In Lin Yao’s courtyard, the lights were still on.

As the prince approached, the man guarding the door respectfully called out, “Advisor.”

The crown prince nodded lightly and stepped into the courtyard.

After the decisive battle during the day and the cunning deception to trick the water bandits and capture the people from the West Village at night, everyone in the Eastern Village now held the prince in the highest regard.

The guide leading the way whispered, “The master is still awake at this hour, probably expecting the Advisor.”

A hint of surprise flashed in the prince’s eyes, followed by understanding.

The situation of tonight’s battle must have been reported to Lin Yao’s ears a long time ago.

If he was still awake at this hour, he must be thinking about the affairs of the West village.

When Lin Yao heard the sound of the door being pushed, he glanced outside and saw it was the prince, then released the grip on the handle of the knife hidden under his pillow.

“Brother Cheng is here.”

The prince went straight to the point, “How does the head intends to deal with the captured Western village men”

Lin Yao shook his head and sighed, “If we want to establish our authority, we naturally need to resort to drastic measures.

However, Eastern Village is already at odds with the water bandits.

Engaging in internal strife at this time will only deplete Eastern’s strength.

If the water bandits find out they’ve been tricked and retaliate, although the terrain of the mountain is difficult to attack, When our Eastern Village decides to withdraw from the roads in the future, otherwise our people will definitely be surrounded and killed by the water bandits once they leave the mountain.”

He paused and continued, “Eastern Village must have enough people. Even if we can’t confront the water bandits head-on, they must let them know that gnawing on Eastern Village, this tough bone, will cost them dearly.”

This was an unspoken agreement between the Eastern and Western Villages over the years.

Their internal struggles were always about swallowing each other to strengthen themselves, rather than killing each other recklessly and cutting off this piece of flesh and blood.

Among the water bandits and mountain bandits, it was also a matter of survival of the fittest.

If Eastern Village weakened, it would turn itself into prey for other bandit dens.

Yesterday, when he was ambushed by the water bandits, whether he died or the water bandits were defeated, the Western Village wouldn’t suffer any losses.

Even after his death, the second-in-command could take over the Eastern Village legitimately.

Moreover, in yesterday’s ambush by the water bandits, there was no evidence to accuse the Western Village.

Could they accuse the West of not warning the water bandits’ boats approaching? The dam was always guarded by people from both the Eastern and Western Village.

Could they accuse the West Village of not sending reinforcements to the dam? The second-in-command himself arrived late, but the group of lackeys from the West Village had already arrived early to show their support.

He Yejing sneaked down to bring him food, which was indeed a flaw in the West’s plan yesterday.

He could use He Yejing to pressure the second-in-command into cooperating against the water bandits.

However, after escaping, if they accused the Western Village of colluding with the water bandits, He Ye Jing could also become a major reason for the West Villager to defend themselves.

After all, everyone in Eastern Village knew that He Yejing was the second master’s precious daughter.

How could the second master conspire against him and disregard He Yejing’s safety?

So when Lin Zhao spoke of avenging him yesterday, Lin Yao advised him not to act rashly and wait until he was healed before making any decisions.

The method of using someone else to commit the crime was indeed ingenious.

If they couldn’t control their emotions and acted impulsively, they would fall into the hands of Second master in Western Village.

The prince obviously understood Lin Yao’s concerns and said, “The head of the village’s concerns are not unreasonable.

The second master acts cautiously, making it difficult to catch him by the tail.

However, when the news of unloading the goods tonight spreads, some fish will take the bait.

After identifying the mastermind, tomorrow we’ll send people to the Western Village and not mention yesterday’s ambush.

We’ll just say that the Western Village is colluding with the enemy, and all the cargo ships were robbed by the water bandits.

Let the second master give an explanation.”

Those few people who raided the Eastern village were already coerced into confessing by Wang Biao’s whipping.

They confessed that Wu Xiao sent them.

Lin Yao’s eyes flickered slightly. “Does Brother Cheng mean to push Wu Xiao out?”

The prince nodded. “Chief previously kept this person, also knowing that he had ulterior motives, wanting to see if he and the second master would have a falling out.

But I observed that this person is very good at seizing the opportunity and can endure insults that ordinary people cannot.

Without pushing him, he won’t turn against the second master so quickly.”

Wu Xiao had followed the second master for five years and was definitely someone with hidden intentions.

He must have secretly placed his people around the second master.

If the secondaster was forced to abandon Wu Xiao as a pawn, then this unfamiliar wolf, Wu Xiao, would definitely show his fangs to the second master.

Lin Yao understood the key point and felt enlightened.

