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

As dawn broke, lights were already on in the upper rooms of the Xiangyun Inn.

Shui Rong was dressed in a plain brocade robe, with a thin veil loosely covering his shoulders—the injuries he had deliberately faked the night before.

Although his face looked somewhat pale, there was no sign of weakness from actual injuries between his brows; instead, there was a subtle composure hidden within.

The door was gently pushed open, and the sound of staggered footsteps approached from afar.

Jiang happy, dressed in a python robe from the Eastern Depot and a jade belt around his waist, walked briskly ahead with a perfectly measured fawning smile on his face.

Following behind him was Lu Bingming, dressed in a flying fish robe and with an embroidered spring knife at his waist. The majesty of the deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was evident on him, but his expression was indifferent and aloof, neither humble nor arrogant, and he had a very good sense of propriety.

"Your servant Jiang happy greets Your Highness."

Jiang happy bent her knees slightly, performing a half-kneeling salute, her tone soft and cloying, yet the scheming hidden deep in her eyes remained completely hidden.

It was as if the pebble shot at Shuirong last night, and the traces of the Eastern Depot's secret agents, had absolutely nothing to do with him.

"Your Highness, please forgive me."

He added, his tone full of urgency.

"Last night I heard that there was something unusual happening at the inn. I was so anxious that I was afraid of disturbing Your Highness's rest if I came here rashly. So I could only come over before dawn."

"Thankfully, Your Highness is unharmed; otherwise, even a thousand deaths would not absolve me of my guilt!"

Lu Bingming stepped forward, raised his hands in a fist salute, and spoke in a calm yet dignified tone, every word adhering to the duties of a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard:

"This humble general, Lu Bingming, greets Your Highness."

"Since Your Highness is injured and unwell, why not stay in Baoding Prefecture for a while and recuperate properly for a few days?"

"The task of going south to investigate and confiscate the property of wealthy merchants is not urgent."

Shui Rong slowly raised his eyes, his fingertips lightly tracing the rim of the teacup. His tone was so cold that it revealed no emotion, yet it carried an air of princely authority.

Instantly suppressing Jiang happy's deliberate flattery:

"There's no need for further apologies. I came here on a mission assigned by my elder brother. I was already annoyed by the disturbance last night, and hearing these empty words only makes me more displeased."

He slightly changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over the two of them before finally settling on Lu Bingming, his tone carrying an undeniable firmness:

"As for your suggestion to stay for a few days, in my opinion, it is unnecessary. The matter of investigating and confiscating the property of wealthy merchants in Jiangnan, arranged by my elder brother, is of paramount importance and cannot be delayed."

"As previously agreed, the main force will be led by the two of you, and you will head south first to handle the tasks."

Shui Rong paused for a moment, then continued:

"As for me, I will rest in Baoding Prefecture for three days, and then depart by land to continue south."

"It will neither interfere with the official business of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot, nor hinder your work."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xi's smile deepened, but a fleeting hint of smugness and hesitation flashed in her eyes. She quickly bowed and replied:

"Your Highness, what are you saying! Your Highness's affairs are my affairs, and even more so the affairs of the Eastern Depot. How can you say it's a burden? I wish I could stay by Your Highness's side and serve Your Highness in your recuperation."

He then changed the subject, adopting a loyal and devoted demeanor:

"If Your Highness insists on departing in three days, I will leave some capable men by your side to protect you, and we must not let Your Highness be disturbed in the slightest."

While she spoke earnestly, Jiang happy was secretly calculating her next move:

Last night, I intended to use the bandits to test Shui Rong's strength and weakness. If Shui Rong was safe and sound, I would send someone to ambush him on the way after he parted ways with the main force and poison him without anyone knowing.

But now that the water-soluble substance is "truly injured," it's not advisable to act rashly.

If Shui Rong were to die in Baoding Prefecture, he, as the Director of the Eastern Depot, would be the first to be held accountable by the Emperor, and would also ruin the Empress's grand plan. He absolutely could not take that risk.

It would be better to go along with Shui Rong's wishes for now, feign goodwill, and then find a suitable opportunity to strike after he heads south.

At that point, it will have nothing to do with Baoding Prefecture, nor with him.

As the three were talking, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door, accompanied by the waiter's flustered attempts to stop them, but were abruptly interrupted by an anxious voice:

"Outrageous! The Prince is here, how dare you obstruct him? If you delay important matters, you'll have several heads to chop off!"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Xuan, the prefect of Baoding, burst in.

He was dressed in a blue official robe and a black gauze hat. His clothes were slightly disheveled, and he looked flustered. He stumbled and staggered as he entered the room, then knelt heavily before Shui Rong with a thud, his forehead pressed tightly to the ground.

