Scheming Emperor

This is the problem Xu Bai is considering. You princes and princesses are fighting over this, but His Majesty the Emperor is in good health now. No matter how much you fight, you are still just princes and princesses. What's the point?

Upon hearing Xu Bai's words, the scene fell silent, and the Ninth Princess also fell silent. Then, she looked at the maid beside her and gently waved her hand.

As the Ninth Princess waved her hand, all the maids except Qing Xue and Qing Mei left, leaving only the few of them at the scene.

This is something important to say.

Xu Bai thought to himself, "The struggle between princes and princesses is probably not as simple as it seems; it can't possibly be for the throne."

Just as I was thinking this, the Ninth Princess quickly gave me her answer.

"Lord Xu thinks we're only after the throne? That's a gross underestimation of us." The Ninth Princess put down her wine cup, rested her chin on her hand, and said, "Father is in his prime, and under his leadership, the Great Chu Kingdom will only get better and better. How could we dare to have any ambitions of overstepping our bounds?"

From this angle, the Ninth Princess, with her light makeup, looks even more radiant.

Xu Bai acted as if he hadn't seen anything, took a sip of wine, and then said, "So what are you all arguing about?"

Seeing that Xu Bai was unmoved by her beauty, the Ninth Princess released her hand, leaned back in her chair, and said lazily, "Lord Xu, what do you think of the current system in the Great Chu Kingdom? I mean, the Jing Prefecture, Prefecture, Province, and Circuit."

Xu Bai pondered for a moment and said, "It's very clear that each place is managed by someone, which is a good thing, but there are also shortcomings. This time when I Upper Capital, many places had traitors."

Whether it's a prefecture, a county, or even a circuit or county, they are all like an ironclad fortress. This division of regions has both advantages and disadvantages.

"Yes." The Ninth Princess nodded and said, "So Father has always wanted to change this situation, and finally he came up with a solution."

As she spoke, she stood up, walked behind Xu Bai Xu Bai, held onto the chair behind him, and bent down slightly.

Her fair face was less than a finger's width away from Xu Bai Xu Bai, her eyes, like autumn water, fixed on him as she slowly uttered two words.

" To Enfeoffment as a King".

Xu Bai frowned and remained silent.

Although he didn't say anything on the surface, his heart was already churning with turmoil.

Enfeoffment as a King?

He never expected the emperor to have such courage.

To dispel the idea that traitors were emerging in every region, they actually resorted to bestowing Enfeoffment as a King upon them.

"No, that's not right." Xu Bai suddenly turned his head and almost bumped into the Ninth Princess's head.

"What's wrong?" The Ninth Princess did not back down at all.

"It seems that His Majesty simply wants to give you a good place to go," Xu Bai said, stroking his chin.

"Capable and trustworthy people can better cooperate with His Majesty in managing the Great Chu Kingdom. You are all His Majesty's children, so you are naturally trustworthy. After all, this world will always belong to the Chu family."

"Moreover, even if you were given a great reward for staying here, it would not be as good as your current status. Being a vassal king would elevate you to a higher rank."

"There's no need to consider weakening the power of the princes. At least for now, with His Majesty and the Prince around, you don't have the guts to do it."

In the realm of power, the Capital City and the provinces are inherently contradictory entities, and the ebb and flow of power between the two sides is closely linked to the rise and fall of dynasties.

The emperor represented the central government, while the various regional powers represented the local areas.

When the emperor is alive, his high prestige gives him a strong hold on the various vassal states. However, if the emperor is an old man, the successor's prestige is much lower, and the control over the local vassal states weakens. As a result, the vassal states, relying on the power they hold, become bolder and start to grow stronger, attempting to break free from control and even covet the imperial power.

This will lead to a trend of the central government weakening while local areas become stronger.

Thus, the policy of reducing the power of the feudal lords was implemented.

But will the Great Chu Kingdom currently reduce the power of its vassal states?

With the emperor and Rising Dusk King present, even if these members of the royal family had a hundred times the courage, they probably wouldn't dare to show the slightest disrespect.

"Smart." The Ninth Princess smiled and said, "Now you know what we're fighting for, right? If we don't perform well and are given a very barren piece of land, we won't have a good life there either."

"The eldest brother has always been stationed on the frontier, following his second uncle in the army. He doesn't care about these things because his merits are very high."

"Seventh Brother is just a reckless brute without any strategy. If it weren't for the Sword Empress Queen, he would probably have been marginalized."

"My only worry is the sixth son; he's an ambitious man."

