Royal Rumours – Xu Zhengxi, Meng Ziyi

In the thirtieth year of Changdong, the Jin Kingdom and Jin Bo had a great war. General Hua Yingting led the Hua family army to a complete victory. It should have been a nationwide celebration, but the situation changed.

It was met with jealousy from the court officials who frequently reported to the emperor. To quell the rumors, Emperor Changlong appointed Hua Liuli, the daughter of the Hua family, as a county princess and allowed her to enter the capital to experience the prosperity of Yujing.

Due to the Hua family's victory, portraits of Hua family members were being sold everywhere on the streets and were quickly sold out. Minister Tian felt that although the Hua family won the battle, the common people did not thank the emperor but instead thanked the Hua Family. Meanwhile, official Yao felt that the Hua family was in trouble and discussed Hua Liuli's entry into the capital.

They both felt that Hua Liuli was like a lamb entering a tiger's den. However, official Zhu felt that things were not that simple and that they should be prepared in advance.

The three of them were thinking of causing some trouble.

On the way, Yan Wei told Hua Liuli that the Hua family was currently in a precarious situation and reminded her to be careful and low-key. However, Hua Liuli had other plans. On the other hand, the prince's men found out that Jin Bo's assassins had also entered the capital. At this time, the people and officials in Yujing City were all welcoming Hua Liuli. However, Jin Bo's assassins wanted to assassinate Hua Liuli, causing a rift between the emperor and the Hua family. When the people of the city saw Hua Liuli come out, they were especially happy, but Hua Liuli pretended to be faint due to the wind. This made the ministers think that she was weak and the people were talking about it. Jin Bo's assassins wanted to kill Hua Liuli, but the prince arrived in time. Xiao Wu was caught and beaten on the spot, and the prince, ignoring Yan Wei's objections, checked Hua Liuli's physical condition. He felt that Hua Liuli was pretending to be sick, and Yan Wei cried and complained about her young lady's misfortune. The people heard this and complained, asking the prince to let Hua Liuli rest at home. Hua Liuli told the prince that her illness had been going on for a long time and that she needed to live comfortably to recover. However, the prince insisted that Hua Liuli needed to rest and sent Xiao Qi and Xiao Ba to take her to a mansion in the western suburbs. He also asked Hua County Princess to rest well and promised to find someone to protect her so as not to delay her audience with the emperor.

On the way back, Yan Wei asked Miss about her conflict with the Crown Prince. Hua Liuli remembered the letter she wrote. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince felt that Hua Liuli was different from what he knew. Looking at the letters exchanged between the two, the Crown Prince became suspicious. Hua Liuli asked Yan Wei what the Crown Prince looked like, as she hadn't seen him yet. Hua Liuli felt that the Crown Prince was prepared and that Xiao Qi and Xiao Ba had sent her to the back to deal with him. As they walked around the courtyard, Yan Wei saw a well and was afraid that there were vengeful spirits inside. She thought the place was too dilapidated, but Hua Liuli comforted her, saying it was better than a camp. Hua Liuli told Yan Wei that this was the former residence of the Hua family and that the plaque was written by her grandfather, who unfortunately died in battle and never came back to see it. Yan Wei asked why Miss had won the battle and was still being guarded, but Hua Liuli said they didn't know how difficult it was to win a battle and that she actually enjoyed staying there. Hua Liuli wanted to go to the Jin Yuan Ge to gather information, so they had to crawl out of a dog hole. Hua Liuli asked Yan Wei if she felt embarrassed because people inside were pointing at her clothes. Princess Jiamin and Miss Yao were discussing the Crown Prince and the Hua family, which made Yan Wei angry and slam the table. Jiamin criticized their clothes, calling them country bumpkins. Hua Liuli intentionally called Jiamin "sister" and accused her of meddling in politics. The two were about to fight, but were stopped by the shopkeeper. Yun Han appeared and caused the girls in the audience to cheer. Even Hua Liuli was infatuated with him, but she remembered her mission and went to gather information, only to run into the Crown Prince. Hua Liuli didn't know it was the Crown Prince and invited him to chat.

As soon as Hua Liuli sat down and watched the Crown Prince pour tea, she asked if this was the way Jin Lingyuan entertained guests. The Crown Prince thought Hua Liuli was treating him like a little musician. Hua Liuli told the musician that she saw a noblewoman in the music hall who was dressed very luxuriously and sitting in the best seat, but had a bad temper. The Crown Prince immediately guessed it was Princess Jiamin, whose father was an official in the Ministry of Revenue and mother was a princess. Therefore, she was particularly proud. The Crown Prince introduced Hua Liuli to Official Tian, Official Yao, and Official Zhu, and told her that he heard that he and Yun Han were equally matched. Although the Crown Prince was very suspicious, he still talked about himself. Hua Liuli began to suspect that he was really a little musician, and the Crown Prince was not much better, so he asked if Hua Liuli really came to listen to music. Hua Liuli hurriedly left with Yan Wei. Princess Jiamin and Miss Yao thought it was Hua Liuli and wanted to give her a hint. In the morning, Hua Liuli pretended to be weak and recited poetry by the garden, and a pipe fell in the yard. It was a message sent using the Flower Family's secret language. Yan Wei told Hua Liuli that she was caught when she went there to buy things. It turned out that Princess Jiamin instructed her not to let Yan Wei buy food. Hua Liuli felt that if she was so weak, and someone still stepped on her, she couldn't blame herself for causing trouble. The Crown Prince learned about it and thought it was good that someone was testing her. Official Tian blamed Princess Jiamin when he found out, but Princess Jiamin said it was Hua Liuli who caused her trouble and that Hua Liuli's dress was like a door god. Hua Liuli brought gifts to Official Tian, but he refused to let her in, fearing that his colleagues would talk about him. The two deliberately talked about their grievances at the door, and the whole city's people were watching. The Crown Prince also learned about Hua Liuli's visit to Official Tian's house.

