Evasion

Dan Hong tilted her head and asked, "What is it, Princess?"
Qing Yan was about to speak for Wan Ru when she immediately stood up, covered Qing Yan's mouth, and pulled her to another spot, walking and saying to the other two, "I have a small errand. If I am gone for long, please return first."

Before Dan Hong's surprised, curious, and somewhat foolish gaze, she pulled Qing Yan to a lotus pond in the palace to talk.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner? I cannot let Bai Xiao dine with them."

"Yes, it is this servant's fault. This servant will report back to the eunuch that Your Highness is indisposed to dine."

She angrily shouted, "That's not what I meant!"

She couldn't let him have this meal, simply because the dish he had given her was not on the table today. Her perfectionist nature, her desire to please everyone, began to surface again.

Before she could even think of a solution, Qing Yan, standing opposite her, saw Bai Xiao's figure in the distance, pointed towards him, and said, "Princess!"

She turned her head, saw him, and immediately said in a panic, "This is bad, this is bad! I'm going to hide."

She ran off to another spot. At that moment, Qing Yan only managed to ask, "Why... why must the Princess hide?"

She only knew that she herself did not want to be pressed by him with those difficult questions.

Dan Hong saw Bai Xiao approaching and said, "Isn't that the Crown Prince?"

Jing Mei looked in Dan Hong's direction and asked in wonder, "Crown Prince? Where, where is there a Crown Prince?"

"I mean the Crown Prince of Qi Shan."

"So that's it."

Bai Xiao suddenly walked towards the two of them. Dan Hong and Jing Mei stood up and bowed in greeting. He darted his eyes around, looking everywhere, then asked, "Have you two young ladies seen the Princess? This is where the Princess usually dines."

Jing Mei said, "She was just here a moment ago, but now the Princess and her maidservant have left."

He smiled faintly, nodded repeatedly, and said, "Hmm, then I will sit and wait here."

He sat down and looked at the dining table. His gaze suddenly turned cold as he observed the dishes on the table.

She had now hidden in Hao Qian's palace.

Hao Qian and Yu Zheng were sparring a few sword moves. She sat in the hall, eating pastries and drinking tea.

She had just put a piece of pastry into her mouth when Brother Qian ran over and patted her shoulder.

Startled by the sudden attack, she screamed, "Ah!"

"Why are you clinging to me so much today?"

"What? Who's clinging to you? I'm just seeking refuge here."

Yu Zheng spoke from behind, "Greetings, Your Royal Highness."

"Yu Zheng? Long time no see."

Hao Qian sat on the chair next to her and said, "Your strength is truly great, Junior Disciple. I still can't match you."

"Your Highness overpraises me. Well, you two talk here; this humble one must go check on the soldiers' training."

She nodded. Hao Qian said, "Yes, you may go."

Yu Zheng left, and she immediately asked, "Have you found any Emotion Orbs yet?"

Hao Qian, asked this, his gaze suddenly darted away and he said, "No, I haven't found any yet."

She, who had been elated, immediately turned gloomy and dejected.

Hai Yong, holding a letter from afar, saw the Crown Prince in Qing Tian Palace with the Princess, and immediately ran over, saying, "Your Highness, Your Highness! There's information about another Emotion Orb!"

Hao Qian spun around, searching for Hai Yong's figure. Seeing him running towards them from afar, he shouted loudly, "Run, don't come here!"

Hai Yong blankly didn't understand what was happening but still obeyed Hao Qian's words and ran off to another spot.

When Hao Qian turned his head back, Wan Ru was nowhere to be seen. He looked in Hai Yong's direction and saw Wan Ru holding her skirt and chasing after Hai Yong. Hao Qian ran after them, saying as he ran, "Hai Yong, run, don't let Wan Ru catch you!"

Hai Yong, ahead, said, "Didn't the Princess just recover? How can the Princess run this fast?"

As soon as he finished speaking, she took a running start, jumped, and caught Hai Yong. Hai Yong, being clung to by Wan Ru, said in fear, "Princess, could you please let go of this servant's hand?"

She, with a deep gaze and a wide smile, said, "Give me the letter."

Before he could answer, she touched Hai Yong's chest, felt something bulging, and immediately reached in and pulled out a letter. Hao Qian, behind them, saw that she had achieved her goal and said, "No, no, you cannot go!"

Hai Yong was immobilized, standing rooted to the spot for a long while. Hao Qian said, "Hai Yong, snatch the letter!"

As soon as he finished speaking, she was already standing at the palace entrance, saying, "I dare you and him to catch me."

On the way back to the palace, she saw a white cat again, knew it was Xue Lan, ran out, squatted down, and asked, "What are you doing here?"

The white cat pointed at the letter, and she understood the meaning and said, "This is a letter about the place to refine emotions."

The white cat pointed at itself again, and she asked in wonder, "You want to come along?"

The cat nodded repeatedly. She was about to refuse when a familiar voice rang out, "Is there a letter about emotions?"

She, who was still looking down at the white cat, heard the voice and immediately looked up, seeing Bai Xiao. She said, "Bai Xiao?"

She stood up and affirmed, "That's right."

"Then let's go tomorrow."

Her eyes widened, a surprised expression clearly showing, and she said, "What... what?"

Normally, she would have to invite him to go. Today, he was suddenly unusually energetic and excited. But today, she didn't need that, because she already had an appointment with Xue Lan.

Xue Lan looked arrogantly at Bai Xiao, then climbed onto her shoulder as if challenging him. Bai Xiao narrowed his eyes, feeling something unusual about the white cat, and said, "You shouldn't let stray cats climb onto your shoulder so casually."

She giggled and hummed in agreement. Xue Lan, who was climbing on her shoulder, jumped up when called a stray cat and lunged at him to threaten him. Bai Xiao quickly reacted and dodged away.

"This cat is truly naughty; it even wants to scratch others. I will report to the chief eunuch to throw this cat out."

Xue Lan hardly paid attention to Bai Xiao's words and sat licking its fur.

"I will think about this later. Now I have something to do. Please excuse me."

Without letting him say anything more, she immediately ran back to her palace.

Returning to the palace, she immediately went to sit down under a peach tree, lay half-reclined on a bamboo table, and opened the letter to read. The letter stated that the Emotion Orb of Love was in the city, in the most prosperous and bustling place, which was the Xuan Ji brothel district.

After reading it, she folded the letter and then thought about Xue Lan's matter and saving the people of her country.

"I'm so tired. I hate having to choose."

"You hate having to choose?"

She shot up, seeing Xue Lan in human form before her, and said, "Turn back into a cat; it'll be troublesome if anyone sees you."

"It's fine. If anyone sees me, I'll just kill them to silence witnesses."

"Quite formidable, but if you want to, you'll have to get past me first."

Xue Lan covered his mouth and giggled, saying, "Then let me come with you this time."

"Huh?"

He sat opposite her, slowly moved closer to the edge of the table, reached out and took a strand of her hair, gently kissed the glossy black strands of hair, then said, "Wherever the Princess goes, I will follow."