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

"Hahahaha!" Qi Xiao suddenly clapped his hands and laughed, which scared Qinglan. He almost dropped the teacup as he approached with the freshly brewed tea. He looked at Qi Xiao in surprise as if he were a madman. Even Tang Ling was startled.

Tang Ling frowned slightly and asked, "Why are you laughing, Your Highness?"

Qinglan steadied his hands and served the tea.

Qi Xiao took the teacup, took a sip of hot tea, and smiled uncontrollably. After a moment, he said, "Just smile if you're happy."

"happy?"

"Well, you are very interesting. I like you very much. I am very happy."

Tang Ling was stunned. So he was Qi Xiao's toy? Was Qi Xiao a three-year-old? How could he be so happy?

Qi Xiao took a sip of tea and said, "Zi Yi, beg me. If you do, I will return that man to you. You already owed me twice, so you shouldn't owe me your life again."

Tang Ling's face immediately turned cold. Qi Xiao was really a lunatic, and a very cunning lunatic!

"Angry?"

Tang Ling didn't like the feeling of being strangled. Ever since she was little, Tang Ling had been incredibly perceptive and able to read people's minds, knowing when to advance and when to retreat. Everyone disliked her. He had always been the one in control, but now he was just a prey on the chopping block. How could she not be angry and resentful?

"Don't be angry, I'm helping you. No ill intentions, no ill intentions." Qi Xiao sipped his tea, his expression relaxed. Like a cat scooping a koi from a pond, Qi Xiao watched Tang Ling thrashing about on dry land, even stretching out his claws to poke at her, amusing himself with amusement.

"Why?" Tang Ling asked why she helped him and why she teased him.

Qi Xiao finished a cup of tea, handed it to Qinglan, and asked Qinglan to pour another cup, ordering Qinglan around like his own servant.

Qinglan was so angry that he wanted to jump up and down when he heard Qi Xiao bullying Tang Ling. The only reason he could suppress his temper was because Tang Ling was also holding it back. Now he had to obey Qi Xiao's orders, which made him even more annoyed. He held it in for a long time before taking the teacup and pouring tea angrily.

Qi Xiao didn't care about Qing Lan's frank dislike. He seemed to be completely focused on Tang Ling. He still looked at him with a smile and said, "Beautiful people can always easily get sympathy and help from others. If a beauty like Zi Yi begs me for help, I will certainly be very happy."

Tang Ling gritted his teeth. He wanted to blurt out several times that the assassin had nothing to do with him. As long as he denied it, Qi Xiao would not be able to link Ye Huai with him. But if he did that, he would be sacrificing Ye Huai's life.

Putting aside the childhood friendship between him and Ye Huai, Tang Ling entered Chen alone, with Ye Huai as the only person he trusted, aside from Qinglan, who lacked martial arts skills. He had only just arrived in Fuzhou and already been attacked, and it was hard to predict what dangers lay ahead. Without Ye Huai, it would be like losing an arm. Who knew if he could safely make it to Yuanjing?

But Tang Ling couldn't be easily fooled by Qi Xiao, as his words were not trustworthy enough.

Tang Ling was silent for a while, but she finally suppressed her temper and said calmly, "From what Your Highness said, are you sure that the assassin is related to me?"

Qi Xiao lowered his eyes to look at the chessboard in front of him. The chess piece in his hand had been squeezed until it was warm, and finally fell onto the board. "I'm sure. He risked his life to pull you out of the carriage at Hukou Gorge, and then fought many masters alone to protect you. I saw it with my own eyes."

"Crack." The cup in Qinglan's hand fell to the ground, shattered all over the floor, and water spread into a puddle.

Tang Ling's expression had just softened, but then it turned pale again at Qi Xiao's words. He was really there that day!

"You arranged this?!" Tang Ling made a judgment almost immediately.

Qi Xiao raised his eyebrows and smiled: "Yeah, if I hadn't arranged for someone, do you think you could survive until now relying on a secret guard?"

Tang Ling stared at Qi Xiao, speechless for a moment. His mind was in turmoil. Knowing Qi Xiao had told the truth only made it harder to grasp his intentions and goals. Had Qi Xiao arranged those assassins?! If not, how did Qi Xiao know about the robbery and assassination?! And why had he saved him, only to trap him overnight before Su Qin found him?! What was going on?!

