After the Dragon Boat Festival, the Seventh Prince was supposed to start work at the Commandant's office.
Xie Jingqi, who had no intention of making a name for himself at the Commandant's office and only sought a place to slack off, was contemplating where to take a good nap when he saw Xie Jingzhou, accompanied by two personal guards, stride proudly into the Commandant's office.
One was a salted fish content with a life of idleness, while the other was an exceptionally kind and diligent good-natured person.
Naturally, the people at the Commandant's office favored the latter.
Xie Jingqi, upon clearly sensing this, was naturally displeased.
Why should a good-for-nothing like Xie Jingzhou have accompanying guards, while he himself...
He was completely alone, with no one before or behind him.
That day, after finishing his duties and seething with anger, Xie Jingqi went to the Fourth Prince's mansion.
Xie Jinglan, who was seated in his study reviewing various documents, saw his brother, who seemed to be on fire, and couldn't help but smile, "Are you not comfortable working at the Commandant's office?"
Xie Jingqi plonked himself down opposite Xie Jinglan, his nose practically askew with anger, "Fourth Brother, what on earth was Father thinking? Letting me go to the Commandant's office is one thing, but why push Xie Jingzhou in there too? Doesn't he know we've never gotten along since childhood?"
"How could you and I fathom the Emperor's thoughts?"
If the Emperor's thoughts were truly transparent, no one would have to live so cautiously.
"I simply cannot stand that Xie Jingzhou. It's one thing for him to be at the Commandant's office, but he even brought two guards. What's this? Is he expecting to be assassinated while working there? And those people at the Commandant's office aren't exactly good sorts either. They're all siding with Xie Jingzhou because he has more people with him!"
Xie Jinglan chuckled upon hearing this.
Oh, so his foolish younger brother had been fed poison.
After a tirade, Xie Jingqi, still feeling unappeased, suddenly slammed the table and said, "Fourth Brother, get me two guards too. Once I have people backing me up, let's see if those people at the Commandant's office dare to show favoritism!"
Tang Di, standing by the door, was speechless upon hearing this.
This was clearly the Fifth Prince's underhanded maneuvering; it had nothing to do with the number of people.
The Seventh Prince's thought process was truly...
In the study, Xie Jinglan, however, good-naturedly agreed, "It's just a few guards, leave it to your Fourth Brother."
Upon hearing this, Xie Jingqi finally calmed down.
Xie Jinglan was always prompt in his actions, and that evening he delegated the task of selecting guards to Huo Nian.
Tang Di watched the Seventh Prince leave, humming a little tune, his steps buoyant, and said with a headache to his master, "The Fifth Prince is a master of backstabbing. After only a few days at the Commandant's office, he's already garnered the support of many officials to ostracize the Seventh Prince."
So, this matter had absolutely nothing to do with how many guards there were!
"Your Highness, you should tell the Seventh Prince the truth. Otherwise, once the guards are found and the Seventh Prince is further plotted against by the Third Prince, with the Seventh Prince's temper, won't he just set the Commandant's office ablaze?"
Tang Di couldn't bear to imagine the scene.
"Little Seven has made considerable progress during his trip to Luoyi. Although he still tends to handle matters impulsively, he isn't incapable of careful thought. If others speak to him, it will only make him more reliant. Only when he discovers the problem himself can he learn to be independent."
Tang Di understood.
In plain terms, it meant letting the Seventh Prince run headfirst into a wall himself.
Three days later, two guards were brought to the Fourth Prince's mansion by Huo Nian.
Sun Li and Liang Xiu had previously gone to Luoyi together and had gotten along well with everyone. Thus, Xie Jingqi felt that his Fourth Brother had good judgment when he saw the two of them.
Xie Jinglan, who was organizing the Ministry of Revenue's ledgers, heard footsteps and said without looking up, "Huo Nian was once a member of the Imperial Dragon Guard, so he has a good eye for people. These two also cooperated with you before, so it will save you the trouble of getting acquainted."
"Of course, I trust the people Fourth Brother chooses. I'll take them now." Finally having his own guards, he was eager to return to his residence and try them out.
Xie Jinglan, however, said, "Not yet."
Xie Jingqi was taken aback, "Does Fourth Brother have something else?"
Xie Jinglan circled the problematic parts on the ledger before putting down his brush and looking up, "They will be following you into life and death situations in the future. It would be improper to simply take them away. They must be tested."
Xie Jingqi thought it was a minor matter, "I can test their combat skills myself. As for schemes... even if you combined all the old foxes in the entire court, they wouldn't have as many bad ideas as you, Fourth Brother."
Xie Jinglan, "..."
If this weren't his own brother, he would truly want to drag him out and beat him to death.
"As you can see, Lintong has been quite restless recently, and the Ministry of Revenue is tight on funds. If a war were to break out, the grain and military pay involved would need to be prepared in advance. I don't have time to mess around with you."
Xie Jinglan tapped the pile of ledgers in front of him and then looked at Xie Jingqi again, saying, "You are a prince. Even if Liang Xiu and Sun Li are capable, they wouldn't dare to kill you. Therefore, their true abilities cannot be tested. Having such people by your side would be more dangerous."
Xie Jingqi's head was already spinning, "This won't do, that won't do. Fourth Brother, then what do you suggest?"
A figure suddenly flashed in Xie Jinglan's mind. He then smiled at his brother and said, "It's not that there are no other ways."
"Tell me more?"
"This method depends on how much face your Fourth Brother has..."
Although Liang Xiu and Sun Li did not have the same glorious background as Huo Nian, having worked in the Imperial Dragon Guard, they had passed layers of selection and were members of the Imperial Guard.
Seeing the Seventh Prince step out, they were both bewildered by his extremely sorrowful expression, making it seem as if a funeral was about to take place.
If you don't like us, just say so. There's no need to be so heartbroken.
"Fourth Brother's intention is to test you first." Xie Jingqi thought that perhaps they would be his people in the future, so there was no need to keep secrets.
Sun Li and Liang Xiu didn't find it odd; testing was normal, as they were to protect the Emperor.
"How does Fourth Highness wish to test us?"
"You both know Ji Zizhao, right? Fourth Brother wants you to go to her."
Sun Li and Liang Xiu were even more bewildered upon hearing this.
They certainly knew the eldest daughter of the Ji family; she was brave and resourceful, and her mettle was in no way inferior to that of a man.
However, no matter how capable the eldest daughter of the Ji family was, she didn't have the qualification to test them. What was the Fourth Prince thinking?
Nevertheless, despite their confusion, since it was the Fourth Prince's instruction and the Seventh Prince's tacit approval, Sun Li and Liang Xiu slipped into the Ji residence after nightfall.
In the dead of night, Ji Zizhao felt extremely anxious seeing two living people standing in her courtyard.