Ji Weiqiu knocked on the carriage wall, "That pavilion, I can't stand the sight of it. Release those who should be released, kill those who should be killed."

The accompanying Qingxuan Guard acknowledged and turned to carry it out.

Mian Li's gaze was somewhat astonished. He had followed Ji Weiqiu for over a decade and had never heard him give an order with the word 'kill'. Today was the very first time.

Several years ago, a palace servant dozed off while on duty. The wind blew the curtain against a candle, and although the fire only burned half the curtain, it was a major taboo in the palace. According to palace rules, the punishment was at least fifty strokes of the cane, which would have beaten the person to death. But His Highness had someone stop it, only docking two years' salary as punishment, and truly let the matter go.

Even for something as serious as a fire in the forbidden palace, he had been lenient. It was clear that he was truly enraged today.

Mian Li asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, just a few days ago, didn't you say..."

Just a few days ago, he said he wanted to be a peaceful prince, that a gentleman does not stand under a crumbling wall, and that one shouldn't push the local powers into a corner.

Ji Weiqiu's eyes snapped open. He raised an eyebrow and said, "That was the original plan, but I just thought about it. What is my status, and what is his? Am I supposed to endure this?"

Mian Li could only sigh. 'Alright, it seems that fellow Qian Si really disgusted His Highness.'

That evening, at the Qian Residence.

Qian Zhiwei said in astonishment, "Say that again! What happened to Yong'er?!"

The young servant's face was bruised and swollen, his limbs were purple with contusions, and the deep ligature marks on his wrists made it clear he had just been untied. He said in a hoarse voice, "Second Young Master... Second Young Master has been abducted by the Prince of Rui's men!"

"Nonsense!" Qian Zhiwei slammed the table. "Why on earth would the Prince of Rui have Yong'er abducted!"

He suddenly thought of something. "Yong'er left the residence?! Didn't I strictly order him not to leave for the next few days?!"

The hall was full, yet silent as cicadas in winter; no one dared to answer. If the Second Young Master wanted to go out, who could possibly stop him?

"That's it, that's it..." Qian Zhiwei muttered. "He must have gone out and happened to run into the Prince of Rui, who in his great anger had him abducted... What a Prince of Rui! What a Prince of Rui!"

Qian Zhiwei's eldest son, Qian Weilian, said, "Father, there must be a reason for this. Don't be anxious yet. The Prince of Rui had him thrown at our gate, which shows he was meant to deliver a message. At worst, Second Brother will suffer some physical pain, but his life won't be in danger."

He turned his head and demanded, "How did he offend the Prince of Rui?... Tell me everything you saw and heard today, in detail!"

"No, it wasn't the Prince of Rui, it was that Third Young Master Zhang who came with him..." the young servant said with a pained expression. "First Young Master, today was truly bizarre. Second Young Master encountered Third Young Master Zhang at the Qingyuan Tower. He was originally going to cause trouble, but he eased up when he saw it was Third Young Master Zhang. The two of them even started drinking! Then, Second Young Master took Third Young Master Zhang to the Full Moon Tower to have fun together. Unexpectedly, just a few words after they entered the room, that Third Young Master Zhang stormed off. Second Young Master even chased after him! He said something like 'I misspoke, my apologies,' but right after Third Young Master Zhang left, people came and tied up Second Young Master and all of us, and the Full Moon Tower was sealed."

Qian Weilian said coldly, "What did they say in the room?"

This time, the only one accompanying the Prince of Rui was Prime Minister Gu's younger brother, Second Young Master Zhang. There's no Third Young Master Zhang, but aliases are possible.

The young servant lowered his head and said, "Second Young Master wouldn't let us in. Only he and Third Young Master Zhang went inside. It's just that there was a beauty living in the room next door..."

Then it must have been something illicit.

"Did they say where he was taken?!" Qian Weilian asked again.

The young servant shook his head. "This servant didn't hear clearly, only something about a 'Dark Auction' or the like..."

