A while later, a maid outside reported that someone had arrived at the Eastern Palace.

“Is that so? Hurry and let them in,” Bi Linglong said as she stood up. Just as she was about to head outside, she suddenly stopped and turned around to check herself in the mirror one last time, making sure there weren’t any blemishes. Then, she lifted her dress to rush out.

Rong Mo was incredibly shocked. What’s up with the crown princess? Is there really a need to be that excited when you’re greeting a subordinate?

The crown princess stopped her little sprint when she reached the guest room. She sorted out her dress, which had become a bit messy from running, and recovered her usual calm and graceful appearance. Then, she lightly cleared her throat and said, “Why did you come so early, sir…”

She froze halfway through her sentence, because she saw the people in the hall. It wasn’t the person she was expecting.

The two young men in the hall were seated and sipping on tea. Even though their appearances were a bit similar, their bearings were entirely different. The one with the beard was sitting upright in his chair, his figure giving off a feeling of steadiness. The other had one leg crossed over the other, and his feet were fidgeting constantly. There was a frivolous expression on his face as well.

When they heard the door open and saw that it was Bi Linglong, they immediately stood up and walked over.

“I greet the crown princess!”

“Sister Linglong!”

“So it was you guys.” Bi Linglong felt a bit disappointed. The two in front of her were Gu Heng and Gu Xing, these two brothers who she cultivated with from childhood. The steady one with the beard was the older brother Gu Heng, while the slightly sloppy-looking one was the younger brother Gu Xing.

“Who did sister Linglong think it was?” Gu Xing asked with a smile.

Bi Linglong’s good mood faded, replaced by the formal smile of someone of high status. She said, “I was waiting for you two. It has been a while.”

Gu Heng sighed as he looked at her. “Indeed, ever since you joined the palace as the crown princess, we have never seen you since.” There was deep sentiment and regret in his eyes.

Gu Xing was much more direct. “Long time no see. Linglong has grown more and more pretty.”

Gu Heng frowned. “Brother, she has already become the crown princess. Our ranks are different, we cannot address her like we used to anymore.”

Bi Linglong said with a smile, “It’s fine; all of us grew up together, so there’s no need to be such strangers. Please sit down.”

Gu Xing remarked to Gu Heng with a smile, “Big bro, what did I say? Linglong won’t change; she’s still just as good at understanding others as before.”

Bi Linglong had a gentle smile on her face as she sat down in the highest position. The friendly regard in their eyes didn’t escape her gaze. She had been sharp ever since she was little, so how could she not know that these two liked her?

But she didn’t expose them. She had always pretended that she didn’t notice anything. In her opinion, after she became the crown princess, these two would have given up on those thoughts. Furthermore, there wasn’t anything wrong with these two liking her. As someone of high status, she was capable of making use of their adoration. It made it easier to control her subordinates.

“Hm? Why don’t I see the crown prince anywhere?” Gu Heng looked around out of curiosity.

Bi Linglong replied, “He’s still in bed.”

“The crown prince really has a vast breadth of mind, not being worried at all.” Even though Gu Heng was praising him on the surface, there was a bit of disdain in his eyes.

Gu Heng’s tone was also sour. “The crown prince really is blessed… He’s probably so tired that he has to sleep more.”

When he thought about how that stupid pig tormented his goddess night after night, and that was why he was so tired, he was about to go mad from jealousy. But what can I do? He’s the crown prince.

Bi Linglong was able to sense their resentment. Even though she was extremely dissatisfied with the crown prince, there was no way she would end up with these two. She wouldn’t berate them before heading into battle for fear of harming morale. Her eyes subconsciously drifted to the door. Why wasn’t that person here yet?

The Gu clan brothers were extremely excited to see Bi Linglong again and had endless things to say. They brought up one childhood memory after another.

Bi Linglong replied at first, but when she saw that the two were getting more and more excited, she couldn't help but frown. Even though they had grown up together, there was etiquette that had to be followed. As such, she took the initiative to shift the topic to the secret dungeon task.

Gu Xing immediately patted his chest with a big smile. “Don’t worry, Linglong. We will take care of the crown prince’s exam! We will take care of everything.”

Gu Heng also said, “Absolutely! I collected a lot of information about the Moon Jade Serpent, and I’ve also practiced how to take it down with my warriors. Nothing will go wrong!”

