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

After bidding farewell to the Empress, Shui Rong turned around, and when her gaze fell on Daiyu, the composure she had displayed when dealing with them instantly softened.

He took half a step forward, his voice extremely low, tinged with apology:

"I'm so sorry to have put you in this situation. I never expected His Highness the Crown Prince to be so disrespectful today. I'm sorry to have wronged you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Ruhai, who was standing to the side, paused slightly, his eyes filled with astonishment.

He prided himself on being open-minded and insightful, and treated his daughter with utmost respect. He never imagined that a prince of noble status and with real power would so solemnly apologize to his unmarried fiancée.

The Prince of Bei Jing's status was far more prestigious than that of the Lin family.

This humble gentleness is not a deliberate show, but a heartfelt appreciation.

Lin Ruhai felt a warmth in his heart, and his hand stroking his beard trembled slightly.

The worries that arose from the Crown Prince's poem vanished—with such a doting son-in-law, Daiyu would certainly not suffer any grievances after marrying into the Prince of Beijing's mansion.

Daiyu blushed at his words, the jade hairpin at her temple swayed slightly, and she lowered her eyes to stare at the hem of her skirt, replying softly:

"Your Highness, such speech is improper. You are a prince; how can you apologize to me?"

"rule?"

Shui Rong laughed heartily, his eyes carrying the carefree spirit unique to time travelers. He reached out and gently helped her up, his tone relaxed.

"You'll know once you marry into the Prince's mansion that the rules aren't actually that strict."

"Being comfortable and at ease with me is more important than any rules."

That's true.

Among the many princely residences in the capital, all are strictly regulated and clearly hierarchical. Only the Prince of Beijing's residence appears relaxed and casual, with servants not having to adhere to excessive etiquette, and the atmosphere within the residence is harmonious.

But this relaxed demeanor was merely a facade deliberately created by Shui Rong—as a time traveler, he inherently despised the constraints of feudal ethics.

However, he was also well aware of the treacherous nature of court intrigue, and therefore his training of secret guards was extremely rigorous.

The three chatted and laughed as they slowly walked out of the palace gate, the snow crunching softly under their feet, washing away the undercurrents from the family banquet earlier.

Shui Rong turned to look at Lin Ruhai, his smile gentle: "Father-in-law, the Lin residence has been uninhabited for a long time. I wonder if it's been tidied up yet? If it's not ready, perhaps..."

Before he could finish speaking, he seemed to suddenly remember something, raised his hand to pat his mouth, and shook his head with a laugh:

"Look at my mouth, I've talked too much again."

Lin Ruhai smiled knowingly, understanding his meaning—Daiyu was not yet married, and men and women should be kept separate; how could she stay in a male-dominated residence like the Prince of Beijing's mansion?

He cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness is overthinking it."

"We have decided to go to the Jia residence to rest for the night, and then return to the Lin residence to settle in tomorrow."

"As for the Prince's dialect lessons, let's reschedule them for the day after tomorrow, is that acceptable?"

"Of course."

Shui Rong nodded in agreement, but secretly he was making his own calculations:

Tomorrow I'll have some free time to see Ke Qing. Besides, Qin Zhongxun, that hidden pawn, has been biding his time for so long; he's probably about to lose his composure. It's time to give him a hint so he can make his move at the right moment.

As he spoke, he personally helped Daiyu into the carriage of the Prince of Beijing's residence.

The carriage curtains were embroidered with understated plum blossom patterns, and the interior was covered with thick fox fur cushions, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.

He then turned to Lin Ruhai and whispered a few words of advice, "Be careful of the wind and snow on the road," before instructing the servants of the Prince's Mansion to ensure that the two were safely delivered to the Jia Mansion.

After settling them in, Shui Rong boarded another carriage and turned back to the Prince of Beijing's residence.

The wind and snow outside the car window intensified, and the smile on his face gradually faded, leaving only a deep and unfathomable concentration in his eyes. His fingertips tapped lightly on his knee.

The details of today's family dinner were rapidly replaying in my mind.

Back in the Prince's study, Shui Rong dismissed everyone around him, leaving only a quiet room.

