Adoption brings disaster

After returning to the palace, Chongguang didn't ask and I didn't mention it. But after dinner, Chongguang casually said that if there was anything difficult to handle, just leave it to him.

I ignored this. I only took action regarding the business and underworld affairs of the escort agency. If Chongguang took action and it involved the court, it would be very troublesome to deal with.

Besides, I have my own plan, and this matter has been approved by the Emperor. Needless to say, Chongguang will definitely support me. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also sent a congratulatory gift when the escort agency opened. It can't be said that he supports it, but he is not against it either.

I have the support of Prince Zhenbei behind me. Although Prince Gong is not my backer, he will not go against me because of Li Qinghan, so I am not afraid. After all, when it comes to talking, I have never been afraid of anyone.

Although this matter has been planned, it is not so easy to actually carry out.

Just looking up procedures, etiquette, and information these past few days has made me dizzy and as confused as a donkey. Even when the Seventh Prince told me at breakfast that he had arrived in Beijing, I didn't react.

"Who?" I asked, confused. Then I immediately came to my senses and said with a smile, "He was beaten by these escorts, and it only took five days for him to enter the capital. If there is no one behind the scenes to fan the flames, do you believe Chongguang?"

"It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not, but you can't say this openly." said the Seventh Prince.

Seeing that I was fearless and had a strategic plan in mind, Chongguang smiled and said, "Qianqiu seems calm and composed, and his words and actions are full of confidence. Could it be that he has already come up with a plan?"

"There's no real countermeasure. We can only deal with it as it comes."

After I chatted for a while, my mind became much clearer. Moreover, many situations had been anticipated long ago and I had made corresponding preparations, so I didn't care much about it.

A mere county magistrate was not even worthy of Chongguang's attention. He didn't care much when he heard me say that. He just agreed, "That's right. We can only respond to each other's moves."

"They set up this trap because they're afraid of the Northern Army. Two thousand Northern Army soldiers! If they use them well, they'll ruin a lot of their good things. How can they not be afraid?"

After saying that, I drank a mouthful of porridge in a comfortable manner and said, "What a pity! As long as people are afraid, they will have flaws. As long as they take action, they will reveal their flaws."

........................

The Seventh Prince and I were chatting about something as trivial as the buns being a little salty. Our tone was gentle and we talked casually, without any sense of nervousness at all.

"No matter how well-planned a plan is, there are bound to be flaws. However, flaws are not so easy to find. This group of people are used to these shady schemes. Qianqiu still needs to be careful and don't fall into their trap."

"If I can't beat them, it means my methods are not as good as others. If I think more, learn more, I will always have a chance to get back at them. It's not a one-game deal that decides life and death." I said coldly.

"You seem a little different than before." The Seventh Prince said, "You didn't have such a strong murderous aura before."

When I heard Chongguang say this, I chuckled and said, "Of course I don't have such a strong murderous intent towards my own people, but how can I use love to influence my enemies?"

I really don't think love can change anything. After saying this, he sneered and said, "Stop talking nonsense. The only way to deal with the enemy is to beat him into submission and make him unable to fight back. This is the only way to solve the problem once and for all. If change is useful, what is the use of the army?"

The Seventh Prince didn't say anything. He just took the towel from Ah Da, wiped his mouth, and walked out. As he left, he was still saying in my head, "They're going to catch Li Er this afternoon."

I was startled when I heard this, but I thought to myself, "Just arrest him. It's not like Li Er hasn't been arrested before. What's the big deal? I have a chess game with Liu Shuiqing this afternoon, and I can't break it."

In the afternoon, I was playing chess with Liu Shuiqing. Ada was like an ant on hot pan. He came in to deliver things, went out to talk loudly, and kept giving me looks. I ignored all of them.

Seeing that I ignored him, Ada was really not going to give in at all, so he pulled Qianxi out and asked him to find a reason to ask Liushuiqing to leave.

Liu Shuiqing and I both have profound skills. Although Ah Da took Qian Xi outside the pavilion to talk, we still heard everything clearly.

Liushui was isolated from the outside world, so naturally they didn't know about the beating of the county magistrate. But seeing Ah Da so anxious and unruly, they knew there was something important to report, so they said, "Ah Da, it seems like you have something urgent to do, otherwise we would have stopped the game today."

I listened and said with a straight face, "You're running away when you see you're about to lose. Liushui, this is not the behavior of a gentleman."

