Inside the room, the wet nurse brought the young prince to Chen Wan's side. It was rare to see the child awake, and his bright, dark eyes were enough to melt anyone's heart.

When the baby is in the womb, you look forward to the baby's birth. After the baby is born, you look forward to the baby being able to walk, talk, and call you "Mom".

Shen Wan was playing with the child when Xie Jingyan came in, sat by the bed for a while, and said, "I'm going to the Yan residence. I might not be back for lunch."

The Emperor returned the Yan family mansion and the confiscated items to the Yan family, but the deeds to the house and land were in Xie Jingyan's hands. Xie Jingyan knew that his cousin Yan Zheng and cousin Yan Qing'er were both in the capital and had not yet recognized each other. Today was the day that the cousins ​​would recognize each other.

Shen Wan nodded. "Go quickly."

If she weren't still in postpartum confinement and couldn't be exposed to the wind, she would have accompanied Xie Jingyan to the Yan residence.

Xie Jingyan kissed Shen Wan, then got up and left.

When he arrived at the main gate of the Prince's Mansion, Chen Feng was already waiting there with his horse.

Xie Jingyan mounted his horse and headed straight for the Yan residence.

The Lingwang Mansion and the Yan Mansion were some distance apart. Even though it was freezing cold, there were still quite a few pedestrians on the street. Xie Jingyan rode his horse at full speed to Changping Street, and then his speed slowed down.

Many people surged forward, blocking the road.

Xie Jingyan, still on horseback, heard someone ask, "What happened up ahead?"

Someone replied, "Remember that time someone tied the heir of the Duke of Mao to the city wall and hung him there all night? The person showed up, and the heir of the Duke of Mao caught him red-handed..."

"Hanging up the heir of the Duke of Maoguo, and instead of hiding far away, he dares to show himself? Isn't he asking for death?"

"That's right..."

The two, afraid of missing out on the excitement, walked very quickly.

Xie Jingyan frowned.

He rode forward and saw two figures fighting in the distance.

It was none other than Yan Zheng and the heir of the Duke of Maoguo.

Chen Feng led the way, and Xie Jingyan rode his horse through the crowd of onlookers, shouting, "Stop!"

Yan Zheng and the heir of the Duke of Maoguo stopped fighting at the same time.

Yan Zheng remained silent, while the heir of the Duke of Maoguo looked at Xie Jingyan and said, "Is Prince Ling going to meddle in my affairs again?!"

Xie Jingyan's gaze fell on his face, and he asked, "Are you fighting or just having a friendly spar?"

The heir of the Duke of Maoguo was furious. This man named Xu Chuan had hung him, the heir of the Duke of Maoguo's mansion, on the city wall. He wished he could tear him into eight pieces, chop him up, and feed him to the dogs. Which eye of the Prince of Ling was blind enough to see that they were having a friendly competition?

The heir of the Duke of Mao was furious, but just as he was about to unleash his anger, Xie Jingyan's gaze swept over him lightly, "The city patrol is on its way. It's one thing for you to have a friendly sparring match, but to start a fight..."

The words were already on the tip of his tongue, but not wanting to be invited to the city patrol office for tea, the heir of the Duke of Maoguo gritted his teeth and changed his mind, "Of course it's a competition!"

He looked at Xie Jingyan, "Does Prince Ling still intend to stop us?"

Xie Jingyan, riding on horseback, said leisurely, "Let's fight. Since this is a friendly exchange, there's no need to hold back."

The onlookers were stunned.

They were just there to watch the spectacle.

Prince Ling is always eager to stir up trouble.

Shouldn't a friendly competition be limited to a point and not hurt feelings? How can you expect someone to hold back?

I thought Prince Ling was helping the masked man and stopping them from fighting, but it turns out he was afraid that the heir of the Duke of Mao would get arrested and sent to the city patrol for fighting in the street. The Empress Dowager helped the Yan family preserve a bloodline, and Prince Ling has even started to protect the Empress Dowager's maternal nephew.

