My Princess and Crown Prince Are Revived
Chapter 192 Mutual Calculations

Chapter 192: Chapter 192 Mutual Calculations

Empress Dowager and Nan Leshi had descended the mountain, so naturally, the young masters and misses from the Aristocratic Families didn’t see fit to stay here either. They hurriedly followed and quickly made their way downhill as well.

Even Xiang Zhang was carried down the mountain.

As night gradually fell, the once bustling Lianyue Mountain now became utterly desolate.

"Nan Xing, go back and tell those two kids that I won’t be returning to the Princess Residence tonight, and they shouldn’t worry," Chu Baihan instructed Nan Xing.

Upon hearing those words, Nan Xing looked very anxious, "Princess, are you truly going to copy the female virtues?"

The concept of female virtues simply shouldn’t be part of a princess’s world.

"Cough cough cough..."

At that moment, Nanny Zhao stood at a distance and let out a deliberate cough, as if to remind Chu Baihan that it was time to begin copying the female virtues.

"Since it is a punishment from Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, I should accept it," Chu Baihan said slowly.

Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was enough for Nan Xing and Nanny Zhao, who wasn’t far away, to hear everything clearly.

"Princess," Nan Xing called out anxiously again.

"This is an order from me, the Princess. Why haven’t you hurried back to the Princess Residence yet?" Chu Baihan said with feigned sternness.

Nan Xing frowned but finally had to compromise.

She let out a breath and then nodded, "Princess, this servant will return to the residence now. Please be careful."

After speaking, she led a horse over and quickly rode down the mountain.

After Nan Xing left, what about a certain Pavilion Master?

Chu Baihan turned her head and asked Tang Ze with a strange tone, "Aren’t you leaving?"

"Why would I leave when you haven’t?" Tang Ze’s voice was as cool as water.

Chu Baihan: "..."

"I’ll stay behind to copy the female virtues, and you can go back," she said while making a "please" gesture.

"The Crown Prince has instructed me to protect you, I won’t leave," Tang Ze’s tone hardened as he averted his gaze.

After staring at him for a long time, Chu Baihan finally gave in.

"If you wish to stay, then stay," she said. After all, she did have some matters that night that truly required his assistance.

Averting her gaze, Chu Baihan walked up the mountain.

Tang Ze gave Tang Yu a look, and Tang Yu led their men down the mountain first while he followed Chu Baihan.

Seeing this, Nanny Zhao immediately followed with the servant girls.

"Princess, if you are going up to the palace to copy the female virtues, you can do so by yourself. What is the propriety of having a man alongside you? If that gets out, it will bring shame upon the Imperial Family’s reputation!" Nanny Zhao said through clenched teeth to Chu Baihan.

"Yes, what Nanny Zhao said is correct. It isn’t right for me, the Princess, to be with a man so late at night. It wouldn’t be good if we were seen by others," Chu Baihan agreed, nodding her head.

Seeing her so amenable this time, Nanny Zhao thought she had come to her senses.

However, the very next moment, Chu Baihan waved her hand, scattering white powder, and immediately all of the servant girls collapsed.

Nanny Zhao staggered and could not hold on either; she too fell to the ground.

"So, the solution to this issue is... don’t let outsiders see," Chu Baihan coldly stated, looking at Nanny Zhao and the others in their unconscious state.

Having said that, she then turned and walked up the mountain.

There were no ferocious beasts on Lianyue Mountain, but the mosquitoes that night should have been enough to make them miserable.

"She just made sense," he said. "You staying with me—are you really not afraid that I might do something to you?"

Tang Ze glanced at her, his voice a ghostly whisper.

Chu Baihan, however, spoke with a calm and straightforward demeanor, "Of course I am not afraid. First of all, as the Tang Sect Master, what woman can’t you have? Besides, you don’t like women. Furthermore, if you really wanted to do something to me, although my martial arts are not as good as yours, I’m still capable of fighting you to the death."

Tang Ze: "..."

His eyes darkened, the phrase "you don’t like women" echoing in his ears.

"As the Pavilion Master," he began,

He wanted to ask her why she thought he didn’t like women, but before he could finish speaking, they had already reached the top of the mountain.

Chu Baihan spoke with a grave tone, "The reason I stayed wasn’t to copy texts about women’s virtues."

"Mhm," Tang Ze nodded.

Of course, he knew...

No one understood better than him how stubborn her nature could be; the Empress Dowager might not in fact be able to make her submit.

"I heard from my father that my Imperial grandfather raised a group of Death Soldiers. These soldiers are scattered throughout the Nanduan Kingdom, highly skilled in martial arts, and can appear and disappear like ghosts. There are always exactly ninety-eight of them—if one dies, someone new is trained to take their place. My Imperial grandfather named this group the ’Shenxiao Guards.’ They are special because they don’t obey the court or the Imperial Family; they only obey the master of the Shenxiao Order..."

Chu Baihan’s voice was light as she began.

"But since your Imperial grandfather died, the Death Soldiers have disappeared without a trace, and the whereabouts of the Shenxiao Order are also unknown," Tang Ze picked up where she left off.

"You know about this?" Chu Baihan raised her eyes, looking at him in astonishment.

"Tang Sect’s informants are everywhere in the world; it’s not hard to uncover these secrets," Tang Ze answered in a deep voice, standing with his hands behind his back.

"Does the Tang Sect know the whereabouts of the Shenxiao Order?" Chu Baihan’s eyes were filled with hope as she looked at him.

Seeing the hope in her clear eyes, Tang Ze’s breath tightened slightly.

Taking a deep breath, he averted his gaze and then said solemnly, "I don’t know. The Tang Sect is not omnipotent."

Alright...

Chu Baihan let out a minor sigh.

Indeed, no matter how formidable the Tang Sect was, they were still mortals; there were always things they couldn’t achieve.

It seemed, finding the Shenxiao Order was up to her.

"Did you agree to stay at Lianyue Mountain because you suspect that the Shenxiao Order might be here?"

Tang Ze lowered his gaze, looked at her briefly, and then asked in a deep voice.

"I’ve been investigating the Shenxiao Order for three years, since I discovered that there are many Death Soldiers around Prince Xu, who are difficult to deal with due to their martial skill..."

"While I’m apprehensive that these men were trained by Prince Xu himself, I’m also fearful that these men... are actually the Shenxiao Guards."

"You’re worried that Prince Xu has already obtained the Shenxiao Order and now controls the Shenxiao Guards?" Tang Ze’s tone also became slightly serious.

"I haven’t dismissed the possibility. When my Imperial grandfather was still alive, Prince Xu already showed interest in the Shenxiao Guards," Chu Baihan said in a muted voice.

She would rather the Shenxiao Guards remain dormant than to have already fallen into Prince Xu’s hands, otherwise...

The situation would be troublesome.

The Shenxiao Guards personally trained by her Imperial grandfather were a force capable of withstanding thousands.

"Before my Imperial grandfather passed, he spent some time at Lianyue Mountain. In recent years, my Imperial grandmother has been living here, and it wasn’t appropriate for me to send people to search the place extensively. Now that I’ve been given this opportunity, I am determined to grasp it well," said Chu Baihan, her words laden with profound meaning.

Upon hearing this, Tang Ze chuckled softly and spoke quietly, "Last night, when Nan Leshi was presenting the letter of challenge to you, you had already calculated this step, hadn’t you?"

"Yes, I was worrying about how to visit Lianyue Mountain openly and honorably, when the opportunity came knocking at my door," Chu Baihan remarked wistfully.

So, while Nan Leshi was scheming against her, wasn’t she also plotting against her opponent?