It was felt that Hua Liuli was very quick in her actions. When the people found out, they thought that Official Tian was deliberately making things difficult for Hua Liuli. So, Official Tian had no choice but to invite Hua Liuli. Once inside, Hua Liuli acted very obediently. Princess Jiamin had wanted to say that she had seen Hua Liuli at Jin Ling Garden, but was afraid her parents would find out, so she said she might have been mistaken. Hua Liuli then told Official Tian about how Princess Jiamin had cut off her food supply. She also mentioned that her father had instructed her to come and see Princess Shunan, which made Princess Shunan very happy. She praised Hua Liuli and invited her to dinner. She even gave Hua Liuli a night pearl and reduced Princess Jiamin's monthly allowance. On the way back, Hua Liuli met the Crown Prince and they talked about Official Tian's family. Hua Liuli asked Yan Wei to bring a gift to the Crown Prince, which turned out to be some biscuits. The Crown Prince recognized the handwriting and realized it was from the little musician who had mocked him before. He read the old letters and Hua Liuli pretended not to remember and continued to feign illness. On the way home, Yan Wei told Hua Liuli about how she had sent letters to the Crown Prince. Hua Liuli said she had only done it on a whim and had sent him many things. She felt annoyed and heard someone singing. It turned out to be Uncle Song. Hua Liuli talked about the past and wanted her to come back to the Hua family with her, but Uncle Song didn't want to burden the Hua family. When Hua Liuli returned home, she had Yan Wei arrange things according to her drawings. She heard someone trying to assassinate her and Uncle Song deliberately led the guards to her. Hua Liuli thanked Uncle Song and felt that he was still a veteran of the Hua family, but Uncle Song felt he was useless. Hua Liuli told Uncle Sun that she needed him and lowered the Hua family flag.

Yan Wei followed Hua Liuli's orders and posted a notice outside about the recruitment of workers for the Hua family. Everyone admired General Hua's deeds of guarding the country's borders, and when they saw that Miss Hua needed workers to tidy up the courtyard, they responded positively. Pei Jihuai was ordered by the Crown Prince to monitor the movements of the Hua family. He watched Yan Wei recruit workers and foolishly smiled, thinking that he had no chance to enter the Hua family. Yan Wei directly selected him and several other men. They went to the Hua family and listened to Yan Wei's arrangements for moving, sweeping, and other tasks. After a busy day, Pei Jihuai returned to An Kang Garden to report the situation. Crown Prince Ji Yuansu learned about Hua Liuli's daily life from Pei Jihuai and felt that Hua Liuli had deceived him. She was not a weak and fragile woman in his impression, but a fierce and rule-breaking general's daughter. He asked Pei Jihuai to return to the Hua family to gather more information. However, he received news of his dismissal upon arrival. Yan Wei did not understand why her mistress had done this, but only Hua Liuli and Uncle Song saw through the situation. Pei Jihuai might be a spy from other forces in the capital.

Pei Jihuai returned to An Kang Garden and drank heavily, unable to understand why he was dismissed by Hua Liuli. At night, assassins from the Jin Kingdom attacked the guards arranged by the Crown Prince near the Hua family. They sneaked into the Hua family, but faced Hua Liuli's well-prepared mechanisms and hidden weapons. They were tortured everywhere and eventually trapped in a sea of fire. Only one managed to escape the fire and approached the residence of the Hua family. However, a white figure fell from the sky and knocked him unconscious.

Early in the morning, the Crown Prince read some trivial memorials and lost interest. At this time, the guards reported that the Hua family had been attacked last night. He immediately led people to the Hua family to investigate. Seeing the bodies lying in the courtyard, he became more and more convinced that Hua Liuli was mysterious. The layout of the courtyard had a taste of strange and mysterious techniques. He reminded the feigned illness Hua Liuli to go with him to meet the emperor and report the situation. Seeing the Crown Prince's reaction, she guessed that he might have seen through her layout. She valued tomorrow's court meeting even more in her heart.

Ji Yuansu brought the item he received from Hua Liuli and asked Pei Jihuai to take a look at it. After knowing the truth, he realized that Hua Liuli had good intentions. She was the same Hua family girl who used to write letters mocking him when they were young. On the day of the audience, the three great scholars of Jin Kingdom had already prepared to participate in Hua Liuli's memorial. Hua Liuli dressed very plainly and carefully made herself look sickly. However, just in case, while discussing with Yan Wei how to deal with the situation today, the Crown Prince was waiting for her on the road. He said he wanted to personally bring Hua Liuli into the palace for the audience. Caught off guard, Hua Liuli had to take a few bottles of medicine from Yan Wei and follow the Crown Prince off the carriage.

