After my whole family overheard my thoughts, they went berserk.

Qiu Tang was led by a maid to Si Xue'er's courtyard.

"Once the Second Miss is finished with her work, I will inform her. Miss Qiu, please rest here."

Qiu Tang said, "Is everyone in the manor so busy today? Am I disturbing you?"

The maid said, "Madam and Second Miss are receiving guests in the front hall. Master and Young Master are out busy with official business. Don't worry, Second Miss should be done soon."

Qiu Tang looked around. The maids in the courtyard were busy and no one paid attention to her, so she took the opportunity to inquire about her surroundings.

She wandered around the Si residence, eventually finding her way to the place she needed to go.

Soon, she found Si Pei'an's study, quietly pushed open the door, and hid inside.

He hurriedly took a few sheets of paper from his pocket, stuffed them under his booklet, tucked the stamp into his sleeve, and rushed out.

When I came out, I ran into Si Xue'er who was returning.

"Princess Consort?" Si Xue'er looked flustered when she saw Qiu Tang, who was coming from the front. She was just curious.

When Qiu Tang saw Si Xue'er, she was taken aback for a moment, but then stepped forward as if nothing had happened.

“Sister Xue’er, are you really here? The maid in the courtyard just said you were here, and I was going to look for you. I didn’t expect to actually run into you.”

Si Xue'er and her maidservant exchanged bewildered glances.

How did she get in?

The Si residence has always been closed to visitors. Even if someone came looking for her, they should have been informed first. Why were they allowed in?

Qiu Tang noticed her confusion: "Just now, I said I came to deliver the embroidery to you, and then I came in. I hope Xue'er won't be angry that I came to find you so abruptly?"

Even if Si Xue'er had her own thoughts, she couldn't reveal them.

She understood the principle that one shouldn't hit a customer who comes to their door.

"Princess Consort, come with me." Si Xue'er led her to her courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, the two sat in front of a stone table, and Qiu Tang took out a handkerchief.

“That day, I noticed that my sister liked this handkerchief, but since His Highness the Crown Prince was here, it was not appropriate to give it to her so readily. Today, I have come specifically to give it to my sister.”

Si Xue'er looked at the handkerchief and indeed liked it.

If the little princess hadn't reminded her, she wouldn't have known that Qiu Tang was Bai Haoxing's Crown Princess.

Now, she only feels wary of Qiu Tang.

"Tao'er, go and fetch the silver," Si Xue'er instructed.

Qiu Tang looked heartbroken as she held Si Xue'er's hand.

“What are you doing, sister? This handkerchief is a gift from me, yet you’re talking to me about money. Doesn’t that hurt our relationship?”

Si Xue'er awkwardly withdrew her hand, but in a very natural and generous manner.

"The Crown Princess is of noble status, how could Xue'er dare to presume upon her? Moreover, this is something the Crown Princess likes, so Xue'er naturally cannot take it for free."

As for their relationship, they had no relationship at all.

She doesn't associate with anyone from the Princess's residence. If Qiu Tang truly wants to be friends with her, she won't hide her identity as the Crown Prince's consort.

"Give this silver to the Crown Princess," Si Xue'er instructed Tao'er.

Qiu Tang felt humiliated and, with her hands frozen, had no choice but to accept the handkerchief.

"My sister is becoming more and more distant. I can still talk to her now, but if she marries His Highness the Crown Prince and becomes the Crown Princess, I'm afraid we'll have fewer and fewer opportunities to see each other."

"Miss Qiutang, what are you saying? His Highness the Crown Prince is merely an acquaintance, not at all like what you're saying. People's gossip is a fearsome thing, please don't misunderstand."

In reality, it was a reminder to her not to say anything carelessly.

Seeing that Si Xue'er was no longer weak, Qiu Tang could also sense that Si Xue'er was wary of her.

It's alright, she has already done what she needed to do.

"It was my oversight." Qiu Tang stood up and smiled slightly. "In that case, I'll take my leave."

Turning around, Qiu Tang's expression turned cold. If Si Xue'er treated her like this today, she shouldn't blame her for being ruthless.

Soon, she will make the Si family pay the price!

This can be considered a favor to the Third Prince. By eliminating the Si family, the Emperor would lose two capable assistants, which would be advantageous to the Third Prince.

Si Xue'er watched Qiu Tang leave and then instructed, "Go and find out who let her in."

How could someone be brought to the Si residence without her permission?

What if someone takes advantage of the loophole?

"Second Miss, she's a new maid in the courtyard. We probably let her in by accident," Tao'er said.

Si Xue'er felt a little uneasy.

Previously, unaware of Qiu Tang's true identity, she only thought that she was gentle and kind, and often seemed preoccupied.

But she felt terrified whenever it came to the Princess's residence and didn't want to have anything to do with it.

If the Crown Prince hadn't saved them that night, she didn't know what Bai Haoxing would have done to her, and she didn't know how badly her brother would have been beaten.

"Yes, tell them to be careful in the future. They are not allowed to let anyone in to see me without my permission," Si Xue'er said.

Tao'er chuckled to herself, "You won't even let the little princess go?"

According to her second young lady, the little princess secretly came to the mansion to find her, which cleared up the misunderstanding between her and the crown prince.

"You're so glib." Si Xue'er smiled shyly and immediately ordered, "Tell the servant at the door that he must not make things difficult for the little princess if he sees her in the future."

The one-year-old child was running around doing things for her and the Crown Prince.

It's really putting her in a difficult position.

After leaving the Si residence, Qiu Tang couldn't help but go to Qingya Tower.

Although she had some complaints about the Third Prince after leaving Qingya Tower in the morning, accusing him of drugging her and forcing her to spend the night outside, which could have killed her.

But she still wanted to find the Third Prince and explain the matter clearly.

She waited and waited in her room at Qingya Building, but no one came. Finally, she couldn't help but ask the contact person.

"Does the Third Prince no longer wish to see me?" Qiu Tang asked.

She was terrified that the Third Prince would abandon her; if he did, she would have nothing left.

"Miss Qiutang, the Third Prince is very busy these days. If you have any messages, I can pass them on for you," the contact person said respectfully.

Qiu Tang sneered: "How can my feelings for the Third Prince be discussed with others? I just miss him and want to see him."

She felt increasingly disappointed; the Third Prince was no longer treating her the same way he used to.

It must be because she did something wrong that the Third Prince is angry with her.

Qiu Tang walked out of Qingya Tower dejectedly, unaware that her departure from the Princess's residence had already been clearly observed.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

The time for paying tribute is approaching, and princes or envoys from the four countries are coming to their respective embassies to stay.

As the head of the inspection office, Luo Jialin was in the midst of a discipline crackdown, so he led a group of people to conduct surprise inspections everywhere.

At this moment, he is reporting to the Emperor on the recent movements of the various court officials.

"Your Majesty, yesterday Lord Wu Xu chatted with the envoy from the Western Moon Kingdom in the red-light district. The two talked for a full half hour!"

"Oh? Did you send someone to investigate? What did they talk about?" the Emperor asked curiously.

Luo Jialin said, "I checked, and they met by chance, but they couldn't communicate because of the language barrier. They each spoke their own language, and in the end, Lord Wu had to go back because he needed to urinate."

"Any important clues?" What the emperor wanted to hear was whether any ministers in the court were being restless and secretly contacting them.