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

As the night deepened and the palace fell silent, only the faint echoes of the imperial guards' clappers reverberated through the streets and alleys.

Zhu Changming staggered back to his palace, the Prince of Zhao's residence. He had barely opened the door when he stumbled and grabbed a pillar for support, his mind still in turmoil—he had been publicly reprimanded by his uncle during the day, and then followed him to a brothel that night.

Being surrounded by girls for massages, drinking strong liquor, and listening to nonsense—such outrageous behavior is rare even among ordinary noble families, let alone imperial princes.

He walked to the bronze mirror. In the flickering candlelight, the boy's cheeks in the mirror still had a faint blush, and the tip of his nose seemed to still be filled with the scent of cosmetics and strong liquor from the den of iniquity.

Zhu Changming raised his hand to touch his cheek, his eyes filled with complex emotions:

"Uncle Wang is so old, yet he knows everything..."

Zhu Changming murmured to himself, his eyes filled with admiration.

"He was only two years older than me, yet he lived a life more insightful and prudent than anyone else, whether it was drinking, playing drinking games, using slang, dealing with seduction, hiding aphrodisiacs, or laying secret agents."

Just as he was lost in thought, the palace door was gently pushed open, and a figure dressed in a crimson python robe walked in. He was tall and composed, and it was none other than Prince Qin, Zhu Changjun.

He had just seen the envoys of various countries back to their lodgings when he heard that Zhu Changming had not returned all night, so he went straight there to find him.

"Chang Ming, where did you go?"

Zhu Changjun sat down beside him, his gaze sweeping over his flushed cheeks, his eyebrows slightly raised:

"Just now, the Crown Prince and I saw the envoy off. We searched everywhere for you but couldn't find you. I thought something had happened to you, so I had people search half of the palace."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Changjun's nose twitched slightly, as if he had smelled something. He then raised his hand and fanned the air with feigned disgust, his tone tinged with a hint of mockery:

"What's with that strong scent of rouge on you? Did you sneak off to one of those brothels?"

Zhu Changming's face flushed bright red instantly. He clutched his sleeves nervously and asked urgently:

"Brother, is the smell of makeup on me really that strong? Will other people be able to smell it?"

"Haha, just kidding."

Zhu Changjun smiled and ruffled his hair, then lightly tapped the tip of his nose with his fingertip:

"The scent of rouge isn't strong; instead, it's mixed with the smell of Chinese herbs. Where did you go? You're in such a sorry state!"

Knowing he couldn't hide it from his perceptive elder brother, Zhu Changming took a deep breath and told him everything:

"Brother, I went to Uncle Wang's mansion alone today, and deliberately argued with him and made fun of him. As a result, he got angry and took me to a den of iniquity."

"A money pit?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Zhu Changjun's eyes, followed by understanding, but his tone carried a hint of teasing:

"Uncle Wang is really generous. That den of iniquity is the most expensive place in the capital. Even nobles don't dare to go there often."

"Bro! Why are you focusing on this?!"

Zhu Changming was both angry and anxious, and stamped his foot, saying, "Shouldn't you be asking me what I did there, and what Uncle Wang taught me?"

Zhu Changjun glanced at him sideways, a knowing smile playing on his lips, his tone steady:

"Besides dealing with seduction tactics and guarding against those underhanded methods, what else can I teach you?"

"Your Uncle Wang has always been meticulous and never does anything without a reason. Taking you to a place like that is definitely not just a joke."

Zhu Changming's eyes lit up instantly, his face full of admiration: "Brother, you're amazing! You guessed it!"

"What's so hard to guess?"

Zhu Changjun's smile faded, his expression turning serious. He lightly tapped his fingertips on the table as he began to meticulously analyze the situation in the capital. Every word he uttered hit the nail on the head, revealing his keen intelligence.

"The current situation is crystal clear: the Emperor is getting old and is beginning to relinquish power slowly, the Crown Prince is eager to consolidate his power, and half of the officials in the court have secretly attached themselves to the Crown Prince's faction."

"Although we belong to the same faction, we are slightly different due to our maternal clans and connections. On the surface, we are two factions, but in reality, we are secretly cooperating. Although your father-in-law, the Prince of Qiyang, has passed away, his former subordinates are spread throughout the military towns in the southeast, and his foundation remains unshaken."

Although my father-in-law, Duke Cao, has had some of his military power stripped, he remains the backbone of the capital's garrisons, and the Crown Prince dares not easily touch us.

He paused, then added, "As for my elder brother, the King of Chu, he seems to have settled in his fiefdom and is not involved in court affairs, but who can guarantee that he doesn't harbor ambitions?"

"After all, he is the eldest son. If something happens to the crown prince, he will be the most rightful heir."

"At the prince level, Prince Bei Jing, relying on the power left by his late father and his own methods, has a voice both inside and outside the court."