Ji Yuanhao, the King of England, galloped on his horse, determined to arrive at the court meeting before the Crown Prince. He did not notice the Hua family's carriage, which had an accident while trying to avoid him. This accident led to an intimate encounter between Hua Liuli and Ji Yuansu. The Emperor ordered the palace people to bring the young Hua Liuli into the palace. Hua Liuli acted fragile and cautious everywhere. She first praised Official Tian and Official Yao for taking care of her. When she praised them like this in court, they were too embarrassed to present their memorial. Not long after their embarrassment, Official Tian presented the memorial of Grand Master Lin Huizhi to the Emperor. The letter stated that Lin Huizhi met Hua Liuli on his way to exile. However, because he said a few things that displeased the Hua family, Hua Liuli argued with him and even overturned his food. Everyone accused Hua Liuli of being arrogant and unruly, even the Emperor thought she had gone too far. Ji Yuanhao felt that things were getting more and more interesting. He wanted to see how Hua Liuli would handle it. However, Hua Liuli had already collapsed on the ground, not explaining or pleading for mercy. She was just thinking about how to deal with the situation.

The emperor watched as the ministers discussed the matter, while Hua Liuli remained silent on the ground. He instructed the eunuch to continue reading, and the following content made the emperor and the ministers amazed. Meanwhile, Lin Huizhi discovered that all the chickens on the ground were dead, and beside them was the bowl of food that Yan Wei had knocked over. He misunderstood Hua Liuli, thinking that someone had poisoned him, but Hua Liuli noticed the clues and had Yan Wei take away his food. In his letter, he expressed his shame for Miss Hua's feelings towards him. Lin Huizhi's memorial made the ministers' blood pressure rise, as they did not expect that this letter would resolve Hua Liuli's predicament so inexplicably.

Lord Ying proposed to disband the army, as the huge military expenditure was a burden on the empire and could easily harm the people. The Crown Prince remained silent, only watching Hua Liuli quietly, waiting to see how she would break the ice. Hua Liuli reported to the emperor that she had brought gifts from Qinghanzhou, and the emperor asked her to present them. She said that the gifts were too large to be displayed in the Golden Luang Hall, and requested to display them outside the hall. The officials followed Hua Liuli to see the gifts, and the emperor heard from the eunuch that Hua Liuli had brought the opposing army that had fought against the Hua family and Jin Bo. He also went out to see the excitement.

Lord Ying and Hua Liuli stood on either side, with Lord Ying giving orders in spoken language, while Hua Liuli used flag language to command. This confused him for a moment, and he tried to imitate Hua Liuli's flag language, but it resulted in a surrender of the city, which made the ministers laugh. In order to ease the conflict between the Hua family and the court, Hua Liuli started with the patriotism of the family, and with a few simple words, she greatly reduced the hostility towards the Hua family among the emperor and the ministers, and instead turned the conflict between the civil and military officials. This was also due to the support of Lord Ying.

The emperor saw that the officials were in chaos and heard many things from Hua Liuli that he had never heard before. He felt that the most important thing at the moment was to choose a suitable man for Hua Liuli. He had the palace people call for the mother of the English prince, Concubine Xian. However, the crown prince refused to leave the emperor's side, claiming that the cakes here were better than those in the Eastern Palace. He stayed and ate cakes while the emperor talked with Concubine Xian, showing his disapproval by making noise. The emperor told her to think carefully. Hua Liuli learned that the emperor was trying to match her with the English prince and tried to make him give up. She waited for him where he rode his horse and pretended to faint when he passed by. Yan Wei shouted that the English prince's horse had frightened their young lady, causing her to faint. The English prince got off his horse to inquire about the situation and fell into Hua Liuli and Yan Wei's trap. Hua Liuli had Yan Wei go get medicine and find some people who could talk and spread the news about what happened. Yan Wei found a man and a woman and told them about Hua Liuli being frightened by the English prince's horse. The story spread quickly. Yan Wei found out the news when she came out of the pharmacy. She was surprised that the story had been exaggerated, but worried that the crown prince and the imperial physician had gone to Hua's house. She quickly ran to Hua's house and warned Hua Liuli when the crown prince was about to enter the inner courtyard. The imperial physician diagnosed Hua Liuli but found nothing serious. However, Ji Yuansu felt that it was not that simple. He heard that Hua Liuli's voice was not right and saw that she was acting. He ordered the imperial physician to give her the bitterest medicine and ordered Xiao Ba to watch her take it, or he would be punished. Forced to do so, Hua Liuli drank the bitter medicine and asked Yan Wei for candy. Pei Jihuai interrogated the assassins according to Ji Yuansu's arrangement and found that they were all lying and full of loopholes. The story of the English prince scaring Hua Liuli spread throughout the city. Ji Yuansu paid the storytellers to continue telling the story and wanted to see how Hua Liuli would respond. Concubine Xian also did not want her son to marry Hua Liuli and decided to take matters into her own hands.

