The carriage stopped in front of the Huitong Hall.

Chen Ji jumped off the carriage and said to Li Xuan and Qi Zhenzhuo, "You two take turns on the roof, and alert immediately if anyone approaches."

Li Xuan nodded, "I'll keep watch for the first half of the night, Qi Zhenzhuo will take the second half."

Chen Ji glanced at Mrs. Lu, "Aunt Ping, guard the carriage, I'll go in and take a look."

He led the Yulin Army into Huitong Hall and inspected every corner thoroughly before returning to the first floor. He nodded at Xiao Man, "Take her upstairs to rest, stay by her side... but if someone formidable comes, you can leave her and run."

Xiao Man nodded, "Got it."

She carried Princess Liyang up to the second floor of Huitong Hall. No one covered her mouth, and the drunken Princess Liyang said, "I'm not drunk! I still want to go to the Imperial Music Bureau to watch the Four Dreams of Bianliang!"

But no one here would pay attention to the princess's demands; everything followed Chen Ji's arrangements.

Chen Ji watched Xiao Man's figure disappear at the stairs, then sat back in the carriage, leaning against the carriage wall and slowly exhaled a breath of relief.

East Rongmi Lane quieted down.

Mrs. Lu sat beside him and turned to look at him, asking in a hoarse voice, "What are you thinking?"

Chen Ji looked up at the eaves across the alley and casually replied, "I was thinking about whether many peonies will bloom in Luocheng City next April, whether the forsythia flowers by the Luo River will have already withered, whether the sea is calm, and what the other side of the sea looks like now... just random thoughts."

Mrs. Lu was somewhat stunned, unable to keep up with Chen Ji's abrupt thoughts. After pondering for a long time, she asked in confusion, "Are you planning to leave?"

Chen Ji's heart tightened; he had just casually spoken, but she could guess he wanted to leave.

Mrs. Lu smiled, "Don't be nervous, wherever you go is none of my business. I'm just a bit curious. I heard recently that you made great efforts to overthrow the second branch to be adopted into the main branch of the Chen family. It's barely been successful, and with glory and wealth right in front of you, in thirty years, everything in the Chen family would be yours. Can you bear to leave?"

Chen Ji replied with a smile, "Aunt Ping, glory and wealth are indeed tempting, and I like them too, but there are things more important than glory and wealth in this world."

"You really have no greed," Mrs. Lu said nonchalantly, "but now everyone in the market is jealous of you, saying you're a wolf cub who will do anything to climb up."

Chen Ji shook his head, "It doesn't matter."

Mrs. Lu continued, "Is it still not important even if so many people point at you and call you a dog of the Jing Dynasty?"

Chen Ji turned to look at her, "Aunt Ping, I once saw a saying."

"What saying?"

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Our goal is to cross the swamp in front of us, not to deal with every snake in the swamp."

Mrs. Lu pondered thoughtfully.

Chen Ji adjusted his posture, leaning against the carriage, "So, there's no need to be eager to defend oneself to everyone, because compared to what we need to do, nothing else matters."

Mrs. Lu quietly looked at Chen Ji, "You are much stronger than I imagined."

"Hmm?" Chen Ji noticed the unusual tone of Mrs. Lu and looked at her in some confusion, "What?"

Mrs. Lu turned her gaze to look outside the alley, "I probably guessed what you want to do... Is there nothing in the Chen family that you miss?"

Chen Ji calmly said, "Aunt Ping should have investigated me, so you should know my relationship with the Chen family only recently eased a little."

Mrs. Lu suddenly asked, "Do you miss your mother?"

Chen Ji's eyes softened, "Yes, I think of her even in my dreams. After becoming an Executive Officer, I actually don't need to sleep that long each day, one two hours is enough. But I still want to sleep a little longer every day because some people can only be seen in dreams. The night I returned from Chongli Pass, I dreamed that my mother told me to eat on time, not to take cold baths, not to fight with people, and not to go to dangerous places."

Mrs. Lu remained silent for a long time. "Go take a nap in the carriage, I'll keep watch for the first half of the night and call you in the second half."

Chen Ji was just about to say something when Mrs. Lu firmly said, "Go on."

...

...

In the morning, the sound of the copper bell from the Bell and Drum Tower echoed over.

Chen Ji opened his eyes in the carriage and quickly lifted the curtain to check, afraid that something might have gone wrong.

Mrs. Lu, still leaning against the carriage, said, "Rest assured, nothing happened during the night."

Chen Ji asked in confusion, "Why didn't you wake me, Aunt Ping?"

Mrs. Lu smiled, "I'm an Executive Officer in the Seeking Dao Realm, so I can go three days and nights without sleep, it's no problem. You don't need to compare with me. Hurry and get ready, today Princess Liyang will enter the palace as usual for negotiations."

Chen Ji nodded and went upstairs. He knocked on the door: "Xiao Man, has Her Highness gotten up?"

Xiao Man replied from inside the room, "I'll call her up right away."

In the next moment, Princess Liyang exclaimed in surprise and then complained, "Is this how you Southern Dynasty people treat guests? I barely ate a thing last night! Today I'm not going to the negotiation; your Crown Prince is deliberately stalling for time, always harping on that surrender statement. I'd rather go for a stroll elsewhere. Once we drag this out for ten days or half a month, he'll be the anxious one."