Xu Bai pondered for a moment and said, "I understand."

Once you understand, everything becomes clear.

The Ninth Princess raised her wine cup and said, "Well then... Lord Xu, it's a pleasure to cooperate with you."

Xu Bai clinked glasses with the Ninth Princess and said with a smile, "It's a pleasure to cooperate with her."

The two drank the beverage, and their laughter and conversation revealed a harmonious atmosphere.

They chatted casually from time to time, making things appear more harmonious on the surface, but neither of them knew what the other was really thinking.

"By the way, Lord Xu, you need to be careful of many people in this Capital City." The Ninth Princess's face was flushed, as if she were drunk, and she spoke in a daze.

"Oh?" Xu Bai narrowed his eyes, looking at the Ninth Princess's feigned drunkenness, and sneered inwardly, "It seems the princess is going to talk nonsense to me. Well, I'll just take it as nonsense. Who do I need to worry about?"

These days, very few people in the business can get drunk, but the Ninth Princess looks like she is. Clearly, she wants to portray herself as someone who speaks inappropriately while drunk.

There are two sayings about being drunk: some say that people speak the truth when they're drunk, while others say that you can't believe anything people say when they're drunk. Isn't this just telling Xu Bai that if something happens, what I said might have been drunken ramblings?

treacherous.

Using this word to describe a woman is indeed somewhat inappropriate, but Xu Bai felt that the beautiful Ninth Princess in front of him was very suitable for this word.

"In the current court, the Prime Minister is one, and so are his cronies. You need to be wary of them." The Ninth Princess stretched out her slender hand, placed it on Xu Bai's shoulder, and leaned close to Xu Bai's ear, saying, "He is an extremely pedantic scholar who has always disliked Lord Xu. He thinks that Lord Xu, who comes from a Jianghu background, is unworthy."

Xu Bai grasped the Ninth Princess's wrist and placed it aside, saying, "Ninth Princess, you're drunk."

As he spoke, he stood up.

"Mr. Xu was very satisfied with today's meal. If there's nothing else, Mr. Xu will be leaving now."

The Ninth Princess, her eyes glazed, waved her hand and said, "In that case, I won't see you off."

Xu Bai nodded and turned to leave.

After Xu Bai left, the drunkenness in the Ninth Princess's eyes disappeared, and she stared at the wine glass in front of her, falling into a long silence.

Qing Xue stepped forward and said, "Princess, something seems wrong with you."

They were all people who often accompanied the princess, so they knew her temperament best. But the Ninth Princess they saw today was completely different from the noble Ninth Princess of the past.

Just like...

"Is seduction the right thing to do?" the Ninth Princess asked with a smile.

Qing Xue remained silent, not daring to utter a sound.

"I do have this idea," the Ninth Princess added.

Upon hearing this, Qing Xue and Qing Mei were both stunned, clearly unable to believe their ears.

The Ninth Princess is of such high status that she actually has this idea. If word gets out, it will probably shock many people.

"Princess, do you like him?" Qing Xue asked hesitantly.

The Ninth Princess shook her head and said, "No, I don't like it at all. After all, we've only met once, how could I possibly like it?"

"But if he really wants it, what's wrong with giving it to him? As long as he can help me, it's all worth it."

"Qing Xue, you must remember, no matter what my status is, this is my own capital. If I were to use it as a bargaining chip, Xu Bai would be the most suitable, because among all the talented people in the world, only he can catch my eye."

"What a pity..."

Qing Xue snapped out of her shock and subconsciously asked, "What's a pity?"

The Ninth Princess looked lost and disappointed. "He's not interested in me at all, and even seems to dislike what I do. You two had quite a deep conversation. Are there really men in this world who don't love women?"

"He loves women." Qing Xue thought seriously for a while and then said, "But he doesn't seem to like using women to make deals. He has very strong principles."

"Principles?" The Ninth Princess smiled and said, "Very well, this is getting more and more interesting."

Silence fell over the room once again.

Xu Bai left the Ninth Princess Ninth Princess's residence, but his mind kept replaying his conversation with her.

"The Prime Minister?"

In the Great Chu Kingdom, the position of Prime Minister was considered the head of all officials, referring, of course, to civil officials.

Once in this position, one's word is law, and no civil official in the land dares to disobey. It is no exaggeration to say that the Prime Minister only needs to say one word, and all these civil officials will listen to him.

Of course, that's assuming he's still the Prime Minister.

If the emperor is unhappy and wants to change his position, that position will belong to someone else.