Qian Weilian heaved a long sigh of relief. He looked at Qian Zhiwei and said, "Father, don't worry yet. It must be that Second Brother was too arrogant and offended that Second Young Master Zhang, who then had him sent to Yanjing... A Dark Auction is easy. I'll send people to Yanjing to wait and just buy Second Brother back. At worst, we'll spend a little more silver. You should first send an invitation to the Royal Villa. His Highness, Prince of Rui, might not know about this yet. It's better to resolve grievances than to let them fester. On the other side is Prime Minister Gu, so it would be best to ask His Highness, Prince of Rui, to mediate and settle this matter."

As long as his second brother wasn't killed, there was still room to turn things around.

Qian Zhiwei said hatefully, "How did your mother ever give birth to that scourge, your second brother! For now, this is the only way!"

That night, Qian Zhiwei came to request an audience. At that time, Ji Weiqiu, Ji Liu, and the others were feasting. When Qian Zhiwei entered the corridor, he saw a waterside flower hall in the distance, brilliantly lit and decadent. The faint sounds of string and bamboo instruments drifted over. The person in the main seat was dressed in a vibrant red robe, looking like a blazing fire from afar, like an immortal.

Qian Zhiwei couldn't help but stop and stare. It wasn't until a servant at his side reminded him that he came back to his senses and walked forward.

"This subordinate, Qian Zhiwei, pays his respects to the Prince." Qian Zhiwei clasped his hands and bowed, bending his waist very low. Ji Weiqiu, holding a cup in one hand, said casually, "Lord Qian, what brings you here?"

Qian Zhiwei composed himself and said, "My Prince, please forgive me. I heard that a place in the city displeased you today and was sealed. I have come especially to apologize."

He was testing the waters first. If the Prince of Rui was unaware, he could continue his plea for the Prince of Rui to mediate.

Ji Weiqiu thought for a moment, then said nonchalantly, "Oh... so you came for this matter. This Prince had that building sealed, and also taught someone a lesson... That kind of behavior truly disgusted this Prince. Lord Qian, this Prince has never liked to meddle, but since you are here, I will say one more thing... This place of yours has far too many things that make this Prince uncomfortable."

Qian Zhiwei's heart trembled, and a bitter taste filled his mouth. "This subordinate has been derelict in his duties! I implore the Prince to punish me!"

"It's not a big deal." Ji Weiqiu glanced at the exquisite jade cup in his hand and smiled languidly. "This Prince has handled it. Just proceed as instructed."

If Qian Zhiwei knew what was good for him, he should have taken his leave now. He couldn't afford to offend Prime Minister Gu, let alone the Prince of Rui. Ji Liu was a little curious. "How did it disgust you so badly?"

"Just some scum." Ji Weiqiu said nonchalantly. "Even hearing about it would dirty one's ears."

Zhang Er and Zou San knew Ji Weiqiu quite well. For him to call it scum and to have sealed the entire building, it must have been truly foul.

Hearing this, Ji Liu nodded, turned to Qian Zhiwei and said, "Lord Qian, did you hear? Just do as he said."

Zhang Er, however, said, "For such a small matter, you made a special trip to ask? Lord Qian, you're not a very good official!"

Zou San was mischievous. "Coming here so eagerly to apologize... Lord Qian, could this trouble have something to do with you?"

Qian Zhiwei couldn't hide the bitter expression on his face. He said, "To be honest, the one the Prince had abducted is a junior member of this subordinate's clan... Alas! This subordinate has been lax in managing my household! I implore the Prince to punish me!"

"No need." Ji Weiqiu said. "Lord Qian is an important local official, an official of the court. This Prince is merely an idle prince, with no authority to punish you. Lord Qian, what is the meaning of wailing and crying before this Prince?"

Ji Weiqiu then said with a smile, "It's merely a matter of being lax in managing your household. Every family has clansmen who commit crimes; it's not a capital offense. If you want to show your loyalty, it would be better to go to Yanjing, have an audience with Your Majesty, and confess your transgressions yourself."

With things said to this extent, Qian Zhiwei had grievances he couldn't voice. The young masters before him all had powerful backgrounds and were closely allied with the Prince of Rui. Who would dare offend them? He could only swallow this bitter pill. He would have to offer more bribes after he returned, hoping the Prince of Rui would let this matter slide for the sake of the silver.

