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

Shangguan Xiu was inhaling heavily, his fists clenched, as if he was furious.

The other Imperial Guards exchanged glances, their eyes darting away, somewhat embarrassed.

One of the quick-witted ones stood up, picked up the wine jar, and poured wine for the centurion. The sound of flowing water filled the jar as it was gradually filled.

The Imperial Guard put down his wine jar and chuckled, "Boss, isn't Lord Qin's arrangement quite good? Our job is just to stay here at Fulai Tavern and see if any suspicious people come by. We don't have to worry about anything else..."

The leader is the son of the Marquis of Zhenguo and the younger brother of the Commander. It's common for him to disobey his superiors and scold the Commander of a Thousand Households. They wouldn't dare to do that.

Qin Yuanyao, Commander Qin... This woman is known for her volatile temper. Anyone who glances at her twice while walking might have their eyes gouged out!

Those few murderers in the imperial prison said that the ways Lord Qin interrogated prisoners made them want to vomit; it was insane.

Shangguan Xiu drank another bowl of wine, shaking his head. "No! You don't understand, this woman just hates! Hates! Do you know that? She hates us noble sons! She just wants to keep me trapped in Nanjing, not letting me go, go, go..."

He wasn't completely drunk after all; he swallowed back the classified information with his mouth agape, and changed his words, saying, "—Afraid I'd do something good!"

"Oh, yes..."

"Lord Qin comes from a humble background, so he might have some prejudice against us in that regard..."

"Well, you could say that..."

Several Imperial Guards looked worried and complained about Qin Yuanyao's various behaviors, such as the fact that his application for a transfer to infiltrate a brothel last month had not been approved, and the brothers had to split the cost among themselves.

Generally, for the Imperial Guard, a personal bodyguard of the emperor, each member required the emperor's approval to be selected. They were the emperor's henchmen, and only trusted confidants could hold such positions.

The Jinyiwei (Imperial Bodyguard) was established because Emperor Taizu of Liang needed a retinue for his travels, so he used the sons of many martyrs who had fought alongside him and sacrificed their lives as his personal guards.

These people's fathers fought alongside the founding emperor, sharing life and death, and helped him conquer a vast empire. Now that their fathers have died in battle, he takes their children in as his godsons, raises them, educates them to become successful, and then sends them out to do great things.

Later, Emperor Taizu felt that the protection was not enough, so he decreed that the Embroidered Uniform Guard could be hereditary, and that their descendants could live off the Zhu family's resources.

So these people either inherited their positions from their ancestors or were favored by illegitimate sons of large families and were forced into the system. Only a very few were the children of martyrs who had made some contributions recently, such as Qin Yuanyao.

Her father was originally just a secret agent of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. He made great contributions and died. The former commander specially recruited Qin Yuanyao and carefully trained her.

After the former commander retired, Qin Yuanyao, an old minister of the previous dynasty, unexpectedly gained the favor of the current commander and was promoted to commander of a thousand households. This made them grit their teeth, but they were helpless and could only complain behind his back.

Qin Yuanyao's abilities are obvious to all. Not to mention them, even the other commanders felt the immense pressure brought by this woman. Otherwise, Shangguan Xiu wouldn't have just dared to drink alone here, not daring to utter a single sound in front of her.

There's nothing we can do.

Ability is ability.

The case of Prince Xin's attack and disappearance was investigated by several commanders for five days without any results. His elder brother was so angry that he smashed a lot of purple jade cups and almost drew his sword to kill someone.

After Qin Yuanyao was replaced.

The woman meticulously investigated and, within two days, unearthed the green robe and gold hairpin that Prince Xin wore on the day he went out, from under a large rock in the woods to the north!

This incident shocked the entire Imperial Guard Commandery!

"The attack on Prince Xin was most likely orchestrated by the Northern Dynasty."

Qin Yuanyao returned and reported the news with a blank expression.

