Prince Bei Jing of the Red Chamber, starting from saving Qin Keqing

Zhu Changming was eager to leave, and Shui Rong raised his hand to try and persuade him to stay, but seeing that he was so eager to go home, she did not insist.

He was only told to be careful on the road, and Zhao Zhong was asked to fetch two boxes of New Year's snacks from the Prince's Mansion to give to him.

Only after watching his carriage leave the palace did he turn around and return to his own residence.

Standing under the corridor, Shui Rong gazed in the direction where the carriages and horses of the Prince of Dongping's mansion had departed, still feeling a sense of melancholy.

Prince Liu Dongchen of Dongping served three emperors and had deep roots in the military, as well as many protégés and former subordinates among the court officials.

In terms of seniority and prestige, he was far superior to the average member of the imperial family in the court.

Such a person could have wielded immense power like his late father, Shui Yanchen, but he always remained true to the duties of the Dongping Prince's Mansion.

He was impartial and never showed any ambition to seize power; the reasons behind this were something no one in the court could truly understand.

He was truly surprised that the man had come to his door in person today and even tried to understand his feelings through poetry.

Collecting her thoughts, Shui Rong slowly returned to her study. As soon as she opened the door, her gaze inadvertently swept over the sandalwood chair where Liu Dongchen had been sitting.

A lone black iron token lay on the blue brick ground, its surface engraved with the intricate Liu family crest.

The edges and corners are worn smooth, clearly the result of years of handling.

A slight doubt arose in his heart, and just as he was about to bend down to pick it up, he heard a boy's clear voice coming from outside the door:

"Brother Rong! Wait a minute!"

Turning around, I saw Liu Chengze running in quickly, lifting the hem of his clothes, his face slightly flushed and his forehead beaded with sweat.

Clutching a plain scroll tightly in his hand, he panted as he said:

"Brother Rong, Grandpa left in a hurry and forgot to ask me to give this to you, so he specially asked me to come back and deliver it to you."

Shui Rong reached out and took the spool. His fingertips touched the spool's texture; it was thick and solid, suggesting that something important was hidden inside.

He reached out and gently ruffled Liu Chengze's hair, his tone tender. Then he turned and walked to the desk, took a pre-prepared scroll from the drawer, and handed it to him.

"Chengze, you must be tired from making this trip. Please give this to your grandfather and tell him that it is a small New Year's gift that Rong'er prepared for him to express her gratitude."

As he spoke, he glanced at the red envelopes on the table, took one of them, and stuffed it into Liu Chengze's hand, his eyes crinkling with a smile:

"This is your New Year's money. Happy Chinese New Year, Chengze."

Liu Chengze held the red envelope, a happy smile on his face, and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Brother Rong."

He grabbed the scroll and ran out quickly. The boy's figure soon disappeared under the eaves, leaving only a series of light footsteps.

The study returned to silence. Shui Rong held the scroll that Liu Dongchen had given her, her fingertips tracing the cover, her curiosity growing stronger.

He walked to the table, gently unrolled the scroll, and what he saw was not poetry, calligraphy, or painting, but densely packed handwriting and maps.

It turned out to be a detailed map of the military garrison deployments in Liaodong and Liaoxi.

The mountains and passes, garrisons, and grain reserves were marked in great detail, even including the backgrounds and temperaments of the generals of each camp. It was clear at a glance that this was a secret treasured by the Liu family.

At the end of the scroll, there are a few lines of Liu Dongchen's own handwriting, the strokes vigorous and showing signs of age, yet each character is clear:

Rong'er, I feel that my time is coming to an end, and I fear that I will go to the Yellow Springs with that old codger Pei Zhenxi.

The person I worry about most in this life is Chengze.

The elite troops under the command of the Prince of Dongping are all under your command. I hope you will protect my grandson.

Don't blame me for hedging my bets. Chengze has long since joined the Crown Prince's faction. It's not unreasonable for me to leave a way out for the Liu family, is it? Haha.

As Shui Rong looked at these lines of text, her pupils contracted sharply, and a storm of emotions surged within her. Astonishment and surprise intertwined, and even her fingertips trembled slightly.

He never imagined that Liu Dongchen would entrust him with the entire elite force of the Dongping Prince's Mansion.

He also gifted him confidential information about the military towns in Liaodong and Liaoxi.

It should be noted that the Liu family were hereditary princes, although he was nominally the head of the imperial family.

In reality, Liu Dongchen was the true core of the kings, but due to his advanced age, he gradually faded into the background and his fame diminished.

The Liaodong Iron Cavalry and Liaoxi Elite under the command of the Prince of Dongping's Mansion are among the most valiant troops of the Great Yin Dynasty, with formidable combat power far surpassing that of the troops of the Duke of Wei's Xu family.

Even though the imperial court used its authority to divide up some military power in Liaodong, military power in Liaoxi remained firmly in the hands of the Liu family.

This force is powerful enough to influence the situation on the border and even affect the political landscape of the imperial court.

Liu Dongchen actually gave away his entire fortune just to have him protect Liu Chengze. This trust and generosity were far beyond his expectations.