"You must have a lot of questions in your mind, right? But if I answer them, Ziyi will owe me one more. You must think it through."

"I don't understand. Given my status, how could I possibly be so worthy of His Majesty's efforts? Even if I owe His Majesty a great deal, how can I ever repay His Majesty?"

Qi Xiao raised the corner of his mouth, his eyes full of smiles: "Don't call me "Old Prince" or "Prince". It makes me sound like an old man over fifty years old. It sounds so unfamiliar. Qi Xiao, this is my name. You can call me by my name in private."

Qi Xiao! Qi Xiao! Before coming to Chen, Tang Ling had quipped, while perusing the dossier, that with so many princes, chaos was inevitable. Qi Xiao, a name mentioned briefly, now held Tang Ling by the throat. This boy, who had repeatedly toyed with him, not only did Tang Ling not feel comfortable with him, but he also felt compelled to not only be on guard but also seek an opportunity to eliminate him.

Qi Xiao was still smiling, but his cunning was replaced by a clever one. He moved closer and reached for the chess box in front of Tang Ling. He took out a white piece and held it in front of Tang Ling's eyes. He pointed at the chessboard and said, "Place it here. You'll win me by one point."

Suddenly Qi Xiao turned into a little kid trying to please others and winked at Tang Ling. Tang Ling ignored him, so Qi Xiao kept raising his hand and walked forward.

Finally, Tang Ling moved, reached out to take the white piece, and with a light touch of her fingertips, she withdrew and dropped the chess piece.

Qi Xiao finally sat back down, holding his chin with his hand, and smiled innocently: "You win. Are you feeling better now?"

"Can you tell me what's going on?"

"It's nothing, actually. I got a tip earlier that a group of Qi spies had infiltrated Fuzhou Prefecture. The timing was so coincidental, and I couldn't think of anyone else except you, so I went to Hukou Gorge to wait. Ha, I actually waited for you."

Tang Ling could understand that with Qi Xiao's identity, even if he told Su Qin the news he got directly, Su Qin might not believe him. What if the news was wrong and he couldn't catch the thief and get the stolen goods, then his credit would be regarded as false reporting of military intelligence, and it would be even more difficult for him, an unpopular prince.

"Then why did you save me and keep me trapped all night?"

Qi Xiao smiled. Tang Ling had never understood what Qi Xiao was laughing at, but now he actually understood. He was just looking for fun and not minding the bigger the incident. He even hoped that the incident would get bigger and bigger.

"What on earth do I mean to you? What do you want to do?"

Qi Xiao turned around and said to Qing Lan, "Go out first. I have something to say to your master."

Qinglan was reluctant to leave, but was forced out by Tang Ling's look.

"Go ahead."

"I want to go back to Yuanjing."

"So you need a big achievement?"

"Yes, it requires a great achievement, but it can't seem too deliberate. I don't want to offend those people in Yuanjing City so early."

"All those assassins have been killed, why do you still want to trap me all night?"

"There are several reasons. First, it was almost dusk when we killed those men and rescued you. Su Qin had already dispersed his men to search the mountain. Without knowing if there were other ambushes, having my men watch over you was the best option. Second, I couldn't be sure if there were any traitors within the Tiger Might Army, or spies disguised as Tiger Might Army soldiers taking advantage of the chaos."

That day, Su Qin's men dispersed to search for Tang Ling, catching the entire Tiger Army off guard. Furthermore, the deep mountains and old forests were prone to ambushes. If there were another group of assassins, Tang Ling would be dead. Furthermore, Qi Xiao only trusted Su Qin, and not handing him over was truly for the sake of saving Tang Ling's life. Otherwise, all efforts would be in vain.

Tang Ling met Qi Xiao's gaze and continued, "There should be a third point. If it was just a sudden attack and I was unharmed, it wouldn't be a big deal. Su Qin might choose to cover it up for his own benefit, and then all your efforts would be in vain. But if I disappear for a night, the Huwei Army will miss the time to stay at the post station, and the Fuzhou government will get the news and will definitely report it."

"clever."

Tang Ling chuckled softly: "What a plan." Qi Xiao had planned this against Qi's spies, Yuan Jing, the Huwei Army, Yue Zhilin, and Tang Ling. It was a perfect plan.