After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

Just after Chen Shi (7-9 AM), Yang Shen arrived at Zuo Chun Fang.

He hasn't yet adapted to a life of working at sunrise and resting at sunset.

Without a phone, without live streaming, and with a 8 AM shift, I can't muster any energy.

He had probably arrived too early; Zhu Houzhao was not there, nor was the lecturer, so he leaned back in his chair and dozed off.

"Yang, the study companion! Yang, the study companion!"

Yang Shen was in a daze, and he felt someone shaking his shoulder.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked closely. It turned out to be Li Chun, the commander of the Eastern Palace Guards.

"Commander Li, what happened?"

Li Chun looked anxious and asked, "Yang, do you know where His Highness has gone?"

Yang Shen asked blankly, "Where did Your Highness go? Weren't you supposed to be guarding the Eastern Palace?"

Li Chun was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, saying, "I clearly saw His Highness return to his palace last night, but this morning, His Highness was nowhere to be seen. I thought His Highness was unwell, so I went to check on him, but who knew..."

"Commander Li, what exactly is wrong with His Highness? Can you please explain yourself clearly all at once!"

"Who knew...who knew...His Highness wasn't there at all!"

At this point, Yang Shen finally came to his senses and asked, "What do you mean by 'not here'? Didn't you just say you personally saw His Highness return to the palace? Could he have flown away?"

Li Chun had no choice but to say, "I've already investigated. Last night, a young eunuch wore His Highness's clothes; you couldn't tell unless you looked very closely! According to his confession, Liu Jin ordered him to do it, and Liu Jin even provided two sets of civilian clothes. You know His Highness is naturally unruly; could he have gone out of the palace?"

Looking at the empty podium, Yang Shen asked, "Where is today's lecturer?"

Li Chun said, "You mean Vice Minister Wang? He was attacked in the toilet yesterday, didn't you know?"

"What the hell? The toilet got blown up?"

Yang Shen went home to sleep early yesterday and had no idea that such a thing had happened in the palace.

Seeing this, Li Chun recounted the events of the previous day in detail.

A sudden sense of foreboding arose in Yang Shen's heart. Oh no, something bad might be about to happen!

I just said it casually, and that brat Zhu Houzhao actually set the latrine on fire!

It's the rainy season now, and there's water accumulating in the latrines, which causes biogas to ferment and accumulate in large quantities.

It's a miracle that this kid didn't blow himself up. Now he's nowhere to be found. Could it be that he wasn't satisfied and went out of the palace to find a latrine?

"Commander Li, what else happened yesterday?"

"It was a latrine that exploded. His Majesty personally intervened, and Minister Wang also said it was spontaneous combustion..."

"What did you say? His Majesty is here too?"

Li Chun nodded and said, "His Majesty was busy with official duties and left after saying only a few words."

Yang Shen hurriedly asked, "What did His Majesty say?"

Li Chun said, "His Majesty has taken time out of his busy schedule to visit Minister Wang."

"Think carefully, what else did His Majesty say?"

"That's all... Oh, right, they said a group of Tatars came to Xuanfu, burning, killing, and looting. The cabinet and the Ministry of War are discussing countermeasures..."

"Holy shit!"

Yang Shenshen stood up abruptly, his premonition growing even stronger!

Connecting all the events of yesterday, there is only one possibility: Zhu Houzhao went to Xuanfu!

My offhand, distorted interpretation of the Analects was taken to heart by this kid, and he absorbed it completely.

The explosion in the cesspool further convinced him that morality was all around him.

At this time, news arrived that the Tatars had invaded the border...

Oh no, oh no, does this kid think he's invincible?

Although Zhu Houzhao was a very capable fighter in history, he is only a twelve-year-old child now!

If anything goes wrong, I, the one who started this, will probably face the wrath of my entire family!

Good heavens! How could someone cause such a huge disaster!

"Disaster! Disaster!"

Li Chun asked, "Yang, do you know where His Highness has gone?"

Yang Shen abruptly raised his head and asked, "Commander Li, you've gotten yourself into big trouble!"

"This, this... why does Yang, the study companion, say such a thing?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chun was stunned and at a loss for what to do.

Yang Shen then said, "His Highness has most likely already gone to Xuanfu. As the commander of the Eastern Palace Guards, you have seriously neglected your duties. If anything happens to His Highness, you will be the first to be implicated!"

Li Chun asked with a look of astonishment, "Is this true? What is Your Highness going to Xuanfu for?"

Yang Shen continued, "There's no time to explain now. If you want to live, don't make a fuss about this. Take your men and come with me immediately!"

Li Chun looked bewildered and asked, "Where are we going?"

Yang Shen sighed heavily, then said, "Of course we should go to Xuanfu and bring His Highness back!"

Li Chun wanted to make one last attempt: "Yang, are you really not kidding me?"