He walked to the table, spread out a sheet of Xuan paper, took a wolf-hair brush, dipped it in thick ink, and slowly outlined the characters on the paper.

As the brush tip glided across the Xuan paper, the names of the Crown Prince, the King of Qin, and the King of Zhao appeared in turn, with their respective power structures densely marked on the sides.

Crown Prince Zhu Changyu's power base was in the Xu family of Liaodong. His maternal grandfather was the Duke of Wei, who held military power in Liaodong. Together with the officials and staff of the Eastern Palace, his family was the most powerful.

The Qin King's mother was the daughter of Li Ming, the Duke of Cao. Although the Cao family held a title, like the Jia family, it was just an empty shell with little real power and only had a little influence in Shaanxi.

King Zhao was the weakest. His mother was the daughter of the deceased King Qiyang. After King Qiyang's death, his title was taken back by the royal family. His maternal family was left helpless and could only join forces with King Qin to resist the Crown Prince's suppression.

Shui Rong stared at the power map on the paper, a cold smile playing on his lips, and muttered to himself:

"Your Highness, if you can uphold your duty as the crown prince and let go of those unrealistic ambitions, I can still pretend to favor you and help you consolidate your position."

"But you insisted on having designs on Daiyu, crossing my bottom line..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly exerted force with his right hand, and with a "crack," the wolf-hair brush in his hand was snapped in two.

Ink splattered on the rice paper, spreading into a dark blotch, just like the undercurrent surging in his eyes.

He raised his hand to wipe the ink stains from his fingertips, his gaze deep and unfathomable: It seems I must find some work for these nephews before heading south to Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

He leaned down and emphasized the words "Xu Family of Liaodong" and "Cao Family of Shaanxi" on the rice paper with his fingertips.

A calculating glint flashed in his eyes—with just a slight provocation, he could make the Crown Prince mistakenly believe that the Kings of Qin and Zhao were going to join forces with the Lin family to counterbalance him.

Then let the Kings of Qin and Zhao realize the Crown Prince's intention to suppress them.

The balance between the three kings would be broken, and the court would naturally fall into chaos, allowing him to head south without worry.

In addition, he also needed to instruct his secret guards to strengthen the covert protection of the Jia and Lin families, especially the safety of Daiyu, which must not be compromised in the slightest.

Meanwhile, inside the Eastern Palace, Zhu Changyu stood alone in front of a bronze mirror, looking dazed.

The young prince in the bronze mirror was dressed in black casual clothes. He had a handsome face, but his complexion was pale, and his eyes were full of fatigue and frustration.

He and Shui Rong grew up together and were as close as brothers. Shui Rong had always treated him kindly and had secretly helped him on numerous occasions in the imperial court.

When he heard that Shui Rong was going to get engaged to Daiyu, he was genuinely happy for his uncle.

But today, when he caught a glimpse of that slender and beautiful figure through the screen and heard her voice as clear and delicate as shattered jade, the string of "reason" in his heart snapped instantly.

He couldn't help but be attracted to her, couldn't help but express his admiration in his poems, and couldn't help but have the idea of ​​competing with Uncle Wang for her.

He is clearly a person who knows proper etiquette and adheres to the duties of a crown prince, so why would he do something so improper and out of line?

His mother's admonitions still echoed in his ears: "The dignity of the crown prince," "The proper duties of a ruler and his subjects," "Never lose your sense of propriety because of a woman"—each word pierced his heart like a sharp blade.

He knew that Daiyu was the woman His Majesty had betrothed to Prince Bei Jing; she was his uncle's wife.

As the crown prince, his coveting of his uncle's fiancée is not only immoral, but also a betrayal of imperial power and family ties.

If this matter were to get out, it would not only ruin his position as crown prince, but also completely destroy his relationship with Shui Rong, and even arouse the suspicion of his father, the emperor.

The more he tried to restrain himself, the clearer the image in his mind became, and he couldn't shake it off.

"What am I thinking..." Zhu Changyu raised his hand and slammed his fist on the dressing table next to the bronze mirror. The sound of the porcelain bottle shattering was particularly jarring in the silent Eastern Palace.