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

The two strolled side by side in the courtyard of the Prince's mansion. At first, Daiyu was somewhat reserved in her words and actions due to her status.

But as they walked, seeing that Shui Rong was completely unaware, and being drawn in by the blooming plum blossoms in the corner of the courtyard and the elegant scenery along the way, they gradually became more lively.

The north wind carried the fragrance of plum blossoms, and Daiyu stopped before an old plum tree, gently brushing the thin layer of snow off the petals, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

A genuine smile played in his eyes, completely erasing the awkwardness he had shown in the main hall.

Shui Rong stood beside her, his gaze falling on her slender fingertips and gentle profile, a hint of amusement in his eyes—this appearance had none of the cheerfulness of a noble young master, but rather resembled that of a charming young lady from a secluded family.

"This plum tree was planted by my late father, and it's been several decades since then."

Shui Rong spoke slowly, his voice gentle, but his gaze never left her, "They bloom every winter, and their fragrance is at its richest."

Upon hearing this, Daiyu turned to look at him, her face beaming with smiles:

"These are indeed fine plum blossoms, possessing a more refined elegance than those in the Suzhou villas."

Although she deliberately lowered her voice when she spoke, it still carried a woman's unique gentleness, with the last syllable rising slightly, which made Shui Rong secretly smile.

The two admired the plum blossoms along the way and unknowingly wandered to the outside of the Prince's small kitchen.

A faint aroma of pastries and the smell of cooking wafted from the small kitchen. Daiyu's nose twitched slightly, and her steps unconsciously slowed down.

Seeing this, Shui Rong suddenly turned to look at her, his tone carrying a hint of probing, seemingly genuine yet feigned:

"Lin Jin, do you think there are women from noble families in this world who find the life of a woman confined to her chambers boring and secretly disguise themselves as men to go out and about?"

These words struck a chord with Daiyu. Her heart skipped a beat, the smile on her face froze instantly, and she instinctively clenched the handkerchief in her sleeve, her eyes darting away in a panic to avoid his gaze.

She had momentarily relaxed and forgotten to conceal herself; when she covered her face and laughed, perhaps her posture was too charming, which aroused his suspicion.

Shui Rong took in her reaction and had already made up her mind.

Either Lin Jin is actually a woman disguised as a man;

Either the Lin family raised him as a girl, like Jia Baoyu, and he picked up the habits of a young lady from a boudoir.

He had already been suspicious of her overly delicate hands, and seeing her so flustered now only confirmed his suspicions. But he didn't expose her, only wanting to tease her.

Daiyu dared not reply, fearing that saying too much would lead to something wrong. She glanced at a plate of osmanthus cakes placed by the window of the small kitchen, quickly went over, grabbed a piece, stuffed it into her mouth, and mumbled indistinctly:

"Your Highness is joking. Women of noble families are bound by strict rules; how could they be so absurd..."

She deliberately wolfed down her food, trying to hide her panic, but her cheeks flushed slightly with nervousness and shyness.

Shui Rong looked at her feigned composure, his smile deepening, and he slowly spoke again, his tone carrying a deliberate ambiguity:

"By the way, I've heard that your younger sister and Jia Baoyu are very close friends, spending every day together in the garden, quite intimately."

These words struck a nerve with Daiyu, who disliked others discussing her relationship with Baoyu, especially in front of Shui Rong.

She suddenly looked up, her cheeks flushed red, her eyes filled with stubbornness and defiance, and retorted:

"Since Your Highness is aware of my sister's situation, I imagine you've also heard that you have a rather close relationship with Miss Qin Keqing, who currently resides at Ci'an Temple?"

Her words startled Shui Rong for a moment, then he burst into laughter, took a step forward, deliberately leaned closer to her, and said in a teasing tone:

"Oh? So your brother-in-law is concerned about my private affairs? What, are you trying to keep an eye on me for your sister?"

"Who cares about you!"

Daiyu's heart raced at his sudden approach, and she quickly took a step back, her cheeks flushed crimson.

Her eyes darted away in a flustered manner, but she couldn't help but steal a glare at him, her coquettishness fully displayed, completely forgetting that she was now "Lin Jin".

Looking at her like this, Shui Rong felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He felt that this little girl, dressed as a man, was even more charming and adorable than usual.

He pretended not to notice her lapse in composure, turned and walked into the small kitchen, laughing loudly:

"Let's go. Since we're in the small kitchen, let's try the pastries made by the chef from the Prince's mansion. They're not much different from the plum blossom cakes your sister makes."

Daiyu watched his retreating figure, feeling both angry and ashamed, yet she couldn't help but follow. Her fingertips gently touched her burning cheeks, her heart a jumbled mess.

Was the prince's statement just now meant to tease her?

Did he... really realize something?

The two entered the small kitchen one after the other. The warm, smoky aroma wafted towards them. The servants were surprised to see the prince in person.

He quickly set out several plates of delicate pastries and warmed plum tea, bowed, and withdrew, leaving the two of them alone in the room.

Daiyu found a seat by the window, picked up a plum blossom pastry with her fingertips, and took a small bite, her earlier panic subsiding slightly.

She felt that the prince's words were just a casual test, and her anxiety gradually subsided.

Shui Rong sat opposite her, picked up his teacup and took a sip. His gaze fell on her as she ate her snack with her eyes down. The playfulness in his eyes deepened, and he decided to test her a little further.

"Just now in the main hall you mentioned that your younger sister loves reading tales of the strange and supernatural. I happen to have quite a few handwritten copies of folk tales as well."

Shui Rong put down his teacup and spoke in a calm tone:

"A few days ago, I came across a book called 'Strange Tales of the Desolate Ruins,' which describes a fox spirit that has transformed into a human in an ancient ruin in Jiangnan, and is obsessed with using the spirit of plum blossoms as a guide."

