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

With Shui Rong's steady support, Lin Daiyu, dressed in a plain cotton dress, slowly stepped down from the carriage. A dark fox fur cloak—the clothes of Prince Bei Jing—was draped over her slender shoulders. The snow flakes on her collar made her face appear even paler, but also added to her pitiful charm.

Zijuan stood guard by the carriage and watched her young mistress alight from the gilded carriage of Prince Bei Jing.

Upon catching sight of the luxurious cloak that clearly belonged to a man, he was struck dumb, his mouth agape so wide it could almost fit an egg, and he nearly dropped the hand warmer he was holding.

"What are you looking at? Hurry up and help your young lady up!"

Shui Rong frowned slightly, glared at Zi Juan, her tone sounding stern, but the end of her voice held a hint of barely perceptible concern.

He carefully moved Daiyu's arm towards Zijuan's side, and then solemnly instructed her.

"Your young lady is frail and caught a chill on her way here. Why don't you quickly help her back inside and give her some ginger soup to warm her up? If she gets sick from the cold, you'll be in big trouble!"

Startled by the reprimand, Zijuan looked at the genuine concern in the prince's eyes and then at her young mistress's weak appearance. She immediately knelt down and kowtowed, her voice tinged with a flustered sense of being flattered:

"Yes, yes, yes, this servant obeys! This servant will help Miss back right away!"

After saying that, she quickly stood up, carefully took Daiyu's other hand, and gently supported her elbow with her fingertips, afraid that she might hurt her if she used too much force.

Daiyu steadied herself, adjusted her cloak over her shoulders, and bowed gracefully to Shui Rong. Her voice was as soft as falling snow, yet every word was clear:

"Thank you for your kindness today, Your Highness. I am deeply grateful." Her eyes held a hint of shyness and warmth.

Shui Rong nodded slightly, his deep gaze falling on her pale face, his tone solemn yet gentle:

"Daiyu, you should go back and rest well. Once your father, Lord Lin, returns to the capital, have Zijuan send someone to inform me that I will personally pay him a visit."

"I have noted it down."

Lin Daiyu responded softly, and with Zijuan's help, she turned around and walked slowly into the mansion. When she reached the screen wall, she couldn't help but look back, and just then she met Shui Rong's gaze. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly lowered her head and stepped inside.

Shui Rong only looked away after Daiyu's figure had completely disappeared behind the gate.

He turned around, gazing at the swirling snowflakes, a meaningful smile slowly curving his lips, the coldness in his eyes replaced entirely by tenderness.

Before long, he lifted the carriage curtain and sat down. Before his buttocks had even settled on the soft brocade cushions, a hurried yet respectful shout came from outside: "Oh, my Prince Bei Jing!"

Shui Rong lifted a corner of the curtain and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw a eunuch dressed in a dark-patterned robe rubbing his hands and stamping his feet anxiously, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Upon seeing the carriage, he hurriedly stepped forward through the snow, bowing deeply as he did so.

"This servant has been searching for you everywhere, looking all over the Prince's residence, but to no avail! It turns out Your Highness is here! His Majesty summons you to the palace immediately for a discussion; there is no time to delay!"

Shui Rong's eyes darkened slightly, and she subtly gave Zhao Zhong, who was standing beside her, a look.

Zhao Zhongxin understood immediately. He lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage, took out a silver note from his sleeve, and discreetly slipped it into the eunuch's hand with a flick of his finger, asking in a low voice:

"Thank you for making this trip, sir. May I ask why His Majesty has summoned my prince so urgently?"

The old man quickly squeezed the thickness of the silver note with his fingertips. The urgency on his face faded slightly, and his eyes warily scanned the surroundings. Seeing only the cold wind swirling snow in the snow, and no one else around, he realized that...

He leaned close to Zhao Zhong's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Alas, Your Highness, I dare not lie to you, but His Majesty is not in a good mood today."

"Firstly, His Majesty felt that the recent human trafficking case had gone too far; secondly, the border has been quite unsettled lately, and the news coming in is not good."

"The servants dared not divulge further details; if they did, they would lose their heads!"

After saying that, he carefully put the silver note into his pocket, bowed in the direction of the carriage, and hurriedly turned and walked into the Rongguo Mansion, afraid that staying any longer would cause trouble.

Inside the carriage, Shui Rong listened to the conversation between the two. The warmth she had felt because of Daiyu gradually faded, replaced by an increasingly deep gloom.

Is the border unstable? Liaodong is guarded by the Wei Kingdom's public security forces, which are formidable and have a solid foundation, so there is no possibility of chaos.

Thinking about it this way, only the defense lines in Jizhou and Xuanfu remain—the troops there are weak and the supplies are insufficient, so there must have really been a problem.

"Your Highness, shall we set off for the palace immediately?" Zhao Zhong's voice interrupted his thoughts at just the right moment.

Shui Rong slowly nodded and said in a deep voice, "Let's go to the palace."

Zhao Zhong dared not delay, immediately mounted his horse, whipped it, and galloped away. The horse's hooves crunched over the snow, and the carriage sped towards the palace through the swirling snow. The cold wind that seeped in through the gaps in the curtains caused the temperature inside the carriage to drop sharply.

