After my father was sent to marry into the princess's household, I became the darling of the en

Looking at Xuan Qi's serious face, Shen Jingque had a vague sense of unease.

What's going on? What happened?

Could it be that the older brother's leg is having problems again?

Thinking this, she quickened her pace and almost ran into the Shadow Bamboo Garden.

"Big brother!"

In Yingzhu Garden, bamboo shadows stretch out horizontally, and twilight filters through the bamboo groves, falling on the bluestone slabs like wisps of light gauze.

Xiao Changgeng was not in a wheelchair.

He stood leaning on his ebony cane, his other hand resting on the edge of the table.

Several secret letters covered with sealing wax were scattered on the stone table.

"Big brother?" She walked over and tugged at Xiao Changgeng's sleeve. "Why are you ignoring me?"

Xiao Changgeng looked down at her.

There was none of her usual indulgence, only a deep chill, and a hidden worry.

He pointed to the stone stool beside the table. "Sit."

Shen Jingque obediently sat down.

Without any preamble, Xiao Changgeng raised his hand and pushed the top secret letter in front of her.

"have a look."

Shen Jingque opened the envelope and pulled out a few thin sheets of paper.

This... is roughly a tracking record.

Rong Jing, the third prince of the Great Yan, was sent to the Great Yong as a hostage at the age of eight.

When he was taken hostage, he suffered his first assassination attempt, resulting in the deaths of two of his bodyguards.

At the age of ten, the second assassination attempt occurred; a poisoned needle pierced the carriage wall, killing a servant.

At the age of eleven, a fire broke out in a restaurant, which was later determined to be arson.

12 peaks… …

Until the age of sixteen.

Shen Jingque slowly closed the secret letter and looked up with a puzzled expression.

From the moment she saw Rong Jing's name, she guessed that Xiao Changgeng already knew about her contact with Rong Jing.

But what did he want her to see in these assassination records?

Xiao Changgeng narrowed his eyes slightly: "Having finished reading, what are your thoughts?"

Shen Jingque pondered for a moment and said earnestly, "He's quite difficult to kill..."

Seven years, eleven assassination attempts.

Every time they managed to escape alive, it's not just good luck that's the answer.

Xiao Changgeng's breath hitched; clearly, this was not the answer he wanted to hear.

"Do you know what happened to those who tried to assassinate him?"

That goes without saying, the assassination failed and he was definitely done for.

But she didn't say anything. Her intuition told her that Xiao Changgeng's real purpose today was not to discuss assassination with her.

Xiao Changgeng didn't expect her to answer and continued, "Rong Jing, at the age of thirteen, was able to slit the throat of an adult man with a single stroke."

"Those who tried to assassinate him were all brutally murdered by him in the end."

He paused for a moment, as if suppressing some emotion.

"Do you even know how many Yan people your adoptive mother killed? And you still dare to provoke her and have lunch with her?"

The cane tapped the ground with a "thud".

"You wouldn't even know if he poisoned you one day!"

Shen Jingque was full of grievances: "I didn't provoke him, I just... had some deals with him."

"A deal? What do you need to trade with him?"

She remained silent; she couldn't very well ask him to sneak her into the Hundred Herbs Garden.

I guess I'll get a beating from my dad first, like bamboo shoots and braised pork.

Shen Jingque pursed her lips and remained silent. Xiao Changgeng waited for a moment, then suddenly took a deep breath and called her by her full name.

"Shen Jingque, Rong Jing is someone who grew up in a pile of dead bodies, he is no ordinary boy."

"So from today onwards, you are no longer allowed to contact him privately."

"Big brother!" Shen Jingque suddenly stood up.

She didn't actually have to hang out with Rong Jing; it was just that Xiao Changgeng's authoritarian way of forcing her made her very unhappy.

Besides, she hasn't even entered the Hundred Herbs Garden yet. If she gives up now, wouldn't it be a waste to have had a meal with him for nothing?

Are you disciplining me like a criminal?

Xiao Changgeng's expression froze for a moment.

The veins on his hand gripping the cane bulged, and after a long pause, he spoke in a hoarse voice: "I am your elder brother."

"Does being my brother give me the right to spy on me?"

"I'm protecting you!"

Xiao Changgeng couldn't keep his voice down, and a stern shout echoed throughout the garden.

Shen Jingque felt a mix of bitterness and anger, neither of which could prevail.

But her temper wouldn't allow her to back down at this time.

"You're being too nosy."

After saying that, she turned and left angrily.

She walked until she reached the corner and made sure Xiao Changgeng could no longer see her before slowing down and leaning against the wall to exhale a long breath.

Are you angry? Yes, I am.

Do I regret it? A little.

She knew that Xiao Changgeng was genuinely worried about her.

Those files and secret letters were classified by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and were not allowed to be seen by ordinary people.

In order to stop him from continuing to contact Rong Jing, Xiao Changgeng presented her with all the evidence without reservation, hoping that she would change her mind after seeing the evidence.

But she just couldn't stand that feeling of being controlled from a superior position.

Frustration and anger surged in her chest, and Shen Jingque angrily threw a set of military-style boxing punches at the air.

Even after I finished fighting, I was still angry, and my leg cramped up.

So annoying!

……

Inside Yingzhu Garden.

Xiao Changgeng stood still, watching the direction she left in, until there was no one left outside the moon gate.

After a moment, he slowly closed his eyes and used his cane to support himself as he sat back in his wheelchair.

Unbeknownst to others, her bodyguards told her today that Shen Jingque and Rong Jing were chatting and laughing, and that she was terrified when they ate together.

People only know Rong Jing as a dissolute playboy, but they don't know how ruthless he is.

The origin of his martial arts is unknown, his lineage cannot be traced, and his whereabouts are elusive, so much so that even the Imperial Guards would lose track of him.

Such a person has too many secrets.

How could he watch Little Sparrow fall into such unknown danger?

Xuan Qi came in and sighed softly, "Young Master, why did you have to frighten the young lady like that? Perhaps she would listen if you reasoned with her properly."

Xiao Changgeng stroked the secret letter from half a year ago with his fingertips, lost in thought.

"I was too anxious and made a mistake."

But I don't regret it.

He looked up at Xuan Qi: "Go and summon Tian Jiu."

Xuan Qi was taken aback for a moment, then nodded in understanding.

After a while, a slender figure silently descended from the shadows in the corner of the courtyard.

The boy who arrived was about fourteen or fifteen years old. He was thin and had ordinary features, the kind of face that would be impossible to spot in a crowd.

"Tian Jiu".

The boy looked up, his eyes devoid of emotion.

"Starting tomorrow, you will go to Qishan Academy to serve as the young lady's study companion."

"Never leaving your side."

"If she meets with Rong Jing in private again, you probably won't be able to stop her, but... you must disrupt things as much as possible, understand?"

A fleeting look of confusion crossed Tian Jiu's eyes before she nodded: "Understood."

Xiao Changgeng waved for him to leave.

Xuan Qi was somewhat puzzled: "Young Master, Tian Jiu is a bit dull. Is assigning him such a task a bit beyond his comprehension?"

Xiao Changgeng shook his head and said with absolute certainty:

"No, others may not be able to do it, but Tianjiu will definitely be able to do it well."