The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Qi Xiao looked at Bairen with a smile, "I have some matters to attend to today and may not be back for the whole day. If you feel bored, you can head back to the manor first."

Bairen couldn't help but widen his eyes. These past few days, he had told Qi Xiao more than once that he wanted to return to the manor, but Qi Xiao had always blocked him with various reasons. Now, without him even mentioning it, Qi Xiao was actually willing to let him go back.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Qi Xiao smiled, "Don't tell me you don't want to go back? That would be great."

Bairen shook his head, "I'm just surprised that Your Highness suddenly changed your mind. In that case, I'll pack up now..."

"No need for you to pack." Qi Xiao waved his hand, dismissing the maids in the room, and said with a smile, "The wound on your neck hasn't fully healed yet. I've asked them to get two more bottles of medicine from the imperial physicians. Take them back with you and remember to apply the medicine morning and night. Be careful not to leave any scars.

"I've also asked them to prepare some rare tonics from my storehouse for you to bring back. Remember to have them cook the medicinal meals for you according to the prescription I gave you."

Hearing Qi Xiao's detailed instructions, Bairen felt a warmth in his heart and softly acknowledged them. Seeing his obedient appearance, Qi Xiao was pleased. Finally, he added in a low voice, "And also... as we agreed before, whenever I send someone to pick you up, you must come over then."

Upon hearing this, Bairen's face instantly turned red. He looked around in a fluster. Qi Xiao deliberately teased him, smiling, "Why are you playing dumb? This is what you promised me before. Say it..."

Bairen inwardly complained. Since he already knew it was something agreed upon long ago, why bring it up again and again? It's not like he would go back on his word.

However, Qi Xiao remained relentless. He threatened that if Bairen wouldn't say it, he would take action himself, forcing Bairen to repeat it with a blushing face before finally feeling satisfied. He kissed Bairen's lips and chuckled softly, "Remember your own words. Alright, they've prepared the carriage. You can leave after sitting for a bit."

Outside, the early snow was gradually melting, and a north wind was blowing, making it quite cold. Bairen hadn't brought any thick clothes with him, so Qi Xiao simply wrapped his own cloak around Bairen and ordered someone to bring him a hand warmer. Bairen laughed helplessly, "Your Highness... although I've never experienced winter in the north, I can still endure the cold. There's no need to be so careful."

"It's never wrong to be careful." Qi Xiao sent him to the carriage. This time, it was still Shunzi driving. Qi Xiao's heart inexplicably thumped a few times as he looked at the newly painted carriage. After some thought, he took Bairen's hand and said with a smile, "Do you still remember what I made you say earlier?"

Bairen didn't expect Qi Xiao to bring this up again in front of so many people. There was a hint of anger in his eyes, but he was so handsome and his eyes were as clear as a spring, so his indignant look only made him appear pitiful and adorable. Qi Xiao reassured him with a smile, "No... I just want to remind you again. Take a good look at this person..."

Bairen instinctively followed Qi Xiao's gaze and turned to look at the carriage driver standing to the side. The man, seeing that Qi Xiao had mentioned him, stepped forward and greeted Bairen, "Greetings, young prince. I am Shunzi, and from now on, I will be in charge of picking up and dropping off the young prince."

Bairen knew that this man was Qi Xiao's close brother, different from other servants. He also nodded and greeted him. Qi Xiao adjusted Bairen's cloak for him and inconspicuously squeezed his hand, whispering, "Remember, I won't send anyone else to pick you up except for him."

Bairen instantly understood and couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. He inwardly sighed that he was still not vigilant enough and nodded in response, "I'll keep that in mind."

"There's still snow on the road, be careful." Qi Xiao patted Shunzi's shoulder, "Go."

Shunzi acknowledged and got on the carriage, setting off.

After sending him away, Qi Xiao slowly strolled back to the courtyard. Jiang Deqing followed him and said in a low voice, "Your Highness's thoughts are truly meticulous, even considering this aspect. Indeed, if someone were to find out about your relationship with the young prince and pretend to be sent by you to trick the young prince into going elsewhere... the consequences would be unimaginable. Sigh, actually, given the young prince's special identity, apart from those brainless fools, no one would dare to provoke him."

Qi Xiao's gentleness from when he was with Bairen had disappeared. He let out a cold laugh, "But there are always those idiots who rush to court death."

Jiang Deqing frowned slightly, "Could it be... that Your Highness knows someone intends to harm the young prince?"