"Judging from the route, the other party carried or lifted Prince Xin northwards, erasing footprints along the way. They changed Prince Xin's clothes at that rock, but instead of burning them to avoid attracting attention with the black smoke, they buried them. Moreover, the other party was meticulous and even washed away the bloodstains on Prince Xin's clothes."

"Many trees in the mountains and forests had numerous knife marks, which the other party concealed very well. They looked like pieces of bark had been torn off, and the cuts were not visible unless you looked closely. They must have marked the trees beforehand to guide their way, and then they removed these marks and cut off pieces of bark to cover them up as they went along..."

"Such methods could only be performed by seasoned veterans of the Northern Dynasty's Sticky Rod Office... Prince Xin has most likely already been taken across the river by the Northern Dynasty..."

Recalling the other party's analysis, it was incisive, meticulous, and chilling.

Shangguan Xiu rubbed his temples and took a breath. He admired this woman somewhat; she had discovered so much in just two days and even pointed out that the next direction of investigation was north. His elder brother had sent three commanders to lead the investigation northward.

The Changze Navy is guarding the Yangtze River and is on high alert. However, once the river is crossed, Daliang will only have two strongholds in the north: Liuhe City and Jiangpu City. If the enemy breaks through the Changze defense line and escapes back to the north, rescuing Prince Xin will become almost impossible.

One of the Imperial Guards spat under his breath, "Damn it, I wonder who these sticky rod guards the Northern Dynasty sent this time are, and what rank they are... They've really messed with us..."

"At least second-rate," someone sighed.

"First class is a possibility!" someone said, slamming their glass down.

Shangguan Xiu did not participate in the discussion, his eyes fixed on the table with a gloomy expression.

The higher the rank of the official who comes, the better. The Embroidered Uniform Guard has lost all face this time. His Majesty is furious and has summoned his elder brother to the palace for questioning multiple times.

Just then, a commotion suddenly arose in front of the restaurant.

Shangguan Xiu frowned and turned to glance over.

In front of the crescent-shaped counter, a young man carrying a gray bag was arguing with the shopkeeper about something.

The boy was rather thin, quite tall, and had a slender and well-proportioned figure. However, his rural attire and the straw sandals he wore were clearly out of place in this tavern.

"Heh, a troublemaker," the Imperial Guard next to him glanced at him and chuckled, "probably a country bumpkin from some lord's hometown, trying to mooch some food and drink at that lord's house."

After the imperial examination system was established, some poor children would rise to prominence, leading their entire families to prosperity. However, there would always be those who were neglected or felt that they were not being taken care of enough. They would carry tattered bags, their feet covered in mud, and come to the capital to "demand an explanation" or ask the officials to "uphold justice" out of consideration for their clan or hometown.

To put it bluntly, asking for money is not uncommon.

Shangguan Xiu nodded. In the distance, the shopkeeper glared at the boy, cursing him under his breath. He even went around the counter, intending to shove the boy out.

Not only the shopkeeper, but several waiters also rolled up their sleeves and surrounded him.

"Tsk tsk, I guess he mentioned that official's name and planned to use it to dine and dash at Fu Lai Tavern... but the manager wouldn't give him that chance." One of the Imperial Guards guessed with a smile, and the others immediately chuckled.

The background of Fu Lai Tavern.

That's a gateway to heaven!

Their manager wouldn't be afraid of you being from the same hometown as some powerful family; no matter how high your family's official rank is, it's not as high as theirs.

Despite the constant chatter, Shangguan Xiu's brows furrowed deeper, his eyes filled with doubt. He felt that the boy's back was becoming increasingly familiar...

At this moment, a scene that left the Imperial Guards dumbfounded unfolded.

Seemingly in an instant, after the young man said a few words, the shopkeeper's expression immediately changed. He bent down and explained something to the young man, looking quite respectful. The shopkeeper then waved his hand, and the waiters, with sheepish smiles and bows, dispersed.

"Hey! That's strange!" One of the Imperial Guards was stunned.

"The owner of Fu Lai Tavern, would he ever bow down to a boy in straw sandals?"

At that moment, everyone's eyes flashed as Lord Shangguan stood up and walked straight towards the counter.