# Chapter Twenty-Eight
The Emperor received Qi Xiao in the front hall of Chengqian Palace. When Qi Xiao arrived, he noticed that Princess Dunzhu's sedan chair was already parked outside the palace gates. Qi Xiao found it amusing—likely the Princess had gotten wind of the news and came to check on things.
Following the palace attendants into the inner quarters of the front hall, he found the Emperor chatting merrily with Princess Dunzhu in the warm pavilion. Upon seeing Qi Xiao arrive, the Emperor smiled and said, "Good timing, Xiao'er. Come, persuade your aunt for me. She's living quite comfortably here in the palace, yet insists on returning to the Princess Manor."
Princess Dunzhu smiled gently. "Of course it's comfortable here in the palace. But I simply cannot stop worrying about those children of mine. The Marquis is far too indulgent with them. It's been half a month since I've been back—I shudder to think how mischievous they've become."
"Brother-in-law has a gentle temperament and is kind to the children. That's rather nice, isn't it? Don't be like me." The Emperor gestured toward Qi Xiao with a laugh. "Because I've been stricter with them, once they grew up, they couldn't wait to leave the palace and establish their own estates. As if these years in the palace had somehow constrained them terribly. But how are things now that they're out? Xiao'er is fine, but Hua'er is absolutely hopeless. His entire mansion is in complete chaos. I've already spoken with the Empress about it. Since Hua'er still needs to recover from his injuries here in the palace, once he's healed, there's no need for him to leave. He can continue residing in Zhaoyang Hall—it's more peaceful for him."
Princess Dunzhu's expression remained unchanged, though she inwardly scoffed. Fine, Qi Hua had embarrassed himself more than enough these past days. If she were the Emperor, she'd want to bring him back under her watchful eye too—otherwise who knew what other spectacles he might cause.
Qi Xiao, however, was not nearly so optimistic. He coldly waited for the Emperor to continue, and as expected, the Emperor went on, "And then there's Xiao'er... you should come back too. You're certainly more capable than your brother, and I trust you. But I don't trust others. Like this recent incident... thankfully they only crashed into your carriage. But what about next time? Xiao'er, you're the Crown Prince—the nation's heir. You cannot afford even the slightest mishap. Come back and live here so I can rest easy."
A faint smile crossed Qi Xiao's mind. So the Emperor had deduced it was his doing.
This incident involved the Court of Judicial Review, the Feng household, and Lingnan. And since no evidence had been left behind, it had made the Emperor increasingly wary. The Emperor had no idea how far Qi Xiao's reach extended. To monitor him and simultaneously weaken his power, keeping him confined within the palace was indeed an excellent plan.
Before Qi Xiao could speak, Princess Dunzhu smiled first. "Your Majesty speaks as if Xiao'er were a child. He's about to turn twenty—how could he possibly continue living in the palace? Your Majesty cherishes Xiao'er, but this... it would easily give rise to unsavory rumors. I cannot approve. The imperial clan... would never agree either."
The Emperor smiled. "Your Highness misunderstands. I'm not asking Qi Xiao to return to Haiyan Hall. Qi Xiao is grown now—he can move into the Eastern Palace."
At these words, the smile on Princess Dunzhu's face faded noticeably. She slowly set down her teacup without responding. Back then, to prevent Qi Xiao from moving into the Eastern Palace and instead having him establish his residence outside the palace, she and Qi Xiao had gone through considerable trouble.
As long as he remained within the inner city—whether at Haiyan Hall or the Eastern Palace—there would be too many restrictions and countless inconveniences. It was precisely because the Eastern Palace had a certain "history" that Princess Dunzhu had never allowed Qi Xiao to live there.
The previous Crown Prince to reside in the Eastern Palace had been Emperor Wen's elder brother.
That Crown Prince had committed an offense and slit his own throat in his bedchamber. After that, the Eastern Palace fell into neglect. Even when Emperor Wu was Crown Prince, Emperor Wen had not allowed him to move in. Thus, for over fifty years now, the Eastern Palace had remained empty.
