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

"Why are you here, fifth brother? It's windy and rainy outside, please come in." Qi Xiao greeted the fifth prince very cordially, just like a real brother.

"Greetings to His Highness the Fifth Prince." Tang Ling followed closely behind, greeting the Fifth Prince first. "General Lu."

"I pay my respects to His Majesty the Ninth Prince and Young Master Tang."

"Greetings to His Majesty the Ninth Prince, and greetings to Young Master Tang." The Fifth Prince and Lu Fangjin were followed by two others, as well as servants accompanying them. The crowd packed the entrance of the tent, making a huge scene.

"Let's all forget about this formality." Fifth Prince Qi Li waved his hand and said to Qi Xiao, "I've come uninvited, and I'm afraid I'll disturb my ninth brother and Young Master Tang's chess game."

"How could this be? Fifth brother, please come in. Young Master Tang is an expert in chess. I'm overestimating my own abilities and am almost unable to withstand them. I'm asking Fifth brother to come and rescue me."

The fifth prince Qi Li smiled, secretly cursing Qi Xiao for trying to trick him into making a fool of himself in public. Tang Ling played chess with three people at the same time in the chess viewing pavilion, and all the games ended in draws, which made those students lose face. They even started fighting, and the whole Yuanjing City knew about it. He didn't have the mind to make himself miserable.

"Hahaha, don't worry, ninth brother. Let me introduce you first. The uncle of the emperor, Qin Zhao, and the eldest son of the Minister of Works, Lin Yue and Lin Wenxi. These two have long admired the name of Master Tang and have come to ask for advice. I am just here to watch out of curiosity."

Qi Xiao laughed heartily. It turned out that Tang Ling had just gone to Tang Ling's tent and hadn't found anyone, so he had come to him. But Lao Wu's request for advice might have been a harbinger of ill intentions. Qi Xiao glanced at Tang Ling, curious about how he had provoked Qin Zhao and Lin Yue to have Lao Wu come along. But before that, Qi Xiao was even more curious about why Lu Fangjin had come as well.

Qi Xiao then turned to Lu Fangjin and asked, "General Lu, do you also study chess?"

Lu Fangjin shook his head: "I came here to apologize to Master Tang. I happened to meet the Fifth Prince, so we came together."

Qi Xiao glanced at Tang Ling. It turned out that they were all looking for him. It was quite lively.

"Why is General Lu offering apology?"

Lu Fangjin's expression was serious, not a joke. He held a box in his hands and handed it to Tang Ling. "Su Qin was ordered by our army to escort Young Master Tang to the capital, but he caused Young Master Tang to suffer many injustices and dangers for no reason. Your Majesty did not punish Lu Fangjin, and Young Master Tang was magnanimous. However, Lu Fangjin dared not treat him perfunctorily and had intended to apologize to you all this time. However, Huaxi Villa is closed to visitors, so I have not had the opportunity to do so. I beg your forgiveness for inconveniencing me."

On their first day in Yuanjing, Tang Ling's incident at Wanqinzhai caused a major stir, and she'd been busy ever since. Even the Jingji Protectorate had to send people to follow her, and Lu Fangjin couldn't find an opportunity. He figured today was better than tomorrow, and since it was raining, Lu Fangjin decided to come.

Lu Fangjin bowed his head, and Tang Ling hurriedly gave him a small hand, then took the gift box. "Thank you for your concern, General Lu."

The fact that Su Qin had shackled Tang Ling was known to the world, but Tang Ling kept silent about it, not because she had decided to keep quiet, but because she was waiting for an explanation from Da Chen. His Majesty had promised a thorough investigation of the assassination, and only then would Tang Ling be able to exploit it. The Ministry of Rites and His Majesty kept silent, hoping to intimidate the Zhou Kingdom and also to see how Tang Ling would react.

Lu Fangjin suddenly came to apologize and took all the blame on himself. If Tang Ling wanted to use this matter to argue in the future, the only ones who would be punished would be Lu Fangjin and Su Qin.