However, the fact that a pedantic scholar could remain in this position at least proves that he was exceptionally capable and worthy of the post, so the emperor did not replace him.

Now, this Prime Minister doesn't like me, and it seems I'm in a bit of a predicament.

However, there were only a few such cases. Xu Bai wasn't afraid of these things, and he didn't go looking for trouble. Even if things really came to him, he wasn't afraid.

Thinking this, Xu Bai walked towards his residence. He had become familiar with the route so much that he wasn't afraid of getting lost.

As they walked, just as they were about to arrive, someone stopped them.

The person who stopped him was a young man dressed in fine silk and satin, exuding an imposing air of nobility, clearly of high status.

Xu Bai stopped and looked at the young man in front of him with interest, asking, "Who are you?"

"Seventh Prince." The young man in front of Xu Bai didn't beat around the bush and directly told him his identity, raising his head slightly, appearing exceptionally arrogant.

Xu Bai heard what the young man said and looked around at him, noticing several shadows flitting by.

"So it's Your Highness the Seventh Prince. May I ask what brings you here?"

"It's nothing, I just came to see what this legendary figure looks like. Farewell." The Seventh Prince clasped his hands in a fist salute and turned to leave.

They came quickly and left quickly, without any prior conflict or disagreement, which made Xu Bai feel a little strange.

He had a grudge against this Seventh Prince, but now he only came to see him briefly. Xu Bai recalled the dark figures he had just seen and quickly made a guess.

"Ah, so you've come to probe the truth."

It's quite normal for members of the royal family to have several guards with them.

These guards might have been recruited by them themselves, Xu Bai guessed. Those few dark figures that flashed by were the Seventh Prince's guards.

The Seventh Prince's visit this time was probably to assess his strength; he couldn't think of anything else.

"Boring."

Xu Bai yawned and walked back to his residence, returning home shortly afterward.

I'd been wanting to take a nap, but now I can't. So, Xu Bai took out the book of mechanisms he got from the Ninth Princess and started working on the progress bar.

On the other side, the Seventh Prince hurriedly returned to his palace. As soon as he sat down, he quickly addressed those around him.

"What did you all think of Xu Bai's strength?"

The surrounding space distorted, and soon, several people appeared next to the Seventh Prince.

"This person is unfathomable. We are no match for him. He discovered our presence in just one exchange."

Upon hearing this, the Seventh Prince clenched his right fist slightly and slammed it hard on the armrest of the chair, making a thud.

"You are among the strongest fighters under my command. If I can't even defeat you, how can I possibly avenge my grudge?"

The group of people looked at each other, gave each other a wry smile, and remained silent.

If they can't beat them, they can't beat them, and they have nothing to say about it.

At this moment, the Seventh Prince's face grew even more gloomy.

A moment later, a simply dressed man suddenly walked in from outside the door. He showed no respect whatsoever and went straight to the Seventh Prince.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Seventh Prince."

Although he said he had seen it before, he didn't act like he had seen it at all, and he didn't even bend down.

The Seventh Prince was unimpressed by the young man's performance. He waved his hand, dismissing the experts, before looking at the simply dressed young man before him.

"The Prime Minister has twelve personal disciples. Which one are you?"

"Third," the simply dressed young man said with a smile, "Your Highness may simply call me Wen Chengshu."

"What brings you here?" The Seventh Prince asked calmly. "I have never had any dealings with the Prime Minister before. Could it be because of Xu Bai?"

Wen Chengshu made no attempt to hide his feelings, nodded, and said, "The Prime Minister knows that Your Highness and Xu Bai have a grudge, so he sent me to lend Your Highness a helping hand."

The Seventh Prince curled his lip and said, "There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Why are you targeting Xu Bai?"

"For the sake of the nation and its people," Wen Chengshu said without any pretense. "Xu Bai is just a Jianghu person. He is not suitable for important positions. My teacher said that Jianghu people are not trustworthy. Moreover, my teacher was expelled from the Azure Cloud Academy back then, but Xu Bai is favored by the Azure Cloud Academy. My teacher does not like him."

His words were calm, and there was no apparent problem from his face.

But these days, the people who can hide their joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness are the most sinister and terrifying.

"Over the years, Your Prime Minister has always maintained a clear distinction between public and private matters. Even though many scholars are from the Azure Cloud Academy, you have never resorted to underhanded tactics," the Seventh Prince said. "Why are you targeting Xu Bai today?"

Even if the Seventh Prince is arrogant, that's just his personality. As a member of the royal family, he must have many ideas, and they all have a certain level of intelligence.

