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

There are two rooms on each side of Qi Xiao's main wing, one for Baixi Qiao and one for Zong Sheng. There are also four rooms in the east and west wings of Yangxi Zhai, all of which are occupied by Qi Xiao's personal guards who brought Yuan Jing with them. There are indeed no empty rooms.

"...How did you know this was my room?"

"I can smell it. It's remarkable that your scent hasn't changed in ten years. It's easy to recognize."

Zong Sheng felt like he was choking on water after hearing what Chi Yue said. He almost choked to death. Why did he ask?! Chi Yue was clearly playing a trick on him!

Chi Yue knew that Zong Sheng was feeling depressed, so he couldn't help but chuckle, then turned his head and fell asleep. Chi Yue didn't lie to Zong Sheng, nor was he trying to trick him. Chi Yue really recognized the smell on Zong Sheng's body. His five senses were sharper than those of ordinary people, and when he entered the room, he immediately smelled a familiar smell that was hard to describe and hard to explain. He felt that Zong Sheng always smelled like sunshine, perhaps because Zong Sheng especially loved basking in the sun. On any good day, he would dry all his clothes and quilts out in the sun, and even drag Chi Yue outside to dry them. Even if he was away all day, he would open the windows to let the sun in.

Perhaps it was because they all came from poor backgrounds, and they always wore tattered clothes that were sour, smelly and moldy. Zong Sheng hated the foul smell. Soap nuts are expensive, but sunshine is never stingy.

Ever since he could remember, Chi Yue had been stealing and robbing on the streets. He ran like a rat and hid in the cracks of the ground like a rat. Dark corners were the only places where he felt safe, but Zong Sheng forced him to bask in the sun. How funny.

As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, the streets of Yuanjing are becoming more and more bustling. Except for the yamen runners and soldiers who visit and search every household, everything seems to be the same as usual.

Tang Ling sat on the second floor of Qinxin Tea House, watching the people coming and going on the street below, and listening to people around her whispering about the case of Luo Yu, the Dali Temple Minister.

The last time Tang Ling came, the Jingji Protectorate surrounded the Qinxin Tea House like an iron barrel. The tea house seemed to be Tang Ling's own, and it was closed for half a day and could not do business. Today, when Tang Ling came again, the shopkeeper saw him from afar and almost knelt down in front of him. If the Jingji Protectorate surrounded the tea house again at this juncture, the people would definitely link him to Luo Yu's case, and Qinxin Tea House would have no business at all.

Tang Ling entered the room accompanied only by Qing Lan, Ye Huai, a servant, and a guard. No one else was there. The shopkeeper looked around for a moment, confirming that the Jingji Protectorate hadn't followed before he breathed a sigh of relief. Tang Ling was a little amused. How could Cao Weishan care about such an idler right now?

Tang Ling was drinking tea when Qing Lan came jogging over with a small box in her arms, looking nervous yet excited.

"Son!"

"Why do you act like a thief?" Tang Ling couldn't help laughing.

"Master! Sold it!" Qing Lan leaned close to Tang Ling's ear and whispered in a low voice, "Three hundred gold!"

Tang Ling asked Qinglan to sell three chess boards to Guanqilou, one for one hundred gold. Qinglan immediately thought Tang Ling was crazy, even crazier than Qi Xiao. Who would have thought that the owner of Guanqilou not only agreed, but also agreed happily and gave the money without any hesitation. Qinglan was dumbfounded.

Tang Ling smiled and said, "Is your young master's reputation not worth this price?"

Qing Lan was shocked and whispered silently: "It is definitely not worth it in the Great Zhou."

Tang Ling couldn't help but laugh out loud: "After the Mid-Autumn Festival, it will go up even more."

"Huh?" Qing Lan was completely bewildered. Although his young master was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and few in the younger generation, whether in the Great Zhou or the Chen Dynasty, could match him, even though the Great Chen Dynasty was founded on military power, it also had scholars and literary masters. A painting of a beautiful woman and three chess sets from his young master would have been enough to feed and entertain the entire Xun An Mansion for two or three years.

Seeing Qinglan's silly look, Tang Ling shook her head and said, "The Emperor of Chen is good at chess."

"Hmm? This young master mentioned it before." When they were at Baiyan Mountain, Tang Ling played a game of chess with the emperor. Qinglan stood by for almost two hours and his legs were almost broken.

"The State of Chen values ​​martial arts, and His Majesty places great value on military commanders. Even those from humble backgrounds can have opportunities to rise to prominence, like the hunting expeditions at Baiyan Mountain. If martial arts aren't your thing, then you can pursue a career in literature. Numerous individuals have entered the civil service through the imperial examinations over the years, but unless you're from an aristocratic family, there's virtually no chance of advancement. Even those from aristocratic families are useless if they don't win His Majesty's favor. The quickest way is to please His Majesty. That's why the Imperial College students are so demanding on chess. In the chess pavilion, they can't even tolerate a draw; they'll do everything they can to win it back."

Cao Weishan is a perfect example. The Cao family boasts a rich history of scholarship, yet Cao Weishan spent several years as a minor official, then seven years buried in the Ministry of Justice. The Protectorate of Capital Regions was one of the most important government offices in the Yuan capital, yet receiving reprimands from the emperor was commonplace. If the Supreme Court Minister were to make a move, Cao Weishan could be killed at any moment, even if the Cao family's status was high.

Tang Ling took a sip of tea, a faint smile playing on her lips. He had come to Chen to take command of the Xingluo Guard, gathering intelligence to maintain the precarious peace between Zhou and Chen. But no amount of intelligence could compare to a seat at the Emperor's side. The dynamics of the court depended entirely on the Emperor's thoughts.

When Tang Ling came, Emperor Chen conferred on him the honorary title of Suweilang, to serve as the imperial guard on behalf of Zhou. How could he let her down?

The files of the Dali Temple were piled up like a mountain. Qi Xiao slept for less than two hours at night and came to the Dali Temple after daybreak. He followed Pei Hao to carefully check the files of the Ministry of Revenue for three years. He was dizzy at this time, but Pei Hao sat beside him, holding a teacup, like a strict teacher. Whenever Qi Xiao was distracted, he would cough, which forced Qi Xiao to work hard and not dare to be lazy at all.

"Sir Pei, the Dali Temple must have checked these files and account books long ago. I hope Sir Pei will give me some advice." Qi Xiao was really having a headache. He thought the Dali Temple was only responsible for investigating cases, but who knew that they also needed to know how to do accounting. He was too lazy to even look at the account books of his own Prince Chu's Mansion. The account books of the Ministry of Revenue for one year could be piled up from the ground to the beams of the house. It was impossible to finish reading them all in a short time.

Pei Hao gently put down his teacup and looked at Qi Xiao. "The four departments of the Ministry of Revenue are responsible for taxes, military supplies, rations, salaries, and various other revenues and expenditures. It's quite complicated. His Majesty has asked the Ninth Prince to assist in investigating this case. If Your Highness can't sort out the accounts, what will Your Highness say if His Majesty asks about it?"

Qi Xiao smiled stiffly and nodded in response, "Master Pei is right. I'll take a closer look."

Qi Xiao understood that Pei Hao wasn't trying to embarrass him, but rather that he needed to learn the "basic lessons." Qi Xiao had left the capital at the age of ten and was completely clueless about state affairs. No matter how clever he was, he wouldn't grasp the key points if he just listened to Pei Hao's explanations. Only after he had thoroughly researched the account books could Pei Hao explain the details. It had taken a dozen accountants half a month to uncover even a few clues. How much could Qi Xiao possibly understand in just a day or two?