Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

While Zhang Jingwei was conferring at Gao Fei's residence, he keenly sensed unusual movement on the street outside. A large group of soldiers were clearing the area and blocking the road. This blocked street happened to be adjacent to the alley where Gao Fei's residence was located. A sense of foreboding drove him to quietly lead his men to investigate, where they witnessed Sima Qi harassing Huangfu Ling.

At that moment, he slowly emerged from the deep alley, his face gloomy as water. Each step was steady and powerful, as if treading upon Sima Qi's heart, carrying with it an unquestionable assertion of strength and sovereignty. His gaze was fixed on Sima Qi, his voice icy cold: "Only I, Zhang Jingwei, can call you 'Sister Ling'! As for 'Brother Qi'..." He paused deliberately, a hint of sarcasm playing at the corner of his mouth. "That can only be called me!" (Note: Based on the context, "Brother Qi" may be a private nickname between Zhang Jingwei and Huangfu Ling, a homophone for "Qi" in the name of the Crown Prince Sima Qi, but not the same meaning, used to counterattack and emphasize a sense of belonging.)

Zhou Peng, in charge of guarding the Crown Prince, was horrified to see someone lurking nearby and speaking rudely. He immediately led a team of elite personal guards forward, surrounding Zhang Jingwei, swords drawn, flashing with a cold gleam. "You bold wretch! How dare you be so disrespectful to the Crown Prince! Do you believe I'll chop off your head and kick it like a ball?" Zhou Peng shouted fiercely.

Huangfu Ling was startled when she saw Zhang Jingwei suddenly appear. Then she was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. She felt relieved that he had found her, but also worried that he would cause trouble for her. "Husband? You...you really did come after me."

Zhang Jingwei's gaze never left Sima Qi, as if the gleaming swords and knives around him didn't exist. He addressed Huangfu Ling, his voice clear enough for everyone present to hear: "If I don't follow her, am I going to have to watch helplessly as some self-proclaimed scoundrel, relying on his status, bullies my wife?"

Sima Qi's face instantly turned extremely ugly, as if he had been slapped in public, his face turning pale and blue. He suppressed his anger and spoke through gritted teeth, "Zhang... County Magistrate? If I remember correctly, this doesn't seem to be your Gaoyang County, right? What are you doing here?"

Zhang Jingwei then lazily turned his gaze to Sima Qi, casually bowed his hands, and said in an undisguised perfunctory tone: "Your humble servant Zhang Jingwei greets His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I am not on official business here, I just came to take my lost wife home. Now that she has been found, we will leave now and not disturb the Crown Prince's... interest." He deliberately emphasized the word "interest".

Sima Qi was completely enraged by his attitude and finally tore off her warm disguise. She said in a cold tone, "Leave? Zhang Jingwei, do you think you can leave today?"

Zhang Jingwei pretended to be frightened and patted his chest, his tone full of sarcasm: "Oh, His Royal Highness, are you trying to kill me? I'm so scared! In broad daylight, the Prince of Jin murdered an official in the street. If this news gets out, it will surely be a sensation!"

Sima Qi's eyes were filled with murderous intent. He said coldly, "What good would it do to kill you? This prince can easily announce to the public that Gaoyang County Magistrate Zhang Jingwei rebelled and trespassed into the important territory of the Jin vassal state, and was beheaded on the spot by Central Army Lieutenant General Zhou Peng in this nameless alley! Who would question the Jin Palace for a mere county magistrate like you?"

Huangfu Ling immediately dodged and stood in front of Zhang Jingwei, with her arms outstretched, like a mother leopard protecting her cubs, glaring at Sima Qi: "How dare you!"

Sima Qi no longer hesitated and ordered sternly: "Zhou Peng! Capture this lunatic! No matter his life or death!"

"Yes, sir!" Zhou Peng grinned, swung his knife and was about to step forward.

"stop!"

At the critical moment, a vengeful yet commanding voice rang out. Wang Lian, the Chief Secretary of the Prince of Jin's Palace, hurried to the scene with another team of palace officials and guards, each armed with a staff. Wang Lian's hair and beard were all white, his face solemn, and his gaze swept across the room like lightning.

When Sima Qi saw Wang Lian, his aura suddenly froze, as if he had been poured with a bucket of cold water. He had no choice but to bow and salute: "Teacher..."

Wang Lian was unceremonious and directly reprimanded them in front of everyone, "Prince! What you did today, threatening a woman and attempting to kill an official, is unbecoming of a gentleman! It is certainly not the demeanor of a prince of the royal family!"

Sima Qi's face turned red and white, but under Wang Lian's gaze, he had no choice but to bow his head and admit his mistake: "Student... I know I was wrong."

Wang Lian snorted coldly, "I'll punish you with the ruler first! Now, let me handle this matter!"

Although Sima Qi was unwilling, he did not dare to disobey this highly respected teacher and said in a muffled voice, "Yes, I will leave it to you."