Concubine Xian received news from Xiao Ba that Hua Liuli had drunk all the medicine and was preparing to attend her Plum Blossom Banquet. During the banquet, Princess Jiamin wore a fine cloud brocade while Hua Liuli wore a simple cloak. However, her headpiece caught the attention of Miss Yao. The Crown Prince observed the movements of the small Western country and found it interesting. Xiao Ba was curious if the wine he was drinking was the same as the one at Concubine Xian's banquet.

During the banquet, Jiamin performed a sword dance while Hua Liuli thought it was just a showy display. However, she also showed off her own talent and removed her cloak to reveal a beautiful red dress. She danced like an elf in the snow, even catching the attention of the Crown Prince. Concubine Xian had intended to embarrass Hua Liuli but was surprised by her performance. She asked Hua Liuli what dance she had performed, and Hua Liuli replied that it was a "face dance" where the coins did not hit her face. Jiamin was angered by this and turned green. After Hua Liuli left, Concubine Xian realized she had underestimated her. The other noble ladies praised Hua Liuli's dancing skills. Hua Liuli saw Lord Ying approaching and deliberately said that Jiamin would like him. Jiamin replied that Yun Han was a better match for her and left.

In front of everyone, Concubine Xian intentionally made Lord Ying apologize to Hua Liuli for scaring her during their horse ride, hoping to embarrass Hua Liuli. Concubine Xian gave Hua Liuli a cane, but Hua Liuli refused to take it, making others think that Concubine Xian was forcing her. In desperation, Concubine Xian had to use the cane to hit her own son, pretending to be a victim and making Hua Liuli feel guilty.

Hua Liuli recognized the faces of two familiar people and suspected that they were there to poison her. She gave them a cup of wine with a laxative, causing them to have diarrhea. The Crown Prince stopped Hua Liuli and asked her to stay, but she said she was weak and needed to leave. However, he noticed the wine in her hand and wanted to drink it. Hua Liuli didn't want him to drink it, so she drank it all and fainted in Ji Yuansu's arms. Concubine Xian was very worried and kept walking back and forth, saying that she didn't do it. The Crown Prince asked if there was an antidote, and a servant found a porcelain bottle containing San Xi San poison. The Crown Prince said that the person who took it would die within three breaths, and Concubine Xian asked him to clear her name. In fact, Hua Liuli had already replaced the San Xi San with a laxative, and she woke up soon after. The Crown Prince asked how she was, and Hua Liuli went to the toilet many times with Yan Wei. The doctor said that Hua Liuli's body was unique and could turn San Xi San into diarrhea. Everyone thought that Hua Liuli's body was so weak that she could turn San Xi San into diarrhea by herself. The Crown Prince found that the porcelain bottle containing San Xi San was full, but her symptoms were similar to those of Qian Li Yi Xie. The Crown Prince helped Hua Liuli leave, hoping that she wouldn't protect herself so much, but Hua Liuli didn't take his words to heart. As soon as she got on the carriage, she vomited blood. She was really poisoned, but she didn't show it. Yuan Wei quickly took her back to the Hua Mansion, and Hua Liuli instructed Song Guang to bring Hua Yingting's detoxification pill and not to tell anyone about her poisoning.

The Emperor scolded Concubine Xian and postponed the wedding, sending the Crown Prince to investigate the culprit. Thanks to Hua Yingting's detoxification pill, Hua Liuli's condition was not so serious anymore, and she missed her parents very much. Ji Yuansu asked Pei Jihuai for news and learned that Lord Ying had recovered from his injuries. He immediately ordered his men to prepare horses.

Ji Yuanhao stayed near the Hua residence and didn't leave. The Hua family couldn't find a reason to drive him away. At this time, Ji Yuansu came to the Hua residence and found that they were in danger. He quickly rushed over. Assassins from the Jin Bo Kingdom found that both princes were in the Hua residence, which made them hesitant. If they acted now, it would involve a dispute over the legitimacy of the throne and could lead to a war between the two countries. They only wanted to kill Hua Liuli. One of the assassins discovered that the poison he had used on Hua Liuli didn't work.

As it was almost noon, Hua Liuli ordered the kitchen to prepare some delicious food from the border to entertain the two princes. However, the appearance of the food was something they had never seen before, and they were a bit resistant. The pig offal and pig soup made them lose their appetite, and they both found excuses to leave. Yan Wei asked Hua Liuli how Lord Ying could be so confident. Hua Liuli told her that Ji Yuanhao was the emperor's eldest son and was naturally favored by the emperor. In addition, he was doted on by Concubine Xian, so he naturally had some arrogance.

Hua Liuli was a bit puzzled about Ji Yuansu. She couldn't figure out what kind of person he was and reminded Yan Wei to be careful around him. Yun Han said that since the assassins from the Jin Bo Kingdom wanted to kill Hua Liuli, it meant that she wasn't colluding with them. Ji Yuansu decided to find out more about Hua Liuli in a different way. He invited her to watch a play, but all she saw were two big men fighting on stage. Hua Liuli couldn't guess Ji Yuansu's intentions.

Hua Liuli was the daughter of General Hua and Duke Wei. Ji Yuansu used this opportunity to let her be the judge, and Ji Yuanhao covered for her. However, facing the aggressive Crown Prince Ji Yuanhao, he had no choice but to compromise. Hua Liuli had to be the judge, but what she didn't expect was that the two strong men on stage were always leaning towards her side intentionally or unintentionally.