Liu Shuiqing naturally knew that these words were not directed at him, but were just an excuse for him to use. Therefore, although he looked worried, he still finished the game.

When the game was over, Liu Shuiqing said again: "The game is over, I will take my leave."

"I'm in great shape today. I'm determined to win a few more games against you. How could I let you get away so easily?"

I packed up the chessboard and said to the outside, "Someone, close the door. We can't let Liu Shuiqing escape. He's the worst of the bunch. He's running away today because the situation is not favorable."

A Da was so anxious that he was about to cry, but I still pestered Liu Shui Qing to go downstairs until dark, and then I used the darkness as an excuse to keep Liu Shui Qing for dinner.

After dinner, Liu Shuiqing asked unsurely, "Can I leave now?"

The palace had its rules, and I couldn't keep Liu Shui any longer, so I asked Chun Yu to take the lantern and said, "It's dark and the road is long, and I'm worried. I'll take Liu Shui Qing back."

"Your Highness, please let Er take you there. I beg you." A Da didn't care about any of the rules at all. He hugged my legs and begged in front of Liu Shuiqing.

I patted Ah Da's head and said helplessly, "Ah Da has been anxious all day. Let me see what's so urgent about him. I won't send you off."

Liu Shuiqing also knew that Ada was anxious, so he left without any formalities. When Ada saw Liu Shuiqing leave the room, he couldn't wait to say, "Your Highness, this is not good."

"Don't panic when you encounter problems. They can always be solved. Are you thinking of saying Li Er was arrested?" I said calmly. "Don't worry about those escorts at the racecourse. I left Prince Gong's badge somewhere. Neither the Dali Temple nor the Ministry of Justice dare to arrest him."

"It's not Your Highness, it's not Your Highness." Ah Da was so anxious that he couldn't speak clearly.

"Then the Ministry of Justice is requesting Your Majesty to have the three courts assist in the investigation of the beating of the county magistrate."

"Your Highness, you knew about this?" Ah Da's eyes widened in disbelief. "After the morning court session, the Minister of Justice went to the Imperial Study to ask His Majesty for this. How did you know about this, Your Highness?"

"As for beating up a county magistrate, it can be a big deal or a small one. These people are just trying to make a big deal out of it. Haven't there been enough county magistrates killed by bandits in recent years? I've never seen them so active."

I chuckled and continued, "They're definitely going to hook up with the Northern Army. Without the assistance of the Three Departments and without direct access to the emperor, even if they go to great lengths to hook up, what's the point? So they're definitely going to make this move."

"Since Your Highness knows this, why is he still playing chess with Liu Shuiqing? Are we just going to do nothing and wait for death?"

I was speechless when I heard Ah Da say that. I rolled my eyes at him and scolded him, "I suggest you stay out of this brain-intensive business. You won't understand even if I tell you."

After saying that, I still despised Ah Da and said, "This matter of strategy is like playing chess. We have to know the other party's next move, and we can't let others know our next move. Only in this way can we win. With your noisy temper, everyone in the world knows my plan. What's the point of fighting? Just admit defeat."

Ah Da also knew that his brain wasn't working very well, but seeing me calm and confident, he felt relieved. He scratched his head embarrassedly and said, "My pig brain is naturally no match for Your Highness. Since Your Highness has a plan, then I am relieved."

I ignored him. After playing chess for most of the day, my mind felt confused and I didn't want to talk too much with Ada.

"Your Highness, is there anything you want me to do? Although I may not be very smart, my martial arts skills are still good, and I will definitely not let Your Highness down."

"There is one thing for you to do."

When Ah Da heard this, he rubbed his hands together with joy and asked hurriedly, "Your Highness, what's the matter?"

I rolled my eyes at Ah Da, turned back, and said, "Shut up, close the door, and go to sleep."

Ah Da was stunned for a moment by this and asked, "Why don't we wait for His Highness the Seventh Prince to come back? Does His Highness Qianqiu want to discuss this with His Highness the Seventh Prince again?"

"Your Highness the Seventh Prince will not be back tonight, please close the door."

"How is that possible? If His Highness the Seventh Prince didn't come back, he would have sent someone to tell us. How could he just not come back without saying anything?"

"If you don't believe me, just wait outside the door tonight and see if His Highness the Seventh Prince comes back."

Ah Da really didn't believe it and squatted at the door. I ignored him and asked the manager to arrange for someone to help me wash and change clothes, then went to bed early.

