Women disguised as men went to the battlefield and the emperor bowed down in submission.

After the court session ended, Xuan Yuan Yu did not move, waiting for Zhang Quan to come and invite him, but he waited until everyone had left and Zhang Quan still hadn't come.

Xuanyuan Yu was puzzled; he felt that today was very unusual. No one invited him, so he turned around and went to the Imperial Study on his own.

Xuanyuan Yu stood at the door with his hands tucked into his sleeves, watching Chu Xiao reviewing memorials.

Chu Xiao raised his eyebrows slightly, knowing that Xuan Yuan Yu had arrived, and continued to review the memorials without showing any emotion.

Xuan Yuan Yu approached and suddenly reached out to grab Chu Xiao's collar. Chu Xiao's collar wasn't high, and he dodged, revealing his fair neck, which was completely free of any hickeys. His Adam's apple was prominent and trembling slightly.

"Who are you? Where is Chu Xiao?" Xuan Yuan Yu asked anxiously and worriedly.

"I am Chu Xiao, Xuanyuan Yu. How dare you ambush me!" Chu Xiao stood up and said authoritatively.

"Tell me quickly, who are you? Where did you hide Chu Xiao?" Xuan Yuan Yu gritted his teeth and glared angrily at Chu Xiao.

"I don't know what you're talking about. If you continue to be so disrespectful, your Chu Prince's Mansion will be executed along with your entire clan," Chu Xiao threatened Xuan Yuan Yu.

"You dare!" Xuan Yuan Yu's inner strength surged within him, rushing towards Chu Xiao like a torrent.

The "Thunderclap" zither was placed in front of Chu Xiao. Chu Xiao reached out and plucked a note, and powerful internal energy surged out to block Xuan Yuan Yu's internal energy.

Chu Xiao slowly plucked the strings of his zither, the music flowing gently like a clear mountain spring, tinkling softly. The dark aura that had enveloped Xuan Yuan Yu in his rage slowly dissipated, and the surging internal energy within him was also guided and calmed.

The music seemed to possess a magical power, calming Xuan Yuan Yu's heart. He withdrew his inner energy and said to Chu Xiao, "You didn't play the zither to deal with me, but instead came to dissolve the malevolent energy within me. Who exactly are you, and what are your intentions?"

Chu Xiao remained immersed in the beautiful melody and did not reply to Xuan Yuan Yu.

Xuanyuan Yu did not make a move. After he finished playing the piece, Xuanyuan Yu asked, "Can you answer me now?"

Chu Xiao said, "I am Chu Xiao. The person you wish to see will be safe and sound, you can rest assured. If she wants to see you, you will meet naturally." Chu Xiao only gave a simple explanation because he saw that Xuan Yuan Yu genuinely cared about his sister.

Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Yu understood that the dead woman's disappearance was voluntary, and not because she was held hostage by this woman who looked exactly like him.

Thinking of this, Xuanyuan Yu became even angrier. Last night and this morning, he had so much time to talk to that damned woman, but she didn't.

It seems that woman needs to be educated, and thoroughly, otherwise he might not be able to handle the shock of losing her.

……

When Chu Xiao went to court, Lin Ruoshui changed into the princess's clothes and went to the princess's sleeping quarters, the Lingyu Palace, a magnificent and luxurious building situated in a vast green garden. The palace's exterior was elegant white, inlaid with gold decorations, appearing noble and magnificent. The palace roof was covered with shimmering glazed tiles, sparkling brilliantly in the sunlight.

Lin Ruoshui was stunned. She felt that Chu Xiao's father and mother should have loved Chu Ying the most; no palace in the entire palace could compare to Lingyu Palace. How much money and effort must have been put into creating such a magnificent palace?

Lin Ruoshui entered the hall, which was empty. After a moment, a eunuch's voice sounded behind her, "Greetings, Your Highness. This servant, Zhao Jingshun, is a second-rank head eunuch. You may call me Xiao Shunzi. Eunuch Zhang instructed me to follow you from now on. You are now my master, and I am willing to serve you faithfully."

Lin Ruoshui looked at Zhao Jingshun, who was kneeling at her feet and had a fair complexion. She smiled and helped Zhao Jingshun up, saying, "Since you intend to follow me, then let me tell you my rules. The rules are that you are not allowed to kneel all the time, nor are you allowed to call yourself a servant. Moreover, you are not allowed to kneel to me, nor to anyone else, except for the Emperor."

