After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Constable Chen knelt upright to the side, his face illuminated by the orange firelight, his trousers soaked through, with a water stain underneath.

"My lord! We really didn't know who you were!" The two constables who had gone to the countryside to arrest the peddler cried and kowtowed repeatedly on the ground, their foreheads swollen and bleeding.

The peddler, his face pale from the beating, lay on a stretcher, carried by several indifferent men in flying fish robes.

The peddler raised his eyelids slightly and said weakly, "It's not your fault, it's all a misunderstanding."

"Yes, yes, yes! It's a misunderstanding! It's all because of that guy from Lijia Village..."

The peddler laboriously raised his hand, interrupting the two men's desperate attempt to shift blame, and laughed, "Li Family Village did a good job. Everything is in accordance with the laws of my Great Liang. The Great Liang's Baojia system should be like this: catching thieves, capturing thieves, reporting to the authorities, and neighbors helping each other. They did a very good job. Otherwise, how could the villagers maintain peace in their village? Today it was a lecherous thief; what if it's a robber in the future? Especially, what if it's a spy from the Northern Dynasty in the future?"

"Yes, yes, yes! What the adult says is true..."

The peddler grinned miserably, "But Officer Chen and the two constables, according to the laws of Liang, didn't even bother to interrogate me before giving me a beating as a warning... Hey, you three..."

"You're breaking the law..."

The three men's hearts skipped a beat, and their faces turned ashen!

For the commander of the powerful Embroidered Uniform Guard to personally write an order and send a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to pick up the man in a carriage, even a fool would know that this peddler was no ordinary spy!

Not long after.

Inside the Jiangning County prison, the sounds of slapping cannons, wailing and pleading for mercy, and cheers from prisoners who nearly overturned the prison could be heard.

"Good, good! Kill these bluffing bastards..."

Outside the prison was Fengxian Street, a bustling commercial area with many pedestrians and carriages rumbling along, fading into the distance from the various sounds inside the prison.

Bypassing the misty Mochou Lake, crossing the bustling Qinhuai River, and passing through a long stone gate, one enters the Shangyuan area and is not far from the Jinyiwei Imperial Guard Commander's Mansion.

"Is that all?" Inside the vermilion carriage, the woman holding the embroidered spring knife stared coldly at the peddler lying on the other side.

The peddler winced in pain: "A beating is enough, are you really going to kill me?"

"Heh." The woman remained noncommittal.

Ordinary noble sons wouldn't dare to do this, but if this person in front of him had killed someone... even His Majesty would probably have to swallow his pride and accept it, at most punishing the person by confining them to their quarters.

The emperor is subject to the same laws as the common people... That's just talk.

Qin Yuanyao gave the other person a cold look, then looked away.

As a newly appointed commander of the Imperial Guard, she has always taken pride in tormenting the sons of noble families who have fallen on hard times.

Seeing this once prominent and influential young man in Nanjing meet such a fate, Qin Yuanyao felt a sense of satisfaction.

In addition, the other party suddenly decided to become a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and refused the position of commander, instead going to the countryside to work as a spy for three months... This action made her, a newly promoted commander who had earned his position by risking his life, feel even more annoyed.

It's so easy to get it, yet you insist on making things difficult for yourself. Who are you mocking?

"Lord Shangguan is very unhappy." The female commander's cold and beautiful face was expressionless. "You'd better be prepared."

"I also have the surname Shangguan, why would I be afraid of him?"

"I don't know if you're afraid of him or not," Qin Yuanyao said sarcastically, "but the master is already afraid of you... don't embarrass him."

The fact that a spy was mistaken for a flower thief and arrested by a country farmer and thrown into jail was the biggest joke she had ever seen since joining the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"He has neither ability nor achievements, he's not even as good as a country farmer... Wouldn't it be better for him to go home and be a spoiled brat?"

"That country farmer is very capable..."

"Are you better at farming or carrying water?"

"Uh..." The peddler was somewhat speechless and ignored the utterly impolite woman.

The man, whose real name was Shangguan Xiu, narrowed his eyes. The image of that hand wrapped in bandages flashed through his mind again. He looked up and seemed to meet those cold, sharp eyes once more… Truly formidable…

"You'll see when you run into them," he retorted irritably.

Qin Yuanyao scoffed dismissively.

"My abilities are indeed average... but I'm not without merit..."

The peddler looked at the red mark on his wrist.

These are the marks left by those small iron shackles.

……

The Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) headquarters is located at the foot of Qingliang Mountain on the north side. Twenty years ago, after the previous commander moved the headquarters here, there were no tourists on the north side of Qingliang Mountain.

Many court officials and scholars wrote articles with malicious intent, claiming that the yin energy in the imperial prison would affect the fortune of the Great Liang Dynasty suppressed at the foot of Qingliang Mountain. The former commander retorted calmly, "There is no yin energy in the imperial prison, because those imprisoned there are all officials who have read many classics."

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned. They were furious but could only shut their mouths. They couldn't argue back, nor could they remain silent. They could only hold their breath and pretend that nothing had happened.

The sound of pouring tea filled the air.

Wearing a red and yellow python robe, Shangguan Yun personally poured tea for her younger brother who was lying on the bed.

It's a pity he's an illegitimate younger brother. If he hits him, his father will feel sorry for him and think that he, as the older brother, is biased and that the brothers are not on good terms. Otherwise... he really would break his legs.

"Thank you, brother..." Shangguan Xiu said with an embarrassed smile. "I had no choice. As the young marquis of Zhenguo, you will have to lead troops into battle sooner or later. I am just an idle person, so I thought I would become a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard so that I can inherit your mantle and do my part for you in the future."

"You want to be the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

"Although he is only a son of a concubine in the Shangguan family, Shangguan Xiu dares not disgrace the name of the Marquis of Zhenguo..."

Shangguan Yun stood up, a hint of mockery on his handsome face.

Having ambition is not a bad thing.

The bad thing is having ambition, but being incompetent.

"After what happened the day before yesterday, the Embroidered Uniform Guards went to investigate Li Family Village in three groups. They were all experienced trackers, and they confirmed on the same day that the woman who was rescued by the villagers was not Prince Xin."

Shangguan Xiu's eyelids drooped slightly, somewhat surprised, yet not entirely, knowing that his brother was hinting at something.

If you're just a low-level spy, you'll never know this kind of information. You'll just be like a headless fly, blindly stumbling around until you're battered and bruised.

He was silent for a moment, then said, "Is it possible...?"

"Impossible."

Shangguan Yun seemed to know what his half-brother wanted to say, and shook his head:

"On the day Prince Xin went out, he did take two girls, Zi Yuan and Qing Huan, with him. However, Zi Yuan is dead, and her body has been brought back. Qing Huan is alive, but she was seriously injured and is still in the Prince's mansion. She has not yet woken up. Our people are watching her, but we do not know the specific situation... Therefore, the woman from Li Family Village is not Prince Xin's maid."

Shangguan Xiu frowned.

Neither?

Who is she?

"It's not important," Shangguan Yun sneered. "Our spies investigated the place where the people of Lijia Village rescued that woman, and it's not the same place where Prince Xin was attacked... The Embroidered Uniform Guard doesn't interfere with marriages among the common people. The woman was wearing a dress embroidered with phoenixes, so it must have been a wedding dress."