The following day, the Fourth Prince, along with the Thirteenth Prince and Su Peisheng, arrived at the residence of Han Changzhi, the Governor of the three provinces of Jiangsu. Han Changzhi held immense power over the civil administration of the three wealthiest provinces in Jiangnan and was a close advisor to Emperor Kangxi. Han Changzhi was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) in the eighth year of Kangxi's reign, and came from the prestigious Han family of Jiangnan—he had connections, education, and merit. It could be said that Han Changzhi might not care about the princes, but any prince vying for the throne would have to consider how much his support would be in their struggle for succession.

Originally, Han Changzhi didn't owe the imperial court any money; it was all related to his family. The Han family had accumulated wealth over generations, so there was no need for them to borrow. Fourth Master and Thirteenth Master had come to collect their debts, and had little to do with this Lord Han, so they hadn't intended to bother him. However, since he had come to invite them personally, Fourth Master and Thirteenth Master couldn't very well refuse.

The Han family had lived in Hangzhou for generations. Their old house didn't look any better than the newly built official residences, but its value lay in the heritage of a distinguished family.

Fourth Prince, Thirteenth Prince, and Su Peisheng had just arrived at the governor's residence when they saw Han Changzhi leading several advisors and similar men to greet them at the gate. Fourth Prince and his companions had arrived on horseback, and before Fourth Prince's horse even reached them, Han Changzhi personally went to Fourth Prince's horse and took its reins. Behind him followed a young man who took Thirteenth Prince's horse's reins.

"I am deeply honored by the presence of Your Highness, Fourth Prince. My son, though unworthy, has asked me to meet a prince of the current dynasty, and has brought him here to lead the horse for the Thirteenth Prince. I hope Your Highness and the Thirteenth Prince will forgive him." Han Changzhi was over sixty years old, and the young man who looked no older than twenty must have been his only son. It was said that the Han family had only produced one son for four generations, and in Han Changzhi's generation, only this one son had emerged. Was it truly fate? Han Changzhi had many concubines, yet this only son was born to a maidservant without any official status. Naturally, having this only son elevated his status. However, he was ultimately not born of the principal wife, a shadow that Han Changzhi could never erase from his heart.

"Lord Han is being far too polite." Fourth Master dismounted, and Thirteenth Master and Su Peisheng followed suit.

Han Changzhi led the Fourth Master and his entourage inside. The people there only bowed to the Fourth Master and the Thirteenth Master, but Han Changzhi did not introduce them. This showed that they were all his staff members and not people with official positions.

After the guests and hosts were seated and tea was served, Han Changzhi said, "Fourth Prince, you have been in Hangzhou for some time now. I wonder if there is anything I can do to help you? Please don't hesitate to ask, Prince."

Upon hearing this, Thirteen's spirits lifted. He had had enough of the rudeness and indignation he had endured from the officials of Hangzhou Prefecture. Although he was a prince, he ultimately lacked the authority to interfere in their affairs. If they ignored him, there was nothing he could do. Now that the governor of the three provinces of Suzhou and Hangzhou had spoken, things were much easier. Han Changzhi was the top boss of these officials; with a single word, he could decide who would continue to rise in their careers and who might be demoted or dismissed.

The Fourth Prince smiled slightly, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lord Han, and said, "Thank you, Lord Han. My thirteenth brother is currently working for Father Emperor and has indeed encountered some difficulties. However, all of you gentlemen are reasonable, and it shouldn't be long before we brothers can report back."

Upon hearing this, Thirteen immediately turned around and winked at Fourth Master, but the latter seemed not to have seen it at all.

When Lord Han heard the Fourth Prince say this, he chuckled and said in a very friendly manner, "Fourth Prince, you are being too polite with me. Sharing the Fourth Prince's worries is sharing the Emperor's worries." After saying this, he raised his hand and cupped his fist towards the north.

“What Lord Han says is very true. Then this Prince will trouble Lord Han.” Fourth Prince suddenly changed his attitude.

This push and this welcome left Thirteen completely dumbfounded.

Well, Fourth Brother is truly remarkable. He clearly wanted Han Changzhi's help, but he refused first, making Han Changzhi state that he was serving Father Emperor. The difference between his actions and words is astounding.

Now that things were settled, it was time to eat.

Han Changzhi did not invite any colleagues to accompany the Fourth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince. Instead, he personally brought his son and advisors to have a heart-to-heart talk with the Fourth Prince about the civil administration in Jiangnan.

This speaks volumes; Han Changzhi is trying to curry favor with the Fourth Master!

On the way back, Thirteen said excitedly, "Fourth Brother, it's obvious that Lord Han wants to follow you. He even brought his son, who's not even twenty yet, out to meet you. He's probably paving the way for his son."

Fourth Master didn't really remember the taciturn Young Master Han, but he had never had any contact with Han Changzhi before. After this encounter, Fourth Master developed a certain liking for him.

"It's too early to say that. After all, the monolithic style of some people in Yangzhou and Hangzhou makes Fourth Master feel uneasy. Han Changzhi, as the governor of Jiangsu Province, seems oblivious to these matters, which is a fault of lax supervision," Fourth Master said.

“However, if this Lord Han really has nothing to do with them, he can actually help us a lot. At least once he speaks, those people won’t dare to make excuses like that anymore,” Thirteen said.

"Then let's wait and see. We shouldn't tell him anything else. We need to see how things go. It's a bit unsettling that he's suddenly surrendered like this." Fourth Master pulled on the reins of his horse, then suddenly spurred it on, and it galloped away.

"Fourth Brother, wait for me~" When Thirteen saw that Fourth Master suddenly spurred his horse to gallop, he immediately kicked his horse's belly and followed.

Seeing that his two masters had run away, Su Peisheng naturally followed suit.

Fourth Master ran all the way, the wind whistling in his ears. Just now, he had only felt that his mind was a jumbled mess, unable to make sense of anything.

As the saying goes, when a man is in a good mood, he always wants to go for a ride. So, our Comrade Si Si is in a good mood right now and wants to gallop on horseback, which is the same idea.

Fourth Master and his companions avoided the bustling city and ran down sparsely populated side streets, but they still attracted the attention of passersby.

"Get out of the way!" Thirteen suddenly noticed a figure rushing in front of him.

The man seemed to hear Thirteen's cry, and when he turned around, he saw that the horse had already galloped up to him. But she didn't seem flustered at all; she just stood there blankly.

"Get out of the way!" Thirteen pulled on the reins, and just as his horse was about to crash into the woman, it finally reared up and stopped.

The woman stood there blankly, watching Thirteen try to calm the restless horse.