Yang Shen said expressionlessly, "The safety of the Crown Prince concerns the entire Ming Dynasty. If anything happens to His Highness, you, me, and more than a dozen guards, eunuchs, palace maids, cooks... even the earthworms in the courtyard will be dug up and cut vertically. Do you think I'm joking with you?"

Li Chun finally believed it, and said with a bitter face, "Your Highness has really put me in a difficult position..."

"shut up!"

Yang Shen roared, then said, "Until we bring His Highness back, absolutely no news must leak out, or you know the consequences!"

Li Chun was completely bewildered. He nodded repeatedly and then asked, "What if we can't get them back?"

Yang Shen slowly uttered a few words: "If you can't get it back, just kill me first, then end your own life!"

Li Chun dared not delay any longer. He immediately followed Yang Shen's instructions, leaving a group of people to continue guarding the palace. He instructed everyone to announce that the Crown Prince was unwell and resting in his bedchamber. He then selected more than twenty people and headed straight for Xuanfu.

Yang Shen was not good at riding horses; at least in his original world, he had never ridden one before.

Things were urgent today, and there was no time to think about anything else. We ran wildly with Li Chun and the others.

At sunset, the group arrived at Juyong Pass and presented the token from the Eastern Palace.

Upon hearing that someone from the Eastern Palace had arrived again, the garrison eunuch Zhao Kuan hurriedly came out to greet them personally.

Li Chun asked anxiously, "Eunuch Zhao, have you seen His Highness the Crown Prince?"

"what?"

Zhao Kuan was completely bewildered. "I'm at Juyong Pass, where am I supposed to see the Crown Prince?"

Yang Shen quickly interjected, asking, "Has anyone from the Crown Prince's Palace come from yesterday to today?"

"Yesterday..."

Zhao Kuan was about to speak when he seemed to sense something was amiss and asked, "And who is this?"

Li Chun introduced, "Yang Shen, the tutor to the Crown Prince!"

"So it was Yang, the study companion!"

Zhao Kuan responded, then dismissed everyone except Li Chun and Yang Shen.

Being a study companion is not an official position, but it means being by the crown prince's side year-round, which is far superior to being an ordinary official.

"To be honest, this morning, Eunuch Liu was escorting a convoy of vehicles when they passed by."

"You mean Liu Jin?"

"Exactly!"

Zhao Kuan nodded, then cautiously said, "Eunuch Liu said he was ordered by His Highness the Crown Prince to deliver supplies to the garrison in Xuanfu. Could there be something wrong with this?"

Yang Shen then asked, "You said Liu Jin was escorting a convoy? What convoy?"

Zhao Kuan thought for a moment and replied, "There were about twenty carriages, with the signboard of Liubiju Sauce Shop on them."

"What's on the truck?"

"Soybean paste!"

"Is it all soybean paste?"

"right!"

Zhao Kuan nodded, confirming, "They're all packed in jars, stacked tightly, there are at least a hundred jars."

Li Chun was puzzled and stepped forward to ask, "Where did Liu Jin get so much soybean paste?"

Yang Shen didn't care about any soy sauce; all he wanted now was to capture Zhu Houzhao and bring him back!

Since Liu Jin was personally escorting the carriage, Zhu Houzhao must have been among them.

Looking at the two of them, Zhao Kuan knew something must have happened, and he felt uneasy.

Liu Jin was the chief eunuch of the Eastern Palace, so how could he dare to obstruct him?

Now that Li Chun has suddenly come after us, could it be that... those soybean pastes were smuggled?

He simply couldn't understand why Liu Jin would smuggle soy sauce, which was only worth a few cents.

"Commander Li, Attendant Yang, it's getting late. We'll arrange food and lodging for you two..."

"No need!"

Li Chun interrupted him abruptly, then said to Yang Shen, "Yang Shen, the convoy isn't moving fast; we'll chase after them tonight!"

Yang Shen nodded, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "Eunuch Zhao, do you have any Tatar clothing here?"

"Yes, there is, but..."

Zhao Kuan was somewhat confused, so he could only look at Li Chun.

Li Chun then asked, "Is Yang, the companion, worried about the Tatars in Xuanfu? But what if he gets accidentally injured by the garrison in the dark?"

Yang Shen said, "Show your identification badge when you meet your own people, and pretend you don't know when you meet the Tatars."

"That's fine too!"

Li Chun felt this made sense, so he said, "Eunuch Zhao, please find us some Tatar clothes and get us a new batch of horses."

Zhao Kuan dared not delay and quickly ordered people to find clothes and horses.

The people dressed in Tatar clothing, making them indistinguishable even during the day, let alone at night.

Li Chun then instructed, "Eunuch Zhao, we are leaving the pass tonight on confidential military business. You must not tell anyone. We will explain to you when we return!"

Zhao Kuan really wanted to ask why, but seeing Li Chun's solemn expression, he held back in the end.