Help! The innocent prince always tries to seduce me clumsily

"Yes, yes, what His Royal Highness said makes sense. I will listen to His Royal Highness."

The relationship between the two seemed to have returned to the way it was before. Si Jingli would occasionally put on airs, but he would always lower himself to consider Chu Shitong, and Chu Shitong would pamper Si Jingli in both big and small matters as usual.

There is actually nothing more to investigate regarding the taxation issues in Jingzhou.

All the silver and money in the underground banks have been counted. The original estimate was that it was less than 1.9 billion taels, but in fact it was less than the estimate, about 1.8 billion taels and 50 million.

In order to make up for the five million that Chu Shitong had sent to Jingzhou in the name of Si Jingli, Chu Shitong took out five million taels of silver from an underground bank to make up for it, and directly ordered his men to surround the Jingzhou Governor's Mansion and Liu Zeshan's residence overnight, staging a lifelike arrest drama.

The next day, Chu Shitong officially announced that Wu Wenchang and 28 officials from Jingzhou were suspected of embezzling Jingzhou's taxes, the amount of which was as high as more than 10 million taels. As soon as the news came out, it spread throughout Beiqing in an instant.

Chu Shitong suddenly appeared in front of everyone and teamed up with Si Jingli to swiftly investigate the matter and execute it quickly. For a time, the names of the two became the hottest topic of conversation among the people in Beiqing after tea.

Chu Shitong wrote a letter to Chu Shiyu to report on the situation in Jingzhou, clearly stated the approximate amount of corruption, and sent the confessions of various officials and Liu Zeshan.

That evening, Chu Shiyu specially ordered someone to deliver the reply letter as quickly as possible.

The follow-up handling of this matter and the government affairs in Jingzhou will be temporarily handled by Chu Shitong. After the handling is completed, the criminal can be detained and brought back to the capital.

For thirteen consecutive days, Chu Shitong was busy in the governor's mansion.

Chu Shitong detained all those who were related to this matter, because there were a lot of messes in Jingzhou right now. For example, the epidemic was only temporarily under control but not completely eliminated, and there were also many people in other counties who were related to this matter. Chu Shitong was so busy that he didn't sleep for several days.

Si Jingli has always been by her side.

Chu Shitong took out some money and gave it to Chu Shixuan, asking him to go to the epidemic area again to calm it down. Chu Shixuan returned to Jingzhou City less than ten days after he left. At present, the epidemic in Hongshan County has been under quite stable control. Although the people infected with the epidemic have been getting worse and dying, the number of new infections has dropped to the lowest. Once the prescription to eliminate the epidemic is developed, this matter can be officially resolved.

So far, the number of deaths due to the epidemic is only one thousand, which is a very good result compared to the previous life.

August 30th is also the last day of August.

The affairs of Jingzhou officially came to an end. Chu Shitong sorted out all the documents related to the case and sent them all the way to the capital. He also selected trustworthy local officials in Jingzhou who were not implicated to handle the government affairs of Jingzhou.

Chu Shiyu was extremely satisfied with Chu Shitong's handling methods and report documents. In his reply, he not only praised her highly, but also specially praised Si Jingli, who had always been treated as a vase by everyone.

Only after receiving the imperial edict from Chu Shiyu to return to the capital could Chu Shitong truly leave Jingzhou.

But what made Chu Shitong unhappy was that Chu Shifeng had failed twice in a row.

These two times were when Chu Shitong deliberately made him go back and forth on the way to Hongshan County to deal with the epidemic. Chu Shifeng's people didn't know what kind of accident had happened. It was clear that Chu Shixuan didn't have many people around him, but he was not killed in the two assassination attempts.

Now that Chu Shitong has received the imperial edict to return to the capital, it seems that he will really go back this time.

She suddenly felt that there was a reason why Chu Shifeng couldn't defeat her in his previous life. He arranged so many people, but only found opportunities to ambush twice. It was really a failure.

As Chu Shitong was thinking this, Bishui pushed the door open and walked in.

"Your Highness, His Royal Highness King Yuan sent someone to deliver a message. I heard that you and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will be leaving for the capital tomorrow. He invited you to have dinner at Chunfengdu Restaurant in the evening."

"Ah."

This meal must be eaten. After all, she and Si Jingli are going back with an imperial edict. Chu Shixuan's matter has not been completed yet, so it is reasonable for them to stay in Jingzhou for a while.

Not long after Bishui went out, Chu Shitong suddenly noticed the sound of fighting coming from the window.

When I walked to the window, I saw Rushuang fighting with a man in black.

The man was not wearing a mask, and did not look like a secret guard who came to assassinate. When Chu Shitong saw the man's appearance clearly, he immediately asked Rushang to stop.