When he looked at the prince again, there was a hint of admiration and regret in his eyes. “Brother Cheng is wise. I’m glad I recruited Brother Cheng back then. Otherwise, if Brother Cheng, with such wisdom, had served the government, I’m afraid all the bandits in Qingzhou would have been eradicated.”

The prince nodded slightly, with a smile in his eyes, but his tone was polite and distant. ” Chief Village overpraises.”

After hesitating for a moment, Lin Yao finally asked the question that had been buried in his heart for many days, “When the rebel army captured Bianjing, many dignitaries fled.

Brother Cheng’s demeanor and strategy don’t seem like those of a merchant. You must be from the noble class in the court?”

The prince did not answer, and there was no change in his expression, but Lin Yao could feel a sudden chill in the room.

He quickly bowed, “Lin has no intention of inquiring about Brother Cheng’s identity. It’s just that now, with the three forces vying for power in the world, to achieve the position of feudal lord as Brother Cheng said, I’m curious which faction Brother Cheng favors.”

The seemingly gentle eyes of the prince were deep and unfathomable. “After March, the Chief will know.”

Coming out of the prince’s room, it was already dawn.

Several maids were already sweeping the courtyard.

The guide who led him earlier said, “The kitchen has already started preparing breakfast.

The Advisor didn’t sleep all night. If you don’t mind, you can rest in the room where the brothers sleep for a while.

I’ll go and call the Advisor when breakfast is ready.”

After having breakfast, there was still the task of taking the captured people from last night’s raid to the Western Village, which meant another tough battle lay ahead.

The morning breeze carried a chill, wrapping around the prince’s tall and slender figure.

He twirled the jade thumb ring on his thumb and said lightly, “No need to bother. You all can go rest.”

The man was somewhat clumsy with words.

Seeing the prince speak like this, he didn’t dare to disturb him any further and left the courtyard.

The prince’s gaze lightly swept over the two rooms opposite; Qin Zhen should be resting in one of them.

Thinking that Qin Zheng would probably be waking up soon, he sat down at the stone table in the courtyard and waited quietly.

The maids in the stockade were all from poor rural families and had never seen someone as noble and elegant as the prince in their lives.

They stole glances at him several times.

After cleaning the courtyard, one of the maids went into the kitchen to brew a pot of tea for him.

The prince asked casually, “Do you know where my wife is resting?”

The maid recalled the ethereal beauty who had come last night.

Hearing the prince refer to her as his wife, she couldn’t help but feel that the two were a perfect match.

She smiled and replied, “That lady is in the young miss’s room.”

The prince wasn’t surprised to hear that Qin Zheng and Lin Zhao were sleeping in the same room.

He thanked the maid and leaned his head on his hand, closing his eyes for a brief nap.

When the sky brightened, Magpie yawned as they came out of the room, they were surprised to see the prince sitting in the courtyard.

They thought their eyes were playing tricks on them and rubbed them hastily.

The prince woke up when he heard the door open, and Magpie inexplicably felt a chill in her heart.

She stammered, “Why is Brother Cheng sleeping here?”

The prince glanced at the sky and said, “I just sat down not long ago.”

Magpie remembered that Qin Zheng had come to this side last night and asked cautiously, “Is Brother Cheng here to pick up Sister Cheng?”

She pointed to the room next to hers. “Sister Cheng slept with the young miss last night, but later the young miss came to my room. Now, Sister Cheng is alone in the room.”

The village was rough and didn’t have strict rules about outsiders entering women’s chambers.

Magpie’s implication was that if the prince wanted to see Qin Zheng, he could just go in; there was no need to sit in the courtyard so early in the morning.

But the prince just said, “Thank you.”

He had no intention of going into the room.

Magpie couldn’t figure out what he was thinking.

Although the prince looked gentle and refined, she still didn’t dare to stay alone with him for too long.

After giving him a few puzzled looks, she went to the kitchen.

As the cool breeze passed through the courtyard, the petals falling from the pear tree once again covered the courtyard.

The prince pressed the hand that had fallen asleep and thought of Magpie words.

Unconsciously, a smile appeared on his lips.

With Qin Zheng’s sleeping habit, it wasn’t hard to guess why Lin Zhao went back to squeeze into a room with the maidservant.

The tea had gone cold by now, but he still lifted the cup and took a sip, the faint bitterness spreading on his tongue.

As he finished the cup of tea, the door opened again, and this time Lin Zhao came out, yawning.

Seeing the prince sitting there like a noble statue, Lin Zhao was a bit puzzled.