Princess Dunzhu smoothed her temples with a smile. "The Eastern Palace has been unoccupied for so long. Moving in so suddenly might bring bad luck. Your Majesty yourself said that Xiao'er is the nation's heir and cannot afford even the slightest mishap. What if something over there should offend him? Don't dismiss me as being overly superstitious—even back then, our father disapproved of Emperor Wu moving into the Eastern Palace. We were unaware of what happened to our uncle, but Father knew. He kept the Eastern Palace empty throughout his twenty-odd-year reign. I believe there must have been sound reasoning behind Father's decision. What do you say, Your Majesty?"
The Emperor smiled coolly. Princess Dunzhu was certainly eloquent, bringing up Emperor Wen to pressure him. He nodded. "That's true... but as Your Highness said, Xiao'er is no longer young. Staying at Haiyan Hall truly is inconvenient..."
"Then don't move him at all." Princess Dunzhu glanced at Qi Xiao with a smile. "Your Majesty simply loves the Crown Prince too much. He's a grown man—how could he not take care of himself? Besides... when we built the estate for Xiao'er all those years ago, Your Majesty spent so much silver. All the finest treasures accumulated in the treasury over years were used on his residence. Now to suddenly abandon it... what a waste."
The Emperor seemed persuaded. He nodded. Princess Dunzhu breathed a sigh of relief. But Qi Xiao coldly smiled to himself. Did Princess Dunzhu think this was the end of it? Heh... this was probably just the beginning.
As expected, the Emperor gazed at Qi Xiao with affectionate concern. "Very well, then we'll follow your aunt's advice and let you continue living outside. But... since such an incident occurred, it's clear your household servants are incompetent. Fu Hailu..."
Fu Hailu hastily stepped forward and knelt.
The Emperor smiled. "Bring those people the Imperial Household Department just selected for Me."
Princess Dunzhu's heart sank. She turned toward the hall entrance. Soon Fu Hailu led in two men and two women. They bowed in unison. Fu Hailu smiled and said, "These two palace maids entered the palace last year and have already mastered court etiquette. These two guards entered service the year before and have been diligent and conscientious, steady and reliable."
The Emperor nodded with a smile. "The Imperial Household Department specially selected these servants for Me—they should be capable enough. Xiao'er... when you leave the palace today, take them back with you. Since you're unwilling to return, having more capable people around you will put Me more at ease."
A faint smile crossed Qi Xiao's mind. The Emperor had really gone to considerable trouble to plant these people on him. He understood clearly—after this incident, the Emperor had grown suspicious. Because there was no evidence, the Emperor couldn't act directly against him, so these servants were a warning. Qi Xiao knew he couldn't refuse, so he stopped arguing and expressed his gratitude with a bow.
Princess Dunzhu had not anticipated that the Emperor was playing a shell game—appearing to do one thing while actually doing another. She had just argued against bringing Qi Xiao back to the palace, so now she couldn't very well refuse to let the Emperor give him people. Princess Dunzhu glanced at the two gorgeous palace maids and smiled coolly. "These two girls are indeed lovely. Come forward and let me have a look."
The two maids approached and bowed to Princess Dunzhu. The graceful way they bent at the waist was indeed captivating—but Princess Dunzhu was not a man and was not swayed by such things. She lifted her teacup, took a sip, and spoke slowly. "There are no female members in the Crown Prince's household. The servants are all managed by Jiang Deqing. But there are things that simply must be handled by a proper lady of the house. The Crown Prince is young, and I worry. So I'll speak plainly today."
Fire burned in Princess Dunzhu's heart. Her tone lost all its usual gentleness. "His Majesty has sent you to serve the Crown Prince, which certainly isn't so you can do menial labor. You're gifts from the Emperor—entering the residence, you'll have more status than others. Even the Crown Prince wouldn't dare overwork you. You need only do some needlework and such. But..."
