Do not lean against the west railing to lock in the clear autumn

Chapter 35

"His Majesty has issued an imperial decree today to bestow a marriage upon the Second Prince." Mr. Qi narrowed his gleaming eyes slightly.

Shen Haoyu asked, "Which family is it?"

Mr. Qi smiled and said, "Lord Qi Yun."

Marquis of Qiyun?

Zinuo and I were both startled and looked at each other.

Shen Haoyu glanced at me and Zinuo, then turned his gaze to Mr. Qi.

“Although the Third Prince has the support of Prime Minister Wei and our Prince Qing’s Mansion, he has no military power in his hands…” Mr. Qi pondered.

Shen Haoyu continued, "The First Prince has General Chen guarding the Northwest, the Second Prince is now married to Marquis Qiyun, and the military power of the capital's defense is in the hands of the Fourth Prince's mother's family. So it seems that only the Third Brother has no troops."

Mr. Qi also looked slightly worried and said, "In previous years, His Majesty was quite diligent in governing the country, and the country was still strong. However, as he gets older, he becomes more and more suspicious, and the villains in the court become more and more rampant. I'm afraid that what he fears most now is that a prince's power is too strong and will be detrimental to him. That's why he is so careful to balance the power of the princes and make them all wary of each other. I just don't know how he will deal with the third prince after he has made arrangements for the second prince."

“The Emperor has been wary of the Prince Qing’s mansion for a long time, and I’m afraid he won’t make any good arrangements for Third Brother,” Shen Haoyu said solemnly.

Mr. Qi gave a cold laugh: "Of the Emperor's former brothers, only Prince Qing remains. We must be careful."

Shen Haoyu pursed his lips but did not reply.

I was sweating bullets listening to them. They usually wouldn't let me hear these kinds of conversations, so what did they mean by this today? Especially since Zinuo was there too?

Sure enough, Mr. Qi looked at me and Zinuo and said, "The Prince's Mansion has nurtured you for many years, and now it is time for you to repay the Prince's Mansion. Starting tomorrow, we will assign you tasks to ensure the safety of the Prince's Mansion in the future."

Zinuo and I bowed and agreed.

We dragged Zinuo into this too. It was only a matter of time.

Leaving the study, seeing that it was still early, Zinuo and I went to the garden and walked to the maple tree we had seen yesterday.

She reached out and caught a falling maple leaf, gently pinching it between her fingers and handing it to Zinuo. Zinuo didn't even look at it, leaning against the tree trunk and asking, "Does sister have something to say?"

I chuckled softly: "Zinuo, can't you play dumb sometimes?"

Zinuo snorted and ignored me.

Following his example, I leaned against the tree trunk and said softly, "Zinuo, do you think they are happy?"

"Them? Who?" Zinuo looked at me, puzzled.

"Those who grew up in royal families."

“That depends on what they want,” Zinuo said.

"What kind of relationship could there be between them? You have to be wary of fathers and sons, brothers, rulers and subjects, and even husbands and wives. It's unimaginable," I sighed.

Zi Nuo scoffed dismissively: "You are not a fish, how can you know the joy of fish? If what they want is wealth and glory, being born into an imperial family is their greatest asset. Besides, it's not just imperial families; how many people in the world aren't like that? Sister, do you think everyone is like you? Are you just pitying them?"

I trembled slightly. Zinuo's words were so sharp. I asked cautiously, "And what about Zinuo?"

"Me? I don't crave power, but I need power to protect what I want to protect, so I will strive for power. Sister, the kind of world you often talk about is good, but we have to face reality. In this world, just because you don't offend others doesn't mean others won't offend you. Just like today, just because you don't kill someone doesn't mean others won't kill you. I'm a man, and when I'm by your side, I'll protect you and help you do things you don't want to do, but what about when you're alone? Are you just waiting for someone to kill you? You're still the so-called guard of the young prince." Zi Nuo emphasized the word "so-called," this kid actually took the opportunity to lecture me, and indeed, what he said made a lot of sense.

That evening, Zinuo and I talked for a long time in the room. After all, we had lived comfortably in the Prince's Mansion for so many years under Shen Haoyu's protection, and soon we were going to be pushed to the front to do what the world thought we should do. Our fate was intertwined with that of the Prince's Mansion. We didn't want to, we were not in control of our own destiny, and we had no choice.

I don't do anything immoral or unethical; I'm just trying to survive.

The next morning I went to find Song Zhixuan and the others. Lin Zhao, who was lying in bed recovering from his injuries, told me that they had all gone out, saying that Shen Haoyu had started sending them out on business. I had no choice but to chat with Lin Zhao for a while and tell him to take good care of his injuries before returning to Yixinzhai.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, Yinyan saw me and quickly called out, "Master is waiting for you in the study."

I rushed to the study.

"Where did you go?" Shen Haoyu asked without looking up.

"I went to see Lin Zhao," I told the truth.

"You two have such a deep brotherly bond."

"We are all serving the young prince," I said cautiously.

Shen Haoyu beckoned me over, then put on a smiling face and said, "Your lightness skill is quite good. Why don't you go out tonight?"

"What is it?"

“A night raid on the Second Prince’s residence,” Shen Haoyu said, enunciating each word clearly.

I took a deep breath, hardly believing my ears: "Are you sure you want to send me?"

"Besides you, who else can I send? Who told you to be good at light footwork but not other skills?" Shen Haoyu laughed. "That's called making the best use of resources."

I said helplessly, "Yes, sir. But what exactly is the task?"

Shen Haoyu still had that same smiling face: "You just need to find out how the guards are in all parts of his mansion. Remember, don't lie. Someone has already done the research and given it to me. I'm just giving you a chance to put your findings into practice and see if they match what others have given me."

This guy is really dedicated to training talent; he conducts practical drills for both murder and thievery.

He admitted it, he was doing it for our own good, afraid that we would be at a loss if we really encountered a situation, especially someone like me.

I spent the day in anxiety, and even Zinuo wasn't there. It's better that he wasn't there, otherwise he would definitely ask me if he saw me like this, and of course I couldn't tell him what I was doing today, lest he worry.

Strangely, besides feeling uneasy, why do I also feel excited?

Yes, that's exactly the kind of excitement I feel—the kind of excitement that makes me eager to try.

Looks like I'm a good candidate.