"Since you grew up in Suzhou, have you ever read such unusual books and are you familiar with this story?"

Upon hearing this, Daiyu's eyes lit up instantly. Completely forgetting her pretense, she put down the pastries in her hand and spoke in a lighthearted tone:

"Is Your Highness referring to Chapter Seven of Volume Three?"

"That fox spirit was originally a withered tree in the plum garden, not a malevolent spirit. It was just guarding its former master's old house. Its so-called 'saving people from their obsessions' was nothing more than helping a fool fulfill his longing to return home."

"The article also mentions at the end, 'As long as the plum blossoms fall, our friendship will not fade,' which is not the work of evil spirits as rumored in the public."

She spoke eloquently, remembering even the smallest details and annotations in the book. Her eyes were full of love for these words, and her intelligent and lively appearance was fully captured in Shui Rong's eyes.

Shui Rong chuckled inwardly. This copy of "Strange Records of the Desolate Ruins" was a unique book that he had specially sought out. There was only one copy in the world. He had just delivered it to the Lin family a few days ago along with a military treatise. Apart from Daiyu, no one else could remember it in such detail.

He remained expressionless, then changed the subject, mentioning military strategy:

"I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable about strange tales and anecdotes. Let me test you again—in the 'Six Secret Teachings: Dragon Teachings,' there's a saying about selecting generals: 'Five Talents and Ten Faults.' Tell me, what are the Five Talents and what are the Ten Faults?"

This copy of "Six Secret Teachings" was also specially selected by Shui Rong, and it included a version with his own handwritten annotations.

I thought that Daiyu, being a woman, even if she studied, wouldn't delve deeply into military strategy and tactics. But to my surprise, Daiyu spoke with remarkable clarity and logic, almost without hesitation:

"The five qualities are courage, wisdom, benevolence, trustworthiness, and loyalty. If a general lacks courage, his soldiers will be timid; if he lacks wisdom, the army will be in chaos; if he lacks benevolence, he will not care for his soldiers; if he lacks trustworthiness, rewards and punishments will be unclear; and if he lacks loyalty, he will be disloyal."

"The ten faults are: being brave but reckless, being wise but timid, being trustworthy but fond of trust, being honest but greedy for profit, being benevolent but trying to bring peace to others, being wise but slow-witted, being resolute but self-willed, being cowardly but relying on others, being weak and indecisive, and being greedy for profit. These ten are the greatest taboos for a general."

She not only recited the original text, but also casually added her own insights:

"In fact, this method of selecting generals is not only applicable to the military, but also to managing a family and governing a country. Loyalty and courage are the foundation, wisdom and trustworthiness are the bones, and none of them can be lacking."

"In the annotation book that the prince gave me, there was a sentence that read, 'A general is the man of the heart of a soldier.' That sentence is the most insightful."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Daiyu herself froze, her fingertips hovering in mid-air, and the composure on her face vanished instantly—she had been too engrossed in her speech.

She blurted out "the annotated book that the prince gave her," but she was now "Lin Jin," her brother who was far away in Suzhou, and it was impossible for her to have seen the book that Shui Rong gave her!

Shui Rong looked at her sudden freeze, his eyes filled with knowing amusement, but he didn't expose her, only raising an eyebrow in feigned confusion:

"Oh? That annotated copy of mine was a private possession, given only to Miss Lin. You're far away in Suzhou, how could you have seen it and remember my annotations?"

Daiyu's face flushed crimson instantly, the blush spreading from her cheeks to her ears. She clutched her sleeves nervously, her eyes darting away in a panic, and she stammered, unable to speak.

"I...I...my sister mentioned it briefly in a letter home a few days ago, and I...I wrote it down..."

The more she explained, the more flustered she became. Her usually sharp mind was in complete disarray, and she was utterly oblivious to the numerous inconsistencies in her explanation.

How could a family letter contain every single annotation of a military treatise? And how could it also include her casual insights?

Seeing her embarrassed and flustered appearance, Shui Rong's heart melted completely. This little girl was exceptionally intelligent and had a photographic memory.

Her insights into supernatural tales and military strategy far surpassed those of ordinary young women, yet she always revealed her true colors in front of me, appearing both charming and adorable.

He deliberately drew out his words, his tone mocking:

"I see, I was quite ignorant."

"But brother-in-law, your memory is exactly the same as your sister's. Even your reading preferences and the details of remembering books are exactly the same."

Daiyu was so ashamed by his words that she couldn't lift her head. Her eyes were lowered, her long eyelashes trembling, and she felt both ashamed and regretful.

I was so focused on answering that I forgot my own identity. Now the prince has probably seen through me.

Her fingers, gripping her sleeve, turned white. She was both afraid that Shui Rong would reveal her identity and inexplicably filled with a secret expectation. Her heart was pounding, and she even held her breath.

Seeing her like this, Shui Rong stopped pressing her for answers and instead pushed over a plate of her favorite osmanthus cake, her tone softening slightly:

"Enough of these books. Try this osmanthus cake. It was made by the chef in the manor according to the Jiangnan style. It should taste almost the same as the one in your Suzhou home, except that the osmanthus used is candied osmanthus."

Daiyu looked up at him and saw no mockery in his eyes, only a gentle smile. Her anxiety eased slightly.

Her cheeks were still burning, and she took small bites of the pastry, not daring to speak casually anymore. But she knew in her heart that the prince must have recognized her long ago, but he was just pretending not to say it and playing along with her.

The thought that her little trick of disguising herself as a man had been seen through from the very beginning...

She was even deliberately tested and teased, which made Daiyu so ashamed that she wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground.

Yet, deep in my heart, a sweet warmth welled up, making even the pastries in my mouth taste exceptionally delicious.