Before long, the vermilion gates of the palace came into view, and the carriage stopped directly outside the Imperial Study.

Shui Rong pushed open the car door and got out, her whole body covered in snow. The snowflakes clinging to her shoulders and hair melted and soaked her clothes.

He brushed the snow off his clothes, straightened his court robes, gestured for the eunuch to announce his arrival, and then pushed open the door to enter the imperial study.

Behind the imperial desk, Zhu Yiheng did not turn his head, but continued to gaze at the huge border map hanging on the wall. He lightly pointed his finger at the Jizhou area on the map, and said in a calm and authoritative voice: "Shui Rong, you have arrived."

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

Shui Rong bowed deeply, his posture upright like a pine tree, his tone respectful and without the slightest error.

"Get up." Zhu Yiheng raised his hand to signal, his gaze still fixed on the map, and slowly spoke, "In that human trafficking case a while ago, weren't the penalties drafted by the cabinet a bit too harsh?"

He paused, turned around, his brows furrowed slightly, his tone tinged with worry, but his eyes held a deep, probing look:

"There are already voices of discontent on the border. As you know, a group of officers on the frontier still aspire to the old noble families like the Jia family. The soldiers were already quite critical, and now their morale is even more unsettled, and they cannot tolerate the slightest mistake."

Shui Rong stood still, eyes lowered, listening quietly.

Only after the emperor finished speaking did he slowly raise his eyes, his tone calm and earnest:

"Your Majesty, human trafficking is a heinous crime that threatens the very foundation of the nation. The focus of this punishment is on the noble families who colluded with the traffickers, intended to serve as a warning to others, not to be harsh."

"In my humble opinion, the root cause of the instability on the border lies not in the punishments, but in the shortage of funds and provisions and the lack of morale among the troops."

After a brief pause, he added, "I believe it would be better to bestow some precious treasures, cloth, provisions, and cotton clothing upon important border towns such as Jizhou and Xuanfu. This would not only alleviate the soldiers' winter expenses but also appease the morale of the army and the people."

"As the year draws to a close, people in the North have always valued family reunions, and they would not easily cause trouble at this time of year."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yiheng's face showed a hint of approval, and he chuckled softly:

"That's exactly what I was thinking too. Shui Rong, I won't hide it from you, I intend to send the Prince of Qin—my second son—to Jizhou and other places to deliver imperial edicts and bestow rewards, and at the same time, to appease the local military and civilians. What do you think?"

"Your Majesty is wise; this is a very appropriate move."

Shui Rong bowed slightly, speaking respectfully, "However, as a prince, I am not permitted to interfere in court affairs according to regulations, and dare not make any unwarranted comments. I will leave everything to Your Majesty's arrangements."

Zhu Yiheng walked slowly to him, gently helped him up, and spoke with a hint of deeper meaning:

"Shui Rong, water that is too clear has no fish. Your nature is too upright and incorruptible, and you don't know how to be flexible and adaptable. This may not be a good thing in the treacherous court."

These words struck Shui Rong like a thunderbolt. He immediately knelt down and pleaded guilty in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I am guilty! I never intended to interfere in the struggle for power. Today's events were due to my oversight, and I failed to understand Your Majesty's profound meaning. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

He knew that his elder brother's words, though seemingly a suggestion, were actually a subtle test concerning the struggle for the throne, and could not tolerate the slightest mistake.

"Get up, get up."

Zhu Yiheng quickly reached out to help him up, his tone much gentler, and patted his shoulder.

"I had no intention of punishing you; I was merely having a casual chat with you. I know you have no interest in power and have always been indifferent to fame and fortune. I was just asking casually. Rest assured, I have my reasons."

Shui Rong glanced at the emperor's expression and saw that his tone was calm but exuded an undeniable authority. She knew that there was no room for negotiation, so she immediately suppressed her distracting thoughts and said nothing more.

He had always known that his elder brother had his own plans, and that interfering too much would only make him look like he was adding unnecessary details.

"well!"

Upon seeing this, the emperor burst into laughter, and the somber atmosphere that had just been about power and the border instantly vanished.

He raised his hand and waved, then changed the subject, his tone becoming warmer and gentler, "By the way, Lin Ruhai will be returning to the capital tomorrow. Once he's settled in, the two of you can come to the palace together so we can discuss your marriage to Miss Lin."

Upon hearing this, Shui Rong felt a warmth in her heart. Her brows, which had been tense due to matters of the court, suddenly softened, and the gloom in her eyes faded away, replaced by an unconcealable tenderness and expectation.

He bowed again, his voice respectful and earnest: "Your subject obeys the decree."

As he stood with his eyes lowered, Shui Rong secretly breathed a sigh of relief—it seemed that he had finally passed the test in this subtle probing of the throne and trust.

However, it seemed rather far-fetched to summon him to the palace solely for the two matters of the King of Qin's trip to the border to appease the people and discuss the marriage. The thought had barely formed in his mind when he realized his guess was correct; his elder brother must have more important instructions.