Forced to be a concubine? I turned around and married the scumbag's father.

Gu Hua had Dong Qing arrange a carriage for them, and Yi Yun led Yin Tao out of the mansion, heading straight for the bookstore.

Yin Tao whispered, "The princess sent the carriage so the driver would keep an eye on us, right? What if we expose them?"

Yiyun replied dismissively, "Don't worry. The princess only knows that it's a bookstore, and the waiter even personally delivered a book that the princess wanted to read. The princess won't suspect anything."

Hearing this, Yin Tao felt relieved and opened the car window to look outside.

They soon arrived at the bookstore. Upon seeing Yiyun, the waiter immediately led her to the inner room with great enthusiasm. He glanced at Yin Tao and asked with a smile, "This must be Miss Yin Tao, right?"

Yin Tao's eyes lit up: "You know me?"

The waiter chuckled, "Of course I know. We're sending them to the Prince's residence for the two young ladies."

Yin Tao was relieved. The Empress hadn't forgotten her. It must be because Yi Yun's background was better than hers that the Empress treated her differently.

"Please wait a moment, ladies. I'll go and call the manager."

Yin Tao hurriedly said to Yi Yun, "I'm going to the outhouse."

Before Yiyun could speak, she had already chased after Xiao Er outside.

The waiter heard footsteps and turned to look at her.

Yin Tao quickly stepped forward and stood beside him, whispering, "I need to see the manager first; I have something important to say."

The waiter didn't object and led Yin Tao directly to another room.

When Yin Tao saw the shopkeeper, she greeted him warmly, curtsied to him, and said in a sweet voice, "Shopkeeper, my name is Yin Tao."

The shopkeeper nodded slightly: "Greetings, Miss Yin Tao."

Yin Tao said earnestly, "In order to fulfill Her Majesty the Empress's decree, I have no choice but to resort to this tactic. Yi Yun is of noble birth, and she cannot bring herself to do it. Therefore, I can only find a way myself, and I beg the shopkeeper for help."

The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow; he hadn't expected Yin Tao to try and find a shortcut by stepping on Yi Yun.

"What does the girl plan to do?"

"Shopkeeper, please keep this from Yiyun for me. I want to go to the Jiaofangsi in Juzhou. There are some sisters I know there. I need to ask her for something."

The shopkeeper frowned: "Juzhou Jiaofangsi? If you go there, you will be discovered immediately, and someone will report it to the prefectural government. Juzhou Jiaofangsi is different from other prefectural governments; the prefectural government is keeping a close eye on it."

Yin Tao was taken aback.

Then his eyes lit up, and he lowered his voice: "That shopkeeper helped me find something. As long as I have this, I can take down Prince Yong. Then I can get any information I want."

"Oh? What does the young lady want?"

Yin Tao stepped forward, and the shopkeeper instinctively stepped back, but she grabbed his hand and wrote two words in his palm.

The shopkeeper's face twisted slightly, but he patiently waited for her to finish writing before impatiently withdrawing his hand and taking out a handkerchief to wipe it.

Indifferently: "Okay."

Seeing his actions, Yin Tao felt a surge of anger, but she had to beg him, so she could only swallow her anger, say thank you, and turn to leave.

The shopkeeper threw the handkerchief into the wastepaper basket with a look of disgust.

The waiter chuckled, "A prostitute by trade, all she has are these tricks. Does she really think she can win over Prince Yong just by getting into his bed? If it were that easy, Prince Yong would have been finished long ago."

The shopkeeper smiled dismissively: "Her Majesty the Empress is right to value Miss Yiyun more. If it weren't to avoid making Yiyun stand out too much, she would never have chosen another fool. Give her what she wants, and if she wants to court death, let her."

The shopkeeper said two words to him, "It's inside, go and come back."

The waiter nodded and left.

The shopkeeper entered the room, and Yiyun curtsied respectfully: "This humble girl greets the shopkeeper."

Yin Tao was unhappy because he had previously looked down on her, so she stood still.

Yiyun didn't bother with her.

The innkeeper said politely, "Please have a seat, ladies."

The two sat down as instructed, and Yiyun got straight to the point: "Shopkeeper, it's been very difficult for us to get out. The Prince's mansion is keeping a close watch on us. Do you think there's any way to exchange information inside the mansion?"

The princess said that only by getting them to spread the word could they uproot this group of spies.