After a long while, Shui Rong finally calmed down, gently brushing her fingertips over the words on the scroll, a slight smile playing on her lips.

These old foxes in the court are indeed all cunning and calculating; hedging their bets is their usual tactic.

While aligning Liu Chengze with the Crown Prince's faction, Liu Dongchen also entrusted him with elite troops.

This not only left a way out for the Liu family, but also represented a gamble on him, a well-thought-out plan.

Even knowing that he was betting on both sides, Shui Rong still couldn't hide his surprise.

He had always wanted to establish a presence in the south, but he was always wary of the constraints imposed by the forces on the northern border. Now, with the elite troops of the Prince of Dongping's mansion and the secret military garrisons of western and eastern Liaoning, he was like a tiger with wings.

Although it will not be easy to completely reclaim this force from the Liu family clan in the future.

But Liu Dongchen's entrustment had already given him a legitimate reason to ask, which was an incredible opportunity.

The black iron token on the ground was likely the military tally used to mobilize the elite troops of the Prince of Dongping's mansion.

Liu Dongchen deliberately left it behind, probably intending to do so all along. He was just using Liu Chengze's gift of the scroll as an excuse to make everything clear.

On the other side, in the carriage of the Prince of Dongping's residence, Liu Chengze, holding the scroll that Shui Rong had given him, leaned against Liu Dongchen and asked with a puzzled expression:

"Grandpa, why did you hand over the military maps of Liaodong and Liaoxi, as well as the elite troops of our royal palace, to Rong-gege?"

"Didn't you always teach me to follow His Highness the Crown Prince and be a member of the Crown Prince's faction?"

"Giving something this important to Brother Rong now, wouldn't that be...?"

Liu Dongchen, who had been leaning against the car wall with his eyes closed, slowly opened them upon hearing this, his gaze falling on his grandson's innocent face.

Full of kindness, she reached out and gently stroked his head, her voice tinged with a hint of weariness:

"You're still young and don't understand the ins and outs of this. Grandpa is doing all this for the Liu family and for you."

He paused, his gaze fixed on the fleeting street scenes outside the car window, a hint of coldness and heartache flashing in his eyes, and he said in a low voice:

"I will never repeat the mistakes that your grandfather Shui Yanchen made back then. As for Shui Rong, humph, he should be called Zhu Yiyuan; he's not a member of the Shui family at all."

"What?"

Liu Chengze's eyes widened suddenly, his face filled with shock, and he sat up straight. "Grandpa, what did you say? Brother Rong isn't from the Shui family? Then he is...?"

"He is a descendant of the Zhu family, and is someone whom Emperor Yongtai owed to the Shui family."

Liu Dongchen's voice deepened, and memories of the past surged up, bringing tears to his eyes. He raised his hand to wipe them away, his tone tinged with sorrow.

"The events of that time were a hundred times more complex than the current court disputes."

"Your grandfather, Shui Yanchen, single-handedly protected the Zhu family's empire and quelled the Mongol rebellion. What a hero he was!"

"But what happened in the end? He was betrayed by Emperor Yongtai, rendered impotent, and died young."

"As for me, your grandfather,"

Liu Dongchen gave a bitter smile, his eyes filled with even deeper sorrow.

"My sons all died mysteriously. We searched the entire court and the country, but we couldn't find the murderer."

"The imperial family is the most ruthless; they are nothing more than victims of court intrigue."

"Fortunately, Grandpa was careful back then and did everything he could to protect you, which is why the Liu family has this only son left."

Liu Chengze was stunned, his mouth slightly agape, unable to utter a word for a moment.

He had never heard of these past events; he only knew that his father had died early and that his grandfather had raised him alone.

Little did they know that the Liu family had such a heartbreaking past, and even less did they know that Shui Rong's background held such a secret.

"If your father were still alive, he would be about the same age as Shui Rong this year."

Seeing his grandson's shocked expression, Liu Dongchen softened his tone and gently patted the back of his hand.

"Grandpa put you in the Crown Prince's faction and entrusted the elite troops to Shui Rong, just to hedge his bets."

"The Crown Prince is powerful and the rightful heir; Shui Rong has a special background, a deep mind, and great talent and ambition. No matter who has the last laugh, neither of them can harm you."

"Besides, even regarding military power, you are the heir of the Liu family. If Shui Rong dares to harm you, you can retaliate against him."

"Brother Ke Rong..." Liu Chengze was still somewhat confused, "Does he know about his background?"

"He probably guessed a bit, but he just didn't say it out loud."

Liu Dongchen said calmly, "Shui Rong seems to value loyalty and righteousness, which is why Grandpa dared to entrust you to him."

"Chengze, you must remember, in this imperial court, never put all your eggs in one basket."

"Only by having a backup plan can we protect ourselves and the Liu family in this turbulent and unpredictable conflict."

Liu Chengze nodded as if he understood, and kept his grandfather's words in mind.

Inside the study of the Prince of Beijing's residence, Shui Rong carefully put away the scroll and the black iron token sent by Liu Dongchen and locked them in a secret compartment of the study.

He walked to the window, gazing at the snow falling outside, his eyes deep and unfathomable.