So he quickly noticed something was wrong and spoke out about it bluntly.

This is also related to his personality. Other members of the royal family would not have said it and would have kept it to themselves, but the Seventh Prince was extremely proud, so he did not hide it.

"Your Highness, do you know why the teacher has remained unchanged for so many years, firmly holding that position?" Wen Chengshu asked.

The Seventh Prince shook his head, indicating that he did not know.

Those familiar with the officialdom of the Great Chu Kingdom would know that the prime Prime Minister of that time had fought alongside the Chu Emperor.

However, since becoming Prime Minister, he has had differing opinions on many issues, and being a straightforward person, he always points things out in front of the entire court.

On many occasions, when the Chu Emperor made some decisions, he would point out the shortcomings without beating around the bush.

The Chu Emperor was an extremely sentimental man, but he was not a fool. Some of the old men who had come with him that day had become pleasure-seeking after conquering the country, so he used every means to remove them from their official positions and send them back to their hometowns.

But even now, the position of Prime Minister remains unshaken, and no one dares to overstep it.

The Seventh Prince also found this strange.

He had once witnessed in the Imperial Study that his father and the Prime Minister had a dispute. After the Prime Minister left, his father smashed his favorite antique on the ground, shattering it into pieces.

This shows that his father, the emperor, was very angry. However, he never dismissed the Prime Minister.

He couldn't understand why.

"Firstly, it's because the Prime Minister has the ability. Secondly, everything the Prime Minister has done is for the Great Chu Kingdom. He has no selfish motives. This is why His Majesty still trusts the Prime Minister," Wen Chengshu said frankly.

The Seventh Prince instantly understood. He recalled everything the Prime Minister had done since the founding of the Great Chu Kingdom. Indeed, nothing he had done was motivated by personal gain.

"Then why... go after Xu Bai?"

"Because the Prime Minister believes that Xu Bai will surely bring disaster to the Great Chu Kingdom," Wen Chengshu said. "He has already guessed what reward His Majesty will give Xu Bai."

The Seventh Prince asked, "What reward?"

Wen Chengshu opened his mouth but didn't say anything directly. Instead, he mouthed the words very slowly, which the Seventh Prince saw clearly.

The Seventh Prince stood up abruptly, his face filled with disbelief. "Impossible!"

"Then what reward do you think would be better than this?" Wen Chengshu asked.

The Seventh Prince shut his mouth and sat weakly in his seat. He seemed to be thinking, but after thinking for a long time, his face showed nothing but bitterness.

What do you want to do?

"If we let the experts in the capital take action, Father Emperor will surely find out."

"Even the Prime Minister wouldn't dare."

Wen Chengshu shook his head and said, "I dare!"

"My teacher once said that he would not waver even if it meant his immediate death for the sake of the Great Chu Kingdom and His Majesty."

"But the teacher said that Xu Bai alone shouldn't be worth such a high price."

"If it succeeds, Xu Bai's death is nothing; if it fails, Xu Bai deserves the reward."

"Does he deserve that reward?" The Seventh Prince silently pondered Wen Chengshu's words, finally gritting his teeth as he asked, "What do you intend to do?"

"Take this and shine it in front of Xu Bai." Wen Chengshu took out a mirror from his bosom and handed it to the Seventh Prince, saying, "That will suffice."

The Seventh Prince took it and looked it over from head to toe.

This mirror is just an ordinary mirror, it looks nothing special, even the patterns on it are particularly rough.

"This is just an ordinary mirror," Wen Chengshu said with a smile. "But inside this mirror, there is an article that the teacher personally imprinted. Your Highness the Seventh Prince should have heard of the Everlasting Righteousness, right?"

The Seventh Prince, who was looking at the mirror in his hand, suddenly stood up after hearing these words.

"Back then, the Prime Minister's Everlasting Righteousness' killed the strange creatures that roamed thousands of miles away. It is said that those with a guilty conscience will feel fear upon seeing this poem, and the stronger the evil in their hearts, the stronger the backlash will be."

"You mean to use this to test Xu Bai?"

Wen Chengshu nodded, which was taken as an agreement.

The Seventh Prince's gaze was very complicated.

"Everyone says that the Prime Minister is the most pedantic person in the world."

"I didn't expect him to be so open-minded about this. Does he think that as long as he passes the test, he can get past the Prime Minister?"

Wen Chengshu shook his head and said, "No, I still can't stand Xu Bai. But no matter how much I can't stand Xu Bai, I can tolerate everything in the face of the royal family of the Great Chu Kingdom and the world."

