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

Inside the Eastern Palace's sleeping quarters, the candlelight cast a dim yellow glow, making the cigarette in Zhu Changyu's hand gleam faintly.

His fingertips traced the coral beads on the pipe, his brow furrowed slightly, and he looked once more at Xiao Liu standing beside him, a hint of barely perceptible doubt in his voice:

"Think about it again carefully. Is it really true that this 'divine smoke' doesn't contain any poisonous substances like poppies?"

Xiao Liuzi immediately bowed, patted his chest, and solemnly swore:

"Your Highness, rest assured! This servant has studied medicine with eunuchs from the Imperial Medical Academy since childhood, and is extremely familiar with the smell and medicinal properties of poppies. There's no way I'm wrong!"

"When I tried it just now, I carefully examined it and found that it only had the taste of tobacco and Chinese medicine, and absolutely no poppy."

"Furthermore, Your Highness, you are the Crown Prince, the future Emperor. Jiaozhi is merely a small vassal state of our Great Yin Dynasty. Even if they had a hundred times the courage, they wouldn't dare to use poison to harm you. Wouldn't that be courting the destruction of their own country?"

Zhu Changyu nodded slowly, most of his doubts dissipating.

Yes, he is the crown prince of the current dynasty. The Kingdom of Jiaozhi relies on the protection of the Da Yin to survive. How dare they rashly harm him?

Without further hesitation, he lit the incense by the candlelight and, imitating Xiao Liuzi, tentatively took a puff.

The pungent, acrid smell of smoke instantly filled his nostrils, causing him to cough violently, tears welling up in his eyes and his face turning bright red.

"Cough...cough cough...Little Six, why is this stuff so hard to extract?"

Xiao Liuzi quickly stepped forward, gently patted his back, and knelt down to explain:

"Your Highness, please calm down. This contains tobacco imported from Southeast Asia, which you have never encountered before, so it is natural that you find it pungent."

"In previous years, the Kingdom of Jiaozhi also presented tobacco as tribute, but His Majesty disliked its pungent smell and felt it was harmful to the lungs, so he ordered that it not be promoted in the capital. Therefore, Your Highness is making a fuss over nothing."

As he spoke, Xiao Liuzi demonstrated, slowly inhaling and exhaling, his movements practiced and skillful:

"Your Highness, please inhale slowly, taking small sips. You'll get used to it. Its invigorating effect is much better than that of tea."

Zhu Changyu did as instructed, and through repeated trials, he gradually mastered the knack.

As the smoke slowly entered my throat and spread through my blood vessels, my mind, which had been exhausted from reviewing memorials, became much clearer, and most of the restlessness and drowsiness of the past few days dissipated.

"Um?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhu Changyu's eyes, followed by a satisfied expression, and he couldn't help but sigh:

"This stuff really has such amazing effects. It really can refresh the mind and will come in very handy when I stay up late reviewing memorials in the future."

He glanced up at the bright yellow imperial edict on the table, a hint of undisguised smugness and arrogance flashing in his eyes—the edict clearly stated…

The emperor temporarily entrusted the command of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to the crown prince, with a decision to be made after the new year.

This means that the sharpest and most loyal henchmen under the Emperor's command have now become his subordinates!

"Commander Lu." Zhu Changyu's voice suddenly turned deep, carrying the majesty of a crown prince, as his gaze swept across the shadows in the hall.

As soon as the words were spoken, a figure dressed in a flying fish robe and with an embroidered spring knife at his waist emerged from the shadows.

He knelt on one knee, his posture upright, his voice respectful yet devoid of any obsequiousness: "This humble general, Lu Bingming, is here. What are your orders, Your Highness?"

"Now that Father has entrusted me with command of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, will you Embroidered Uniform Guard members obey my orders?"

Zhu Changyu stared at him, his tone both probing and intimidating.

Lu Bingming lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "We, the Imperial Guards, are favored by His Majesty and obey the Crown Prince's orders. If Your Highness commands us, we will obey even unto death."

"Great! Excellent!"

Zhu Changyu slammed his hand on the table and burst into laughter, his eyes filled with smug satisfaction.

"I (the Crown Prince, in his private self-proclaimed title) have long awaited this day! The Embroidered Uniform Guard, Father Emperor's most trusted dogs, are now finally at my service!"

He suppressed his smile, his expression turning sinister: "I've always been curious about what's going on at the Prince of Bei Jing's residence."

"My uncle is always unfathomable. His mansion is heavily guarded. The few maids I planted a few days ago have all disappeared without a trace. Not even their remains could be found. This shows how tight his defenses are."

Zhu Changyu leaned forward, his tone urgent:

"Commander Lu, does the Embroidered Uniform Guard have any way to infiltrate the Prince of Bei Jing's residence and find out his background for me?"

"And those two, the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Zhao, have been making frequent secret visits to the Prince of Beijing's residence lately, their movements are very secretive. What exactly are they plotting?"

Lu Bingming slowly raised his head, a fleeting, complex emotion flashing in his eyes before his respectful demeanor returned.

"Your Highness, rest assured, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has already made arrangements."

"I have a commander under my command who was originally a subordinate of the Prince of Beijing. I recruited him with a large sum of money and he is still lurking outside the Prince's residence. He can secretly monitor the Prince of Beijing's every move and send back messages."

"Very good!" Zhu Changyu nodded in satisfaction, then, remembering something, raised an eyebrow. "By the way, you went south a few days ago and stayed for quite a while. What exactly were you investigating?"

Lu Bingming bowed and reported:

"Your Highness, I am on my way south to investigate the mysterious death of the late Prince Jing'an."