I didn't sleep well. I was used to sleeping next to the Seventh Prince, and now that the Seventh Prince is suddenly gone, I can't sleep well.

Moreover, when the patrolling guards saw Ah Da squatting at the door, they would ask him a question or two, either out of concern or as a joke. My hearing is very good now, so I could hear everything clearly, and I couldn't sleep well.

"A-Da, why are you squatting at the door? Did you anger His Highness Qianqiu and get punished? Hahahahaha."

"Bullshit, keep your patrols focused, or you'll be caught by the Minister of War, or you'll be given a good beating."

"Oh, it's okay. These civil servants are weak as hell. We brothers took them around the palace a few times today and they couldn't stand it anymore. Now they are sleeping like dead pigs. No one came to check on them."

"Better be careful. These civil servants are treacherous. You never know where they might set a trap for you."

"Don't worry, I know what's going on. You haven't told me why you're squatting here."

"His Highness Qianqiu said that His Highness the Seventh Prince would not be back tonight. I don't believe it. Even if His Highness the Seventh Prince did not come back, he would have sent someone back to tell him. His Highness Qianqiu asked me to wait here for His Highness the Seventh Prince to come back."

"His Highness Qianqiu said that the Seventh Prince won't be back, so he definitely won't be back. You might have to stay here all night. Hahahaha, then I'll go patrol somewhere else first. Ah Da should go and apologize to His Highness Qianqiu. It won't be pleasant to stay here all night."

The guards patrolling outside walked further and further away, and the corners of my mouth slowly rose.

Early the next morning, the Seventh Prince returned to the pavilion.

I served him a bowl of porridge and said, "I stayed there last night."

"I didn't rest at all. I drank all night."

I handed the porridge to His Highness the Seventh Prince and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's not hard work, it's just a night of drinking with high-ranking military officers in Beijing."

"You didn't come home this night and drank too much. Didn't His Majesty reprimand you?"

"It's just a drink, what's there to scold? Not only did the emperor not scold me, he even sent me several jars of good wine. Although it's not as good as Qianqiu's, it's still a rare and good wine."

"Seventh Prince, why didn't you send someone back to tell me yesterday when you didn't come back?"

"I told Ah Da that you weren't coming home last night, but he didn't believe me and just squatted by the door all night. Look at his eye bags, aren't they as black as charcoal?"

"Qianqiu has good eyesight. Ah Da's face is as black as charcoal. I can't tell if his eye bags are any darker."

The Seventh Prince looked at me and said distressedly, "Qianqiu, you didn't sleep well last night. Why are your eye bags so dark?"

"It's true that I didn't sleep well, but I'm fair-skinned, so a little bit of darkness is very obvious. After all, not everyone is like Ah Da. If you don't light a candle at night, you can't even find yourself in the house."

"Hahahaha, Qianqiu, you're so funny."

Ah Da looked at the Seventh Prince and smiled, and said happily: "This servant can make the two princes laugh, so this dark skin is worth it. I will go outside to tan and get a little darker."

"Since you didn't sleep well, and I didn't sleep well either, let's go take a nap together." I pulled the Seventh Prince into the house.

"I'll sleep with Qianqiu for a while. I have to go out again later. After all, I have to do the whole show."

"That's right. If you want to put on a good show, then Chongguang should act like an actor and give these civil officials a good show." I said with a smile, "Or else, I'll take my poisonous anaconda and beat a few people up."

"If I use the anaconda, it will ruin the show. I'd better forget it. After all, in their eyes, I'm just a tyrannical figurehead. This anaconda doesn't fit the image they have of me."

"That's true, but after this, they should know that my Chongguang is not some empty promise, but a man-eating tiger."

The Seventh Prince smiled and said, "How is that possible? Qianqiu, you are well-known for your virtue. Even if these people suffered a loss at our hands today, they would think it was your scheme and would never think that I was involved."

"Then you have to be nice to me, otherwise when they try to alienate me, I will turn against them faster than anyone else." I joked.

I joked with His Highness the Seventh Prince for a few more words and then went to sleep. With His Highness the Seventh Prince by my side, I slept surprisingly well. When His Highness saw me fast asleep, he murmured, "Of course I will treat you well. I will treat you well with my life."

After saying this, he left with murderous intent.

Predict what will happen in the future, and listen to the next decomposition.