Only by eliminating the root of the problem and saving her father can the two of them truly live safely.

The shopkeeper nodded: "That's fine. Has Prince Yong made any moves lately?"

Seeing that the shopkeeper was talking to Yiyun and ignoring her completely, Yin Tao couldn't help but interrupt, "Prince Yong goes out early and returns late every day. After returning, he plays with the children in Fulu Hall. After dinner, he goes back to the main courtyard with the Princess."

Yiyun glanced at her.

She actually secretly went to observe Mu Junyan and his group's actions.

Yin Tao looked back at Yi Yun defiantly: "We have to do something to avoid disappointing Her Majesty the Empress, don't you think?"

Yiyun nodded: "Yes."

She turned to the shopkeeper: "Recently, the princess has been nicer to me and seems to have lowered her guard against us, but I have to report to the princess every time I leave the mansion. I can't always use taking books as an excuse."

"Don't worry, I understand."

The shopkeeper handed Yiyun two books: "Then you should go back as soon as possible to avoid arousing suspicion. I will arrange the location for exchanging the tokens and find a way to inform you."

Yiyun stood up, took the book, and bowed slightly: "Then we'll be going now."

Yin Tao grew anxious: "Shopkeeper."

She hadn't received what she wanted yet, and she didn't want Yiyun to know, but she herself was afraid she wouldn't be able to leave the palace.

The shopkeeper ignored her, gestured for her to leave, and went out the door one after the other with Yiyun.

Yin Tao was furious. If she couldn't get what she wanted today, how could she win over Mu Junyan and let the Empress know how capable she was?

The three arrived at the main hall of the shop, and the young master came out from inside, holding a small bottle in his hand.

The shopkeeper gestured for him to give Yin Tao.

Yin Tao was overjoyed, but she didn't want Yi Yun to see it, but it was too late now.

She could only accept it, forcing a smile: "Thank you, shopkeeper. This is what's helping me get rid of my rash."

The shopkeeper neither confirmed nor denied it, nor did he expose them. He simply smiled faintly and gestured for them to leave on their own.

Yiyun and Yintao went out, and the carriage stopped under a tree not far away. The coachman was fast asleep in the carriage.

Yin Tao whispered, "They're sleeping so soundly, they weren't spying on us."

Yiyun nodded and went over to wake the coachman.

Upon returning to the Prince's residence, Yiyun said, "I will go and report to the Princess."

"I'll go as well."

Yin Tao always felt that Yi Yun was up to something and that she absolutely couldn't let her benefit from it.

"it is good."

Yiyun had no choice but to agree.

Gu Hua was playing with the children when she heard that Yi Yun and the others had returned, so she went out to the outer courtyard.

"came back?"

Yiyun stepped forward and curtsied: "Yes, this servant went to get two more books, but these two books are borrowed and only cost two coins. I can return them later."

Yin Tao raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, thinking, "They're quite good at making things up."

She has a deceptive face and pretends to be noble!

Gu Hua smiled gently and said, "Buying books doesn't cost much, there's no need to be so frugal."

Yiyun said softly, "Your Highness is too kind to me. I'm just passing the time. I don't need to keep it after I've finished reading it, so as not to waste money."

Gu Hua praised, "You're a good girl who knows how to manage a household. If you like reading miscellaneous books, there are many in the Wenhanxuan study in the front yard. I'll have Dongmo take you to choose some later."

Yiyun's eyes widened. Was this the front yard that allowed her to approach the prince?

The Prince's Wenhan Pavilion was the most heavily guarded.

Although people can borrow books from the study next door, they must obtain permission from the prince and princess.

Yiyun quickly curtsied and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

After waiting for them to finish speaking, Yin Tao quickly said, "Your Highness, I don't have any special skills, but I can make a few kinds of Qinhuai tea fruits. They are beautiful and delicious. I wonder if I could make some for Your Highness to try?"

Gu Hua's eyes lit up: "Oh, you have this skill? Okay, let's give it a try."

She pointed at Yun'er: "If you want to do it, ask Yun'er to take you to the kitchen."

Yin Tao was overjoyed: "Thank you, Your Highness."

If she can make it a few more times and make them like it, so that they no longer have any reservations about her desserts, then she will have a chance to make her move.

Yiyun was anxious; she didn't have a chance to tell the princess that Yin Tao might take action.