This matter is strange.

"You...you scoundrel!" Qin Jiujiu grabbed Tang Zhaonan and said to Tang Feng, "Xiao Feng, how could you say such disrespectful things? You weren't like this before! I know you're upset because you're sick, but you can't talk like that. Apologize to your godfather! There's no problem between father and son that can't be resolved?" In Qin Jiujiu's opinion, Tang Feng was usually quite tactful in his words and actions. Even though he was angry, he still knew the bigger picture. As long as he lowered his head and admitted his mistake, it would be fine. After all, they were father and son, and Old Master Tang wouldn't make things difficult for him anymore. But to his surprise, Tang Feng looked up and met the furious eyes of his father, saying each word clearly, "I have never been favored by you, Father, neither in the past nor now. You have never paid attention to your son all these years, so why are you pressing me so hard this time? If you think I am rebellious and have defied heaven and our ancestors, then I, Tang Feng, am willing to sever our father-son relationship and never set foot in the Tang mansion again." Spring rain fell on Tang Feng. Although it was spring, the rain was still cold, making Tang Feng's lips turn white. Tang Feng stood up unsteadily and bowed to his father, "Father... farewell." Qin Jiujiu cursed inwardly why Liu Yiwan hadn't returned yet. Zhou Ziliang wasn't coming, and she couldn't bear to leave Tang Feng like this. She wanted to go back, but Tang Zhaonan pulled her back. "Let him go! Don't come back! Don't you think you're all grown up? Don't you think you're so great? Go!" Tang Feng staggered to the door, his chest... A familiar dull ache returned, but Tang Feng dared not let Tang Zhaonan know. He clutched his chest tightly, trying to calm himself. "Cough cough cough..." Qin Jiujiu, seeing Tang Feng struggling to walk, grew anxious. "Godfather! How can you be so stubborn! You..." Qin Jiujiu was so angry with the father and son that she rushed over to help Tang Feng, but Tang Feng no longer had the strength to stand. He slowly slid down against the door frame and sat on the ground, panting heavily. Qin Jiujiu was terrified to see Tang Feng's deathly pale face. She hadn't seen Tang Feng at his worst; she had only heard him mention it vaguely. Liu Yiwan had been threatened by Tang Feng and hadn't dared to tell the truth. Tang Feng pounded his chest, gritted his teeth, and endured the pain before slowly saying, "Sister, don't worry, let's go back! I... I want to rest, just a little... just a little rest." Tang Feng dared not speak more, afraid that blood would flow from his mouth and frighten Qin Jiujiu. The chest pain was unbearable, and his blood was churning. He finally couldn't hold back and vomited blood, splattering it on Qin Jiujiu's skirt. Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar. Zhou Ziliang saw Tang Feng slumped on the ground. Without waiting for the horse to stop, he jumped down and rushed forward to check on him. Tang Feng was soaked to the bone, his lips were slightly purple from the cold, and there were traces of blood at the corners of his mouth. Zhou Ziliang held Tang Feng in his arms and softly called his name, "Xiao Feng? Xiao Feng? Can you hear me?" This time, Tang Feng hadn't fainted. He took Zhou Ziliang's hand and said, "Home... Ziliang, home."

"Okay... let's go home." Zhou Ziliang picked Tang Feng up and was about to go back, but Qin Jiujiu stopped him. Tang Feng's appearance had clearly frightened her. "I'll go with you...."

Tang Feng was taken back to the Marquis's residence. Wu Hezou arrived, grumbling and cursing, carrying a medicine box. "None of you can give me a moment's peace! You know you're not feeling well, yet you still went out in the rain! You, you, you're going to drive me crazy!" Wu Hezou tapped Tang Feng's forehead hard. Tang Feng was in excruciating chest pain, cold sweat pouring down his face. He forced a smile and comforted Qin Jiujiu, "Sister, don't worry, it's nothing, I'll be fine in a bit."

