The system forced me to blow up the female lead's fishpond.

In front of a stick of incense.

Inside a private room at the No. 1 Restaurant in Nanliyue Star City.

The aroma of tea wafted through the air. The young man, dressed in a simple, elegant robe, gazed at the crowd below with a gentle smile, as if searching for someone.

"Young Master, the news that the Plum Blossom Poison was created by the Third Prince was released yesterday. Will Xiao Hang really come to cause trouble for the Third Prince today?"

Xue Zhi turned his gaze away from the crowd below, his eyes filled with surprise as he asked.

Although Xiao Guang was not exactly upright and honest, he was considered law-abiding. However, he offended the Minister of Justice and was put on the Jianghu list with a large reward, which attracted various sects to compete for the job.

The Seven Stars Society originally did not want to take on this matter, but the young master knew that Xiao Hang was a man of great talent and wisdom, and that he was a promising talent, so he devised a plan to recruit him to his own use.

A smile appeared on Zhang Jiali's lips as he picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Xiao Hang is a man of boundless filial piety. He once took off his clothes and cut through the ice in winter to ask for koi fish. Such filial piety is truly moving. He will definitely come."

Blood nodded in understanding.

"If the Third Prince injures Xiao Hang today, the Young Master can step in to help Xiao Hang when he is in the most distressed state. In this way, the Young Master will have gained another wise advisor."

Thinking of this, a chill seemed to settle in Blood's eyes, and his smile became cold and aloof.

Zhang Jiali sat upright at the table, the warm sunlight making his jade-like face appear exceptionally fair.

After a moment, he parted his red lips slightly, turned his gaze to the window, and said:

"coming."

No sooner had the words been spoken than the orderly and bustling market erupted into chaos, with everyone fearing for their lives and scrambling to hide wherever they could.

Zhang Jiali glanced at them with a smile, but when his gaze settled on a pale yellow figure in the crowd, he seemed slightly dazed.

Sensing the change in his young master's emotions, Xue Zhi looked up in astonishment.

He seemed surprised by this scene and couldn't help but frown. "The Third Miss of the Prime Minister's Mansion? Why is she here too?"

"It seems that what I want today will be difficult to achieve."

A glint of smoke seemed to pass through Zhang Jiali's eyes as he gazed helplessly at that figure, a smile playing on his lips.

Completely bewildered, Xue Zhi muttered, "Why? Could it be that Miss Shen could shield His Highness from a sword...?"

Before he could finish speaking, Xue Zhi's eyes, which had been focused on the commotion downstairs, jolted violently. He straightened up and leaned forward in disbelief.

That petite, apricot-yellow figure was fearless and stood straight in the direction of the longsword's attack without any hesitation, fearlessly and unrestrainedly.

Her action completely defused the tense atmosphere.

-

Chu Tu stared in astonishment at the girl who suddenly darted out and blocked his way. The soft bone powder in his sleeve had already been released, and he didn't have time to retract it.

He looked at the girl at his feet, who was limp from the cartilage powder, his eyes filled with unreadable emotions.

That long sword was so sharp, yet she stood fearlessly in front of him. If the sword hadn't been sheathed in time, she would have been pierced through the heart.

Seeing that this action had stopped the fight between the two, Shen Zhizhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Her limbs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground.

The crowd, which had been in complete chaos, began to peek out as the fighting subsided, whispering amongst themselves:

"I heard that Xiao Guang was poisoned by plum blossoms and died a very gruesome death."

"His Highness the Third Prince is obsessed with making poisons; this matter must be related to him."

"Oh! What a sin!"

......

Standing to the side, Chu Tu showed no emotion, looking disdainfully at those fools who believed everything they heard, seemingly unaffected by it all.

But Shen Zhizhi sighed as she listened to the surrounding discussions.

Just when Chu Chouchi's reputation was starting to improve, now Chu Tu appears. This task is so bad that even a dog wouldn't do it.

After a moment's thought, Shen Zhizhi met Xiao Hang's bewildered gaze and said softly, "Young Master Xiao, the Third Prince did not harm your father. All of this is a misunderstanding."

"Ah."

Xiao Hang sneered, standing in front of him with his long sword in hand, his anger surging. "Misunderstanding? He admitted it himself, what misunderstanding could there be?!"

Shen Zhizhi almost wanted to kneel down before Xiao Hang.

As a member of the main cast, don't bother with a brainless, cannon fodder villain. Just ignore him.

“Young Master Xiao, do you remember the day your father was poisoned?” Shen Zhizhi asked, her heart heavy with sorrow. She shifted into a more comfortable position, looked up at Xiao Hang, and spoke.

Xiao Hang paused for a moment, his thoughts drifting, "On the third day of the fourth month, according to the coroner, the estimated time of poisoning was around 9 PM."

April 3rd?

What a coincidence, wasn't that day Chu Tu's birthday?

Shen Zhizhi paused for a moment, her eyes sparkling, her voice filled with barely concealed excitement:

“Young Master Xiao, the third day of the fourth month was the Third Prince’s birthday. He was at the Tu Prince’s residence and got drunk and couldn’t get up at 7 PM. How could he have gone to Jiangling County to poison and harm your father?”

Xiao Hang's eyes flashed, and he was momentarily speechless.

-

The two people in the private room watched the situation below in silence.

Xuezhi's expression was solemn, and there seemed to be some unreadable emotions in his eyes. He wanted to ask a question, but he didn't know how to start.

Zhang Jiali keenly sensed the unusual behavior of the person beside him. He turned his head, looked at the man's hesitant expression, and smiled.

"Please feel free to ask any questions you may have."

Xue Zhi nodded and clasped his hands, saying, "Young Master, Chu Tu and Chu Chou Chi have already lost the hearts of the people. If you regain your identity now, you will surely be able to seize the position of Crown Prince. Why are you still hesitating?"

He paused, then turned his gaze to the girl below, her eyes burning with determination, arguing for the Third Prince. He snapped out of his reverie.

"Moreover, if she hadn't asked the Second Prince to go with her to distribute porridge to the disaster victims a few days ago, how could the people of Nanliyue Star City have changed their impression of the Second Prince?"

And then there's Zhu Shen. I was ordered by the young master to lure him to the inn so that the Second Prince would injure someone in front of everyone.

Unexpectedly, he was also swayed by Miss Shen's few words.

Ever since this Miss Shen appeared, it seems that Young Master's actions have repeatedly encountered setbacks. I fear that Young Master's hesitation will cause him to miss the best opportunity.

Zhang Jiali lowered his gaze, slowly set down his teacup, chuckled, and instead of answering, asked, "What does Xuezhi think true goodness is in this world? Is it merely giving a bowl of porridge to someone who has no food to eat?"

Xue Zhi was startled by this inexplicable question. He pondered for a long time, his eyes filled with doubt, and then he looked up and said, "Xue Zhi doesn't understand. Young Master, please enlighten me."

A gentle breeze rustled through the pear tree planted outside the window, causing it to sway and scatter its blossoms. A single, delicate finger picked up one of the flowers, carried by the wind, and placed it on the table.

Zhang Jiali gazed at the pear blossom in his hand, a smile curving his lips. "My master once told me a story about a scholar who was on his way to the capital for the imperial examinations. He had run out of money and was begging everywhere. A kind-hearted rich man helped him along the way, giving him some dry rations, but it was far from enough."

One day, he encountered an old beggar who, seeing how hungry the scholar was, gave him a steamed bun. The old beggar, however, ate only the unpalatable coarse gruel himself. The scholar asked him why. Do you know what the old beggar replied?