Tian Jiamin was cheering on the side, feeling that the situation was not big enough. Ji Yuanhao couldn't bear to watch and went over to surround them, worried that Hua Liuli would fall. When Hua Liuli saw Ji Yuanhao coming, she suddenly had a way to escape. She leaned towards Ji Yuanhao, and the two big men behind her also leaned towards him. She quickly squatted down, and the big men hit Ji Yuanhao, almost killing him. The ministers saw that Ji Yuansu was always following Hua Liuli around, so they took the opportunity to criticize him. Ji Yuansu fought back and presented evidence of Jin Bo's assassins, leaving the ministers speechless. Later, Pei Jihuai admired Ji Yuansu's methods, but Ji Yuansu said that those ministers were all stubborn and not worth mentioning, while Hua Liuli was difficult to deal with.

Tian Jiamin was upset that all the attention was on Hua Liuli, so she stayed at home alone. During the past few days of contact with Ji Yuansu, Hua Liuli discovered his weakness - he was someone who knew how to cherish and protect women. At this time, Ji Yuansu came, and Yan Wei thought he was here to cause trouble, so she panicked and hid. Ji Yuansu pulled Hua Liuli, which made Yan Wei think he was plotting against her mistress. She rushed over and pushed Ji Yuansu away, but after he explained, she realized that she had misunderstood him and felt embarrassed. Tian Jiamin found a way to get close to Ji Yuansu. When they looked at each other, Ji Yuansu felt a little embarrassed and took the opportunity to leave. Ji Yuansu took Hua Liuli to see the plum blossoms and showed her the handkerchief he had picked up last time. Hua Liuli felt a little guilty and pretended not to know about it. She couldn't let her guard down, as the lives of countless soldiers in Qinghan Province were behind her. When Hua Liuli was about to leave, she accidentally stepped on nothing and fell into Ji Yuansu's arms.

Hua Liuli felt very embarrassed, and Ji Yuanhao appeared just in time. He left with Ji Yuanhao. Ji Yuansu, who was upset, tried to confess his feelings to Hua Liuli, but was rejected. He and Pei Jihuai got drunk, and the drunken Pei Jihuai advised him to lower his posture in order to achieve something.

Ji Yuansu woke up in the morning and remembered what Pei Jihuai had said while drinking last night, so he sent Xiao Qi and Xiao Ba to the Hua family. However, Yan Wei said that Hua Liuli didn't want to meet to avoid suspicion. Ji Yuansu said that he was just passing by and not looking for her. During the morning court, the emperor announced that he would hold a meeting of ten thousand nations and needed to select a Foreign Minister to host the peace talks with the Jinbo Kingdom and the affairs of the nations. The Grand Preceptor thought that young people should take on the responsibility. Ji Yuanhao volunteered to be the Foreign Minister, and the Crown Prince also thought that his brother was suitable. In the end, the emperor decided to give it a try and take everyone's opinions. Hua Liuli found out that Lord Ying was running for the position of Foreign Minister and he was not friendly to the Hua family, so she took over the position. She actively sought out Ji Yuansu and hoped that he would compete with Lord Ying.

This morning, Hua Liuli just said that she wanted to keep her distance from Ji Yuansu, so he naturally felt unhappy and asked her to leave after wiping herself off. To show her sincerity, Hua Liuli had someone take the Crown Prince to the Hua family to take a bath and relax. However, the Crown Prince felt that Hua Liuli was taking revenge on him because he had never been massaged before. Hua Liuli couldn't understand why the Crown Prince didn't appreciate it, so Yan Wei asked her to think of a reliable solution.

Princess Jiamin and Miss Yao discussed the matter of the Foreign Minister. They heard that Lord Ying's son, Jin Ling Yuan, was looking for a musician, so they planned to take him there personally. The Crown Prince told his subordinates that he had been feeling unusually good lately. After Hua Liuli had someone massage him for two days and listened to Pei Jihuai's words, he understood that it was like using a scrub to make the whole body comfortable. So he went to the Hua family. On the way, he saw Tian Jiamin helping Ji Yuanhao advertise. He thought it was useless. In his heart, Tian Jiamin was taken for granted.

The courtyard's mechanism was upgraded, and Ji Yuansu was blocked outside. After listening to Yuan Wei's words, Hua Liuli hurried to see Ji Yuanhao. Ji Yuanhao's sleeve was torn, and Hua Liuli took the initiative to offer to embroider his sleeve to please him. She even made a bag with fur embroidered on it, but it was not very well done and looked like a little white bear. Ji Yuanhao knew that Hua Liuli was trying to show her goodwill to him repeatedly, but he was the one who had persecuted her before, and now it was her turn to persecute him. People on the street seemed to prefer the Crown Prince, and Hua Liuli felt that time was running out, so she went to find Ji Yuanhao again, but he was nowhere to be found.

