As Xie Jingchen had suspected, the person who invited him was the Heir of the Duke of Guardian.

In Nanliang, the Heir of the Duke of Guardian holds an even higher position than the Heir of Duke Chong did in Daqi.

The Duke of Guardian and the Emperor of Nangang are cousins.

The Duchess and the Nanliang Empress are sisters.

To the Heir of the Duke of Guardian, he has an uncle who is the Emperor of Nanliang and a cousin who is the Prince of Nanliang.

Such an identity makes him invincible in Nanliang.

But the Heir of Marquis Changning is an exception.

Two years ago, the Heir of Marquis Changning’s younger sister was married to the Prince of Nanliang by the Emperor.

Unfortunately, she died of massive bleeding due to a miscarriage only six months after her wedding.

To Dong Chenglang, the Prince of Nanliang is his brother-in-law.

General Shi is extremely loyal to the Nanliang Court. Twenty years ago, Elder General Shi sacrificed his life to save the late Emperor. In gratitude, the late Emperor bestowed on the Shi Family a Red Book Iron Certificate. Because of this, the Duke of Guardian could never seize the military power from General Shi’s hands.

This time, with Nanliang’s grain and grass burned and a city lost, it provided an opportunity for the Duke of Guardian.

Although Xie Jingchen did this to assist Daqi, so far it seems that apart from General Shi, everyone else is quite satisfied with this outcome.

There is no doubt that Daqi severely damaged Nanliang, boosted the morale of the soldiers, and eased the critical shortage of grain.

Dong Chenglang hoped that with the burning of the grain and grass, his uncle General Shi would become estranged from the court and lean towards Zhao Xu.

The Duke of Guardian wished to take advantage of the weakening of General Shi’s military influence to seize his power.

...But Xie Jingchen did not want to meet the Heir of the Duke of Guardian in the brothel.

Standing in front of the brothel, Xie Jingchen frowned tightly; the last time he entered a brothel, the feeling was really unpleasant.

He caught his bride and even took a punch from his brother-in-law.

The servant saw him stop and said, "Please."

Xie Jingchen took two steps forward, then stopped, "I won’t go in."

The servant was taken aback, "Our Young Master is inside."

"I know," Xie Jingchen said.

"But I’m afraid if my wife finds out I visited the brothel, she would kill me."

Having said that, he turned around and left.

The servant, "..."

The servant just watched as Xie Jingchen walked away.

Though Xie Jingchen did not meet his master and the task was incomplete, the servant wasn’t angry at all, and even felt a bit sympathetic.

What man doesn’t visit a brothel?

It’s rare to see someone so afraid of his wife.

The servant turned around and entered the brothel.

Inside the brothel, the sound of music and dance filled the air, mixed with an overpowering scent of powder.

On the second floor, in the best spot, the Heir of the Duke of Guardian sat there surrounded by beauties.

A beauty fed the Heir of the Duke of Guardian a cup of wine, and he kissed her, making her blush, "Oh, you’re annoying."

"Do you really find me that annoying?" the Heir of the Duke of Guardian laughed.

"Young Master is really annoying," she said in a soft voice, melting his bones a bit as she stuffed fruit into his mouth.

The servant stepped forward and called out, "Young Master."

The Heir of the Duke of Guardian glanced at him, "Where is the person?"

Beside the Heir of the Duke of Guardian sat a man drinking, "Could it be he’s not giving face?"

The servant wasn’t sure if it counted as not giving face.

If we say it wasn’t giving face, he didn’t object to coming to see the Young Master.

If we say it was giving face, he ultimately didn’t come in.

The servant truthfully said, "Knowing Young Master invited him, he followed me out, but stopped in front of the brothel, saying if he entered the brothel and his wife found out, she would kill him. He said this and left..."

Cough, cough!

The man choked.

"At the restaurant, he stood up to protect the Heir of Marquis Changning. I thought he feared nothing, but to think he has such fear of his wife," the man was incredulous.

It’s rare to help people but only cause trouble.

The woman lounging in the arms of the Heir of the Duke of Guardian also laughed, "What kind of promising future can a man afraid of his wife have?"

The Heir of the Duke of Guardian held her hand and said, "This man you’re calling afraid of his wife saved the Heir of Marquis Changning three times on the battlefield."