Outside the door, Chen Ji said in a low voice, "That's not an option; you must go. Doesn't Your Highness also wish to return to Yuan Cheng and the Jing Dynasty as soon as possible? Why bother with the Crown Prince's attitude yesterday? Perhaps he's changed his mind today."

Princess Liyang snorted through the door: "Your Crown Prince just wants to delay, so the Southern Dynasty civil servants can keep pressuring the Emperor, or use the Military Intelligence Department to get rid of you. Nothing will change even if I go today. Although I'm eager to return, in negotiations, the more anxious you are, the less you should show it."

Chen Ji frowned, "Your Highness should still prioritize the bigger picture."

With that, he pushed open the door to forcefully escort Princess Liyang to the palace, but she exclaimed from inside, "I'm not dressed yet!"

Chen Ji quickly stepped back, closing the door again.

Inside, Princess Liyang burst into laughter: "Lord Xiao Man, I didn't know your master, who kills without batting an eye, could be such a gentleman. Mr. Chen can wait outside; I've got a headache and need more sleep. Also, today I want to go to the Imperial Music Bureau for a show. If you send experts to knock me out again, I've got plenty of tricks waiting for you."

Xiao Man replied angrily, "If you do that, I'm going to beat you!"

Princess Liyang nonchalantly said, "That would be a scandal shaking both dynasties."

"Forget it, Xiao Man, don't force her," Chen Ji frowned, leaving Huitong Hall, where Mrs. Lu handed him a rice cake wrapped in bamboo leaves: "What, Princess Liyang doesn't want to go to the palace?"

"She's mad because I had someone get her drunk yesterday; it's nothing serious, she'll vent and get over it," Chen Ji said, taking a bite of the cake. "However, now the Crown Prince is stalling for time, and so is she; it's a bit troublesome."

Mrs. Lu asked puzzled, "Why does she want to stall for time?"

Chen Ji calmly said, "She wants to give the Military Intelligence Department more time to prepare, and then use the Ning Dynasty to eliminate those within the Department who help Lu Jin, and instead support her own people. We need to keep an eye on her, as her people will surely try to get close to her."

It wasn't until evening that Princess Liyang left Huitong Hall, still dressed in her purple male robes, beaming: "Let's go, Mr. Chen, take me to see your Southern Dynasty's Imperial Music Bureau. I've heard its musicians and actors are unmatched, even better than the Qinhuai River. I've also heard the best scripts are performed there first, and if a script can't make it to the Imperial Music Bureau's Danbi Grand Music Hall, it doesn't count as a good script."

Chen Ji lifted the carriage curtain for her: "Your Highness, the Imperial Music Bureau isn't as magical as you might have heard. In the end, it's just a place that torments the unfortunate."

Princess Liyang, who was about to board the carriage, hesitated slightly: "I didn't expect Mr. Chen to have such a compassionate heart; you weren't so kind when killing our Jing Dynasty armored soldiers."

Chen Ji casually replied, "It's different. The people of the Imperial Music Bureau have no choice; the Jing Dynasty armored soldiers did."

Princess Liyang smiled softly: "Though that's true, I believe this will be my only visit to the Ning Dynasty in this lifetime. If I don't take a look, I'd feel regretful. Let's go."

The escort slowly set off. Yanle Alley, where the Imperial Music Bureau was located, wasn't far from Huitong Hall; they arrived in thirty minutes.

Li Xuan asked softly, "Today they replay 'Four Dreams of Bianliang,' and the Danbi Grand Music Hall is packed. Should we clear the hall?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "No need."

He lifted the carriage curtain; Xiao Man, with a sullen face, helped Princess Liyang out, and together they headed towards the Danbi Grand Music Hall with the group.

Inside the Grand Music Hall, the crowd was buzzing, all waiting for 'Four Dreams of Bianliang' to start.

As Chen Ji stepped into the Grand Music Hall, it was like a bucket of cold water was poured over the crowd, silencing everyone inside the Imperial Music Bureau.

Chen Ji scanned the crowd before casually walking to an empty table in the corner: "Your Highness, please sit here; there's no need to squeeze to the front."

Princess Liyang, not picky, agreed happily.

Just then, someone stood up from the front row, lifting their skirt and bringing a fragrant breeze as they approached Chen Ji and Princess Liyang's table, "Chen Ji, you're here too."

Chen Ji looked up and saw it was Qi Zhaoning leading Qi Zhenzhu.

Princess Liyang curiously glanced at Qi Zhaoning, then at Chen Ji.

Before Chen Ji could speak, Qi Zhaoning said, "Chen Ji, my father and brother have both been very disappointed in you lately. They feel you shouldn't ruin your reputation and future for this matter concerning the Jing Dynasty envoy. You shouldn't bother with this Jing Princess."

Princess Liyang raised an eyebrow: "Who is this lady?"

Qi Zhaoning quickly answered: "I am his betrothed, awaiting marriage."

Nacai is the proposal, Naji is the small engagement, Nazheng is the bride price; reaching this step means only the wedding ceremony is left.

This genuinely startled Princess Liyang; the previous rapport between Chen Ji and Zhang Xia wasn't something just anyone could portray: "Mr. Chen, I thought you and Second Miss Zhang were the real pair!"

Qi Zhaoning angrily said, "You traitor from the Jing Dynasty, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Princess Liyang turned to Qi Zhaoning with a smile: "Miss, if I may speak frankly, you're far below Second Miss Zhang."