The two had just come out of the Da Li Si and happened to meet Liuli and Yanwei. Yanwei recognized Pei Jihuai as the little white who had entered the Hua Mansion to work before and wanted to settle accounts with him, thinking he was a fraud. Under Yanwei's questioning, Pei Jihuai revealed everything intentionally and falsely claimed that Hua Liuli had been molested by the Crown Prince and then ran away. Yanwei was furious and scolded him. Hua Liuli and Ji Yuansu came to Ankan Garden and said that she felt that the Crown Prince had taken her sachet. She wanted to resolve the grievances with him and asked him to compete with Lord Ying for the position of foreign minister. She felt that the Hua family should not be treated like this and wanted to seek justice for them. She also said that the Crown Prince had always protected her as the heir to the throne. Crown Prince Ji Yuansu spoke of what Hua Liuli had done and felt that she was both intelligent and brave. Hua Liuli, on the other hand, thought that he suspected the Hua family's loyalty to the court. She planned to go back and noticed that a maid was acting suspiciously. She came back later and said that she wanted to have a cup of tea before leaving. With Hua Liuli's reminder and indirect help, Ji Yuansu was unharmed and the female assassin was caught and taken to the Da Li Si. Ji Yuansu ordered Pei Jihuai to investigate everyone in the Eastern Palace and Ankan Garden.

To thank Hua Liuli for her help, Ji Yuansu promised to help her compete for the position of foreign minister and asked her to wait for his good news. After returning, Yanwei said that she had almost exposed her martial arts skills today and reminded her not to forget the teacher's instructions. Hua Liuli felt that she was just trying to please the Crown Prince, while Yanwei thought that Hua Liuli had a crush on the Crown Prince. Hua Liuli did not admit it.

The two discussed the issue of the Crown Prince's reputation. The Crown Prince wanted to believe Hua Liuli and felt that his patriotism could not be faked. During the court meeting, the Emperor mentioned the competition for the position of foreign minister. The Crown Prince proposed that Hua Liuli competes for the position, but some ministers disagreed, thinking that the Crown Prince was trying to use Hua Liuli. The Emperor ordered Hua Liuli to attend court the next day, but Ji Yuansu found her outside the hall. Hua Liuli had just said that her eyes were twitching when she was summoned to the hall.

Lord Ying told the Empress Dowager that as the eldest prince, it was his duty to take on everything, and said that Hua Liuli did not want to compete, but the Crown Prince strongly recommended her. Hua Liuli went to see the Emperor and heard Master Du say that she was too weak to represent Jin Kingdom in negotiations, and only then did she know that the Crown Prince had nominated her for the position of foreign minister. She told the Emperor that she was indeed unable to do it, but the Emperor said that many of Jin Kingdom's officials were women and that Hua Liuli had inherited the courage of the Hua family, so she could try without worrying about winning or losing. After leaving court, Hua Liuli was not angry with the Crown Prince, thinking that he did not believe what she said and walked away quickly. Back at the Hua residence, Yan Wei exclaimed that it was supposed to be the Crown Prince, but now it was Hua Liuli. Hua Liuli felt that she still had a great advantage and thought it was better to rely on herself than leave her fate to others, so she decided to compete. The Crown Prince wanted to play chess with Pei Jihuai and asked him to keep an eye on Hua Liuli. However, Pei Jihuai said he was staring at Yan Wei and explained to the Crown Prince that if he wanted to know what his master was doing, he had to keep an eye on his maid. The Crown Prince thought he made sense.

Lord Ying told the Empress Dowager that as the eldest prince, it was his duty to take on everything, and Hua Liuli did not want to compete, but the Crown Prince strongly recommended her. He also said that Hua Liuli cried in court. The Empress Dowager thought Lord Ying was too honest.

When Yan Wei heard that Empress Dowager summoned Hua Liuli to the palace, she thought Empress Dowager wanted to deal with them. Hua Liuli pretended to be weak and wanted to delay, but she refused to go in. She had to be taken to Yan Wei's palace. On the way, the Crown Prince said that he could not let the Empress Dowager wait too long and asked Hua Liuli to ride with him. Hua Liuli was very nervous when she saw Empress Dowager, but Empress Dowager said that she was physically weak and let her stay in the side hall of Shoukang Palace. Hua Liuli could not refuse and had to stay. The Empress Dowager also said that she would help Hua Liuli adjust her body. Hua Liuli asked Yan Wei to go back to the Hua residence to pack her things, but Duan Jin said everything was ready. Hua Liuli realized that Empress Dowager had planned this for a long time and decided not to let her leave the palace. Official Tian and others talked about Hua Liuli being under house arrest by Empress Dowager, and they planned to help Lord Ying compete with Hua Liuli. The Empress Dowager told the Emperor that she wanted Hua Liuli to stay in the palace for a while, thinking that Hua Liuli had other intentions. The Crown Prince told Yun Han his concerns, but Yun Han thought that if Hua Liuli wanted to leave the palace, she would find a way.

In recent days, in the side hall of Shoukang Palace, Hua Liuli attracted many people from the palace to listen to her stories about traveling, and many people were fascinated by them. The Crown Prince also came to see her and teased her about being well taken care of in the palace. Hua Liuli complained that she couldn't go out and asked the Crown Prince to help her. The Crown Prince said that the more he helped her, the less interested he would be, and that he had even sent her many fabrics to please the Empress Dowager.

Meanwhile, Duan Jin asked the Crown Prince to visit Hua Liuli less often.