"Rushuang! Stop!"

The man in black was beaten back step by step by Rushuang's moves. He finally heard Chu Shitong's words and saw Rushuang finally stop attacking, then he breathed a sigh of relief.

Chu Shitong recognized that the man in black was Chu Shifeng's subordinate.

She had seen him in Prince Yu's mansion before. He seemed to be someone who managed the secret guards and had shown up in front of Chu Shifeng several times.

I think this is the person who would contact Chu Shifeng as mentioned in the letter earlier.

The man in black came directly into the house, and Rushuang followed him in, standing in front of Chu Shitong with a vigilant attitude.

The man in black saluted Chu Shitong and said.

"Your Highness Prince Qi."

Chu Shitong said, "No need to be polite."

The man in black took the initiative to speak: "I am His Royal Highness Prince Yu's men. I am here to inform His Royal Highness that our prince has learned that you are going back to the capital, and he hopes to meet His Royal Highness Prince Yuan alone before you return to the capital. You don't need to worry about other things, just take His Royal Highness Prince Yuan into the restaurant."

"But your previous actions seemed to have failed?"

Chu Shitong's question seemed like a poke in someone's spine.

The man in black explained, "We did underestimate the people around King Yuan before. After the previous failures, we have gathered all our manpower and entered Jingzhou. As long as Your Highness is willing to help, there will be absolutely no accidents in this assassination."

Chu Shitong did have doubts about their business capabilities, but after hearing what they said, he couldn't make any excuses.

"Then I am only responsible for bringing him into the restaurant. Your people must ambush in advance and do not expose my intentions."

"I understand. We will inform Your Highness before we take any action."

Chu Shitong discussed the details of these matters with him and finalized the location and time of the restaurant.

The man in black said, "I will inform Your Highness in advance. Please do not let any of your secret guards approach the restaurant to avoid accidental injuries and exposure."

Generally speaking, each person's secret guards would hide in different places, and there were also cases where secret guards fought each other over their hiding places. However, generally speaking, when the secret guards followed their master to a certain place, they would patrol the surroundings in advance.

"We will set up an ambush in advance and attack the secret guards of His Highness King Kite first, and then choose the right time to attack King Kite. As long as Your Highness guarantees that your secret guards will not attack even if they are not at the scene, you don't need to worry about other things."

Chu Shitong said: "Okay."

She is surrounded not only by close-range secret guards like Rushuang, but also long-range secret guards like Amiao. Although they are a bit far away, if she delays a little, Rushuang and Jianying will still be able to come over if anything really happens.

"Then I will take my leave. Your Majesty, please get ready first."

After the man in black left, Rushuang stared at Chu Shitong in surprise and asked.

"Your Highness really believes in Prince Yu's people?"

Chu Shitong leaned back in his chair and said lazily, "Of course I don't believe it, but I have no choice."

"Why don't you ambush in the restaurant just in case, Your Highness?"

"That's fine. Yueying's disguise is usually hard for others to see through. Just be smart and don't get recognized."

"Yes."

......

evening.

Chunfengdu Restaurant.

The young master was very unhappy because Si Jingli was not brought to dinner tonight. It took Chu Shitong a long time to coax him into a good mood. When we arrived at the restaurant, Bishui told us that Si Jingli was still sulking in the inn.

Chu Shitong was helpless, and she didn't dare tell Si Jingli that she was going out to attend a Hongmen Banquet.

If Si Jingli knew about this, he would definitely insist on coming along. If he wasn't allowed to come, he would be living in fear in the inn. Not to mention being angry, just thinking about it makes you imagine that he would be crying in his bed out of grievance.

The evening sky was painted a gorgeous purple-red by the sunset glow. The sky was as gentle as the petals of a peony. The soft clouds and the light of the setting sun were intertwined and inseparable.

Chu Shitong was still dressed in black, light and low-key.

When the carriage arrived in front of the restaurant, Chu Shixuan was already standing at the door waiting.

He was wearing a crescent-colored robe, had a handsome face and a gentle temperament, and just standing there, he attracted many women to cast admiring glances at him.

Chu Shitong got off the carriage and walked over smiling all the way.

"Why don't you go in and wait, brother?"

Seeing Chu Shitong, Chu Shixuan's face finally revealed a gentle smile.

"I just got here not long ago."

"Then let's go in. I'm treating you today, so please don't save money for me, brother."

"Okay, I won't be polite then."

The two of them seemed like brothers with a deep affection for each other, and their words were full of warmth and kindness that was visible to the naked eye.

Chu Shitong's men had been lying in ambush at Chunfengdu for a long time. Basically, the waiters in the store were all disguised as Chu Shitong's men.