He shouldn't have come today! It would have been better if it hadn't been brought out into the open; he could have just secretly paid them off. By coming today, it seemed as if he was asserting his status and using his power to pressure them, only to be rebuked for no reason.

Ji Liu suddenly said, "Lord Qian, do you have any other important matters?"

Ji Weiqiu's gaze shifted slightly, and a palace attendant stepped forward. Qian Zhiwei had no choice but to take his leave. As soon as he left, Zhang Er snorted coldly, "I've seen plenty of people like him."

Ji Weiqiu asked curiously, "Where have you seen them?"

"Where haven't I seen them?" Zhang Er said. "My family has been farmers and scholars for eight generations. It wasn't until my brother that we produced a promising scholar. My brother has a good temperament too; he helps anyone who has helped our family in the past. Who would've thought we'd raise a pack of ungrateful wolves? They think they're all that, coming to our door to ask my brother for favors as if they're delivering an Imperial Edict..."

Everyone laughed and started chatting about the amusing stories of Zhang Er's family.

After three rounds of drinks, everyone had their fill and dispersed. No one took today's small episode to heart.

When Qian Zhiwei returned home, Qian Weilian was waiting at the central gate. Seeing him return, he said, "We've already found traces of Second Brother. He is indeed on the road to Yanjing... Father, what was the outcome?"

Qian Zhiwei suppressed his anger and said, word by word, "That rebellious son offended the Prince of Rui!"

Qian Weilian's eyes darkened slightly. "It seems the Prince of Rui isn't as completely depraved as the rumors say."

Qian Zhiwei pushed open the door to the study and locked it from the inside. Only then did he point at his eldest son and say angrily, "Who told you to do this? Confess honestly, are you involved in this matter with Yong'er?!"

Qian Weilian's expression remained unchanged. "Father, I'm not so deranged as to harm my own full-blooded younger brother. Second Brother was impulsive in this matter... Now, the Full Moon Tower is completely empty, not a single person can be found. But that's good too... Father, the world is settled. This matter is too risky. We should take this opportunity to extricate our family from it. Let's not get involved any further."

Qian Zhiwei was so angry he laughed. "You think you can just quit whenever you want? The Emperor has long been wary of me! The things your father has done are enough to get our nine generations of relatives executed several times over! If I hadn't cleaned up my tracks so well, would you even be sitting here talking!"

Qian Weilian said seriously, "That person is no saint either! Scheming with him is like asking a tiger for its skin!"

Qian Zhiwei flicked his sleeve. "Say no more. I am already in His Majesty's bad graces; it's only a matter of time before I am purged! Since we've now offended the Prince of Rui as well, the only thing to do is to go all the way! We'll make our move once that scoundrel, the Prince of Rui, leaves the territory of Quanzhou Prefecture!"

A chill ran through Qian Weilian's heart. Perhaps these past few years had been too smooth, causing his father to lose his necessary patience and vigilance. He tried to persuade him again, "Father, don't speak out of anger. The Prince of Rui has been kept in Yanjing by the current emperor for a long time. He's young and temperamental. Having just left Yanjing, he is at his most arrogant. Second Brother ran right into the line of fire, yet he was only sent to Yanjing. This shows the Prince was just venting his anger and doesn't want to make an irreconcilable enemy of you."

"We can placate the Prince of Rui with money and show some deference. Why resort to violence?" Qian Weilian reasoned. "Capturing him now would bring no benefit. The Prince of Rui will certainly not be obedient, and at that point, we might end up pleasing neither side. Besides, our Qian family is deeply rooted in Quanzhou. If something happens to the Prince of Rui right after he leaves Quanzhou Prefecture, do you think the current emperor won't see through it?"

He smiled faintly. "Even an assassination is only two hundred thousand taels of silver. For Second Brother's matter, we'll double it. What anger can't be appeased by four hundred thousand taels of silver?"

......

Lying in bed, Ji Weiqiu couldn't help but mull over the day's events again.

...No! He had to write a letter to his brother to complain!