Qi Xiao raised his hand and threw Bairen's letter into the incense burner in the center of the great hall. Only after watching the flames consume the paper did he turn and leave the side hall.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, and the air outside was damp. Qi Xiao pursed his thin lips and looked up at the gray sky before turning to walk along the covered corridor.

Before he even turned into the passageway, Qi Xiao heard the sound of an argument coming from the side door of the Qianqing Palace. He glanced at Jiang Deqing, who understood and ran over to take a look. Jiang Deqing said in a stunned voice, "The Princess... why have you come?"

Qi Xiao frowned and followed.

The Qianqing Palace was where the Emperor handled political affairs, and women were not allowed to enter without being summoned. The guards at the Qianqing Palace did not dare to let the Princess Dunsu enter without permission, and so a commotion broke out.

Princess Dunsu was wearing court attire and leaning on a female official. She looked coldly at the leader of the guards and said in a deep voice, "There's no need to lecture me! When I lived in this palace, you probably weren't even born yet. I know the rules of this palace better than you do. Let alone the Qianqing Palace, I could even enter the Xuande Hall back then."

The leader of the guards was sweating profusely. He naturally knew Princess Dunsu's identity, but this was a special time. Orders had just come down to strictly guard the doors of each palace, and no one was allowed to enter or exit without being summoned. It was just at this time that Princess Dunsu arrived, putting him in a difficult position.

He kept apologizing, "Your Highness, this subordinate has already sent someone to report. It's just that the Emperor is currently meeting with ministers, and the messenger may not be allowed to enter the hall. Your Highness..."

Princess Dunsu laughed coldly. Before she could speak, Qi Xiao had already come out. He swept his gaze over the guards and said in a deep voice, "You dare to stop the Princess from entering the Qianqing Palace?"

Princess Dunsu laughed mockingly, "Xiao'er, you've come at the right time. Look... your father's slaves are blocking me, thinking I'm an assassin."

The leader of the guards hurriedly knelt down to apologize. Princess Dunsu had originally come to find Qi Xiao, and now that her goal was achieved, she no longer quibbled with the servants. She said to Qi Xiao in a deep voice, "Come with me."

Qi Xiao nodded, and the aunt and nephew left the crowd and slowly walked to a nearby pavilion. As they ascended the steps, Qi Xiao supported Princess Dunsu. Under the wide sleeves of her court attire, Princess Dunsu grabbed Qi Xiao's wrist with her well-maintained, slender fingers, digging into his flesh.

Qi Xiao looked at Princess Dunsu, who stared at him fixedly and said in a low voice, "I already know about the Lingnan matter. Xiao'er, I know you like Bairen, but this time is different."

Qi Xiao looked at Princess Dunsu coldly without speaking. Princess Dunsu grew more anxious and frowned as she scolded in a low voice, "Don't be muddled! The Emperor won't let such a good opportunity pass. Besides, Bairen is no easy target. I told you long ago that Bairen has a noble identity, just like you, both descendants of the imperial family! He has endured your abuse for more than a year.

"If you really let him escape this time, it's no different from setting a tiger free back to its mountain. When he truly becomes the King of Lingnan, do you think he will still be willing to submit to you like before? Don't dream! Once he catches his breath, the first one he'll deal with is you!"

Qi Xiao said indifferently, "Even if he doesn't harm me, even if he does... I'll gladly accept it."

Princess Dunsu was furious. Mindful of the people around, she didn't dare to scold him loudly. Beads of sweat appeared on her smooth forehead as she lowered her voice and said, "Even if he doesn't harm you, what about the Emperor? Xiao'er... right now you can't do anything. Even if you plead for Bairen, they will seize the opportunity and instead accuse you of colluding with the enemy!"

Princess Dunsu knew that Qi Xiao responded to soft tactics, not hard ones. She sighed and softened her tone, "Xiao'er, even if you don't think about yourself, think about your aunt..."

Tears welled up in Princess Dunsu's eyes as she said hoarsely, "I've watched you grow up from a young age... You search your own conscience and tell me, haven't I treated you like my own son? If something happens to you, what face will I have to meet your parents in the afterlife?"

