The top scholar had taken a fall. In his grace, the emperor excused him from inscribing his name on the Mingyan Pagoda and allowed him to return home to rest.
After returning from Mingyan Pagoda, Xiao Yun changed into casual clothes and stepped out. Xie Zhe stood in the imperial quarters and cautiously asked, “How does Your Majesty plan to deal with Qi Wang?”
Xiao Yun chuckled. “What’s there to deal with?”
He picked up a wolf-hair brush from his desk and poked it into a golden birdcage hanging from the beam, teasing the vibrant bird inside—its feathers a dazzling mix of crimson, indigo, teal, black, and yellow.
The bird hopped onto the brush excitedly, swayed its little head, and chirped, “His Majesty is wise and mighty, his glory everlasting!”
“…” Xie Zhe’s mouth twitched slightly.
Xiao Yun turned to him. “Amusing, isn’t it? Yin Xian specially trained it—it’s quite clever.”
Yin Xian was the head eunuch serving the emperor, especially skilled at finding ways to entertain him.
“…” Xie Zhe strongly suspected that the emperor had trained the bird himself.
“His Majesty is wise and mighty, his glory everlasting!”
Hearing it again, Xie Zhe suddenly felt the phrase sounded familiar. After a moment of recollection, he realized—”…Isn’t that from Xie Caiqing’s imperial exam essay?”
“Is it?” Xiao Yun feigned ignorance. “I don’t remember. You should ask Yin Xian.”
“…” Xie Zhe didn’t call him out on it. But looking at the emperor’s colorful new pet, he suddenly had a vision of the bird’s face turning into Xie Caiqing’s.
He was truly puzzled. The emperor, who loved all things colorful, had recently taken an interest in Xie Caiqing, a man dressed entirely in white.
Still, Xie Zhe didn’t forget the matter at hand. He observed the emperor’s mood, which seemed quite good, and asked, “Why doesn’t Your Majesty punish Qi Wang?”
Xiao Yun was about to reply—
“Because His Majesty is wise and mighty, his glory everlasting!”
He laughed cheerfully. “Shut up.”
The colorful bird shrank its neck and scurried to the corner of the cage.
Too lazy to put the brush back, Xiao Yun simply left it stuck in the cage and strolled away. “The top scholar didn’t say anything—why should I?”
“He disrespected Your Majesty.”
Xiao Yun smirked. “Who doesn’t disrespect me in private? ‘He said it out loud, while the commander thinks it in his heart but keeps silent.’ Have you forgotten so soon, Commander?”
“…” Xie Zhe cursed Xie Caiqing inwardly.
“Seriously though,” Xiao Yun said as he sat comfortably at his desk and pulled a sheet of fine paper before him. “Even if the top scholar had spoken up and I severely punished Qi Wang, what then? His mother has done no wrong. I can’t just wipe out the entire Princess household over this, can I?”
“Revenge on a son’s behalf is only natural. In the end, it’s the top scholar who would suffer most. By keeping silent now, he’s actually doing the Eldest Princess a great favor—one that she will secretly appreciate. Meanwhile, I, knowing full well that he was wronged, but refraining from making it public to preserve royal dignity, must also compensate him quietly.”
Xie Zhe was taken aback before realization dawned. “I was foolish.”
But he still frowned. “Then will Your Majesty simply let Qi Wang go unchecked? The top scholar was rather pitiful.”
Xiao Yun stifled a laugh. “You’re the pitiful one.”
Xie Zhe: “?”
Xiao Yun tore a jagged strip from the pristine paper. “He’s quite pleased with himself, yet you think he’s pitiful. Tell me, who’s truly pitiful?”
Xie Zhe looked bewildered. “…Pleased?”
Xiao Yun pointed to a bookshelf. “Fetch the box on the third shelf, leftmost side.”
Xie Zhe did as instructed.
“Open it,” Xiao Yun said without looking up.
Inside the box were over a dozen scraps of torn paper, each bearing a person’s name—scrawled hastily in the emperor’s own handwriting.
Xie Zhe skimmed through the names and was startled.
These were all people who had been exiled, executed, or even had their entire families eliminated in recent years.
“Your Majesty, this…”
“If I dislike someone enough that I can’t even be bothered to reprimand them, I write their name and put it in this box. And you know what happens next?” Xiao Yun turned and raised an eyebrow, smiling lazily.
Xie Zhe felt a chill run down his spine.
These people had once been powerful, but at first, they had only been arrogant and overstepped boundaries. The emperor had left them unchecked—until they inevitably dug their own graves.
“…I was ignorant. I am the pitiful one,” Xie Zhe admitted, ashamed.
Before, he simply couldn’t read the emperor’s thoughts. Now, he couldn’t even decipher Xie Caiqing.
“As they say, docking one’s pay is a form of affection, spanking is an expression of love,” Xiao Yun chuckled. “If I wanted someone dead, I’d sweeten their life first—otherwise, wouldn’t I seem heartless? He’s my royal sister’s son, after all. How could I act rashly?”
“…” Xie Zhe was caught between laughter and fear.
“But honestly,” Xiao Yun’s lips curved in a smile, yet his eyes were devoid of mirth, “I do give them chances. I’m not forcing them into anything. And yet, after all these years, not a single one of them has ever known when to stop.”
Xiao Yun clicked his tongue twice.
