After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

The river was quite turbulent, and Jiang Wenqing relied on instinct to float on the surface of the river temporarily.

He didn't know how he could fall off the boat while fishing. Alas, his old life was probably over!

Luckily, I was wearing comfortable shorts; if I had been wearing a loose robe with wide sleeves, I would have sunk to the bottom long ago.

It's all my fault for getting hooked on fishing. Seeing that Lord Wu was out and there was no need for me, and the Fourth Prince wasn't paying attention to me either, I couldn't resist casting a few lines.

Alright~ Let's skip fishing this time and just feed the fish!

Jiang Wenqing grew increasingly desperate. Although he had indeed heard several "plop" sounds and knew that someone would rescue him, being surrounded by the river filled him with fear and made it impossible for him to be optimistic.

"Master! Master!"

"My lord, hold on!"

It's Butler Wen and Mr. Sun! I knew I hadn't misjudged them; they are loyal and righteous!

Jiang Wenqing wanted to respond, but as soon as he opened his mouth, it was filled with river water, and he swallowed several mouthfuls of his own "bathwater".

"I... gurgle~ in... gurgle gurgle~"

Just as Jiang Wenqing felt he was about to sink completely to the bottom of the river, a strong hand grabbed his arm.

Jiang Wenqing vaguely saw a cold but anxious face.

Huangfu Zhongwen was an excellent swimmer, arguably the best in the entire Ministry of Works.

Jiang Wenqing had a deep impression of this person, not only because they traveled together.

It was also because the sixth-rank official from the Ministry of Works who had delivered the transfer order to him at the Tongzhou County government office was the man standing right in front of him.

Jiang Wenqing really wanted to say "thank you," but he had learned his lesson and couldn't drink any more.

On the riverbank, the officials who had been disarmed hurriedly pulled the drenched Jiang Wenqing ashore.

After Huangfu Zhongwen dragged the person up, he laid him flat and pressed on Jiang Wenqing's abdomen a few times.

After spitting out several mouthfuls of river water, Jiang Wenqing was finally able to speak.

The housekeeper and Mr. Sun swam to the shore and climbed ashore on their own without being pulled.

They only came out of the cabin after hearing the splash, and jumped in a little too late. Fortunately, Lord Huangfu came to their rescue.

Just as Jiang Wenqing was about to speak, he coughed. Lord Wu's attendant quickly patted his back to help him catch his breath.

Mr. Sun wrung out his soaked robe: "How are you feeling now, sir? Is there anything wrong?"

Steward Wen bowed to Huangfu Zhongwen: "Thank you so much, Lord Huangfu, for risking your life to save me!"

Huangfu Zhongwen waved his hand, "No need for formalities. Even without the bond of serving in the same court, human life is of utmost importance."

After catching his breath, Jiang Wenqing said with difficulty, "Thanks to Lord Huangfu for saving me..."

Hmm, this Lord Huangfu, although he is extremely cold, is actually a warm-hearted person. Indeed, you can't judge a book by its cover.

"Lord Jiang, what happened to you... how did you fall into the water?"

Wu's trusted confidants asked the question on behalf of their master. They clearly saw that Lord Jiang had not been driven off the ship by the Fourth Prince like the other Ministry of Works officials who remained behind.

Did Lord Jiang jump off the ship voluntarily? Because he disapproved of the Fourth Prince's actions and didn't want to associate with him?

Wow, this Lord Jiang who risked his life is truly a hero! I really misjudged him the other day, thinking he was just a good-for-nothing trying to get credit.

It is true that you cannot judge a book by its cover, and you cannot judge the depth of the sea by its depth!

At this moment, Wu's trusted follower was surprisingly on the same wavelength as Jiang Wenqing.

They all realized at that moment that "you can't judge a book by its cover."

"Ah? Just fishing... well... I noticed you gentlemen hadn't returned yet, so I waited on the deck for a while~"

Before the esteemed lords arrived, I saw the Fourth Prince instead. He ordered his men to haphazardly throw the lords' luggage into the water.

I don't know what happened either. I had to stop them and ask what was going on. Those people were so brutal and destroyed important documents of the court. What should we do?

Who knew that the little eunuch by the Fourth Prince's side would be so unreasonable? Without saying a word, he threw me overboard. Luckily, I was blessed with good fortune and was rescued by Lord Huangfu.

Otherwise, I would have lost my life here. But even if I become a ghost, I will come back to find the Fourth Prince and demand an explanation from him!

We were officials appointed by the imperial court. We studied hard for so many years, mastering both literary and martial skills, to serve the emperor. And this is how we end up!

I refuse to believe there's no place in this world where justice can be served! We're working for the imperial court, what kind of nonsense is this?!

Not only were the officials from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War thrown off the boat and their luggage discarded, but the magistrate of Tongzhou County was not spared either.

It seems their initial guess was wrong; this Lord Jiang is not one of the Fourth Prince's men.

They threw away officials from the Ministry of Works and guards from the Ministry of War; even Lord Jiang was no exception.

The fourth prince only took his own people with him: a dozen or so people who looked like they had extraordinary skills but were dressed as ordinary attendants, a few eunuchs who served him, and six effeminate boys that the fourth prince bought along the way.

"Lord Jiang has suffered, and the Fourth Prince is being absurd, but our mission must continue. Let's all rest here for a while."

Wu Fei, go find some dry clothes for everyone to change into, lest they catch a cold. The nights in Shu County are still extremely damp and cold.

"Yes, sir, I'll go right away!"

"Thank you, sir!" x4

Jiang Wenqing fell into the water by accident, so he has no luggage now, which is worse than the officials of the Ministry of Works who were thrown overboard.

While others at least had their belongings and valuables, he was left with only a wet set of clothes and a jade pendant his son had given him years ago.

Jiang Wenqing, a middle-aged man who went astray: My fishing rod, my banknotes, all those new clothes that I hadn’t been willing to wear all the way!

Minister Wu seemed to sense Jiang Wenqing's predicament and immediately promised to apply for a refund for all losses incurred during this official trip after returning to Beijing.

Since the loss to the officials was caused by the prince, the Imperial Household Department should naturally bear the responsibility for compensation.

Upon hearing Minister Wu's words, Jiang Wenqing immediately felt refreshed.

It wasn't that I felt good about being angered by the Fourth Prince, but rather that I felt really good about getting my private property back.

As naive as Jiang Wenqing was, he never thought of taking more than his fair share. He only wanted some extra compensation for emotional distress and damage to his clothes, as well as compensation for the work-related injuries, medical expenses, lost wages, nutritional supplements, and psychological counseling fees for the two subordinates who jumped ship with him.

Jiang Wenqing's mind was full of nonsense; he thought the Fourth Prince was just a baboon!

Even someone as oblivious as Jiang Wenqing knew that the Fourth Prince had made a huge mess this time, and this was a real challenge to clean up.

I wonder how much Minister Tong of the Ministry of Rites in the capital loves and values ​​this grandson.

Oh dear, that was too vulgar, so vulgar!

Having followed the Fourth Prince all the way, even my scholarly integrity has been somewhat undermined by him.

My apologies!