The rain was easing. Gao Shuo stood in the corridor, suppressing the pain from a freshly bandaged arrow wound on his back. Turning his head, he saw one guard of the Eastern Palace and one of a royal residence manor each carrying a wooden tray into the bathhouse courtyard.
On the trays lay neatly folded clean clothes and boots—two sets.
When he hurried to the Disaster Relief Bureau to see Su Yan, the moment he spotted the Embroidered Uniform Guard riders in the courtyard, he knew Lord Shen must also be there. But the Embroidered Uniform Guard told him the lords had gone to bathe and change, and asked him to wait under the eaves.
But the robes on that tray were embroidered with coiled-dragon patterns—clearly the official attire of princes and royal kin.
After that, two more trays of clothes were carried in by guards; this time without dragon embroidery—one green, one blue, both yesa robes.
Gao Shuo was a little dazed.
Not long after, the Crown Prince and Yu Wang came out of the courtyard dressed in coiled-dragon robes, followed by Lord Shen and Lord Su in yesa. All four men’s hair was damp, and a gentle warmth of steam still clung to their bodies.
This was… the four of them bathing together? Gao Shuo’s already-cracked expression split further in shock.
He knew his own commander had a private affair with Lord Su, but he hadn’t expected the entanglement to extend to two others as well! And that Lord Shen could actually accept this, too… Clearly Su Qinghe was no ordinary fox spirit reborn, but the reincarnation of a nine-tailed celestial fox!
Gao Shuo felt utterly out of sorts. He didn’t even hear what Su Yan asked when the latter came up to him, until Shen Qi frowned and called, “Gao Shuo!” Only then did he snap out of his daze, cupped his fists, and said: “This subordinate was momentarily distracted—please forgive me, my lord. May I trouble you to repeat the question?”
Su Yan asked with concern: “I heard from the two scouts that you clashed with Mister He. Were you injured?”
Gao Shuo froze briefly, suddenly thinking that men like these hardly deserved sympathy. Clearing his throat, he answered: “Merely minor scrapes, nothing serious. I thank my lord for the concern.”
Su Yan then asked: “And Sister Ruan? Was her injury severe?”
Gao Shuo said guiltily: “Her life is not in danger, but… but the wound is on her face. When I left Mister Yingxu’s clinic, she was still unconscious.”
Su Yan drew a sharp breath: “On her face! She’s a young lady… I must go see her.”
“Wait, my lord.” Gao Shuo passed over the box tucked under his arm. “Before losing consciousness, Miss Ruan clutched this box tightly to her chest, and I brought it out with her. I opened it once—what’s inside seems extremely important, so I hurried to deliver it.”
“A box? Could it be what Sister Ruan took from Mister He’s chamber?” Su Yan accepted it and lifted the lid. Shen Qi, Yu Wang, and the Crown Prince all leaned closer to look.
A guard brought over a wooden table and laid a clean white cloth on it. Su Yan carefully took the items from the box and set them out one by one.
They were a jumble: a broken arrowhead, what seemed to be a dried finger bone, a treasured scroll inscribed with the Void Sect’s doctrines…
“Isn’t this the Blood Scripture I sent to Yanfu Temple for offering? How did it end up in Mister He’s hands? And this memorial essay I wrote—why would he copy it out!” Zhu Helin was deeply displeased, as though his mourning for his late Royal Mother had been profaned.
Yu Wang hooked up a string of phoenix-and-luan pendants with his fingertip, raising a brow: “This looks familiar—like something worn by the women of the palace.”
Shen Qi drew out a shard shaped like a roof tile, scanned it quickly, and his face shifted slightly: “This is a gold-inscribed iron charter granted by the Taizu Emperor. From the text, it was awarded to the then-leader of the Void Sect, Wen Xiang!”
Zhu Helin immediately refuted: “The Void Sect was condemned as heresy by Taizu Emperor himself. How could such a precious charter be bestowed upon its leader? This must be a forgery.”
Yu Wang set down the pendants and examined the shard carefully, turning it over. After a while he nodded: “It’s genuine.”
Zhu Helin was astonished: “Then… I must ask Royal Father myself and find out the truth.”
“This box, you’re certain it came from the Marquis Xianan’s residence?” Su Yan asked Gao Shuo.
Gao Shuo nodded firmly: “Straight from Mister He’s room. It should have been his personal effects, discovered by Miss Ruan. She knew its importance, so even while unconscious she held it tight.”
“These things are enough to prove Mister He’s connection to the Void Sect. Eight or nine chances out of ten, he is the current sect master. Which means the Wei family can’t escape implication! Fortunately, Mister He had the habit of collecting spoils—otherwise we wouldn’t have such ironclad evidence in hand.” Su Yan clapped his palm. “I’ll go into the palace at once to petition His Majesty, persuade him to issue a decree to search the Marquis Xianan and the Marquis Fengan’s mansions, and arrest Mister He and the Seven-Kill commander directly!”
Zhu Helin said: “At this hour the palace gates are already shut. Only I can knock them open. I’ll go with you.”
Shen Qi: “There’s no time! By the time you get the decree, the two of them will have already fled.”
Yu Wang: “I fear the same. Since they collude with the Wei clan, surely there are eyes and ears in the palace ready to tip them off.”
Su Yan thought for a moment, then said: “That leaves only one option—act first and report later. But such things are a grave taboo. Even if I still held the Sword of Authority—which I’ve long since returned—taking troops to raid the homes of royal in-laws would exceed His Majesty’s orders to me, and I’d be accused of overstepping and usurping power.”
The others knew his concern was valid. Gao Shuo asked: “Then what should we do?”
Shen Qi said in a low voice: “Divide our forces! I’ll take the Embroidered Uniform Guard, find a pretext to surround the two marquisates and stall them. Qinghe, you secure the imperial decree as quickly as possible.”