"As I just said, in his entire life, the teacher has never done anything with selfish motives, otherwise he would have remained in such an important position for so long."

"The teacher said that if we pass, it will be a blessing for Great Chu. At worst, he will not have any contact with Xu Bai to avoid offending his eyes."

The Seventh Prince said with a sense of loss, "There's one last question: why should I do it?"

Wen Chengshu looked at the person in high position in front of him and slowly recited his teacher's words.

"You are different from other members of the royal family; you have the blessing of the Sword Empress."

"The only person in the martial arts world that my teacher admires in his life is the Sword Empress."

"You were wrong in this matter, and that is that. Regardless of whether Xu Bai passed or not, you were wrong. But with the blessing of the Sword Empress, you will not be severely punished by His Majesty."

The Seventh Prince handed over the mirror, indicating that he did not want to do it.

Wen Chengshu did not accept it. "This is a deal. Your Highness can avenge the grudge in your heart, but Your Highness must pay the price. If Your Highness does not agree, then forget it. I will give Your Highness some more time to consider."

The Seventh Prince was stunned. After standing there for a long time, he silently put the mirror away.

Wen Chengshu clasped his hands in a fist salute, then turned and left.

However, before leaving, he paused for a moment and turned back to say something.

"Your Highness, my teacher asked me to convey a message to you."

"What did you say?" the Seventh Prince asked, puzzled.

Wen Chengshu organized his thoughts before finishing his sentence.

"Back then, your teacher was just a poor scholar who also received the Sword Empress Queen's favor. Your teacher said that the blessings the Sword Empress bestowed upon Your Highness could not guarantee a carefree life. Your Highness should be more mindful of what you have to do in the future."

After saying that, Wen Chengshu left.

The Seventh Prince sat down on the ground, thinking about what Wen Chengshu had just said.

After a moment, he came to his senses and gripped the mirror in his hand.

"Just this once, this is it, I'll let it go. Will I use up all of Mother's blessings...?"

The Seventh Prince's voice, tinged with bitterness, echoed in the empty hall.

On the other side, Imperial Study.

Eunuch Wei knocked on the door.

After hearing a sound from inside, he pushed the door open and closed it behind him. He then went to the Chu Emperor and handed him a memorial.

"Your Majesty, all personnel have been assembled. With just one order from Your Majesty, the entire Capital City will be engulfed in bloodshed."

The Chu Emperor was looking down at an ancient book. After hearing what Eunuch Wei said, he took the memorial in his hand, flipped through it for a while, and then put it on the table.

"Start from the periphery and gradually spread inwards, making sure to leave no one behind."

"Yes!" Eunuch Wei replied respectfully, a troubled look on his face.

The Chu Emperor, being a shrewd man, saw through it at a glance and couldn't help but laugh, "Is there anything between you and me that we can't say?"

Eunuch Wei said, "The Prime Minister sealed the Everlasting Righteousness' scroll into the mirror and had the Seventh Prince take it over, wanting to test Xu Bai's character."

Upon hearing this, the Chu Emperor nodded without showing any reaction, simply indicating that he understood.

Eunuch Wei was taken aback. To have risen to his position, he was a shrewd man, and he quickly figured out the ingenuity behind it.

"This is... His Majesty's intention?"

"Yes." The Chu Emperor did not try to hide anything and nodded directly.

"Killing three birds with one stone." Eunuch Wei suddenly realized.

The Chu Emperor laughed and said, "You finally figured it out. That's right, that's exactly it."

"The Prime Minister is a talented and virtuous fellow, and he is even selfless. You know that, but he is just too pedantic. I made a bet with him."

"Let him give the mirror to the Seventh Prince, and then let the Seventh Prince test Xu Bai. If I win, he won't interfere in this matter."

"As for the outcome, there are three possibilities."

"Firstly, I can test Xu Bai's character."

"Secondly, it can shut the Prime Minister up."

"Thirdly, this seventh brother needs to be tempered. Let's use up all of the concubine's blessings this time and let him know how treacherous the world is."

Eunuch Wei's lips twitched slightly.

As a person who values rules very much, he couldn't bring himself to say the words "old sly fellow," but he was secretly cursing them in his heart.

"It was fortunate that His Majesty lost back then, and the Prince forced the throne onto His Majesty," said Eunuch Wei. "If it were the Prince, he would probably be heading straight for the Prime Minister with a weapon by now."