"Just as the investigation was beginning to make progress, I received a secret order from His Majesty to return to the capital immediately and take over the daily affairs of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Therefore, I was unable to investigate thoroughly."

"Uncle Jing'an?"

Zhu Changyu waved his hand dismissively, saying, "This matter is for Uncle Prince Bei Jing to handle; it's not our concern. You can put this aside for now and keep an eye on two other things for me."

His eyes sharpened: "First, keep a close watch on the Prince of Beijing's residence. Every word and action of Shui Rong, and every guest who comes and goes, must be recorded without omission."

"Secondly, keep an eye on the Lin family residence, especially Lin Daiyu, the daughter of the Lin family. Observe her daily whereabouts and who she associates with, understand?"

Lu Bingming thought with disdain—the Crown Prince was neglecting important court affairs and the troubles on the northern border, yet he was fixated on a woman and a prince of a different surname. His vision was far too narrow.

But he dared not reveal a word, and could only bow and reply, "This subordinate understands, and will certainly take care of it."

Having said that, Lu Bingming slowly withdrew, walked out of the East Palace's sleeping quarters, and gazed at the waning moon in the night sky, sighing softly:

"Your Majesty, why did you entrust the Embroidered Uniform Guard to this young man?"

Having been away from the capital for so long, he was unaware that the situation in the capital had changed drastically—the Crown Prince and the Prince of Beijing, who used to seem to be on good terms, were now wary of each other.

The Crown Prince is keeping such a close eye on the Lin family's daughter; could it be that he has truly fallen for her?

"Absurd, utterly absurd!" Lu Bingming muttered under his breath, then turned and disappeared into the night.

Meanwhile, in the study of the Prince of Bei Jing's residence, Xu Hong stood with his head bowed, reporting the commotion in the Eastern Palace in detail.

Shui Rong held his teacup, took a small sip, and a playful smile flashed in his eyes:

"Interesting. Zhu Changyu has just taken over the Embroidered Uniform Guard and he's already eager to turn against me. He's quite impatient."

He looked up at Xu Hong, his tone grave: "Remember, you must not arouse their suspicion."

"Since the Crown Prince wants to investigate the Prince's residence, you should deliberately reveal some unimportant information—such as the accounts of the Prince's residence's shops and my preparations for going south after the New Year."

"These trivial matters are just what will protect your identity."

"This subordinate understands," Xu Hong replied, bowing, then looked worried.

"But Your Highness, the Emperor has handed over command of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince's power has increased dramatically, far exceeding what it was before. He may become even more unscrupulous in the future, which will be detrimental to you, Prince Qin, and Prince Zhao."

"unfavorable?"

Shui Rong chuckled softly, put down his teacup, and said calmly:

"It's alright. The more flamboyant he is, the easier it will be for him to slip up. You secretly tell the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Zhao that the Crown Prince has taken control of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and sent people to monitor the Prince's residence."

"The ones who should be afraid are the two of them. One is going to Jizhou to train troops, and the other is staying in the capital. The Crown Prince will definitely make his move against them first."

"I am merely a prince of a different surname; the Crown Prince doesn't even consider me a threat for the time being."

Having said that, Shui Rong took out a thick stack of silver notes from under the table, each worth a thousand taels, piled them on the table, and pushed them in front of Xu Hong:

"Take these possessions. It wasn't easy for you to establish yourself in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. You need to build your own power base and win over loyal followers. These silver notes will come in handy. You've worked hard all these years."

Xu Hong looked at the silver notes on the table, then at Shui Rong, and felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He was about to kneel down to express his gratitude, but Shui Rong stopped him.

Shui Rong's hand was strong and warm, and his tone carried genuine concern:

"Between us, there's no need for such formalities. After so many years of friendship, I trust your loyalty."

He patted Xu Hong on the shoulder and smiled, "Remember, your safety is more important than anything else. After I head south, the situation in the capital will only become more dangerous. You must be extremely careful and proceed with caution."

As he spoke, Shui Rong picked up a yellowed slip of paper from the table and handed it to Xu Hong. The paper was densely covered with the names of more than a dozen officials, and next to it were notes of their respective crimes of corruption and framing.

"The people on this list are all officials who have committed offenses in the capital."

"If you need to be promoted in the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the future, or if you encounter a crisis, these people can become your sacrifices to climb the ladder. You don't need to worry about it."

Xu Hong took the note with both hands, tracing the words on it with his fingertips, his eyes slightly reddening—the prince not only trusted him, but also paved the way for him and considered everything for him. He had no way to repay this favor.

Taking advantage of the moment when Shui Rong turned to get a teacup, he suddenly knelt down on one knee, his voice choked with emotion but firm:

"This humble general will certainly not fail Your Highness's trust! I will devote myself wholeheartedly to matters concerning the capital, and even if it means my death, I will never divulge a single secret of Your Highness's!"

Shui Rong turned around and saw him kneeling on the ground. She shook her head helplessly but did not help him up. She simply said:

"Get up and go quickly, lest someone notice."

"Yes!" Xu Hong stood up, bowed, turned around and leaped out of the window like a ghost, disappearing into the deep night.

Shui Rong walked to the window and slowly closed it, shutting out the cold air and darkness from outside.

He turned and walked towards the secret room. Inside the dark room, a detailed map of the distribution of power in the capital was marked with information such as the Crown Prince's control of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Lu Bingming's planting of spies.

He took a wolf-hair brush, dipped it in thick ink, and heavily circled the names "Lu Bingming" and "Xu Hong." He also drew several horizontal lines on the names of officials from the Crown Prince's faction, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Zhu Changyu, do you think you can control everything just by taking over the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"