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

Jiang happy and Li Xuan left the main room one after the other. As Jiang Xi left, she bowed repeatedly and gave him instructions in a flattering tone. Li Xuan, on the other hand, looked fearful and walked hurriedly, clearly still thinking about how to deal with Shui Rong's instructions and how to cooperate with Jiang Xi to make this play work.

The moment the two figures disappeared at the top of the stairs, Shui Rong's indifference vanished, replaced by a shrewd calculation in her eyes. Turning to Gong Ji, who stood beside her, she spoke in a low, firm voice, without the slightest hesitation:

"Gongji, quickly select two capable bodyguards, disguise them as ordinary merchants, and keep a close eye on Jiang happy and Lu Bingming's movements, remembering their every move."

"Once their main force has completely left Baoding Prefecture, we will set off immediately, without waiting for three days."

He calculated clearly that Jiang happy's feigned presence of guards was actually a ploy to monitor his movements, and while Lu Bingming maintained a cool demeanor, he was likely also keeping a close watch on him.

Rather than waiting passively, it's better to take the initiative and wait for the main force to go far away. Without the constraints of the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, we can deal with subsequent ambushes more freely.

"Yes, my lord."

Gong Ji bowed in response, and with a swift movement, quietly withdrew from the room.

Shui Rong stood with his hands behind his back by the window, watching the bustling city outside. A cold, sneer curled at the corner of his lips as he murmured to himself:

"Supervise me? That's quite a thoughtful plan, but unfortunately, you've miscalculated one thing."

The words had barely left his mouth when several sharp whooshing sounds suddenly rang out, "whoosh whoosh whoosh," disappearing in an instant.

Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen figures landed steadily in the courtyard of the inn, standing on both sides with respectful expressions and imposing auras.

He was dressed in the attire of the Eastern Depot's secret police, with a python robe and jade belt, and a short blade at his waist; on the other side, he wore the flying fish robe of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, with an embroidered spring knife hanging at his waist, its cold light gleaming.

The two leading men stepped forward and bowed respectfully towards the main room, their voices ringing out in unison.

"Your Highness, we are here on the orders of the Commander to protect you and ensure that you are not disturbed in the slightest!"

Shui Rong slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping lightly over everyone in the courtyard. He nodded slightly and asked:

"Who is the person in charge sent by the Eastern Depot? And who is on the Embroidered Uniform Guard's side?"

As soon as the words were spoken, one of the men in the Eastern Depot's ranks stepped forward, bowed, and replied:

"Your Highness, this servant, Mengzi, has been ordered by Jiang Changgong to lead the Eastern Depot's guards and await Your Highness's orders."

Immediately afterwards, another person stepped forward from the Imperial Guard ranks, bowed respectfully, and spoke in a calm tone:

"Your Highness, this servant Zhao Cai has come to protect you on the orders of Commander Lu. I will obey Your Highness's commands in all matters."

Upon hearing this, a knowing glint flashed in Shui Rong's eyes, and he secretly began to calculate:

The names of these two were on the list that Xu Hong had previously handed over. Xiao Mengzi was a trusted confidant of Jiang Xi, who was loyal to him, while Zhao Cai was a capable subordinate of Lu Bingming, who always obeyed orders.

It seems that Jiang happy and Lu Bingming really "value" him, even sending their most trusted confidants to guard him, but in reality, they are monitoring him and not letting their guard down for a moment.

After thinking it over, he didn't expose it. He simply raised his hand, waved it lightly, and said in a calm tone:

"No need for formalities, all of you may leave. Just stay inside and outside the inn. Without my orders, do not approach the main rooms or disturb the people in the courtyard."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Xiao Mengzi and Zhao Cai responded in unison, bowed and withdrew. Then they gave a wink to the people behind them, and the crowd immediately dispersed, some guarding the entrance of the inn...

As they left, the area around the main house returned to silence, and even the sound of the wind whistling through the windowpanes became exceptionally clear.

Shui Rong turned and went back into the room, sitting back down at the table. Her fingertips tapped lightly on the surface, and the calculation in her eyes deepened.

He wanted to see if those sent to monitor him could withstand the coming storm, and he also wanted to see what other tricks Jiang happy, Lu Bingming, and those hiding in the shadows would use.