"Shut up!" Wu Hezou quickly inserted several silver needles into Tang Feng's chest. Tang Feng immediately frowned. Seeing this, Zhou Ziliang patted Qin Jiujiu's shoulder and said, "Miss Jiu, come out and talk. Xiao Feng wouldn't want you to see him like this." Qin Jiujiu followed Zhou Ziliang outside and questioned, "Why didn't you tell us?" Qin Jiujiu was truly angry. If she had known Tang Feng was this ill, she would never have allowed Master Tang to punish Tang Feng by making him kneel in the rain. "It was all Xiao Feng's idea, afraid you would worry, but this time... what happened? Uncle Tang got so angry." Qin Jiujiu shook her head. "It's true that Xiao Feng's temper is like his godfather's. They're both incredibly stubborn." Qin Jiujiu recounted the events of the day to Zhou Ziliang. "Xiao Feng, I don't know what you're thinking this time. I just think what godfather said isn't wrong, but you'll be accompanying Xiao Feng from now on. You two decide! I also need to go back and let godfather know I'm safe."

After seeing Qin Jiujiu off, Zhou Ziliang went back into the room. Wu Hezou had already put away the needles and was about to leave. Seeing Zhou Ziliang return, she said irritably, "He can't keep acting like this with his health. How many times have I told him not to worry too much or have such emotional ups and downs? If he continues like this, don't bother asking me to come. He'll just be waiting to die! Even the King of Hell can't save him." Then she glanced at Tang Feng sitting on the bed and rolled her eyes. "Why aren't you changing his clothes? Are you waiting for him to get a fever? None of you are any good enough." Watching Wu Hezou leave angrily with her medical kit, Zhou Ziliang went over and helped Tang Feng up. "There's some water in the room. Go soak in it for a while to get rid of the chill." Tang Feng took off his clothes and slowly sat in the water. The water was warm, and soon Tang Feng's complexion became much rosier. Tang Feng, leaning over the wooden tub, watched Zhou Ziliang sitting beside him peeling an egg. "Hungry?" "Hungry? What? Look at your swollen cheeks. I'll roll a hot egg on them to reduce the swelling." Zhou Ziliang placed the peeled egg on Tang Feng's cheek. "Tell me! What happened?" Tang Feng took the egg from Zhou Ziliang's face, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "I understand Father's meaning, but... the road ahead is arduous, and there are too many uncontrollable factors. I don't want to implicate them because of me, not the Tang family, but also the Marquis's family..." Zhou Ziliang didn't say anything, sighed, and turned to bring in the clothes he needed to change. "The Ninth Prince probably has something to discuss with you. He went to the Tang residence a couple of days ago, but returned when you weren't there. Uncle Tang is probably angry about this. Do you still want to see the Ninth Prince?"

"Why not see him?" Tang Feng slowly rose, supporting himself on the wooden tub, dried himself, and picked up clothes from the hanger. "I was still thinking of a starting point, but who knew the Jade Prince would come to me himself? A few days ago, while you were away, Li Yunye came to the Marquis's residence. It's strange, Li Yunye, who was so indifferent to worldly affairs before, now wants to seize the throne," Zhou Ziliang helped Tang Feng fasten his belt and stood up to continue, "The Jade Prince has always refused to associate with factions, and even more unwilling to get involved himself. He wants to participate in the struggle for the throne... I think it's not just about saving his mother; he's probably been deceived by a villain." "Power, once you're tainted, you can never escape. It's like being bewitched. Golden gongs and silk curtains, decadent pleasures. Who wouldn't be deeply immersed in it?" Tang Feng wiped the water droplets from his head and looked at Zhou Ziliang. "This matter needs to be discussed with the Ninth Prince, but he's in the palace, so meeting him will be extremely difficult." Tang Feng looked up and pondered for a moment, then said, "How old is the Ninth Prince?" "Seventeen... What's wrong?"