Xie Zhe became slightly more alert—being close to the emperor had its perks. Otherwise, he might not even know how he would end up dead.
The emperor swiftly wrote the words “Eldest Princess Residence” on the paper with bold strokes. “Come on, hold it steady, step back a bit. Watch me throw it in.”
“…” Xie Zhe held the box with both hands and stepped backward.
“A little to the left… now to the right… a bit more to the left… okay, okay, now back a bit more… good, good! Stop! Stop!”
Xie Zhe obediently stopped.
Xiao Yun crumpled the slip of paper into a ball, flicked his fingers, and the tiny paper ball traced a perfect arc through the air before landing precisely inside the small box in Xie Zhe’s palm.
Xie Zhe was immensely relieved that this wasn’t a hunting ground and that the emperor wasn’t shooting arrows. At least this time, he wasn’t forced to balance a jujube on his head like before.
….
The newly crowned top scholar’s residence was located at the end of Xian Street. Though not the most expensive area, it was still quite a prestigious neighborhood, surrounded by officials of the third and fourth rank.
As a mere sixth-rank Hanlin scholar, the top scholar’s status wasn’t out of place there. Besides, he had a quiet nature, and the far end of the street rarely had commoners passing by, making it a peaceful retreat.
Firecrackers had just been set off, and bits of red paper were still fluttering in the air. The residence was decorated with lanterns and banners, full of celebratory cheer.
Taifei, disguised with a human skin mask, cheerfully finished giving orders to the servants before rushing inside.
The young Wangye had immediately gone to bathe upon returning from Mingyan Pagoda. He hadn’t come out yet—he was meticulous about cleanliness and had a slow-paced nature. As long as he emerged within an hour, Taifei wouldn’t rush him.
Sure enough, right on time, the young Wangye stepped out of his room. Freshly dressed, immaculate from head to toe, even his waist ornaments were properly arranged. The only flaw was his still-damp temples, with water droplets trailing down.
Taifei was lecturing the servants in the hall. They stood obediently at attention, but when they saw the top scholar enter, they were momentarily stunned.
Several young maids blushed and lowered their heads, their hearts racing.
Xie Caiqing smiled faintly and exchanged a few words before dismissing them. Once the hall was empty, Taifei immediately began fussing over him, wiping his wet hair with a cloth. She lowered her voice in concern, “What happened? Did the emperor touch you?”
Normally, he wouldn’t take this long to bathe.
“Qi Wang.”
Taifei was startled. She knew well of Qi Wang’s reputation. “He didn’t do anything to you, did he?”
Xie Caiqing shook his head and succinctly recounted the incident.
Taifei laughed so hard her stomach ached. “How did you know Xiao Yun was coming down?”
Xie Caiqing looked innocent. “I didn’t.”
Taifei froze. “You didn’t?!”
She suddenly remembered that the young Wangye wasn’t skilled in martial arts and had only average hearing. It was impossible for him to have known Xiao Yun was present and deliberately spoken those words in front of him.
“It didn’t matter whether he was there or not,” Xie Caiqing explained. “If he hadn’t come down, I was using it to intimidate Qi Wang. If he did come down, then… even better.”
Taifei chuckled.
Xie Caiqing frowned slightly. “But it seems he doesn’t like me very much.”
Taifei frowned as well. “But he came down for you, didn’t he?”
“At first, I thought so too.”
Xie Caiqing hesitated, then lightly hooked his little finger around his sleeve—a small habit he had whenever he felt a bit awkward.
He said calmly, “I did as you taught me—I intentionally stumbled into his arms. But he pushed me away without the slightest hesitation.”
“…” Taifei’s expression became complicated.
She had once half-jokingly given the young Wangye advice—things like “accidentally” falling into someone’s embrace, maintaining eye contact for a specific duration before quickly looking away in embarrassment, lowering his head with flushed cheeks, and apologizing—all in one fluid motion.
Reality, of course, was far less cooperative.
“But he carried you onto his horse before, didn’t he? He doesn’t seem to dislike touching you,” she pointed out.
“I don’t know,” Jiang Huaichu had clearly pondered deeply during his bath. “Maybe I misunderstood his intentions back then.”
His frown deepened. “Or maybe I unknowingly triggered something he finds repulsive. But I have no idea what it is.”
While bathing, he had replayed every moment from Mingyan Pagoda over and over in his mind, reflecting on what might have gone wrong.
He wasn’t afraid of making mistakes. Mistakes were inevitable in any plan, no matter how thorough. What frightened him was making a mistake and not knowing what it was—being unable to correct it.
His expression dimmed slightly, but he didn’t want to pass his bad mood onto Taifei, so he said evenly, “It’s fine.”
“Maybe take it slow?” Taifei suggested.
Jiang Huaichu shook his head. “I don’t have time. It’s already been half a month. If I go any slower, it’ll be too late.”
Taifei, trying to lighten the mood, grinned. “If you can’t get even, do you want Ru Shi to find someone to secretly teach Qi Wang a lesson? Maybe he gets bitten by a venomous bug—would the young Wangye like that?”
“No. I want him to be safe and well.”
Taifei blinked in surprise. Coming from the young Wangye, his voice was as gentle and refined as always, yet it carried the softest trace of lingering affection.
Jiang Huaichu blinked slowly. “He is my most natural encounter, my most flawless accident.”
Taifei: “…”