"Although the Emperor tries to check and balance things at every turn, he cannot do without him—whether it's matters on the northern border or the southern grain transport, he relies heavily on him."

"Prince Ping'an appears lively, but in reality, he lacks ambition and is merely a pawn used by the Crown Prince to test his uncle."

"Among the princes, Prince Zhongshun is the most trusted by the Emperor. To put it bluntly, he is the tool that the Emperor specially picked out to check and balance his uncles."

"After the New Year, Prince Zhongshun and I will go to Jizhou to train troops, and my uncle will go south to investigate and confiscate the property of some officials and their families. In the capital, the only force that can restrain the Crown Prince is you."

Zhu Changjun looked at Zhu Changming with earnest eyes:

"Uncle Wang is taking you to the den of iniquity to teach you how to deal with seduction, because he is afraid that you are too young and inexperienced and that the Crown Prince will take advantage of you."

"He is paving the way for us and protecting our foundation in the capital."

Zhu Changming nodded seriously, the fog in his mind completely dissipating, and his understanding of the situation deepened—it turned out that his uncle and brother had already planned everything.

He took out the aphrodisiac from his sleeve and handed it to Zhu Changjun: "Brother, this is a potent aphrodisiac that Uncle Wang gave me. He told me to give it to the head of the Imperial Medical Academy tomorrow and secretly develop an antidote."

Zhu Changjun took the brocade pouch, his fingertips tracing its surface, his eyes filled with admiration:

"As expected of my uncle, he's so thoughtful. He must have also instructed you to be wary of any suspicious food or incense at future palace banquets, right?"

"Yes!" Zhu Changming nodded emphatically. "Uncle Wang said that if there is an antidote, there will be one more life."

"Amazing, truly amazing."

Zhu Changjun clapped his hands in admiration, then frowned, feigning confusion:

"But I'm curious, why did Uncle Wang take you to a den of iniquity instead of a brothel?"

"The girls at Wan Jin Lou are more refined and knowledgeable in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Logically, they should be more suitable to teach you how to deal with seduction tactics."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Changming blushed and glared at him, saying, "Brother! What kind of nonsense are you thinking about! Have you been secretly going to those unclean places behind your future sister-in-law's back?"

"Hey, you little brat, what do you know!"

Zhu Changjun smiled and flicked his forehead:

"Your sister-in-law and I are not married yet, so how can you say we're hiding anything? Besides, if anyone's to blame, it's Uncle Wang. He's of a higher generation than us, and we don't even have a marriage agreement yet, but he's urging us to get married. It's simply unreasonable!"

"Brother! You still dare to talk back!" Zhu Changming, enraged and embarrassed, pushed him towards the door. "If you spout any more nonsense, get out of here!"

Zhu Changjun laughed and stood up, waving his hand: "Alright, alright, I won't say anymore. You should rest early. Remember to go to the Imperial Hospital tomorrow and don't forget Uncle Wang's instructions."

Having said that, he smiled and left the palace.

Meanwhile, the lights remained bright in the study of the Prince of Beijing's residence.

Shui Rong sat upright before the table, in front of him lay a map of the capital's power distribution that was even more detailed than the analysis provided by the King of Qin—it not only marked the Crown Prince, the King of Qin, the King of Zhao, and the core members of the three major factions.

It also detailed the secret relationships between officials, the locations of their undercover agents, and even the collusion between concubines and officials in the harem, as well as the number of private soldiers in each prince's mansion. The dense, tiny characters revealed a chilling level of control.

"This kid is quite insightful. After this experience, he should be able to calm down."

Shui Rong traced the three characters "Zhu Changming" on the map with his fingertips, a playful smile playing on his lips.

"If Ming'er is reliable, it will save us a lot of trouble in the capital in the future."

"As for the Crown Prince... I'm giving you real money to help you stabilize the court and win over the people. If you don't appreciate it, don't blame me for turning my back on you."

As he was pondering this, three short bird calls suddenly came from outside the window. The calls were peculiar and were the secret communication signals of the Prince's Palace's guards.

Shui Rong looked up, the smile in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a calm silence. He listened for a moment, and after confirming that there was nothing wrong, he got up, walked to the window, and opened it.

A dark figure flashed in like a ghost, dressed in a flying fish robe, with an embroidered spring knife at his waist, a cold and stern face, and an aura of chill and murderous intent emanating from him—it was Xu Hong, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and also Shui Rong's core mole planted in the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The moment Xu Hong landed, he knelt on one knee, his voice extremely low and respectful: "This humble general, Xu Hong, pays his respects to Your Highness!"

Shui Rong quickly reached out to help him up, her brows furrowed slightly, her tone carrying a hint of reproach and worry:

"Foolish! As a commander of the Imperial Guard, your position is extremely sensitive. Breaking into the Prince's residence in the dead of night is not only dangerous for you, but it will also implicate me! Is there any urgent business?"