Hua Liuli, based on the Crown Prince's reminder, knew Empress Dowager's preferences and described the texture of each fabric to her. However, every time she got to the point, she pretended to be sick and went back. The second time, Empress Dowager asked her to choose accessories for the dark purple fabric, but she pretended to be sick again. On the third day, Empress Dowager was angry with her nonsense and asked her to leave. Hua Liuli presented a dark purple brocade to Empress Dowager, who allowed her to keep it. The Empress Dowager also gave the other fabrics to the palace maids.

One day, Hua Liuli woke up from a nightmare, which strengthened her determination to protect the Hua family. Consort Xian and Consort Lin enjoyed the flowers in the garden. Hua Liuli observed the painting of the Third Prince and praised it, even daring to ask him to paint one for her. She asked the Third Prince to give it to her and write his name on it.

Hua Liuli deliberately wore dark purple clothes and said that everyone liked her clothes, which made Empress Dowager very happy. After hearing Hua Liuli's explanation, the Empress Dowager also accepted the clothes made of several pieces of old cloth by Hua Liuli. The Third Prince, Ji Yuanhao, was a man of few words and loved to paint. After spending these few days together, Empress Dowager thought that Hua Liuli was cunning and wise, and wanted to match her with Lord Ying.

Pei Jihuai told Ji Yuansu that he had locked up the assassin of Jin Bo. Ji Yuansu, angry and thinking of what the Empress Dowager had said, took it out on Pei Jihuai. Lin Huizhi asked if Ji Yuanhong often played with Hua Liuli, and told him that the Lin family did not care about status and power, and encouraged him to play with Hua Liuli. Hua Liuli invited the Empress Dowager to go to the garden with her to show off the clothes the Empress Dowager had given her. While they were walking, the Empress Dowager said she wanted Hua Liuli to be with Lord Ying. The Empress Dowager let Hua Liuli walk alone, but she met Concubine Xian and Concubine Shu. Concubine Xian mocked Hua Liuli for dressing up to meet the Emperor. The Empress Dowager defended Hua Liuli and Concubine Xian apologized and left.

Ji Yuansu went to see the Empress Dowager and told her he did not know who his grandmother was. The Empress Dowager teased him about wanting to talk to her about Hua County Princess. The Crown Prince said he had some misunderstandings with Hua Liuli and wanted to reconcile. The Empress Dowager thought he had other intentions and the Crown Prince invited her to a banquet in the Eastern Palace. Hua Liuli initially declined, citing her poor health, but changed her mind when she heard there would be grilled meat. The Crown Prince told Hua Liuli about a persimmon tree in the courtyard that had been with him for a long time. Hua Liuli was touched and wanted to keep the letter he wrote for her.

The Crown Prince tried to grill the meat himself but failed, so Hua Liuli did it for him. They talked about their favorite foods and Ji Yuansu started to develop feelings for Hua Liuli. He showed her the gift she had given him, which he had kept well. The Emperor and the Empress Dowager played chess and discussed the ceremony for the God of Heaven. They decided to let Hua Liuli participate in national affairs and encouraged her to spend more time with Ji Yuanhao to develop their relationship.

For the ceremony, Hua Liuli was dressed up early in the morning and given the clothes the Empress Dowager had sent her. She was also told to drink less water and given some items from the Empress Dowager in case of emergency. Tian Jiamin saw Hua Liuli in the palace and gave her a hand warmer when she saw the Crown Prince was not dressed warmly enough. Tian Jiamin was annoyed that Hua Liuli was always in her sight.

During the beginning of the sacrifice ceremony, while Ji Yuansu was reading the sacrificial text, Hua Liuli was chatting with Tian Jiamin. Hua Liuli asked if she wanted to eat milk candy, and although Tian Jiamin said no, she actually wanted to eat it. The Empress Dowager expressed her desire to speak with Hua Liuli and Lord Ying. After the Emperor agreed, Lord Ying and Hua Liuli approached, and Hua Liuli gave her milk candy to the Crown Prince. The Empress Dowager said she had high hopes for Hua Liuli. After the ceremony, Hua Liuli was to leave Shoukang Palace and return to Hua Mansion. The Empress Dowager had prepared many things for her to take back. Hua Liuli bid farewell and the Empress Dowager was reluctant to let her go. The Third Prince came to see her off and gave her a painting.

When Hua Liuli saw the Crown Prince at the door, she asked if he came to see her off. He said if she wanted to live in Hua Mansion on Jinque Street, he would talk to the Emperor tomorrow. However, Hua Liuli was used to living in the old mansion in the western suburbs and preferred to stay there.

Yan Wei complained to Hua Liuli about Lord Ying's behavior. Hua Liuli told her not to be surprised, as she was imprisoned in Shoukang Palace and he had time to promote his ideas. Hua Liuli was not worried, as she believed the influence of the Hua family on the people would have an impact. She still had time and might even win against Ji Yuanhao.

The Emperor set aside a piece of land for the World Conference, but when he learned that the ministers had not taken care of the relocation of the local people, he became very angry and felt sorry for the heavens. The Emperor ordered Lord Ying and Hua Liuli to settle the relocation of the people and cultivate their relationship.

