Chapter 569: How about discussing cooperation?

Bai Xiaosheng's face flushed slightly with embarrassment; after glancing at Yun Duo beside Gu Jiu Ling, even though he was now the Regent Prince, he could not take a maid from the Rui Wangfu.

He stepped back slightly, bowed to Gu Jiu Ling, and smiled, saying, "Thank you for your care, Aunt. After all, I am still young; it's too early to talk about marriage. If I ever have someone in mind, I will certainly ask you to be my matchmaker."

"It's getting late; I take my leave!"

Bai Xiaosheng smiled, turned, and walked out of the Rui Wangfu's garden.

Yun Duo exhaled in relief, but then her heart grew heavy again.

She fell to her knees with a thud before Gu Jiu Ling and said, "Master, I beg for punishment."

"I really couldn't hold back just now; I struck the Crown Prince and almost brought disaster upon the Rui Wangfu."

Gu Jiu Ling sighed, reached out, and helped her up from the ground.

"You hit him well! That bastard had it coming!"

Bai Xiaosheng left the Rui Wangfu, his face somewhat gloomy.

The few attendants, not daring to speak further, bowed and walked to the carriage, lifted the curtain, placed the footstool, and helped Bai Xiaosheng inside.

Bai Xiaosheng leaned against the carriage wall; the driver was his trusted aide Qingchuan, whom he had brought out from the Hundred Dawn Sect.

"Your Highness, shall we return to the residence?"

Bai Xiaosheng furrowed his brows fiercely: "To the suburbs."

"Right, shake off those tails; they're annoying to watch."

"Yes, Your Highness!" Driver Qingchuan cracked the whip hard; the horse startled, reared, and galloped forward.

The Rui Wangfu people behind them followed closely, but when they passed an alley, they saw several women with two children rushing toward them.

Those dark guards hurriedly tightened the reins, causing chaos in the street.

After they detoured around those wailing civilians, unexpectedly Bai Xiaosheng's carriage stopped at the mouth of a nearby alley.

The few dark guards tasked with monitoring Bai Xiaosheng rushed over, lifted the carriage curtain, but found no trace of him inside.

"What... what are we to do?"

"The Prince said we must keep constant watch on the Crown Prince."

"Never mind explanations; hurry back to report to the Prince."

Early spring chill lingered; the peach trees on the city outskirts were still bare, not a single sprouting leaf in sight— the season had not yet arrived.

Deep in the peach woods stood a few thatched huts, appearing from the outside as temporary resting places built by forest keepers.

Only thin wisps of cooking smoke rose slowly from the huts' chimneys, lending a touch of human warmth to the misty peach forest.

Bai Xiaosheng dismounted and walked slowly toward the thatched hut.

Before he reached the interior, a deep-blue butterfly flew out from the hut.

The butterfly lightly landed on his shoulder and remained still.

Bai Xiaosheng carefully placed the butterfly on his shoulder into his hand; this item is not cheap—it is the famous tracking butterfly of the jianghu.

He pinched the tracking butterfly in his palm, curled his fingers around it, secured it carefully, and then proceeded toward the thatched hut.

Upon entering the hut, he saw a tall, jade-complexioned man of extraordinary beauty.

At that moment, the man leaned by the window, head lowered, sipping tea sip by sip.

In the small silver kettle beside the table, tea burbled, releasing a rich aroma that was both refreshing and thirst-quenching when drunk.

This time he tightly gripped a jade cup, his violet eyes shimmering as he fixed his gaze on the cup in his hand.

These days, internal strife among the Southern Qi royal family has left them weakened, which works to the advantage of him, a hostage from Bei Di.

However, breaking through that inner knot is not easy.

Initially, he helped Gu Jiu Ling escape from Shang Jing, bringing her to an overseas island.

He never expected that after all his hardship, Gu Jiu Ling would be tricked back by Xiao Yin.

Thinking of this, Tuo Ba Yu felt a surge of frustration; he did not know wherein he fell short compared to Xiao Yin.

Fragmented sunlight streamed through the window, bathing his violet eyes, adding a touch of mysterious beauty to his gaze.

Hearing footsteps at the door, Tuo Ba Yu smiled faintly: "Indeed, we have an honored guest today!"

Having spoken, Tuo Ba Yu looked at the entering Bai Xiaosheng, bowed with clasped fists, and said, "So it is the Crown Prince; I have not yet offered my congratulations. Your Highness's grand arrival—what brings you here?"

"No need to state the purpose," Bai Xiaosheng said, gazing at the tall, jade-like Tuo Ba Yu, "Come, let's share a cup of tea."

"I heard an old friend came here for tea, so I also wanted to share in the good fortune."

Bai Xiaosheng, without ceremony, sat down openly beside Tuo Ba Yu.

He looked at the tea set Tuo Ba Yu used, all carved entirely from white jade.

The tea in the small silver kettle gave off a rare, fresh fragrance.

Bai Xiaosheng picked up the small silver kettle on the table, then took a white jade cup, filled it to the brim with tea for himself, and took a sip.

"Mm, good tea!"

"Surely you are the little prince of Bei Di; this tea must have been shipped from the north, right? What is it called? Snow Mountain Silver Needle, which grows on snowy peaks and is hard to harvest."

"Such tea is hard to come by even for a thousand gold; I didn't expect Your Highness to be able to brew so much—it's quite impressive."

Bai Xiaosheng, while picking up the silver kettle and stirring the tea leaves inside, also laid out the prepared snacks and such on the table.

Tuo Ba Yu smiled and said, "Congratulations, Your Highness; you are now the Regent Prince, not busy in the palace, yet you used a tracking butterfly to find me—what brings you here?"

"I don't see any cause for celebration," Bai Xiaosheng said with a light smile, picking up the snacks on the table and eating them.

Tuo Ba Yu's eyes flickered slightly; this kid's words have hidden meaning.

However, he did not want to play riddles with him.

"Speak up—what exactly do you mean? I finally made it back to the capital; I wanted to rest here, have some snacks, and later go to the Capital Medical Clinic. Why, Your Highness, do you block me here? Aren't you the Prince Rui's confidant? In these turbulent times, shouldn't you be staying by the Prince's side?"

Bai Xiaosheng chuckled, said nothing, lifted his teacup, tilted his head back, and took a gulp.

That look was as if he were drinking to drown his sorrows: "Confidant? Hah!"

Bai Xiaosheng's eyes held a hint of coldness: "He's merely a pawn in Xiao Yin's hand, just a dog by his side."

Tuo Ba Yu raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at Bai Xiaosheng before him: "This isn't like your former style; how did you become so depressed? Now you are the Regent Prince—who in the world wouldn't give you a bit of face?"

Bai Xiaosheng burst out laughing with a ha: "Thin face? What's thin face? What's it worth?"

"I sought you out today simply to discuss cooperation with you—what do you think?."

"Cooperation?" Tuo Ba Yu nearly spat out his mouthful of tea.

"Give me a reason?" Tuo Ba Yu said with a cold smile.