Nine out of ten gamblers lose; I've run into a jerk!

Chapter 45 Those who wield the hoe will eventually be dug up themselves.

As dawn broke, the delegation made preparations for their departure early. Zhao Zheng and Que Shu stood outside the gate, waiting to set off.

With a series of thuds, a procession came from the direction of the imperial city, led by none other than the Crown Prince Jingchuan.

A moment later, the procession stopped in front of the post station. Jing Chuan turned and dismounted, raising his hand to greet Zhao Zheng and Que Shu, who returned the greeting.

The three of them formed a triangle, but at that moment they all felt it was nothing out of the ordinary. Years later, when they looked back on this day, they realized that life's encounters are unpredictable and the world is ever-changing.

Jingchuan looked back at a magnificent carriage behind him, his eyes filled with reluctance and longing. Shen Qing knew that Princess Fukang must be in the carriage.

As expected, Jing Chuan withdrew his gaze and walked towards Shen Qing, bowing respectfully.

"Sanlang, I'll trouble you to look after my sister for a while."

In fact, Jingchuan really wanted Shen Qingxi and her sister to ride in the same carriage to prevent any unexpected situations, but since it was inconvenient for her to be dressed as a man now, and he couldn't disregard her reputation, he had to give up the idea.

Shen Qing returned the greeting. Zhao Zheng, who was not far away, saw this scene and thought to himself, "Jing Chuan bypassed him and the Xuan Guo envoy and specially instructed a guard. This person must be extraordinary." He raised his hand and beckoned, and someone immediately appeared beside him. Zhao Zheng whispered a few words in his confidant's ear, and the person immediately disappeared into the crowd.

On the other side, Jingchuan seemed to have thought of something happy, and a smile appeared on his face as he said, "Sanlang, Father has given me a courtesy name, Yincheng."

Jingchuan went to Xuan Kingdom at the age of twelve. He had never studied properly before, but unlike Jiang Se, no one made fun of him for it. Apart from the Third Prince Que Qiong, his classmates had to address him respectfully as His Highness.

"Born into the Crown Prince, blessed by Heaven, it is evident that His Majesty has high expectations for him." Shen Qing tried his best to display the demeanor of a liberal arts student, but his heart skipped a beat. Why was Jing Chuan smiling like a flower and telling him this?

"After Sanlang returns to Xuandu, please tell Deyin for me."

"……Oh."

It was getting late, and they still needed to continue their journey, so Jingchuan didn't bother with further pleasantries. He mounted his horse and saw the delegation off out of the city.

After seeing you off for a thousand miles, we must eventually part ways. Jingchuan stopped at the city gate, watching the delegation gradually disappear into the distance until they vanished on the horizon.

Because of his criminal record, Shen Che no longer allowed Shen Qing to ride around on horseback on his own. Instead, he made him ride in a carriage with him and kept him under his watchful eye.

As they left the city, Shen Qing was filled with apprehension, but her eyes never strayed towards the carts laden with local specialties. With Jing Chuan seeing them off, the city guards dared not conduct any further checks and wasted time, and they passed through without incident.

Once they were far from the city gate, Shen Qing breathed a sigh of relief.

"What misdeeds has Sanlang done this time?"

Shen Qing was startled. Oh no, she forgot to control her expression. She quickly shook her head three times. As long as he didn't admit it, no one could do anything about it.

Shen Che looked at Shen Qing with some distrust, remaining skeptical. Oh well, the road ahead was long, so he decided to close his eyes and rest for now.

Seeing Shen Che's nonchalant demeanor, Shen Qing couldn't help but think to himself, "He truly is Shen Shi's own son; they're both like foxes, full of cunning and slyness."

As dusk fell, the delegation successfully arrived at the next post station. After all, they were close to Qidu, and if they encountered a large group of bandits under the emperor's nose, Qi would have been finished long ago.

When Shen Qing got out of the car, he was met head-on by Zhao Zheng, the fourth prince of Jingguo. In public, it would be impolite to ignore him, so he politely cupped his hands and waited for him to go first.

But the shadow in front of her didn't move for a long time. Shen Qing felt a backache and couldn't help but look up to meet Zhao Zheng's dark eyes.