Princess Dunzhu smiled. "No need to be too meticulous. The Crown Prince has been accustomed to being served by eunuchs since childhood and doesn't like maids coming and going in and out of his bedchamber. There's no need for you to serve him there. Furthermore... hmph. The Emperor's gifts are surely sensible people. But since I'm on the subject, I'll say a bit more... The Crown Prince has not yet taken a wife. His chambers must be kept absolutely spotless. You'd better straighten out your thoughts and not cause any trouble that would disgust me. I'll say this plainly now: the Emperor is benevolent, but I am ruthless. If anything should happen, I'll have to play the villain. I'd rather not make things difficult for His Majesty."
Princess Dunzhu harbored hopes of marrying her youngest daughter to Qi Xiao. Thus she absolutely could not tolerate these women. If the Emperor had simply wanted to send Qi Xiao some servants, that would have been one thing. But these two palace maids were strikingly beautiful, their eyes and brows carrying obvious allure—clearly they were not to be trusted! Previously there had been the matter of Bai Ren, proving that Qi Xiao had already known the ways of the world. Bai Ren was harmless enough; whatever happened, he couldn't cause any scandal. But a young woman was different. If she became pregnant with Qi Xiao's child, the consequences would be unthinkable!
Qi Xiao had no parents. He would inevitably treasure blood relations especially. And he was young after all. Once he knew he had offspring, how could he bear to let them go? Even if her daughter might not necessarily marry Qi Xiao in the end, simply as his aunt, Princess Dunzhu absolutely would not allow Qi Xiao to have a illegitimate son born before any legitimate heir.
The two lovely creatures had originally, following Fu Hailu's earlier instructions, harbored ambitions of rising to prominence. They hadn't expected that before even entering the estate, they'd be so thoroughly put in their place by Princess Dunzhu right in front of Qi Xiao. Their faces fell, but bound by protocol, they could only obediently respond to everything Princess Dunzhu said. It was mortifying.
After unleashing her anger, Princess Dunzhu felt much better. She smiled at the Emperor. "Your Majesty has pressing affairs of state. I won't take up more of your time."
The Emperor made polite protests. Princess Dunzhu said coolly, "I'm about to leave the palace. I still have quite a few things to pack." With that, she departed with her retinue. The Emperor knew Princess Dunzhu was angry with him but didn't particularly care. He could soothe her feelings later.
The people had been given as intended. The Emperor had achieved his purpose and didn't waste further words with Qi Xiao. Qi Xiao took his leave and left the palace with his new attendants.
On the return journey, there were two extra people. The two guards were manageable, but the two palace maids couldn't very well be seen in public. But Qi Xiao forbade them from boarding his carriage. With no choice, Jiang Deqing had to summon another small carriage from the palace to transport the two maids separately.
On the way back, the sky turned overcast and snow began to fall. Qi Xiao called Jiang Deqing into the carriage. Jiang Deqing hastily expressed his gratitude and entered to attend to him. Seeing Qi Xiao looking weary, Jiang Deqing quietly advised, "Your Highness needn't worry. They're just two foolish girls. Though they are gifts from the Emperor, simply treat them well—feed them good food, give them nice things—and don't beat or scold them. Just ignore them."
Qi Xiao shook his head. "Why does everyone worry about them...? What could two women possibly do to trouble me? If they misbehave, I just need to say I've taken them as concubines and lock them away in the back courtyard. There's nothing to worry about there. What really concerns me are those two..."
Qi Xiao lifted the carriage curtain and stared fixedly at the two guards riding on horseback on either side of his carriage. He murmured with disgust, "The Emperor sent them to be his eyes and ears under a legitimate pretense. Many things will become much harder to handle... Enough. I'll think of something."
The snow fell heavier and heavier. By the time Qi Xiao returned to his estate, a thick layer had already accumulated on the ground. The household servants had been waiting outside and hurried forward with umbrellas and cloaks as his carriage arrived. Qi Xiao allowed himself to be ushered inside. Turning past the screen wall, he glanced at Jiang Deqing, who understood. He turned to the two palace maids with a smile. "Ladies, please follow me."
Having just experienced Princess Dunzhu's厉害 in the palace, the two were now much more docile. Though they could see Qi Xiao was too lazy to even glance at them, they dared not say anything. They curtsied and followed Jiang Deqing away.