Qi Xiao shook his head, "No, it's just a precaution. He just made an enemy of the Feng family, so we can't be careless. The people of the Feng Manor still have some sense, but Empress Feng, hehe..."

Jiang Deqing had served the late Empress Xiaoxian and took pride in his status. He looked down on Empress Feng and nodded with a smile, "That's true. I heard that yesterday, Empress Feng prepared a grand feast and specifically sent someone to invite the Emperor. Empress Feng still cared about face and ordered everyone not to gossip, but how could that be kept hidden? These days, the Emperor hasn't visited Fenghua Palace, and everyone's eyes are watching. Now everyone knows, and the Empress has to take the initiative to apologize after being taught a lesson. How meaningless!"

Qi Xiao let out a cold laugh without saying anything. Jiang Deqing continued to ramble, "As the empress, Empress Feng is far inferior to Empress Xiaoxian back then. This old servant still remembers... back then, Empress Xiaoxian felt distressed that the late Emperor was busy with state affairs day and night, so she would personally cook soups and porridges for him. How virtuous!

"Later, one day, she accidentally scalded her wrist. The late Emperor was so furious that he almost overturned the entire imperial kitchen. It was only after Empress Xiaoxian's earnest persuasion that the late Emperor spared those palace servants. After that, let alone the imperial kitchen, the late Emperor didn't even allow Empress Xiaoxian to enter the small kitchen in her own palace, fearing that the Empress would get injured or hurt again. This story even spread outside the palace and became a tale of love..."

Jiang Deqing smiled at this point, "Come to think of it... Your Highness's temper is indeed the same as the late Emperor's. You can't bear to see your beloved suffer even a little."

Qi Xiao had something on his mind and wasn't really listening to Jiang Deqing's chatter. Suddenly, this sentence happened to enter his ears, and he smiled, "Really?"

Jiang Deqing quickly said, "Absolutely! Those lowly creatures always say behind their backs that the late Emperor had a cruel and ruthless temperament, but that was only towards them! In private, the late Emperor was extremely gentle and affectionate with Empress Xiaoxian. It's just that others were not fortunate enough to witness it. This old servant has noticed these past few days that when Your Highness is with the young prince... there's a hint of the late Emperor's demeanor from back then."

Qi Xiao shook his head with a smile, "How can it be the same..."

"How is it not the same? This old servant has been observing... Your Highness's attitude towards the young prince has also changed from before," Jiang Deqing thought for a moment and smiled, "This old servant can't quite put it into words, but I feel it's vastly different from before."

Qi Xiao wasn't so optimistic. He smiled faintly and said, "Far from it... To keep someone in place, you must first be able to protect them. If you really want to hold them tightly, you have to keep climbing up. If they're all like Cen Chaoge, running wherever it's comfortable, the people around them will be snatched away sooner or later."

Jiang Deqing didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Just because His Highness himself liked Bairen, did he think everyone would come to snatch him away?

However, Jiang Deqing had previously been a little worried that Qi Xiao would neglect his duties because of Bairen. Now seeing that Qi Xiao's competitive spirit was even stronger than before, he felt relieved. He nodded with a smile and said, "Your Highness is right."

As the two walked into the main hall, Qi Xiao lowered his voice and said, "Keep investigating that matter. These people are engaged in a deadly trade, living day by day. They often have some backup plans. Send more people to search even their ancestral graves."

Jiang Deqing agreed, then paused and said, "Those two girls are quite well-behaved. Perhaps they learned a lesson after being scolded by the Princess Dunsu. These past few days, they only fiddled with needlework. If we don't let them come to the front, they just stay in the back."

Qi Xiao nodded, "Still, keep a close eye on them. Have the two live separately and don't let them whisper together every day. If Bairen comes one day, you need to be even more vigilant."

Jiang Deqing was nodding in agreement when a senior maidservant came in, bowed, and said, "Your Highness, the Princess sent someone to invite you. She said the princess's manor has a new chef and invites Your Highness to go there for lunch."

...

In the princess's manor, Qi Xiao was welcomed by the steward all the way into the main building's hall. The Princess Dunsu was leaning on a couch, looking at an account book. Seeing Qi Xiao arrive, she sat up and said with a smile, "Are you cold? Don't bother with those empty formalities. Come sit here. Bring a foot warmer for the crown prince."

Qi Xiao paid his respects, sat down, looked around and said with a smile, "Aunt, is there anything you're lacking here? I'll go find it for you."