Princess Dunsu's words stabbed at Qi Xiao's softest spot, piercing to the bone.

Princess Dunsu turned her head and wiped her tears, saying softly, "Wake up. You've been with him for a year, and that's enough. I know you can't bear to part with him, but think clearly. In the future, you are meant to be Emperor. Once you ascend the throne, you can have any kind of person you want. Why be so fixated on one person? Will you ruin your great prospects because of him?"

Qi Xiao closed his eyes and said in a low voice, "Aunt, I understand your teachings."

Qi Xiao had never lied to Princess Dunsu. She felt relieved and said softly, "I was worried as soon as I received the letter last night, worried that you would be stubborn. Since you understand, that's good. Don't worry, my good child. As long as you like, in the future your aunt will find whatever kind of person you want."

Qi Xiao didn't respond. After a while, he said in a deep voice, "Aunt... please take good care of Roujia for me. She is pregnant now and can't be frightened."

Princess Dunsu nodded, "Don't worry, I sent people long ago. You don't need to worry about her. Although Wenyu has rebelled, Roujia is ultimately a married woman. The Emperor won't make things difficult for a woman, and at least... she also has the He family as a big tree sheltering her."

Qi Xiao nodded, "In that case, I'm at ease."

For some reason, Princess Dunsu felt a little worried. She pulled tightly on Qi Xiao's sleeve and frowned, "Xiao'er, you must promise me! You absolutely won't cover for Bairen or plead for him!"

Qi Xiao said indifferently, "Aunt, don't worry. In the court meeting later, I will definitely disassociate myself. As long as the green hills remain, there's no fear of having no firewood. I understand this principle."

In the main hall of the Qianqing Palace, the Emperor's face was like ice, not saying a word. Only when everyone had arrived did Qi Hua sneak in. He had just heard that the Emperor was looking for him last night and was feeling flustered.

The Emperor happened to be in a foul mood at this time. Seeing Qi Hua's timid appearance made him even angrier. He raised his hand and smashed the teacup fiercely at Qi Hua's feet, scolding harshly, "Useless thing! Did you sleep like the dead? Only coming now!"

Qi Hua fell to his knees with a thud, trembling all over, unable to utter a complete sentence. Qi Xiao glanced at him coldly and said indifferently along with the others, "Your Majesty, quell your anger."

Fu Hailu hurriedly came down to clean up the teacup. Li Wenxing stepped out from the ranks and said, "Your Majesty, quell your anger. The important matters take priority."

The Emperor took a deep breath and said coldly, "Get up!"

Qi Hua felt greatly relieved and quickly crawled up and shrank to the side.

Li Wenxing continued, "Your Majesty, we just received news that Prince Bairen has indeed escaped. At dawn, the Prince set a big fire in the manor. While everyone was putting out the fire, the Prince took a dozen followers and fled the city lightly. According to the scouts, there were no less than five hundred people waiting for him outside the city in three places. Now... he has probably escaped far away."

The Emperor laughed coldly, "Well, Wenyu rebelled, and Bairen also wants to rebel... A year ago, I allocated 100,000 stones of grain to relieve the urgent need in Lingnan! Then I brought Bairen to the palace, treating him as my own son, haha... I raised him like a prince for a whole year, and raised such an ungrateful wretch!"

Zhou Deyi stepped forward and bowed, "Your Majesty, calm your anger. The most urgent thing now is to quickly pursue the Prince. According to the maidservant in the Lingnan Prince's Manor, someone claiming to be from Lingnan came to see the Prince last night, and mentioned the word 'golden seal' in their conversation. I suspect that the great seal bestowed by the Emperor Taizu to Lingnan back then is now in the Prince's hands.

"The Prince is the legitimate son of the King of Lingnan and was personally appointed as the Crown Prince by Your Majesty. Now, with the great seal in hand, if he escapes back to Lingnan, it will be like releasing a tiger back to its mountain. At that time... quelling the rebellion will be even more difficult."

