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

Originally, Tang Ling came here to test Qi Xiao's reason for saving him. After seeing the hound, Tang Ling's doubts became even stronger. Qi Xiao arranged the drama at Tiger's Mouth Gorge and left him in the palace to recuperate. What good would it do for Qi Xiao, an unpopular prince, to treat him like this, a hostage from an enemy country?

Since Qi Xiao asked so directly, Tang Ling felt it was inappropriate to beat around the bush. She simply followed suit and asked, "There is indeed something I would like to ask Your Highness. I was attacked at Tiger's Mouth Gorge that day. Did Your Highness happen to be passing by?"

Hearing Tang Ling say that it was a coincidence and that she was just passing by, Qi Xiao couldn't help laughing. Tang Ling's words were really polite. It was obvious that she wanted to ask him if he had planned something secretly and what his intention was.

Qi Xiao took a sip of tea, his smile faded slightly, and he said, "That day, I happened to be hunting in Tiger's Mouth Gorge. I ran into General Su, who was frantically searching the mountains for someone. I only then realized they had been attacked. I happened to have a hunting dog with me, so I lent it to General Su for the search and rescue."

"...I see." Tang Ling heard Qi Xiao's insincere answer and thought for a moment before asking again, "Hukou Gorge is located at the junction of Fuzhou and Linjiang Prefectures, and it's still some distance away from Yongcheng. I wonder why the prince went there to hunt?"

"Haha, I've hunted almost all the small animals in the forests near Yongcheng. It's hard to hunt anymore, so I'm going to go further away. Besides, I'm getting really bored staying in Yongcheng all the time. As long as I don't leave the territory of Fuzhou Prefecture, I can go anywhere I want to play."

When Qi Xiao smiled, he seemed bright, genuine, and childish, making one want to believe him without hesitation. He was completely different from the arrogant and unruly Qi Xiao who rode his horse in the street that day. But neither of these two faces could be trusted.

"So, in just a few days, Your Highness has saved me twice. I don't know how I can repay Your Highness's kindness."

Qi Xiao raised the corner of his mouth: "No need to thank me, I have my own purpose, saving you is just a matter of convenience. So, not only will I not embarrass you, I will also protect you. Don't worry."

Reassured? Tang Ling felt even more uneasy. From what Qi Xiao said, the danger wasn't over yet, and she still had value to him.

"Your Highness, do you mean that those assassins will come back? But what do they want me to do?" If they want to disrupt the peace talks between Chen and Zhou, wouldn't it be better to just kill him?

Qi Xiao sipped his tea, smiling at Tang Ling. He didn't continue the conversation, but changed the subject: "Rumor has it that the son of Marquis Xun'an is good at deploying troops. How about a game of chess between you and me?"

Tang Ling and Qi Xiao exchanged a look, knowing that further questioning would yield no results, so they nodded slightly.

The chessboard was set up, and the two men played. The tea room was filled with the soft thud of chess pieces hitting the board and the occasional clinking of dust and dust. An hour passed unnoticed, and the chessboard was nearly full, yet the winner was still undecided.

"Master."

Qi Xiao put down the chess piece in his hand and turned to look at Zong Sheng at the door.

"Master, Prefect Yue is here."

Qi Xiao stood up and said to Tang Ling, "It seems that this is all we can do today." After that, Qi Xiao left.

After Qi Xiao left, Tang Ling was still staring at the chess game, not putting down the chess piece in her hand.

"Master," Qing Lan entered and called out to Tang Ling, "Let's go back. The time to take the medicine has passed."

"Well, go back."

***

Qi Xiao entered the main hall. Yue Zhilin was already waiting. Seeing him coming, he stood up and saluted: "Greetings, Your Majesty."

"Master Yue, there's no need to be so polite. Please take a seat."

Yue Zhilin sat down and said, "I have already sent the memorial to Yuanjing at an expedited speed of eight hundred miles. I believe a letter will be returned soon. Your Highness, can you please tell me what happened that day at Tiger's Mouth Gorge as agreed?"

