Rescuing the Villainous Boss with a Little Dirty Master

"Fifth brother, the emperor invited you here to talk about the spring hunt."

In the study of the Third Prince's residence, Dong Jingming unfolded a map on the table, made room for Dong Tinglan, and gestured for her to come and look at it together.

"This is a topographical map of the hunting grounds. This area is where the spring hunts were held in previous years, located on the outer perimeter of the hunting grounds. This area is the inner perimeter, where there are more wild beasts and the terrain is more complex." Dong Jingming tapped his finger on the map, explaining to him one by one.

"Although I have never participated, I have heard that in previous years, there were always people who would trespass into the inner perimeter. Four years ago, a major incident occurred."

That same year, most of the Black Armor Guards were scapegoated, accused of dereliction of duty and creating loopholes in their defenses, leading to the disaster. The Black Armor Guards were responsible for guarding key hunting grounds at the time. After the incident, the five squad leaders and deputy leaders committed suicide, while only Mo Wu, being the son of the Grand Commandant, was sentenced to exile along with the other Black Armor Guards.

It was in that year that Dong Tinglan rescued Mo Wu. In the two years that followed, Mo Wu traveled back and forth to the place of exile, exiling hundreds of people but only bringing back fifty. The rest died in the place of exile, how tragic.

The guards in the Fifth Prince's residence are all people brought back by Hei Mowu, but they have changed their appearance and cannot show their true faces.

Now, the Qilin Guard is in charge of defense in the palace. The Black Armor Guard, who had escaped punishment by chance, has been demoted. Although they still bear the name of the Black Armor Guard, they are no different from ordinary guards.

“That’s right. Liang Chu’s group is always stirring up trouble. You should know that those who participate in the spring hunt are all scions of noble families. They have fiery tempers and can’t stand being provoked, so they found a loophole in the defenses and sneaked in.”

Dong Jingming shook his head helplessly, "But even with the best defenses, we may not be able to avoid that disaster."

Dong Tinglan's gaze was fixed on the inner perimeter terrain. Hearing Dong Jingming's words, a mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips. A group of ignorant and fearless scions of noble families had caused trouble, yet so many lives had to be taken to pay for it. Now, four years later, it seemed everyone had accepted the blame for the Black Armor Guards' "defense loopholes." How could the wronged souls of the dead be appeased?

"So, Third Brother has new ideas for this spring hunt?"

Dong Jingming paused in his tapping of the table. He had intended to elicit some suggestions from Dong Tinglan, then offer his own improvements, so that if anything went wrong, he could pin the blame on him. But whether the boy was genuinely slow-witted or pretending, he had interrupted first.

“I thought about it for a long time after I got back to the manor last night. What do you think about opening up the inner perimeter directly? It’s better to guide than to block. No matter how tight the defenses are, there will always be gaps.”

Dong Tinglan's voice lowered considerably, revealing a lack of confidence and unease. "I have no experience in this matter, nor have I ever been to the hunting grounds. I can't offer any useful ideas to you, Your Highness." He paused, then seemed to suddenly remember something and said with a start, "I've got it! If Your Highness thinks this is a safe bet, you can mention it to the officials of the Three Departments. If they think it's feasible, then there will definitely be no problem."

Dong Jingming fell silent. Could his fifth brother be a fool? How could those old men think it was feasible? They wanted to shrink the outer perimeter even further to avoid further trouble. If he were the only one insisting on opening the outer perimeter, it would definitely arouse suspicion. If Dong Lingyu used this as an excuse, he wouldn't be in a good position.

He then tried to guide Dong Tinglan to continue the conversation, but the other party seemed not to understand. Finally, having no other choice, he said, "How about we go to the hunting grounds now? Maybe seeing it with our own eyes will open up our thinking."

“It is possible, but as you know, I either live in the Cold Palace or the Qilan Hostage Palace. I haven’t seen much of the world, so I probably can’t help you, Your Majesty. Although Father Emperor asked me to assist you, I am somewhat powerless.” Dong Tinglan’s fingertips caressed the edge of the map, occasionally curling up a bit and then carefully flattening it, his tone low. “Father Emperor probably feels that it’s not good to leave me alone.”

Dong Jingming's face twisted for a moment. "Enough. I know you're useless. Don't say any more."

Jiang Heng and 886, who witnessed the whole thing, exclaimed: "Wow, his prince (the main villain) is such a good actor!"

886, with the air of someone who'd been there, remarked, "You really can't sleep in the same bed with two different kinds of people." Before Jiang Heng could even reply, it suddenly jumped up excitedly, "Perfect match! Absolutely perfect match! Top-tier match!"

Jiang Heng was suddenly relieved that the barrier in the consciousness space wasn't glass, otherwise, given 886's bouncing manner, it might have been broken.

