry flashed across Thirteenth Princess Jiang Sirou's brows. She said softly but firmly, "Sixteenth Brother, it's almost curfew now. No matter how urgent the matter is, there's no need to rush. Let's not rush for a while. Let's stabilize the situation first. It won't be too late to go to the Prime Minister's Mansion tomorrow morning."

Jiang Chen frowned, but he couldn't hide a trace of worry in his heart. He whispered worriedly: "But... in such a short time, there won't be any changes, right? What if the situation suddenly changes..."

Faced with this sudden news, he felt as if the blood in his body had frozen and cold sweat quietly seeped out.

"Don't worry," Jiang Sirou patted his shoulder gently upon seeing this, and said softly, "Xiao Wei'er has been a well-behaved and sensible girl since she was young, and Prime Minister He has always been strict and reasonable. I don't think there will be any trouble tonight. Don't worry, all the questions will be answered by tomorrow morning."

In this conversation intertwined with tension and warmth, the two looked at each other, with a hint of worry and expectation in their eyes.

The sky gradually darkened, and the wind began to pick up beneath the palace walls of the capital, as if foreshadowing that tomorrow would not be a peaceful day.

……

The next morning, the dawn was just breaking and the air was filled with mist. Jiang Chen hurriedly searched for Jiang Sirou in the palace early in the morning.

His heart was still turbulent, and he couldn't calm down for a long time because of the sudden news.

In the corridor, the morning light shone through the carved window lattices, casting mottled shadows. His eyes were full of anticipation and anxiety.

Finally, in a corner of the imperial garden, Jiang Chen saw Jiang Sirou who had been waiting for a long time.

She was dressed in a simple palace dress, her face slightly tired, yet still radiating determination and tenderness. The two smiled at each other, understanding each other, and then they went to the Prime Minister's Mansion together.

"Jiang Chen is here! Jiang Sirou is here!"

When the two of them walked into the gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion, the spacious courtyard was already quiet.

After entering the main hall, Prime Minister He was slightly surprised to see Jiang Chen. A hint of complexity seemed to flash across his deep eyes, but he immediately restrained his emotions and said with a smile: "Your Highness, although the situation in Emperor Liang's bedroom yesterday was thrilling, His Majesty knows how to respect you. You can rest assured. I am also aware that the situation in the court is complicated, and now the affairs in the northern border are urgent..." His tone was understated, and he chatted with Jiang Chen about the general situation of the world.

Jiang Chen listened secretly to Prime Minister He's story, but a subtle sense of unease arose in his heart.

He knew that Prime Minister He's words did not show any sign of being overly close to him, but for some reason there was a hint of evasion in his eyes.

Jiang Chen thought: Prime Minister He never seems to be willing to get too close to the prince on key issues, but the look in his eyes today... is there something else going on?

The two chatted for a long time about the situation in the north and the various countermeasures in the court.

Prime Minister He's words sometimes revealed confidence in the future, and sometimes seemed to conceal worries. Just as he was about to turn to ask about He Xiaowei's recent situation, there was a sudden sound of light, hurried footsteps outside the main hall, mixed with a few whispers, as if someone was approaching stealthily.

Just as Prime Minister He and Jiang Chen were wondering about the origin of the voice, the door was suddenly opened and a weak figure appeared at the door - it was Jiang Sirou.

Jiang Sirou's face showed a trace of pain, but she pretended to be calm and said to Jiang Chen lightly: "Sixteenth brother, I feel a little unwell. You should send me back first."

There was a seemingly casual tiredness in her voice, but in fact, there was a subtle cunning hidden in it, as if she was sending some secret signal to Jiang Chen.

However, Jiang Sirou's sudden behavior immediately made him wonder: Why did she suddenly act so powerless at this moment?

Jiang Chen frowned, thinking to himself: Why did Thirteenth Sister suddenly back down at such a critical moment?

But then, he caught sight of her smiling, winking eyes, hinting at some deeper plan. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly stood up and said to Prime Minister He, "Prime Minister, I will send Thirteenth Sister to the palace first."

Prime Minister He nodded slightly, a barely perceptible emotion flashed in his eyes, and Jiang Chen and Jiang Sirou left the Prime Minister's Mansion together.

The two of them rode in the same carriage and slowly drove out of the mansion. In the morning mist, the sound of horse hooves and the low echo of wheels rubbing against the bluestone road surface echoed leisurely in the streets and alleys of the capital.

Inside the carriage, Jiang Chen's face was full of confusion as he asked in a low voice, "Thirteenth Sister, what happened? Did you see Xiao Wei'er?" There was a hint of anxiety in his voice.

Jiang Sirou opened her red lips slightly, her eyes soft but firm as she said, "Yes, I saw her. She told me that everything is fine now, but she can't go into details about the specific situation... When you went to see Prime Minister He, she was worried that you couldn't control your emotions, so she hurriedly asked me to find you and take you away from there."

There was a hint of gentle teasing in her words, but also seemed to imply foresight.

After hearing this, Jiang Chen felt a surge of complex emotions in his heart. He wondered to himself: Does He Xiaowei have any backup plan?

"And then?" he pressed, his voice low, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of anticipation and worry.

A sly smile flashed across Jiang Sirou's eyes, and she said softly, "Three days from now, during the Dragon Boat Festival, there will be a lantern festival in the capital. Xiao Wei'er said she would tell us everything then."

Her tone was deliberately casual, but it hinted at something that was about to be revealed...

Jiang Chen was silently thinking in his mind, although today is the second day of May, will there be other unforeseen changes in these short three days?

He looked out the window at the gradually brightening sky, his eyes filled with a mixture of determination and worry. He nodded gently and said, "Okay, then I'll see you at the East Market Gate in Beijing in three days."

From his words, he seemed to have made up his mind to clear up the mystery one by one and not let He Xiaowei marry Mu Zhengyi no matter what.

Mu Zhengyi's father, the Minister of Rites, Mu Shenru, now has such a close relationship with the Sixth Prince Jiang Fu and the Ninth Prince Jiang Yu that he might bring disaster to Xiao Wei'er in the future. The Sixteenth Prince Jiang Chen absolutely cannot allow such a thing to happen...

Absolutely not!