The Chu Emperor glanced at Eunuch Wei and said, "I know you admire Xu Bai very much, and I admire him very much too, but there are some things that I have to do from a different perspective."

"I understand," Eunuch Wei said in a low voice.

Only then did the Chu Emperor dismiss Eunuch Wei. After he left, he picked up the ancient book on the table and continued reading.

As darkness gradually fell, night descended.

Few people sleep soundly in the magnificent Imperial Palace.

The next day.

Xu Bai looked at the pale blue smoke in front of him, a satisfied expression on his face.

All he could say was that the mutated cheat ability was incredibly fast.

The smoke gradually condensed in mid-air, eventually forming a line of text.

You observe the True Explanation of Mechanisms, and comprehend its True Explanation of Mechanisms.

[Mergeable options found, currently in progress.]

[True Explanation of Mechanisms + Mechanism Puppet Technique = Mechanism Puppet True Explanation.]

[Merger successful.]

The smoke dissipated, transforming into a massive amount of information that flooded Xu Bai's mind. At the same time, Xu Bai's interface changed once again.

[Name: Xu Bai]

[Realm Level: First Rank Loose Cultivator.]

[Swordless Saber Grand Technique (Transcendent Stage 1): Max Level.]

[Myriad Aspects Heavenly Art (Transcendent Stage 1): Max Level.]

[Returning Wind Flowing Snow (Tier 5): Max Level.]

[Nine Revolutions of Action and Ruin (Rank 9): Max Level.]

[Moving Stars and Changing Constellations (Tier 9): Max Level.]

[Vajra Saint Demon Body (Tier 8); Max Level.]

[Strengthening Kidney Gathering Art (Tier 5): Max Level.]

[Hundred Poisons True Explanation (Tier 3): Max Level.]

[Mechanism Puppet True Explanation (Tier 9): Max Level.]

[Undying Body (Remnant) (Tier 6): Max Level.]

[Water Adaptation Method (Tier 5): Max Level]

[Feng Shui Arithmetic (Level 9): Max Level.]

[Thousand Faces Method (Tier 9): Max Level.]

[Comprehension: Max level.]

Having reached the ninth level of Mechanism Puppet True Explanation, one is already capable of creating first-grade mechanical items.

At this moment, Xu Bai turned his head, looked at the Fourth-Rank Puppet next to him, and stroked his chin.

He now needs to make a knife, and at the same time, he also needs to remake the puppet and make it a first-class item.

We need a lot of materials, and we must get them as soon as possible.

However, before that, he carefully examined the panel and discovered that he had a skill that was particularly a hindrance.

[Hundred Poisons True Explanation (Level 3)]

This skill allows him to withstand poison, recognize poison, and use poison, but his level is currently too low.

If he encounters something truly beyond his level of poison, Xu Bai will be unable to resist it unless he activates the Vajra Saint Demon Body beforehand.

But those who use poison are very cunning; they wouldn't use it openly in front of him, so we must improve it as soon as possible.

"First, build the mechanisms, then work on the progress bars related to drugs."

Having made up his mind, Xu Bai prepared to go out and find the Ninth Princess.

No materials? No problem, just ask Ninth Princess, they're friends.

The Ninth Princess manages the royal finances and is certainly not poor herself, so it would be perfect if she needed some materials.

Xu Bai stretched, opened the door, stepped outside, and headed towards the Ninth Princess's residence.

He encountered no obstacles along the way, and some passing soldiers even greeted him very respectfully.

Soon, he arrived at the Ninth Princess's residence. After explaining his purpose, the Ninth Princess readily agreed and, holding the list of materials Xu Bai had given her, instructed her subordinates to carry it out.

Xu Bai didn't linger. After the Ninth Princess said she would send the collected items to Xu Bai, Xu Bai went straight back to his residence.

The journey was smooth all the way. When he got back to his residence, Xu Bai opened the door and was about to sit down and rest for a while when he heard footsteps outside the door.

The Seventh Prince entered the room carrying various carefully packaged boxes.

"Lord Xu, I apologize for disturbing you. You've been in the palace for so long, I've come to bring you some daily necessities."

Xu Bai narrowed his eyes.

Has this guy changed his ways?

Something unusual must be going on.

Next, to the astonishment of the Seventh Prince, he was pushed out by Xu Bai.

"I recently caught a cold and am afraid of passing it on to the Seventh Prince, so I am not in a position to receive guests."

"Smack!"

The door closed.

In the empty courtyard, the Seventh Prince, carrying a gift box, stood bewildered in the wind.