The silence didn't last long; soft footsteps came from outside the door, and it was gently pushed open.

Lin Daiyu, dressed in a light pink ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), her hair loosely tied up, her eyes gentle and refined, carried a bowl of warm medicine in her hands as she slowly entered and softly said:

"My lord, I heard you were injured last night. I asked the waiter to brew some calming and pain-relieving medicine. Please drink it while it's hot."

Since it was acting, it needed to be done flawlessly at the time.

Her voice was soft and gentle, with a hint of concern, instantly breaking the silence in the room and dispelling some of Shui Rong's sharp aura.

Shui Rong looked up at her gentle appearance, smiled and nodded, and reached out to take the medicine: "Thank you for your trouble, Yu'er."

Lin Daiyu walked to his side, gently massaged his shoulders, and asked softly:

"My lord, was that commotion outside the courtyard just now caused by Eunuch Jiang and Commander Lu? Did they give you any trouble?"

Although she was hiding inside the house, she could still hear the noises outside the courtyard, and she couldn't help but feel a little worried.

"It's alright, they're just guards they sent."

Shui Rong held her hand, her tone calm, but not wanting to worry her too much, "I have already instructed them not to disturb us without permission, so you don't need to worry."

Just as the two were talking quietly, in a secluded alley not far from the inn, several disheveled figures were huddled in a corner, their expressions ferocious, their tone full of resentment and unwillingness. They were Xiao Lie and Zhou Kui, who had escaped by chance last night, and Old Ghost Sun, who arrived in time but did not have time to intervene.

Zhou Kui clutched the arrow wound on his shoulder, his face pale, wincing in pain, and complained to Xiao Lie:

"Chief Xiao, it's all your fault! You had to be so hasty in making your move. Now look what's happened! Of our dozens of men, some are dead, some have fled, and I'm injured. We didn't even manage to touch the hem of Prince Bei Jing's robe!"

Xiao Lie's face was so dark it could drip water. He kicked a pebble beside him hard and cursed angrily:

"How dare you talk to me like that? If your men hadn't acted rashly and alerted the enemy, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

He hated himself for being too reckless, hated that Shui Rong's men were too powerful, and hated that Old Ghost Sun arrived too late and couldn't help at all.

Old Man Sun, hunched over, sat to one side and slowly spoke, his tone tinged with a hint of probing:

"Chief Xiao, Master Zhou, there's no use complaining now. When I arrived last night, the battle was already over. Shui Rong's bodyguards are all highly skilled; we were clearly no match for them in a direct confrontation."

He paused, looked up at the two of them, and added:

"However, I did find out some news. The Prince of Bei Jing was injured last night. Today, Jiang happy and Lu Bingming personally visited him at the inn. I heard that Jiang Xi and Lu Bingming will soon lead the main force south first, leaving only a few people to protect the Prince of Bei Jing for three days before setting off."

"Oh? Is that so?"

A flicker of surprise and ruthlessness flashed in Xiao Lie's eyes. He abruptly stood up. "So, we still have a chance? The plan we agreed on in Black Wind Canyon will work! We'll definitely take his life and get the bounty!"

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in Zhou Kui's eyes. Forgetting the pain in his shoulder, he quickly said:

"That's right! Chief Xiao is right! We should strike while the iron is hot! As long as we can kill Prince Bei Jing and get the bounty, we can make up for all our previous losses!"

A barely perceptible sneer flashed in Old Ghost Sun's eyes as he secretly plotted:

You think it's too simple. Lu Bingming warned me long ago not to touch a hair on Lin Daiyu's head. Besides, Shui Rong is not as easy to deal with as he looks.

However, if we can use them to test Shui Rong's true strength, it might not be a bad thing. If they succeed, we can reap the benefits.

If they fail, it will have nothing to do with them. They can then report back to the Eastern Depot, saying that the Eastern Depot ignored their advice and acted on its own.

Thinking of this, Old Ghost Sun slowly nodded, feigning agreement:

"Chief Xiao is right, this is indeed our only chance. However, we must not act rashly this time. We must carefully plan the Black Wind Canyon incident and strike decisively, without giving them another chance to counterattack."