Qi Xiao watched the show from the sidelines. Lu Fangjin had planned this all along. He had left "Chen Yuan" in Su Qin's hands just to embarrass Tang Ling. Lu Fangjin had been battling Tang Ling at Taihua River for nearly half a year, and he hated her so much that he wanted to kill her. What did a pair of shackles mean to him?

Qi Xiao traveled with Tang Ling all the way back to Yuanjing. He didn't feel anything wrong with the "Dust Fate" that locked Tang Ling all the way. It was even because of the "Dust Fate" that Tang Ling was able to escape from the assassin's knife... But at this moment, Qi Xiao suddenly frowned, silently glanced at Tang Ling's injured arm, and couldn't help but sigh silently. Lu Fangjin was indeed going too far.

Tang Ling took the gift box and didn't say anything else. She wasn't curious about what was in the gift box and tried to smooth things over with Lu Fang in an ambiguous way, which made Lu Fang feel at a loss.

Lu Fangjin was stunned for a moment, then clasped his fists and said, "I dare not disturb the pleasure of the two princes and the three young masters, so I will take my leave."

As Lu Fangjin left, a moment of awkwardness suddenly settled over the tent. Tang Ling handed the gift box to Qinglan, her expression impassive, unable to discern emotion. The room was filled with either princes of the Chen dynasty or young masters of aristocratic families, each one a natural enemy of Tang Ling. Fifth Prince Qi Li secretly regretted his decision to come with Lu Fangjin. They hadn't come to Tang Ling to play chess with good intentions, yet they had to feign a cheerful atmosphere. Suddenly, a guilty conscience gripped his heart.

"Zong Sheng, serve tea." Qi Xiao broke the silence and smiled as he led the fifth prince Qi Li to the seat of honor.

The chess game between Qi Xiao and Tang Ling has reached the middle stage, and the situation seems to be 2-5. The fifth prince Qi Li, Qin Zhao and Lin Yue gathered around to watch the game, but the outcome is still unclear.

The Fifth Prince glanced at the chessboard, then turned to Tang Ling and asked with a smile, "I've heard that Young Master Tang is a master at chess. I wonder if I'd have the honor to witness Young Master Tang's ability to play three games by himself?"

Qi Xiao, Qin Zhao and Lin Yue are exactly three games apart.

Qi Xiao frowned slightly. This had originally been a joke between him and Tang Ling, win or lose, no matter what. How could he allow Lao Wu to take advantage of her now? One against three, Tang Ling wouldn't be embarrassed even if she lost. But since they had come specifically to find her, they must have had a plan in mind and wouldn't let her win. And since they were talking to someone else, they certainly wouldn't be able to say anything good.

"Since the Fifth Prince and the two young masters are so interested, Tang Ling dare not refuse."

A short while later, the servants set up two more chessboards, surrounding Tang Ling in the middle. He could still smile calmly and said, "Just now, I played a game with the Ninth Prince. I played white. Why don't you two play black?"

Qin Zhao and Lin Yue were thinking along these lines and immediately agreed. When the Fifth Prince, Qi Li, first decided to come, he'd thought of letting Tang Ling fight two of them alone, but who would have thought that Tang Ling would actually play chess with Qi Xiao? It was a perfect match.

The Fifth Prince stood beside Qi Xiao and patted him on the shoulder: "This is the first time I've watched Ninth Brother play chess. It's already impressive that you can play against Young Master Tang. Even if you lose, it doesn't matter."

Qi Xiao smiled: "Fifth brother is right."

The Fifth Prince glanced at Qi Xiao, seeming to be slightly surprised by his willingness to accept advice. Qi Xiao had won so beautifully during the hunt, which must have been due to his competitive nature. The Fifth Prince had wanted to provoke him, but Qi Xiao didn't care at all.

The room was full of uninvited guests. Qi Xiao and Tang Ling didn't say much, while Qin Zhao and Lin Yue were ready to fight and didn't hesitate. They played black first, and for a moment the only sound in the tent was the crisp sound of chess pieces falling on the board.

Qin Zhao and Lin Yue made their moves very quickly at the start, almost without having to think. Qi Xiao's mind was not on his own chess game. He kept watching the two games next to him, while quietly observing Tang Ling's expression.