Yue Zhilin's men re-examined the bodies of the assassins. They were very clean, too clean. There was no identification information and no special emblems on their bodies. However, there was poison hidden under their tongues. It was obvious that they came prepared and were trained assassins. The only question was, whose assassins were they?

As soon as Yue Zhilin learned the news, Zong Sheng arrived at the government office, delivering a message for Qi Xiao, telling him to write a memorial truthfully, detailing everything. After the memorial reached the capital, Qi Xiao would reveal the assassins' origins. Yue Zhilin had a moment's doubt. What did Qi Xiao mean, and how did he know the assassins' identities? But on closer inspection, if Qi Xiao didn't know, why would he have gone to Hukou Gorge? And why would he have hijacked the prison van to protect Tang Ling?

"How did Lord Yue write his memorial?"

"I'm simply reporting what I know. General Su was escorting the son of Marquis Xun'an through Tiger's Mouth Gorge when they encountered assassins. Fortunately, with the help of the prince, the assassins were all killed and the son of Marquis Xun'an was safely rescued. The Fuzhou government is making every effort to track down the origins of the bandits."

Qi Xiao smiled with satisfaction: "Okay."

"Your Majesty, this matter is extremely strange. The identities of those assassins... I have been investigating for days but have come up with nothing. Such organized and skilled bandits appeared in Fuzhou Prefecture, yet I knew nothing about them. Afterwards, I couldn't find out their origins. The matter of Xun Anhou's son is related to the peace talks between the two countries. Your Majesty will surely be furious about such a serious matter... Your Majesty, please save me!"

"Master Yue, don't worry." Qi Xiao instructed Zong Sheng, "Zong Sheng, bring the person here and hand him over to Master Yue."

Soon, Zong Sheng was holding a man covered in wounds and unrecognizable. As soon as Zong Sheng let go, the man fell to his knees on the ground.

"Say again what you said last time."

The man struggled to stand up and took a deep breath, no longer having the strength to cry out. "Someone gave me two gold bars and asked me to prepare clothes, food, and a pass to put in a thatched hut at the foot of the mountain. I don't know anything else."

Qi Xiao winked at Zong Sheng, who then handed two gold bars to Yue Zhilin. "This man is Huang Liang, a native of Yuanzhou. He's a waiter at the Fu Ru Inn in Liuyang Town."

Yue Zhilin took the two gold bars and examined them carefully. "No official seal?" Yue Zhilin slammed the table, jumped up, and slapped Huang Liang resoundingly. "How dare you accept something of such unknown origin? Tell me, who gave it to you?"

The laws of the State of Chen were strict. The common people were not allowed to use more than one ounce of pure gold. Privately casting gold bars was a serious crime against the three tribes of the Yi people, and privately keeping gold bars was also a capital crime.

Huang Liang covered his face, wanting to burst into tears but lacking the strength. He could only sob and whimper, "Sir, spare me! I really didn't know! That person, that person was a guest staying at the hotel, and he was very generous. I must have been bewitched!"

Qi Xiao stood up and walked to Yue Zhilin, saying, "Don't worry, Master Yue. Here are two things that might be useful to you."

"what?"

As he spoke, Zong Sheng handed two more things to Yue Zhilin, the first of which was a pass.

"A document? Issued by Yuanzhou Prefecture..." Yue Zhilin turned to Huang Liang and pressed him, "Where did you get this document?"

"That guest gave it to me."

"What else did he give you?"

"No... no more, no more, really no more, really no more."

Yue Zhilin felt an unbearable rage in his heart. Even though the document was real, it didn't prove anything. Huang Liang was useless, just a man who did things for money. It was useless to arrest him. Huang Liang had not received any of the punishment he deserved at Qi Xiao's hands. He had already told everything he knew.

Zong Sheng handed Yue Zhilin another object in his hand, a portrait: "This is the guest who gave the money and the document."

Huang Liang took a look and nodded vigorously: "Yes, it's him!"