The lifeless look on his face, combined with the wooden plank on his leg…

Jiang Yuanxi was convinced—he was here to scam her.

“You… you… you’re faking it!” The little girl panicked and tried to run away.

【Shameless! Shameless! Trying to extort money? No way!】

The eldest prince grabbed onto her pant leg with one hand, using very little force to pull her back.

“Yuanxi, I’m your eldest royal brother. I’m here to ask for your help, not money.”

Jiang Yuanxi paused.

“No money?”

Jun Moyie nodded repeatedly and pulled out three silver banknotes from his waist.

“This is for you, a meeting gift.” Afraid it wasn’t enough, he reached into his pocket and grabbed a handful of gold ingots.

Sure enough, the little girl’s wariness eased significantly.

“Yuanxi, your eldest royal brother has been very unlucky lately. Help me break this curse, will you?”

A prince who had slaughtered countless enemies on the battlefield, beheading foes without hesitation, was now scared out of his wits.

He didn’t want to die before he even had a wife!

Looking at him now, he must have suffered quite a bit these past few days.

Jiang Yuanxi sighed in mock benevolence, “Since you gave me money—no, I mean, since you’re my eldest royal brother, I’ll help you.”

She pulled out a piece of yellowed paper and scribbled on it.

Before the eldest prince could see what it was, she slapped it onto his forehead with a smack.

“For three days, you must not remove it.”

The eldest prince froze, then suddenly hugged Jiang Yuanxi and sobbed for a long time.

A burly man nearly six feet tall, crying while hugging a little girl—it was truly a sight no one wanted to see.

Inside the carriage, Jiang Yuanxi grumbled.

【A grown man crying and crying—he soaked my clothes!】

Jiang Yuansheng was curious. “Yuanxi, have you met the eldest prince before?”

From what he remembered, the eldest prince was always dignified and imposing.

This was the first time he had seen him in such a pitiful state.

“I met him once. He hit me.”

【No one is allowed to hit my butt except Mother.】

Jiang Yuansheng chuckled.

That afternoon, Jiang Yuanxi received a reward from the emperor for a task well done—gold delivered directly to their residence.

When she opened the chest, the dazzling gold bricks nearly blinded her.

No wonder the ancestors loved gold. The color alone made her love it too.

Jiang Yuanxi hugged the chest tightly, refusing to share it with anyone.

She even avoided Chun Zhi.

That night, Madam Chen and Jiang Fengyuan were about to sleep when—

“Ouch!” Madam Chen suddenly cried out.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Fengyuan asked with concern.

Madam Chen rubbed her waist. “There’s something under the blanket—it’s poking me.”

Jiang Fengyuan lifted his wife off the bed and pulled back the bedding.

Bright, shining gold bricks lay underneath, gleaming even more under the lantern light.

He was nearly blinded.

Madam Chen burst into laughter.

“I was wondering why Yuanxi was acting so sneaky in her room today. She hid the gold here!”

Ever since moving into this courtyard, Jiang Yuanxi had insisted on sleeping alone.

Now, having received a fortune in gold, she was too excited to sleep.

【Big Brother said—the most dangerous place is the safest place. Mother will never find it here!】

Jiang Yuanxi happily closed her eyes.

In her dreams, she lay atop a mountain of gold bricks, grinning from ear to ear.

The next morning, after breakfast, Jiang Fengyuan took his daughter to the military camp.

As soon as they arrived, they saw the Crown Prince, Jun Yin, standing in the sunlight.

“Prince Brother!” Jiang Yuanxi waved from afar.

In just a few months under Jiang Fengyuan’s strict training, the Crown Prince had improved rapidly.

“Yuanxi.” The prince smiled and took her hand, pulling out a few pieces of candy from his sleeve.

“Look what I brought you.”

It was a special palace-made candy, lychee-flavored.

“Thank you, Brother!”

The prince glanced around cautiously and lowered his voice. “Yuanxi, can you talk to the general for me? Tell him to go easier on me.”

Being chased around the camp all day, constantly called “little turtle,” was beyond humiliating.

By now, everyone in the military camp had seen the once-dignified Crown Prince looking utterly miserable.

Fortunately, Jiang Fengyuan trained his soldiers well—otherwise, his reputation would have been in ruins.

“You brat, stop trying to bribe my daughter! Yuanxi won’t help you! Now get back here and keep training!”

Jun Yin grimaced and returned unwillingly.

“Master, can you hit me a little lighter today?”

“Dream on!”

Jiang Fengyuan was extremely satisfied with his disciple.

The Crown Prince had both talent and determination. Given time, he would surely surpass his master in martial arts.

For a prince, his dedication was admirable.

But as a ruler, assassination attempts were inevitable. He had to be prepared for anything.

The Crown Prince understood this too.

His master’s strictness was for his own good—to ensure that when the time came, he could protect himself.

Jiang Fengyuan was far harsher on the Crown Prince than he had ever been with Jiang Yuanwu.

As their relationship deepened, Jiang Fengyuan’s way of addressing the prince changed.

At first, it was “Your Highness.”

Then, “that brat,” “lazy bum.”

Now, it had become “little turtle.”

The Crown Prince didn’t mind.

After all, the real “old turtle” was his father. He was just the son.

Of course, they still had to maintain appearances in public.

Otherwise, the next day, the imperial censors would flood the court with complaints, burying Jiang Fengyuan in reports.

“Prince Brother, you can do it!”

Jiang Yuanxi lounged in a rocking chair, flanked by two burly guards shading her from the sun.

She even had fresh fruit to snack on.

The Crown Prince could only stare at her with envy.

…

Meanwhile, in a certain brothel in Shengjing…

A man stood by a window, watching the bustling street below.

He scattered a handful of copper coins.

The quiet street instantly erupted into a frenzy.

The man smirked slightly and closed the window.

“Have you found him?”

A shadowy figure appeared silently.

“Master, we have. He’s in the Ministry of Justice’s prison.”

The man’s expression remained calm, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

He spoke lightly, “Useless. Let him disappear with the wind.”

The shadowy figure accepted the order and vanished in an instant.

Outside the door, an old servant entered. “Your Highness, I found the person you were looking for.”

“Where?”

“The eldest prince’s residence.”

The man’s brows furrowed slightly, but he said nothing.

Late at night, the Jiang family gathered for a secret meeting.

Madam Chen dismissed all the servants and stationed Chun Zhi and Chun Tao nearby to prevent anyone from eavesdropping.

“We received news from the Ministry of Justice—Yan Song is dead,” Jiang Yuansheng reported grimly.

Jiang Fengyuan frowned. “So soon?”

Only a handful of court officials knew about this.

Someone must have leaked the information.

Jiang Yuansheng nodded. “The court is likely filled with his spies, including in the Ministry of Justice’s prison.”

The lower levels of the prison were heavily guarded.

Escaping through ordinary means was impossible.

The only explanation was that someone inside had helped.

Jiang Fengyuan’s scalp tingled. “That means his people are everywhere.”

“Also, Yan Song called his master ‘Your Highness.’ That leaves only the eldest prince or the third prince.”

Jiang Yuanxi, nestled in Chen Shi’s lap, was deep in thought.

【The eldest prince is a hopeless romantic. No way it’s him.】

She recalled his past obsession with Jiang Ruowei—he was completely lovesick.

【The third prince did survive till the end, but…】

Suddenly, Jiang Yuanxi remembered someone.

【How did I forget the emperor’s illegitimate son? If I remember correctly, he should have already arrived in Shengjing.】