After reading the letter, Dugu Chen’s face, which had been clouded over, was now basking in sunshine.

Raising his eyebrows, he asked her, "Is there a problem with this letter?"

Dugu Chen straightened his chest and cleared his throat a few times, frowning and pretending to be deep in thought as he shook his head.

Feng Xuxu watched him putting on an act, her lips curving into a smile that revealed two small dimples. Her snow-white teeth tightly clamped onto her red lips as her pretty face turned red from holding back laughter. Clearing her throat, she said, "I’m going to the study to reply to Zhao Dapeng’s letter." She rose gracefully to her feet and as she did, Yingsu, who was nearby, immediately stepped forward to support the princess, and they slowly walked out of the bedroom.

Dugu Chen gave an awkward smile and looked at the light rain falling outside. He couldn’t bear to see her walking in the rain, even with someone to attend to her. With this thought, he stood and followed her out. Reaching the entrance of the hall, he opened an oiled paper umbrella with one hand and wrapped his other arm around his lady. The couple walked side by side in the drizzle.

On the first day of September, the Imperial Palace issued a decree early in the morning: the era name was officially changed from Kangze to Jiayou, and the whole realm celebrated.

The streets and alleys were crowded with people, brightly lit with lanterns and festooned with decorations; the atmosphere was one of jubilation.

Taking advantage of Dugu Chen’s absence from the residence, Feng Xuxu finally left the Prince Mei Residence. Confined within for half a month, she wasn’t allowed to go anywhere. Her pulse was taken daily, and her diet was changed constantly. She had noticed she’d put on weight, her cheeks even had the plumpness of a baby’s. Her protests were ineffective, and if she secretly tossed her food away, once discovered, the next day’s provisions would increase mercilessly.

"Princess, is it really okay for us to go out like this?" Baihe felt a tingling in her scalp, reminiscing on Prince’s parting admonitions to watch over the princess closely. Now, they had slipped out of the residence without a sound. If Prince came back and couldn’t find her, wouldn’t he be furious? Just the thought made her shiver.

Feng Xuxu, spirited while enjoying her outing, rolled her eyes at Baihe’s words, "What’s wrong with that? I just want to get some fresh air. We’ll go back before he returns."

Baihe followed closely and cautiously, all the while hoping that her own princess would quickly return. It seemed, the more she wished this, the more things tended to go against her hopes.

Jingfeng and others had been waiting outside the Prince Residence for half a month. Today, they finally saw Feng Xuxu leaving the gates with a maid and no other guards around. They saw this as an opportunity, and began to split up and follow her stealthily from the shadows.

Feng Xuxu, in high spirits, looked left and right, her face glowing with an uninterrupted smile. When she saw an old woman selling children’s tiger head shoes by the roadside, lively and charming, she couldn’t help but be attracted. Perhaps it was related to her pregnancy, as she found herself drawn to children’s items and couldn’t walk away.

Looking at the simple appearance of the old woman, Feng Xuxu approached and picked up a pair of tiger head shoes from the bamboo rack, "Old lady, how much are you selling these shoes for?"

The old lady looked up and chuckled. "Madam, these shoes are fifty wen a pair. I don’t mind saying my craftsmanship is well-known; not only are they well-made, but they are also durable." As she spoke, the old lady also praised her own shoemaking skills.

Feng Xuxu frowned, seemingly examining the shoes, but actually scanning both sides of the street with the corners of her eyes. She felt as if there were eyes on her from behind.

"Madam? Madam?" The shoe-selling Granny Li saw the lady in front of her lost in thought and called out to the noblewoman several times.

"Uh, granny, I’ll take two pairs, please wrap them up for me!" After failing to spot anyone suspicious through her peripheral vision, she was puzzled. Her martial arts had reached the sixth level, and it wasn’t possible for her perception to be wrong. If it wasn’t her mistake, then someone really must have been watching her.

"Hehehe, right, right, I can tell Madam is blessed." Granny Li held the shoes in her hands, chatting away with Feng Xuxu as she prepared the purchase.