Tang Feng shook his head. "It's nothing, just asking if he usually has anyone serving him?" Because of his strained relationship with Emperor Yun, Li Yunyu rarely had anyone serving him. Zhou Ziliang thought for a moment and said, "I don't know if he counts. I heard that when the Ninth Prince was young, Prince Duan sent him to the military camp, and he always had a deputy general with him. I'll go to the military camp tomorrow to ask." "No, you'll be too conspicuous. Ask someone else to go, don't let anyone know." Tang Feng had been caught in the rain and vomited blood, so he was already quite exhausted. But lying in bed, he still mustered his strength and held Zhou Ziliang's hand, saying, "I want to eat fish porridge later, the kind you, Qiang Hu, cook for me... it's so fragrant." "I'll make it for you later. Sleep for a while! I'll keep you company." Tang Feng had already fallen asleep before Zhou Ziliang finished speaking.

Qin Jiujiu returned to the Tang residence and saw Tang Zhaonan anxiously waiting at the door. She went up to him and said, "Don't worry, the doctor has already examined him." Tang Zhaonan had indeed been quite frightened by Tang Feng today, never expecting him to suddenly fall so seriously ill. Hearing Qin Jiujiu say that the doctor had already examined him, he asked, "What illness? It's so serious." Qin Jiujiu shook her head. "I don't know. Zhou Ziliang said he couldn't diagnose anything, but he shouldn't worry too much or have large emotional fluctuations. You really are something, why do you have to be so serious?" Tang Zhaonan looked at Qin Jiujiu with a bitter smile. "You think... I want this? Back when the emperor was vying for the throne, we were all loyal old ministers who followed him. And now? The camaraderie we shared on horseback is long gone. He is the emperor, and we are his subjects. If the emperor wants to die today, how can we dare to delay until after midnight? Xiao Feng is still young, how could he understand these things? But in the end, I couldn't persuade him! He really won't turn back until he hits a brick wall..."

Tang Feng was awakened by the aroma of food. He got up and saw the fish porridge already prepared on the table. He was already hungry, so he didn't care whether Zhou Ziliang was there or not. He served himself a bowl and started eating. Just as he put the food in his mouth, Zhou Ziliang pushed open the door and came in. Seeing Tang Feng looking at him innocently with a spoon in his mouth, Zhou Ziliang smiled sheepishly, "I was hungry... so..." "Perfect timing, you're awake. Look who I brought." Tang Feng looked up and saw a young general in armor following behind Zhou Ziliang. The man clasped his hands in a salute to Tang Feng and said, "I am Meng Lie, greetings, Mr. Tang."

"Meng Lie?" Tang Feng put down his spoon, looked at Zhou Ziliang, and listened to Zhou Ziliang's introduction, "This is Meng Lie, the deputy general who often follows the Ninth Prince in the military camp. If you want to contact the Ninth Prince in the palace, you can do so through General Meng." Tang Feng stood up and looked at Meng Lie, staring into his eyes. Meng Lie had grown up in the military camp since he was a child, and although he was young, his brows exuded the heroic spirit of a soldier. "Do you know what the Ninth Prince wants to do?"

Meng Lie nodded. "I know, His Highness is plotting..." Zhou Ziliang, sensing something amiss, quickly covered Meng Lie's mouth. Tang Feng pressed his throbbing temples. What to do? Master and servant—one a powerless, impoverished prince, the other a clueless, loyal deputy general! What a pair of hidden dragons and phoenix chicks! "Alright, alright, I understand. General Meng, please keep your mouth shut. If this gets out, it'll cost you your head. When are you going to the palace?"

Upon hearing Tang Feng's question, Meng Lie pulled away from Zhou Ziliang's hand and said, "This humble general visits His Highness the Ninth Prince in the palace on the first and fifteenth of each month. If you have anything to say, you can speak to me." Tang Feng calculated the days; the day after tomorrow was the first of the month. He then got up, picked up a pen from the table, wrote a letter, and handed it to Meng Lie. "Be careful in the palace; walls have ears. Don't mention anything about my affairs. Just give this letter to His Highness the Ninth Prince."