A sincere smile finally appeared on Bi Linglong’s face. “Then I’ll really have to thank the two of you ahead of time.”

Gu Xing laughed and said, “Linglong, you are too polite. There’s no need for any of that; are you treating us as outsiders…?”

Bi Linglong smiled, but she didn’t reply. There were no identifiable flaws in her etiquette.

Even though the two brothers sensed a bit of estrangement, they simply felt it was natural. She was the glorious crown princess now after all, so this type of bearing was within their expectations.

They discussed all kinds of scenarios that might happen in the dungeon, and time unwittingly passed. Even the crown prince was woken up under the eunuchs’ care. However, Zu An still hadn’t arrived.

The Gu clan brothers also sensed that something was off. Gu Heng couldn't help but ask, “Is the crown princess waiting for someone?”

Bi Linglong nodded. “I am waiting for the crown prince’s chamberlain, Sir Zu An.”

“Oh, Brightmoon City Chu clan’s drafted son-in-law,” Gu Xing sneered. His voice carried a bit of contempt.

Bi Linglong frowned inwardly, but she didn’t say anything.

Gu Heng coughed and said, “Brother, speak properly. Sir Zu is now the crown prince’s chamberlain.”

Gu Xing grumbled, “But wasn’t he originally from Brightmoon City? And he is the Chu clan’s drafted son-in-law. Am I wrong?”

Bi Linglong calmly said, “He no longer has any connection with the Chu clan. Do not use words like ‘drafted son-in-law’.”

“Ah, I remember. I think he was rejected by the Chu clan,” Gu Xing said. “But that’s a good thing, or else we’d really feel injustice for Chu First Miss. How could someone like her be with a rat off the streets?”

Bi Linglong frowned inwardly again. The contempt in his tone was something common among influential clans toward those of lesser backgrounds. After some hesitation, she decided that it wasn’t convenient for her to defend Zu An with her status.

Gu Heng also asked, “How about we head to the academy first? Sir Zu will naturally head there later.”

Bi Linglong shook her head. “I will just wait for him here. I told him yesterday that we would set off from here.”

Gu Heng and his little brother exchanged a look. It seemed this Zu An was someone special to the crown princess. No wonder he could become the crown prince’s chamberlain in such a short amount of time.

Both of them felt a sense of danger, but they didn’t pay too much attention to it. After all, no matter how much the crown princess cared about him, he would be nothing more than a subject. However, it’s different for us brothers; we grew up and cultivated together with the crown princess. We’re childhood friends.

Gu Xing was about to say something else, but Gu Heng stopped him and said with a smile, “It’s not that early anymore. It won’t matter even if we wait a bit for Sir Zu.” Gu Xing frowned, but he didn’t say anything in the end.

Bi Linglong felt that waiting around like this wasn’t a solution either, so she brought the two of them to see the crown prince. At the same time, she had the maids bring in some food.

Even though the brothers had already eaten before they came, having a meal at the Eastern Palace was a huge honor. All of them had smiles on their faces and continued to complement Bi Linglong. They even praised that fat pig of a crown prince they looked down on.

…

After a joyous and harmonious meal, Bi Linglong continued to glance toward the door. Unfortunately, that person never appeared. That made even her frown. Why wasn’t he here yet? Did he oversleep? But that doesn’t make any sense! This is such an important matter, so how could he have made such a huge mistake?

Or maybe something unexpected happened along the way? Did King Qi’s people ambush him? But she should have received news about that by now if something did happen!

…

While Bi Linglong was lost in her concern, Gu Xing finally commented unhappily, “Is that guy named Zu or something going to come or not? So many of us are waiting for him. Don’t tell me he got cold feet because he’s scared of death?”

The crown prince had been sipping on some soup. When he heard Gu Xing, his face jiggled. “Death? Is this trip going to be dangerous?”

Bi Linglong immediately consoled him. “Crown prince, don’t worry. We won’t be in any danger.”

Gu Heng gave his brother a look. He quickly said, “My brother has misspoken. I hope the crown prince will not mind.”

At the same time, he felt more and more disdain. How could this damn pig be the crown prince? And his goddess Linglong had actually ended up being married to him? Sigh, apart from his background, how is he better than me in any way? Is this fate?