That same morning, Bai Yi woke up early. After washing up, she put on a veil and headed straight out the gates of the Fang estate.

Following the location in her memory, she skillfully made her way to a fabric shop in the eastern part of the city.

Bai Yi stood at the entrance of the fabric shop, looking at the huge signboard overhead which read “Qian Sheng Fabrics” in four large characters.

She walked straight in.

Reaching the counter, she asked the shop boy, “Do you have any high-quality white cloth? One foot wide and nine feet long.”

The shop boy was startled for a moment. Raising his head and seeing it was a woman with a veil, his expression changed. “We do! But the price isn’t cheap. It’s three strings and three hundred coins total. I don’t know if that’s acceptable to you.”

“Hmm… that’s a bit expensive. How about three strings and seventy-five coins?”

The shop boy looked shocked, but then his expression returned to normal. He smiled, “I’ll have to ask our shopkeeper about that. The cloth is also in the back storeroom. Why don’t you come with me to take a look?”

“Alright.”

The two of them went to the back courtyard of the fabric shop. The shop boy led Bai Yi into a side room, then closed the door and left.

Before long, an elderly man with luxurious clothes and a clean-shaven face entered. As soon as he came in, he saw Bai Yi standing with her hands behind her back.

He asked out loud, “May I ask who the young lady is…?”

Bai Yi removed her veil and slowly turned around, smiling. “Eunuch Qian, long time no see.”

Hearing this, Qian Desheng’s eyes flashed with surprise and delight. He hurriedly knelt down. “This old servant pays respects to the Third Princess!”

“Some days ago, I heard you had gone missing. This old servant was frantic with worry, not knowing what to do. I kept sending people to search for you in Jianjiang Prefecture, but couldn’t find you. I never imagined you would actually be in the capital!”

Hearing this, Bai Yi sighed. “You’ve worked hard. Get up. I was lucky to be rescued on the road, allowing me to make it all the way to the capital.”

“What’s the current situation with the old guard in Jianjiang?”

Qian Desheng stood up dejectedly. “The situation isn’t very good. I heard our secret base in Jianjiang was inexplicably washed away by a flood due to some heavenly phenomenon. As a result, many of the newly recruited followers felt that the Mandate of Heaven was with Great Jing, so… they left the sect one after another.”

“Many of the elders in the sect also died in the flood. Great Jing’s soldiers have intensified their patrols as well. The current situation is truly difficult.”

“So now the exchange of information between my side and Jianjiang has become very infrequent…”

Bai Yi gave a bitter laugh. She couldn’t help picturing Fang Zheng’s infuriatingly smug face in her mind.

“Princess, do you have any orders for this old servant on this visit?”

Bai Yi took out the invitation and handed it over. “In three days, there will be a poetry contest on the boats at Quzuo Lake. Many nobles will gather there. The son of the Minister of Revenue, Zhang Chang, will also be present. Do you have any reliable candidates on your side to send to the boat?”

“They should socialize with these people, especially Zhang Chang. They may be of great use in the future.”

Qian Desheng thought for a bit before saying, “We do! The second son of Ning Wang’s estate, Shui Ange, has been in the capital the whole time. He’s currently going by the name Ning Hongyuan and has been moving about in the city, making the acquaintance of quite a few literati and refined individuals.”

“However… he hasn’t come to this old servant’s place for a long time, so I’m not too clear on his specific situation.”

Qian Desheng revealed a worried expression. “Princess, you are now the only royal blood of the imperial family. During the time you were missing, people in the sect were fraught with anxiety. This old servant was afraid… afraid that… But now that you’re back, everything is fine. I’ll immediately send people to spread the news!”

“No need! It’s enough that you know about me. Restoring Great Qian doesn’t require those disloyal and unrighteous people! A mere flood was enough to let us take advantage and rise up. The common folk are ignorant and their hearts can be used. We’ll find another opportunity later.”

“How have you been doing these past few years?”

Qian Desheng sighed with feeling. “This old servant has been doing alright these years… If it weren’t for the princess coming here, I thought I would just live out the rest of my days like this.”

“However, now that there is hope of reviving Great Qian, the princess can rest assured that even if it costs me my life, I will protect the princess! This old servant will never forget the late emperor’s dying wish!”

Bai Yi was also a bit moved. “I thank you on behalf of my imperial father. If he knew in the afterlife that you were safe and sound, he would surely be happy.”