Zhao Jingshun thought, "The princess has been ill for many years; I never imagined the problem would be her head." He was about to kneel down to speak again, but then stood up straight and said, "Princess, this servant would never dare to be disrespectful."

"Then you can leave. Find someone bolder who doesn't have so many hierarchical concepts. Go ask around, whoever follows my rules will come and serve me here," Lin Ruoshui said firmly.

Zhao Jingshun was a little confused, but reacted quickly and said, "Princess, I'll do it. I will definitely abide by the princess's rules."

"Good, that's more like it. No wonder you became a second-rank chief eunuch at such a young age." Lin Ruoshui patted Zhao Jingshun on the shoulder.

Zhao Jingshun thought to himself, "I'm already 26, not young anymore. But this princess doesn't seem to be mentally ill; she simply doesn't like people kneeling before her. She seems very kind. Following a master like this, I'll suffer much less in the future."

"Princess, look behind me are 50 palace maids I carefully selected. Their looks, family background, and cleverness are all top-notch," Zhao Jingshun said proudly.

Lin Ruoshui stroked her chin, thinking, "Why bring so many people here? To clean? This palace is indeed quite large; it might be a bit difficult for one or two palace maids to clean it."

"Keep the 20 clever but unruly ones, and send the rest back," Lin Ruoshui said.

Zhao Jingshun paused for a moment and said, "Yes!" Zhao Jingshun thought to himself, "How many people in this palace are without manners? The first thing to do when you enter this palace is to learn the rules."

Zhao Jingshun selected 20 palace maids he considered clever, and dismissed the rest.

“Princess, I heard from Eunuch Zhang that the palace maids and eunuchs around you were all disobedient, so they were all dismissed. This time, will you choose your own personal maid, or will this old servant—no, no, I will choose for you?” Zhao Jingshun asked with a smile.

"Let me, the princess, take a look." Lin Ruoshui tried her best to act like a noble princess.

Twenty palace maids stood in a row, and Lin Ruoshui walked from one end to the other, sizing up this ancient beauty.

"Who among you likes this princess and is willing to follow her?" Lin Ruoshui asked.

The 20 palace maids were a little confused by Lin Ruoshui's question. They all wanted to follow the princess. The princess was so beautiful, had a gentle smile, and didn't follow so many rules. Naturally, they all wanted to follow her. But while they thought it, few of them said it out loud.

"I agree!" "I agree!" "I agree!" Three palace maids answered quickly in a row, and the remaining palace maids followed suit.

Lin Ruoshui smiled and looked at them, saying, "The first three who said they were willing, please step forward."

Three palace maids dressed identically and moving in unison walked out, and Lin Ruoshui looked at them with great delight.

Two younger ones and one slightly older one.

The two little ones looked very alike. They had delicate and exquisite features, long and curved eyebrows, and clear and bright eyes. When they smiled, two shallow dimples appeared on their cheeks. They were exactly the kind of people Lin Ruoshui liked.

The slightly older one had a straight nose, red lips and white teeth, a delicate face, and a graceful figure, like willow catkins fluttering in the wind. She exuded elegance and gentleness, wearing a long emerald green dress. The hem of the dress swayed gently with her steps, like a blooming flower.

Lin Ruoshui asked, "What are your names? How old are you?"

“Your Highness, my name is Biyu and her name is Bilan. We are cousins, and we are both 14 years old,” the lively and spirited Biyu replied.

“Your Highness, my name is Wanqing, and I am 18 years old,” Wanqing said gently.

"Very good, the three of you will be my personal maids from now on. Let's go." After saying this, Lin Ruoshui led the three into the inner hall.

Lin Ruoshui didn't know how to style her hair in the ancient style, so she asked Wanqing to help her. Biyu and Bilan were helping her choose the dress she would wear today.

Lin Ruoshui sat in front of the dressing table, looking at her graceful figure in the huge bronze mirror. Without the fake skin, she saw how slender her waist was in the mirror. She gently pinched it and thought that her waist was really too alluring, soft and thin, a natural beauty. She was really lucky to be able to transmigrate into this body.

As Lin Ruoshui was about to change her clothes, she suddenly sneezed, and an ominous premonition washed over her.

She wondered if Xuan Yuan Yu had discovered that Chu Xiao wasn't her, and if he was angrily scolding her. Lin Ruoshui thought this was highly likely. Why did her buttocks feel a dull ache? Would Xuan Yuan Yu punish her again for not telling him? She patted her heart and decided to go out of the palace to explain to Xuan Yuan Yu later.