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

After the private banquet, Huang Zexian waited in the study for Tang Ling to come back.

"how?"

Tang Ling smiled and nodded: "Go check on these two people, Bai Liu and Cao Weishan."

Huang Zexian was shocked: "This King of Chu is so bold. My lord, please be careful of him."

"I know my limits." Tang Ling sat down at the desk and picked up a pen to write a letter to her father, Xun Anhou. He and Qi Xiao were each other's bait and hook. They could use each other now, but in the future they would have to fight to the death.

***

Bai Xiqiao also returned to Yangxizhai at dinner time, but he missed Qi Xiao and Zong Sheng going out, so he had to eat alone in a boring way. Zong Sheng came back alone just after finishing his meal.

"Where's Xiao'er?"

"Huaxi Villa."

"where?"

Zong Sheng sighed, "Young Master Tang invites me over for lunch."

Bai Xiqiao suddenly jumped up: "Then you came back by yourself?!"

"My master asked me to come back."

"You..." Bai Xiqiao stared at Zong Sheng until his eyes were sore, but seeing no reaction from Zong Sheng, he gave up. "Could you please stop being so obedient? Don't you know Xiao'er's temper? If you always follow him, you'll get into trouble sooner or later."

Zong Sheng glared back at Bai Xiqiao: "I dare not disobey the master's orders."

If Zong Sheng were to tell it, Qi Xiao's worst misfortune of recent years began with his acquaintance with Bai Xiqiao. If Qi Xiao hadn't wandered off hunting that year, wandering to the foot of Fenglin Mountain and chasing Bai Xiqiao's untamable horse, leading to their acquaintance, and ultimately, Bai Xiqiao's ambush, leading to his enticement into the Hanchen Sect and his apprenticeship with Gu Shanmo... how could Qi Xiao have been involved in all the subsequent events? And how could his master now, seeking revenge, return to Yuanjing and plunge himself into the bloodbath?

Bai Xiqiao couldn't help but raise his hand and poke Zong Sheng in the forehead. "You've really been too honest, haven't you? Wasn't the commotion last night big enough? Now the entire Yuan capital knows about it. The Crown Prince of Zhou is stunningly handsome, and then there's the story about the Prince of Chu being a dashing hero saving a beautiful woman. What nonsense! It's completely groundless. If Xiao'er goes to Tang Ling again, won't that give people something to talk about? Do you know that colluding with an enemy nation is a serious crime punishable by confiscation of property and extermination of the entire clan?"

"...Oh." Zong Sheng responded in a low voice. It was impossible for Qi Xiao to confiscate his property and exterminate his clan.

"Ah..." Bai Xiqiao sighed and held his forehead with his hand. "It's useless to tell you. I'll go get him back right away."

Zong Sheng stepped forward and stopped Bai Xiqiao: "I have my own plans."

"What's his plan? Using the Xingluo Guards to investigate my father's case? Is he crazy?" Ever since capturing Ye Huai at the Chu Palace, Bai Xiqiao knew Tang Ling was no ordinary person. With the Xingluo Guards as his secret guards, this young marquis must be even more formidable than the rumors say. For the dozen days on the Qin River, Bai Xiqiao kept an eye on Ye Huai and Tang Ling almost day and night, only to let them find a chance to hide something in their belly. Such a person, with such means and scheming, must not be kept alive. Qi Xiao couldn't kill Tang Ling, but couldn't he just hide? Why did he have to deliver himself to her?

"There's no point in worrying. No one can stop me from doing what I want to do."

Bai Xiqiao twitched his lips. "Are you praising him? Or are you saying you and I are useless?"

"As long as I give the order, I will go through fire and water without hesitation, but you..."

"Me? Me? You treat Qi Xiao as your master and listen to him in everything. I treat Xiao'er as my own brother. I can not take revenge, but he cannot be in any harm!" Bai Xiqiao suddenly exploded and left with a flick of his sleeves.

Zong Sheng knew he had said the wrong thing and lowered his head.

Qi Xiao returned to Yangxizhai and found Zong Sheng waiting for him at the gate. Qi Xiao noticed immediately that Zong Sheng looked unhappy. Zong Sheng was usually very serious, with a dull expression on his face. However, Qi Xiao and Zong Sheng had grown up together and were very familiar with each other. He could tell that Zong Sheng was worried.

"what happened?"

"Bai Xiqiao is back and in the study."

"You had a fight with him?" Qi Xiao guessed and couldn't help laughing. "How did he offend you? How could he make you so unhappy?"

“…I provoked him.”

"Oh... then I get it. It's because of Tang Ling. Bai Xiqiao must have heard some rumors outside and is feeling unhappy." Qi Xiao patted Zong Sheng's shoulder, "Ignore him."

"Master..." Zong Sheng hesitated for a moment, the words still on the tip of his tongue. Whether Bai Xiqiao was right or wrong was none of his concern; his duty was simply to follow Qi Xiao and obey his orders. Furthermore, his trust in Qi Xiao wasn't blind; he didn't believe Bai Xiqiao was smarter, more perceptive, or more capable of assessing the situation than Qi Xiao.

Qi Xiao waved his hand gently and asked Zong Sheng to go back and rest first, and he went to see Bai Xiqiao himself.

"Brother, you're back. Where did you go to play this morning?"

Bai Xiqiao fidgeted restlessly in his study, wanting to rush to Huaxi Villa and bring Qi Xiao back every minute. But every time he reached the door, he turned back, fearing that his impulsiveness would cause him to do something bad. Just as he was getting anxious, Qi Xiao returned with a playful smile on his face, which made him angry. "Playing? Still playing! Do you know that the whole Yuanjing City is going crazy today about what happened in Wanqinzhai last night? Rumors are really scary!"

"Haha, senior brother, tell me quickly, what's the rumor?" Qi Xiao sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, crossed his legs, and looked relaxed, as if he was enjoying watching the fun.

Bai Xiqiao was practically pissed off at Qi Xiao. He raised his hand and poked Qi Xiao in the forehead. "Can't you be more careful? Don't you know how treacherous Yuanjing is? Yesterday, you helped Tang Ling. It seemed like just a few words, but with that one sentence, you not only offended the Princess and Zhao Lianhai, but you also rashly appeared in front of the Fifth and Seventh Brothers. Coincidentally, Lu Fangjin was also there. You're not stirring up trouble for Zhao Yi, but for the Fifth and Seventh Brothers! Those who don't understand will think you have a secret relationship with Tang Ling, while those who think too deeply will only wonder why you went to Wanqinzhai. You got yourself into trouble for no reason, and you even went to Tang Ling's place. Do you know how many eyes and ears there are in this guild hall, and where they'll tip off and to whom?!"

Bai Xiqiao talked a lot in one breath, which made his mouth dry. He snatched the teacup from Qi Xiao's hand and drank the water in one gulp to moisten his throat and relieve his anger.

Qi Xiao had expected this. The rumors in the city were divided into two camps. One camp was laughing at Zhao Yi and spreading the news of Tang Ling's beauty. The other camp was pondering the court situation. The center of the storm was Lu Fangjin. They wanted to see whether Lu Fangjin would join the Fifth Prince Qi Li or be recruited by the Seventh Prince Qi Ting. Now Qi Xiao showed up to disrupt the situation, but he didn't know which side the unknown and powerless Ninth Prince was going to lean towards by deliberately showing up in front of the Fifth and Seventh Princes.

"It's just a rumor. Don't pay attention to it. There were many rumors about me when I was in Fuzhou Prefecture. Why are you making such a fuss?" Qi Xiao's cup of tea was snatched away, so he could only pour himself another cup.