Well, those watching the spectacle thought Xie Jingyan was on the side of the Duke of Mao's heir, and the Duke of Mao's heir thought so too.

He clenched his fist and punched Yan Zheng.

Originally, Yan Zheng had been tolerant of the heir of the Duke of Maoguo in every way. After he hung the heir of the Duke of Maoguo on the city wall, the Minister of Justice instructed him to avoid the heir of the Duke of Maoguo and not to have any further conflicts with him.

During his stay in the capital, Yan Zheng either stayed home or disguised himself when he did go out. He was in a hurry to return to the Yan residence today and didn't bother to disguise himself. He just grabbed this mask and didn't expect to run into the heir of the Duke of Mao on the way. The heir of the Duke of Mao didn't even give him a chance to speak and attacked him directly.

The person who asked the Minister of Justice to help the Yan family back then was the Empress Dowager. Although he didn't know why the Empress Dowager would do this, he knew that the heir of the Duke of Maoguo was the Empress Dowager's maternal grand-nephew. Not wanting to be known as ungrateful, he only defended against the Duke of Maoguo's troubles and prepared to find an opportunity to leave.

Today is probably the last time he will wear a mask. After he takes off the mask, the heir of the Duke of Maoguo will never know that he was the one who hung him on the city wall.

Unexpectedly, just as he was about to leave, Xie Jingyan came over and changed their fight into a friendly sparring match, saying that they didn't need to hold back.

This was clearly said to him.

Yan Zheng glanced at Xie Jingyan and, seeing that he was serious, clenched his fist and no longer held back.

By the time the city patrol arrived, the heir of the Duke of Maoguo had already been beaten black and blue.

If they hadn't known that this was the heir of the Duke of Mao, neither the heir of the Prince of Yanping nor Tang Ze would have believed it was him.

The Crown Prince of Yanping, mounted on horseback, said, "Fighting in the street? Do you think the city patrol is just for show?!"

Someone shouted, "They're not fighting, they're having a friendly competition."

A competition or friendly exchange?

They're not blind.

Is it possible to spar like this, to the point of exhaustion?

However, since everyone said they were just having a friendly spar, the city patrol could only treat it as a friendly competition.

The Crown Prince of Yanping asked the patrol officers, "What are the rules for punishing people who engage in street sparring?"

The constable said, "This has never happened before, I didn't know..."

Tang Ze thought for a moment and said, "Sparring in the street for people's amusement is no different from street performances. It can be dealt with as street performances, but the space occupied is too large..."

Prince Yanping, “…”

The Prince of Yanping's lips twitched slightly. He said, "Street performances—I mean, street sparring—caused traffic congestion. Considering it's their first offense, we won't arrest them. They'll be fined five taels each as a warning to others."

Yan Zheng reached into his purse and realized he had no money. He asked, "Can I buy on credit?"

Prince Yanping, “…”

Tang Ze, "..."

Buying on credit?

Their city patrol office isn't a place for buying and selling, okay?

Just as the Prince of Yanping was about to speak, a ten-tael silver ingot flew towards him.

Chen Feng threw it over.

Xie Jingyan rode a few steps closer and said to Yan Zheng, "Let's go."

Yan Zheng mounted his horse, and the two rode away.

Chen Feng walked to the side of the Prince of Yanping and held out his hand, saying, "Give me five taels."

Prince Yanping, “…”

The constable presented five taels of silver.

Chen Feng took the money and rode off to catch up with his prince.

Seeing this, even the slow-witted heir of the Duke of Maoguo realized who Xie Jingyan was referring to when he said, "There's no need to show mercy."

His face, bruised and swollen from the beating, was incredibly ugly; he almost bit off all his teeth.

After walking a bit further away, Yan Zheng asked Xie Jingyan, "Why did you make me beat him up?"

The wind blew past his ear, scattering Xie Jingyan's voice.

"The Yan family owes the Empress Dowager nothing, much less the Duke of Mao's family."