Wang Lian then turned to Zhou Peng and ordered, "Commander Zhou, withdraw your men and clear the way!"

Zhou Peng looked at Sima Qi hesitantly. Seeing Sima Qi nod slightly, he reluctantly waved his hand to let the guards retreat: "Yes! Lord Changshi!"

Zhang Jingwei, feeling somewhat relieved upon seeing this, bowed to Wang Lian, his tone becoming more polite: "Thank you very much... Lord Wang Changshi for rescuing me." (Note: Based on common sense, "Shovel Shit Lord" here is most likely a slip of the tongue or writing, and should be "Lord Changshi," so I've corrected it.)

Wang Lian raised his hand to stop him, his face still serious, and looked at Zhang Jingwei sharply: "Wait! Magistrate Zhang. Madam Huangfu can leave on her own, but you—must stay!"

Zhang Jingwei frowned: "Why?"

Wang Lian spoke righteously, his voice echoing throughout the streets: "As the magistrate of Gaoyang County, you have disregarded Gaoyang's government affairs and, without a royal order, have secretly entered Jin's vassal territory! This is a grave crime! Now, follow me back to the Chief Secretary's Mansion for interrogation and await your punishment!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Wang Ergou, Qian Ming and others who were hiding in the alley and closely watching the situation suddenly panicked.

Wang Ergou rubbed his hands anxiously, "What should we do?! Young Master seems to have offended this Wang Changshi when he was in Yunzhou. Now that he's in his hands, he'll definitely be beaten to death! Should we rush out to save him?"

Qian Ming also looked anxious: "You ask me, who should I ask? The other party is the chief official of the palace. If we force our way in, it will be a rebellion!"

Ding Xu's eyes were determined, his hand already on the hilt of the knife: "Save! I must save you! My life was given to me by the young master, so I will risk my life today to protect the young master!"

Yuan Liang still managed to maintain a modicum of composure. He quickly grasped Ding Xu's hand and growled, "Fool! Rushing out isn't saving anyone; it's confirming the Young Master's guilt of leading others into the mansion! Not only will you lose your head, but you might even implicate the Young Master and accuse him of something even worse. His entire family might even be executed!"

Liang Dahai was so anxious that he was sweating profusely: "Then...then we can't just watch the young master being captured by them!"

Yuan Liang frowned, his mind racing: "Stop arguing! Let me think about it... There must be a way..."

Qian Ming looked at Yuan Liang and said, "Why don't we go back and find General Gao Feigao? He might have a solution!"

Yuan Liang immediately rejected the idea, "No! At this sensitive moment, General Gao, as the deputy general of Jinzhou, should avoid suspicion! If the palace were to learn of his close private dealings with officials from other counties, he'd be charged with 'colluding with foreign officials and plotting something illegal'. Then General Gao wouldn't be able to save himself, and everyone would be doomed!"

Ding Xu watched as Zhang Jingwei was surrounded by Wang Lian's officers and about to be taken away. He almost jumped up and said, "What should I do?! The young master is about to be captured!"

"Stop arguing! I'm trying to think of a solution!" Yuan Liang suddenly raised his head, a flash of inspiration in his eyes, "I got it! Lin Kuo!"

The young constable Lin Kuo immediately came over and said, "Mr. Yuan, your orders!"

Yuan Liang quickly whispered, "Listen! Take all the yamen runners we've brought with you and disperse to other unblocked streets. Shout at the top of your lungs—'Zhang Jingwei, a man from Gaoyang County, and his wife, Huangfu, visited here and, inspired by the scenery of Jinzhou, composed a poem!' The louder the better. Go to crowded places, especially places like academies, teahouses, and taverns where scholars and students gather! Go now!"

Although Lin Kuo didn't understand what was going on, seeing Yuan Liang's anxious expression, he immediately accepted the order: "Yes!" Then he quietly slipped away from the other end of the alley with several yamen runners.

Yuan Liang took a deep breath and said to the remaining people, "Qian Ming, Liang Dahai, the rest of you, immediately lead all our horses to the designated rendezvous point in the north of the city and hide them. Be ready to leave at any time!"

Qian Ming looked at Yuan Liang worriedly: "Mr. Yuan, what about you?!"

Yuan Liang straightened his clothes and showed a determined look on his face: "I will stay! I will find a way to help you!"

Liang Dahai looked at his frail figure suspiciously: "You...can you do it? They are all from the palace!"

Yuan Liang no longer cared about being polite. He glared at him and growled, "You can't do it?! If you don't want anything to happen to the adults, do as I say! Go!"

Qian Ming and Liang Dahai exchanged a glance, knowing they had no other choice but to trust Yuan Liang. They immediately led the remaining men, led their horses, and quietly retreated north of the city. Yuan Liang took a deep breath, trying to calm his pounding heart, and walked towards the troubled area at the alley entrance.