The two of them found a compartment on the second floor and sat down. Chu Shitong ordered Bishui to bring two jars of good wine that he had brought to the table, and Chu Shixuan ordered some dishes.

The dishes were served quickly, and Chu Shitong took the initiative to pour wine for Chu Shixuan.

Chu Shitong smiled and said, "Come to think of it, I haven't drunk like this with my brother before."

Chu Shixuan picked up the wine glass and took a sip, his expression indifferent, and said: "Xiao Qi is too busy. Every time I want to call you, you are always called away by the Sixth Prince."

"Sixth brother always asks me to go to his house for a drink. There were many times when I felt like I was going to drink myself to death in his house."

Chu Shitong didn't know why Chu Shixuan suddenly brought the topic to Chu Shifeng, so he had to change the subject calmly.

"By the way, my dear brother, has the epidemic situation in Hongshan County been stabilized? I heard that my dear brother was infected with the epidemic, and I was worried for a long time."

Chu Shixuan looked at her quietly. There was not a single flaw in the look and expression on her face. Even the worry and intimacy in her eyes were so real.

Chu Shixuan lowered his eyes and said, "It's just a rumor. I'm sorry to make Xiaoqi worried."

"What are you talking about, my brother?" Chu Shitong said, "I hope my brother is not infected. My worry is nothing."

After Chu Shitong finished speaking, he couldn’t stand it anymore and lowered his head to eat two bites of food.

Chu Shitong had said many hypocritical words, but when he said such words to Chu Shixuan, Chu Shitong really felt that he couldn't bear it after saying it.

She ate two mouthfuls of food in silence, and Master Chu suddenly put a piece of food into her bowl with his chopsticks.

Chu Shitong: “…”

The action of eating stopped at this moment, and Chu Shitong stared at the chopsticks and the food in a daze.

If the chef was not his own man, Chu Shitong would have really thought that Chu Shixuan had poisoned his food.

She laughed dryly and said, "I'm not a child. Why would my brother pick up any food for me?"

"Why isn't Xiao Qi a child?" Chu Shixuan said calmly, "It's almost September. Xiao Qi will only be seventeen after his birthday in September. Naturally, he is still a child now."

Chu Shitong smiled, and for a moment he didn't know whether he should eat the food with chopsticks or not.

"Royal brother, you are so polite. We are brothers. It would be too polite for you to pick food for me all of a sudden."

"I won't serve you any food because I'm being polite."

Chu Shixuan seemed to be making sense, and said, "Didn't that sworn brother pick up some food for you before? He treated you like a child, and since I'm his elder brother, I naturally have to treat you like a child too."

Chu Shitong seemed to understand suddenly.

Chu Shixuan is a guy who would never do anything without a reason. He picked up food for himself just to say a few words to Yin Yang Song.

Chu Shitong's smile gradually faded.

"Royal brother, just keep talking. Why are you bringing up my second brother for no reason?"

"You seem to care a lot about your sworn brother." Chu Shixuan looked at Chu Shitong, "Have you never investigated his identity?"

Chu Shitong's eyes gradually turned cold, and his tone remained stiff but barely changed, "What he is has nothing to do with me, and I don't care. My brother is busy with affairs, so don't worry about these trivial matters."

Chu Shixuan had no choice but to hold back his tone and said, "I just wanted to remind you that you should be more careful when interacting with people when you grow up. If I make you unhappy, it would be my fault."

Chu Shitong didn't seem to be angry at all, with a bit of quirky spirit in his eyes, and said with a smile: "Then my brother should punish himself by drinking three cups!"

Chu Shixuan smiled helplessly, "Okay."

Throughout the entire dinner table, Chu Shitong had been drinking with Chu Shixuan. It was not until both jars of wine were finished that Chu Shitong saw a pigeon flying outside, which was a signal that they were about to take action.

Chu Shitong stood up and said, "I've drunk a little too much. I'm going to the toilet. Please wait for me, brother."

Chu Shixuan asked, "Are you okay? How about I help you go?"

Chu Shitong: "...Thank you for your kindness, brother. It's not necessary."

She let Bishui help her down the stairs and came to the backyard. She rested for a while, then she heard the sound of something being smashed coming from the front building.

"Snapped!!!"

Then the table was overturned, plates and bowls were smashed to the ground, and hurried footsteps and people's exclamations were heard in the restaurant.

Chu Shitong sat quietly by the well in the backyard and looked out the window on the second floor. He saw many black-clad secret guards rushing into the house and a fight had already broken out inside.

The moonlight is like frost and the night is cold and thin.

Chu Shitong sat for a long time, waiting for the room to quiet down and the sound of swords clashing to stop, before he slowly went upstairs.

She vaguely felt that Chu Shixuan would not die so easily.