The Deputy Minister of the Ministry of War stepped forward, "I concur with the minister's opinion."

The Secretariat Supervisor stepped forward, "I concur with the minister's opinion."

Qi Hua looked around and also said in a low voice, "I concur with the minister's opinion."

Qi Xiao swept his eyes over the crowd, stepped forward and said coldly, "I volunteer to lead the troops to capture Prince Bairen and demonstrate the might of the heavens."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent. Because of the marriage between Roujia and He Zichen, everyone knew that Qi Xiao and Bairen were very close. The Emperor's confidants were ready to pounce, waiting for Qi Xiao to plead for Bairen so they could severely criticize him. No one expected that at this time, Qi Xiao would actually kick Bairen while he was down and volunteer to go on the expedition.

The Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a low voice, "The Crown Prince is tied to the fate of the country and cannot risk his life."

Qi Xiao looked up at the Emperor and said solemnly, "I was unable to see through people in the past, mistaking arsenic for honey. Now that I know Bairen's ambition is that of a wolf cub, I am deeply ashamed. I only ask to personally bring Bairen back to atone for my past mistakes."

The Emperor looked at Qi Xiao fixedly, then suddenly smiled, "Good, able to govern when dismounted and able to fight when mounted! This is the Crown Prince of the Great Xiang! What the Crown Prince has requested... I approve."

Qi Xiao bowed his head, "I thank Your Majesty for your grace."

In a side chamber of the Qianqing Palace, the Emperor took the polished rice porridge handed over by Fu Hailu and stirred it. Fu Hailu hesitated and said, "Your Majesty... why did you approve the Crown Prince's request? Anyone with discerning eyes can see that the Crown Prince is deliberately kicking him while he's down, trying to extricate himself!"

The Emperor smiled, "So what? He's eager to protect himself, so I'll grant his wish."

Fu Hailu said anxiously, "Why grant the Crown Prince's wish? Your Majesty... this is a good opportunity. As long as the heir is caught and brought back, at that time under severe torture... no, at that time during interrogation, it won't be difficult to get him to confess that the Crown Prince had helped him and had a hand in Wenyu's rebellion!

"The Crown Prince and the young prince have been close for a long time, everyone knows that. At that time, everyone will be convinced, and Your Majesty can justifiably punish the Crown Prince for his crimes, isn't that good?!"

The Emperor smiled mockingly, "Do you think Qi Xiao is a fool? To wait obediently for disaster to befall him? He's being cautious! You also saw... as soon as something happened to Bairen, he hurriedly tried to find a way to extricate himself. Such a cold-hearted and unfeeling thing, can he wait for Bairen to bite back at him? This path is definitely impassable."

Fu Hailu looked completely puzzled, "Then... then just let the Crown Prince go like this? Isn't that letting him off too easily?"

The Emperor laughed coldly, "Who said that... I have already given orders. The troops for the southern expedition are being assembled, and there is a shortage of military strength. There are no extra men to give to the Crown Prince, so he can only be allocated a thousand imperial guards from the Imperial City. As for the rest... let the Eastern Palace provide them. In this way, even if Qi Xiao goes all out, he can't gather more than two thousand soldiers."

The Emperor smiled sinisterly, "Who are Bairen's followers? Desperadoes! They all know that if they are caught and brought back to the Imperial City, it means certain death. How can they not resist to the death? Can the soldiers raised in the Imperial City be a match for them?"

Fu Hailu suddenly realized, "Your Majesty means... to let them perish together!"

The Emperor smiled faintly, "I never said that. The Crown Prince has two thousand elite soldiers, while Bairen only has five hundred rabble. No matter how you look at it, capturing Bairen seems to be an easy task. Even if he really brings Bairen back, it doesn't matter. I will treat Bairen well, reminding him at all times that it was because of the Crown Prince, because of Qi Xiao, that his clan was destroyed! I want to see... at that time, if Bairen will try every possible means to put Qi Xiao to death."

The Emperor was very pleased with himself, "From the time Qi Xiao and Bairen became entangled, I knew that sooner or later, Qi Xiao would die at Bairen's hands."