His voice trembled with barely concealed fear: "Your humble servant Li Xuan pays his respects to Your Highness! Your humble servant deserves to die!"

"Your Highness was unaware of Your Highness's arrival in Baoding Prefecture and failed to greet you properly, thus causing Your Highness to be disturbed and injured in the territory under my jurisdiction."

As Li Xuan spoke, he kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead quickly turning red, but a shrewd panic was hidden in his eyes.

"Your humble servant has failed His Majesty's grace and Your Highness's trust; I beg Your Highness to punish me!"

He paused, then hurriedly added, his tone becoming increasingly urgent, but he secretly glanced at Jiang happy beside him, seeking a hint:

"Your Majesty, I have already ordered a city-wide manhunt for the thieves who attempted the assassination last night. Those audacious madmen must be apprehended and executed by slow slicing, to appease Your Highness and to atone for your sins!"

Seeing Li Xuan's sensible attitude, Jiang Xi's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible satisfaction. Then, her expression darkened, her tone suddenly becoming sharp, and she rebuked him sternly:

"Prefect Li! How dare you!"

"The prince is the emperor's nephew, a person of noble birth. He came to your Baoding Prefecture and was seriously injured in the territory you govern, almost losing his life!"

"As the prefect of Baoding, you have a duty to defend the territory, yet you couldn't even protect the prince's safety. What is your punishment?!"

Li Xuan, being extremely astute, immediately understood Jiang Xi's intention. His body trembled even more violently, and he repeatedly kowtowed to beg for forgiveness:

"Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Highness, please forgive me! It is my incompetence and poor governance that allowed those thieves to take advantage of the situation and disturb Your Highness."

"Your humble servant is willing to accept punishment, and only begs Your Highness and the Lord to give me another chance. I will certainly do my utmost to apprehend the thieves, restore order to Baoding Prefecture, and ensure that such an incident never happens again!"

As he confessed, he secretly plotted:

As long as we go along with Jiang Xi's wishes and shift all the blame to the thieves, we can save the prince's face, protect Jiang happy, and thus protect ourselves and the Empress's power in Baoding Prefecture.

As for those thieves, we can find a few scapegoats; they are nothing but human lives, insignificant compared to the Empress's grand plan.

Lu Bingming stood aside, observing everything with a cold eye. His expression remained indifferent, but a hint of understanding flashed in his eyes.

He had long seen through the collusion between Jiang happy and Li Xuan, and knew that the two belonged to the Empress's faction.

This act of apology and reprimand was nothing more than a charade put on by the two of them, with the sole purpose of distancing themselves from Shui Rong and currying favor with him.

As for Jiang happy and Li Xuan's schemes and Shui Rong's thoughts, he only needs to observe and remember them, without getting involved or exposing them.

Shui Rong picked up the teacup, gently blew away the tea foam floating on the surface, and a hint of mockery flashed quickly in his eyes.

He could easily see through Jiang Xi's feigned flattery, Li Xuan's sycophancy, and even the secret collusion and scheming between the two.

He deliberately feigned injury and suggested going their separate ways to test their attitudes and lure them into revealing their true intentions.

Now it seems that the Empress's influence has indeed already penetrated into Baoding Prefecture. Jiang happy and Li Xuan are nothing more than two obedient pawns in the Empress's hands.

His "injury" actually allowed him to see more of people's true colors and figure out the other party's true nature.

Get up.

Shui Rong put down his teacup, his tone calm, yet still carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"I know that your mistake was unintentional, and I also know that you have already ordered the search and arrest of the thieves, so I will no longer pursue your crime."

"But you must remember that Baoding Prefecture is my brother's territory. Even I was ambushed here, which shows how chaotic the security situation is under your rule."

"Within three days, you must restore order in Baoding Prefecture and do everything in your power to apprehend the assassin," he said, his gaze hardening and his tone becoming more serious. "If you fail to do so, don't blame me for reporting to my brother, the Emperor, and punishing you for dereliction of duty."

"Your Highness, I obey your decree! Thank you for your forgiveness!"

Li Xuan hurriedly kowtowed to express his gratitude. When he stood up, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing this, Jiang happy quickly put on a fawning smile and bowed, saying:

"Your Highness is wise! Prefect Li is always diligent and responsible, and he will surely handle this matter well and live up to the expectations of Your Highness and the Emperor."

"This servant will immediately instruct the Eastern Depot to fully assist Prefect Li in the search and arrest of the thieves, and to bring the murderers to justice as soon as possible, so as to give Your Highness justice."