Su Yan shook his head: “That would put all the pressure on you. Guilty or not, afterward the court officials will tear you to shreds.”
“But at the moment there’s no other way.” Shen Qi insisted. “The Northern Surveillance Bureau has always been overbearing—my infamous reputation is already set.”
Su Yan still objected: “The charge is too great—even the Empress Dowager won’t stay quiet. No, I can’t let you shoulder this alone. I’ll go with you, share the fire. As for the evidence, we’ll trouble His Highness to take it into the palace alone for His Majesty.”
Yu Wang spoke up: “What, none of you consider this Wangye at all? With me there, the Wei clan will have scruples. And if the court wants to impeach—let them. I’ve suffered impeachments before; lice don’t bite when there are too many, debts aren’t worrisome when there are plenty.”
Su Yan asked in surprise: “So Your Highness means… you’re willing to go with Qilang to surround the marquisates?”
Yu Wang cast Shen Qi a mocking glance: “Call me ‘Silang,’ and I’ll help him.”
“This isn’t helping him—it’s aiding our alliance against the Wei family.” Su Yan gave a faint teasing smile. “Besides, ‘Silang’ isn’t such a good form of address. Trust me on that.”
Yu Wang assumed he simply didn’t want to speak so intimately, so he added: “Then call me ‘Jincheng’—that much you can do, right?”
Su Yan hesitated.
Shen Qi lowered his gaze, hiding the cold light in his eyes, his fingers slowly rubbing along the knife hilt.
Zhu Helin snapped, “At a time like this you’re still haggling? Fourth Royal Uncle, can’t you act like a man?”
Yu Wang burst into loud laughter, leapt down the steps, swung onto his horse, and called to the prince’s mansion guards: “Come on, let’s go give the Wei family a taste of misfortune.”
“…Be careful when entering the palace to face His Majesty.” Shen Qi gave Su Yan a long, heavy look before turning to rally the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Though Zhu Helin was often annoyed at his father for stealing people from him, he couldn’t stand this remark. His face darkened at once: “Shen Qi, what do you mean by that? Are you casting aspersions on the Son of Heaven?”
Su Yan quickly smoothed things over: “Rest assured, the little lord and I will certainly obtain the imperial edict and get it to you in time.” As he spoke, he grabbed Zhu Helin by the wrist. “No time to lose—let’s go.”
Pulled along, Zhu Helin’s mood improved, and he said, “Ride with me on Chixiafei, the little lord’s horse—she’s fast.”
The crown prince’s red-maned steed was indeed a rare fine horse, and Su Yan didn’t put on airs. He mounted with Zhu Helin as invited, and together they lashed the whip, racing toward the imperial palace, trailed as always by a squad of East Palace guards struggling to keep up.
From behind, Zhu Helin slipped an arm around Su Yan’s waist. To Su Yan’s surprise, the boy who used to be half a head shorter now stood as tall as he was, and even broader in build—his arm muscles pressed against Su Yan’s side, like an open declaration of surpassing him.
Su Yan couldn’t help a sour pang. His own body had grown somewhat taller over the past half-year, and he had thought that with the muscle he’d put on, he’d finally shed his scrawny “white chicken” frame. But now even the brat had easily caught up and overtaken him. Truly… comparison is the thief of joy.
He muttered, “What, did you eat hormones to grow this fast?”
Zhu Helin didn’t understand “hormones,” but it didn’t stop him from smug boasting: “Didn’t I say I’d hurry up and grow? Just watch—half a year more, I’ll be taller than you.”
Su Yan sulked: “Even if you’re taller and stronger, you’re still the younger brother.”
Zhu Helin bent close to his ear, his tone lilting and drawn out: “Older Brother~ good Older Brother, dear Older Brother.”
Su Yan shuddered, gooseflesh rising: “What kind of fit is this—stop that at once.”
Zhu Helin chuckled, pressing his chest full against Su Yan’s back: “You call me ‘younger brother,’ so what’s wrong if I call you ‘older brother’? Besides, that’s how lovers address each other in storybooks.”
“My ‘younger brother’ is an adjective, not a noun! How many times have I told you—fewer storybooks, more serious books… Wait, who’s your lover?!”
“The one you kissed.”
“That was you forcing me down and stealing one!”
“At the Imperial Ancestral Temple, you kissed me first, fair and square—trying to deny it now?”
“…”
“Kiss me once more and I’ll forgive you.”
“Get lost!”
“Hurry up and kiss me, or else the little lord will—” Zhu Helin blew a puff of air on Su Yan’s nape, “—act up again right here and let you meet my royal father with a big red mark on your neck.”
“Are you insane? The guards are all right behind us—”
“But it’s dark, the horse is running fast, no one will see. Come on, kiss kiss kiss!”
Pestered beyond endurance, Su Yan turned and planted a perfunctory peck on his cheek.
“Fooled like a child?!” Zhu Helin protested hotly, releasing his hold on Su Yan’s waist to seize his face instead. “Turn around properly and give the little lord a real kiss.”
Su Yan snapped, “The cut on my mouth still hurts. If you smash into me again, you’ll rip both our lips clean off!”
Zhu Helin faltered: “The little lord’s technique is that bad?”
Su Yan sneered: “Something nonexistent can hardly be called good or bad.”
Zhu Helin: “…”
Then, with dramatic pathos, Zhu Helin declaimed: “Virtuous brother! I am but a youth, utterly ignorant of worldly matters. I beg you, guide me across with your own body, point me toward enlightenment.”
Su Yan: “…”
Su Yan groaned in despair: “Lewd books ruin people! One of these days I’ll burn that whole nightstand full of your sm*tty storybooks!”
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