Hearing this, Qian Desheng instantly had tears in his eyes. “This old servant is extremely honored! But… where is the princess currently residing? If it’s inconvenient, why not come stay with this old servant for now? I still have some money on hand.”

Bai Yi shook her head. “No need. Have you heard of a person called Fang Zheng? I’m currently in the Fang estate. He’s the one who saved me.”

Qian Desheng hesitated for a moment. “Is there a woman called Xiao Tao in the Fang estate?”

“Hm? There is! You’ve met her?” Bai Yi asked curiously.

Qian Desheng’s old face instantly scrunched up like a chrysanthemum. He said in a pained voice, “That damned girl! She came to the fabric shop a few days ago to buy cloth. She haggled the price of a two tael bolt of cloth down to one tael!”

“When she was calculating the bill with me, it was so convoluted that I got all muddled! After she left, I recalculated and realized I had lost a whole string of cash! Ptui! How ominous!”

Bai Yi: “…………”

“Never mind her. Fang Zheng is a very important person. Emperor Jing thinks highly of him. I want to stay by his side for now and see if there are any suitable opportunities…”

Qian Desheng immediately became flustered before Bai Yi could finish. “Princess, you mustn’t! How can you personally assassinate Emperor Jing? It’s too dangerous!”

“No! How could I possibly do it myself? If it fails on the first attempt, it will put Emperor Jing on high alert and make the next attempt difficult.”

“If there’s a suitable opportunity, I will notify you!”

“Right, there’s one more thing! Not far north of the capital, there’s a small county called Taoyuan County. Send a few capable men into the city to investigate! Tell them to be cautious. Have them infiltrate Taoyuan County first. They don’t need to report back in real time.”

“This old servant understands…”

…

Imperial Study

Liu Jin knelt on the ground, describing in vivid detail to Emperor Jing what had happened in the Imperial Clan Court during the day.

Emperor Jing said in surprise, “You’re saying that in the morning, Fang Zheng made Yan Guoan storm off angrily?”

Liu Jin answered honestly, “Yes! At the time, Lord Fang countered Lord Yan point by point with sound arguments. Lord Yan, in his humiliated rage, cursed Lord Fang as filth.”

“Later, when he could no longer argue, he left in a huff! He said he would no longer meet with Lord Fang in the future and that the two of them would teach separately! If Lord Fang was present, then Lord Yan wouldn’t be!”

Emperor Jing continued to ask, “What happened after? What did Fang Zheng say after Yan Guoan left?”

Liu Jin hesitated. “Well… after Lord Yan left, there wasn’t much time left before the noon meal, so Lord Fang just chatted with the crown prince for a bit.”

“He told a story about a barbarian sword immortal… seemed to be called something like ‘Iron Egg Potter’… This slave didn’t really understand. The crown prince kept glancing at me, so I didn’t dare get too close.”

“Afterwards, the crown prince and Lord Fang went to eat. Lord Fang kept telling the crown prince that the food in the Imperial Clan Court was awful and that he wanted to eat a whole roast ox…. That’s about it…”

Emperor Jing waved his hand with a smile. “Alright, you may go. Report again tomorrow!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After Liu Jin left, Emperor Jing turned to Guo Tianyang. “Well, what do you think of Fang Zheng’s performance?”

Guo Tianyang bowed. “This old servant doesn’t understand these things, but Lord Fang does have a way with winning people over. Even an old timer like Grand Tutor Yan was played like a fiddle by him.”

Emperor Jing said with satisfaction, “Not bad… Yan Guoan is very good, but he’s too rigid in his ways and doesn’t know how to adapt. Fang Zheng, a newcomer, actually toyed with him. This has already surpassed my expectations.”

“Hopefully the crown prince can learn more from these two. They complement each other quite well.”

Your Majesty can do this too if you want to learn it! Why go to him?

Guo Tianyang gave an embarrassed smile. “Although Lord Fang did that to win people’s hearts, this old servant truly felt a bit of warmth inside. In all my years in the palace, this is the first time someone has spoken up for the palace eunuchs.”

Emperor Jing looked at Guo Tianyang in surprise and laughed. “Well… it seems this Fang Zheng is truly extraordinary. He’s even influencing those by my side!”

“This old servant is ashamed…”