Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

"Zongsheng, go get a doctor to treat his injuries."

"Yes."

Yue Zhilin was stunned: "Your Majesty, didn't you hand this person over to me?"

Qi Xiao laughed: "The person I want to hand over to the prince is not him, but him." Qi Xiao pointed to the person in the portrait.

Yue Zhilin was surprised and delighted: "The prince found someone?!"

"Found it, he's tied up in the dungeon. Please come in, Master Yue."

This was the first time Yue Zhilin had heard of a dungeon in the Prince of Chu's mansion. While it wasn't surprising, what did Prince Qi Xiao, a despicable and idle devil, need a dungeon for?

Qi Xiao led Yue Zhilin into the dungeon through a secret door in the rockery in the back garden. It was pitch black inside, with only a faint light coming from the candlelight on the walls on both sides of the corridor. The two walked deeper and deeper, and the cold and damp earthy smell mixed with the smell of blood became stronger.

Soon, they reached the end of the corridor, a cell. Inside, a battered man lay hanging, thumb-thick nails pierced through his hands and feet, preventing him from moving. A nearby table was covered in torture instruments, all stained with dried blood. The man's face was vaguely visible; it was the person in the portrait.

"...This..." Yue Zhilin couldn't help but cover his mouth and nose. It was not that he had never seen blood before. It was common for prisoners to have their skin torn and flesh exposed during interrogation in the government office. But the wounds on this man's body were not comparable to Huang Liang's. They were truly bruised and visible to the naked eye.

"There's nothing I can do about it. I was being too stubborn. But fortunately, it's working."

"He did?"

Qi Xiao looked at Yue Zhilin and smiled, which made Yue Zhilin feel a chill down his spine and shiver.

"He's a spy from Qi."

"...Qi...?" Yue Zhilin looked at Qi Xiao, mentally recounting the events. Qi Xiao had captured both Huang Liang and this man. Could this be a setup? But was there any point in Qi Xiao going through all this? On the other hand, if he truly was a Qi spy, that would be a huge problem.

The Chen and Zhou countries have just experienced a great war. If something happens to Tang Ling, there will be no hope of peace talks. When the war breaks out again, there will be heavy casualties.

The territory of Qi was not large, but it was sandwiched between Zhou and Chen. Qi was across Fenglin Mountain from Chen, and the road from Qi to Zhou was smooth. Under the threat of the two countries, Qi could only fight with itself in order to survive and had no time to take care of other things.

Qi Xiao stood in front of the Qi spy, pacing back and forth slowly with his hands behind his back, chuckling, "I never thought Qi could be so outreaching, daring to rob Huwei's army. I guess they've been living in peace for too long, and they're itching for trouble."

"Your Highness, how did you capture this man? General Su was able to keep every last one alive."

Qi Xiao laughed. "Wasn't the document written on it Xia Qing from Hutchison Tea House? So I asked Zong Sheng to check it out. Since the document was real, Xia Qing should be real too. Zong Sheng took the portrait to Hutchison Tea House to ask, and Xia Qing was there, but not the one in front of him. Zong Sheng found the person the same way the document was lost. It was indeed a lot of work, but once the person was found, it became much easier. A stick of incense was all he needed."

Qi Xiao explained in detail, and Yue Zhilin no longer had any doubts. The documents and portraits were in his hands. He would send people to investigate Heji Tea House, Furu Inn in Liuyang Town, and the thatched cottage at the foot of Hukou Gorge. If he was really a spy from Qi, there must be someone else hiding. If he could catch the spy from Qi, it would be a great achievement. Even if he only found some useful clues, it would be a chance for him to rise to the top.

But why did Qi Xiao help him so much?

"Your Highness, this is a great achievement. Why would Your Highness hand over this great achievement to a humble servant?" Yue Zhilin didn't understand why Qi Xiao put in so much effort and went through so much trouble.

"Old Yue, we've been friends for many years, how could I possibly harm you?"

Yue Zhilin was puzzled. This was not necessarily the case. Others might not know about King Chu Qi Xiao, but Yue Zhilin knew him well. Qi Xiao was only ten years old when he arrived in Yongcheng. He was repeatedly neglected and humiliated by the former prefect Du Xianwei. Qi Xiao held a grudge and contacted Yue Zhilin privately to discuss things with him.

Yue Zhilin will never forget that he was persuaded by a twelve-year-old child to follow his plan and secretly collect charges and evidence of Du Xianwei's crimes, lying dormant for three years. A year ago, Fuzhou Prefecture and Fuzhou Prefecture jointly fought against bandits with the Tiger Army. Taking advantage of the opportunity when Yuanzhou prefect and Lu Fangjin impeached Du Xianwei, Yue Zhilin presented Du Xianwei's crimes over the years. The emperor was furious, and not only was Du Xianwei beheaded, but his family was also destroyed and his property was confiscated. Yue Zhilin was unexpectedly promoted from a sixth-rank judge to the prefect of Fuzhou.

Qi Xiao looked like a teenager, but his temperament was already terrifying. Yue Zhilin had been single-handedly propelled to her current position by Qi Xiao, so she naturally treated him with respect and trust, but also with caution.

Qi Xiao walked up to Yue Zhilin, leaned close, patted his shoulder gently, and whispered, "I'll give this man to you. I've sent someone to monitor his previous location and report any reports of anyone going there. You'll need to investigate the rest of the matter yourself. I've helped you in every way I can. When Master Yue rises to prominence in the future, we'll see you in Yuanjing."

Yue Zhilin was shocked, suddenly understanding Qi Xiao's intention: he was going back to the capital! Yes, he had heard news from Yuanjing that Concubine Lin was seriously ill. Qi Xiao hadn't seen his mother in almost seven years, and he would definitely request an imperial decree to return to the capital. However, he had no one in the court, and Concubine Lin wasn't particularly favored, so returning would be difficult, which was why he had to resort to a surprising strategy.

His Majesty has many princes. Aside from the eldest, fifth, and seventh princes, who are still in the capital, the others have been granted fiefs and cannot return to Yuanjing without an imperial decree. Qi Xiao has only one path: to achieve merit and earn His Majesty's favor. However, these achievements cannot be too great, otherwise he will have no foundation in the capital and incur the dislike of the other three before returning, which could be fatal. Therefore, the timing of using Tang Ling to enter the capital is perfect.

Su Qin was the one who rescued Tang Ling; Qi Xiao merely lent him two hunting dogs, so he couldn't be considered the primary contributor. He kept Tang Ling in the palace to treat her, preserving Dachen's reputation and extending a favor to both her and the Zhou Kingdom. He carefully considered the appropriate time to attract the emperor's attention, using Tang Ling's illness to buy time until the imperial decree arrived so he could accompany the Tiger Power Army to the capital.

How did Qi Xiao know about the assassination attempt by Qi State spies? And how did he even plan to rescue them?

Yue Zhilin was a smart man. He didn't ask questions that he shouldn't have asked. Without Qi Xiao saying anything more, he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I will always remember your kindness."

Qi Xiao smiled broadly: "Then, Master Yue, let's go."