In the Prajna Hall of the Xingyuan Marquis Mansion in the capital, Old Lady Hong Yingrong planned to keep her appointment with Chen Jin to discuss the tiger talisman drawings in detail.

The second son, Xue Zhongfu, came to his mother, Hong Yingrong, after the affairs of the Ministry of Works came to a temporary end, and prepared to go with her to the meeting place with Chen Jin.

"Eunuch Chen mentioned that he would send a carriage to pick up Mother," Xue Zhongfu said with a worried look on his face. "Although Eunuch Chen has never had any grudges against our Marquisate, I still cannot rest easy knowing Mother is traveling alone. Please allow your son to accompany you for your safety."

Hong Yingrong gently put on her cloak, exchanged a glance with Aunt Zhao beside her, and after a moment of contemplation, she nodded and agreed to her son's request.

When they arrived at the gate, a magnificent carriage was already waiting there.

The coachman got off the carriage and respectfully greeted the old lady. The delicacy in his manners and the softness in his voice showed that he was obviously a eunuch in disguise.

The carriage slowly drove out of the city and finally stopped at a quiet waterside house. Although the house was small, it looked particularly elegant because of its beautiful scenery and quiet environment.

Xue Zhongfu got off the carriage first, then turned around and carefully helped his mother Hong Yingrong get off the carriage.

The gate of the house slowly opened, and a servant with a loud voice came out.

"Madam, Second Young Master, you are all well. My master and Eunuch Chen are already waiting for you in the viewing pavilion."

As he spoke, he gestured for invitation to the viewing pavilion at the waterside, and then respectfully led the way.

Xue Zhongfu leaned close to his mother and whispered, "Mother, this man looks like a servant, but judging by the weight of his steps, he clearly possesses a profound foundation in martial arts. Also, the 'master' he mentioned just now, could it be that Eunuch Chen has invited someone else?"

Hong Yingrong nodded slightly and responded, "We don't know the specific situation, so we can only act according to circumstances."

The mother and son followed the servant to the viewing pavilion, only to see Chen Jin already standing there waiting, and next to him stood a young man.

The man, dressed in a green robe, stood tall and straight, like a pine tree. With his back to them, he quietly gazed at the shimmering water. Hearing footsteps, he slowly turned around, revealing a familiar yet long-missed face.

The moment Hong Yingrong and Xue Zhongfu saw that face, they exclaimed at the same time: "Yan Boxi!"

Yan Boxi smiled slightly and bowed to them: "Old Madam, Second Young Master, how are you?"

Chen Jin looked at their surprised expressions and couldn't help laughing: "It seems that my arrangement today has brought you two quite a surprise."

Hong Yingrong quickly regained her composure. She nodded to Yan Boxi, then turned to Chen Jin and said, "Eunuch Chen, your arrangement is indeed beyond our expectations."

Chen Jin gestured for everyone to take a seat. Inside the viewing pavilion, elegant tables and chairs had been neatly arranged. A pot of fragrant tea on the table exuded a refreshing aroma that curled up, as if it could soothe people's inner turmoil.

"Speaking of Young Master Yan," Chen Jin began slowly, "when the Spring Examination question case came to light, I petitioned His Majesty to save Young Master Yan's life. However, Prince Linjiang had already made plans and sent someone to rescue Young Master Yan from the imperial prison."

These words shocked Hong Yingrong and Xue Zhongfu. They never expected that Yan Boxi would later experience such a thrilling turn of fate.

Xue Zhongfu was well aware of the intrigues and schemes in the officialdom. He suddenly realized, "Could it be that the leak of the exam questions was actually related to the Prince of Linjiang?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jin showed an expression of affirmation on his face, which made Xue Zhongfu feel a chill on his back.

He always thought that Prince Linjiang, as a royal noble, was gentle and elegant. Therefore, when Nurhadu asked to marry his fifth sister Xue Shanqiu, he used Prince Linjiang as a shield and tried to delay the marriage.

However, if Prince Linjiang really committed fraud in the imperial examinations and stirred up trouble in the court, then he would be a man with evil intentions.

When Xue Zhongfu thought of this, he couldn't help but feel terrified: If my younger sister really married such a person, wouldn't that be pushing her into a fire pit?

At this time, Hong Yingrong slowly stood up and bowed deeply to Yan Boxi.

"Master Yan, I was the one who rashly informed Mr. Chen that you were hiding the test questions. I acted without careful consideration and without first confirming whether you were being framed. I feel deeply guilty for this and once again sincerely apologize."

Yan Boxi stared at her, his posture steady and motionless like a mountain. For a moment, the air seemed to freeze.

However, his gaze gradually softened after a brief silence, and he stood up, bowed and returned the greeting.

"Old Madam, you are too polite. To be honest, it was I who misjudged people that day and believed the slanderous words of a villain, which almost brought disaster to the Marquis' Mansion. If there is any apology to be made, it should be expressed by me."

Hong Yingrong stood up straight, gratitude in her eyes, "Mr. Yan is so generous, I am really ashamed."

Chen Jin watched from the side, feeling quite emotional. He turned to Xue Zhongfu and said seriously, "Second Young Master, I asked you to come here today, not only to help Young Master Yan and the old lady resolve the misunderstanding, but also to discuss an important matter."

Xue Zhongfu's expression turned serious when he heard this. "Eunuch Chen, please speak."

"Regarding the Tiger Tally blueprint," Chen Jin spoke slowly, "His Majesty has learned of Prince Linjiang's ambitions, and he is deeply concerned."

Chen Jin frowned and said in a deep voice, "Prince Linjiang is secretly searching for the Tiger Talisman blueprints in various locations. Clearly, he has big plans. Even more worrying is that he has secretly forged the Tiger Talisman in private mines. If we want to stop his ambitions, we must quickly locate these mines."

Yan Boxi's face was filled with shame. He shook his head and said, "Eunuch Chen, I am ashamed. Although I have tried my best to investigate, the King of Linjiang is extremely secretive. I have not yet been able to determine the exact location of the mine."

Hong Yingrong and Xue Zhongfu exchanged a glance, each seeing the solemnity in the other's eyes. They knew very well that the importance of the Tiger Tally Blueprint was self-evident. If it fell into the hands of the King of Linjiang, the consequences would be disastrous.

Chen Jin glanced around at everyone present, then spoke slowly and calmly, "The current situation is that Prince Linjiang is secretly coveting the Tiger Tally blueprint. However, all we have in the Imperial Household Department is half of the burned blueprint, which is of little use to us."

"Therefore, we hope that the old lady can lend a hand and see if we can find the real and complete tiger talisman pattern in the Marquis' Mansion. This is of vital importance to us and is the key to thwarting Prince Linjiang's ambitions."

Hong Yingrong remained calm after hearing Chen Jin's request. After pretending to be thoughtful for a moment, she slowly spoke, "Eunuch Chen, to be honest, the tiger talisman blueprint is a secret of the Marquisate, and has always been kept by the old Marquis himself. However, since the old Marquis passed away, the whereabouts of the blueprint has become a mystery. Although I have searched everywhere in the mansion, I have never been able to find it."

Xue Zhongfu immediately understood his mother's reluctance to directly hand over the Tiger Talisman, so he nodded in agreement, "Indeed, Eunuch Chen. My father has always kept the whereabouts of the Tiger Talisman blueprint a secret, even to his own family members. Finding it now will likely be difficult."

Chen Jin was disappointed when he heard this. He had originally thought that he could find clues to the tiger talisman blueprint in the Xingyuan Marquis Mansion, but he didn't expect this result.