Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

The two people in the room were startled by Qinglan's loud noise and couldn't help laughing.

Qi Xiao propped up his head, twisting Tang Ling's black hair with one hand and playing with it between his fingertips. He looked at Tang Ling with a playful smile in his eyes: "Your servant is really too naive."

Tang Ling smiled: "He's still young..."

"Oh? He's still young?" Qi Xiao raised his eyebrows and pressed forward. Qinglan was probably not much younger than Qi Xiao.

Tang Ling couldn't help but laugh. She stroked Qi Xiao's cheek and leaned forward to kiss him. She didn't know why he was so stingy.

Only after receiving Tang Ling's kiss did Qi Xiao let Qing Lan go. He lay back down and hugged Tang Ling again, closing his eyes and saying lazily, "Sleep a little longer."

"Aren't you going to the Dali Temple today?"

"Go. It's still early, I want to stay a little longer."

Tang Ling gently pushed Qi Xiao, signaling him to get up.

"Why are you afraid that I will scare Qinglan to tears again?"

Tang Ling coaxed Qi Xiao, saying, "Go earlier and come back earlier."

Qi Xiao grabbed Tang Ling's hand, pressed it against his chest, and suddenly asked seriously, "I did drink last night, but it wasn't an impulse. You can't go back on your word."

Qi Xiao's heartbeat seemed to be able to be seen through Tang Ling's palm, and every beat hit Tang Ling's heart hard.

"Well, it wasn't a spur of the moment thing. I promised, and I won't go back on my word."

Qi Xiao was finally satisfied. He hugged Tang Ling and kissed her for a while before leaving reluctantly.

***

Qi Xiao climbed over the wall and returned to Yangxizhai, where he saw three people sitting in a row in the corridor.

"Your Highness is back, and the bath water is prepared for you." Chi Yue looked at Qi Xiao approaching with a strong smile on his face, looking very happy.

"Yeah." Qi Xiao glanced at Chi Yue, then looked at Zong Sheng and Bai Xiqiao beside him. Zong Sheng didn't have much expression, but he frowned. Bai Xiqiao was already furious. He glared at Qi Xiao and turned away.

Qi Xiao went back to the house to wash up, leaving Chi Yue and Zong Sheng waiting in the corridor.

"Hahaha, I'll admit defeat. I told you that His Highness would definitely not come back at night."

Zong Sheng glanced at Chi Yue and asked, "Why are you so happy? Tang Ling recognized you. Is that a good thing?"

Chi Yue sat down on the porch, dangling one of his long legs with a smile, and laughed heartily, "I'm happy for Your Highness. Since Tang Ling recognized me and even let Your Highness stay overnight, it shows that he really loves Your Highness very much, even ignoring the hostile stance between the two countries. Isn't this the reason Your Highness should be happy?"

"Can……"

However, the Chen and Zhou countries have been hostile to each other for a hundred years. If we count the period of the Eight-Nation War, there is another two hundred years of hatred. How can we just ignore it and pretend it doesn't exist?

If this matter were to reach the ears of Marquis Xun An, no matter whether Tang Ling had feelings for Qi Xiao or not, it would be clear that Qi Xiao had repeatedly bullied Tang Ling. Marquis Xun An might even raise an army in anger, and that would mean another war.

Zong Sheng frowned deeply, not looking happy at all.

Chi Yue suddenly came over, raised his hand and tapped Zong Sheng's eyebrows with a snap of his fingers: "You, if you have someone you love, you will understand. For him, even if it means making the whole world your enemy, you will not hesitate. If we can have the same heart, there is nothing else to ask for."

Chi Yue was still smiling, but his eyes seemed to be filled with sincerity as he spoke, which made Zong Sheng look at him with bewilderment. It was unbelievable that someone as extremely selfish as Chi Yue would say that he would do anything for others. Zong Sheng didn't believe it. Chi Yue never said a single word of truth, not even a single word.

"Don't believe me?" Chi Yue held his chin with one hand, gave a bitter smile, and said lightly, "That's right. I've lied to you for so many years, how could you believe me?"

Zong Sheng felt inexplicably flustered when Chi Yue looked at him. Chi Yue seemed to be accustomed to lying, as if truth and falsehood had no meaning. But why did he say that he had been lying to him for many years?

"...What deceived me for so many years?"

Chi Yue burst out laughing: "Why do you believe this?"

...Zong Sheng took a deep breath. What on earth was he wasting time talking to Chi Yue about?

***

Bai Xiqiao did not drive, but sat in the car, folding his arms and staring at Qi Xiao.

"Brother, if you have something to say, just say it."

"Say you're useful?"

"It's no use looking at me."

Bai Xiqiao almost jumped up and punched Qi Xiao: "What happened yesterday? You drank so much last night? Drinking is fine, but... you acted so drunk... Hey! Me! If Master were here, he would be pissed to death by you!"

Yesterday, Baixiqiao was in the Jingji Protectorate. The interrogation of the hundred or so people from the Changming Company took a full day. The emperor had only given Cao Weishan five days to investigate Luo Yu's case. Tomorrow was Mid-Autumn Festival, and today was the final deadline. Cao Weishan had to complete the case even if it meant working day and night.

While Bai Xiqiao lacked Chi Yue's unpredictable methods and wasn't needed for the interrogation, he was simply overseeing the confiscation of Changming Trading Company for Cao Weishan and Qi Xiao to prevent anyone from exploiting the situation. The Ministry of Revenue had such a large hole, implicating the long-standing treasury deficit and Liaoshan County's military pay arrears. The Changming Trading Company, along with its associated gambling dens, had sealed off seven businesses in Yuanjing City, so the confiscation was imperative.

It was almost midnight when Bai Xiqiao finished counting the accounts and came out of the Jingji Protectorate. When he returned to Yangxizhai, Qi Xiao was already drunk and ran out without saying anything to him.

At that time, Bai Xiqiao knew that Qi Xiao was going to look for Tang Ling, but he didn't expect that he would not return all night.

"Brother, do you think I'm playing around? Fooling around?"

Bai Xiqiao looked at him and couldn't help but sigh. "I'm worried because I know you're not messing around. However, I didn't expect Tang Ling to keep you, so I'm even more worried. Tang Ling is the only son of Xun Anhou, who now holds sole control of the military and political power of the Zhou Kingdom. To put it bluntly, if Xun Anhou rebels, no one in the Zhou Kingdom will be able to stop him, and Tang Ling will then be the crown prince of Zhou Kingdom. Even if Xun Anhou sent Tang Ling to Dachen as a hostage, his main purpose wasn't to ease the internal affairs of Zhou Kingdom. He will return sooner or later. Do you still want to follow him to Zhou Kingdom?"

Xun'an Hou Tang He was the younger brother of Empress Dowager Zhou. The Tang family had held immense military power for generations, and the current Emperor Zhou's ascension to the throne was precisely due to the Tang family's influence. The Emperor Zhou was of similar age to Tang Ling, and had been on the throne for only two years. With Tang He holding both military and political power, he truly held absolute power.

How could he not be feared by Emperor Zhou and his court officials when holding such great power? Even if Tang He had no intention of being disloyal, he was actually plotting for power. The defeat at Taihua River made Tang He be criticized by the whole court. A rift had already arisen between Emperor Zhou and Tang He, the Marquis of Xun'an. He had no choice but to send his only son Tang Ling as a hostage in place of the prince in order to stabilize the court.

Tang Ling always has to go back.