The Emperor called Ji Yuansu to assist him in handling state affairs, but he was eating. The Emperor asked him to take a look, but Ji Yuansu thought the memorials were trivial matters, even including the matter of slapping a dragon's butt. Ji Yuansu planned to find Ji Yuanhao and Hua Liuli. The Emperor told the Crown Prince not to interfere with Hua Liuli and the Crown Prince's affairs, but he asked him to interrogate the General of Jin Bo. The Crown Prince told the Emperor to rest when he needed to, and Yan Wei told Hua Liuli about Lord Ying setting up a shed in the city to distribute porridge. Hua Liuli planned to go and see.

The Empress Dowager mentioned that she hasn't seen Hua Liuli in a long time and seems to miss her. The people were happy to see Hua Liuli visiting them. Hua Liuli asked Ji Yuanhao if he had heard of the saying "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." However, Lord Ying said that he knew the origin of the saying. Hua Liuli felt that he was just trying to find a temporary solution to the problem and that giving free food to the people would eventually make them lazy and stop working hard. But Lord Ying did not understand. After listening to the ministers' opinions, Ji Yuanhao changed his strategy and set up a Longjing Winery to help the farmers. Whoever bought something would receive a portrait of Lord Ying. Tian Jiamin heard about these things from an old lady and went to find Hua Liuli. When she arrived, they both had some animosity towards each other. Tian Jiamin wanted to buy something, but heard that Hua Liuli had already bought it. However, Hua Liuli turned it around and said that she could give these things to the princess. Tian Jiamin didn't insist and let her have it. She also said that she would give Tian Jiamin a portrait of Lord Ying. After they left, Hua Liuli and Yan Wei still felt uneasy and were glad that Tian Jiamin didn't raise the price. Yan Wei felt that running a tab was not a long-term solution, and Hua Liuli decided to borrow money from someone. However, Yan Wei felt that this would only add to their debt. Pei Jihuai said that since the day Ava and the others were locked up, they have been clamoring to see Hua Liuli. Pei Jihuai told Ji Yuansu that if they continue like this, it will confirm the collusion between the Hua family and Jin Bo.

When Ji Yuansu interrogated A Wa, the Crown Prince asked him why he always cursed Hua Liuli. A Wa said it was because he had learned Hua Liuli's skills and that Hua Liuli liked the Second Prince. However, the Crown Prince did not believe A Wa and preferred to believe in Hua Liuli's character. Pei Jihuai was imprisoned on the charge of defeating and capturing prisoners to obtain information. The Crown Prince had him and A Wa locked up together. Ji Yuansu asked Yun Han if Jin Bo, the Second Prince He Yuanting, really wanted to kill Hua Liuli. He could not believe A Wa's words. Yun Han thought that the Crown Prince really trusted Hua Liuli and said that he did not have much influence in Jin Bo's family, like the Crown Prince's third brother. However, he had strong personal abilities, martial arts skills, and the power to command troops. Apart from Jin Bo and the Crown Prince, he was the prince with the most supporters in Jin Bo's camp. After A Wa was captured, He Yuanting's influence declined, and it was said that he had traveled to various countries. The Crown Prince believed Yun Han's intelligence was true and that the Hua family had captured A Wa. He let He Yuanting escape, and Yun Han was actually He Yuanting. Yan Wei asked if Hua Liuli and the Crown Prince's relationship had improved and if the Crown Prince could borrow money. The Crown Prince heard that Hua Liuli was coming to see him and specially bathed and changed clothes, picked out clothes, and dressed up before seeing her. When she saw the Crown Prince come in, Hua Liuli was stunned and praised the Crown Prince's complexion. Suddenly, the Crown Prince asked Hua Liuli who was more handsome between Jin Ling Yuan's musician and He Yuanting, the Second Prince of Jin Bo. Hua Liuli was a little confused and did not understand why he brought up He Yuanting. She thought he was sick and went over to see him. As a result, they both fell on the bed, and the servants turned their heads. When Yan Wei said that, Hua Liuli quickly got up. The Crown Prince asked her to see Lord Ying less and also to go to Jin Ling Yuan. Hua Liuli asked the Crown Prince to borrow money. Ji Yuansu said he had no money, and Hua Liuli asked the Crown Prince to say that she wanted to partition the abandoned house for business. The Crown Prince supported her and took out all his silver.

Hua Liuli felt that she was even poorer than herself. The people didn't buy into the portrait of Lord Ying, and Tian Jiamin was so angry that she slammed the table. Miss Yao asked Tian Jiamin to care about Lord Ying. When Hua Liuli said she wanted to open a shop in the old street of the western suburbs, Tian Jiamin said she also wanted to open a shop and compete with her directly. After they shook hands, Tian Jiamin took him to choose a location. When Hua Liuli was calculating the accounts and got angry because she couldn't figure it out, she blamed the Crown Prince for not coming earlier. Ji Yuansu gave her a gift for opening her business. Hua Liuli let the Crown Prince taste her gourd drink, which Ji Yuansu found very delicious and drank a lot, getting drunk. Drunk Ji Yuansu looked cute and said he didn't want to go home and wanted to stay with Hua Liuli. He then said a few words of his innermost thoughts while holding onto Hua Liuli. Hua Liuli thought the Crown Prince had fallen asleep and leaned over to look at Ji Yuansu, but he opened his eyes and the two looked deeply into each other's eyes.