"With all the things you sent over, what could I possibly lack?" The Princess Dunsu smiled, took Qi Xiao's hand and patted it. She turned to the others and said, "You can go down first."

Qi Xiao smiled, "Aunt, do you have something to discuss? Where are Uncle and my cousins?"

"The prince consort went to the courthouse and hasn't returned yet. Your cousins are studying at Yuanping Academy now and can't come back even once in ten or fifteen days. You'll see them next time." The Princess Dunsu smiled and said, "I called you over while they're not here to avoid the noise and distractions. Remember you previously asked me to be a matchmaker for Princess Roujia? There's a prospect."

Qi Xiao's eyes lit up, "Which family?"

"I'll tell you, but don't look down on their status." The Princess Dunsu paused and said with a smile, "Actually, he's a relative. He's the son of the prince consort's cousin, called He Zichen, twenty years old this year. You might still have an impression. Before you left the capital, I often had him come stay for a while."

Qi Xiao thought for a moment and indeed had some memory. He hesitated, "I remember... he didn't like to talk much, but he was very gentle with others, especially close with my older cousin."

The Princess Dunsu nodded with a smile, "That's him. You were all still young then. Your cousins were as wild as monkeys, but Zichen was different. He..."

"This child really had a hard life. His father was the prince consort's second cousin. He was an unfilial son from a young age. Old Master beat and scolded him back then but to no avail. He couldn't be helped. Later he got married, got a job, and moved out to live on his own.

"Who knew that after leaving, without anyone to restrain him, he became even more unruly, indulging in drinking, whoring, gambling, you name it. In a few years, he ruined his health. A case of the common cold took his life."

The Princess Dunsu sighed, "I just pity my cousin-in-law. We often visited each other when she was still unmarried. She was the gentlest person, but unfortunately married such a scoundrel. She was widowed at a young age. Fortunately, she had a son, Zichen.

"Zichen is different from his father. Since childhood, he was an achiever. The more others looked down on this widow and orphan, the more he strived to be strong. His talent is far greater than your older cousin's. The prince consort felt sorry for him and wanted to find him a job through connections before, but he refused, insisting on taking the exams himself."

Qi Xiao smiled, "If I remember correctly... last year he ranked first in the palace examination, was granted the 'Advanced Scholar' title, and is now a Scholar at Hanlin Academy, right?"

"Your memory is good." The Princess Dunsu smiled, "This child is promising. My cousin-in-law has suffered for so many years but can finally hold her head high now. Over the years, she often came to ask my advice on matters. After Zichen's palace examination last year, she told me that she had been widowed for many years and didn't know any good girls outside, asking me to help keep an eye out.

"It's just that their family... is neither high nor low. Although they have the He family as a backer, the head of the household passed away early. Although Zichen is employed at the Hanlin Academy, he's so young that it's hard for him to get ahead. Moreover, his family's foundation was long squandered by his good-for-nothing father. They live quite frugally. Slightly better-off families are reluctant to let their daughters marry into hardship."

Qi Xiao smiled faintly, "That doesn't matter. If he's truly a good man, these are all minor issues."

"He really is a good person. Otherwise, I wouldn't often invite him over. Although his family is like this, he never complains. He even often comforts his mother."

The Princess Dunsu shook her head and sighed, "To be honest, he's much better than your older cousin. Children from poor families grow up early. That's what this means. You also said before that Princess Roujia has a gentle temperament and can't enter a courtyard with deep politics. Isn't this a perfect fit? He only has this one elder in his family, and my cousin-in-law isn't a meddlesome person. She will definitely treat her daughter-in-law well. Doesn't this align with what you said before?"

The Princess Dunsu smiled, "To be frank with you, I have my own selfish motives. My cousin-in-law and nephew are truly rare good people, but unfortunately, luck hasn't been on their side. If you can help them, their meteoric rise will be just a matter of time. This way, both sides will be well-matched. Wouldn't that be great?"

Qi Xiao smiled, pursing his lips, "If Aunt sees it as good, it definitely can't be wrong. But we still need to let the other party see for themselves. How about this? Tomorrow, have Older Cousin, Younger Cousin, and Zichen all come to my residence. I'll also bring Bairen over, saying it's just a get-together. Bairen can still observe in private. If he takes a liking to him himself, then it's settled. Aunt will have to take care of the rest after that."

The Princess Dunsu smiled brightly, "If I can help my ill-fated cousin-in-law and nephew in the process, no matter how tiring, I won't mind."