She thought he must have come early to wait for Qin Zheng and couldn’t help feeling a sense of satisfaction.

Walking over, she teased, “You came so early to wait for Sister Zheng? She’s still asleep, I reckon she won’t wake up for a while.”

The prince nodded lightly. “My wife disturbed you last night.”

Lin Zhao hurriedly said, “How could that be! Sister Qin Zheng is so fragrant and soft to hold. I really like her.”

She glanced at the prince as she spoke. “I wish I could sleep with Sister Qin Zheng every night!”

The prince glanced at the door Lin Zhao had just come out of but said nothing.

Just then, the maid came out with a basin of hot water from the kitchen.

Seeing Lin Zhao awake, she said, “Has the young miss woken up? I was just about to come in and call you.”

Lin Zhao casually replied, “Call me for what? What if we wake Sister Qin Zhen up?”

The maid looked puzzled. “Madam is in the next room; she shouldn’t be disturbed.”

Lin Zhao: “…”

Facing Lin Zhao’s suddenly murderous gaze, the maid hurriedly tried to rectify the situation. “Oh, I see, the young miss went back to her own room just now, right?”

Lin Zhao: “…”

Things were getting worse and worse!

Why did she have such a foolish maid?

The maid also realized she had said the wrong thing again and shrank her neck.

When Lin Zhao couldn’t wait to leave, Qin Zheng finally opened the door and came out.

She had changed back into her original clothes, but because she moved around so much in her sleep, her hair was a bit messy, cascading over her shoulders with a misty charm as she looked at the prince with sleepy eyes.

She seemed lazy yet alluring.

Completely unaware that she had squeezed Lin Zhao out of her bed last night, she greeted them naturally, “Why are you up so early, Ah Zhao?”

Her gaze fell on the prince, a little surprised. “How come you’re here, my lord?”

Lin Zhao had just been exposed in front of the prince, and now she had no desire to stay here any longer.

She said a quick good morning to Qin Zheng and hurriedly left, followed by the maid carrying the basin.

Only then did the prince turn to Qin Zheng and answer her earlier question, “I came to discuss matters with the Master.”

Qin Zheng thought he must have been busy all night with some deployment, so it was normal for him to come early to discuss with Lin Yao.

Seeing the faint bruise under the prince’s eyes, she couldn’t help but motherly advise, “You probably haven’t slept much since you came back. Your injury isn’t fully healed yet; you need to rest more.”

Crown Prince responded lightly, “Hmm.”

Qin Zheng didn’t know whether his “hmm” was in response to not having slept much or if it was a promise to take care of himself.

She couldn’t help but sigh, “You have to take care of your body. Falling ill wouldn’t be good.”

The more she nagged about these things, the more Qin Zheng felt like an old mother.

After she finished speaking, she noticed the prince didn’t respond.

When she looked up, she saw him gazing at her with a slightly deep expression.

Next to the stone table was a pear tree. When the wind blew, pear blossoms fell like snowflakes.

The prince sat in front of the stone table, dressed in a noble and elegant ink robe.

There was an emotion hidden in the slightly raised corners of his eyes that Qin Zheng couldn’t understand.

His pale complexion made his cold and distant aura even heavier.

Several pear petals fell onto his hair, and a white pear blossom drifted into the tea in front of him.

He seemed to be in a painting.

Qin Zheng’s breath hitched involuntarily, and that feeling of palpitations returned.

She coughed twice, raised her hand to smooth her black hair, and then hurriedly walked away as if fleeing, “I’ll go find A’zhao to get a comb.”

But the prince stopped her, “I have something for you.”

Qin Zheng was forced to stop in her tracks.

However, when the prince mentioned having something for her, she remembered the letter delivered by pigeon that was still with her.

She quickly fished out the rolled-up paper from her sleeve pocket, “Oh right, a pigeon landed outside the window yesterday, and since you hadn’t returned,

I was afraid someone from the Western stronghold might come by, so I took the letter down and sent it off with the pigeon I also tied up. It’ll be convenient for you to reply if you want.”

In the past, when watching period dramas, pigeons delivering letters usually flew away after the recipient took the letter.

Qin Zheng had always wondered where they found pigeons to send letters again. There didn’t seem to be any pigeons in this stronghold, so she was afraid that if the pigeon flew away, the prince wouldn’t be able to reply, hence why she tied it up.

When Qin Zheng handed over the paper, she awkwardly emphasized, “Um… don’t worry, I didn’t read it.”

She had principles to uphold; she wouldn’t read other people’s letters without permission.

The hand that the prince was about to extend was withdrawn, and he said, “You may read it.”

Qin Zheng: ???