It's a pity that work has come up, and I can't continue watching His Highness act.

"Dr. Lan, Elder Xu, His Highness requests your presence."

Jiang Heng stood up, put down the pastry she had only taken a bite of, and patted the crumbs off her hands. Homemade is still the best. She should have shown off a couple more plates before leaving.

Before leaving, Jiang Heng leaned close to Old Xu and smiled ingratiatingly, "Old Xu, remember what we just talked about?"

Mr. Xu nodded with a stern face. Although he admired Lan Heng's medical skills, he no longer intended to develop a close relationship with him. Jiang Heng didn't care about his coldness; what Lan Heng did was none of her business.

"Has Your Highness made up your mind?"

When Jiang Heng saw Dongling Yu again, she found him even more gloomy. Hey, he was unhappy, which made Jiang Heng happy, but she still had to put on a worried look, for fear that Dongling Yu would choose a method that would be difficult for her.

Dongling Yu stared at him with a stern face. If anyone else had a solution, he would have ripped this man's tongue out to vent his anger. Daring to speak of things he wasn't sure of—that was bold.

886 covered its eyes with its hand. Here it comes again, this feeling of being targeted by something bad is back. It'll just wait until its host poops two blobs of poop for it before it starts watching.

"I choose the first option." Seeing the other party secretly relieved, Dongling Yu felt even more aggrieved.

"Alright then, I'll go back and make some preparations, and come back tomorrow to treat Your Highness?"

"Doctor Lan and Elder Xu can stay at the manor for the next few days. Just tell Lin An if you need anything." Dongling Yu pointed to the eunuch beside him, the one who had been eavesdropping earlier.

Knowing there was no room for negotiation, Old Xu agreed. Seeing that Lan Heng was about to speak, he tugged at his sleeve and shook his head.

Finally, the two were arranged to stay in the courtyard next door. Once inside his room, Jiang Heng demanded a softer silk quilt, insisted on having his meals prepared according to his specifications, wanted a rocking chair, and even insisted that the window frames be covered, claiming that not covering them would affect his ability to sleep in. It was as if this was the first and last time he would ever enjoy such a life, and he kept making demands.

Lin Andu agreed to everything, but seeing that he was going on and on, he couldn't help but interrupt, "Doctor Lan, may I ask what we need to prepare for treating His Highness the Fourth Prince tomorrow? His Highness is waiting for my reply."

Jiang Heng then pretended to realize he had been a bit carried away, quickly pursing her mercenary demeanor and listing the things she needed one by one, without even changing her tone, not caring whether Lin An could remember them or not. However, Lin An listened, nodded, and left without a change in expression. This little eunuch's memory was comparable to that of the waiter from back then.

After everyone left, Jiang Heng slumped into the newly placed rocking chair, kicking her feet and looking incredibly content.

Lin An left the room and hurried straight to Old Xu's residence.

"Master Xu, His Highness has something to ask, please wait a moment."

Before Xu Lao could answer, he walked to the table, quickly ground the ink, and with a flick of his wrist, wrote down the medicinal herbs and utensils that Jiang Heng had listed.

"This is?"

After Lin An finished writing, Old Xu leaned over to take a look, only to find himself completely bewildered—literally bewildered. Every single word was a jumbled mess; who could possibly decipher what it said? Oh, no, there were still people who could make it out. Ignoring the secretary-like expression on Old Xu's face, Lin An pointed to the paper and explained it one by one.

"These are what Doctor Lan just instructed us to use tomorrow. Your Highness, please take a look and see if there are any problems."

Although Master Xu was unable to detoxify, he could still discern whether the combination of medicinal properties was incompatible.

Old Xu couldn't help but interrupt him after hearing him list dozens of medicinal herbs without stopping. "Stop! Say it again, and I'll take notes."

Lin An had no choice but to start from the beginning.

"I need to study this prescription further; I can't tell if there are any problems yet."

"Alright, I'll come back later." Lin An said, about to leave, but as he stepped out the door, he suddenly turned back. "Old Xu, do you have any requirements regarding food, clothing, or lodging?"

"This is good enough." He wouldn't dare make any demands; he wasn't that generous.

Hearing this, Lin An gave him a strange look. Having just finished dealing with a shameless person, it was rather unusual to suddenly encounter a normal person. But she didn't say anything more and continued walking out.

Old Xu couldn't understand his gaze, nor did he care. He picked up the prescription and studied it carefully again and again. Just when he had some ideas, he would run out of other medicinal materials, leaving him completely baffled. Perhaps this was why he couldn't cure the Fourth Prince's poison.

Meanwhile, the carefree Jiang Heng was dozing off in his recliner. Most of the hundreds of medicinal herbs he mentioned were just rare and expensive ones he casually picked out; he would only actually use a few. He was determined to empty the treasury of Dongling Yu.