"One of those times was under Lieutenant General of Feihu Army Shangguan Ting."

The woman gasped, "So impressive?"

She was a bit envious of his wife.

I wonder what kind of woman could make such an impressive man afraid to anger her who wouldn’t dare enter a brothel.

"I wonder if he’s truly afraid of his wife or just making excuses to avoid this Young Master?" The Heir of the Duke of Guardian’s eyes were dangerous.

The man laughed, "Whether it’s fear of his wife or an excuse, we’ll know once we test. I hope he’s smart enough not to become our enemy!"

Today’s interest was high, and they wouldn’t change locations just to meet Xie Jingchen.

The matter of testing could wait until tomorrow.

They were testing Xie Jingchen, and Xie Jingchen was testing them as well.

He wanted to see how much the Heir of the Duke of Guardian wanted to win him over from the casual words at the restaurant.

Returning to the inn, Xie Jingchen drew a portrait of Aunt Xue, disguised himself, and jumped out of the window.

Finding the place best at gathering information, he asked for help to find someone.

Without a Hidden Guard by his side, he had to do everything himself.

The shop assistant took the silver, opened the portrait, and was first amazed by the beauty of the person in the painting, then exclaimed, "How come it’s her again?"

Again?

Xie Jingchen looked at the shop assistant.

The shop assistant smiled, "Two months ago, someone also brought a painting asking us to find someone, who was exactly this girl in the painting, but that painting wasn’t as good as yours."

"This girl is currently residing in a villa in the southern part of the city; that villa is by the lake and has beautiful scenery."

Xie Jingchen thanked him and turned to leave. The shop assistant felt a bit embarrassed seeing he didn’t ask for a refund.

Because he received two hundred taels.

The shop assistant called out to Xie Jingchen, "Sir, the money is easy for our shop to earn, let me offer you a word of advice, the girl in the painting isn’t someone you can aspire to."

Xie Jingchen, "..."

"Why?" Xie Jingchen asked.

"That villa belongs to the current Crown Prince."

Aunt Xue is affiliated with the Prince of Nanliang.

This news did not surprise Xie Jingchen; he asked, "Is the other portrait still at the shop?"

The shop assistant looked troubled.

Judging by his expression, Xie Jingchen knew the portrait was indeed there but couldn’t be shown casually to others.

Xie Jingchen took a silver ingot from his pocket and placed it on the counter, making the shop assistant more accommodating, "Please wait, I’ll find it for you."

Truly a wealthy client.

Having his own portrait, he still paid ten taels to see someone else’s painting.

The shop assistant searched for half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea and found the painting.

Xie Jingchen glanced at it.

Just as he suspected, it was Third Master’s handwriting.

With Third Master missing, Xie Jingchen suspected he might have come to Nanliang.

Aunt Xue used him to steal defense maps, and after accomplishing her goals, she disposed of him. Anyone would find it hard to swallow this.

But how could he alone be a match for the Prince of Nanliang?

Two months ago, he already knew Aunt Xue’s whereabouts, but it’s uncertain whether he is still alive now.

Xie Jingchen planned to investigate the villa at night, though Third Master deserved his fate, he was still part of Prince Zhenbei Mansion.

Third Master’s downfall made Prince Zhenbei Mansion a laughing stock in the Capital City.

But plans changed faster than events unfolded; just as Xie Jingchen returned to the inn, people from Changning Marquis Mansion arrived.

The Marchioness blamed her son for neglecting the benefactor. Arriving in the Capital City inexperienced, it was the time when someone needed guidance around town, yet he let the person wander around wasting time.

The Marchioness sent someone specifically to invite him, and what could Xie Jingchen do, but move to Changning Marquis Mansion?

The hospitality at Changning Marquis Mansion was overwhelming; Xie Jingchen was somewhat at a loss, so he excused himself, noting he couldn’t handle his drink well, and after a few drinks, he was helped away by a servant to rest.

Early the next morning, Xie Jingchen excused himself, saying he left something at the inn, and went to retrieve it.

Upon arriving at the inn, the same servant from the previous day came again, saying with familiarity, "Don’t worry, my Young Master isn’t at the brothel this time."

Xie Jingchen, "..."