"Your Highness...is something the matter?"

"No need for formalities. Since you can befriend the Crown Prince of Qi, you must be no ordinary person. I also admire talented and extraordinary individuals."

Shen Qing was full of questions and didn't know how to respond. Could it be that the fourth prince of Jing Kingdom was seriously ill?

He could only awkwardly reply, "I am but a humble warrior; Your Highness is too kind."

Now that they were stopped outside the post station, it wasn't the time for much talk. Zhao Zheng simply gave Shen Qing a cryptic look before continuing on his way.

Unbeknownst to Shen Qing, Zhao Zheng's confidant and Xuan Guo's guard, La Gua, had already ascertained Shen Qing's heroic deeds on the journey of escorting Jing Chuan back to the country.

Zhao Zheng felt that such a skilled person was wasting his talents by serving as a guard in a noble family, so he decided to poach him. Since he had just met him, he made sure to greet him first and leave an impression of being a courteous and respectful person.

Unexpectedly, Shen Qing's thought process was unusual. She didn't feel flattered at all, but only thought that he was a guy without any sense of boundaries.

This was also due to Shen Qing's subjective impression. In his aesthetic view, although Zhao Zheng was handsome, his eyes and brows were cold and he was a scheming person. Shen Qing did not like to deal with people who were cunning because he was not cunning enough.

While resting in the lobby, Zhao Zheng's confidant, Bo Xi, came to chat with Shen Qing. Under the guise of being fellow guards, they talked about what they thought were common topics. Shen Qing played along with his act, wondering what the master and servant were up to. Could they be trying to spy on Xuan Kingdom's secrets?

They really picked the wrong person. Shen Qing only knew that Que Shu was going to Yu Kingdom as a hostage, but he knew nothing about the shady deal between the two countries' leaders. He was also wise enough not to ask Shen Che, because knowing too much could lead to a quick death.

Bo Xi was also a chatterbox. He talked endlessly about the wealth of Jingguo, and he couldn't stop praising his master.

"When Your Highness was fifteen, you used a brilliant strategy to wipe out a cult. The Grand Tutor praised Your Highness for your unparalleled wisdom and specially gave you the courtesy name Jinxuan."

Holding jade and possessing wisdom, Shen Qing thought to himself, "My nine brothers are still so sharp and ambitious, aren't they afraid of becoming the target of everyone's criticism? They seem to be not smart enough."

However, on the other hand, if you pretend to be weak and then try to outmaneuver others, you might actually become weak yourself. With such fierce competition, if you're not assertive, where will the forces that would come to serve you and attach themselves to you? And where will you get the capital to seize the throne?

This is really mind-bending. Shen Qing suddenly felt fortunate that he wasn't a prince, otherwise his IQ wouldn't be enough.

As they chatted, Bo Xi steered the conversation back to the topic of being offered food and treatment. Shen Qing finally realized that this guy was here to steal her away!

Shen Qing didn't say anything, but silently pulled out the two long knives from his waist and placed them on the table with a "thud".

Bo Xi picked it up to examine it, then went to the backyard and waved it around a few times. The wood crumbled into pieces with a silky smooth texture, and he immediately shed tears of envy.

In this day and age, prospecting for minerals relies entirely on luck. Iron ore is scarce, and ordinary soldiers are armed with bronze weapons. Those who wield iron swords are elite guards, and only generals can possess refined steel.

Shen Qing's two knives were also made by Lu the blacksmith who served the Shen family. They were made from steel that had been hammered tens of thousands of times to remove impurities, which is enough to show the Shen family's wealth and expertise.

Bo Xi sighed indignantly, "Even a member of the aristocratic family is richer than the Fourth Prince. They are truly parasites on the country. Your Highness is right to want to eliminate the aristocratic family!"

Knowing that Zhao Zheng couldn't offer a higher salary right now, not because he couldn't afford to support Shen Qing, but because many of the older staff would have reservations, he said no more and silently went upstairs to his room to report back.

Shen Qing pursed his lips. That's all? He hadn't even thrown out a stack of gold leaves yet.