The Emperor met with Old Master Bai and his wife at the Taiji Hall, naturally not using the pretext of discussing marriage proposals, but rather fabricating an excuse.
The Emperor said he hasn't visited Longzhou for a long while and, coincidentally, Old Master Bai's ancestral roots are also in Longzhou. Although his family has branched off for many years, the Emperor chose to ignore this detail, thus summoning him to inquire about the local customs and conditions.
Fortunately, due to Old Madam Liu's influence, Old Master Bai was still familiar with Longzhou, and thus spoke with the Emperor about the changes and the constants of the region.
The topic of local customs was merely a pretext, and the Emperor soon steered the conversation towards the subject of their children, covering the difficulties of upbringing, the distress of disobedience, the challenges of marriage matchmaking, and the worries for their future, resulting in a profound exchange between the two.
